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| May 02, 2010 News |
| EKN Trackside: WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series - MKP Nationals Sunday Report |
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 | Cody Robinson went from zero to hero in the Yamaha SuperCan Heavy category
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
The final day of racing completed at the Michiana Raceway Park for the running of the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series MKP Nationals. Weather was thought to be an issue all day long however the rain stopped early on, with the track drying out midway through the qualifying session. With a dry track, the racing heated up as it normally does on the final day of action. Battling through the changing weather conditions, and only one minor red flag incident, the WKA and MRP track staff did its part to keep the day rolling. The results from the day saw Nick Neri repeating his double win performance in Daytona, scoring two more in day two in South Bend. Cody Robinson came from last to first in the Yamaha SuperCan category in a dramatic performance for his first win of the year.
Yamaha SuperCan Heavy
With the track in the process of drying, the Yamaha SuperCan Heavy field hit the track for the first qualifying session of the day. Jason Foley (Merlin) set the pace in the first group with a 51.339. In the second group, Colton Ramsey (Merlin) took the pole award with a 51.108-lap time. Ryan Phillips (Bandit) slid ahead of Foley’s time in the second group to claim the outside spot of the front row. Daytona winner Ryan Stewart (Birel) was fourth in the order with Cody Robinson (Arrow) capping off the fast five provisionally until coming in underweight at the scales. That moved Tony Jump (Margay) up to fifth in the order. A number of drivers elected not to take to the track, including Kevin Nelson (Arrow), Chuck Tate (Haase) and Corey Reeves (Arrows) with Daytona runner-up Jeff Jewell (Haase) sitting out following his collar bone injury on Saturday.
Coming from the fourth starting spot, Stewart was able to capitalize early and score a solid win in the Prefinal. Phillips got the jump as Stewart came through with him to put Ramsey back to third. Ramsey lost more ground when he spun in turn six on the second lap, dropping himself down the order even more. This allowed Stewart a chance to break away as Phillips fell into the clutches of Jump and Foley. Able to get around Phillips, the two ran nose to tail trying to catch Stewart, but unable as he claimed the win by 1.614-seconds. Phillips settled for fourth with Nelson, Reeves and Tate advancing after skipping the wet qualifying session. Robinson posted the fast lap of the race, only able to advance to ninth behind Ramsey.
With the green flag waving, the 16-lap Final got underway with Jump getting the run from the outside lane. Pole sitter Stewart dropped one more position as Phillips was able to work by for second coming to the line for the first time. Stewart was shuffled back further to fifth with Foley and Ramsey also getting around. Nelson would demote Stewart one more spot to sixth a few laps later. Near the halfway mark, the field sorted itself out with Jump, Foley and Ramsey showing the way while Phillips began falling, allowing Stewart, Nelson and Robinson by for positions. Robinson then began to click off the fast laps of the race, working around both Nelson and Stewart, cutting into the leader’s advantage. On lap 12, Foley made is move to dive inside of Jump at turn six. Ramsey tried to capitalize as well but Jump held him off to secure second. With three to go, Robinson had caught the leaders and quickly put away Ramsey to secure third. Next time around, Robinson took care of Jump with Ramsey coming through as well. On the charge, Robinson attacked the bumper of Foley. Similar to the rest of his moves in the final, Robinson dove inside at turn six. Giving up the lead, Foley fell in behind as they completed the final corners, unable to make a move. Robinson scored the impressive victory, coming from the tail of the field after qualifying to the top of the podium, crossing the line 0.607-seconds ahead of Foley. Ramsey followed through in third with Jump settling for fourth. Contact between Stewart and Nelson through the esses left Stewart alone in fifth.
 | Austin Osborne (21) was first to the line in Cadet Sportsman but the win went to Grant Quinlan
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Cadet Sportsman
The track was still drying with the three groups of the Cadet Sportsman field hitting the track. It seemed the track was consistent for all three, despite a dryer line showing around the track. In the final group, Tyler Moneypenny (Arrow) locked in the pole position with his 51.684 lap time. Jacob Symank’s (Birel) early provisional pole time held up for second in the order. Top Kart drivers Ryan Raffa and Zane Smith ended the session third and fourth with Brandon Jarsocrak (Haase) completing the fast five. Saturday’s winner Ashley Rogero (Tony Kart) was only 17th in the order, leaving her with some work to be done in the Prefinal.
