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| May 16, 2010 News |
| EKN Trackside: WSK North American Series - Phoenix Sunday Report |
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 | Holding off a late charge by Joey Wimsett, Phil DeLaO scored his first series win in KF2
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
The final day of action was a day of firsts at the second round of the WSK North American Series by CKI. The Phoenix Kart Racing Association Formula K Raceway was site for the second weekend of racing for the inaugural season of the series. The weather was warm throughout the weekend with temperatures in the 90s for all three days, heating up the racetrack to very high numbers to keep the drivers chasing changing track conditions. Coming away with victories on day two of racing, Phil DeLaO and Taylor Miinch - both Senior rookies - each scored their first series victories as did Cadet drivers Devlin DeFrancesco and Davey Manthei Jr. Raquel Martinez and Kiel Spaulding double up, matching their performances from Saturday.
KF2
Defending champion and current KF2 point leader Arie Ouimet (CRG) led the way in the qualifying session. Unable to break the 42-second mark, Ouimet’s 42.034-lap was best of the session with his SSC East/CRG teammate Joey Wimsett just 0.067-seconds back. Phil DeLaO (Top Kart) just a tick back in the third spot with Chad Brassfield (Tony Kart) continuing to step up his pace in his KF2 debut.
Wimsett was able to capitalize on trouble for Ouimet to score the Prefinal win in KF2. Before the field took the green flag, Ouimet was unable to re-fire his engine while stranded on the track with an issue regarding fuel pickup to the carburetor. The rest of the field took the green flag, leaving Ouimet to watch from the sidelines. DeLaO got the jump on Wimsett to lead the race through the first lap. By lap two, Wimsett assumed the point and went unchallenged to win by 2.844-seconds over DeLaO with Brassfield a solid third.
From the outside of row one, DeLaO got a great jump as the green flag waved to begin the 22-lap Final. Wimsett slid into second with Brassfield in tow while Ouimet went wide on the exit of the opening corner, losing a bunch of real-estate. On lap two, Wimsett went wide on the exit of turn 2, allowing Brassfield by for second. Wimsett struck back at the kink with the two making contact. Brassfield received the worse of it, going off in the dirt and out of the race. Ouimet took advantage to jump to second with Wimsett falling in behind. The mission at hand now would be to see if the two SSC East/CRG drivers could close in on the Team Top Kart USA driver with a 2.8-second advantage. On lap seven, Wimsett snuck inside of Ouimet in turn eight, thinking he may be the faster of the two to close in on DeLaO. Wimsett did just that, cutting the gap to 1.8-seconds at the halfway mark. At six laps to go, DeLaO’s lead was now six-tenths. With four to go, Wimsett found himself on DeLaO’s bumper. The Senior rookie responded, running his fast laps of the race. Holding on to score the victory, DeLaO scored his first national win as a Senior driver by 0.335-seconds over Wimsett. Ouimet was able to close in at the end, but had to settle for third.
With his consistency on the weekend, Wimsett took home the event winner award and $1,000 in cash for his efforts. DeLaO was second in the order with Ouimet placed third, losing 16 points to Wimsett and just five to DeLaO in his championship lead.
 | Taylor Miinch swept the day for his first WSK win in TaG Senior
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
TaG Senior
Finding a ton of speed over night, Taylor Miinch (Top Kart/Leopard) made the right changes to post a stellar lap in the TaG Senior qualifying. The Saturday runner-up improved his qualifying time by half a second to record a 43.460-lap time to secure the pole position. Current point leader Neil Alberico (Wild Kart/Leopard) posted times similar to yesterday’s action, finding a bit more speed at the end but found himself only second on the time charts for the first time this year. Kolton Griffin (Birel/Leopard) made the move from the Junior class to run Senior as the 15-year old was well over weight in the Leopard Junior class. He was able to post the third fastest lap of the session, just a tenth off Alberico and quicker than Kyle Wiegand (Top Kart/Leopard). Lucas Barnett (Kosmic/Leopard) capped off the fast-five to edge out Michael England (Tony Kart/Rok TT) and Ian Pierce (Top Kart/Leopard).
