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| September 02, 2009 News |
| Rock Island Grand Prix – The Top-15 Performances - Number 1 |
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The Rock Island Grand Prix - recognized as the world’s largest street race - will be celebrating its 15th anniversary when this Labor Day 2009 weekend rolls around. From the previous 14 events - beginning with a cold, rainy inaugural race in 1994 and rolling through to last year’s bright, sunny and historic weekend – we have assembled a number of memories that drivers, crew members, and spectators will remember for a lifetime. To help commemorate the 15th running of the popular event, eKartingNews.com - along with the help of RIGP historians - created a list of the 15 best driver performances of the Rock Island Grand Prix. We’ve been unveiling them as we drew closer toward the September 5-6 event, and just days before the streets open up for the karting community, we look at THE number 1 performance.
 | Alan Rudolph enjoys his fifth and final King of the Streets crown with his father
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Number 1 - Final King of the Streets Victory for Alan Rudolph - 2007
When looking back over the last 14 editions of the Rock Island Grand Prix, the event has garnered one particular fan favorite who can always draw people to the fence. He’s traditionally the most sought-after autograph during the pre-race ceremonies and he is by far the most liked racer to have ever competed on the streets of Rock Island.
Alan Rudolph began competing at the Rock Island Grand Prix with its inaugural event in 1994, racing in the 125cc Shifter class back before shifter karts were ‘cool’. Aside from 1999 and 2008, Rudolph competed in every edition of the race and not just in shifters. Rudolph was a veteran in both the Yamaha and the open clutch classes before he dipped into gearbox racing and scored many wins on the Midwest’s circuit of street races, including Rock Island. Rudolph’s eight wins – which put him tied for third overall - came in a shifter kart, however, earning one win each year in eight of the 12 trips that he took the Quad Cities area.
Rudolph’s last win came in 2007, the final time that the veteran took to the streets vying for the coveted RIGP crown. Coming into the event as the defending race winner and leader in King of the Streets titles, Rudolph was favored for the victory. Moving to the First Kart brand following the closure of the RBI operation the previous year, Rudolph began the event by placing third in the qualifying session. Two-time King of the Streets winner Kyle Wiegand stole the pole position while Great Lakes regional star Chris Kuenning was a surprising second, nipping Rudolph in the timed qualifying on Saturday afternoon.
On the Sunday afternoon, following the opening ceremonies, the King of the Streets field was given the green flag as they shuffled through the opening corners. When they emerged from the final corner to complete the opening lap, Wiegand was the first to cross the stripe, with Kuenning and Rudolph on his bumper. Rudolph then jumped into the second spot the next time by and then began to pressure Wiegand for the lead. On lap four, Alan was able to squeeze by Wiegand with a pass into turn two, much to the delight of the screaming fans. The duo would then stretch out to a good-sized lead on the rest of the field as the laps clicked off. Rudolph put down his fastest laps in the closing stages of the race to edge his younger rival by six-tenths of a second by the end of the 30-lap event, earning the King of the Streets crown for the fifth time.
“The event has a special place with me as I love street racing,” stated Rudolph from his office in Arizona. “Most of the highlights of my karting career were in street racing, whether it was with PKA and Gus Traeder or the Elkhart Grand Prix, so the Rock Island Grand Prix hung on. At the end of the day, it has fans. No other karting event does that. The fans make the event that much more special for me and the venue is hardcore with no room for errors. The last one with RBI was special because it was the end of that era in my racing career, but it wasn’t a complete win because Kyle Wiegand dropped out of the race early. In 2007, Kyle and I had a great race going and it was special that I had to fight him the entire distance for the win. I’m glad to have left as the King.”
Rudolph and the others who are were part of our Top-15 performance list, the numerous volunteers and the long list of star drivers who have made the trek to the event will remain as the faces of the Rock Island Grand Prix. The excitement and camaraderie that the two-day event produces has ensured that it has not been matched by any other street race and, should it somehow limp through this difficult economic time, many more karting enthusiasts will get the unique opportunity to become part of its history.
2 - Lawson Becomes All-Time Win Leader at RIGP - 2007
3 - History Made by Michele Bumgarner as the First Female Winner at the RIGP - 2008
4 - Welsh Earns Second Three-Win Performance in One of the Greatest Come From Behind Victories - 2004
5 - Wilson Makes Dream Come True with King of the Streets Win - 2003
6 - Kyle Krueger Goes Last to First in Wet and Wild 125cc Moto - 2006
7 - British Driver Martin Pierce Dominates TaG Senior Field - 2006
8 - Wiegand Wins First King of the Streets - 2004
9 - Jones Claims Four Victories at RIGP - 1996
10 - Lawson Bags Three for Second Time at RIGP - 2005
11 - Birdsell Wins Record Five of Nine Races - 1998
12 - Scott Speed Wins King of the Streets - 2002
13 - Nelson Philippe Wins 125cc Semi Pro - 2002
14 - Alan Rudolph Bids Farewell to RBI with King of the Streets Win - 2006
15 - Loniewski Comes from Nowhere to Win TaG Senior in the Wet - 2005 |
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