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| February 03, 2012 |
| Driver News: Luke Chudleigh Victorious at Gatorz Challenge of the Americas |
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 | In only his second weekend with his new Maranello kart, Luke Chudleigh earned a win during Gatorz action in Tucson
(Photo by: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media Group) |
Canadian Luke Chudleigh recently headed west to sunny Tucson, Arizona to take on the Rotax Senior class at the series opener of the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas. Racing under the Team WRS tent, operated with support from Maranello North America, the 16-year-old Campbellville, Ontario resident steered his Maranello kart to victory on Saturday against a stout field of Rotax Senior competitors at the Musselman Honda Circuit. With a direct transfer position to the 2012 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals as stake, Chudleigh's solid performance over the weekend has him sitting in great shape to make a return to the premier international event.
"Developing the new Maranello chassis has been a terrific experience. The team has done a wonderful job of getting the new equipment to a winning standard in a very short time," noted Luke Chudleigh.
Quick right off the trailer, Chudleigh started off his 2012 Gatorz campaign by posting the second fastest lap on the time sheets during Friday's practice session. Official timed practice later that day saw Chudleigh remain near to the top, going third quick against a field of 34 competitors. Saturday would see the 2011 Team Canada member maintain his quick pace, as a second place run in morning warm-up and a third place in qualifying started the day off right. Jumping into second at the start of the 17-lap prefinal, Chudleigh would fall back to third for the majority of the race. Moving back into the second place with three flyers to go, Chudleigh would hold point to secure an outside front row starting position for the day's final.
The start of the final would see a shuffling of karts through the opening corner, with Chudleigh able to maintain his spot near the pointy end of the field. Swapping spots for second during the opening laps, Chudleigh eventually settled into a rhythm for the next few flyers. By lap 14, the Maranello pilot was overtaken for position by a charging competitor and now sat third as the laps began to wind down. Working the last lap of the race, the two frontrunners tangled going through the esses, as Chudleigh was able to take advantage and slip by both to take the lead! Running unchallenged throughout the final series of corners, Chudleigh made his way to the checkered flag as the Rotax Senior winner.
Sunday would see Chudleigh take the fifth place during the qualifying session, as he maintained his place near the front of the field. A quiet prefinal saw the rising talent move up to the fourth position and then take fifth in the final to cap off a successful weekend in Tucson.
"It was a good weekend for me," continued Chudleigh. "The team and I have gone through some big changes over the winter so far to better define our strengths and weaknesses, and we are already seeing positive results. Working together with Prime and Maranello has made it easier for me and I feel we can all grow together through the course of this year. But with this race under our belt, I am excited to take on the rest of the Gatorz Challenge and continue with the rest of this year. Thanks again to my entire team and the organizers for giving all of us a professional event."
"The weekend was a huge success for us," added Maranello North America's Trevor Wickens. "In only our second race weekend with our new product line Luke was able to put his Maranello on the top step of the podium. Although Luke is still young, he has been doing a fantastic job giving great feedback and helping develop the product line in an incredibly short period. We are all very excited for a great year still to come!"
Up next for Chudleigh is a return trip to Florida for the second round of the Florida Winter Tour, set for February 16-19 at Homestead Karting. The Maranello North America pilot will then make a quick turnaround as Gatorz Challenge of the Americas action resumes the following weekend at the PKRA Circuit in Phoenix, Arizona.
For more information on Luke Chudleigh or Maranello North America please contact Trevor Wickens at trevorw@primepowersports.com |
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