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| October 22, 2011 News |
| Team Top Kart Score Pole Position for RoboPong 200 Presented by Bridgestone and NOS |
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For complete coverage, click over to the EKN Event Page
 | Wesley Boswell and Mason Chelootz will lead the field to the green flag for the 2011 RoboPong 200
(Photo: davidleephoto.com) |
The 2011 RoboPong 200 Presented by Bridgestone and NOS officially got underway Saturday with the first day of action into the books at the New Castle Motorsports Park in central Indiana. Four hours of practice began the event with all 39 teams given three laps to set their fastest lap in qualifying to line them up for Sunday’s 200-lap main event and a chance at the $6,000 paycheck. In the end, a pair of RoboPong rookies scored the fastest lap of the session with Mason Chelootz and Wesley Boswell on the pole in their Team Top Kart entry.
The day was full of sunshine and began with a chilly October air. By 11am, the temperature was in the 50’s and comfortable for practice. The mood around the paddock was mixed following the passing of IndyCar’s Dan Wheldon last weekend. A regular competitor of the event and an unofficial ambassador of the sport, the two-time Indy 500 champion was in the minds of everyone. The paddock was all business today as the teams spent much of the practice time setting up for tomorrow’s endurance challenge.
The second half of the practice time was an official timed practice, led by two-time top-five finishers Jacob Knueven and Robbie Seward (NOS Energy Drink), with a time of 1:05.004. Talking with a number of drivers, the track appeared to have a good grip level despite the colder temperatures. Fourteen teams clocked in times under the 1:06-mark, setting up for a roll of the dice as to who would pull off the fast lap in qualifying.
Qualifying began at 4pm with the track conditions very much similar to the end of the practice rounds. The field was split into 12 groups of three to allow a clear course for the best lap to be laid down. Once group 8 hit the track, the provisional pole time finally dropped into the 1:05 area with Nick Neri piloting the RKS Since 1959, co-driving with Russell Karting Specialties Jim Russell Jr. (Parolin/Leopard). Their time held through to group 10 when regular front runners Jimmy Simpson/Evan Batt Racing (Zanardi/Leopard) bested their time by just five-thousandths of a second.
Their time held through group 11, leaving the final three to better their lap. All three took a turn at the provisional pole but it was Chelootz who posted the fastest lap, a 1:05.139. The lap was just short of the event’s qualifying record, set by Zach Beard in 2007 with a 1:05.015. Veteran Eric Jones posted the second quickest of the group and overall with a 1:05.191 - separating them by just 0.052-seconds - aboard his KartSport Go Pro Black entry with Junior driver Jacob Donald, piloting an Arrow/Rotax package. The NOS Energy Drink entry ended up third overall. Simpson/Batt was classified fourth with RKS down to fifth.
Only nine teams were able to break the 1:06-mark with a wide variety of speed and skill rounding out the field for the 200-lap race. As we have seen in the past, the journey to the victory will include a consistent pace, zero mistakes and a little bit of luck. For complete coverage of the event, including an interview with pole sitter Mason Chelootz, visit the Official Event Page with links to today’s results. Be sure to follow the Official Discussion Thread or the EKN Facebook and Twitter feeds where you can view updates throughout tomorrow’s main event.
2011 RoboPong 200 Presented by Bridgestone and NOS Photo Grid
Photos courtesy of David Lee Photo
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