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| July 07, 2012 News |
| EKN Trackside: WKA Manufacturers Cup Series - MKP Nationals - Saturday Report |
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Event goers survive hot day of weather and racing in South Bend, Indiana as the first day of classes went into the books for the WKA Mazda/Bridgestone Manufacturers Cup Series MKP Nationals. The JET Karting/Michiana Raceway Park facility has always provided great racing in its nearly two decade history and Saturday’s racing was no different. With temperatures reaching 100 degrees with the paddock and track surface extremely hot, competitors and the WKA staff battled on through the 12 hour day to get qualifying, Prefinal and Final in for all 11 classes. Tech decided two classes, but a number of the finishes came down to the final few corners to crown the victors for the day.
TSRacing.com Komet Heavy
Championship leader Mason Chelootz (Top Kart) led things to begin the day in the Komet Heavy division as he qualified on the pole position with a 43.418-second lap. He went wire-to-wire in the 10-lap Prefinal as he won the race by nearly three-seconds. Jacob Donald (Arrow) held the second position through the race with Jonathan Kotyk (Tony Kart) trailing in third. The battle was for fourth as Patrick Olsen (Birel) held off Nick Stagl (Merlin) for the position.
From the pole position, Chelootz continued leading the way in the 16-lap feature event. Just after six laps, his lead was nearly two seconds as Olsen moved up to third with Kotyk third and Donald shuffled back to fourth in the opening lap. Chelootz proved to be too tough as he drove to victory number four on the season in four events, crossing the stripe six seconds ahead of Olsen. Kotyk continued to challenge but settled for third. Donald retired on lap seven, moving Stagl up to fourth with James Brock (Birel) rounding out the top five.
 | David Malukas edged out the competition in two Sportsman divisions
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
RLV Tuned Exhaust Products Cadet Sportsman
David Malukas (Birel) was the top driver in the Streeter Super Stands qualifying session, posting a 46.401-second lap to lead the field to the green flag for the Prefinal. The early portion of the 10-lap event was in the control of Brandon Lemke (Merlin) who jumped up from third to lead early. Malukas and Zach Holden (Arrow) ran him down as they reach the final few laps. With one to go, Holden led the way and ran the defensive line into turn one. Both Lemke and Malukas tried to go around on the outside, and as they exited the corner made contact. The result spun Lemke around and out of the race, classified in 24th. Holden went on to take the win over Malukas. Braden Eves and Leonardo Stoia, both in PCR karts were third and fourth with Nick Luedeke (Kosmic) rounded out the top-five.
A large lead group formed for the 16-lap feature for Cadet Sportsman. Holden led the field to the green flag and was at the point early until Malukas returned to the lead by the halfway mark. They along with Stoia broke away to form a three driver battle for the win with Luedke and championship leader Jared Cordova (Birel). Holden returned to the point with less than five laps remaining, and their shuffling brought in the trailing two drivers to make it five in the fight for the win. The group set up for a great final lap. As they took the white flag, Holden was slingshot by Malukas, Stoia and Luedeke. Then Stoia worked by Malukas a turn later. As they entered turn nine, Stoia went wide and Malukas was able to slide by for the lead. At the line, Malukas earned his second straight win in the class by 54-thousandths of a second over Luedeke. Cordova moved to third with Stoia back to fourth as Holden rounded out the top-five.
Orlando Kart Center Komet Jr. Heavy
Kershaw winner Kyle Kirkwood (Arrow) led the way in qualifying, posting a 43.315-second lap. He and Kalish led the way in the 10-lap Prefinal with Kalish gaining the win by two-tenths with Kirkwood on his bumper. Mike McAndrews (Birel) won he battle for third with Grant Quinlan (Birel) and Brandon Jarsocrak (Haase) trailing.
 | Kyle Kirkwood scored his second win on the season in Komet Jr. Heavy
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
The Walldinger Racing driver Kirkwood proved too tough for the Komet field on Saturday. Starting from the pole position in the feature, the Florida driver led wire-to-wire for a four-tenths advantage. Kalish kept him honest and ran a strong points day to second. McAndrews held onto the third spot with Ashley Rogero (Tony Kart) making a late charge, unable to work by for the position. Championship leader Joel Jens (Tony Kart) recovered from a poor Prefinal race, moving up from eighth to finish fifth after 16 laps with Derek Dignan (Arrow) in sixth.
Franklinkart.com TaG
Former Triple Crown winner Sam Beasley (Arrow) made his return back to the Man Cup series with a solid qualifying effort in the Streeter Super Stands session. His 41.695-second lap was best by 0.131 seconds over Jesus Rios Jr. (Birel). The two led the field to the green flag for the 10-lap Prefinal with Rios able to slide by with a pass in the tight turn seven. From there, Rios went on cruise control and cross the line first with Andrew Palmer (Kosmic) and Mason Chelootz (Top Kart), all running Rotax power. Rios however had the win removed as he was penalized two-seconds for scrubbing tires, along with two others. That move Palmer to P1 with Chelootz second and Rios back to third. Jacob Donald (Arrow) was fourth with Robby Seward (Ultimate) in fifth, another drive penalized for tire scrubbing. Beasley retired on lap five with a mechanical issue.
