|
 |
|
 |
| July 12, 2008 News |
| EKN Trackside: Stars of Karting Eastern Finale - Saturday Report |
| |
After rain showers soaked the USA International Raceway in Shawano, WI on Thursday evening and Friday morning, the facility has been blessed with a partly cloudy forecast that has thus far made for a comfortable weekend. By the end of the day, blue skies and sunshine were the order of the day. The event this weekend is the final stop on the Snap-on Stars of Karting Eastern Division schedule and the titles will be decided tomorrow during the two main events. Today’s dance card was kicked off by Gatorz Pole Qualifying, which set the grid for heat races, two rounds of which were run today.
 | Gary Carlton has maintained his dominance of the Stars of Karting ICC category, putting his CRG on the pole ahead of a pair of heat race wins
(Photo: Todd McCall - otp.ca) |
ICC
When it’s working, it’s working. Two-time defending Stars of Karting ICC national champion Gary Carlton (CRG) certainly had everything working in his program today when he stunned the paddock in Gatorz Pole Qualifying with a perfect out-lap that put him on the top of the charts from the get-go. Carlton cruised around for one warm-up lap before laying down a 57.287 to win the pole position for the heat races. The CRG pilot peeled directly to the pit lane and waited in the hot pit for several minutes before heading to the scales when no challenges were presented. The excitement was not over, however, as rookie ICC pilot Jacob Neal (CRG) put in a flyer late in the session to jump to second with a 57.676, pushing Canadian Michael Vincec, the ICC Eastern Division point leader, back to third in the order. New Castle winner David Jurca (Italkart) was fourth at the end of the session, edging SSC East’s Arie Ouimet (CRG) by less just 0.005 seconds.
Carlton used his pole position to holeshot the start of the opening heat race, laying down quick cold tire laps to build up a one-second advantage over his PCH teammate Neal. Vincec pressed Neal for much of the race before settling into a strong third that will set him up for a good starting position in the all-important main events. As the Eastern Division point leader, Vincec’s worst finish thus far is a fifth at the series opener in Ocala and a couple of podium results here in Shawano would make him the outright contender for the national title in Las Vegas at the National Finals this October. Jurca ran through the 11-lap race in a comfortable third, while Ouimet needed to work hard over the final laps of the sprint to hold back Champion Racing’s Jordy Vorrath (Intrepid). Aside from Carlton, the best performance in the opening heat belonged to Josh Schreiber, who improved from 16th to seventh.
In the second heat, Carlton powered away from the line to build a half-second lead by the end of the first lap. Vincec jumped into second on the green flag but could not close on Carlton, only matching his quick times to the tenth. Vincec looks good, but will need to stick with his fellow CRG pilot on the opening lap if he is to challenge for the win. Neal was third in the second moto, as the CRG trio pulled away considerably from Jurca, who battled back from sixth at the start to finish fourth. Canadian Curtis Fox (CRG) was able to overtake Vorrath for fifth midway through the race, but relinquished the position back to the Intrepid driver on lap nine. Fox would hold on to sixth ahead of Ouimet, Cody Jolly (Intrepid), Fritz Leesmann (CRG) and Ryan Yop (Sodikart).
 | Victor Cabrera is the man to beat in Stars TaG, winning the pole en route to a pair of heat race victories
(Photo: Todd McCall - otp.ca) |
TaG
J3 Competition’s Victor Cabrera (Kosmic) threw down the gauntlet in TaG qualifying, posting the first sub-one-minute lap of the weekend. The Puerto Rican turned a 59.870-second lap to score the pole position for all three heat races. Cabrera was closely following #2 qualifier Joey Wimsett (Intrepid) when he laid down back-to-back 59s, no doubt using the draft of Wimsett to help his effort. Wimsett made a pit stop for a minor chassis change in hopes to challenging Cabrera, but it was not quite enough to top the leader’s pace. G-Phactory’s Michael Self (Sodikart) was third on the time charts, timing in quicker than the Topkart duo of Kyle Wiegand and Chris Wehrheim.
