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| November 26, 2012 |
| Team News: ART Grand Prix America Shows Well at SKUSA SuperNationals XVI |
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The SKUSA SuperNationals at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas has become one of the biggest races in the world, and this year’s edition was no different. Teams and drivers from around the world arrived for a week of intense competition. Armed with some heavy hitters, ART Grand Prix America was determined to battle for podiums in only their second event as a team.
Charles Leclerc led the way for the whole team throughout the week in TAG Sr, arguably the toughest category of the event. Leclerc, a multi-time world and European champion in both KF2 and KF3 bested the field of 90 to take the pole. He then went on to finish his three heats with a win, 4th, and an unfortunate 26th after contact on the opening lap dropped him to last. Starting the main 14th, the Monaco native had an excellent drive through the field to 4th and setting fast lap along the way. Kevin Hernandez joined Leclerc in the main event and wound up 30th. Kevin was very consistent all week and kept improving every session as he got more comfortable with the chassis every lap. An unfortunate incident cost Hernandez a chance at a top 20 finish, but an excellent first Supernationals for the young Mexican driver who will be one to contend with next season. Andrew Wiener and David Martinez came up short from making the main event. Crashes after qualifying in the dangerous middle of the pack forced the pilots into the LCQ. Wiener showed good speed and was one of the fastest karts in the race, but lost too much time in an opening turn crash and ended up 11th. Martinez was only able to complete a couple of laps after a tire went flat due to being slammed by another competitor. Wiener will be testing all off season to get back to mid-season form, where he was one of the top TAG Sr. pilots in the country.
In TAG Jr, three drivers were able to advance into the main event. Sergio Sette Camara led the way with a 20th place finish on Super Sunday. Camara was one of the quickest drivers during the opening practice rounds, but as the week continued the young Brazilian suffered with engine issues and the rubber building up on the track. Camara drove hard in the main and already preparing to race again with the factory team in 2013, he should be one of the drivers to beat at next year’s event. Christian Muñoz battled all week to make the main event. An incident early in the race forced the young driver to the back where he ran competitive times, but lost too much track position. Showing glimpses of speed all week, Muñoz will race a full schedule with the team in 2013 across the country and strong results are expected. After a difficult week, Juan Jimenez raced his way into the main event with a 4th place finish in the LCQ. The Colombian pilot battled rib injuries all week and after a couple laps in morning warm-up on Sunday, he decided to sit out the main event in order to not risk more damage before traveling to Portugal to compete in the Rotax Grand Finals.
 | Charles Leclerc
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Steve Wiener was the lone pilot in TAG Masters. Steve worked hard all week to keep on improving not only his driving, but also the chassis set up. Steve came home 32nd and enjoyed his best SuperNats race since 2008. Wiener will now look to the Challenge of the Americas series and look to build on Vegas and take momentum into 2013.
The premier shifter category in the world is the KZ class. The team entered factory driver Ben Hanley and the Brit showed why he has been one of the strongest drivers in karting over the last decade. After an unfortunate technical infraction, Hanley had to come from the 34th and final position in all of his heat races. Hanley was able to rebound with two 11th place finishes and a 10th. This led to a 6th place starting position in the Final and expectations were high following a very good morning warm-up. Right off the start, though, something was wrong as the clutch was faulty causing the driver to fall back right off the start. A couple laps later, Hanley was forced to retire. A disappointing result, but the pace was impressive for the only shifter driver for the team.
“What a week! This event takes so much preparation and work. For a new team to be able to show up with the presence we had and to compete at such a high level is amazing to me. I can’t thank all of the drivers and mechanics from both the factory and our guys for making this week so great. The support from the factory has been unbelievable and we are already working on improving for 2013! We would have loved to have brought home a victory, but people knew who were and that is an important step for us,” commented team manager Kyle Kuntze.
ART Grand Prix America has a full 2013 schedule planned that will see the team racing in the Florida Winter Tour, Gatorz Challenge of the Americas, SKUSA ProKart Challenge, SKUSA Pro Tour, IKF Region 7 Championship, as well as local series in Southern California. We have Arrive-and-Drive opportunities available for all events, as well as a full new and used inventory of chassis, parts, apparel, etc.
ART Grand Prix America utilizes ART Grand Prix chassis and D Power Racing engines.
For more information, including driver, testing, career, and dealer inquiries, contact artgpamerica@gmail.com or contact Kyle Kuntze at (858) 722-4766. Be sure to follow us on Facebook: ART Grand Prix America to stay up to date with all of the latest news. |
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