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| March 24, 2009 News |
| Lawson Bags Five Wins at WKA Gold Cup Opener |
| Article by: Steven Kilsdonk |
Coming off a controversial 2008 season, the Bully Clutches Gold Cup series kicked off with many encouraging signs for the future. The Michigan Kart Supply Nationals at Lowe’s Motor Speedway was contested under cool and windy conditions this past weekend and featured over 250 entries in 18 different classes. Few on-track incidents and no red flags, along with increased technical inspection procedures meant that most competitors were satisfied with the proceedings.
Three drivers scored big on the weekend as Gary Lawson swept four classes, in addition to Friday night’s Money Race, while Dakota Bell and Brett Farmer won three classes apiece. Lawson’s wins came in Briggs Heavy, Briggs Super Heavy, World Formula Medium, and World Formula Heavy. Bell was victorious in Briggs Junior Lite, Junior Medium, and Junior Heavy, which encompassed all the classes he entered. Farmer took the flag first in Super Stock Medium, Super Stock Heavy, and particularly in Briggs Lite under trying circumstances, but more on that to come.
Lawson’s first win on the weekend came in the Money Race, held Friday evening after eight rounds of practice. Twenty drivers took up the thirty-lap challenge and each walked away with prizes and awards exceeding the entry fee in value. Numbers were drawn randomly to determine grid positions for a LeMans-style standing start to the first fifteen-lap segment. Starting from fifteenth position, Lawson moved up to sixth after the first lap and was leading after eight circuits. GT Machine’s Dan Koehler stayed on Lawson’s bumper until the halfway break with Brett Farmer three-seconds adrift.
At this point fuel could be added and tire pressures could be adjusted, but the twist was that Gary had to draw a number to decide how many places would be inverted for the single-file restart. Having drawn pill no.8, Lawson was up to fourth after the first flying lap and recovered the lead position by the completion of lap two. As Gary began to build a gap, Koehler continued to recover positions, but would ultimately collide with Zach VanZant at turn 10 and subsequently retire. With the main threat to victory sidelined, Lawson went on to win by four seconds over Jason Zobkiw and Brett Farmer. The win netted $320 for Lawson, but was only the first win of the weekend for the Arrow pilot.
The Mentor, Ohio resident would claim his first pole of the weekend in the Custom Trophy Briggs Heavy class by a scant margin with a lap of 45.482 seconds. In the heat race, the end of the backstretch was the happening place for overtaking; Dan Koehler claimed the lead there on lap two, Phillips took charge there on lap four, and the lead swapped again approaching turn eight between Lawson and Phillips later on. In the end Lawson would come within inches of beating Ryan to the line for the heat win, but had to settle for second ahead of Koehler. Lawson would lead early in the feature race before allowing Phillips past for two laps and subsequently reclaiming top honors at the halfway mark. With two laps remaining, Gary overshot turn eight and saw his ten-kart length lead reduced to no margin over Dan Koehler at the white flag. At the finish it was Lawson over Koehler by 0.084 seconds. Next came Phillips, Justin Gearhart, Scott Heckert, and Jason Karr, who recovered from eleventh position after a poor start.
Lawson took the pole again Saturday in the Beasley Motorsports/Arrow Karts World Formula Medium class with a lap of 45.250 seconds. After winning the heat race, Gary drew out a lead in the feature over Ryan Phillips, who struggled all weekend on the hard YHC Bridgestones mandated for the class. He would slide off at turn seven, falling to third and handing the runner-up spot to Dan Kraus. Kraus would trail Lawson’s Turner-powered Arrow by 3.5 seconds at the checkered flag.
In Sunday’s World Formula Heavy class, Gary took the pole position with a lap of 45.561 seconds and easily won the heat race over Dan Kraus. The feature was a closer affair though, as Lawson slowly eked out a lead of 1.3 seconds over Kraus and Ryan Phillips as the checkers fell.
 | Gary Lawson earned four wins at the opening round of the Gold Cup series, including the Money Race Friday evening
(Photo: DoubleVision137.com) |
Looking for one last victory on the weekend, Lawson claimed pole by nearly half a second in Briggs Super Heavy with a 45.762-second tour of the track. He took the heat race victory as well with a handy margin over Jason Karr and Justin Gearhart. In the feature event, Lawson would draw out a lead of 5.985 seconds in the fifteen-lap distance. Behind him, Gearhart took second and ran Karr off the course at turn seven while defending the spot on the last lap. Karr was able to reclaim the second position entering turn ten and held on to the spot to the finish line. Further back, Connor Lund passed Jerry Vaughn on the final lap to claim fourth place.
"The money race was great because I had an opportunity to race with a lot of great drivers that I don't get a chance to race with very often," commented Lawson. "It was a really exciting race to be a part of and I was happy to get the win. The level of competition in the field was great, and I hope the race draws even more interest at the next race in Camden, Ohio. That race really set the tone for the whole weekend and I was able to continue with that momentum in the other races. I had a lot of support from people that made the weekend what it was. My brother Steve did a great job maintaining the karts throughout the weekend. I also had help from many great sponsors in the karting industry. Turner Racing Engines, Beasley Motorsports, Arrow Karts, Gman Kartworks, My-Chron by Aim Sports, and Jammer Clutches."
