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| May 01, 2010 News |
| EKN Trackside: WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series - MKP Nationals Saturday Report |
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 | Dakota Pesek scored his first Senior win in his debut, besting the Yamaha SuperCan Lite field
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
The opening day of racing of the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series MKP Nationals completed despite challenges from the weather at the beginning and end of the day. Overnight weather delayed things slightly and a small storm cell near the end of the day postponed the final race to allow lightning to pass through the area. A huge credit to WKA and Michiana Raceway Park staff to get all 10 classes completed on the day. The action on track was led by a number of young guns, especially the Senior groups with rookies showing the way. Robert Bujdoso swept the action in the competitive TaG category. Dakota Pesek made his Senior debut with a victory in Yamaha SuperCan Lite. Junior driver Austin Self scored his first WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series win in Komet Jr. Heavy. A number of other drivers scored their first wins of the year to position themselves in the early title chase.
Yamaha SuperCan Lite
The 17-kart field of Yamaha SuperCan Heavy was broken up into two groups for qualifying. First out, Dakota Pesek (Arrow) set the provisional pole in his Senior debut with a 46.040. The second group however saw the Merlin’s of Shinya Michimi and Colton Ramsey dip below the 46-second mark. Michimi’s 45.823 earned him the pole with Ramsey starting the Prefinal outside row one. Pesek fell to third in the order to make it three Senior rookies in the top three with Jason Foley (Merlin) and Ryan Stewart (Birel) rounding out the fast five. Daytona winner TJ Koyen (Merlin) struggled in the session, posting the 13th quickest time.
After two failed attempts at a start for the Prefinal, they inverted the front two rows. Now on the front row, Foley took the point to begin the action. It was short lived as Pesek took over the spot after completing the opening lap. Ramsey put the pressure on Foley early and assumed the second spot, in turn allowing Pesek to extend his lead. As the laps completed, Pesek kept a solid lead until the final few circuits when Ramsey closed in. Not close enough to make a pass attempt, Pesek took the win over Ramsey with Foley and Michimi close behind. Stewart held off Corey Reeves (Arrow) for the fifth spot.
 | Ashley Rogero held off Gresham Wagner for her first of two Sportsman victories on the day
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
The field bunched up through the opening corners of the Final with Pesek able to control the point followed by Foley, Stewart, Ramsey and Tony Jump (Margay) dropping Michimi, Reeves and others down the order early. The top two established a sizable lead in the early laps with Foley working the rear bumper of Pesek. At the halfway mark, Foley pulled the trigger and got around Pesek in turn nine. Their shuffling allowed Ramsey and Stewart to close in to make it four karts in the lead group. Pesek struck back on lap 12 of the 16-lap race to reassume the lead. Meanwhile in the battle for third, Stewart was looking to retake the position until the chain broke on his machine, ending his race. With Pesek in the lead, Foley continued to put the pressure on but was unable to make a move. At the line, Pesek took the win by a scant 0.073-second over Foley. Ramsey held on to third with Cody Robinson (Arrow) and Reeves completing the podium over Jump.
Cadet Sportsman
The first day of Cadet Sportsman action saw 30 drivers entered for the day. Split up into three groups, the last group on track jumped to the top of the order. Gresham Wagner (Birel) posted a 47.362-lap time to earn the pole position. Ashley Rogero (Tony Kart) held the spot provisionally but settled for second. Point leader Zane Smith (Top Kart) was third in the final order with Collin Campbell (Birel) and Daytona winner Austin Osborne (Birel) rounding out the fast five.