Scoring the victory in the Prefinal to start the main on the pole was Raffa. After Moneypenny was able to break away early, Raffa and a host of others were able to close in quickly. Taking over the top spot, Raffa led a group of five karts early before Smith rejoined the fight to make it six after dropping a tire off early on. The group ran nose to tail with not many changes for position. At the line, Raffa scored the win by 0.068-seconds over Moneypenny with Jarsocrak, Kyle Tilley (Margay), Matt Solarczyk (Birel) and Smith scattering behind. Rogero gained 10 spots in the race to finish seventh ahead of Emerson Reed (Merlin).
Moneypenny grabbed the lead to begin the Final as he got the jump from the outside line through the opening corner. The race was stopped on lap three as an incident in turn five brought out the red flag. With everyone checked out to be fine, the race resumed with Raffa and Rogero showing the way. Rogero completed her charge forward by taking over the lead at the halfway mark. Rogero led the way until receiving the white flag. Running a defensive line down the front straight, her entry into turn one sent her wide on the exit, allowing Moneypenny to slide up along side as they reached the esses. Contact was made the lead group scattered around as everyone shuffled for the same piece of real-estate. As they exited turn five, Osborne came away with the lead. Holding on to the checkered flag, Osborne scored the provisional victory. Following the race, officials penalized Osborne for an earlier incident, putting him 18th in the final classification and taking the win away. This put Grant Quinlan (Birel) on top of the podium as he completed a stellar drive from 26th to now first. Moneypenny would have been classified second however he was removed in tech for a missing recoil on the starter. Raffa was then promoted to second with Colin Campbell (Birel), Rogero, and Jarsocrak completing the podium.
 | Scott Ferris came away with the victory in TaG Heavy
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
TaG Heavy
It was an unfortunate small number of entries in the TaG Heavy category on the day but it was the same story up front much like yesterday’s regular class. Robert Bujdoso (PCR/Vortex) claimed the pole position over teammate Kyle Knecht (PCR/Vortex). CJ Lintner (Birel/Rotax) was third in the order with Scott Ferris (Margay/Sonik) and Michael Purnell (Margay/Leopard) rounding out the fast five. Point leader Jacob Sekey (Arrow/Sonik) was sixth and the final driver to record a time.
Bujdoso continued where he left off with a win in the TaG Heavy Prefinal however he felt pressure throughout the 12-lap run. Ferris moved up from the fourth starting spot in the opening corners and planted himself behind Bujdoso. Posting the fast lap of the race, Ferris hounded Bujdoso but never attempted a pass for the lead, crossing the line just behind the race winner. Sekey worked himself up to third as Knecht held off Lintner for the fourth spot.
Ferris got the jump at the green flag to begin the 16-lap Final as Bujdoso had to slot in behind. The top two ran nose to tail for the entire race with Ferris posting the fast laps to keep Bujdoso at bay. Unable to gain any ground, Bujdoso had to settle for second with Ferris taking the victory by 0.918-seconds. Sekey finished third to establish a solid point lead while Lintner was able to work by Knecht for the fourth step on the podium.
Komet Jr. Lite
With the sun out and the track all but dry, officials ruled to put the remainder of the classes on dry Bridgestone slick tires. Giving the Komet Jr. Lite group time to switch over, the three groups hit the track for qualifying. After the first group, Daytona winner Nick Neri (Tony Kart) was on the provisional pole. Sage Karam (Birel) was the fastest driver in group two, good enough for the second spot prior to the third group hitting the track. Scoring his third pole of weekend, Sam Beasley (Arrow) posted the fastest lap overall, a 44.564. Neri’s time was good enough for second overall with Kyle Crump (Margay), Shawn Sharkey (Merlin) and Kyle Smith (PCR) rounding out the provisional fast five. Smith however would lose his time as a result of an incident in practice, dropping him further down the order and putting Raquel Martinez (Top Kart) to fifth. Karam would fall to seventh overall with Austin Self (Birel) slotting into the sixth grid spot.
