THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WORLD KARTING ASSOCIATION
JUNE 2014 VOL. 46, NO. 6
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MICHIANA RACEWAY PAR
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RED MOTORSPORTS NATIONALS
RK; ; NORTH LIBERTY, IND.
-29, 2014
Yamaha Rookie top guns Tyler Ferris (2) and Luca Mars
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The 2014 WKA Man-
ufacturers Cup Grand Nationals went off June 27-29 at Michiana Raceway Park just outside of South Bend, Indiana. Sponsored by billet aluminum parts manufacturer Zero Error Racing and PCR chassis importer Checkered Motorsports, the Grand Nationals attracted over 200 entries to MRP Another big Man Cup show for Dustin Stross, who for the third round of again scored the $1,000 HYTORC IAME Cup bonus the 2014 WKA Mazda / Bridgestone Man Cup Series.
A host of drivers left South Bend with a pair of WKA Grand National Eagle trophies. In all, seven racers accomplished two feature wins on the weekend. Giovanni Bromante, Sam Mayer and John Paul Southern Jr. all raced to a pair of wins in the Sportsman ranks. Brandon Lemke and David Malukas both scored two wins in the Junior category. Scot Carapellatti swept TaG Masters and Dustin Stross continued his hot streak in the Man Cup, winning Parilla Senior 1 and TaG Senior 2. Stross added to his 2014 winnings with his second straight IAME Cup championships and the $1,000 HYTORC of Texas bonus as the best overall finisher in Parilla Senior. Lemke swept Parilla Junior and earned the $500 Butler Built / Arai Helmet bonus as the IAME Cup Junior champion on the weekend. It was Lemke’s first IAME Cup championship of the year. Nick Snell and Carson Mitchell split the Kid Kart main events. Luca Mars and Connor Ferris did the same in Yamaha Rookie. Alexander Kardashian and Tazio Torregiani each claimed Komet Junior triumphs, while Mark Boos, Andrew Bujdoso, Patrick Olsen and Austin McCusker all won once on the weekend. Here’s a quick rundown of each of the 12 categories at the 2014 Man Cup Grand Nationals.
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CRP Racing KID KART A solid field of CRP Racing Kid Kart youngsters attended the Grand Nationals. In all, 11 racers made up the field after eight Kid Kart racers ran the class’s Man Cup debut at Kershaw in April.
Kid Kart winner, NICK SNELL
SAM MAYER of WISCONSIN
Yamaha Rookie victor, LUCA MARS J U N E 2 0 1 4 - W K A’s K a r t i n g S c e n e
Nick Snell and Carson Mitchell were the class of the field Saturday. Snell edged Carson for the win by just 0.066 seconds. The pair finished over 17 seconds ahead of third-plcae Caiden Mitchell. Elliot J. Cox was fourth and Sebastian Wheldon, son of the late Dan Wheldon, fifth. Carson Mitchell avenged his Saturday defeat with a close win over Snell in Sunday’s Kid Kart main. Carson won by one second over Snell in this one with Cox third over 21 seconds back of the lead duo. Adam Brickley and Gabby Selden scored top-five finishes Sunday with fourth and fifth-place runs. New Jersey Sprint Series / Comet Kart Sales YAMAHA ROOKIE Praga racer Luca Mars dominated Saturday’s Rookie go with a 9.6-second win over Gunnar Bischoff. Connor Ferris came home third, Lucas Smalec fourth and Caleb Bacon fifth. The win marked Mars’ third in a row after he swept Kershaw.
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But Ferris would put an end to Mars’ winning streak Sunday, scoring the Comet Kart Sales Yamaha Rookie main event win by a close 0.485-second margin over Mars. The pair finished over nine seconds ahead of Bacon in third, Bischoff fourth and Owen Mahle fifth. Kartwerks / Praga Chassis / Grand Products CADET SPORTSMAN The “full-blown” Junior Sportsman ranks featured a trio of stars throughout the weekend. John John Paul Southern Jr. is having a big year Paul Southern Jr., Sam Mayer and Giovanni Bromante battled for Sportsman wins all weekend, and the three would not be challenged by anyone but themselves in the Grand Nationals’ six Sportsman main events. In Cadet, Southern and Bromante split the finals. Southern wheeled his PCR to the Saturday Kartwerks / Praga-sponsored main. He finished just ahead of Bromante and Mayer for the victory. Jason Welage was fourth on his Tony Kart with Robert Noaker III rounding out the top five. On Sunday Bromante avenged his Saturday defeat with a 0.052-second triumph over “Top” Top Kart Sportsman racer Southern in Grand Products CaGiovanni Bromante det Final 2. Mayer was just over a second back in third with Welage fourth and Madison Campeau fifth. MRP / Birel / RacingRVs.com YAMAHA SPORTSMAN The largest Sportsman fields of the weekend saw 14 starters in the pair of Ya-