In the opening heat race, Wimsett did what he needed to do by beating Cabrera to the first corner, but his lead would last for just three turns as the Kosmic driver dove past under braking to assume a lead he would not relinquish. Cabrera set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:00.848 to pull away to a 1.841-second advantage at the stripe. Wimsett held on for second, while Self capped the top-three. Wiegand and Wehrheim held their qualifying positions to the checkered, but Wehrheim would eventually be DQ’d after losing his airbox, ignoring the meatball flag for the final three laps. This advanced fellow Topkart driver Neil Alberico into the top-five.
In Heat #2, Wimsett pulled the trigger again and led the field through turn one, holding off Cabrera off until turn four. Cabrera made the same inside move to take over the lead, but this time, Wimsett fought back with cutback move in turn five that gave him the apex for turn six. The duo would dice for several laps before Cabrera again took control, running away to a 1.287-second win, his second on the day. Wimsett was another three seconds ahead of the fight for third, which featured a great dice between Wiegand and Sean Meier (Kosmic). Wehrheim kept his airbox on for the entire nine-lap run to finish fifth ahead of Alberico. Wehrheim will need a strong Heat #3 finish to give him a shot at a podium in either of the two finals on Sunday.
As it stands, this is setting up to be a Cabrera vs. Wimsett showdown. Currently ranked #2 and #1 in the eKartingNews.com TaG Driver Rankings, respectively, we couldn’t ask for a better fight for the Eastern Division crown. Cabrera currently leads Wimsett by just 20 points, adding to the excitement that will be generated on Sunday.
 | Eastern Division TaG ICC point leader Michael Hogg stepped up with an important Heat #2 win at Shawano over polesitter Jose Zanella
(Photo: Todd McCall - otp.ca) |
TaG ICC
The new-for-2008 TaG ICC class drew nine drivers for the Eastern Division finale and Jose Zanella made quick work of qualifying, taking just three laps on the track. After posting what would be the pole time on lap two with a 59.557-second lap, Zanella proceeded to park his Tonykart on the pit lane to gauge the competition. When no challenge was presented, Zanella headed to the scales with the inside of the front row secured. Italian Motors’ Michael Hogg, the Eastern Division TaG ICC point leader, was just 0.044 seconds behind in second while Matthew Mair (Tony Kart) was third on the timing chart. Moving to the TaG ICC class from Stars TaG, PSL Karting’s Corey Rossman (CRG) looked good in qualifying fourth ahead of Evolution Karting’s Cole Mathewson (CRG). Cole’s father Kurt was sixth following the timed session.
Zanella’s pole would get wasted when he stalled his kart on the line, forcing him to the tail of the field for the restart. While Mair grabbed the holeshot to lead Hogg for the entire nine-lap race, Zanella charged from ninth to third after just five laps. Although he eventually arrived on Hogg’s rear bumper, he was unable to capitalize and took third in the final tally. Cole Mathewson put his Evolution Karting CRG in fourth while Rossman capped the top-five.
Zanella was able to start from his position in Heat #2 but he would lose the lead to Hogg, who powered off the line well to lead from start-to-finish. Mair followed him through for second but Zanella would prove too strong for him, demoting him to third in the final tally. Zanella closed in on Hogg midway through the race, hinting that a battle would ensue, but Hogg responded with great laps to score the win.
 | Taylor Miinch is enjoying his best career Stars weekend, winning both heat races today in JICA
(Photo: Todd McCall - otp.ca) |
JICA
The Topkarts of Brendan Phinny, Tyler Thomas and Taylor Miinch led the way early in Gatorz Pole Qualifying for the JICA category, with Phinny getting things started with a quick 1:01.014. However, Miinch was not to be denied as he dropped the provisional pole time to a 1:00.778 before laying down a smoking 1:00.731 which would stand as the fastest time of the session. Miinch would start on the front row of the heat races beside Phinny, who followed suit with a quick 1:00.830. Advanced Karting’s Daniel Formal (Tonykart) was third in the order, followed by Tristan DeGrand (Kosmic) and Nick Neri (Maranello).
