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| May 31, 2008 News |
| EKN Trackside: Mazda Race of the Americas - Saturday Report |
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The paddock at the New Castle Motorsports Park looked like a battle zone this morning when the Stars of Karting crew and the series competitors arrived to begin qualifying and the heat races for this year’s Mazda Race of the Americas. Torrential rains and tornado-like winds attacked the area through the previous evening, destroying many of the teams’ tents and awnings. To give the teams the opportunity to clean up the debris and make any repairs to damaged equipment, Stars mandated a two-hour delay before starting the day’s schedule, the final effects meaning that the third ICC heat would be completed after 7:00 pm. Despite the delay, the racing was exciting as the grids were set for the main events on Sunday.
ICC
An extended run of 15 minutes was given to the headline ICC division for their Gatorz Pole Qualifying session. As always, many drivers waited for a few moments before hitting the track, looking for open asphalt on which to lay down a smooth lap. J3 Competition’s Richard Benitez (Kosmic) led things early on by setting the provisional pole time until former national champion Alex Speed put his new Trackmagic machine in the top spot. Michael Vincec (CRG) would then take his turn at P1, keeping things exciting. This all led to reigning ICC champion Gary Carlton (PCH Motorsports/SSC East) stepping up to assume his place on the pole with a 1:01.352 lap time, just three-thousandths of a second in front of Vincec’s opening fast lap. Although Carlton (CRG) made a stop on pit lane to make adjustments, he was unable to go any faster with the tweaked set-up. Speed would end the session in third ahead of David Jurca (Italkart) in fourth. The Italian Motors pilot is making his first start of the year and is once again partnering with his former mechanic David Carpentier. Completing the fast five was PSL Karting’s Josh Schreiber (CRG), who is having his best weekend of the year.
 | Despite heavy pressure all day, Gary Carlton was three for three in the ICC heat races
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Sixth on the time sheet was Hayden Duerson (Italkart), while Benitez dropped a couple spots only to return to seventh in the closing stages of the session. Cody Jolly (Intrepid) and Clayton Snow (Energy) each moved up late in the run as Eastern Division point leader Jordy Vorrath (Intrepid) fell to tenth after sitting fifth on his out-lap.
Vincec got the holeshot for the start of heat one with Carlton on his tail as they went around for the opening lap with Jurca, Speed, and Schreiber running in the early top-five. Carlton did not wait long and took the lead from Vincec in the right-hand infield hairpin turn on lap two, and the Canadian was not able to battle back. The duo, fresh off strong performances at the opening round of the European Championships with the factory CRG team, worked together to pull away from the pack and eventually finished 1-2. Speed would get by Jurca at the halfway point, bringing Schreiber and Snow along with him as Jurca fell to sixth at the checkered flag. Vorrath, rookie Jacob Neal (CRG), and Canadian Tom Cadieux (CRG) advanced forward in the 10-lap race to sit seventh through ninth, while Jolly completed the top ten.
In the second heat, Carlton was first to drive through turn one, but he was not able to pull away as he did in Heat #1. Vincec kept him honest and pushed hard, but Speed was right there as well and eventually moved into second to take over the challenge position. Jurca feel back from the lead trio early but rebounded as Vincec and Speed fought for position. Vincec would eventually re-take second, but Speed would then lay down the fastest lap of the race despite being held back in third. Carlton’s margin of victory was a scant 0.293 seconds, ahead of Vincec, Speed, Jurca and a consistent Schreiber, who continued solid weekend.
In the final heat race, things got aggressive. Vincec fought Carlton for the lead through the first two turns and would come out the other side on the point, holding back the two-time defending national champion for a number of laps. Carlton would strike once again in the right-hand infield hairpin to take over the top spot, but he would not pull away to much of a margin. The man to watch was Vorrath, who drove from tenth to attack the top-five early, eventually getting past Jurca, Speed and finally Vincec to assume second. The Canadian would close on Carlton, but he would simply run out of laps. Carlton was first to the checker to sweep the heats and secure the pole for both mains, as Vorrath was second ahead of Vincec, Speed and Jurca.
With the three victories, Carlton will start from the pole position in each of the two finals on Sunday and will have Vincec start alongside him for an all-CRG front row. Speed and Jurca will go from row two and will aim to break up the front row with Schreiber and Vorrath starting from the third row.
 | It was all Kyle Wiegand in TaG ICC as he swept the heat races
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
TaG ICC
Returning to his first Stars event of the year, Kyle Wiegand was back with Team Top Kart USA as the ‘Ironman’ on the weekend, running in both TaG ICC and the Stars TaG divisions. The Indiana native was quickest during Friday’s practice session in TaG ICC and continued his run up front in Gatorz Pole Qualifying with a 1:04.504 lap time, just 0.062s ahead of Jose Zanella (Tony Kart). Matthew Mair was third overall with championship leaders Michael Hogg (Italkart) and Bryan Eady (Intrepid) wrapping up the fast five, although Eady would be assessed a three-position penalty for a Parc Ferme violation.