From the outside line, Rogero got the jump as the green flag waved to begin the 12-lap Prefinal. Rogero kept the point throughout the race, despite heavy pressure from Wagner. Smith ran close in the third spot while Grant Quinlan (Birel) and Tyler Moneypenny (Arrow) worked themselves into the top-five ahead of Osborne and Ryan Raffa (Top Kart).
 | Kevin Nelson assumed the point lead in Yamaha Masters with his win in South Bend
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Wagner got the jump at the green flag to begin the 16-lap Final as he and Rogero put down a great opening lap to lead by nearly a second the first time by the stripe. The two ran nose to tail and upheld a solid lead. Receiving the two to go signal, Rogero was in the lead with Wagner was all over the bumper of Rogero as they took the white flag. With Rogero running a defensive line down the straight, Wagner went all the way to the inside of track to get along side and through to the lead exiting turn one. Exchanging the lead a number of times in the final lap, Rogero came away with the lead through the final corner. Coming to the line, Rogero took the checkered flag by 0.040-seconds over Wagner. Emerson Reed (Merlin) put in an impressive drive from 10th to third with Quinlan and Kyle Tilley (Margay) completing the podium.
Yamaha Masters
The fight for the pole in Yamaha Masters was a tight one with Kevin Nelson (Arrow) edging out John Ferris III (Margay) by just 0.012-seconds. Both were the only drivers under the 47-second mark, with Nelson’s 46.543 best of the session. Birel’s Steve Schiewer and Bobby Cummings (Birel) were third and fourth with defending champion and point leader Jeff Jewell (Haase) completing the fast five.
Nelson would go on to take the win in the 12-lap Prefinal with he and Ferris well out front. The two were the quickest karts on the track with Ferris taking the fast lap honors however Nelson scored the win by 0.259-second. The fight for third including Schiewer, Cummings, and Jewell was a good battle until contact on lap five sent Jewell up and over and Schiewer on the sidelines. Cummings came away with the position with Andy Glover (Merlin) and Mike Burrell (Tony Kart) rounding out the top-five.
With a possible collar bone injury, Jewell sat out the Final and put Chuck Tate into the seat of his Haase to start at the tail of the field. When the green flag waved, Ferris lead early with Nelson in tow. The two continued to stretch out a solid lead as Cummings ran alone in third. On lap 13, Nelson made his move and assumed the lead. Ferris looked as if he would challenge but would not attempt any pass in the final three laps. Nelson took the win by 0.156-seconds over Ferris with Cummings four-seconds back in third. Glover and Burrell battled for the fourth spot with Glover coming away with the position. Tate put in a solid relief performance for Jewell, able to get by Burrell for the fifth and final step of the podium.
 | Austin Self earned his first Man Cup victory as a Junior driver in Komet Jr. Heavy
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Komet Jr. Heavy
During the Komet Jr. Heavy qualifying run, Nick Neri (Tony Kart) was quickest in the first group and set the provisional pole with a 44.113 lap time. Holding through the second group, Neri held the spot until the final lap of the third group when Sam Beasley (Arrow) bested Neri’s time by 0.031-seconds. Austin Self (Birel) recorded the third fastest lap with Shawn Sharkey (Merlin) and point leader Sage Karam (Birel) rounding out the fast five.
The outside line got the run as the green flag waved to begin the 12-lap Prefinal with Self taking the point over Beasley as Karam and Neri fell in line. Behind them, the field shuffled around a spinning Dakota Bell (Margay) in the esses. Early on, Neri and Beasley battled for the third spot, swapping position a number of times. This allowed Self and Karam to extend somewhat of a lead until lap nine when they bunched up in turn five. This gave Beasley room to get around both Self and Karam. Neri tried the same until making contact with Karam into turn six. The result put Karam in the grass and out of the race. At the checkered, Beasley took the win by two-tenths over Self with Neri, Sharkey, and Kyle Smith (PCR) up from ninth to fifth.