In the junior classes, Dakota Bell won the first of his three pole positions in Saturday’s Digatron Briggs Jr. Lite by four tenths with a lap of 45.853 seconds. In the heat race, the Ohio-based driver would win the heat race by over three seconds from Chris Wells. The feature race once again saw Dakota ditch the rest of the field, eventually pulling out to a eight second lead. Behind him Zachary Deshaies moved up from a qualifying position of tenth, having missed Friday’s practice sessions. Deshaies passed Kaytlyn Fauci for third on lap ten, and tried to get around Wells for second, but in the end could not make the pass. Sam Beasley came in fifth behind Bell, Wells, Deshaies, and Fauci.
The Baker-powered Bandit driver would again claim pole Saturday in the Baker Racing Engines Briggs Jr. Heavy class by over half a second with a lap of 45.888 seconds. Ohio’s Beasley trailed Bell for most of the heat race, but Wells would pass Beasley on the final lap on the backstretch for the runner-up spot. Starting from the outside of the front row, Beasley would swing around the outside of turns one and two to lead Bell for the first lap of the feature race, but Bell would recover the top spot on the next tour. Maryland’s Wells and Deshaies each demoted Beasley in short order while Bell pulled away to an eventual 2.5-second victory. Deshaies went on to claim the second position behind Dakota, while Beasley took the third position from Wells in turn fourteen on the final lap, ahead of the Kyle Capodice and Fauci.
In his only run on Sunday, Bell took pole position in the Bandit Racing Chassis Briggs Jr. Medium class with a lap of 45.854 seconds. Using his Baker engine to great advantage, Bell pulled a five-kart advantage over Deshaies to win the heat race. Bell would run to the feature win by 5.412 seconds, but there was action behind him. With five laps remaining, Beasley pushed Deshaies wide at turn ten to take second place. Deschaies took back the position in turn one of the final lap and defended heavily at turn fourteen to hold back Beasley, Kyle Capodice, and Wells.
Reviewing the weekend, Dakota Bell said “I had a strong motor from Steve Baker, a good chassis from Bandit Karts, and a good pit crew. Thanks to Weiser Motorsports for their support this weekend.”
Michigan’s Brett Farmer claimed pole in Saturday’s Coyote Motorsports Briggs Lite class with a lap of 44.583 seconds. In the heat race though, it was Ryan Phillips who would win by ten kart-lengths after taking the lead on lap three, relinquishing it back to Farmer on lap six and recovering the position in turn one of the final lap. It only became apparent after the race that Farmer’s Margay frame had cracked in two places by the race’s conclusion and was subsequently repaired prior to the feature race. In the fifteen-lap final, Phillips would again lead briefly but his kart grew a tight condition and Farmer reclaimed the lead on the backstretch on lap four. Zach Linsell dueled with Phillips for the runner-up spot while Farmer built a lead. The Michigan Kart Supply driver would go on to win by 3.3 seconds over Linsell, Scott Kleman, Phillips, and A.J. Roderick.
 | Dakota Bell swept the Briggs Junior divisions on the weekend
(Photo: DoubleVision137.com) |
In the Briggs Super Stock classes, Farmer would take pole both days with a lap of 45.146 seconds in Medium on Saturday and 45.207 seconds in Heavy on Sunday. On Saturday, the Baker-powered Margay pilot would go on to a close victory over Dan Koehler in the heat race. Koehler led the feature briefly before dropping out with engine trouble, which allowed Farmer to take the feature race win over Jim Lipari by 6.157 seconds. In an abbreviated feature race on Sunday, Farmer pulled out a 2.8-second margin from Tim Stiefel in only two laps.
After winning three classes on the weekend, Brett Farmer thanked the support he had from Michigan Kart Supply and Jerry Cole, Steve Baker and Baker Racing Engines, his father Vern, and Ryan Clay.
In Sunday’s hotly contested Piedmont Kart Shop Briggs Medium class, Farmer paced the 27-kart field with a lap of 44.917 seconds. On lap two of the heat race, Dan Koehler took the lead from Farmer before giving it back three tours later. Koehler fell back when he two-wheeled his ride and Ryan Phillips aggressively passed Jim Lipari for second on the white flag lap, all of which allowed Farmer to win the heat by five kart lengths. In the feature race Farmer, Koehler, and Phillips took turns on point while the battle for placings further back grew quite physical. Ryan claimed the lead with two laps remaining and blocked the inside line down the backstretch on the last lap. As repayment for the maneuver, Koehler knocked Phillips wide at turn ten, which allowed Farmer past Phillips as well. At the line it was Koehler, Farmer, Phillips, A.J. Roderick who qualified down in sixteenth position, and Jason Zobkiw.
