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| August 09, 2009 News |
| EKN Trackside: Championship Karting International Grand Prix of California - Sunday Report |
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 | The rear bumper was what the KZ2 drivers saw most of Gary Carlton on his way to his third straight KZ2 victory
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
The final day of action at the third round of the Championship Karting International series completed an exciting and action-packed weekend at the CalSpeed Karting facility for the Grand Prix of California. The 3/4-mile course outside the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California set the scene for the six divisions to battle in the Prefinal and Final events of the weekend with a number of drivers earning their first series wins while the championship chases take up shape.
KZ2
The holeshot to begin the 16-lap KZ2 Prefinal went to Jacob Neal from outside row one over his CRG teammate and pole sitter Gary Carlton. On lap three, Carlton regained the lead with a move inside turn one. It looked as if Neal would criss-cross back for the lead but Carlton slammed the door shut. The top three, including Alex Speed (Tony Kart), ran in close proximity to one another until Carlton was able to pull out to a four-second gap over Neal and Speed for the win. KZ2 rookie Gregory Liefooghe (Intrepid) was slightly off the pace but retired on lap 10 with a mechanical issue.
Scoring the CKI hat-trick, Carlton earned his third straight KZ2 victory with a green to checkered run in the 25-lap main event. Neal had the advantage off the line however it was Carlton who quickly assumed the point and went on to lead each lap. Speed held the second spot early on, getting by Neal as well. Neal would strike back on lap 11 with a move inside the final corner, taking over the second position. The field spread themselves out for the remainder of the race with CRG’s finishing 1-2, Speed’s Tony Kart in third and Liefooghe Intrepid in fourth.
 | Alex Speed broke through on the final day to score his first CKI KF2 victory
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
KF2
Chris Wehrheim (Top Kart) and Alex Speed (Tony Kart) led the KF2 field to the green flag with no issues with Speed slotting in behind Wehrheim along with the rest of the field. Early on, Speed made a great move inside of turn three to assume the point with Joel Miller (Tony Kart) coming by as well, dropping Wehrheim to third. It didn’t last long as Wehrheim came back by Miller in the last corner on the same lap. That helped Speed put some distance on the field as he also posted the fast laps of the race. Meanwhile, Miller put pressure on Wehrheim until lap six when the spark plug boot on the Vortex engine popped off, shutting down the engine and ending his race. Following the halfway mark of the 16-lap event, the field separated around the track as Speed would go on to take the win ahead of Wehrheim and Will Martindale (Tony Kart) - who started seventh. Leading Edge Motorsports’ Brett Felkins (Intrepid) found some extra speed as well, moving up to fourth ahead of the current point leader Richard Benitez (Kosmic) and Brendan Phinny (Top Kart).
A great start to begin the KF2 main event for Wehrheim put him at the point briefly before Speed regained the position through turns three and four of the opening lap. The rest of the field scattered behind them, shuffling up positions with Martindale holding a solid third place to begin the action. Wehrheim was able to regain the distance he lost to Speed from the pass however Speed clocked off the fast lap of the race to put some distance between him and the Team Top Kart USA Driver. Martindale however lost ground to the rest of the pack lap after lap until lap seven when Benitez, Miller, and Phinny closed up on his rear bumper. A bobble by Miller separated him and Phinny from Martindale and Benitez as the field ran static for much of the mid-race section.
On lap 17, Benitez was able to work by Martindale through the last corner and then fell back to a charging Phinny, who was running his fast laps of the race. Phinny was able to work alongside Martindale as they came down the front straight, the two went side by side through turns one, two, three and four with Phinny escaping with the position. He then set his sights on Benitez to battle for the final podium spot. Speed however would go on to lead all 25 laps to score his first KF2 victory in his Wunder-Bar Racing/Tony Kart entry. Wehrheim ran alone in second with a solid gain in the championship chase. As they came to the flag, Benitez ran a defensive line into the final corner, that allowed Phinny to pull the up and under move as they exited the corner. The two ran side-by-side to the line with Phinny edging Benitez for the third spot. Martindale ended the day fifth with Miller and Felkins in sixth and seventh.