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maha Sportsman mains. Mayer wheeled his Franklin Motorsports Merlin to the win in Saturday’s MRP / Birel-sponsored main. Mayer crossed the stripe 0.462 seconds ahead of Southern with Bromante less than one second back in third. Welage was fourth and Aidan Harrington fifth. Sunday saw Southern pick up the RacingRVs.com win over Bromante and Mayer. The trio crossed the stripe less than four-tenths of a second apart. Local runner Tommy Burke hung tough with the top three and finished fourth only 1.6 seconds back of Southern. Harrington rounded out the top five for the second straight day. KOMET SPORTSMAN Seven racers entered Komet Sportsman and once again it was the Bromante, Mayer, Southern show. Saturday’s Komet Sportsman final saw Top Kart racer Bromante score the win by a half-second gap over Southern with Mayer right there in third. Burke finished fourth, but almost 10 seconds back of the winner. Maks Kowalski scored his only top-five result of the weekend in this one. Mayer earned his second win of the weekend in Sunday’s Komet Sportsman go. The Merlin pilot won by another close margin over Bromante with Southern in third. Spike Kohlbecker ran fourth with Burke fifth. Woltjer Racing Engines / Zero Error Racing YAMAHA JUNIOR Chicago’s David Malukas swept the Yamaha Junior category, marking his first wins of the Man Cup season in the division. Saturday’s Woltjer Racing Engines One of North America’s most accomplished action saw Malukas win by a junior racers, David Malukas 0.273-second margin over his rival Brandon Lemke. Zach Holden was third, just a couple kart-lengths off of Lemke’s rear bumper. Jacob McWhirter finished fourth with Emerson Reed fifth in the 14-kart field. On Sunday Malukas raced his Top Kart to a completion of the Yamaha Junior sweep in the Zero Error Racing-backed main event. Once again Lemke finished J U N E 2 0 1 4 - W K A’s K a r t i n g S c e n e
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right on Malukas’ heels with a tight 0.192-second gap. Holden was third for the second day in a row. Reed finished fourth and Evan Fritts scored a solid fifthplace result. Checkered Motorsports KOMET JUNIOR One of the shortest fields of the weekend was Komet Junior with only four starters both days. Alexander Kardashian and Tazio Torregiani would split the finals. Kardashian scored a 1.6-second win over Torregiani on Saturday. McWhirter and Adam Sturgill finished third and fourth.
Longitme Man Cup regular, Tazio Torregiani
Sunday saw Torregiani win by a close 0.241-second gap over Kardashian. McWhirter and Sturgill once again finished third and fourth. Arai Helmet / Butler Built / TSRacing.com PARILLA JUNIOR After Malukas won the Parilla Junior IAME Cup at Kershaw in April, this time the class was the Brandon Lemke show with the Wisconsin racer picking up both Grand National wins and the $500 Arai Helmet / Butler Built bonus. Saturday saw Lemke pull his Merlin out to a two-second gap
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Komet Junior winner, Alexander Kardashian
Brandon Lemke on the way to another win worldkarting.com
before the checkers waved. Torregiani, who scored a Parilla Junior final win at Kershaw, was a solid second on his Haase. Birel racer Mike McAndrews crossed the stripe third but was disqualified in post-race tech for a faulty header. This gave third to Malukas with Kardashian fourth and Brendan Burcroff fifth. Sunday’s action was The Senior Piston Port field races MRP’s turn one similar to Saturday’s with 2013 WKA Triple Crown champion Lemke scoring the win by a 2.1-second advantage over Malukas. Holden was third on his Top Kart with Torregiani fourth and Kardashian rounding out the top five. RLV Tuned Exhaust / Zero Error Racing SENIOR PISTON PORT Six drivers made the call in the Yamaha / Komet combined senior division. Saturday saw Man Cup veteran Patrick Olsen wheel his Top Kart to the win by a two-second gap over Derek Hughes. Brett Schneider was third, Olivia Horn fourth and Chase Jones fifth. Haase pilot Austin McCusker dominated Sunday’s Senior Piston Port main. The New Yorker finished 3.3 seconds ahead of Olsen for the score. Jones was third, Schnieder fourth and Horn fifth. Kartwerks / Praga / Grand Products TAG SENIOR Only three racers entered TaG Senior. Mark Boos and Dustin Stross split the wins with Boos scoring on Saturday and Stross edging him out on Sunday. Cal Stewart ran third both days. J U N E 2 0 1 4 - W K A’s K a r t i n g S c e n e
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Margay / DRT Racing TAG MASTERS Veteran Scot Carapellatti dominated the weekend in Masters, winning by impressive margins both days. Saturday’s TaG Masters main saw Carapellatti win by a four-second gap over David Galowina. Kim Carapellatti Sunday Parilla winner Andrew Bujdoso was third, Steve Schiewer fourth and Anthony Honeywell fifth. Scot triumphed again on Sunday, this time by a 3.6-second gap over Schiewer. Kim Carapellatti was third and Galowina fourth. HYTORC of Texas / Franklinkart.com PARILLA SENIOR Andrew Bujdoso crossed the finish stripe first both days in Parilla Senior, however the PCR driver did not make it through post-race tech Saturday with a disqualification because of the air box. Bujdoso’s misfortune gave the Saturday Parilla Senior win to Dustin Stross, and it ultimately allowed Stross to pocket the $1,000 HYTORC of Texas bonus for the second consecutive Man Cup outing. Saturday’s rundown was Garrett Johnston second, Mick Gabriel third, Jake Johnston fourth and Daytona IAME Cup winner Mark Boos fifth. Bujdoso returned Sunday to dominate the Franklinkart.com-sponsored Parilla Senior with a 2.2-second win over Jake Johnston. This time the PCR racer made it through tech with no problem to earn his first Man Cup win of the season. Stross took third to secure the HYTORC bonus and IAME Cup weekend championship. Gabriel and Boos rounded out the top five.
