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| April 21, 2010 |
| Series News: Heartland Sprint Series - Round 1 Report |
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Round one of the Heartland Sprint Series presented by BP Motorsports went off without a hitch April 10¬-11. The event held at the Performance Driving Center in Independence, MO drew racers from neighboring states including Arkansas. Aside from the good turn-out, sunny skies and close racing on Sunday made for an excellent weekend.
Saturday was a full day of practice. Each class was allowed five rounds of practice, giving each racer a total of one hour of track time. The extended practice allowed everyone the chance to get familiar with the course. The PDC offers the ability to create an infinite number of track designs from the technical to the ultimate high speed track. That is part of the value of Saturday’s full practice day. Tuners can perfect the setup of their kart, while drivers can find the perfect line through each section of the course.
On Sunday there was a threat of rain, but fortunately the clouds stayed away and the program started without any delay. With karts reaching 80 mph, many fast times were set in qualifying on a modified version of the “Jack of Hearts” layout. TaG Senior drivers were in the mid 39-second rage, even with the nearly 600-foot straight.
Racing in the prefinal and final was fierce in every class. The largest numbers and best racing was found in each of the three TaG classes. The equality of the engines, and the fact that none of the competitors had seen the track layout before the weekend, brought the talents of the tuners and drivers to the forefront.
In the TaG Cadet class Kyle Potts was able to pull out the win over Shelby Winslow, who came in second, and Ryan Joehl, who rounded out the podium. A mid-race incident took out a couple of the front-runners including Shelby’s brother, Jacob. Garrett Daughters, James Yates, and Caden Boltz rounded out the field.
Gregory Gerst and Richy Yates provided some close racing early in TaG Junior. Yates was forced to drop out half way through the final event with mechanical problems. Gerst was able to hold off Wyatt Maness for the win. Making the move from the TaG 60 class, Cole Hannah notched a third place finish in his TaG Junior debut. Charlie Peter, Noah Hudson, Mason Daughters, and Charlie Williams finished in that order behind Hannah.
With $2000 up for grabs for the TaG Senior championship, the premier class of the series did not disappoint. A tough three-way battle for the top spot lasted for nearly half of the 12-lap final. The spot was contested by pole-sitter Jason Earls, Kaylee Granberg, and Chris Berg. The first place position was swapped a couple times between Granberg and Earls with Berg in position to take advantage of any mistake. Granberg was able to pass Earls for the last time getting onto the back stretch and never looked back. Earls would retire one lap later with mechanical issues. Granberg took the win in her first TaG Senior race with Berg in second and Tim Koch in third. Chris Koster, C.J. Beard, David Piel, Keith Crane, Kiersten Koch finished behind the top three. With so much on the line for the championship every point earned is important.
In the Kid Kart class Luke Howard beat out Michael Koch, Faith Yates, Henery William, Tyler Hagan, and Dakota Earls.
Yamaha Sportsman had three competitors. Connor Stuart, Nichols Platt, and Chandler Collins all finished on the podium.
Gerst was able to earn another first-place spot in the Yamaha Junior class beating Jacob Blair to the line.
Granberg was also able to double-up by winning the S2, stock shifter, class beating teammate Chris Thomasson. Rick Beaver took the G1 class honors. The S5, junior shifter, class was won by Natalie Fenaroli.
The affordable and new Clone class was won by Ted Hite who beat Andrew and John Pennington to the checkers.
David Piel was the big winner after the awards ceremony. The St. Louis area racer won a brand new set of Maxxis Tires and his race entry for the next Heartland Sprint Series race.
Round two of the Heartland Sprint Series presented by BP Motorsports is set for May 1-2. The $2000 purse for the TaG Senior season championship will attract some of the best racers the Midwest has to offer. The competition will be stiff and the entry fee is very affordable for everyone. The S2, stock shifter, and TaG Jr. classes also have $500 purses up for grabs for the season champion. These are some of the richest purses which can be won in the Midwest. The more races you compete in the better your chances of walking away with one of these prizes when the season wraps up in September.
The next track layout will be the “Queen of Hearts,” a more technical track with plenty of opportunities to pass. Entry fees for the event are $45. Additional information on the schedule and series can be found at http://www.bpmotorsportsgroup.com. Come out to experience one of the most professional and fun race series in the Midwest.
About BP Motorsports: BP Motorsports Group was formed in 2008 by Brit Phillips. His goal was to “Promote Karting in the Midwest.” Since then BP Motorsports has grown and has held events at the I-70 Speedway, just outside of Odessa, MO, as well as Kansas Speedway. The move to the Precision Driving Center in Independence, MO for the 2010 season has allowed the series to evolve into a professionally run race series. The rapid growth and popularity among its racers has caught the attention of many in the Kansas City area and the Midwest. The series now offers some of the largest championship purses in Midwest kart racing. With the forward-looking vision of Phillips, and the rest of the BP Motorsports board of directors, the series is poised for greater growth and expansion in the future. Please check the BP Motorsports website at http://www.bpmotorsportsgroup.com for further details. |
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