Miinch would continue the same pace he set in the qualifying session to run unchallenged for the Prefinal win. As the field got through the first corner clean, Miinch led Alberico while Wiegand was able to slide by Griffin for the third spot. The field ran static with Miinch extending out to a one second advantage in the first few laps. On lap four, Wiegand made a slight error out of turn two to allow Griffin by for the third spot. Wiegand would gain the spot back three laps later as Griffin made a similar mistake, losing a lot more time to fall back to fifth behind Barnett. As Miinch continued to stretch out his lead, Wiegand closed in on Alberico for second. Lap 10, Wiegand stole the position. The two battle for a few laps before Wiegand secured the position as Alberico appeared to have overheating issues with his powerplant. At the line, Miinch scored the win by eight-seconds over Wiegand and Alberico with Griffin able to post laps similar to Miinch to reclaim the fourth spot from Barnett.
The TaG Senior field took the green flag with Miinch getting away clean with the rest of the field shuffling for position. Alberico was slow to get going while Griffin and England were up to second and third through the first few corners. Before the end of the first lap, England continued his charge forward to take over second while Alberico reclaimed fourth from Wiegand. The action was busy in the first few laps with tandem passes taking place in turn eight with Alberico by England for second and Wiegand moving to fourth around Griffin. This allowed Miinch to extend to a 4.8-second advantage after just four laps. The dicing continued on as Alberico was slow on the exit of turn eight, allowing England by down the straight into turn 10. Wiegand tried to take advantage to get around Alberico as well but had the door shut on him. This allowed Griffin to take advantage and get back by Wiegand in the next corner. Griffin continued his charge to move around Alberico and began challenging England for second. On lap nine, Griffin took over the runner-up spot at turn five with Alberico getting by in turn eight. Barnett joined the fight and tried to slide inside of England at the kink but the two made contact. Barnett received the worse as he went off course and retired from the race. England continued on, running in the fourth position. Miinch continued on to score his first victory of the season by over 13-seconds. Griffin held on to score second in his Senior debut while Alberico held on for the third step on the podium. Wiegand looked to have engine issues but regained speed at the end of the race to work by England for fourth in the closing laps.
Miinch’s sweep in day two helped him earn the overall event win, along with the $1,000 check. Alberico was second in the order, losing 15 points in his championship lead while Wiegand was classified third.
 | Raquel Martinez went 2 for 2 in the KF3 main events to take over the point lead
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
KF3
The 15-minute session was used to the fullest for the KF3 category as the four drivers worked hard to find their best pace. Saturday winner Raquel Martinez (Top Kart) sat on the provisional pole until point leader Alessandra Madrigal (Kosmic) used her as a rabbit. She would take over the spot until Martinez came in to make some changes to reclaim the spot. Andrew Palmer (Kosmic) picked up the pace as well, slotting in to the second spot to move Madrigal back to third. With all four drivers using the open pit lane to their advantage, each of the pilots posted faster laps in the final minutes of the session. Martinez came away with the pole with a 43.608-lap time with Palmer, Madrigal and Mason Chelootz (Top Kart) completing the order. All four were within 0.155-seconds, showing just how close the competition is in the KF3 field.
In an interesting 12-lap Prefinal, Madrigal was able to come from third on the grid to score the Prefinal win. At the wave of the green flag, Palmer got a great jump from the outside to slide in front of Martinez as they went through the first corner. Before they crossed the line for the first time, Martinez was back to the top spot with Chelootz and Madrigal following the top-two. Palmer race turned for the worst as he went wide exiting turn five, spinning around and losing ground to the top-three. The next lap, Chelootz went wide exiting turn two, allowing Madrigal by for the second spot. With dirt coming onto the track in a number of spots around the course, Martinez went off line slightly and lost some speed trying to keep her Top Kart on track. This allowed Madrigal to close in and complete a pass. Martinez regained her composure and challenge Madrigal for the win. At the line, Madrigal held on for the win with Chelootz crossing in behind in third while Palmer held on to complete the race after dropping off-track a few more times.
With help from Chelootz, Madrigal held the lead and brought him through to begin the Final for the KF3 group. Martinez, starting on the outside of row one, fell back to fourth as Palmer was able to slide by as well. Charging back, Martinez worked her way forward despite Madrigal holding a solid lead after the opening laps. Running down the leader, Martinez took over the top spot on lap nine with a great move through turn two. They ran nose to tail, similar to the previous day with the same result. Martinez was able to run more consistent, scoring the victory by 1.788-seconds. Chelootz held on to third to stand on the podium for the first time on the weekend while Palmer, recording the fastest lap of the race on the final circuit in fourth.
