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| January 07, 2010 News |
| Presentation of 2009 US Rotax Max Challenge National Points Champions - Micro Max |
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In cooperation with the US Rotax Max Challenge program, eKartingNews.com will be presenting the champions and top-10 of the six Rotax categories that make up the National Points Standings. Over the next six weeks, we will examine one class per week to highlight those who were able to score highest in the points standings in 2009. This system ranks every US Rotax Max Challenge member that competes in any official Rotax program throughout the United States. The points system was developed in 2007 by National Race Director Marshall Martin, using a weight factor based on the number of registered members in each class in a series. Bonus points were available for each competitor, if a minimum number of racers competed for the event and if two or more series raced together. While only head to head competition can determine true champions, and that is what is done at the US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals each year, you will see that the many of the top-10 drivers in each class were also found at the top of the charts at the 2009 US Grand Nationals.
Micro Max
The newest Rotax Max Challenge USA class - Micro Max - grew over 500% in competitors from 2008 to 2009. As an exhibition class for the second year at the USA Grand Nationals, 21 competitors took the track in Norman, Oklahoma this year. In the National Points chase, 70 Micro Max competitors recorded points with Logan Sargeant being crowned as the 2009 Rotax Max Challenge USA Micro Max National Points Champion. Combining this with his dominating victory at the 2009 USA Grand Nationals, Logan captured the top two Micro Max competitions’ in the United States. Three different Rotax Max Challenge USA programs are represented in the top-10 as well. In addition to Logan, three of his South Florida competitors captured spots in the top-10. The MRP and SWRC are both represented with three members each. As this class continues to grow, we can expect the number of series represented in the top-10 to increase and the points spread between the competitors to decrease.
 | | Logan Sargeant |
1. Logan Sargeant
Hometown: Boca Raton, Florida
Series: South Florida Rotax Max Challenge
Points: 1245
Team RDD Motorsports driver Logan Sargeant has been karting since the age of five in 2006 and has been non-stop since. After racing two years of Baby Kart, Sargeant moved up to the Micro Max division in 2008 when the category was first introduced. Sargeant became the first winner of the category with a win at the opening Florida Winter Tour event, leading to a third in the class championship. After finishing fourth in the ’08 Rotax Max Challenge USA Grand Nationals, Sargeant went on a tear in 2009. After scoring the championship in the Florida Winter Tour, the Kart Mini driver scored the Rotax Summer Shoot Out and Grand National championship. Sargeant plans to move up to the Mini Max in 2010.
 | | William Wolfrom |
2. William Wolfrom
Hometown: Granger, Indiana
Series: MRP Rotax Max Challenge
Points: 1188
William Wolfrom, the 2009 MRP Championship Series Micro Max Champion is second in the 2009 Rotax Max Challenge USA National Points Standings. William was born in 2000 and completed his fourth year racing. He has several track records at Michiana Raceway Park in Yamaha Rookie 1 and Rotax Micro Max. He will be competing in Rotax Mini Max and Yamaha Sportsman as well as a couple Cadet races in 2010. His favorite music group is Blink-182 and his favorite driver is Tony Kanaan.
 | | Luke Houin |
3. Luke Houin
Hometown: Plymouth, Indiana
Series: MRP Rotax Max Challenge
Points: 1083
The #99 kart of Luke Houin is third in the 2009 Rotax Max Challenge USA National Points Standings. The MRP Birel/Rotax driver out of Plymouth, IN calls the Michiana Raceway Park track home. Houin started racing at the age of five in Kid Kart. In 2005, he was fourth in the MRP Kid Karts class, moving up to second the next year. Moving to Rookie 1 in 2007, Houin was second place before earning the class championship in ’08. Houin finished second in the MRP Micro Max division this year.
 | | Matthew Thomas |
4. Matthew Thomas
Hometown: North Miami, Florida
Series: South Florida Rotax Max Challenge
Points: 1021
Matthew Thomas epitomizes the sentiment of a motor racer. He eats, sleeps and breathes racing! Competing in his first local series in September 2008, he quickly learned that he loved the sport of karting. Entering the 2009 Florida Winter Tour as a relative novice, he ended the series ranked in the top-10. At his home track in Homestead, Matt continued to hone his driving skills finishing second in the South Florida program, and is currently ranked first in the Fall Championship Series. At the Rotax Summer Shoot Out, Matt ran top four all weekend long and was ranked fourth overall in Micro Max. During the USA Grand Nationals, Matt raced consistently all week long, finishing in the top-10 to completing his first year racing in the Micro Max class. For 2010, Matt is extremely excited at the prospects of running with Kart Mini and RDD Motorsports.
