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| September 27, 2008 News |
| EKN Trackside: Mazda RoboPong 200 - Saturday Report |
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For the complete photo grid of Sunday's main event, click here. For complete results, click here.
It was a record breaking day at the first official track day for the 2008 Mazda RoboPong 200 presented by Bridgestone. Clouds covered the New Castle Motorsports Park facility for most of the day with only a glimpse of the sun during the practice and Qualifying for the 200-lap event on Sunday. A total of 84 teams signed up to compete for the nearly $25,000 purse with all teams scheduled to have a starting spot on the grid to make it the largest field ever in the event’s fifth year. Another record broken was the top qualifying lap from last year’s event as the duo of Zach Beard and CJ Lintner put their Birel/Rotax machine on the pole position for the main event.
Teams were given nearly four hours of practice time during the morning hours to work on both fast laps and race set-ups. Following the end of practice, the teams were split into 14 groups of six based on their fast lap in practice. Leading the long session was the Florida team of DL Racing (Kosmic/Rok TT) with Sean Meier and Keith Spicer at the wheel, posting a fast lap of 1:05.345. The Gillard/Parilla package was also fast, sitting second and third with the Screaming Talent team of Jay Howard/Nicky Boulle and H Power duo of Spencer Pigot/Cyndie Allemann. Dan Wheldon put in numerous laps and posted the fourth fastest lap of practice in his CometKartSales.com entry, partnered with Mark Dismore Jr. Completing the fast five was Team Indiana with Will Power, James Davison, and Eric Morrow. Power however will not participate as a rid injury will put him on the sidelines, leaving Davison and Morrow to power their Birel/Parilla machine.
After an hour break that included a driver’s meeting, Qualifying got underway. Low 1:06 lap time held on for most of the first half of qualifying with Friddle Racing’s Drew Abel and TJ Flynn holding the provisional pole. Their time would fall as the SR Racing (Gillard/Parilla) squad, including Reid Jeffries and Sergio Pena, took over the top spot in group seven of 14 with a 1:06.028. The next two groups put the time to beat at 1:05.621 with Team Margison Racing (Arrow/Parilla) on the provisional pole with Nathan O’Rourke and Rob Smith behind the wheel.
 | CJ Lintner and Zach Beard will lead the 84 kart RoboPong 200 field to the green flag
(Photo: DavidLeePhoto.com) |
The reigning ‘Ironman’ Travis Firing would have his turn at the top of the time charts with his best lap of 1:05.576 in his Margay/Cook Racing entry - teamed with last year’s co-champion Tony Loniewski, besting the mark for last year’s pole position. He managed to hold the top spot following the next group until the other co-defending champion Chris Larson put his winning First Kart/Parilla - partnered with former FirstKart.com driver Bobby Wilson - up front with a 1:05.290.
The last two groups were set to go next with 12 drivers vying for the pole position. The young guns of Zach Beard and CJ Lintner were up to the challenge, no stranger to the NCMP facility as they call the track home. Aboard their Birel/Rotax package, Beard put down what he called ‘a perfect lap’ to post a 1:05.015 time. Another local favorite, Kyle Wiegand, was two-tenths off Beard in the same session in his Team Top Kart USA entry, which he will co-drive with Bryan Herta in Sunday’s main event.
The final group, featuring the fast teams from practice, would not be able to challenge for the pole as the DB Motorsports entry with Caleb Loniewski and Ryan Paul Miller ended up just over two-tenths slower, settling for second. Beard and Litner’s pole position would earn them the first pole position for a Rotax engine in the five year event history and also a quick $250 thanks to Average Joe’s Sports Pub. Team Top Kart USA would end up third with DL Racing posting the fourth fastest lap in qualifying, dropping FirstKart.com to fifth.
Sekey Racing team of Jacob Sekey and Kyle Demeter (Arrow/Parilla) would end up sixth overall ahead of H Power. Racer of Tomorrow’s (Arrow/Parilla) Josef Newgarden/Brandon Newey were eighth in the final tally with Lewis/CKS Racing’s (Arrow/Parilla) Billy Lewis/Jeremy Warren and Team KartLift’s (Merlin/Parilla) TJ Koyen/Shinya Michimi completing the top-ten.
A few contending teams were unable to record a lap in Qualifying, including Team Indiana with an engine issue while warming up the engine. Team KetchUp/Top Kart USA with Chris Wehrheim/John Zartarian lost a chain in their warm-up lap while Franklin/VKP with veterans Jamie Sieracki/Brian Jacobsen found underweight. |
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