 | Nick Neri scored his first victory of the day in Komet Jr. Lite
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
A great 12-lap battle took place for the Komet Jr. Lite category with Neri coming out on top. Beasley and Self were able to get away clean as the field shuffled around behind them. Neri fell back early but crossed the line for the first time in the third position ahead of Sharkey and Crump. Gaining the ground he lost on the leaders quickly, Neri was on their bumper by lap three. The top two then exchanged the lead a number of times throughout the course of a single lap with Self coming away with the top position. Neri knifed his way into second and quickly took care of Self to assume the lead. At the halfway mark, Neri led Beasley, Self, Sharkey and Crump. The fight on the track in the second half was for fifth as Crump was pressured by Karam and Martinez. With Karam now in the spot, Martinez made contact and spun him around in corner seven. Martinez continued on while Karam fell down the order while Crump went off in the grass and saw his race end prematurely. At the checkered, Neri took the win over Beasley with Self and Sharkey giving chase. Martinez crossed the line fifth but was penalized for the contact with Karam to move her back to 13th. Jake Cole (Merlin) was the benefactor and was classified fifth.
The outside line grabbed the jump to being the Final as both Beasley and Sharkey slid around Neri in the opening corners. Sharkey was first to strike once the field settled in, taking the lead over from Beasley on lap two. Beasley lost another position as Neri demoted him to third with a pass in turn six. On the charge, Neri claimed the top spot by lap five as he drafted by Sharkey into the first corner. At the same time, Beasley lost another spot, this time to Self. At the halfway mark, first and second ran together with third and fourth back a few lengths. James Bennett (Birel) ran fifth at the time and was being chased by Olivia Beam (Arrow). No changes in position were made until the two to go signal when Beasley retook the third spot with a pass into the first corner. Bennett also lost the fifth spot as he went wide in a corner, allowing both Beam and Martinez through. Out front, Sharkey was unable to maneuver around Neri, who scored the victory by 0.632-seconds. Beasley held on for third in front of Self with Beam completing the podium.
 | Zane Smith edged out Ashely Rogero for the victory in Yamaha Sportsman Lite
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Yamaha Sportsman Lite
The Yamaha Sportsman Lite saw Mike McAndrews (Margay) come away with the pole position during the qualifying session. His time of 47.422 was three-tenths quicker than that of Zane Smith (Top Kart). Ashely Rogero (Tony Kart) was provisionally third until coming in underweight at the scales. John Powers (Arrow) was moved up to third with Daytona winner Kyle Tilley (Margay) and Gresham Wagner (Birel) completing the fast five.
McAndrews kept his place at the front of the Yamaha Sportsman field as he squeaked out a win in the 12-lap Prefinal. A lead group of four paced the field for the race with McAndrews leading early before Smith took over the reigns. With two laps to go, McAndrews made his move to retake the spot through the first corner, dropping Smith back to fourth as the rest of the group went by. At the line, McAndrews edged out Powers for the win with Wagner and Smith in tow. Emerson Reed (Merlin) drove a great race to advance from 15th to fifth. Coming from 30th after the win in the LCQ, Rogero worked her way to a 12th place finish.
The start of the 16-lap Final saw Powers and Smith work the outside line through corner one to shuffle McAndrews back to third. The rest of the field settled in behind with an eight kart lead group forming. Included in the pack was Rogero as she was up to seventh by lap two. On lap four, Smith was able to slide by Powers through turn five for the lead. Smith remained the leader as the raced progressed with Powers not moving from his rear bumper. On the charge was Rogero as she continued to make her way forward. Getting the white flag, Smith ran the inside line with Powers looking to the outside. Smith held the lead through the corner while Powers fell back one spot to Rogero. She than pushed through the final few corners. With a great run out of the final turn, Rogero and Smith drag raced to the line. Smith would take the victory by a slim margin of 0.037-seconds over Rogero. Powers would cross in third with Brandon Jarsocrak (Haase) and Collin Campbell (Birel) completing the podium.
 | Still the driver to beat, John Dixon swept the action in TaG Masters
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
TaG Masters
Defending class champion and Dayton winner John Dixon (Tony Kart/Sonik) continued his reign in the TaG Masters category. Posting a 43.763 lap time, Dixon secured the pole position. John Ferris III (Margay/Leopard) was second in the order with Brian McEvoy (Merlin/Leopard), Kim Carapellatti (Margay/Leopard) and Steve Schiewer (Birel/Rotax) rounding out the fast five.