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RLV GOLD CUP ROUND T WO JULY 11-13, 2014
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IT’S THE GARY LAWSON SHOW AGAIN AT CAMDEN GOLD CUP
Alder, Kalb & Miller join Lawson as triple winners at Michigan Kart Supply Nationals Story by Keith Shampine; Photos by Carl Barnes
Mentor, Ohio’s Gary Lawson went unbeaten this past weekend at the
Michigan Kart Supply Nationals at G&J Kartway, round two of the 2014 WKA RLV Tuned Exhaust Products Gold Cup Series. Lawson led the way over 70 drivers that compiled for more than 220 entries at Camden, where he won Friday’s Pro Gas Animal Money Race, Saturday’s Senior Pro Gas Animal 1 and LO206 Heavy 1 mains and Sunday’s Pro Gas Animal weekend capper. Maryland’s Jacob Heavlow was the only driver who gave Lawson a consistent challenge. Heavlow, a multi-time WKA Junior national champion, led a number of laps in Friday’s Money Race before Lawson bested him by 0.7-second margin. The pair traded paint a few times in an exciting race that saw Scott Kleman, Dustin Demattia and Jim Lipari finish third through fifth. Heavlow almost had Lawson beat in Saturday’s Coyote Motorsports Pro Gas Animal final. Heavlow and Lawson swapped the lead several times until the final lap when the pair touched once again while racing for the win. Lawson took the advantage onto the final straightaway when his chain fell off as he crossed the finish line for the checkered flag. Demattia, Tanner Lee and Kleman filled the top five of 22 starters. Lawson dominated Saturday’s Briggs Racing / Kart City Performance LO206 Heavy 1 main event, winning by a huge advantage over Jacksonville winner Jordan Mincey and Matt Skaggs. Indiana’s Steve Knight gave the Gold Cup Series a try and came home fourth; Michael Clark was fifth. Heavlow qualified second to Lawson in Sunday’s Pro Gas Animal class but was bounced in fuel tech, which ultimately cost him any opportunity to challenge Lawson for the win.
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Having to start from the rear in heat race, Heavlow made it to the top 10 in the 20-kart field, and he advanced all the way to second in the feature. But by the time Heavlow cleared Demattia for third, Lawson was already a full front straightaway ahead. The Mentor, Ohio, veteran won by another convincing margin over Heavlow, a strong-running Demattia (third), Tanner Lee fourth and Michigan’s Scott Kleman fifth. Lawson pocketed over $2,000 for winning the four races. Heavlow, Demattia, Lee, Kleman, Lipari, Mincey, Skaggs, Josh Stiefel and Mike Greiner all left with Jacksonville with a piece of more than $3,000 in purses that were posted for the event. Margay racer David Kalb Jr. won three Junior races. Kalb, whom Lawson helps tune at Gold Cup events, scored wins both days in Thor Oil Junior Medium and Sunday in Van-K Wheels Junior Pro Gas Animal. Kalb’s biggest win came in Van-K Wheels Junior Pro Gas Animal 2, which started a dozen karts. Kalb won the main over Saturday victor Connor Tebbe. Dyan Murry joined his Georgia counterpart Tebbe in the top three, while big Jacksonville winner Zach Wells was fourth and Nate Shelhart fifth. Kalb wheeled his Margay to wins over Wells and Adam Cornell in Thor Oil Junior Medium. Wells, Joshua Stark, Cornell and Cameron Clifford filled the top five in Saturday’s Junior Medium 1 main. Sunday’s Junior Medium main saw Cornell, Stark, Wells and Clifford follow David to the finish. After struggling at Jacksonville and getting shut out of Victory Lane, Ohio’s Kalb was the top Junior winner at Camden. Connor Tebbe won Saturday’s Junior Pro Gas main event. The Georgia racer earned a new brake system kit from Martin Custom Products (MCP Brakes). Tebbe bested Zach Wells, Dylan Murry, Kalb and Joshua Stark in the 10-kart field. Zach Wells swept Brad’s Heating & Cooling Junior Heavy Mix. The Maryland racer wheeled his MGM to wins over Stark on both days. Kalb was third. Wells’ victories at Camden were his sixth and seventh wins of the season on the Gold Cup circuit. J U N E 2 0 1 4 - W K A’s K a r t i n g S c e n e
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Maryland racers Matt Miller and Jason Alder each scored the hat trick at Camden. Both drivers won three times in the Junior Sportsman category, besting competitive fields of talented 8- to 12-year-old racers throughout the weekend. Miller won three of the four Sportsman Pro Gas Animal main events, sponsored by Baker Racing Engines and Razor Chassis. Miller wheeled a new Margay, which was the Gold Cup Pro Gas Animal championship kart awarded to Dylan Murry last year, to a sweep of Sportsman Pro Gas Animal Heavy and a Saturday triumph in Sportsman Pro Gas Lite. Miller won Sportsman Pro Gas Lite 1 in a close race over Georgia’s Cody Hall which saw the two trade the lead several times. Alex Vrabel was third, Riley Kelley fourth and Alder fifth. Hall crossed the finish line first in Saturday’s Sportsman Pro Gas Heavy 1 main, but was docked a one-position penalty for offending another kart. Hall was penalized to second, giving the win the Miller, with Alder fourth, Vrabel fourth and Nick Fauci fifth. Miller edged Hall in Sunday’s Baker Racing Engines Sportsman Pro Gas Heavy 2 weekend capper. Hall tried everything he could to pass the Margay driver but came up just short at the end. Vrabel, Alder and Fauci crossed the stripe third through fifth. Alder won both five-kart Miller Welders Sportsman Methanol mains, winning each race over Miller. Brian Van Cleve Jr., Nick Ksobiech and Kelley finished third through fifth in Saturday’s Sportsman Methanol feature, while Kelley and Van Cleve were third and fourth on Sunday. Alder’s most competitive triumph came in Sunday’s Sportsman Pro Gas Lite 2. The Maryland racer and Hall made contact in the final corners while battling for the lead. Alder made the inside pass while touching Hall, but there was no penalty and Alder became the only driver to win a Sportsman Pro Gas final other than Miller. Nick Torres earned his best finish of the weekend with a fine second-place run. Hall was third, Austin Williamson fourth and Fauci fifth. Tanner Lee and Paul Headley split the Performance North Animal Medium mains.