Martinez two wins on the weekend helped her score the event win along with moving to the top of the championship chase over Madrigal by just a few points. Chelootz ended up third in the event standings with Palmer placed in fourth.
 | Dore Chaponick made one slight mistake, enough to allow Kiel Spaulding to slide through for the Leopard Junior victory
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Leopard Junior
The final group to hit the track for qualifying was the Leopard Junior field. Putting on a great show Saturday, the class did not upset in qualifying run. Point leader Camden Geise (CRG) was the early pace setter until Sebastian Ordonez (Kart Mini) took over the spot. His time at the top was short-lived as Dore Chaponick (FA Kart) stole the spot, all within the first five-minutes of the session. Saturday’s winner Kiel Spaulding (Top Kart) chose to enter the track late, looking for optimal track position for a clean lap. Sitting outside the top-five in his first few laps, he ducked onto the pit lane for some changes. Back on track, Spaulding came just three-thousandths short of Chaponick’s 43.810 as the Florida driver held on for the pole position. Spaulding’s late charge along with Raquel Martinez (Top Kart) moved Ordonez down to fourth in the order with Bailey Murphy (CRG) bettering Geise’s best lap to complete the fast-five.
Spaulding would come away with the Prefinal win after a wild 12-lap race. Chaponick held the lead through the first few corners until falling off the track on the exit of turn five. Ordonez assumed the lead with Martinez able to slide by the pole sitter for second. Spaulding fell to fourth through the opening corners with Geise joining the fight to make it a five kart lead pack. Chaponick regained the lead quickly, working himself to the point by the end of lap two. The five karts continued to jockey for position up front, allowing Madrigal and Murphy to capitalize and join the fight. With two laps to go, Spaulding stole the lead from Chaponick through turn four with a daring move. Spaulding was able to break away and score the win by two-seconds. As the rest of the field came to the checkered, Chaponick bobbled in the final corner with Madrigal coming into contact with him. Murphy, charging forward behind Madrigal, slid by to claim second with Alessandra crossing third. Geise ended up fourth with Chaponick back to fifth ahead of Ordonez and Martinez.
Starting the 17-lap Final, Spaulding was able to break away from his pole position as the rest of the field shuffled behind him. Murphy was hung out to dry from the outside of row one, dropping back to ninth after the first lap. Chaponick and Madrigal slipped by to secure second and third early as Geise and Bryan Lemon (Kosmic) filled out the early top-five. A big hit to the championship standings, Ordonez was meatball flagged for losing his front bumper while running seventh. On the charge, Chaponick began pressuring Spaulding for the lead as Madrigal fell into the clutches of Geise and a number of others. On lap four, Chaponick made his move for the lead and secured it. The two then ran nose to tail with Spaulding waiting for the right time. With the pressure on, Chaponick made just one error, dropping a wheel on the exit of turn eight during the 16th lap losing the lead to Spaulding. Driving to the checkered, Spaulding held on to take the win by 0.187-seconds over Chaponick. Geise was able to work his way to third with Madrigal and Martinez capping off the top-five.
Double wins for Spaulding earned him event win and positioned himself well in the championship fight. Chaponick was classified second with point leader Geise in third, still holding on to the top spot in the chase.
 | In Rotax Mini Max, Devlin DeFrancesco made a last lap pass to score his first WSK win
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Rotax Mini Max
Continuing to set the pace, the Sargeant duo aboard their RDD Motorsports/Kart Mini entries put up the early bar for the Rotax Mini Max qualifying session. Dalton and Logan would be broken up as Zane Smith (Top Kart) and Parker Thompson (Tony Kart) moved up the order to sit second and third. DeFrancesco Racing/FA Kart drivers Patricio O’Ward and Devlin DeFrancesco joined in the fight for the provisional pole with the top-six within five-hundredths of each other. Working together, the Sargeants retook the top two spots and held them until the final moments of the session when Thompson would post a surprisingly fast lap of 45.265 to clear both for the pole position. Dalton would end up second ahead of Logan with DeFrancesco and O’Ward rounding out the fast-five.
