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| September 15, 2007 News |
| EKN Trackside: Stars of Karting - West #3 - Saturday Report |
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 | Gary Carlton clinched the West ICC title with his victory Saturday
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
On the last three trips to Moran Raceway in Beaumont, CA, the Stars of Karting series has encountered rain on at least one day of each weekend. This year’s race has set a new standard for the Western stop, as clear blue skies have been the highlight from the opening day. The dry weather opened up the chance for great racing and the main events certainly delivered. Reigning ICC champion Gary Carlton (CRG) scored another victory, although this time he needed to battle with Jordy Vorrath (Intrepid) and David Jurca (Italkart) after they both jumped ahead at the green flag. In ICA, attrition was again the factor as only five cars finished, leaving James Kennedy (Sodikart) to motor through for the triumph. The Western Championship races saw two drivers clinch the crowns while the other three categories tightened, making Sunday’s events the key.
ICC
The excitement of the ICC battle was fueled early as the Gatorz Pole qualifying session was a wild one. With a majority of the top drivers waiting until halfway through the session to take to the 1.1 mile track, the action heated up quickly when new Leading Edge Motorsports recruit Lorenzo Mandarino (Intrepid) laid down a 1:01.138 to set the early pace. Things changed when reigning champion and Western Division point leader Gary Carlton (CRG) kicked it up with what would be the fastest lap, a smoking 1:00.820 that was just two-tenths off the existing track record. Jordy Vorrath (Intrepid) made it exciting in the late going, putting down a 1:00.866 in the final minutes to jump to second, just 0.046 seconds off Carlton’s pace. The Canadian kept at it, but just couldn’t find that little more that he needed to steal away the pole. David Jurca (Italkart) was third in the order, just ahead of Fritz Leesmann (CRG), who also came on strong in the late going to lay down his best lap. Mandarino’s time held up for fifth, while Jurca’s Italian Motors teammate Hayden Duerson (Italkart) was sixth. Matt Jaskol (Topkart), Alan Rudolph (First Kart), Ryan Yop (Sodikart) and Jon Allen (GP) rounded out the top-10.
Vorrath grabbed the holeshot to take the lead heading into turn one as the field bunched in behind him. Working the course on the first lap, Carlton missed a shift exiting turn 11 and shuffled everyone behind him, allowing Vorrath to pull out a few kart lengths as they crossed the stripe for the first time. It took some time, but Carlton was eventually able to reel in Vorrath and then drafted by heading into turn one. The rest was history as he pulled out to a one-second lead. Jurca closed the gap on Vorrath to finish third with Leesmann and Duerson rounding out the top five.
Vorrath again was fast off the line to start the main, getting the jump on Carlton from the outside of row one to lead the field into one. Jurca followed Vorrath and got by Carlton through turn one as well, pushing the defending champion back to third in the opening lap while Leesmann and Duerson completed the early top five. It didn’t last long as Carlton used his SwedeTech Maxter power to get by Jurca on the main straight heading into turn one. Re-focusing on the leader, Carlton caught and then overtook Vorrath the next time by. There was more action occurring during the early laps, as Andrew Zimmer (Italkart) went off-track and into the tires exiting turn four, throwing an errant tire into the lead group that was entering the Bus Stop complex. Jon Allen (GP) and Ryan Yop were the unfortunate drivers who encountered the roadblock, getting collected by the rolling rubber to end their days.
Up front, Carlton continued to run fast laps as he stretched out the gap on Vorrath. The driver on the move was Leesmann, who had attacked up to third. While it looked like Leesmann was set to fight Vorrath for the runner-up position, the top three would run unchanged for the remainder of the 22-lap distance to take his fifth West Coast win to clinch the Western Division championship. Jurca finished fourth in the final tally behind Vorrath and Leesmann, while Mandarino moved up to fifth in his debut with Leading Edge Motorsports.
 | James Kennedy took his first ICA win of the 2007 season
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
ICA
Nick Tonkin (Birel) was the first driver to assume the point in ICA qualifying, but James Kennedy (Sodi Kart) came calling quickly to move to P1. However, a majority of the big guns remained on the grid for the opening minutes of the session, which resulted in some major shuffling midway through the time period. Tyler Dueck (Intrepid) was first to assume the lead position, but the drafting trio of David Jurca (Italkart), Michael Hogg (Italkart) and Scott Jenkins (Intrepid) were picking up speed quickly, eventually moving to the top. Jenkins ran at the tail of the trio and used the draft to post the fastest time with a 1:02.451, but Dueck was closing on the group as well and immediately dropped the Gatorz Pole to a 1:02.357. Jenkins would not make it to the checker after making contract with Jurca in turn two, ending his run in the tire barrier after having logged the second quickest time. Victor Cabrera (Kosmic) came on late in the session to take third, ahead of Hogg and Jurca. Following the session, the order was shuffled when Stars officials made the ruling to put Jenkins behind Jurca to start the Prefinal, moving Cabrera to second, Hogg to third and Jurca to fourth.