5. Juan David Buitrago
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Series: South Florida Rotax Max Challenge
Points: 1009
No photo or bio available
 | | David Malukas |
6. David Malukas
Hometown: Chicago Ridge, Illinois
Series: MRP Rotax Max Challenge
Points: 990
In September of 2008, a father and son made a trip to a local karting track, triggering what would become a joint passion to race. Henry and David Malukas are the only father/son duo to be in the Rotax Max Challenge USA National Points Standings top-10 (Henry in DD2/DD2 Masters). Starting in Kid Karts, David moved to Rookie 1 before making the jump to Micro Max. Malukas continued to develop through the 2009 season, competing at the Florida Winter Tour and the MRP series. It would pay off as the BTK Motorsports/Arrow driver finished 10th at the Rotax Max Challenge USA Grand Nationals. Malukas will return to Micro Max in ’10 with eyes on competing for titles in the Pan American Series and the Grand Nationals at New Castle Motorsports Park.
 | | Brandon Traw |
7. Brandon Traw
Hometown: Tomball, Texas
Series: Southwest Regional Cup
Points: 956
Brandon Traw, the 2009 Southwest Regional Cup Micro Max champion, is 8 years-old and lives in Tomball, TX. His SWRC championship helped him score enough points to end the 2009 season seventh in the Rotax Max Challenge USA National Points Standings. Brandon has been driving in the Micro Max class since January 2009. Traw finished 16th at this year’s Rotax Max Challenge USA Grand Nationals in the Micro Max division. His sponsors are Aquajet Manufacturing, Traw Machine Works, Rocktek and ABT Motorsports.
 | | Andrew Veloza |
8. Andrew Veloza
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Series: South Florida Rotax Max Challenge
Points: 882
This young boy named Andrew Veloza was born on January 30, 2001 in the sunshine state. At age 4, he started to race a Baby Kart. At age 6, he was national champion in Easykart 50cc. His first Rotax race was at the Florida Winter Tour in 2008. Since then, he was been racing Rotax. He participated at the Rotax Max Challenge USA Grand Nationals in 2008 at the USA International Raceway in Shawano, Wisconsin, finishing 10th. In 2009, Veloza competed at the Florida Winter Tour, South Florida Rotax Max Challenge, and the Rotax Max Challenge USA Grand Nationals in Oklahoma where he ended with a disappointing DNF.
 | | Ryan Lewis |
9. Ryan Lewis
Hometown: Cedar Park, Texas
Series: Southwest Regional Cup
Points: 875
Ninth in the Rotax Max Challenge USA National Points Standings for the Micro Max division is Texan Ryan Lewis. Ryan started racing later than most at the age of 6 at Iron Rock Raceway in Austin, TX. His first full year of racing saw several first places finishes in his Kid Kart to help earn the series championship for Iron Rock. He moved into Micro Max in April 2009, winning a Southwest Regional Cup race in his class debut. At the Rotax Max Challenge USA Grand Nationals, Lewis recorded a 12th place finish. Lewis would like to send out a special thanks to Charlie Swayne of Iron Rock Motorsports, because without him, none of this would have been possible.
10. Max Hewitt
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Series: Southwest Regional Cup
Points: 874
Completing the top-10 in the Rotax Max Challenge USA National Points Standings in the Micro Max category is Max Hewitt. The 8 year-old from Houston ended the season second in the Southwest Regional Cup standings for the Micro Max division. Max is a member of the Gulf Coast Kartway and also the Kart Nation/SRR Race Team. Hewitt has been driving in the Micro Max class since November 2008. His home tracks are the Gulf Coast Kartway and MSR Houston facilities with sponsors of Mom and Dad. |
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