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Lee won going away in Saturday’s contest, crossing the stripe four seconds ahead of Headley. Cayla Chapman was third, Justin Funkhouser fourth and Jacksonville winner Jim Lipari fifth. Sunday’ Animal Medium race was an exciting one between Tyler Sandmeyer, Jimmy Heavlow and Jim Lipari. Sandmeyer and Heavlow ended up taking each other out and Lipari’s retired early with engine problems. Justin Funkhouser ran well but him and Chapman made contact, sending Funkhouser into the fence in turn two. Sandmeyer crossed the stripe first but was penalized for the incident with Heavlow. Headley kept his nose clean throughout the 12-lapper and was awarded the victory. Sandmeyer was penalized two spots, but Chapman was penalized two spots for the incident with Funkhouser. The Chapman penalty gave second back to Sandmeyer with Funkhouser third, Chapman fourth and Tanner Lee fifth. Lee won Saturday’s Power Plus Lubricants Animal Heavy Mix 1 feature. Lee again won over Headley, but this time by only a 0.253-second margin. Tim Stiefel ran a strong race for third. Florida’s Patrick O’Neal was fourth and Josh Stiefel fifth. Josh Stiefel, who ran strong all weekend in Senior Pro Gas and Animal Heavy, raced to a competitive win in Sunday’s CKI Animal Heavy Mix main over Headley. The New York Coyote racer made a late-race pass on Headley to score the win. Sandmeyer was third, Tim Stiefel fourth and Brad Farmer fifth. Mikim Motorsports racer Mike Greiner scored Margay another victory in LO206 Heavy 2 on Sunday. Greiner won a close contest over Michael Clark and Jordan Mincey. New York’s Blake Boon and Georgia’s Jax Walker split the LO206 Kid Kart mains. Boon won his first national race in Saturday’s KartKandy.com Kid Kart main. The Coyote racer won by a wide margin over Walker, Asher Johnson and Jet Tobin. Sunday saw Walker score a big win over Boon in Tyler Sandmeyer LO206 Kid Kart 2. The win marked Walker’s third of the 2014 Gold Cup season.
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SCENES FROM CAMDEN GOLD CUP
KID KART WINNER BLAKE BOON (22)
SATURDAY PRO GAS ANIMAL START
MATT MILLER WINS ANOTHER
ANIMAL MEDIUM WINNER TANNER LEE
JR PRO GAS WINNER CONNOR TEBBE
ACTION IN ANIMAL MEDIUM!
