Carter Williams finished second in TaG Junior, Shawn Cricca was third in TaG Senior and David Harwin was third in TaG Master to lead Phil Giebler Racing in feature results at the MG Tires SpringNationals, the opening round of the SuperKarts! USA Pro Tour, on the Phoenix Kart Racing’s Association .75-mile track Saturday and Sunday (April 21-22).
Williams, of Clovis, Calif., Cricca, of Simi Valley, Calif., and Harwin, of Reno, Nev., had their top performances of the two days of racing Saturday. Williams was also fourth Saturday and fifth Sunday in the S5 shifter class features. Nicky Freytag of Paradise Valley, Ariz., was fourth in Sunday and 10th Saturday in the S1 Pro Stock Moto shifter features.
Phil Giebler Racing also had top-10 feature performances from Mason Daughters of Polo, Mo., sixth Saturday and eighth Sunday in TaG Senior, Kevin Hernandez of Mexico, seventh in TaG Senior on Sunday, Harwin, eighth on Sunday, Noah Grey of Dana Point, Calif., eighth Sunday in TaG Junior, Williams, ninth Sunday in TaG Junior, and Freytag, 10th on Saturday.
Williams tried a last-lap pass on Luke Selliken of Portland, Ore., but couldn’t make it stick and finished second by .239 of a second in the TaG Junior feature Saturday.
“It was a determined drive from Carter and that second place will fuel his drive to win,” team owner Giebler said.
Cricca was collected in a first-lap, first-turn pileup in his first heat and finished 30th. In the second 10-lap heat, Cricca passed 17 karts to start 13th in the feature, where he moved up to take third.
“Shawn had an impressive recovery from the pileup that put him far back in the field,” Giebler said. “It was a great drive.”
Harwin was the fastest qualifier on Saturday and finished third and second in his two heats.
“It was a very strong overall performance from David,” Giebler said.
Freytag, in his first season in the top-level of shifter kart racing, finished 10th in the feature Saturday and was consistently faster on Sunday.
“Nicky progressively improved throughout the weekend and we worked hard to give him a solid race kart for Sunday,” Giebler said. “He was fourth fastest in qualifying, but got a little tangled up in the first heat and finished seventh. He was also seventh in the second heat, but put everything together to get a good result in the final Sunday.
“Nicky and his tuner, Will Fisher, worked hard to get the package set up right and Nicky had a solid drive against the top-level shifter drivers in the country. He will get faster throughout the year.”
Daughters, a Level 5 Motorsports development driver, moved up to TaG Senior this season.
“He had very strong performances on both days, especially for his experience at that level,” Giebler said. “He’s learning fast how to race in the Senior class.”
Hernandez had a difficult day on Saturday, but qualified 10th fastest, finished fifth and eighth in the heats and seventh in the feature.
“Kevin showed very consistent progress throughout the weekend,’ Giebler said.
Grey overcame mechanical problems and a damaged kart to take eighth in the feature Sunday. He was eighth fastest in qualifying and finished sixth and seventh in the heats.
“Noah did a very good job overcoming adversity,” Giebler said.
Phil Giebler Racing’s Ethan Wilson of Campbell, Calif., had been expected to be a top contender in TaG Master, but he suffered a broken wrist in the warm-up Saturday and was sidelined for the weekend.
Owned by the 2007 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, Phil Giebler Racing is based in Orange, Calif., and competes nationally at the highest level of karting in the United States. Giebler is a resident of Huntington Beach, Calif. The team uses Fernando Alonso and Tony Karts.
For more information, go to http://www.philgieblerracing.com
Phil Giebler Racing feature results at SKUSA MG Tires SpringNationals
Saturday (April 21): TaG Senior—3. Shawn Cricca, Simi Valley, Calif., 6. Mason Daughters, Polo, Mo., 28. (DNF) Kevin Hernandez, Mexico, 29. (DNF) David Martinez, Mexico; TaG Junior—2. Carter Williams, Clovis, Calif., 13. Noah Grey, Dana Point, Calif., 17. Dallas Hollins, Fontana, Calif.; TaG Master—3. David Harwin, Reno, Nev., 12. (DNF) Vatche Tatikian, North Hollywood, Calif., DNS Ethan Wilson, Campbell, Calif.; S1—10. Nicky Freytag, Paradise Valley, Ariz.; S5—4. Williams.
Sunday (April 22): TaG Senior—7. Hernandez; 8. Daughters, DNS Martinez, DQ Cricca; TaG Junior—8. Grey, 9. Williams,15. Hollins; TaG Master—7. Harwin, 11. Tatikian, DNS Wilson; S1—4. Freytag; S5—5. Williams. |