The Final for Komet Jr. Heavy looked to be a two man battle with Beasley and Self establishing a solid lead early on. The two continued to run nose to tail until Self took over the lead on lap five. As Beasley fell in line, the two were run down by a charging Sharkey and Neri. Sharkey was able to get around Beasley for second on lap 11 with Neri now applying pressure to Beasley for third. Out front, Self continued on to go unchallenged to score the victory by four-tenths over Sharkey for his first win as Junior driver in Manufacturer’s Cup Series competition. Neri was able to work by Beasley for third with a charging Raquel Martinez (Top Kart) up from 11th to fifth, also recording the fast lap of the race. A remarkable drive was put in Bell. Following a 30th finish in the Prefinal, Bell avoided any trouble and times similar to the leaders in traffic to knife up to a eighth place finish.
 | It was an impressive performance on the day by Robert Bujdoso in TaG
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
TaG
A solid field of 30 drivers made up the TaG field for the day. With the first group done, Senior rookie Robert Bujdoso (PCR/Vortex) was quickest to hold the provisional pole with a 42.908-lap time. Michael Politis (Merlin/Leopard 09) sat second with Mike Giessen (Haase/Leopard) in third. Through the second group, only Scott Ferris (Margay/Sonik) was able to challenge but came up 0.181-seconds short of Bujdoso’s time. Politis and Giessen dropped to third and fourth with John Dixon (Tony Kart/Sonik) completing the fast five. Daytona winner Jacob Sekey (Arrow/Sonik) lost his neck brace and was forced to pull off after just completing one lap, putting him 18th in the order with a host of other strong drivers outside the top-five.
From the drop of the green to the checkered flag, Bujdoso went unchallenged to the 12-lap Prefinal win. Able to break away from the fight for second, Bujdoso took the win by nearly three-seconds. Ferris was running second until his engine expired at the halfway mark, moving Giessen up to the position with heavy pressure from Politis. With no exchange for position, they would cross the line that way. CJ Lintner (Birel/Rotax) inherited the fourth spot after Dixon’s throttle line broke through the esses, putting him off to the sidelines. Tommy Andersen (Merlin/Leopard) won the battle for fifth from Kyle Wiegand (Top Kart/Leopard) ahead of Cody Hodgson (Tony Kart/Rotax) and Sekey - who posted the fast lap of the race to finish eighth.
The day in TaG certainly belonged to Bujdoso. Breaking away with the lead to begin the 16-lap Final, Bujdoso led Giessen early on as the rest of the field shuffled in cleanly behind. Wiegand was the driver on the move throughout the race as he slotted into fourth quickly and got around Politis for third by lap five. Running down the front two, Giessen appeared to fall off the pace Bujdoso was setting. Wiegand took advantage and completed the pass for second on lap 11. Posting the fast laps of the race, Wiegand cut into Bujdoso’s lead but would get close enough to make a move, trailing at the line by six-tenths. Giessen was able to hold off Politis for third with Hodgson battling up to fifth to complete the podium.
 | Yamaha Sportsman Heavy came down to the wire with Brandon Jarsocrak coming away with the win
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Yamaha Sportsman Heavy
Californian Zane Smith (Top Kart) was the final kart on track and with his final circuit, posted the fastest lap of the Yamaha Sportsman Heavy qualifying session. Smith’s 47.709-lap time was 0.028-seconds quicker than Emerson Reed (Merlin). Courtney Innis (Tony Kart) was third in the order with John Powers (Arrow) and Jacob McWhirter (Shockwave) rounding out the fast five. A number of drivers that were contenders in Daytona were outside the top-five, including point leader Gresham Wagner (Birel) who ended up 13th in the order.
The 12-lap Prefinal for the Yamaha Sportsman Heavy group came down to the line with Reed edging out Powers by 0.091-seconds. With the lead group four karts early one, it became seven in the closing laps with the drivers shuffling for position. Reed and Powers were able to get away to run 1-2. Smith held on to third over Ashley Rogero (Tony Kart). Grant Quinlan (Birel) worked his way up to fifth from ninth to cross the line in front of Brandon Jarsocrak (Haase) and Mike McAndrews (Margay).