In Saturday’s Mind Games Motorsports Briggs Sportsman 1 Lite class, Tyler Frantz claimed pole position by a margin of half a second with a lap of 48.996 seconds. He would use this speed to pull a lead quickly in the heat race, taking the win over Skyler Locklear, Stephen Brewer Jr., and Johnny Smith. In the feature race, there was a great deal of action between Frantz, Locklear, and Brewer, with the lead changing hands multiple times due to lapped traffic over the fifteen lap race. Unfortunately for them, tech would later uncover issues with the carburetor for the top three finishers. This would elevate Manufacturer’s Cup regular Collin Campbell to the victory in his first Gold Cup appearance. Tyler Stiefel was scored second, followed by Jacob Zellner, Chris Kuley, and Johnny Smith.
Collin Campbell later thanked Rob Smith from Comet for the fast engine, his father and Joe for working on the kart, and his friends for bump drafting on the start. Interestingly, Colin noticed that the officials of the Gold Cup allow less on-track contact to occur than the amount tolerated in the Manufacturer’s Cup Series.
Sunday’s Thor Oil Briggs Sportsman 1 Heavy class saw Frantz on pole again with a lap of 49.105 seconds. The heat race saw Tyler draw away from Brewer early before the gap shrunk back to merely a kart length in the last two laps. These two would do battle again in the feature race, pulling well clear of third place Locklear. Brewer aggressively moved Frantz aside to take the lead on lap twelve at turn fourteen. With two laps remaining, Frantz got a run and took the top spot into turn ten, then blocked the inside into turn fourteen to prevent a repeat passing attempt there. As the leaders approached the checkered flag, a lapped kart blocked Frantz, which gave Brewer the advantage on the outside and allowed him to draw alongside. The two bumped and banged approaching the flag before Brewer spun into the hay bales at the finish line. Frantz reached the line first, but officials reversed the order of the two Maryland drivers, giving the win to Brewer and his GT Machine-powered Bandit kart.
For Saturday’s Dowling Transport & Services Briggs Sportsman 2 Lite class, Jacob Heavlow took pole on a brand-new Arrow chassis with a lap of 47.012 seconds. In the feature race Heavlow built an early lead, but was reeled in and passed by Virginia’s Connor Brown. Jacob made a run at Connor down the backstretch with two laps remaining, but spun entering turn eight. This allowed Brown and his Baker-powered Bandit kart to win by 2.483 seconds over Parker Williams, Heavlow, Joshua Stiefel, and John Powers.
 | Brett Farmer added three victories of his own at Lowe's
(Photo: DoubleVision137.com) |
For Sunday’s Briggs Sportsman 2 Heavy, Jacob Heavlow set aside his Arrow and put his Baker-powered Bandit on pole by six tenths with a lap of 46.896 seconds. The Maryland-based driver won the heat race going away, and followed that up with a thirteen-second margin of victory over Parker Williams after fifteen laps in the feature race. Connor Brown forcefully moved forward to take third from sixth place on the grid, with Douglas Stearly and Chase Dowling in close pursuit.
Maryland’s Eric Stowe took the pole position in the Target Distributing Briggs Raptor class with a lap of 47.779 seconds. Jason Zobkiw was able to pass Stowe for the heat race lead and eventual win, with Stowe and Russ Marinucci in close pursuit. At the start of the feature race, an incident in turns three and four allowed Stowe a clear lead over Marinucci and Zobkiw. In the end he would win by over three seconds on his Bandit chassis.
Ohio’s Jerry Vaughn has been competing in the Gold Cup series since its inception many years ago, and continues to show his skills in the Briggs Masters class. Having taken pole with a 46.349 second lap, the Baker-powered Margay pilot took the heat race win over Jack Krieger by four seconds. Jack would lead early in the feature before relenting to Vaughn, who won by 3.796 seconds over Krieger, Steven Smith, Tim Stiefel, and Bradley Farmer.
Briggs Restricted Junior class is limited to drivers who have not won a national karting title. Zachary Deshaies took the pole with a lap of 46.244 seconds, and along with Chris Wells, pulled clear of the pack in the heat race. Spencer Boyd was in third coming to the finish of the heat, but was demoted to seventh with an assist from Matthew Darden. After being caught in third at the start of the feature race, Maryland’s Chris Wells closed in on Deshaies and left behind the battle for the minor placings. Wells made the pass for the lead on the backstretch with two laps remaining, but Zachary was able to nearly reclaim the position approaching turn one of the last lap. He made a bid for the lead at turn fourteen, but it was not enough to overtake Wells for the victory. Third place went to Boyd in his first weekend as a junior driver, ahead of Darden and Ryan Bennett.
After the Michigan Kart Supply Nationals, Bully Clutches Gold Cup competitors must wait over three months for the next national event at G& J Kartway in Camden, Ohio on the 4th of July weekend. In the Manufacturer’s Trophy chase, Bandit leads the way with eight wins in Charlotte. Arrow and Margay claimed four victories each, while MGM and Birel took one apiece. It appears that the new tech inspection procedures had the desired effect of restoring a level playing field, and there is much anticipation for the remaining three events at Camden, New Castle in Indiana, and the Grand National event at BeaveRun in Pennsylvania.
To discuss the event, please visit the Official Discussion Thread. |
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