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| September 19, 2006 News |
| Stars of Karting National Finals Preview: JICA & Cadet |
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This weekend will end the six month journey that began in Norman with the Race of the Americas with the Snap-on Stars of Karting presented by the IRL National Finals to complete the 2006 chase for the national championship. All the drivers and teams who have competed throughout the year will head north of the border to Toronto, Ontario, Canada to run on the temporary circuit in the Woodbine Racetrack parking lot.
Through the next few days leading up to the event, EKN will look at the championship race in each of the five divisions along with highlights on drivers who will be in the fight for the National Finals victory. Today, we look at the Junior divisions of the Stars of Karting series with Junior Intercontinental A (JICA) and Cadet.
 | Carlos Munoz has the JICA advantage heading into Woodbine
(Photo: Super Kart Illustrated) |
JICA
It has been a very competitive year for the JICA group despite the divisional championships going to just one driver. After the Eastern Division finale in Shawano just over a month ago, Brett Smrz (First Kart/Woltjer Parilla) emerged as the Eastern champion by just five points over Carlos Munoz (Birel/Porfesa Parilla) after a hard-fought Sunday final for both. Two weeks later, Smrz controlled his own destiny in the West and held on to take his second-straight Western crown, just eight points over Brendan Langlois.
In an unusual turn of events, Smrz elected to skip the National Finals and a shot at the JICA title in an effort to qualify for the Rotax World Finals at the Rotax Grand Nationals, running this weekend as well. Just announced two weeks ago, Langlois will now replace Smrz at the FirstKart.com JICA spot, leaving the Nevoso/Maranello team he has been with throughout the year.
Breaking down the title chase now sees a three driver battle with Munoz leading the fight by 40 points over PCH Motorsports’ Jacob Neal, using his East Coast points. Langlois sits 12 points back of Neal. Neal will need to win with Munoz finishing ninth or worse while Langlois will look for a debut victory aboard his new First Kart with Munoz and Neal finishing 11th and third respectively.
The battle for the National Finals win though will be just as competitive with seven different winners on the year all running this weekend. Sergio Pena (Maranello/Pitts Parilla) took the Saturday victory in Primm - the only temporary circuit on the ’06 divisional schedules. He’ll battle with first-time JICA winners Gustavo Menezes (Tony Kart/Woltjer Parilla), Mikael Grenier (CRG/High-Rev Parilla), David Ostella (CRG/High-Rev Parilla) and Tucson double winner Garrison Masters (CRG/High-Rev Parilla).
JICA Entry List
| No. | Driver | Chassis/Engine| 3 | Jacob Neal | CRG/High-Rev Parilla | | 5 | Brendan Langlois | First Kart/Woltjer Parilla | | 302 | Chemill Mercado-Melendes | Intrepid/Champion Parilla | | 303 | Carlos Munoz | Birel/Porfesa Parilla | | 304 | Josh Call | Margay/Adkins Parilla | | 306 | Reid Jeffries | Gillard/Yellow Fin Parilla | | 307 | Mikael Grenier | CRG/High-Rev Parilla | | 311 | Miles Maroney | Maranello/Pitts Parilla | | 312 | Addison Rayner | CRG/High-Rev Parilla | | 313 | Nigel Saurino | Arrow/MISI Parilla | | 315 | Scott Rossi | Intrepid/High-Rev Parilla | | 316 | David Ostella | CRG/High-Rev Parilla | | 319 | Nicky Freytag | Intrepid/Champion Parilla | | 320 | Taylor Miinch | Birel/High-Rev Parilla | | 321 | Mitchell Egner | First Kart/High-Rev Parilla | | 322 | Victor Cabrera Jr. | Kosmic/Woltjer Parilla | | 323 | Arie Ouimet | CRG/Maxter | | 327 | Angel Caban | Intrepid/Champion Parilla | | 328 | Gustavo Menezes | Tony Kart/Woltjer Parilla | | 333 | Kenny Riedman | Birel/Haddock Parilla | | 339 | Corey Lewis | TopKart/High-Rev Parilla | | 340 | Adam Zeen | Intrepid/Champion Parilla | | 348 | Richard Benitez | Kosmic/Woltjer Parilla | | 358 | Sergio Pena | Maranello/Pitts Parilla | | 359 | Adrian Figueroa | Intrepid/Champion Parilla | | 360 | Jerimy Daniel | Tony Kart/High-Rev Parilla | | 363 | Garrison Masters | CRG/High-Rev Parilla | | 367 | Andrick Zeen | Intrepid/Champion Parilla | | 369 | Brendan Phinny | Birel/High-Rev Parilla | | 377 | Dusty Davis | Maranello/Pitts Parilla | | 393 | Derek Wagner | Kosmic/High-Rev Parilla | | 395 | Hayden Ritter | Italkart/Italian Motors Parilla | | 398 | Andrew Zimmer | Italkart/Italian Motors Parilla | |
 | Oscar Tunjo now leads the Cadet division with the absence of Chaves
(Photo: Super Kart Illustrated) |
Cadet
In a turn of events, Eastern Division champion Gabriel Chaves (Kart Mini/Fittipaldi Comer), who has a 10 point advantage over Western Division champ Oscar Tunjo (Nevoso/Pitts Comer), will skip the Stars National Finals to attend the Rotax Grand Nationals, where he won the East Grand Regional in the Mini Max division. This gives Tunjo the point with a 20 point advantage over Race of the Americas winner Sebastian Ordonez (Juncos/Pitts Comer). Devin Jones (Nevoso/Pitts Comer) is still in the fight for the overall title just 35 points back of Tunjo.
Still mathematically in the chase but needing a lot of help include defending national champion Sage Karam (Birel/Fleming Comer) and Dylan Nobile (Nevoso/Pitts Comer). Both Karam and Nobile each have victories on the year and will look to add another big win to their CVs for 2006.
Tomorrow, EKN will break down the Spec Racer division with ICA on deck for Thursday and ICC set for Friday morning.
Cadet Entry List
| No. | Driver | Chassis/Engine| 1 | Sage Karam | Birel/Fleming Comer | | 2 | Spencer Pigot | Juncos/Pitts Comer | | 3 | Oscar Tunjo Sanchez | Nevoso/Pitts Comer | | 3 | Tyler Thomas | TopKart/MISI Comer | | 5 | Santino Ferrucci | TopKart/Pitts Comer | | 18 | Phillip Orcic | WTP/Pitts Comer | | 19 | Garett Grist | CRG/High-Rev Comer | | 24 | Hans Saurino | Margay/High-Rev Comer | | 25 | Chandler Williams | TopKart/Pitts Comer | | 29 | Stephen Kalogiannis | Birel/Fleming Comer | | 45 | Carlos Wehbe | Nevoso/Pitts Comer | | 52 | Tatiana Calderon | Juncos/Pitts Comer | | 57 | Jacques Saurino | Margay/High-Rev Comer | | 64 | Thomas Micich | Swiss Hutless/Fleming Comer | | 75 | Dylan Nobile | Nevoso/Pitts Comer | | 80 | Sebastian Ordonez | Juncos/Pitts Comer | | 88 | Austin Self | Intrepid/Comer | | 95 | Remo Ruscitti | Italkart/Fleming Comer | |
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