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SCENES FROM CAMDEN GOLD CUP
ZACH WELLS SCORES IN JR HEAVY
SARAH LUOMA (L) AND CAYLA CHAPMAN CHAT
TIM STEIFEL ADVISES SON, JOSH
MIKE GREINER WINS A CLOSE LO206 CONTEST
TRIPLE CAMDEN VICTOR DAVID KALB JR
PAUL HEADLEY (BLUE) WON ANOTHER IN ANIMAL HEAVY
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CAMDEN PODIUM SHOTS SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2014
SPORTSMAN LITE
JUNIOR PRO GAS
ANIMAL MEDIUM
SENIOR PRO GAS
SPTS METHANOL
JUNIOR MEDIUM
SPORTSMAN HEAVY
JUNIOR HEAVY MIX
ANIMAL HEAVY MIX
LO206 HEAVY
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KID KARTS worldkarting.com
2014 NATIONAL CALENDAR
World Karting Association National Series & Events WKA MAZDA / BRIDGESTONE MANUFACTURERS CUP SERIES MARGAY SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Fla. December 27-30, 2013 ZOOM ZOOM NATIONALS Carolina Motorsports Park Kershaw, S.C. April 4-6, 2014
CHECKERED MOTORSPORTS / ZERO ERROR RACING GRAND NATIONALS Michiana Raceway Park South Bend, Ind. June 27-29, 2014
TOP KART USA NATIONALS New Castle Motorsports Park New Castle, Ind. August 8-10, 2014 MCLAUGHLIN MOTORSPORTS NATIONALS New Castle Motorsports Park New Castle, Ind. October 3-5, 2014
WKA RLV TUNED EXHAUST PRODUCTS GOLD CUP SERIES IONIC EDGE CHASSIS NATIONALS 103rd Street Sports Complex; Jacksonville, Fla. March 7-9, 2014
VAN-K WHEELS / MGM CHASSIS NATIONALS Michiana Raceway Park; South Bend, Ind. August 15-17, 2014
MICHIGAN KART SUPPLY NATIONALS G&J Kartway; Camden, Ohio July 11-13, 2014
GT MACHINE GRAND NATIONALS Carolina Motorsports Park; Kershaw, S.C. October 17-19, 2014
WKA VEGA / TS RACING NATIONAL ROAD RACING SERIES ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS Daytona Int’l Speedway; Daytona Beach, Fla. December 27-30, 2013 JOHNNY JACUMIN MEMORIAL Carolina Motorsports Park; Kershaw, S.C. April 4-6, 2014 GRATTAN NATIONALS Grattan Raceway; Belding, Mich. May 16-18, 2014 WKA ROAD RACE GRAND NATIONALS Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; Lexington, Ohio June 13-15, 2014
VIR NATIONALS VIRginia International Raceway; Danville, Va. July 25-27, 2014 NORTH CAROLINA NATIONALS North Carolina Center for Automotive Research Roanoke Rapids, N.C. August 22-24, 2014 SUMMIT POINT NATIONALS Summit Point Raceway; Summit Point, W.Va. October 11-12, 2014 (two-day event)
WKA SPEEDWAY DIRT SERIES
WKA / TRI-STATE PRO SERIES DIRT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Daytona International Speedway; Daytona Beach, Fla. December 27-30, 2013
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AARON SNYDER TAKES FIVE TAG WINS AT GRATTAN ROAD RACE NATIONALS Former WKA Triple Crown champion Aaron Snyder led all racers with five wins May 1618 at Michigan’s Grattan Raceway, the site of the third round of the 2014 WKA VEGA / TS Racing Road Racing Series driven by Mazda, hosted by the Ohio-based Dart Kart Speedway Club. The Grattan Nationals drew over 220 entries on a cold weekend in Michigan. Temperatures remained in the 30s and lower 40s for most of Saturday, and word was snow was falling within 30 miles of the track. Luckily, besides the cold temperatures, weather never shortened or cancelled any racing action with all 13 groups getting their full distances complete between Saturday and Sunday. Snyder’s five wins came in the popular TaG categories, comprising triumphs in Stock Leopard 1 and 2, TaG Heavy 1 and 2 and Saturday’s TaG 1 contest. Few TaG racers could run with Snyder, who won his Triple Crown on the Road Racing circuit in 2012. Brandon Basela came closest, finishing five seconds back of Snyder in Saturday’s Stock Leopard 1 main event. George Argiris crossed the stripe 29 seconds back of Synder in TaG Heavy 1, while Snyder finished a full lap ahead of his competition in TaG 1. It was more of the same for Snyder on Sunday. While he did not enter TaG 2, he picked up where he left off in Stock Leopard and TaG Heavy. Veteran road racer Glen Critchett finished 18 seconds behind the Energy chassis pilot in TaG Heavy 2. In Stock Leopard’s weekend capper, Basela couldn’t match up with Snyder like he did on Saturday. Basela still finished second, one lap back of Snyder. Fast 125cc enduro competitor Brian Wilhelm and his Rev-Clean Racing team made the trip north to Grattan for the second consecutive year, and Wilhelm left the Granite State with three national wins. Wilhelm drove his OWL chassis to wins in Unlimited 1, Unlimited 2 and Formula 125. The Arkansas racer finished a good distance ahead of his teammate Mitch White for the win in Formula 125. White also finished second to Wilhelm in Unlimited 1 with Allen Hollinger taking third. Sunday’s Unlimited 2 weekend closer saw Wilhelm dominate again, finishing over 40 seconds ahead of a good battle for second including Hollinger, J Michael Long and White. The trio raced nose-to-tail throughout the 30-minute contest with Hollinger edging Long and White for the runner-up spot.