Continuing his perfect score thus far on the year, Dalton Sargeant scored the win in the Prefinal to start on the pole for the main event. Thompson led the field to the green flag and was able to hold the lead for the first few corners before the Sargeant brothers slide by along with DeFrancesco. O’Ward got into the mix as well, working around Thompson to send him back to fifth. They would run that way until the two laps to go signal when DeFrancesco moved into the second spot ahead of Logan. Sargeant came back the following lap down the long straight to retake the runner-up position, crossing the line behind Dalton. DeFrancesco held to third with O’Ward and Thompson completing the top-five.
The 14-lap Final came down to two drivers with Dalton Sargeant and DeFrancesco. Through the opening corners, Logan Sargeant was stuck on the outside, falling back to eighth by the time they reached the line for the first time. DeFrancesco was able to slide by Sargeant in the second corner after taking the green. Sargeant returned to the point by lap three as they continued to stretch out their lead over the rest of the field. DeFrancesco continued to pressure Sargeant until the very end. Getting a great run at the white flag, DeFrancesco dove to the inside at turn 2 for the lead. Able to get away clean, DeFrancesco held on to score his first WSK victory. After Thompson broke away for third early on, O’Ward was able to run him down and take over third. Logan Sargeant bounced back to end up fifth at the line. Following the race, Dalton Sargeant had his results removed from the entire event because of unsportsmanlike conduct following the feature race. This moved O’Ward to second and Thompson to third on the race podium, along with the rest of the field up one spot.
Because of the removal of Dalton’s results, DeFrancesco earned the event win with Logan Sargeant in second an O’Ward in third.
 | Patience paid off for Davey Manthei Jr as he slid by for the Comer Cadet victory in the final corner
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Comer Cadet
Canadian Parker Thompson (Tony Kart) set the tone to begin the Comer Cadet qualifying session. Davey Manthei Jr. (Wild Kart) and Saturday winner Zane Smith (Top Kart) briefly held the provisional pole before Thompson would regain the spot. Posting laps below the 50-second mark, Thompson still came in to pit lane to make changes to go even quicker in the closing stages. His lap of 49.414 was best in the session with Smith, Manthei, and Hunter Corbitt able to break into the 49s as well while Sting Ray Robb (Wild Kart) rounded out the fast-five.
Thompson kept hold of the top spot through the Prefinal as he went flag-to-flag for the win. Out to an early lead, Thompson held the point with Manthei in front of Smith before the two swapped positions prior to completing the first lap. Working together, Smith and Manthei was able to cut into Thompson’s lead by lap three as the three karts ran nose to tail. For the remaining laps of the eight-lap run, no moves were made. Coming to the checkered, Thompson ran a tight line through the final corners with Smith unable to make a move. Manthei crossed the line in third with Blaine Rocha (Wild Kart) beating Corbitt to the line for fourth.
Four karts made up the lead group with Thompson leading the way ahead of Manthei, Corbitt and Smith to begin the Final. They would run in that order until Smith made his way up to second at the halfway point. The battle became three when Corbitt lost the draft with four laps to go. Smith stayed comfortable in second, sizing up Thompson as they reached the final lap. Coming to turn 10 on the final lap, Thompson ran the inside line once again. Smith looked to the outside but ducked back in behind before they entered the corner. Smith got into the rear bumper of Thompson as they went through the corner, sending Thompson wide. As they went through turn 11, the two made more contact. This allowed Manthei to slide by for the lead and go on to take his first national victory. Smith continued on to cross the line second while Thompson had to coast across the line in fourth with a broken chain behind Corbitt. Officials ruled against Smith for his aggressiveness, putting him behind Thompson in the order. That moved Corbitt to second on the podium and Thompson up to third.
Thompson and Smith tied for the event win, with Thompson earning the tie-breaker while Manthei was classified third. Smith would leave the weekend still leading the points heading into the next round.
Taking the month of June off, the WSK North American Series will gear up for a double weekend of action along the east coast. The New Jersey Motorsports Park F1 New Jersey facility in Millville will play host to the third round of the series on July 23-25. The following weekend, the world of karting will come to the United States as the WSK World Series will host its second round at the same facility on July 29-August 1. For complete coverage of the Phoenix event, visit the EKN Event Page. |
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