The lead group was five karts through most of the 16-lap Final as they exchanged positions a number of times. With three laps to go, the shuffling turned up a notch with Jarsocrak now at the point while Quinlan and Rogero ran in the challenger positions. Coming to the white flag, Rogero slid by Quinlan for second and began pressuring Jarsocrak for the lead. Jarsocrak ran a solid final lap, holding off Rogero at the line by 0.047-seconds. Quinlan held on for third with McAndrews and Smith completing the top-five.
Yamaha Pipe
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing DNF in Daytona, Tony Jump showed the way in the Yamaha Pipe qualifying session. His 44.488-lap was best of the run with Randall Potter making it a Margay front row for the Prefinal. Cody Robinson, making his first start in the class, was third in the order ahead of Daytona winner Kevin Nelson and Adam Crepin to put three Arrow’s into the fast five.
 | Tony Jump swept the day in Yamaha Pipe
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Jump and Nelson were the class of the field in the 12-lap Prefinal as the two soared out front. Jump led the entire race to score the win with Nelson four-tenths back at the checkered. Robinson held ground in third with Crepin advancing up one spot to fourth and Chuck Tate (Margay) improving on a poor qualifying run to finish fifth. Potter was shuffled back early and retired on lap seven.
Stamping his name into the trophy, Jump dominated the 16-lap final to score the victory. Nelson applied the pressure early on but Jump was too consistent with fast lap times of the race. Nelson, unable to keep pace, fell into the clutches of Robinson and Tate. Robinson was able to get by quickly for second while Tate took a few laps before getting around as well. At the line, Jump took the win by over three-seconds in front of Robinson. Tate held off a late charge from Nelson for third with Crepin completing the top-five.
Yamaha Jr. Lite
The Yamaha Jr. Lite qualifying session went down to the wire, similar to the Komet run early on. Nick Neri (Tony Kart) was out in the first group and set the bar with a 44.916 lap time. Making it through the second group, Neri hoped to hold strong as the third group took the track. On his final circuit, Sam Beasley (Arrow) put down a 44.824 to score his second pole position of the day. Beasley’s time was just 0.092-second better than the matching times set by Neri and Kyle Smith (PCR), with the tie-breaker going to Neri for the second spot. Cadet graduate Garrett Johnston (Top Kart) was fourth in the order with Daytona winner Sage Karam (Birel) completing the fast five.
Beasley and Neri walked away with the Prefinal race. Neri put the pressure on the entire 12 laps, posting the fast lap of the race, never making an attempt by Beasley who would score the win. Shawn Sharkey (Merlin) was the driver on the move as he worked his way up to third by the end of the race. Smith and Karam were third and fourth until Sharkey worked by both of them. Karam settled into fourth with Smith able to hold off Austin Self (Birel) for fifth, who advanced from 18th.
 | Sam Beasley returned to the top, winning the Yamaha Jr. Lite feature
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
The fireworks began right away when the green flag waved. Neri started outside row one with Karam directly behind in row two. As they entered the opening corner, the two made contact, sending Neri off into the safety pillows and out of the race. Out front, Beasley held the point with Sharkey and Kalish falling in behind, avoiding Self spinning in turn eight. Smith was able to move to fourth with Karam rejoining in fifth. The top three ran static for nearly the entire race. Neither able to gain ground on one another. Beasley posted the fast lap of the race en route to a two-second victory as Sharkey would hold off Kalish to end up third. The battle to watch on track was for fourth. Dakota Bell (Margay) and Matthew Tifft (Arrow) joined the fight with three laps to go. Karam and Bell were able to break away in the final lap to run fourth and fifth while Smith held off Tifft for sixth. The results however would be unofficial as officials decided to make the final ruling the next morning.
Komet Heavy
With Daytona winner TJ Koyen electing not to run the Komet Heavy category this weekend, the chase for the point lead opened up. Stepping up to the challenge was Ryan Stewart (Birel) as he took the top honors in qualifying with a 44.687-lap. Two drivers were within a tenth off Stewart’s time as Bill McLaughlin (Birel) and Corey Reeves (Arrow) placed second and third in the order. Jackson Mears (Birel) was fourth with Matt Stagel (Merlin) rounding out the fast five.