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Ohio’s Wayne Rumsey swept the Yamaha laydown classes aboard his Richie Warren (RWC) Chassis. Rumsey won Saturday’s Yamaha Medium go in a close race over Adam Trumbley. The official margin of victory was just 0.033 seconds for Rumsey over Trumbley. Rumsey made it a double-win weekend Sunday with his score in Yamaha Heavy. Rumsey finished well ahead of Steve Pasterner, Don Harrod and Nick Cole for the win. While Trumbley finished second to Rumsey in the laydown class, he wheeled his Margay sprint-enduro to a pair of wins in the WKA Sprint category. The Massachusetts racer won Saturday’s WKA Sprint 1 main over Otto Vollmerhausen and Al Gierz. On Sunday Trumbley found victory in WKA Sprint once again, this time winning over Jeff Langford and Vollmerhausen. Rick Fulks wheeled his CKI chassis to a pair of competitive wins Saturday. Fulks won 100cc Controlled 1 by a 33-second gap over Johnny Scavuzzo and Steve Scavuzzo. The 100cc Controlled class started 16 karts in arguably the most competitive field of the weekend. Fulks backed up his Controlled win with a victory in Saturday’s final race, 100cc Controlled Spec 1. Fulks won over Adam Myers and Gary Mikusch in another competitive 10-kart field. Amy Hollowell debuted her new MGM Chassis 2-cycle kart and proceeded to win both Junior Sprint races. Hollowell won over Rod Myers in Jr Sprint Lite and Heavy for a big double-win weekend. MGM racers, including Hollowell, had a terrific weekend in Michigan. Sam Sheckells won both Pro Gas Animal main events on his MGM, while Georgia’s Blake Beattie drove to victory in Animal Sprint 335 and Animal Sprint 360. MGM owner Paul Race wo twice, as well, taking scores in Animal Sprint 385 and Animal Sprint 410. Shifter-kart classes saw four different winners at Grattan. Eric Chappell and Alex Conlin, both riding Birel mounts, split the CIK 125 Shifter races while Mark Nagy and Byron “Bear” Rothenhoefer, both riding DR Kart chassis, split the Stock Honda features. Alex Frazer raced his CKI to the win in Saturday’s Yamaha Sportsman Sprint final while Ohio’s Andy Leighninger won Sunday’s Yamaha Sportsman Sprint race on his Coyote chassis. Four-cycle veterans Charles Wilbur and Dennis Smith each won an Animal Limited J U N E 2 0 1 4 - W K A’s K a r t i n g S c e n e
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Modified main event. Wilbur triumphed in Saturday’s Animal Limited Modified 385 race while Smith came back to win Sunday’s Animal Limited Modified 360 contest. Zachary Krause and Joshua Krause each won a Yamaha Sportsman race Saturday. Zachary raced his CKI to the win in Yamaha Sportsman Lite. In the day’s final race, Joshua wheeled his Margay to the victory in Yamaha Sportsman Heavy. Fran Mazzucotelli won 100cc Pipe Heavy aboard his Elite enduro. Michael Fischer was fast in Saturday’s Formula 100 go. Fischer made fast laps only a couple seconds off the fastest Formula 125 racers, and raced to victory in the Formula 100 division. Adam Myers was shut out of victory lane Saturday but returned Sunday to win 100cc Controlled Spec 2. The Western New York racer drove his CKI to the win. Joe Brizzoli won TaG 2, while Timothy Koen won 100cc Controlled 2 while racing in his home state. Many thanks to all the racers and teams who traveled to Grattan to support the WKA Road Racing Series and the Dart Kart Club. Special thanks to all the officials of the Dart Kart Club for promoting another well-run and successful Grattan Nationals. ---------------------------------------------
ROAD RACE GRAND NATIONALS ATTRACTS OVER 400 ENTRIES TO MID-OHIO
Ryan Hatcher, Paul Rice and Jonathan Tedder take home three Eagles Report by Keith Shampine; photos by Carol Davis The 2014 WKA Road Race Grand Nationals went off June 13-15 at the famed MidOhio Sports Car Course where over 150 drivers and 420 entrants partook in the fourth round of the 2014 WKA VEGA / TS Racing Road Racing Series driven by Mazda. Enduro-style road racers from the Midwest and around the country filled the pits for three days at the Lexington, Ohio, venue. The event continued to prove that MidOhio is one of the greatest attractions for enduro-style karters. The entry count nearly matched the Daytona Road Race Championships in December and most classes started competitive fields. Racers continue to “come out of the woodwork” for the annual Mid-Ohio WKA / Dart
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Kart Club event with many sporadic, non-regular karters joining the national series followers for a fun and enjoyable weekend of kart racing. Weather cooperated throughout the weekend with only some rain delaying practice Friday afternoon. All 13 class groups ran between pleasant Saturday and Sunday afternoons. One driver, national regular Don Chrzan of the Sleeper Racing Team, was injured late Sunday in the fifth and second-to-last race of the day. The 100cc Controlled racer was involved in an incident and hit the wall and while alert, was airlifted from the facility. After a brief stay in the hospital Chrzan, of Franklin, Wis., returned home and was back working as of midweek. Here’s a rundown of the action and race winners this past weekend at the Mid-Ohio Grand Nationals. Saturday Race 1 Rick Fulks bested his brother, Randy Fulks, in 100cc Controlled to open the weekend. Florida’s Lance Yunck was third with Todd Hayden and Brandon Nichols rounding out the top five. Rick Fulks has had a good month of road racing as the Illinois pilot won races at the Grattan Nationals in May. Multi-time WKA Triple Crown champion Courtney Atkinson returned to the series for the first time since Daytona and dominated the Yamaha Sportsman Lite race. Atkinson, of Wisconsin, won over Zach Clark, Tim Linthicum, Lindsay Walkup-Fox and Matt Hicks. Kent Vaccaro was the first entrant in Junior Enduro Lite in 2014. The New Yorker completed 20 laps on his way to the win. Thirty karts started race one. Saturday Race 2 The first 30-minute sprint-enduro went off in the day’s second race. J U N E 2 0 1 4 - W K A’s K a r t i n g S c e n e
