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| June 23, 2007 News |
| EKN Trackside: IKF Sprint/Shifter Grand Nationals - Day 3 |
| Article by: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine |
 | Camden Geise was at the right place at the right time for his second Duffy of the week
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Well, day three of the IKF Grand Nationals presented by King Taco and Pacific F2000 went pretty well. We were able to add three more drivers to the list of IKF experts and Rhonda Mimms Brown presented the Lake Speed Excellence award as part of the awards today.
First off I have to change up race information from yesterday. Nothing like unofficial results and long hours in the tech barn to kill the race reporter when he gets to the track the next day. The HPV 4 Heavy class results were vague on who was the top three. Phillipsen was penalized for contact with Riehl and place behind him for third place. Logan was still the winner and Riehl finished in 2nd. The other boo boo was that the results listed #3 in 125 National Cup, Nic LeDuci, as being DQ’d at scales for being light. Turns out it was the #33 Jacob Neal was the driver light and not LeDuci. DeDuci was in fact the Duffy winner after Licata was DQ’d in tech for a spark plug infraction.
Now to the good stuff, three new IKF expert drivers. Camden Geise, Nick Johnston, and Glenn McKinnon all earned their gold plates and expert status today after turning in great drives. Geise needs to make a trip to Vegas and play the $1000 slots because his luck is so good. Rookie Sportsman was the usual draft/pass fest that we have come to love from the Cadet classes. Geise was the pole sitter, but it was Austin Barnes who started the final from the pole position. Seven drivers were in the lead draft as they got the two to go sign. Pass after pass was made on the final lap and as they came down to the deadly Buttonwillow chicane for the last time they were four wide. Barnes and Reed were the two drivers in the foremost position and once again there was a wreck. For the second straight day Reed was involved in the last lap, last lap crash, but this time it was determined by race officials that his and Barnes’ contact was just a racing deal. Regardless of fault, Camden Geise drove through the dust for his 2nd IKF Grand National win of the week, becoming the youngest newly crowned expert of the week. Misty Balser sat in sixth at the drop of the white flag but quality racecraft and a little luck brought her through this Rookie Sportsman final in 2nd. Barnes recovered enough to slip back in for 3rd place.
 | With a stellar week, including two Duffy's, Nick Johnston was awarded the Lake Speed Excellence Award
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
HPV 3 was again the domain of Nick Johnston, Matt Johnson and Jacob Neal. Johnston was the pole sitter and the heat race winner but the final was a dead heat with his two main rivals. Johnson’s day ended with a thrown chain after tapping a curb the wrong way coming onto the front straight leaving only Neal to hunt Johnston. Johnston made only one mistake, hanging a wheel on the exit of turn ten, allowing Neal to close enough to challenge for the win. Neal was unable to make a good move and wisely took home 2nd place. Johnston secured the win and his expert status.
Plus Johnston was awarded the Lake Speed Excellence Award from last year’s winner Matt Johnson. Johnston showcased all the qualities that the Lake Speed award represents and gratefully accepted the award from fellow HPV competitor Johnson. Other drivers in the hunt for the award were Garrison Masters, Camden Geise, Neil McCoy and Joey Licata Jr. All were certainly worthy but the panel of officials deemed Johnston the man for this year.
The final new expert driver was a little older and a little heavier but just as determined as his younger counterparts. Unlike Geise and Johnston who won two races this weekend, 2006 Masters Formula Y/C Grand National champion Glenn McKinnon backed it up again making it two years in a row that he has won this class. Mat Kattanak was the pole sitter, but McKinnon went on to win the heat race when Mike Riehl and Kattanak got together. McKinnon was the man in the final. With Riehl having to come through the back and Kattanak starting mid pack McKinnon had a few of free running laps before they could get clear of the pack and make a race of it. It didn’t seem that Kattanak had anything for the leader, but he did manage to keep Riehl behind him for most of the race. McKinnon sped off to a five second lead for the win. Riehl managed to finally get the pass completed on Kattanak for 2nd place.
 | Cory Pollock dominated the TaG division for the Duffy
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Joey Licata Jr. managed to collect another Eagle for his qualifying efforts today, this time in the IKF TaG class. Mike Botelho Jr. got it done in the Prefinal, and led the first few circuits in the final, but really Cory Pollock was in a world of his own. Pollock was issued a penalty in the heat race for contact with LeDuci, but quickly found his way to the point. Once out front it was a nice easy cruise for Pollock to the win. After no practice this week new baby daddy Rocky Moran Jr. showed up to try his luck in TaG. He was glad he did, snagging a great 2nd place finish. Sure he wasn’t in the hunt for the win, but he fought very hard to get where he finished. With a little practice he might have won the thing. Chris Scribner also had a solid run, finishing in 3rd after surviving the charge for third by a slew of other drivers.
Junior Super Sportsman was a heart breaker for Donny St. Ours. St. Ours was the fast qualifier and won the heat race without much problem. He was on his way to the Grand National title when that twenty-cent part failed him. Eric Gunderson was glued to the rear bumper of St. Ours for the final just riding it out for the white flag lap. Gunderson had mega power down the long 700’ straightaway, but St. Ours was better on the infield. It would have been a great last lap but turns out that it wasn’t as St. Ours went dead in the water as they were headed for the white flag. Gunderson never faltered and scored his first Duffy. The ground strap connector broke on St. Our’s motor failing at just the wrong moment. Miles Maroney had no wrong moments today and drove a spectacular race for a 2nd place finish. Although Branden Underwood’s transponder fell off on the parade lap, he too had a quality run finishing on another Junior podium in 3rd place.
Today’s Senior Superbox eagle went to none other than Neil McCoy. McCoy and Michael Varela were the class of the field in the Prefinal, finishing 1-2 and setting the stage for the final. Joey Licata Jr. ran solidly in 3rd place for most of the laps, finishing off his nationals with another trip to the podium. Up front the #99 and #98 were the only two karts who led this thing. McCoy’s Duffy had eluded him all week and this kid was well over due to have one of his own. Varela raced him clean and hard, but just didn’t have enough to keep McCoy denied for another day. Varela took his second trip to the podium today with a fine 2nd place finish.
Day 4, the final day, is Saturday. I’m afraid the entries are not spectacular so it won’t be much of a race report. Hopefully we get one or two classes with enough entries to make it halfway interesting.
Day 3 Final Results |
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