Dueck got the jump on the field at the Prefinal green while Jenkins moved up to second from his fifth place starting spot on the first lap. Hogg, Jurca, and Wehrheim rounded out the early top five. On lap three, Jenkins made the pass for the lead heading into turn one after getting a great run down the frontstraight. The Brit then began to pull away as the rest of the field caught up to Dueck to begin a great battle for second. As Dueck, Hogg and Jurca battled, Cabrera caught them through the laps. At the halfway mark, Dueck’s motor expired after the spark plug electrode broke, allowing Hogg to take over second. Cabrera then marched his way to the runner-up position, getting by both Jurca and Hogg on consecutive laps. Jenkins would cruise through to take a comfortable win over Cabrera, Hogg, Jurca, and Kennedy. At the scales, however, Jenkins was underweight and was removed from the classifications, giving Cabrera the pole position for the main event with Hogg set to start outside row one.
Unfortunately, it was another attrition-filled ICA main event with only five drivers making it to the checkered flag. Problems arose for Jurca, who was scheduled to start third, as engine troubles forced him to pull into pit lane. Cabrera led the field for the opening lap followed by Hogg, Cody Jolly (CRG), Chris Wehrheim (Top Kart) and Kennedy. By the end of lap one, Jenkins had moved up to ninth after starting 17th, and he was pushing hard. On lap four, Hogg got inside of Cabrera, dropping him to fourth in front of the charging Jenkins. The duo then got together in the far end of the track, ending both of their races.
During the same lap, Jolly was on the move and stole the top spot from Hogg. The twosome ran 1-2 while Dueck continued his advance, moving to third from 15th, closing in on the leaders in the process. Dueck was certainly catching the lead duo, that is, until his throttle snapped, forcing him to drive the kart with one hand. He finally pulled in with just two laps left, classifying him in sixth. While Dueck was hanging on, Kennedy had worked himself into second behind Hogg, until his engine also lost power. This handed Kennedy the lead and the eventual win as he crossed the line 2.574 seconds ahead of Jolly. Wehrheim took care of his powerplant and finished third with Jacob Neal (CRG) - nursing sore ribs - in fourth ahead of Pat Ianucci, putting a second Sodi Kart in the top five.
Neal now leads the Western Division standings heading into Sunday, although with only an eight-point advantage over Cody Jolly with the drop included in the calculations. Nick Tonkin (Birel) sits third in the order while Dueck is 30 points back of the lead.
 | Colin Katzakian earned his second straight Stars win in Spec Racer
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
Spec Racer
The Western Division Spec Racer point race took a turn early when Conor Daly (Top Kart) laid down the fastest lap of the 15-minute Gatorz Pole Qualifying session to take the inside of the front row for the Prefinal. The Eastern Division champ turned a 1:04.795 to lead the 29-kart field, putting himself in the hunt for the West title as well. Daly sat fourth in points coming to Moran, 18 markers behind championship leader Chris Scribner (Tony Kart), who struggled in qualifying with the 23rd fastest time. Top SoCal star Neil McCoy (Topkart) was second in the order, ahead of Utah winners Colin Katzakian (Intrepid) and Joey Licata Jr. (Biesse). Track owner Rocky Moran Jr. (Birel) rounded out the top-five.
The Spec Racer Prefinal did not make it to two laps as the red flag came out for an accident in turn four, one that saw Andrew Withers (CRG) need medical attention. On the restart following a 30-minute repair time, McCoy led the field to the green flag with the rest of the field running close to his bumper. After the opening laps, the front was shuffled after a small pile-up in turn 10, moving Jody Collins (CRG) up from fifth to second. It also allowed McCoy to scoot away to a large lead. When the checkered flag fell, McCoy had a three-second advantage over Collins with Katzakian, Michael Self (Arrow), and Licata rounding out the top five.
After two failed attempts, the Race Director made the front two rows swap positions and the Spec Racer Final got underway. Daly (accident) and Collins (engine problems), two drivers who were running up front for most of the day, were out early. Katzakian led the way at the start as the rest of the field began to shuffle itself in behind with three-wide action becoming the norm heading into turn one. Self was the first to dictate a lead change, stealing the top spot on lap four as McCoy, Licata, and Katzakian ran closely together. Three laps later, McCoy became the third leader of the race as he was able to work by Self. The group continued to battle hard until Self lost his right rear tire around corner two, mixing up the lead group and allowing McCoy to pull out to a comfortable lead.
Katzakian then inherited the second spot and continued to push hard when the gap began to shrink each lap. McCoy looked to be in trouble, as he continued to look down at his brake system as the laps wound down. During this time, Katzakian continued to close. With two laps to go, McCoy’s advantage was down to zero, as the leader was continuing to slow. McCoy fought to been Katzakian behind until on the last lap when the two got side-by-side heading into turn 10. McCoy would not back down and spun off into the dirt. This allowed Katzakian to cruise to his second straight Stars of Karting checkered flag, following up his win at Miller Motorsport Park. Championship contender Devon Sandeen (Intrepid) moved up to second as a result while Licata dropped back to third. Joey Wimsett (Intrepid) and Nick Freytag (Sodi Kart) had solid runs to finish inside the top five. McCoy was able to get back on track to finish 11th with no brakes being discovered as the cause of his problems in the late stages.