 | As he was all weekend, Joey Licata Jr. was out front and scored the TaG Senior win
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
IAME Senior
After two failed attempts to get the IAME Senior Prefinal going, Andre Nicastro (Italkart) and Timmy Bachman (Top Kart) became the new front row, sending Joey Licata Jr. (CRG) and Mason Marotta (Intrepid) one row back. The race got underway with no issues in the opening lap as Nicastro and Bachman paced the field. Licata slotted into third until getting by on lap three with a draft down the front straight. Bachman however would lose more positions after Marotta climbed the back of his Top Kart, putting him fifth as Cody Jolly (Tony Kart) and Michael Hogg (Top Kart) slide by. Marotta fell to roughly the tenth spot and began his way forward to regain some of the lost positions. Licata continued to storm forward as he was then able to work by Nicastro for the lead as the two put some space on the rest of the field. Lap eight the top-five would change its look again as contact with Bachman driving over Jolly dropped them down the order, moving championship leader Neil McCoy (Top Kart) and Marotta up. Licata would lead the remainder of the race, taking the victory and starting the main event from the familiar pole position spot. Nicastro however slowed on the final circuit, allowing Hogg by to place third, playing a strategy card to start on the inside line for the main. McCoy and Marotta would hold off the rest of the field for fourth and fifth.
The field bunched up as the went through the opening corners for the main event, costing Remo Ruscitti (Italkart) a front nose cone and ending his race early while others scattered around to avoid contact. Licata showed the way early on until Hogg was able to slide by for the lead on lap four. McCoy and Nicastro followed through to drop Licata to fourth as the front four pulled away from the field. Licata regained a position on lap six from Nicastro and began to size up McCoy. Just before the halfway mark, Licata moved to the second spot and was now focused on overtaking Hogg. The next time by, Licata got inside of Hogg through the inside sweeper to overtake the lead. Hogg kept it close but it would not be enough as Licata would score his CKI debut win by eight-tenths. Posting the fast laps of the race, Alberico came up from the sixth spot to claim the final podium step as Nicastro retired on the final lap with a seized engine. McCoy would end up fourth, keeping the lead in the standings with Mike Herda (CRG) rounding out the top-five.
 | Gustavo Menezes continued to dominate the KF3 category en route to the main event win
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
KF3
A near perfect start to begin the racing action for the day as the KF3 field shuffled through the opening corners with Gustavo Menezes (Tony Kart) and Nicholas Silva (Kosmic) leading the way. The field kept thing tight in the first few laps before their tires got to optimal temperatures. That’s when the racing began. Taylor Miinch (Top Kart) slide by Silva for the second spot as the top three began to pull away from the rest of the field. The top three ran nose to tail until Silva fell off the pace and pulled off to the side with broken reeds. That would put him ninth in line to start the main event. Out front, Menezes put down his quickest laps near the end of the 14-lap event to stretch out to a 1.707-second win over Miinch. Championship leader Tristan DeGrand was able to work by J3 Competition/Kosmic teammate Alessandra Madrigal for third with Phil DeLaO (SSC East) coming from ninth to fifth ahead of Shawn Sharkey (Merlin).
The field quickly slotted into single file order once through the first corner to begin main event with Menezes showing the way. Trouble continued for Silva as his rear bumper came loose right from the start and was meatball flagged off the track. His Reaction Karting crew wired it back on and sent him back out before getting lapped. Meanwhile, Menezes continued to stretch out to a solid lead over Miinch with DeLaO getting a great start from fifth and up to third. He then worked by Miinch for second as they looked to work together to close in on the leader Menezes. The two were unable to close in any on Menezes as he ran consistent lap times to continue to stretch out his lead.
