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| June 21, 2007 News |
| EKN Trackside: IKF Sprint/Shifter Grand Nationals - Day 1 |
| Article by: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine |
 | Joey Licata Jr. earned his first Duffy of the week in Senior Sportsman
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Well, the IKF Grand Nationals are finally here for 2007. Even though they came early this year it still seams like it took a long time to get to this point. Some of that comes from living in So-Cal where we have the luxury of racing year round and the season never really ends, just blurs together. Either way we are here at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, it’s hot, and we actually had a pretty good first day of racing. You never know how things will play out on race day, but the first day of an event is probably the hardest. At the time of leaving the track tonight at 7:45 PM PDST tech was not cleared so all race recaps are very unofficial.
The Kid Karts were invited this year to run as a non-Duffy class and give them a small taste of the big time of IKF racing. Competition was as fierce in this class as it was in any other and all participants were awarded participation trophies for their efforts, of course first place’s was a bit bigger. Tommy Yerkovich was the pole sitter but it was Royal McKee who beat Brenden Baker to the line in Prefinal action. The final was all McKee when it counted. He slowly was able to gap the field by almost two seconds. Noah Garza ran solidly in second place after a nice scrap with ray Lantz, Baker and Nelson Rader. The kids had a great time and all piled onto the podium for the only awards presentation of the day.
Neil McCoy posted the best qualifying lap in Senior Sportsman, but Joey Licata came through to win the Prefinal. Even with only eight entries in this class the final was not too shabby to watch. The field spread out into two packs of four with Licata leading the way. By half way it was clear that Licata had this one in hand, but Brandon Toy, McCoy and Chris Brown were just getting started. Toy ran the first half of the race behind Licata, but McCoy was able to make a pass in turn one for the position. They traded 2nd a couple times, but in the end McCoy held on as the runner up and Toy was passed by Brown for third. Fifth place was up for grabs the entire time with the remaining four drivers making pass after pass. Mike Botelho Jr. landed 5th place. Licata took home his first of what could be many Duffies this week.
 | Nick Johnston won the very competitive HPV 4 class for his first Duffy
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Dylan Albiani was the Junior Super Sportsman pole sitter and it came as no surprise. This kid is superfast, here in particular. Albiani sports a monster Yamaha and is nearly untouchable when he is on his game. Unfortunately for the other twenty-eight drivers in his class his game was good today. Albiani easily won the Prefinal, but Mason Marotta and Timmy Bachman had a good race for second place. The final was a mess from the get-go but that’s to be expected I suppose from these aggressive drivers. The only chance any one had to beat Albiani today was to snake him on the start. Bachman tried a few times and got sent back for his efforts. Once they finally got the green flag it didn’t last long. Miles Maroney replaced Bachman on the front row and got turned right past the waiving green. I have never seen a kart so sideways and continue on. I think getting hit from the side straightened him out, he continued on back in 8th. The race was flagged for a complete restart and once again they crashed. This time Bachman and Maroney were both out along with fellow front-runners Kolby Araki and Dylan Nobile. Albiani added another Duffy to his collection as the rest fought for best in class. Marotta, Garrison Masters and Donny St. Ours all held second place at one point in the 17 lap final, but they were well back of the leader. Fifth place was up for grabs the entire time too as a handful of drivers also occupied the final podium position. Neil Alberico managed to stake his claim on the last lap.
Joey Licata Jr. added an Eagle to his trophy case by claiming the pole position in HPV 4 qualifying. Licata has been outstanding all year in this class and it came as no surprise that he was fast. The heat race started out with Licata gaining a small advantage, but the pack was able to reel him in towards the end of the race. Neil McCoy made the pass for the lead and started the final from the pole. Matt Johnson, Jacob Neal, Mike Varela, and Brandon Toy were all there in the hunt too. The final was squirrelly as contact in turn three put McCoy well back in the pack. Johnson came out of turn three with the lead and Varela in tow. Licata was quick to get around Varela for second, but a hung wheel dropped him back, just slightly ahead of McCoy. Nick Johnston was the man on the move, taking positions right and left. Johnston and Johnson have a sorted past from the IKF race just a few weeks ago and those of us who were there kinda wanted something to materialize. It wasn’t long before Johnston had the lead and he and Johnson were inching away from third place Varela. Varela had a rear bumper full of Joey Barros and Chris Scribner, but held on to 3rd at the finish. Johnson took the white flag from Anton, but gave up the lead in turn three. A proper passing area never presented itself after that and Nick Johnston grabbed his first Duffy. Johnson, already an expert took a smart 2nd.
 | A last lap pass earned Luis Tyrrell his HPV 1 Duffy
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Formula Y Heavy was the final class of the day, but they ran their final before HPV 1 after the red flag stopped their race. Matt Kattanek was the pole sitter, running a time of 54.427. Brian Phillipsen moved up fourth to secure the Prefinal win, just beating Kattanek to the line. The final was really all Phillipsen who went flag to flag for the win. Kattanek fell back to 4th on the start but was able to work his way back up into 2nd after only a few laps. Behind the lead duo Glenn McKinnon, Michael Riehl, Gary Gwin and Rob Logan all fought for 3rd place. Riehl got caught up in the mess made by Gwin and McKinnon’s epic battle, ending his day early. Gwin was eventually able to get and hold 3rd place while Logan came away with 4th. Aaron Koop picked up a solid 5th place finish.
Camden Geise took the pole in the most anticipated race of the day, HPV 1. Brandon Reed led the eight-kart train to the finish line in the Prefinal and got the ball rolling for the final. The first attempted start ended with a red flag for Peter Yerkovich Jr. using a fellow competitor as a launching pad. After the restart Reed picked up where he left off, up front. Four drivers pulled away from the pack with Reed holding down the point. Raquel Martinez, Giese, Luis Tyrrell jockeyed for position before they were able to unseat Reed for the lead. Once they got past it was a free for all allowing the #00 driven by Jake Craig to join the party. It was a great last few laps as everyone cheered for their favorite driver to win. The Duffy was still up for grabs as they got the white flag and miraculously Tyrrell came up big for the win. Martinez gave it her all, trying to sneak by under Tyrrell at the line, but she had to settle for 2nd today. Giese came away with a strong 3rd, while Reed ended his good run in 4th. Craig held on finishing in 5th.
Day two is expected to be hotter than today both in weather conditions and in racing action.
Day 1 Final Results |
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