Dixon and Ferris continued their run at the front as the veterans ran 1-2 in the Prefinal. Ferris held tight to Dixon in the early portion but Dixon’s fast laps allowed him to pull out to a four-second win. It was a great battle for third as McEvoy was able to edge out Carapellatti at the line. Schiewer spun in the opening lap, allowing Daniel Stempfley (Gold/Sonik) to take over the fifth spot through the race.
Anticipating the green flag, Ferris got the jump on Dixon to begin the Final. With Dixon in the challenger position, he settled in behind Ferris until making his move at the halfway mark. Just one pass through turn one was all Dixon needed to claim the victory, as he secured the position and drove to victory by 0.769-seconds, running the fast lap of the race once again. The fight for third resumed in the Feature with McEvoy and Carapellatti duking it out once again. The battle came to an end with Carapellatti dropping out with broken chain on lap 13. This moved Schiewer up to fourth, where he would finish with Stempfley ending up fifth.
 | Scoring his first win as a Senior driver, Shinya Michimi put in a solid performance in the Komet Lite category
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Komet Lite
Judging by the qualifying session, the Komet Lite category appeared to be the most hotly contested class of the day. The same front runners from Daytona were once again showing the way in South Bend. Dayton runner-up Colton Ramsey (Merlin) was quickest in the session, edging out Shinya Michimi (Merlin) by a scant 0.039-seconds. Tony Jump (Margay) broke up a Merlin 1-2-3 sweep as he edged out TJ Koyen (Merlin) for the third spot in the order. Point leader Patrick Olsen (Birel) was fifth in the order with defending class champion Ryan Stewart (Birel) in sixth.
The Prefinal win looked to be Ramsey’s as the 12-lap race began with him breaking away from the rest of the field. On lap four, Ramsey’s throttle broke on his Merlin, putting him on the sidelines and out of the race. The fight for second then became the battle for the win with Stewart, Olsen, Koyen and Michimi. Koyen was able to work his way to the front of the pack early on. With consistent laps, he was able to establish a good lead and take the win by two-seconds. Olsen ran second with Michimi benefitting from contact between Stewart and Jump to end up third. Because of the contact, officials placed Stewart behind Jump, putting Jump up to fourth and Stewart to fifth.
The Final saw heavy action in the first few corners with drivers spinning in turns one and two. As they came around for the first time, Olsen held the lead with Michimi and Jump in tow while Koyen fell back in the order and Stewart was part of the spinning action, recorded in tenth. Just before the halfway mark, Michimi worked by Olsen for the lead through turn nine. Michimi would then extend his lead while Olsen fought to hold off Jump. That would be until lap 12 when Jump retired exiting turn five with a broken chain. Out front, Michimi continued on to record his first Senior victory by 4.214-seconds. Olsen ran to second with Koyen able to hold on to third. Ramsey battled back from his DNF in the Prefinal to stand fourth on the podium with Stewart driving up to fifth after his troubles early on.
 | Cruising to win number two on the day, Neri has four wins on the year with another in Yamaha Jr. Heavy
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Yamaha Jr. Heavy
For the fourth time of the weekend, Sam Beasley put his Arrow machine on the pole position. This time in Yamaha Jr. Heavy, Beasley posted a 45.071 to be nearly three-tenths clear of Daytona winner Nick Neri (Tony Kart). Sage Karam (Birel) snuck up the order on his final lap to sit third with a stellar run put in by Brandon Polich (Arrow) to line up fourth. Raquel Martinez (Top Kart) completed the fast five with Garrett Johnston (Top Kart) provisionally in sixth until coming in underweight at the scales, moving Jeffrey Bartz (Merlin) and the rest of the field up one spot.
