Phil Giebler Racing’s Carter Williams won the feature in S5 Junior Stock Moto and finished fourth in TaG Junior, Ethan Wilson took second and Paul Grey third in TaG Master, Trenton Sparks was third in TaG Cadet and Noah Grey, Dakota Dickerson, Roger Rojo, Dallas Hollins and Emily Maddison had top-10 finishes in the Superkarts! USA California ProKart Challenge at the Santa Maria (Calif.) Karting Association track Saturday (Aug. 18).
Williams of Clovis, Calif., was the overall winner in the eight-kart S5/S3/S4 combined feature by 4.123 seconds over Curtis Paul. Williams was the fastest qualifier and took first in both his heats. In TaG Junior, Williams was sixth fastest in qualifying and seventh and third in the two heats.
“Carter was the class of the field in S5 shifter,” Giebler said. “He fought hard to get fourth in TaG Junior.”
Noah Grey of Dana Point, Calif., had a strong event, but a technical infraction forced him to start 12th in the 20-lap TaG Junior feature and he drove up to finish sixth. He was fifth fastest in qualifying, won the first heat and was second in the second, But the infraction following the second heat put him back in the field.
“Noah was very quick all weekend and disappointed not to have a better result in the feature,” Giebler said.
Hollins of Fontana. Calif., finished eighth in the TaG Junior feature, her best performance of the event. She was 12th in qualifying and the first heat and ninth in the second heat.
“She made steady improvements all day on her first visit to Santa Maria, a track that is very tough to learn,” Giebler said.
Wilson returned to PGR after recovering from a broken wrist suffered at the SKUSA SpringNationals in Arizona in mid-April. He qualified third fastest and was second in both heats.
“Ethan came back in style,” Giebler said.
Paul Grey of Mission Viejo, Calif., qualified fourth best and was third and fourth in the two heats.
“Paul ran well to get on the podium in TaG Master,” Giebler said.
Vatche Tatikian of North Hollywood, Calif., was second in qualifying, sixth and third in the two heats. But a starter failure didn’t allow him to race in the TaG Master feature.
“Vatche continues to show improvement,” Giebler said.
Sparks of Bakersfield, Calif., made a strong debut with PGR. He qualified third best and finished second in both heats in addition to third in the feature.
“It was Trenton’s first time driving the Vortex Mini Rok and FA Kart and he did a great job,” Giebler said. “He has had success racing Quads and quarter midgets, but the speed and competition of karting is what he is most passionate about. We are going to see a lot of good things from this kid and I am excited to see him learn and progress.”
Roger Rojo of Venezuela also drove for the first time with PGR in TaG Cadet. He finished seventh in the feature, sixth and seventh in the heats and qualified eighth fastest.
“It was Roger’s first race in SKUSA and he had a lot to learn with a new track, team, kart and engine,” Giebler said. “He likes the competition here and will be back for more races.”
Dickerson, a 16-year-old from San Diego, also had an impressive debut with PGR, finishing seventh in the TaG Senior feature. He was fourth best in qualifying and fourth and fifth in the heats.
“Dakota had a solid weekend and adapted to a new kart very well,” Giebler said.
Maddison, from Calgary, Canada, finished 10th in the TaG Senior feature. She qualified 10th best and was ninth and 12th in the heats.
Daughters of Polo, Mo., had a spark plug break inside the engine in the 20-lap TaG Junior feature and dropped out after completing six laps. The Level 5 Motorsports development driver showed good speed in qualifying third best and finished third and seventh in the heats.
“We had a pretty good performance,” Giebler said. “Our new drivers, Dickerson and Sparks, were impressive.”
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 Santa Maria Karting Facility:
S5 Junior Stock Moto--1. Carter Williams, Clovis, Calif.; TaG Junior—4. Williams, 6. Noah Grey, Dana Point, Calif., 8. Dallas Hollins, Fontana, Calif.; TaG Master—2. Ethan Wilson, Campbell, Calif., 3. Paul Grey, Mission Viejo, Calif., DNS Vatche Tatikian, North Hollywood, Calif., TaG Cadet—3. Trenton Sparks, Bakersfield, Calif., 7. Roger Rojo, Venezuela; TaG Senior—7. Dakota Dickerson, San Diego, Calif., 10. Emily Maddison, Canada, 12. (DNF) Mason Daughters, Polo, Mo. |