Eady’s trouble continued as he was unable to leave the pre-grid area with engine trouble at the start of Race #1. At the drop of the green, Zanella got the holeshot as Wiegand tucked in behind to begin the fight with Hogg, Nick Boulle (Gillard) and Don McGregor (Italkart) getting the jump on Mair, who fell back to sixth. Zanella and Wiegand pulled away from the field before Wiegand made the move in the closing laps to take the top spot. Zanella looked to the inside on the final lap, but he was unable to make the pass, settling for second. Mair recovered from his poor start and worked his way up to third ahead of Hogg and Boulle.
A copy of heat one, the second moto saw Zanella and Wiegand back up front with Zanella getting the holeshot before Wiegand overtook the top spot early on his way to the victory. Mair, Hogg, and Boulle would complete the top-five once again, as Eady struggled for the second race with engine issues, retiring early.
Wiegand was able to get a better start for heat three to grab the holeshot and lead all eight laps for a third straight win, which has secured him the pole for the main events on Sunday. Hogg stepped up in the final run of the day to battle Zanella for the second spot, holding him off at the line. Mair was fourth ahead of Eady, who was able to get a full race in for the first time on the day.
Wiegand and Zanella will hold their front row starting positions while Mair and Hogg will go from the second row. Eady will have to come from the ninth spot in each of the two finals in hopes to maintain his championship lead in the West.
 | Victor Cabrera leading the TaG field was a familiar site as he took two heat wins to start from the pole in the Features on Sunday
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
TaG
With nearly 50 drivers entered into the Stars TaG class, the field was split into two groups for Gatorz Pole Qualifying, using the current point standings. Making their first starts of 2008, Tony Loniewski (First Kart) and Josef Newgarden (Arrow) - the top two finishers from the Mazda RoboPong 200 in October 2007 – would lead the opening group. Both drivers ran the exact same fast lap - a 1:06.166 - in their session to sit on the provisional top two positions. When the second group hitting the track, it was all Victor Cabrera on his J3 Competition Kosmic, has he ran a smoking 1:05.695 lap time which was over four-tenths quicker than the former fast lap. Western Division point leader Joey Wimsett (Intrepid) put his Champion Racing entry into the second spot by the end of the session, dropping Loniewski and Newgarden to third and fourth. Zach Beard (Birel) and Scott Saunders (CRG) completed the top-six.
Heading into the heat races, the drivers were split into three groups. Cabrera would head up Group A, while Wimsett and Loniewski were the lead drivers in Group B and C, respectively.
The start of the Group A vs. B battle saw several drivers getting together in turn two, which resulted in Cody Elliott (Merlin) going over on his head, although he was thankfully able to walk away as the race continued. On-track, it was all Cabrera once again, running a fast lap that was still four-tenths quicker than the rest of the field. This allowed him to pull out to six-second lead, as he put his mark on the field. Behind him, it was a great battle for second with Wimsett getting the spot in the end, although Chris Scribner was the man on the move as he drove up to third. Cole Mann (Maranello) was fourth after the 12-lap run ahead of Newgarden.
It looked like the rest of the field had caught up to Cabrera in the Group A vs. C as Saunders took the lead early on. Possibly waiting for his tires to come in, Cabrera sat behind the CRG driver and waited for the opportunity to re-take the position. Once he did, he put it on cruise control all the way to his second win of the day and the pole position for the main events on Sunday. Saunders finished second ahead of local driver Billy Lewis (Arrow) in third, while Sean Meier (Kosmic) and Kyle Wiegand (Top Kart) rounded out the top five. Loniewski was running inside the top five in his first heat race of the day before the exhaust loosened off the engine and forced him to pull in.
In the final TaG heat race – Group B vs. C – Tony Loniewski would bounce back from his early issues to lead, but it was Cameron Motorsports’ Scott Saunders who had the speed and would take the win. Wiegand fought through for second, ahead of Wimsett. Loniewski was in the hunt but slipped back to fourth in the final tally, while Zach Beard (Birel) posted his best finish in fifth.
With his victory, Saunders will start on the outside of row one alongside Cabrera, the powerhouse right now. Wiegand and Wimsett will go from row two with Mann and Scribner in row three. Some notables who will have to go through the LCQ include Pat Iannucci (Sodi Kart), Chris Larson (First Kart), Andrick Zeen (Sodi Kart) and Colin Katzakian (Intrepid).
 | In his debut with Cameron Motorsports, Miles Maroney will start from the pole in the JICA Features
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
JICA
The JICA class was split into two groups to manage the 42 entries in the paddock, setting up the Gatorz Pole Qualifying run that would see an exciting race at the top of the charts. Leading the first group was Grant Vogel (Tony Kart) with a 1:07.380, but that would fall quickly as the fast drivers in the second group would swap out the provisional pole nearly each lap of the 10-minute session. When the checkered flag fell, Daniel Formal (Tony Kart) had put down the quickest lap at a 1:06.570, running ahead of championship leader Gustavo Menezes (Tony Kart) by just one-tenth of a second. In his debut with Cameron Motorsports, Miles Maroney put his new CRG into the third slot ahead of Tatiana Calderon, who made it three Tony Karts in the top-four. Brendan Phinny (Top Kart) and Spencer Pigot (Gillard), making his first start with Screaming Talent , would wrap up the fast six.