Palmer and Chelootz led the field to the green flag with Chelootz getting the better jump into turn one and came out with the lead. Palmer slotted into second with Rios, Colton Ramsey (Merlin) and Seward making up the early top-five. Chelootz, Palmer and Rios gapped each other as a great fight for fourth formed with Chris Wehrheim (Top Kart) moving into the mix. Chelootz was on cruise control as he drove away to lead all 16 laps. Palmer held second with Rios closed up in the final few laps for third. The drive of the race was put in by Beasley. The KartSport North America driver made his way up from 27th and into the top-five, working by Wehrheim for fourth as they took the white flag. Ramsey also got around Wehrheim. Tech changed things up top as both Chelootz and Palmer were disqualified, Chelootz for a seat height infraction and Palmer engine related. This moved Rios up to the top of the podium and Beasley up to second. Ramsey third, Wehrheim fourth and Seward completing the podium.
 | Jesus Rios Jr. was awarded the win in TaG
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Comet Kart Sales Yamaha Sportsman 1
Championship contenders Brandon Lemke (Merlin) and Leonardo Stoia (PCR) were at the front of the field to begin the action in the Yamaha Sportsman Saturday class. Lemke put his Merlin on the pole position in qualifying by securing a 46.512-second lap, edging Stoia by 0.037 seconds. The two battled all 10 laps in the Prefinal with Lemke able to hold off the advances of Stoia each circuit. At the line, Lemke scored the win with Stoia on his rear bumper. David Malukus (Birel) advanced up to third from his sixth starting position, jumping ahead of Michael d’Orlando (Kosmic) in fourth with Jared Cordova (Haase) also making moves, placing fifth after starting ninth.
The final came down to Stoia and Malukas. The duo were able to work around Lemke who led up until lap six. Once around, they worked together to establish a solid lead over the third place driver. After jostling for position, Malukas took the lead with Stoia in tow. Receiving the white flag, Stoia put on the pressure throughout the final lap. Unable to drive by, Malukas earned his second victory of the day by 86-thousandths of a second. Stoia settled for second with Lemke alone in third. Shuffling took place behind them with Braden Eves (PCR) taking advantage. Eves place 14th in qualifying and the Prefinal. With laps similar to the leaders, Eves advanced up to fourth to record his best finish of the season. Holden managed to finish the day in fifth.
New Jersey Sprint Series Yamaha Rookie Sportsman
Coming into South Bend, Alex Verhagen (Haase) had a four race winning streak. Things did not look as if they would pan out the same way as they did in Kershaw and in Pittsburgh. Jason Welage (Merlin) was the top qualifier (47.443) and edged out Verhagen by 90-thousandths of a second. The two battled once again in the Final with Samuel Paley (PCR) joining them. Verhagen was able to secure the lead in the final laps and hold on for the victory by just 0.052-seconds. Paley was a close third with Max Kaeser (PCR) and K-Rex Frederick (PCR) completing the top-five.
 | Mike McAndrews battled forward to earn victory in Yamaha Jr. Lite
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Woltjer Racing Engines Yamaha Jr. Lite
The driver to beat in the Yamaha Jr. Lite division early on was Kyle Kalish. The Merlin driver scored the Streeter Super Stands pole award in qualifying with a 43.892-second lap. He was the only driver to drop into the 43-second bracket. Kalish continued to show the way in the 10-lap Prefinal as he led a solid group of drivers to the checkered flag. Ashley Rogero (Tony Kart) advanced from fourth to second, putting the pressure on Kalish to the end. Mike McAndrews (Birel) fell from second to third with Gresham Wagner (Birel) also losing a position, down to fourth. Kyle Kirkwood (Arrow) held his ground in fifth as he capped off the lead group.
Kalish had led things through qualifying and the Prefinal, and started out the feature race in the familiar position. He and Rogero broke away from the field but both would be run down by McAndrews. The quick driver on the track, McAndrews worked his way by Rogero and then by Kalish for the lead. Kalish fell back to third in the process and had to fight back around Rogero for second. Pressured to the end, McAndrews held on for his first class victory of the season. Kalish was second with Rogero third. Brandon Jarsocrak (Haase) moved up to fourth with Kirkwood holding strong in fifth.