Behind them, DeGrand and Madrigal began closing in as they clocked off some fast laps. DeGrand was the first to catch DeLaO and Miinch with around five laps to go in the 19-lap event. A good run down the front straight set up DeGrand to get by Miinch as he then turned his attention on DeLaO. Out front, Menezes was untouchable as he went on to score the seven-second victory in his CKI debut. DeLaO was able to hold off DeGrand for the second spot, a great result after a tough Saturday. Madrigal was able to work by Miinch for fourth in the final lap, costing him some valuable championship points against DeGrand.
 | Taylor Miinch edged Gustavo Menezes to the line in IAME Junior however officials awarded the win to Menezes
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
IAME Junior
Taylor Miinch (Top Kart) got the jump on pole sitter Gustavo Menezes (Tony Kart) as the green flag waved to begin the 14-lap Prefinal. Louie Pagano (Birel) was also able to slide by Menezes, dropping him to third however he would regain a spot before they reached the scoring line for the first time. Miinch looked to pull away on cold tires however Menezes was quick to respond and posted some fast laps to close in fast. Lap five was Menezes striking point as he setup Miinch in the 180-degree final corner to reassume the lead. Both drivers continued to swap fast laps however it would be Menezes who would hold on for the win. Behind them was a great battle for the third spot that involved five different drivers. In the end, Pagano earned the spot ahead of Kiel Spaulding (Top Kart), Tristan DeGrand (Kosmic), Camden Geise (CRG) and Phil DeLaO (CRG) up from the 14th starting spot.
After two failed attempts to start the main event, Menezes and Miinch were sent back to row two, bringing Pagano and Spaulding forward to pace the field to the green flag. Once the green flag was waved, Miinch was shoved to the inside of turn two but rejoined in fourth as Pagano led the field. Miinch diligently work himself forward and assuming the point by lap two. Pagano slotted into second with Menezes, Spaulding and Geise making up the early top-five. Menezes began his charge just before the halfway mark, first working by Pagano for second and then setting his sights on Miinch. Both Miinch and Menezes ran their quickest laps in the early portion of the second half of the race however Menezes was about one-tenth quicker a lap.
On lap 14, Menezes made his move in the final corner to take over the point. Miinch assume the position on Menezes rear bumper and stayed close to the leader. Coming through the final corner, Menezes looked behind him and Miinch took the opportunity to slide inside. The two came out of the corner side by side with Miinch driving Menezes to the inside of the track. Miinch got the line by just 0.040-seconds ahead of Menezes. Officials however awarded Menezes with the victory after instituting a one position penalty to Miinch for rough driving. Geise also made a last lap pass for the final podium spot from Pagano to help his championship chase. DeGrand ran to fourth with Alessandra Madrigal (Kosmic) working from 20th to sixth. Point leader Shawn Sharkey (Merlin) followed through from 19th to seventh.
 | Zane Smith escaped the final corner to score the Cadet win in a thrilling main event
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Cadet
The Cadet Prefinal only made two laps before a red flag was displayed for a flip involving Matt Million. After a lengthy delay for a new ambulance to return, the Cadet race got back underway with Brendan Baker and Slater Stowell broke away from the field in and ran to a photo finish in the 10-lap event. At the line, Baker took the win by just 0.045-seconds over Stowell. Willy Axton finished third with Michael Womack coming up from eighth and Riley Reyes from 12th to complete the top-five.
A group of eight karts filled the lead pack for the Cadet main event with no one looking to sit back and wait as the drivers shuffled positions numerous times around the CalSpeed circuit. Reyes was shuffled back to the tail of the field in the opening lap, which cost him any chance of a win. Baker, Stowell, and Womack each took a turn at the point while the rest of the pack tried to fight their way forward. The fireworks were set off on the final lap as the pack began swapping the lead every corner. As the came to the final corner, they went three wide for the lead. When they exited, Zane Smith was the one out front and would take the checkered flag for his first victory of the season to help his championship hunt. Nick Ramirez was second with Davey Manthei edging Stowell and Baker for third at the line. Certainly a great run for the entire young field that put on a great 15 lap event. It was a tough weekend for championship contenders as point leader Austin Schoonmaker ended up 15th in the feature with Josh Saurino 13th and Ashley Rogero working up to 10th after a Prefinal spin.
With the third round complete, drivers and teams will now focus their attention toward the series finale set for October 9-11 at the Oklahoma Motorsports Complex in Norman. With the championship counting the best three of four races in all groups, the final round could make or break someone’s season. While some will focus toward championship dreams, others will be gunning for a chance to be one of the few winners in the series inaugural season. |
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