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| June 04, 2012 News |
| eKartingNews.com Driver of the Month - Mason Chelootz - May 2012 |
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 | Chelootz drove to four wins at the WKA PIRC event, including two in TaG competition
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
In a continued effort to highlight the many outstanding performances by drivers around the country, eKartingNews.com is proud to introduce the ‘Driver of the Month’ program. Each month, the staff at EKN will determine the one driver who stood out above the rest and give the viewers a chance to know exactly what they accomplished and who they are.
Each season brings about some new faces at the front of the fields in the Senior categories. With a wealth of young talent in the Junior ranks, the new faces will continue to emerge year after year. For 2012, that new face is Mason Chelootz. A front-runner in Cadet and Junior ranks, Mason is now into his second season at the Senior level and the 16-year old has shined in the last few months. His performance at the third stop of the WKA Manufacturers Cup Series at the newly-named Pittsburgh International Race Complex gained four victories and the title of May 2012 eKartingNews.com Driver of the Month.
The big wins of his four victories came in the TaG division. On Saturday, Chelootz swept the day in the 29-kart field. Mason laid down a monster lap in qualifying, posting a 55.264-second lap to secure the position by over a half-second. He backed that up with a 1.2-second win in the eight-lap heat race, leading wire-to-wire. The 13-lap final saw Chelootz unchallenged for a 2.7-second margin of victory and posting the fast lap of the race. Sunday saw the competition catch up as Chelootz was second after the qualifying session. During the second lap of the Prefinal, Mason was shuffled back to seventh in the order. He drove back to fifth after the eight-lap run. A great start put the Top Kart driver into the top three and after some battling, into the lead by lap six. From there, he drove off to the victory by six-tenths for a second TaG win of the weekend.
Mason was dominant in the Komet categories as well on the weekend, earning victory in the Lite and Heavy divisions. In the Heavy category on Saturday, he swept the action, driving to a near seven-second victory. On Sunday in the Lite division, Chelootz was second through qualifying and the Prefinal. A great start to the main saw Mason take the lead and able to hold it through the 13-lap event for his fourth win of the weekend.
The wins in the TaG category helped move Mason to the top of the EKN TaG Driver Rankings for the first time in his career. Six of his seven races come from the WKA series with an average finish of 1.67 thanks to three wins, two runner-up finishes, and a third for events at New Castle last year coupled with Kershaw and his results from PIRC. He currently sits second in both TaG 1 and TaG 2 standings behind defending champion Robert Bujdoso while leading both Komet Lite and Komet Heavy championship chase.
 | Mason Chelootz - EKN Driver of the Month - May 2012
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
May 2012 EKN Driver of the Month - Mason Chelootz
Bio
Born: 2/19/1996
Hometown: Spring, TX
Parents: Scott and Dawn
Siblings: Colton
Height/Weight: 5’10” / 155lbs
Education: Sophomore in High School
Job: Working for my dad at his company
Racing Resume
Chassis: Top Kart
Engine/Engine Builder: Leopard, Sonic/ P1 Engines
Sponsors: Family, Grand Products, Hytorc of Texas, Sparco USA, Top Kart, Bridgestone
Series You Compete In: WKA Manufacturers Cup, Florida Winter Tour and select SKUSA Pro Tour events
Years Karting: 11
How did you get started in karting? My dad raced cars when I was younger and he had a friend who told him about karting. My dad bought me a kid kart for my 5th birthday.
What has been the high point in your racing career? Winning multiple races and a championship in my rookie year of Senior
What are your goals in racing? To stay focused and make the most out of every opportunity I get
In a few words, how would you describe your driving style? Smooth, aggressive and fast
Likes
Favorite Track: New Castle Motorsports Park
Favorite form of professional motorsports: Formula One
Favorite professional driver: Sebastian Vettel
Favorite website: eKartingNews.com
Favorite movie: 21 Jump Street
Favorite vacation/activity spot: Hawaii
Favorite food: Mexican Food
The Real Deal
What do you do when not at the track? Workout, hangout with friends, spend time at the lake and play soccer
What are your goals outside of karting? To eventually run my dads business after college.
What type of street car do you drive? BMW 128i
What type of street car would you like to drive? BMW M3
What are your favorite aspects about the sport of karting? Exciting racing and spending time with friends and family at the track
May 2012 Driver of the Month - Honorable Mention:
- Tommy Anderson: Midwest ProKart Challenge - 2 Wins (TaG Senior)
- Scott Grenier: WKA NRRS Grattan - 3 Wins (100cc Controlled, Controlled Spec (twice))
- Anthony Honeywell: WKA NRRS Grattan - 3 Wins (TaG 1, Stock Leopard (twice))
- Kyle Kalish: WKA Manufacturers Cup Series Pittsburgh - 2 Wins (Junior classes)
- Travis Lowe: IKF Region 7 Championship Series Willow Springs - 2 Wins (TaG, PRD)
- Adam Myers: WKA NRRS Grattan - 5 Wins (Sprint and Enduro)
- Ashely Rogero: WKA Manufacturers Cup Series Pittsburgh - 2 Wins (Junior classes) |
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