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| July 06, 2011 |
| Team News: Aluminos Readies for SKUSA SummerNationals with Podiums in California and Colorado |
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The Aluminos karting operation has geared up for the upcoming Superkarts! USA SummerNationals with back-to-back weekends in the organizations regional programs. On June 17-18, the squad traveled down to San Diego for round five of the ProKart Challenge South program outside Qualcomm stadium - scoring two podium finishes. The following weekend, Aluminos’ Pro Tour drivers had a chance to test out the same circuit to be used for the upcoming SKUSA SummerNationals. The two-day, two-round event on June 25-26 was the opener for the SKUSA Mountain Region at the Grand Junction Motor Speedway in Colorado. Aluminos once again visited the podium with six drivers making the trip to the podium, a couple enjoying the journey twice over the weekend.
At the San Diego event, only three drivers suited up representing Aluminos with two standing on the podium at the end of the day. S1 Pro Stock Moto rising star Brad Dunford continued his front running form, but started the day late, arriving to the facility just before qualifying began, forcing him to start from the tail of the race group grid. With a great start in the opening heat, Dunford was quick into the top-10 and then into the overall top-five by lap seven on the rear bumper of the class leader. Lap nine, Dunford took the lead but on the final lap, made heavy contact with another competitor in the S2 category. While he crossed the line first in class, he was penalized three positions overall for the infraction to put him second in class. Dunford grabbed the holeshot and led early in heat two, battling to the final few feet of the 10-lap race, losing out on the win by just five-hundredths of a second. The main event, however, was all Dunford as he led wire-to-wire for his third regional win of the season keeping him firmly on top of the point standings. His father - Phil Dunford - battled strong all day in the S4 Master Stock Moto division, coming away from the event with sixth place and enough points to also remain in the top-five of the championship standings.
 | Brad Dunford en route to his third PKC South victory of the season in S1
(Photo: dromophotos.com) |
Ryan Rush made his second start of the season with Aluminos, duplicating his previous performance in the TaG Master category with a runner-up finish. Qualifying second, Rush battle to remain in the position through the heat races, eventually prevailing to start second in the main event. Getting a great opening lap, Rush led the first two circuits before the double heat winner - a long-time karting veteran - passed for position. Rush drove a solid 15-lap feature to record his second straight runner-up performance in only his second start of the season.
The following weekend, Aluminos traveled up to Colorado for the opening round of the SKUSA Mountain Region. In S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto, Pro Tour championship leader Kyle Hathcox dominated the weekend. On Saturday, the Arizona driver swept the days action - qualifying, two heat races, main event and fast lap of the race award. Sunday was a near repeat, with the exception that Hathcox was second in qualifying to fellow Aluminos driver Christian Bird. After qualifying, Hathcox went on to win both heat races and the main event by five-seconds to position himself well, heading into next month’s event. Bird and fellow Colorado driver Cory Milne joined Hathcox in S2 both days. Milne was the lead contender on Saturday, finishing second through the heat races until during the main event where he fell off the pace to finish fifth. Bird recovered from a DNF in the final heat to place on the podium in third. On Sunday, Bird and Milne exchanged the second spot in the two heat races, with Bird recording another DNF in the second moto. In the feature, Bird muscled his way back forward to the second spot while Milne battled hard to cross the line a solid fourth.
 | Phil Dunford continues to develop in the S4 category, sitting fifth in the ProKart Challenge standings
(Photo: dromophotos.com) |
Mike McDonough copied a similar performance in the S4 Master Stock Moto division, sweeping the action on Saturday. Topping the charts in qualifying, McDonough went flag-to-flag in the two heat races and the main event to score big wins on the day, setting up for some great momentum heading into next month’s big event. Behind McDonough was Aluminos drivers David Conyers and Jonathan Allen. The two swapped the runner-up position throughout the day before Conyers locked it up in the main event with Allen completing an all-Aluminos podium in third. With McDonough electing to skip the action on Sunday due to schedule conflicts, Conyers and Allen were left to battle for the win. After unwelcomed slow times in qualifying, the duo rebounded to run 1-2 in the heat races with each scoring a win. In the main event, they continued their battle until Allen retired early, leaving Conyers to cruise to the victory.