Sandeen now heads into Sunday leading the championship by 20 points over Scribner with Zach Beard (First Kart) just 10 points behind. Katzakian and Licata - despite missing the Race of the Americas event - now move to fourth and fifth.
 | Miles Maroney took his first Stars win in a dramatic JICA final
(Photo: Go Racing Magazine) |
JICA
DPK-Birel driver Taylor Miinch put his stamp on the JICA category early, taking the Gatorz Pole with a fast time just four laps into the session. Turning consistent, 1:05s, Miinch posted a 1:05.1 to move to the top of the chart, eventually lowering his pace to a 1:05.025 to win the pole. Branden Underwood (Topkart) was second in the order, turning his quickest time late in the session with a 1:05.124. Miles Maroney (CRG) has been running very well all weekend and found himself at the pointy end of the grid once again, this time finishing up in third at the end of the 15-minute session. First Kart USA teammates Phil DeLaO and Brendan Langlois rounded out the fast five. JICA point leader Gustavo Menezes (Tony Kart) was ninth in the order.
Miinch grabbed the hole shot at the drop of the green and went on to lead all 12 laps of the JICA Prefinal. Maroney was second until dropping a wheel off, slipping back to fifth on lap three. Underwood closed the gap in the final laps to cross the stripe on Miinch’s bumper, setting up the fight in the Final. Maroney battled back to get by both Langlois and DeLaO to finish third.
The JICA Final was as dramatic as it could get. The race began with a few drivers getting together mid-pack, sending Scott Rossi (Intrepid) into the tires outside turn one. Miinch got a strong launch and would lead the field across the stripe to complete the first lap with Maroney and Langlois close behind. They ran that way for the first seven laps until Maroney got a great draft down the frontstraight to make the pass for the lead heading into turn one. Next on the move was Langlois, trying to make his bid for the Western JICA title, first getting by Miinch for second and a few laps later drafting by Maroney for the lead with six laps to go. As they shuffled, Underwood also caught up to the lead pack, making it a four-kart battle. Underwood was given third after Maroney dropped a wheel exiting a corner and then he worked by Miinch for second the following lap. Underwood was the man on the move.
Langlois then began his defense of the top spot, running a tight line down the front straight with the white flag being displayed. The Canadian held the lead heading into the final corner and Underwood would make contract with Langlois, pushing him wide, allowing Maroney to slide inside of the top two and steal the win at the line. Underwood crossed the line second while Miinch edged Langlois for third. Post-race contact induced by Langlois at Underwood at the scales forced the Stars officials to remove Langlois from the results, advancing Masters and DeLaO into the top five.
With his seventh place result, Menezes clinched the Western Championship and will now look to improve his overall point total on Sunday, setting up for the National Finals in Las Vegas in mid-October.
 | Camden Geise was awarded the Cadet win
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Cadet
Tyler Thomas (Top Kart) and Mason Chelootz (Intrepid) took to the track together for Cadet qualifying and they laid down some great laps with Thomas posting a 1:12.610 in the early going to set the time to beat. No one was able to match the time, although a quick group of drivers including Dylan Kwasniewski (Tony Kart), Santino Ferrucci (S-1) and Sage Karam (Birel).
Chelootz had engine trouble on the grid and was unable to make the Prefinal, moving the outside line up one row. After a great Cadet battle up front, the two championship contenders had a photo finish after the nine laps with Thomas getting the edge by 0.017s over Karam. Camden Geise nipped fellow Top Kart drivers Jacob Will (Top Kart) and Murray for third with the top five crossing the line with 0.25seconds.
The Cadet Final was the Thomas-Karam show once again as they broke away from the field to a comfortable gap on the battle for third. Thomas paced Karam around the 1-mile circuit for most of the race until the white flag was shown and Karam made his move heading into turn one. Thomas looked inside the next few corners until getting side-by-side the leader heading into right-hand hairpin turn ten. As the duo came around the corner, there appeared to be contact, which sent Karam off the track as he was forced to shortcut onto the backstraight. This battle allowed Ferrucci and Geise to join the fight. Karam re-entered the track in fourth as they all came around the final corners. Heading down for the checkered, Ferrucci got a run out of the last corner to pull alongside Thomas for a photo finish, with the Top Kart driver getting the edge by 0.013s at the line.
Following the event, the Stars officials made a few rulings regarding on-track action, moving Thomas behind Karam for their contact and Ferrucci behind Tristan DeGrand (Kosmic) as a penalty an early altercation that ended DeGrand’s run. Geise moved to the top spot on the podium as a result, advancing Karam up to second as well. Chelootz drove from last to be classified fourth behind Thomas, while Murray rounded out the top five.
Karam maintain his hold on the top spot in the championship by just 25 points over Thomas with the drop calculated in, and he needs to finish fifth or better if Thomas is to win on Sunday. Geise sits 55 points out of first, still in the hunt. |
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