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Veteran Robert Wimmer captured the Streeter Super Stands Stock Leopard triumph with a close victory over Bob Cole and Stephen Bassham. The top-three finishers were separated by less than one second. Benjamin Kasa and Jeff Troup finished fourth and fifth. New York’s Charlie Tustison won Yamaha Sprint Final 1 by about 12 seconds over his brother, Allen Tustison. Adam Brasher finished third. Chris Kuley and Amy Hollowell were junior class victors. Kuley won Animal Junior Sprint Lite over Will Delaney while Hollowell won the 2-cycle Junior Sprint Lite over Kyle Cuthbertson. Paul Rice wheeled his MGM chassis to the Clone 385 victory over James Cartledge and Mark Gallagher. Ohio’s Jeff Langford was the fastest kart on the track and won the Open Sprint local option. Saturday Race 3 Longtime Stock Honda racer and national champ Noah Stark tried his hand at laydown racing and never missed a beat. Stark won Formula 125 by a 26-second gap over Brian Wilhelm. Jeremy Baldi was third, Michael Lattos fourth and Johnny West fifth. Indiana’s Craig Keller won B Stock. Scott Goodman crossed the stripe right behind Stark to take second in B Stock. Jim Farr Jr. ran third with Tom O’Reilly fourth and Robby Harper III fifth. Adam Myers raced his CKI chassis to the KALL Racing Formula 100 victory. The Western New York racer crossed the stripe about 10 seconds ahead of Don Chrzan. Brent Brannon was third. Oklahoma’s Ryan Hatcher bested a strong 15-kart Yamaha Medium field. Hatcher raced his Hatcher Enduro kart to a 17-second win over Zach Clark. Ohio’s Wayne
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Rumsey was third, Dave Hechler fourth and Michael McLaughlin fifth. Forty enduro karts took the green flag in race three. Saturday Race 4 Brian Fisher wheeled his DR Kart to the Micro Precision Stock Honda 1 win. Fisher won by an eight-second margin over Mark Nagy. Kershaw Stock Honda winner Chris Hines was third, Louisiana’s Steven Rougeou fourth and Georgia’s Steve Flatt fifth. Seventeen karts started the Stock Honda main. Taylor Fenske won TaG Heavy over Adrian Dale. Thomas Dupont finished in the third position. Jonathan Tedder continued his hot streak in Animal Limited Modified. Tedder raced to the win over North Carolina’s Joe Kuley and Ohio’s Jack Reall. Saturday Race 5 Randy Fulks bested the father-son Baldus team for the Sleeper Racing Team 100cc Controlled Spec Final 1 triumph. Randy won by three seconds over Bernie Baldus. Bernie’s son, Pierce Baldus, was third. Johnny Scavuzzo and Steve Scavuzzo rounded out the top five in a competitive 14-kart class. Illinois’ Scott Grenier edged Ryan Hatcher for the Yamaha Sportsman Heavy victory. Grenier raced his Richie Warren Chassis to the win by a kart-length over Hatcher. Zach Clark was third with Brian Ellis fourth and William Anderson fifth. Massachusetts’ Fran Mazzucotelli won Dart Kart Club 100cc Pipe Heavy over Dart Kart Club president Gene Davis. Bill Trumbley was third. Saturday Race 6 The top-four finishers in Saturday’s sixth contest belonged to the DKC 250 Twin local option class. Veteran road racer Andy Kiker of New Jersey scored the 250 Twin win while setting blistering fast lap times in the 1:26 bracket. Chris Hurdzan, Johnny West and Jerry Echols finished second through fourth. J U N E 2 0 1 4 - W K A’s K a r t i n g S c e n e
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J Michael Long won Unlimited Final 1 by a 16-second gap over Arkansas’ Brian Wilhelm. Ron Brinker, John Dillon and Greg Stamm completed the top five. Brian Fisher raced to his second triumph of the day, this time in CIK 125 Shifter Final 1. Fisher dominated the class, winning by over 50 seconds over Donald Santini. Chad Donner and Joe Barth finished third and fourth. William Stiffler won WKA 125 Shifter. Saturday Race 7 The final race of the day saw Zach Clark avenge his earlier defeat to Courtney Atkinson in Yamaha Sportsman Lite to win the WKA Sprint contest. Clark bested Atkinson by a half-second gap to take his first victory of the day. Grattan WKA Sprint victor Adam Trumbley was third, Jay Chapman fourth and Jeff Langford fifth. Massachusetts’ Michael Camarra continued his hot streak in TaG. Camarra won TaG Final 1 over Brandon Basela and Tim Ferraro. Pennsylvania’s Zach Linsell drove his MGM to another dominated win in Animal Sprint 335. Linsell won by a wide gap over Georgia’s Blake Beattie. Benjamin Thomason was third, Sam Sheckells fourth and David Clevenger fifth. Ohio’s Andy Leighninger won Yamaha Sportsman Sprint over Mass.’s Michael Holman. AJ Ellis and Alex Frazer ran third and fourth. Jonathan Tedder captured his second win of the day, this time in Animal Sprint 385. Tedder won by a small one-second margin over Matthew Wimmer. Paul Rice was third. Sunday Race 1 Mark Nagy kicked off Sunday with a close win in Stock Honda 2 over Chris Hines. Nagy’s win came a day after finishing second to Brian Fisher in Saturday’s Stock Honda race. Steven Rougeou was a close third. The top three finished about 18 seconds