Also in Colorado was Aluminos TaG Master driver Larry Fraser. The NorCal driver elected to run in the TaG Senior division to better hone his skills for the upcoming Pro Tour event. On Saturday, Fraser ran second to the defending Pro Tour champion and was in similar fashion the following day until some gremlins put him on the sidelines early. The data recorded, however, is sure to put Fraser among the favorites heading into the SKUSA SummerNationals.
 | David Conyers’ performance in Colorado has him leading the Mountain Region S4 championship
(Photo: dromophotos.com) |
Aluminos will spend the next two weeks preparing for the SKUSA SummerNationals, the second stop of the organization’s Pro Tour - at the same Grand Junction facility as the SKUSA Mountain Region event - on July 15-17. Aluminos is accepting any inquires for any type of specific Arrive and Drive packages for the SKUSA Pro Tour SummerNationals and the remaining ProKart Challenge events. Any interested parties wishing to learn more about this professional team are asked to contact Aluminos at 925.786.7865 or visit them online at http://www.aluminos.com as well as sending Rob Soares an e-mail to sales@aluminos.com
Aluminos Driver Spotlight - Mike McDonough
One category the Aluminos operation has been able to find much success is the S4 Master Stock Moto division. While the Stock Moto engine package provided by Aluminos is strong in all categories, the complete package the operation provides with its driver coaching has shine in the S4 class. The new rising star for Aluminos is Lakewood, Colorado driver Mike McDonough. Getting his start in racing in an 80cc shifterkart back in 1999, the now 51-year old eventually grew into the 125cc ranks, racing mostly local events. That was until 2005 when he traded up to a Mazda car to compete in SSCA, which only last three races as he found the car to be much more slower than shifterkarts. One month before the 2008 SKUSA SuperNationals, McDonough picked up a Stock Moto shifterkart. At the end of 2009, McDonough met Rob Soares of Aluminos and liked what he saw in the operation, joining the team for the 2010 season.
 | Mike McDonough enjoyed victory at Grand Junction have him on the right path heading into next month’s Pro Tour event
(Photo: dromophotos.com) |
“I really enjoyed karting when I first started and didn’t get that same feeling at the car races, so I was happy to get back into the sport,” McDonough stated. “I was extremely humbled by the level of drivers in Vegas and after running locally in 2009, I looked to step up my program for 2010 to be able to drive competitively against the guys that beat me at the SuperNats the previous year. Aluminos is a full operation with a solid core of driver coaches, mechanics, engine tuning and team spirit. The Aluminos team, including all the drivers, has set the bar high and with some hard work, maybe I can get closer to the front of the big races coming up this year.”
McDonough’s best finish of his national career was a top-10 at the SKUSA SuperNationals one year ago and qualified third at the second round of the SpringNationals this past May. With his performance last weekend in Colorado and his continued work with the Aluminos team, there is no doubt McDonough is gearing up for more solid finishes at the front of the S4 field.
About Aluminos:
Started as a manufacturing and distribution company specializing in kart racing specific products, the San Ramon, CA based operation created its racing team toward the end of the 2007 season. Led by Rob Soares, Aluminos has put together the essential pieces to help groom drivers of any age to reach their personal goals. Driver coaches Tom Dyer and Fritz Leesmann - both successful karters - teamed with their in-house Stock Moto program led by engine guru George Tavares, the Aluminos Trackside Support and Arrive & Drive program is above any other outfit in the country. Their results convey the success achieved by a number of drivers under the Aluminos tent with multiple ProKart Challenge series victories and championships, in addition to the two SKUSA Pro Tour championship earned in 2010. Find out more at http://www.aluminos.com |
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