In March, Briggs & Stratton announced the ‘Briggs Weekly Racing Series presented by RLV’ program for the grassroots Briggs LO206 racers across North America. The premise is to match up racers against other racers at tracks from the same state, the same region, and the entire continent. While Briggs presented the WRS to tracks all over the country, the ultimate responsibility was put on the racers to have their own track or club series sign up for program, and in return both the tracks and racers would receive a prizes at the end of the season, including many of the great products produced by Briggs & Stratton.

The format is simple. A racer must compete in the Senior or Masters LO206 category at ONE recognized Briggs WRS tracks or series, racing in at least eight events in the calendar year before November 1, all in accordance to the Briggs & Stratton rule set. Each track must be a sanctioned facility in good standing with WKA, IKF, NKA, TAG USA or AKRA. The Senior or Masters LO206 classes must follow the Briggs & Stratton factory rule set in its entirety with no exceptions (in Canada, the official ASN rule set). The track must submit a maximum of 11 race dates (including rain dates), and the final results within one week following said events.

Points are accumulated based on the first eight races attended, with the best seven of eight counted at the end of the season. Both Senior and Masters drivers compete head-to-head in the standings. Points are based on three categories:

Category 1 – Quantity of karts participating in the class. The scale is 1 point to 10 points, based on the number of karts. More than 10 karts is still 10 points.

Category 2 – Finishing position. First place equates to 10 points down to 10th place or above at 1 point.

Category 3 – Number of karts finished ahead of (maximum is 10 karts).

The three US regional winners and one Canadian champion will be crowned at the end of the season. Each champion will be awarded an 8,000-watt Briggs & Stratton Generator (worth $2,400). Second through fifth in each region receive a 3,000-watt PowerSmart Inverter Generator ($1,500 value). Sixth through eighth are awarded a 2,000-watt PowerSmart Inverter Generator ($699 value), while ninth and tenth will earn a 2,300psi Briggs & Stratton Brute Pressure Washer ($350 value).

The Top Track Award is based on the total points added together from the top 75 racers in each region. Each of the Top Track Award recipients in the four regions will be awarded $2,000 worth of Briggs & Stratton powered equipment for their facility. In total, over $50,000 will be awarded at the end of the Briggs & Stratton Weekly Racing Series presented by RLV.

For complete standings and information, visit briggswrs.com.

West

At just 14 tracks, the West regional of the Briggs & Stratton Weekly Racing Series presented by RLV welcomed 360 drivers on the season taking part in the program. The most populated track in 2015 was a tie between Kinsmen Kart Club in California and PGP Motorsports Park in Washington with 46 drivers each. The ‘Top’ Track honors however takes the top-50 finishers and calculates the total score for each facility. That went to the Utah Kart Championship at the Miller Motorsports Park, receiving $2,000 in Briggs-powered product for their facility infrastructure. Neither KKC or PGP had a driver reach the top-10 in the driver standings, with Utah, Gulf Coast Karters in Texas and Atwater Kart Club in California helping produce the top drivers that equated to an average age of 35. Utah’s Ryan Pool ripped off enough points to come in as the top driver in the West for 2015.

1. Ryan Pool
   Points: 191
   Track: Utah Kart Championship
   Prize: Briggs & Stratton 8,000 Watt Generator

Age: 44
Hometown: South Jordan, Utah
Occupation: Realtor
Chassis: Margay Ignite
Sponsor: MSquared Racing
Years Karting: 16
2015 Accomplishments: Utah Kart Championships 4-Stroke Senior Champion
2016 Goals: Spend time with wife and four daughters while racing karts as often as possible

2. Robert Schneider
   Points: 179
   Track: Gulf Coast Karters
   Prize: P3000 PowerSmart Inverter Generator

Age: 34
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Occupation: Mechanical Engineer, Owner of Schneider Precision
Chassis: 2005 Intrepid Suzuka
Sponsor: Schneider Precision
Years Karting: 1.5
2015 Accomplishments: 2015 Gulf Coast Karters LO206 Spring Series Champion, 2015 Gulf Coast Karters LO206 Fall Series Champion, 2015 Gulf Coast Karters LO206 Annual High Points Champion, Texas Sprint Racing Series LO206 Senior – 3rd place
2016 Goals: Finish higher in the Briggs Weekly Racing Series and start competing in the local TaG racing division

3. Jerry Van Deusen
   Points: 172
   Track: Atwater Kart Club
   Prize: P3000 PowerSmart Inverter Generator

Age: 34
Hometown: Turlock, California
Occupation: Dairy Service Tech
Chassis: 2003 Invader Proworks
Sponsor: None
Years Karting: 25
2015 Accomplishments: Atwater LO206 Champion
2016 Goals: Race at club program with my Briggs LO206