Grand Products/Top Kart Parilla Leopard
Going two for two in qualifying, Sam Beasley (Arrow) earned his second pole position of the day. Posting a 41.627-lap, he bettered his time from the previous class by just enough for the quick lap of the day. Beasley however suffered a popped chain after just two laps in the Prefinal. That gave the lead to KartSport North America teammate Jacob Donald (Arrow), who went on to win the 10-lap event. Championship leader Mason Chelootz (Top Kart) ran second after qualifying fifth. The rest of the field was a major shuffle after qualifying. Contact in the opening lap between Jonathan Kotyk (Tony Kart) and Chris Wehrheim (Top Kart) put them out of contention. Others retiring or falling back allowed Robert Bujdoso (PCR) to move to third from 11th on the grid, Mick Gabriel (Tony Kart) up to fourth from eighth with Calvin Stewart (Melin) gaining nine spots to fifth.
 | The 'Come Back Kid' Sam Beasley recovered from a DNF in the Prefinal to drive to the win in Parilla Leopard
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
With the pole position in hand, Donald took advantage to lead wire-to-wire and cross the stripe first. A clean start allowed Donald to break away early as they battled for second behind him. Bujdoso and Chelootz mixed it up until Chelootz secured the position. That was until the charging Sam Beasley returned to the front. Into the top-10 by the first few laps, he made his way into the top-five just as quick. With a few more passes, he was around both Chelootz and Bujdoso. Despite recording the fast, Beasley did not have enough to time catch Donald and crossed second. Bujdoso was third with Chelootz fourth and Gabriel scoring fifth. Following tech, Donald was removed from the results for having a seat infraction, which gave the win to Beasley. It moved everyone up one position and put Colton Ramsey (Merlin) on the podium in fifth.
Yamaha SuperCan Lite
Patrick Olsen (Birel) and Tony Jump (Margay) were the top two drivers in qualifying for the Yamaha SuperCan Lite division. Olsen posted a 44.750-lap to claim the pole position, edging out Jump by a mere 75-thousandths of a second. The two led the field to the green flag for the 10-lap Prefinal. Early on, Cody Robinson (Arrow) was the driver on the move, until a mechanical issue dropped him out at lap five. Olsen continued to lead as Jump fell back. The driver on the move was Jimmy Clark (CRG). Starting sixth, he advanced forward quickly, and after Robinson retired, found his way to Olsen’s bumper. Once around for the lead, he ran to the win by just over a half second ahead of Olsen. Championship leader Dakota Pesek (Arrow) was third with Jump back to fourth. Rounding out the top-five was third place qualifier Weston Moon (PCR).
 | Jimmy Clark drove away with the win in Yamaha SuperCan Lite
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Clark proved to be too strong on the day as he walked away with the victory in the 16-lap Final for Yamaha SuperCan Lite. Trailed early, he began to stretch out his lead lap after lap as they battled for second. It was a four-kart battle with a number of drivers holding the second spot. Pesek and Jump were the top contenders on the final lap with Jump securing the spot with a great pass in turn nine. Clark went on to score the win by six-seconds with Jump crossing second. Moon worked by Pesek at the line for third with Collin Griffin (Arrow) up from ninth to finish a close fifth.
Adkins Speed Center Komet Sportsman
Brandon Lemke was shut out throughout the day in two different feature races. In his third and final attempt in the Komet Sportsman division, he swept the day’s action to secure his second win of the season in class. Lemke was the top qualifier with a 45.633-lap time and was able to edge out David Malukas (Birel) by 61-thousandths of a second for the 10-lap Prefinal win. The Final was a great three-driver battle with Leonardo Stoia (PCR) in the mix. It came down to an excellent last lap battle as Lemke secured the lead and crossed the line first ahead of Malukas by 52-thousandths of a second. Stoia trailed behind in third with Zach Holden (Arrow) fourth and Jared Cordova (Birel) in fifth.
DRT Racing TaG Masters
Scott Ferris (Top Kart) was the top driver in TaG Masters qualifying. The New Jersey driver posted a 42.387-second lap time with Steve Schiewer (Birel) lined up on the outside pole for the Prefinal. Ferris led through the opening few laps with former series champion John Dixon (Tony Kart) in tow. Ferris held the point until lap five when he pulled off with a mechanical issue, handing the lead and the win to Dixon. Jeff Jewell was on the charge as he advanced from fourth to second to fill out the front row for the main event. Chuck Tate (Arrow) finished third with Brian McEvoy (Merlin) up four spots and point leader John Ferris III (Top Kart) in fifth.
 | Jeff Jewell came through with the top step of the podium in TaG Masters
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Dixon and Jewell led the field to the green flag for the 16-lap final event. Dixon led early on until Jewell finally got settled into race pace and was able to close back up to the leader. Once around Dixon, Jewell was on a mission and pulled out to a 2.2-second lead to the checkered flag. Dixon ran to second in his return back to the series. Tate ran to third with Ferris winning the battle for fourth over McEvoy, Scott Ferris and Kim Carapellatti (PCR).
Be sure to follow regular posting of the top-10 from each on-track session will be posted to the Official Event Discussion thread in the EKN forums. Also be sure to follow Facebook and Twitter as the weekend unfolds. WKA will be providing their live coverage through their website worldkarting.com/index.php/live |
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