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ahead of fourth and fifthplace finishers John Sullivan and David Harding. Glen Critchett raced a DR Kart to the win in TaG Heavy. Critchett bested Saturday TaG winner Michael Camarra by 14 seconds for the win. James Slade, Tim Ferraro and Mike Burrill finished third through fifth. Zach Linsell won his second race of the weekend. Linsell won the Michigan Kart Supply / MGM Chassis Pro Gas Animal main. Sunday Race 2 Rick Fulks raced his CKI chassis to a second close win over his brother in this group. Rick bested Randy Fulks by 0.341 seconds to win 100cc Controlled Spec Final 2. Bernie Baldus and Gary Mikusch were third and fourth. Don Chrzan finished just behind the Fulks brothers to win Formula 100 Final 2. Chrzan pulled away from Virginia’s Travis Miller and Adam Myers for the victory. Brent Brannon and Paul Wyzga were fourth and fifth. Ryan Hatcher scored his second win of the weekend. Hatcher won by a big 31-second margin over Zach Clark. Tim Linthicum was third, Brian Ellis fourth and Lindsay Walkup-Fox fifth. Patti Hechler won 100cc Pipe Medium over Fran Mazzucotelli. Gene Davis finished third. Sunday Race 3 Courtney Atkinson avenged her Saturday runner-up finish in WKA Sprint to best Saturday winner Zach Clark in the weekend capper. Atkinson crossed the stripe less than a second ahead of Clark for her second win of the weekend Jim Sorrentino was third, Adam Trumbley fourth and Ted Carbonaro fifth. Michael Camarra won TaG Final 2 to earn his second win of the weekend. Camarra J U N E 2 0 1 4 - W K A’s K a r t i n g S c e n e
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bested Brandon Basela and James Slade for the victory. After a runner-up finish Saturday, Michael Holman returned to capture the Yamaha Sportsman Sprint Final 2 victory Sunday afternoon. Holman won by five seconds over Saturday winner Andy Leighninger. Alex Frazer was third and Louie Magiera fourth. David Clevenger earned his first WKA national win of the season with his triumph in MGM / Moon Power Animal Sprint 360. Clevenger won by a big gap over Matthew Wimmer. Ben Thomason was third, Blake Beattie fourth and Sam Sheckells fifth. Zach Linsell blew the engine in the race and was a DNF. Paul Rice won his second race of the weekend, this time in Animal Sprint 410. The MGM Chassis owner won over Steve Wheatley and Bruce Peck. Sunday Race 4 Noah Stark raced his 125cc laydown to his second win of the event. After winning Saturday’s Formula 125, Stark again bested Brian Wilhelm to triumph in Unlimited Final 2. Wilhelm was second for his third runner-up finish of the weekend. Scott Goodman was third, Jeremy Baldi fourth and Jim Far Jr. fifth. Mark won Stock Honda earlier in the day and came back to net win No. 2 on the day in CIK 125 Shifter Final 2. Nagy won by a wide margin over Donald Santini and Bill Pyles. Bryan Blair won WKA 125 Shifter Final 2 over Dan Chalk. Chris Hudzan triumphed in the DKC 250 Twin local option. Sunday Race 5 Adam Myers, Todd Hayden and Don Chrzan finished first through third in 100cc Controlled Final 2. The race ended with Chrzan getting into the wall and having to be airlifted from the track. As noted earlier, Chrzan is OK and back to work this week near his Wisconsin home.
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Ryan Hatcher scored the hat trick with the victory in Dart Kart Club Yamaha Heavy. The Oklahoma racer bested CKI racer Zach Clark, who earned his unprecedented sixth top-five result of the weekend, but only one win (Saturday in WKA Sprint). Scott Grenier was third after winning Yamaha Sportsman Heavy on Saturday. Wayne Rumsey and Michael McLaughlin finished fourth and fifth. Sunday Race 6 The Grand Nationals’ final race saw Rhode Island veteran Dawn Magiera best her husband, Louie Magiera in Yamaha Sprint Final 2. The pair finished nose to tail at the checkered. Allen Tustison and Adam McCarrick were third and fourth. Robert Wimmer made it two-for-two in Stock Leopard. Wimmer won over Benjamin Kasa and Jeff Troup. Jonathan Tedder joined Hatcher as a three-race winner at Mid-Ohio. Tedder dominated Animal Limited Modified 360 to close out his triple-win weekend. Chris Kuley and Amy Hollowell again drove to victories in junior racing. Kuley won Animal Junior Sprint Heavy over Will Delaney while Hollowell won Junior Sprint Heavy over Kyle Cuthbertson. Paul Rice earned his third win of the weekend and a sweep of Clone 385. Rice bested John Gallagher for the score.Andy Leighninger won the DKC Team local option, while Jeff Langford won the Open Sprint local option. Thanks to everyone who attended for a great weekend of racing at Mid-Ohio and the continued support of the Road Racing Series. A special thanks to Dart Kart Club officials and volunteers for a smooth running weekend and another well-promoted WKA National Road Race.
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