Stewart would lead all 12 laps of the Prefinal, despite heavy pressure from McLaughlin. Reeves joined them to make up the early lead group until the two Birel drivers pulled away in the closing laps. Stewart got to the line first for the win, four-tenths ahead McLaughlin with Reeves two-seconds back. The fight on track was for fourth as Patrick Olsen (Birel) was able work by Mears early on and held him off to the checkered with Stagel and Scott Kopp (Birel) close behind.
The Komet Heavy Final would be similar to the previous race with Stewart and McLaughlin out front. Reeves looked to be able to run with the leaders early on once again but lost ground as the race went on. McLaughlin was all over the bumper of Stewart as both drivers drove on the edge all 16 laps. In the end, Stewart squeaked out McLaughlin by 0.102-seconds. Reeves ran alone in third while Olsen edged out Stagel for fourth.
 | HPV Heavy was all Ryan Stewart, scoring the sweep on the day
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Komet Sportsman
Scoring his second pole of the day, Zane Smith (Top Kart) completed the qualifying sessions for the day with the pole run in Komet Sportsman. His 45.710-lap was over four-tenths clear of Gresham Wagner (Birel). Ashley Rogero (Tony Kart) and Emereson Reed (Merlin) were third and fourth in the session with Ryan Raffa (Top Kart) completing the fast five. Daytona winner Austin Osborne (Birel) recorded the 12th fastest lap of the session, leaving him work to be done in the Prefinal.
The Prefinal race was red flagged after lap two when a group of karts got together exiting turn five, with the kart of Camden Donaldson (Birel) caught with a stuck throttle. As he exited the kart, it accelerated off the track and hard into a tree. Fortunately, no one was struck by the out of control kart, which ended up bent severely. Once the race was restarted, Smith was out at the point until he would be shuffled back to outside the top-five. Rogero took over the lead briefly until Wagner took over the spot. With him out front for the second half, he would fend off Rogero to get to the line 0.081-seconds ahead for the win. Raffa was able to finish third with Kyle Tilley (Margay) up to fourth from the eighth starting spot. Smith regained a spot to end up fifth in the order. Tilley however would be removed from the results while in tech for having an improper flex length.
As the field sat on the grid for their final, lightning began to strike from the clouds surrounding the area, forcing officials to send everyone to safety. After a brief delay and a quick rain storm, the field returned to the grid for a wet 12-lap Final. The field navigated the opening lap with caution and everyone made it through. Wagner and Rogero looked to be the class of the field as they established the lead. After a few exchanges for the position, Rogero took control of the spot and continued to extend her lead. Wagner fell back into the clutches of a group of four drivers all dicing it out for second. As they battled, Reed and Jarsocrak made contact in turn seven, resulting in both drivers spinning, dropping them down the order. Out front, Rogero would take an impressive win in the rain by six-seconds. The battle came down to Smith and Wagner. Wagner was able to work by for the spot as they came to the final corner, when the two made contact. The result was a damage steering for Smith and put him on the sideline. Wagner went on to end up second with Raffa third and Tristan VanWieringen (CRT) fourth. Jarsocrak was able to recover to end up fifth at the checkered.
 | Earning win number two on the day, Ashley Rogero navigated the wet to perfection
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
In the Manufacturer’s Trophy chase, Birel still holds the top spot, gaining two wins on the day to bring their total to 10. Arrow cut their lead to three with three victories, which puts their total to seven. Tony Kart now stands along in third, scoring two wins to double their total with Haase in fourth while Merlin and Margay sit tied for fifth.
With the first day of racing complete, the competitors will now focus their attention on the Sunday class line up. For those with a stellar first day, they will look to continue the momentum. For others, it will be a chance to finish the weekend strong. Rain should play a factor in day two with a good percentage of the day forecasted for wet weather, making it a challenging final day of racing at the MKP Nationals. To follow Sunday's action, click over to the Official Discussion Thread. |
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