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| December 29, 2007 News |
| EKN Trackside: WKA Daytona KartWeek - Friday Pit Notes |
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The World Karting Association Daytona KartWeek officially got underway today at the Daytona International Speedway with a full day of practice for the George Kugler/Bridgestone Manufacturer’s Cup Series and the Dunlop Tire Road Racing Series - both driven by Mazda. The Margay Sprint Championships is soaring over 600 entries and continuing to rise while the Elite Karting Championships numbers increased with a busy registration building Friday morning.
The Man. Cup drivers introduced themselves to the reconfigured course with a longer backstraight with a right hand final corner, eliminating the S turn leading onto the front stretch. The new section caused some learning curves for many drivers, as dropping wheels on the exit of the new corner was a common scene. Speaking with Man. Cup regulars Brandon Adkins and Mark Dismore Jr., the new section will provide better racing to the checkered flag. With the numbers and 19 classes, practice time was limited with classes getting roughly three sessions on the day.
The big track had a slow day, with numerous red flags slowing up the day. One factor was turn six, leading onto the oval section from the infield section where a large bump upset many karts during the day, including Tod Spaude of TS Racing. The kart shop owner was practicing his TaG kart when he hit the bump and went for a ride that resulted in some broken and some compressed vertebrae. Laydowns were also having trouble as Unlimited driver Ron Miller wrecked in the same spot with the front end damage resulted in an injured ankle. Race officials address the area and hopefully will end the trouble spot.
The Man. Cup held their 2007 Banquet during the evening at the Daytona 500 Club alongside Victory Lane. The 2007 class champions were all honored, including two new Triple Crown honorees - Cody Robinson and Sage Karam (who was not in attendance). Other special awards were given during the night, including the Loren Niehaus Award of Distinction, presented by John Doonan of Mazda, to Mark Dismore Sr. Most Improved Senior and Junior Drivers were Jennifer Williams and TJ Koyen. The George Kugler Sportsmanship Award went to Mike Giessen with MRP Motorsport also getting the Loren Niehaus Mechanic of the Year award via Tim Lobaugh. The John Ferris Family was awarded the Karting Family of the Year honor while J3 Competition was the Best Appearing Team.
Saturday’s action gets underway early with practice set to start 8:30am with qualifying to follow on the sprint track while practice starts at the same time with racing beginning around 11am. To discuss the event and watch for continuous updates, visit the Official Discussion Thread in the EKN Forums. |
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