The Prefinal was full of fireworks from the beginning. With a few karts going off in the first corner further back in the field, the front pack was scattered following contact between Beasley and Karam. Beasley was spun around in turn five, collecting Sharkey and a few others in the process. They all continued on with Neri grabbing the point. He cruised to the win as the rest of the field shuffled throughout the 12-lap race. A great run for Bartz as he improved to second ahead of Martinez. Karam was battling inside the top-five until his chain broke off on lap eight. Jake Johnston (Top Kart) ended up fourth with Olivia Beam (Arrow) up from 13th to fifth. Austin Self (Birel), Kyle Kalish (Merlin), Kyle Smith (PCR), and Joel Jens (Merlin) all moved up into the top-10 avoiding all the madness.
Following the race, a number of off-track activities took place. Due to the action of his crew members, Beasley was asked to not participate in the Final of for the Yamaha category. In the mean time, Karam and his group elected not to start him in the remainder of the races.
Back on track, Neri took advantage of his pole position to go wire to wire for his second victory on the day. Neri led Martinez, Bartz, Self and Kalish early on as the top-five ran static for most of the race. Still unchanged in the order, Neri had a sizable lead over the battle between Martinez and Bartz for second while Self and Kalish scrapped for fourth. Kalish was able to work by Self for fourth and began gaining ground on the battle for second until spinning in the closing laps. At the line, Neri took the victory by four-seconds over Martinez. Bartz settled into third at the checkered flag with Self and Beam completing the podium.
 | Kyle Wiegand was able to edge out Mike Giessen throughout the day for the Parilla Leopard victory
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Parilla Leopard
Showing he had the speed in yesterday’s TaG final, Kyle Wiegand (Top Kart) put it to the test in the Parilla Leopard qualifying session. His 43.114-lap was clear of Daytona winner Mike Giessen (Haase) by over a tenth of a second. Tommy Andersen (Merlin) was third in the order with Mark Vielgut (Haase) and Michael Politis (Merlin) rounding out the fast five.
Despite losing the lead early, Wiegand prevailed to score the Prefinal win in Parilla Leopard. Giessen got the jump as the green flag waved to begin the 12-lap race. Wiegand kept glued to his bumper until taking over the lead in turn six on lap five. From there, he extended out to the win by 0.755-seconds. Giessen held off a charging Andersen for second with Politis able to work by Vielgut for the fourth position.
Once again, Giessen took the lead at the wave of the green flag to begin the Final. Wiegand slotted in behind to sit second while Vielgut was up to third ahead of Andersen and Politis. On lap six, Wiegand made his move, working by Giessen to reassume the lead while both Andersen and Politis got around Vielgut. As they began lap eight, Andersen made a slight error, getting through turn one a little hot and dropped a number positions as he ran off track. As the race progressed, Wiegand extended his lead to score the victory by 1.483-seconds over Giessen. Politis ended up third with Vielgut and Koyen completed the podium with Andersen finishing sixth.
Rotax
Using the home track knowledge to his advantage, point leader Andy Dunne (Birel) scored the pole position in the Rotax division. A time of 43.621 was best of the session with CJ Lintner (Birel) making his debut in the class with the outside pole qualifying effort. Californian Cody Hodgson (Tony Kart) was only able to get one lap in as his engine expired on the second lap, good enough for third in the order. Senior rookie Luca Forgeois (Arrow) was fourth ahead of another rookie, Jackson Mears (Birel).
 | Andy Dunne dominated the Rotax division throughout the day to score his first Man Cup win
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Running nose to tail for the entire 12 laps, Dunne held off Lintner for the win in the Prefinal. Running similar lap times through the race, Dunne kept Lintner at bay to score the win by three-tenths. Hodgson, Forgeois and Mears had a great battle for third early on until Hodgson pulled off with more engine trouble. Forgeois earned the third spot with Mears and Josh Menting (CRG) completing the top-five.
The field bunched up in the opening corners of the Final, aside from Dunne who was able to escape the carnage. Alone out front, Dunne completed the sweep of the class to score the victory by 6.035-seconds. The fight for second put Forgeois and Lintner head-to-head with Forgeois coming out with the position in the end. Mears ended up fourth with Alex Mayer (Veloce) completing the podium.
With over 450 entries on the weekend, the weekend was a success as the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series continues to produce solid racing along the eastern half of the United States. The series will now take a two month break, set to return for round three at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex at Road American in Elkhart Lake, WI for the Zoom Zoom Grand Nationals on July 9-11. |
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