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| March 10, 2010 |
| Team News: DeFranceso Racing - February Report |
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 | Kirkwood took five podiums from six starts in February
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
With the second month of its Florida swing now complete, DeFrancesco Racing is continuing to build momentum as it forges into 2010. Though it had four less team starts in the second sheet of the calendar, the team actually increased its top-ten finish and podium numbers, and matched its win total from January.
For the second straight month Kyle Kirkwood was the leading figure under the DFR tent. Following a kickoff month where he scored four podiums from six starts, the Florida racer actually bettered the performance with five podiums from six starts in February, and the only miss was due to no fault of his own after he was collected during a red-flagged start! Beginning at Palm Beach International Raceway, Kirkwood put a month together that never dropped below the second step of the podium when he crossed the line. The second round of Vortex TaG Cadet brought a two-one weekend, Rotax was a second on Saturday before the aforementioned DNF, and back at Homestead for the second round of the Florida Cup he finished two-two.
The points haul kept the Florida resident in the thick of championship battles in all three as he now sits second in the Formula Kart TaG Cadet Championship, third in the CKI Florida Cup chase, and fourth in the FWT Rotax Max Challenge. Team driver Devlin DeFrancesco runs the same three classes, and after a dreadful January the ten-year-old turned his fortunes around in February. He began with a three-five weekend in Cadet, followed with fourteen-eleven at RMC, and finished up with seven-five at CKI. After an opening month that included four DNF’s from six starts, the second month was a brilliant turnabout.
Unfortunately, teammate Cole Glasson picked up the bad luck for the month as his rotax weekend at PBIR did not go according to plan. Though he qualified tenth and moved to sixth in the Saturday prefinal, he didn’t get far past turn one in the main event. Sunday was similar as he timed eleventh, was twelfth after the prefinal, only to get turned around in the final once again on Sunday. DFR driver Dore Chaponick also had some bad luck in the month, retiring from the front of the final after losing a bumper in IAME Junior. He had qualified on the front row and won the prefinal beforehand. On Sunday he was seventh, and though he lost his championship lead in dropping to fourth, he’s still in the hunt with one round left to run. Fourth is also the position he holds at Homestead, as a fourth-fifth weekend at the Florida Cup saw him flirting with the podium. The bump-and-grind RMC at Palm Beach saw him chart a fourteen-thirteen as he continues on a quest for the rotax podium.
The third and final month of the Florida swing will see the order reverse as DFR is setup at Homestead for the final round of the Championship Karting International Florida Cup. The winter season will then wrap at Ocala Gran Prix, first with the final round of the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge and then the final round of the Formula Kart schedule. Once again Kirkwood, DeFrancesco and Chaponick will race all three while Glasson moves under the team tent for Rotax.
DeFrancesco Racing February Results:
Florida Winter Tour Formula Kart Weekend
Kyle Kirkwood, 2nd - 1st, P2 in Cadet Championship
Devlin DeFrancesco, 3rd - 5th, P4 in Cadet Championship
Dore Chaponick Jr., 15th - 7th, P4 in Junior Championship
Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge Weekend
Kyle Kirkwood, 2nd - 31st, P4 in Mini-Max Championship
Devlin DeFrancesco, 14th - 11th, P19 in Mini-Max Championship
Cole Glasson, 29th - 29th, P21 in Mini-Max Championship
Dore Chaponick Jr., 14th - 13th, P10 in Junior-Max Championship
Championship Karting International Florida Cup
Kyle Kirkwood, 2nd - 2nd, P2 in Mini-Max Championship
Devlin DeFrancesco, 7th - 5th, P8 in Mini-Max Championship
Dore Chaponick Jr., 4th - 5th, P4 in Junior-Max Championship |
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