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| May 11, 2012 |
| Driver News: Parker Chase Earns Victory in Texas ProKart Challenge Debut |
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 | Parker Chase drove to victory in TaG Cadet at the opening round of the Texas ProKart Challenge
(Photo: Addison Chase - ChaseRacing.com) |
Starting out a championship series with a victory is the best way to accomplish the task of earning the year-end title. For Parker Chase, the Texas ProKart Challenge kicked off in stellar fashion as the 11-year old began his bid for the series title in the competitive TaG Cadet division with a victory and runner-up finish in the opening two rounds at the Gulf Coast Kartways in Katy, Texas. The New Braunfels, Texas driver made just his second ever start with a Vortex Mini Rok engine aboard his brand new Tony Kart chassis, switching from another brand.
The first round of the weekend took place Saturday around the 7/10-mile course as Parker qualified second to begin the action. His best lap of 45.098 seconds was just a few tenths off the fast lap. From outside row one, Chase was the early leader in the first of two 10-lap heat races. In the late stages, he relinquished the spot and finished second. The second heat race was a battle to the finish line with four drivers crossing the line in under one second. Parker came across the stripe in the third spot to sit inside row two for the main event. Quick early, Chase was able to advance up into the lead by the completion of lap three. From there, he led the remaining circuits in the 16-lap event to score the inaugural Texas ProKart Challenge TaG Cadet victory by just under five-tenths of a second.
Round two began in similar fashion for Parker as he laid down a similar lap time (45.030) to end up third overall in the order. A great battle for the win in heat one came down to a photo finish between him and two other drivers. Chase came up just short, about 41-thousandths at the line and was classified third in what was the closest finish in the weekend. Heat two did not start as planned with Parker getting shuffled back to the tail of the field. After 10 laps, he was able to work up to fourth and record the fast lap of the race. Just as he did Saturday, Chase was on the move early and into the lead by lap three. He would lead the field until the white flag was displayed when the final lap battle began. On the final lap, Parker came up just short in securing the top spot, settling for the runner-up position and earning his second straight podium finish.
Parker ran double duty on the weekend, piloting his Rotax Mini Max machine against another stout field. He would struggle all weekend with the engine tuning and thus his speed was hampered each session on-track. He managed to record a top-five finish on Saturday but continuing engine issues forced him to retire early on Sunday.
Eric Chase, Parker’s father, was proud of the performance his son recorded on the weekend, “I am really excited for Parker to score his first win in the series. The Tony Kart chassis was simply tuned perfectly. Parker and I want to express our appreciation to Jared Beyer and Tony Tesoro with Southern Karting Specialist along with Mike Mantel. We also want to thank Stuart Robinson for lending a helpful hand this weekend.”
Up next on the Parker Chase schedule will be the second event of the Southeast Karting Challenge, set for the MSR Houston kart circuit in Angleton, Texas on May 19-20. Chase will look to continue his podium streak in TaG Cadet and upgrade his performance in Mini Max at the next Texas ProKart Challenge event on June 2-3 at the fast Grandsport Speedway in Hitchcock, TX - southeast of Houston. For more on Parker Chase and his 2012 season, be sure to visit http://www.chaseracing.com
About Parker Chase:
Just one year into the sport, Parker Chase is preparing to be the next rising star in American karting. Hailing from New Braunfels, Texas, the Chase Racing pilot is taking the sport by storm in multiple Cadet level categories. For 2012, the 11 year old will compete in the Florida Winter Tour, the Texas ProKart Challenge, Southeast Karting Challenge, United States Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals, and the SKUSA SuperNationals XVI. Parker would like the thank Enertech Resources and Southern Karting Specialists for their support in 2012. Keep up to date with the Parker at his website - http://www.chaseracing.com |
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