With the large number of entries in the paddock, the field was split into three groups for two heats each. Formal would head Group A, Menezes led Group B and Maroney was on point in Group C.
After two failed attempts to start the Group A vs. B heat race, Formal and Menezes were put back to row two, bringing Calderon and Phinny up to the front row to start. This would not help Menezes as he and Tristan DeGrand (Kosmic) would connect in the opening corner, dropping them to the tail of the field. Menezes would fight back impressively, working his way up to 13th after 12 laps. However, he was eventually penalized for contact with Tyler Thomas as the Stars officials elected to put him back to 26th on the result sheet, right behind Thomas who did not finish. Up front, Formal cruised to the win as Calderon got by DeLaO for the second spot in the closing laps. Taylor Miinch (Top Kart) finished fourth while Nick Neri (Maranello) rounded out the top five.
With Formal bringing the field to the green flag for A vs. C, the Advanced Karting pilot kept the pace slower, much to the liking of flagman Matt Long who gave them the green flag for the start. Maroney and Pigot slotted in behind Formal to begin the fight. Contact on lap four put Formal into the grass in the final corner, ending his chance of a possible pole position for the main event. Maroney and Pigot were joined by DeGrand to form a three-kart battle with Pigot getting by Maroney quickly. The trio stayed static in the remaining laps to finish 1-2-3 with DeLaO and Calderon wrapping up the top-five.
The final heat race for JICA - B vs. C - began with a pile-up in the opening corner that collected a number of drivers, including Pigot, Miinch, Madrigal and a flipping Jarvis Gennari (CRG). All the drivers were able to walk away. Up front, Menezes controlled the field and went on to lead green to checker for the victory. Eastern Division point leader Remo Ruscitti (Italkart) came up from sixth to finish ahead of Phinny and Maroney. Kartel Motorsports’ Artie Carpenter (Top Kart) recorded his best finish of the day to round out the top-five.
With each of the three winners recording a DNF in the heat races, Maroney will start from the pole position with Calderon on the outside of the front row. DeLaO and Ruscitti will start from the second row with Phinny and DeGrand starting from the third row.
 | Austin Self will lead the Cadet field to the green flag on Sunday
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Cadet
The Cadet division was the first class to hit the track for Gatorz Pole Qualifying, utilizing their three-lap session to kick things off with some excitement. Continuing as the driver to beat, three-time Stars winner Trent Hindman (Merlin) earned the pole position with a 1:16.285 lap time. Mason Chelootz (Top Kart) put down the second fastest lap just as the checkered flag fell, just 0.095s short of P1. Austin Self (Birel) was third overall ahead of Luis Tyrrell (Top Kart) - who battled early for the provisional pole but ended fourth. Gresham Wagner (Birel) completed the fast five.
An opening corner spin in the first heat collected most of the field, with the exception of the front few rows. Most everyone returned back to the track as only three drivers were left stalled in the corner. Up front, Hindman pulled away from the field and cruised to a comfortable win in the six-lap race with Chelootz edging Austin Self (Birel) at the line for the runner-up spot. Wagner ran fourth with Tyrrell completing the top-five.
Making it through the opening corners this time around, the second heat of the Cadet division was an exciting one. There was no breakaway like we’ve seen throughout the year, as the top few drivers were nose-to-tail. Coming to the checkered flag, the lead group went three-wide into the final corner as Self came out on top with the inside line. Wagner finished second as Hindman dropped to third in the final corner after running first for most of the race. Tyrrell was fourth with Andrew Murray (Birel), Chelootz, Breyton Santee (Kosmic) and Broc Yocom (Intrepid) all crossing the line within one second.
To wrap up their day the Cadet group finished with another wild one with the lead group shuffling around the 1.1-mile circuit. Three wide again into the final corner, Murray came out the winner with Self and Hindman on his tail. Wagner and Garrett Grist (Top Kart) were fourth and fifth as the second pack was mixed up when Yocom and Santee got together on the exit, coming up just short of the finish line to place 18th and 19th.
What is looking to be an exciting Sunday, Self and Hindman will lead the field to the green flag in the finals. Wagner and Chelootz will go from row two while Murray and Tyrrell in row three.
Looking Forward
Tomorrow’s schedule gets kicked off first thing in the morning with a short practice session ahead of Last Chance Qualifiers for JICA and Stars TaG. Opening ceremonies featuring the driver presentation and national anthems will go at 11:00 am ahead of two main events for each class. The racing is expected to be heated as race wins in this East versus West shootout could make or break any driver’s shot at the national championship.
For complete coverage, visit the Official Event Page to find daily reports and race results and follow the updates throughout Sunday’s action in the Official Discussion Thread. |
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