Miinch continued to show his speed in the first of two heat races, pulling away from the field with Phinny attached to his rear bumper. The Topkart duo continued to push, eventually building a two-second advantage over Formal by the end of the nine-lap sprint. Formal was chased by Neri through most of the run but still held the third spot to the checker. Neri was in turn challenged by First Kart USA’s James Michael Sullivan, who pulled away from DeGrand in the final laps of the race. Trouble hit point leader Phil DeLao (Tonykart) in the form of spark plug issues, putting him out on the opening lap, as officially classified in 27th. Likewise, third place point man Remo Ruscitti (Italkart) got caught up in a last lap collision, dropping him to 22nd.
In the second heat race, Phinny took the lead this time around, followed closely by Miinch. Formal was right there as well as the trio pulled away quickly to distance themselves from the rest of the field. The driver on the move was Angel Caban (Kosmic), who has posted a sixth in the opening heat race. Caban kicked things into gear from fifth and systematically worked his way into the top-three, pressuring Miinch over the final two laps. Miinch would be the aggressor, however, getting inside Phinny heading into the ‘Roller Coaster’ corners on the final lap with a great pass, bringing Caban along with him. Phinny held on for third, while Formal was fourth ahead of Neri.
With a pair of wins on his record, Miinch has positioned himself as the driver to beat in JICA, but Phinny and Caban looks very strong and will be primed to fight for the top of the podium. Point leaders Phil DeLaO and Miles Maroney have had unspectacular weekends thus far, neither driver posting a top-10 result as of yet. The divisional title remains totally up for grabs as a result, with even Miinch holding an outside chance to win the title from his tenth place in points.
 | It's been a solid start from young Gresham Wagner, who has laid down his best start on Stars of Karting competition with a big heat race win
(Photo: Todd McCall - otp.ca) |
CADET
The storyline in the Cadet qualifying session did not follow the traditional flow as the second group of drivers, normally the quicker of the two groups, did not dominate the top-10 as expected. With three laps in which to turn their quickest laps, Broc Yocom led the opening group with a 1:09.113. Gresham Wagner went immediately to pole on his out-lap to begin the second group, but he would not get any quicker, maintaining the pole time with that first lap pace. Point leader Trent Hindman was second quick, just 0.051 second ahead of Yocom. Luis Tyrrell and Breyton Santee completed the fast-five.
The Cadet put on a great show to kick off the heat races with a wild eight-kart battle for the win. Wagner led from the green flag but it was Tyrrell who would come out on top, slowly working his way to the lead group. The final lap dice was exciting after Wagner missed the turn four turn-in by a couple of feet which allowed Tyrrell to take the spot on the exit of the corner. Logan Bearden tried to follow Tyrrell through but Wagner fought him off, eventually getting back inside Tyrrell heading into the kink on the backstraight. Tyrrell would go on to a 0.510-second win over Bearden and Wagner. Hindman looked to make a move in the tight left-hand hairpin in the back part of the track on the final lap, but thought better of it and came home with a solid fourth ahead of Yocom.
Wagner and Hindman walked away in the second Cadet heat, pulling away to a 2+ second lead over Tyrrell. Santee enjoyed a clean run to fourth while Grist was also able to stay out of trouble to complete the top-five. Other than Wagner, Hindman and Tyrrell, the remainder of the front-running Cadet drivers struggled with good and bad finishes. This will place much more importance on the final heat race, as a bad finish will push a driver much deeper into this tough field.
SUNDAY PREVIEW
Sunday’s schedule will begin with the final rounds of heat races, setting the grid for both of the main events that will be run by each class. The Eastern Division championships races are all extremely tight and they will all come down to the second main event on Sunday afternoon before they are officially claimed. Today’s racing was excellent and we’re expecting more of the same come Sunday.
EKN Results ScoreBoard:
Gatorz Pole Qualifying - Click Here
Heat Race #1 - Click Here
Heat Race #2 - Click Here
For our complete coverage, check out the EKN Event Page for this event by clicking the following link: Event Page
|
|
|
Go Top
|
|
|
|
|
