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| September 03, 2006 News |
| EKN Trackside: Rock Island Grand Prix – Sunday Report |
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 | Alan Rudolph took an emotional King of the Streets win for RBI Racing
(Photo: Super Kart Illustrated) |
If there is a better way to put the cap on a racing program, I don’t know what it is. Earlier this summer, team owner Richard Buxman made the difficult decision to close down his RBI Racing operation, which imported and distributed the RBI chassis and fielded a team for shifterkart veteran Alan Rudolph and a cast of others. This year’s Rock Island Grand Prix was set as the final race for the squad, a swansong, if you will. In a storybook ending, Rudolph cruised across the start-finish line on Sunday afternoon, 1.196 seconds ahead of Brandon Marsell (Arrow) to win the biggest street race in American karting, the Superkarts! USA King of the Streets. For Buxman and his star driver, it was the emotional end to a fun-filled ride.
In the race, last year’s racewinner Kyle Wiegand (Topkart) was the man off the line, taking the lead heading into turn one from polesitter Marsell, who looked good in his return to competition. Wiegand and Rudolph would pull away to fight it out amongst themselves, but that would not last for long as Wiegand retired from the lead on lap 15 with a broken chain. The winner of the last two KoS events would not extend it to three in 2006.
Marsell ran throughout the event with his brother Stuart, as they worked together to close on the lead duo, however, they were just not able to reel in Rudolph and would complete the podium with Brandon in second and Stuart in third. Troy Hottman (Merlin) found some speed during morning warm-ups thanks to a set-up change and he charged up to fourth in the order ahead of Fidencio Guzman (First Kart). Guzman has been improving steadily this year running on the Stars of Karting national circuit and a top-five in his Rock Island debut was extremely impressive.
For Rudolph, the race was worth $2000 and the Rock, one of the most prestigious trophies in karting.
 | Rudolph enjoys his fourth KoS victories with Richard Buxman and Big Al
(Photo: Super Kart Illustrated) |
In the ICC race later in the day, Wiegand made good when he stormed back to the win over Stuart Marsell and Rudolph. Wiegand turned the event’s fastest ever race lap with a 31.176 in the process, although it was the not race that he wanted. Canadian Lorenzo Mandarino (GP) ran alone in fourth ahead of Hottman.
A full field of TaG Senior drivers required a Last Chance Qualifier to fill the final five positions on the grid. Mark Vielgut (Haase) would walk away to the win over Alex Angel. Sara Hyslop won the final transfer spot in fifth. In the race, Indianapolis, IN’s Jamie Ferrell (Birel) got a great start to lead the first few laps before Britain’s Martin Pearce (Wildkart) took control, stepping up to assume the lead in his first Rock Island appearance. The former Rotax Worlds podium finisher enjoyed his first trip to the US and, after putting the new Wildkart on the pole and getting past Ferrell, he would run unchallenged to the checkered flag with a 2.756-second advantage over Brandon Jones (Arrow) at the stripe.
A little too much air pressure made Ferrell a rocket at the start, but his set-up would fade late in the race as he dropped to third. Brandon Bealer (Kosmic) continues his solid year as a rookie Senior with a fourth in his Rock debut ahead of John Dixon (Birel).
In the TaG Masters category, Dixon would come back to take the victory, no doubt using a little of the knowledge he gained from his top five in the TaG Senior main. Mike Jones (Intrepid) would fight back after an early race incident to take second ahead of veteran Kurth Burris (Margay). Brian McHattie and DJ Ortiz would round of the top five.
 | Kyle Wiegand bounced back from the KoS to take the ICC victory
(Photo: Super Kart Illustrated) |
The ICA category was on the docket once again and this weekend’s race featured an exciting battle between Margay drivers Eric Morrow and Caleb Loniewski. Morrow has been turning up the wick consistently on the national circuit and has positioned himself as a contender to win at any event, pulling the trigger on Sunday to outrun Loniewski for the checkered flag. Johnny Johnson (Topkart) came back from fuel DQ in qualifying, driving from the back of the 10-kart grid to third in the final tally ahead of Chris Wehrheim (Merlin) and Chris Livengood (Mach 1).
One of the most exciting races of the weekend was the 125cc Moto main event. Beginning on a wet track and then working through a steady rain that tapered off before the checker, the Pacific Northwest’s Kyle Krueger (Tony Kart) put on the show of the day. After stalling on the line and requiring a push start to re-fire, the young hotshoe stormed through the field, attacking the slick course at every turn. Krueger first caught the tail of the field and put them behind him, digging his way into the top ten and then the top five. With just a handful of laps remaining, Krueger emerged in second and set about chasing down race-long leader Mark Vielgut (Haase). Lapped cars were playing a role all race and heading through turn one for the final time, Vielgut got backed up by a slower kart while Krueger got a great run, diving down the inside of the leader in turn two to complete the run from zero to hero. Krueger would power on to the checker flag, his amazing performance surprising many onlookers in the paddock who figured that he must have been lapped. Vielgut would hold on to second after a solid performance, one only overshadowed by Krueger’s effort. Veteran Joe Janowski (Birel) was third in the order ahead of Rob Pretts (Trackmagic) and Patrick Malacarne (Intrepid).
 | Briton Martin Pierce made it a successful trip overseas to steal the TaG Senior win for Wildkart
(Photo: Super Kart Illustrated) |
Chris Larson (Margay) and Tony Neilson would split the Yamaha race wins with Larson bagging the Heavy classification as Neilson won Medium. Tim Goettsch and Kyle Erdmann chased a thrilled Neilson to the line in Medium while a last lap pass by Larson gave him the victory over Brandon Jones (Arrow) in Heavy. Michael Dittmer finished third.
Familiar names were up top in the Super Sportsman classes as well as Goettsch pulled away to a 6+ second lead over Jones and Neilson to win Medium while Dittmer triumphed in a tight battle with Joey King (Margay) for the Heavy category. Goettsch would finish third in Heavy, continuing his strong Rock Island outing.
In the four-cycle classes, Gary Lawson swept to both the Animal Heavy and Stock Heavy wins, edging Travis DeVriendt in Animal and Scott Kleman in Stock Heavy. DeVriendt would get his own Rock, as he was the victor in Animal Medium, nipping Lawson by just 0.102 at the checker.
A nasty first-lap wreck brought out the red flag in the Tom Argy Memorial Jr. Sportsman main, then a rain shower late in the day halted things before it was decided that they would resume with rain tires. Josh Call would take control of the race, out-running CJ Lintner to score the win.
All in all, it was another awesome Rock Island Grand Prix. The weather on Saturday was ideal while Sunday’s arrival of heavy clouds and rain brought a new challenge to the drivers, many of whom had never turned a competition lap on rain tires. The schedule was interrupted by multiple times with tiny showers that dampened the race track, with the final classes ending under wet conditions. After the final checkered flag fell and the awards were given away, the RIGP staff already put the plans to work for another great event next year. |
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