4. Chris Watts
   Points: 171
   Track: Gulf Coast Karters
   Prize: P3000 PowerSmart Inverter Generator

Age: 47
Hometown: Cypress, Texas
Occupation: Software Consultant
Chassis: CRG Torq 4-Cycle
Sponsor: Rick Gero, RPM Racekarts
Years Karting: 4
2015 Accomplishments: I converted from running my older CRG KT1 with a clone to a new CRG Torq with a LO206 which is owned by a good friend and ex-racer Rick Gero. I raced with Rick during the previous year and he decided that he enjoys tuning more than driving and he graciously offered to let me drive his shiny new kart for 2015 season. While this has made my race day wrenching a bit easier (limiting my tuning to only my sons Rotax Junior and my wife’s clone (which is now also a LO206)), it has added its own pressure as I admit that I always want a good result for my kart owner. As a note, Rick Gero is a retired NHRA pro-stock motorcycle racer that was a national AMA champion as well as a winner of the coveted NHRA “Wally” award. – No pressure here to perform. We have had one of those years that is best described as “up and down” which I believe is tied to the learning curve involved in becoming acquainted with a new chassis, motor and clutch. We have set track records on a race weekend and then struggled to qualify mid-pack on others which I believe speaks to the competitive nature of the Briggs racing format. Our club Gulf Coast Karting (GCKI) has done a great job managing what is now a full transition from the clone to the LO206 and we consistently have 10 to 16 racers on any given club race weekend. The club has also introduced a Ladies 4-stroke class which now has some of our wives/girlfriends/daughters/moms now proving that they too can get around the track pretty quickly. For me, I have always been a wannabe racer and karting has allowed me to share that passion with my family and friends. As for the WRS series and points, I had only checked my standing a few times during the year and it had been a while since I last looked. Needless to say I was surprised to see your email but happy – just the same. It’s always good to win!
2016 Goals: I will be continuing the partnership with Rick Gero and I fully intend to improve my performance over the previous year. We have learned a lot about tuning the Torq chassis and the LO206 and I hope that we can better utilize that information to gain greater consistency. The Watts family will clearly be driving for wins next year and most importantly, will be spending a lot of time together sharing a sport that we all enjoy.

5. Alieja White
   Points: 163
   Track: Atwater Kart Club
   Prize: P3000 PowerSmart Inverter Generator

Age: 17
Hometown: Fresno, California
Occupation: Senior at Edison High School
Chassis: 2015 CRG Torque RS-5
Sponsor: Fresno Crankshaft, PKS
Years Karting: 11
2015 Accomplishments: Kerman Kart Club LO206 champion (Central California Karting Association), 2nd – Atwater Kart Club, 4th – KPX Championship
2016 Goals: To participate in all of the SKUSA California ProKart Challenge running S2 and Briggs LO206 in KPX Championship.

6. Andy Nish
   Points: 162
   Track: Utah Kart Championship
   Prize: P2000 PowerSmart Inverter Generator

Age: 17
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Occupation: Student / Stage Technician
Chassis: Tony Kart
Sponsor: 10
Years Karting: Royal Purple, Bell Helmets, Industrial Supply, Mothers Polishes, Loctite
2015 Accomplishments: 2nd – Utah Karting Championship
2016 Goals: To win the Utah Karting Championship in the Briggs LO206 Senior class

7. Billy Lowery
   Points: 154
   Track: Utah Kart Championship
   Prize: P2000 PowerSmart Inverter Generator

Age: 17
Hometown: Heber City, Utah
Occupation: Student
Chassis: 2008 CRG KT11
Sponsor: Dad, Yardley Racing
Years Karting: 2
2015 Accomplishments: 3rd – Utah Kart Championship
2016 Goals: Undecided

8. Richard Fine
   Points: 150
   Track: Utah Kart Championship
   Prize: P2000 PowerSmart Inverter Generator

Age: 48
Hometown: Park City, Utah
Occupation: Real Estate Agent
Chassis: Tony Kart Krypton
Sponsor: FineProperty.com
Years Karting: 15
2015 Accomplishments: Switched my son and I from Rotax to Briggs early in the season for more competition.
2016 Goals: New chassis and switch to Briggs Senior for even more competition

9. Barry Peel
   Points: 146
   Track: Gulf Coast Karters
   Prize: Briggs & Stratton 2,300 PSK Brute Pressure Washer

Age: 36
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Occupation: Construction Superintendent
Chassis: 2014 DR Kart 4-Stroke
Sponsor: None
Years Karting: 2
2015 Accomplishments: Due to open heart surgery, I was not able to compete in all the races, which put me second in the club points
2016 Goals: Hopefully win top points in Briggs class and race TaG next year.

10. Randy Yates
    Points: 145
    Track: Utah Kart Championship
    Prize: Briggs & Stratton 2,300 PSK Brute Pressure Washer

Age: 56
Hometown: West Jordan, Utah
Occupation: Mechanic
Chassis: Tony Kart
Sponsor: MSquared Karting, JH Precision
Years Karting: 10
2015 Accomplishments: 1st year in Briggs class and enjoyed relaxed atmosphere
2016 Goals: Enjoy it more than I did in 2015

Briggs & Stratton Weekly Racing Series Standings – West – Final

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