Ryan Norberg won two of the X30 Pro heats to score pole position for main event (Photo: EKN)

A ‘Situation Saturday’ for the 2024 United States Pro Kart Series at the penultimate event of the season. Heat races were contested for the Ohio Grand Prix on Saturday at the Motorsports Country Club of Cincinnati. The weather was perfect for racing, with a consistent breeze and temperature in the low 80s, a much welcomed condition after the humid weekends prior at the Club. It was a busy day of action with three rounds of heats for the seven IAME categories.

Three-time defending champion Ryan Norberg (RPG / Kosmic) overcame the outside front row starting spot in the heat races for the Rolison Performance Group X30 Pro category to win twice on the day. The first heat was a win over Alessandro de Tullio (Inter MS / Kart Republic) with top qualifier Brandon Carr (Trinity / Kart Republic) down to third. The second heat was Carr putting the pressure on Norberg after the defending champ held the outside line around the opening corner. It was the winning move with Norberg first, Carr second and de Tullio in third. The third heat, however, saw de Tullio slip past from third on the grid into the lead as Carr was shuffled back. Norberg ran second as the fight for third was heated throughout the race. Carr attempted to climb back but an aggressive move on championship leader Austin Garrison (SCR / CS55) took both drivers out of the race. Pauly Massimino (BJR / LN Racing Kart) held off last year’s winner Harley Keeble (Inter MS / Kart Republic) for the spot. Norberg and de Tullio will start front the front row with Massimino and Keeble on row two. Carr and Garrison – who was fourth, fourth and 18th – start from row three.

James Overbeck was one of three drivers to win twice in the KA100 Senior heat races (Photo: EKN)

Three drivers won the six heat races for the Brandon Jarsocrak Racing KA100 Senior division. Top qualifier and championship contender AJ Myers (Magik Kart USA) won his opening two rounds of heat before having a spark plug boot detach in the third to record a DNF. James Overbeck won his first heat, finished third, and won the final heat to have a better score than Cameron Weinberg (CDR / Kart Republic). Weinberg went fourth, first, first to wrap up his day, and will start from the outside of the front row alongside Overbeck. Fernando Luque (Supertune / Tony Kart) was second place in all three heat races and will start the main event in third. Javier Herrera (CRG Nordam) had his best performance of the season after qualifying 10th overall on Friday to finish fifth, second and second. He is slated for the outside of row two. Championship leader Cooper Shipman (IRM / Tony Kart) stayed out of trouble all day with three top-five results. It dropped him from second in qualifying to starting fifth in the Final alongside Eli Warren (Redspeed). With the DNF, Myers will start seventh on Sunday.

Turner Brown starts from pole position in both KA100 Junior and X30 Junior (Photo: EKN)

Turner Brown (RPG / Kosmic) will start both Junior main events from the pole position. He won two of his heat races in the BBS Race Engines KA100 Junior category. Alexander Vanchev (Sodi Kart USA) and Wisconsin GP winner Amador Martinez (RPG / Kosmic) won the opening round of heat races. Brown and Davin Roberts (RPM / Tony Kart) took the wins in round two. Championship leader and top qualifier Sebastian Garzon (Orsolon / Tony Kart) and Brown won the third round of heats. Brown and Garzon – with two runner-up results – earned the front row starting positions. Martinez and Roberts will go from row two with Vanchev and two-time winner Enzo Vidmontiene (Trinity / Kart Republic) starting on row three.

Two more heat wins in the Speed Concepts Racing X30 Junior class put Brown (RPG / Kosmic) on the pole position for its main event on Sunday. Top qualifier Brown won the opening two heat before Enzo Vidmontiene (Trinity / Kart Republic) was able to take the top spot in the final moto. Brown and Vidmontiene fill up the front row for tomorrow while championship leader Diego Ardiles (SCR / CS55) spent the day improving from qualifying seventh to finish fourth, third and third. It puts him third on the grid for the Final alongside Sarah Bradley (SCR / Sodi Kart) with three top-five results on the day. Max Weiland (Magik Kart USA) and Tristan Murphy (Supertune USA / Tony Kart) are set to start from row three.

Championship leader Niki Coello won two of the heat races in KA100 Masters (Photo: EKN)

KA100 Masters presented by Nash Motorsportz saw championship leader Niki Coello (FMS / Merlin) win two of the heat races to improve up to the pole position for the main event. The opening heat saw Coello and other involved in a turn one incident, however, he was able to climb back up to fifth as local driver Andy Kutscher (Redspeed) beat out Clay Settles (Top Kart) and top qualifier Robby Bujdoso (Magik Kart USA) for the race win. Coello kept it clean the rest of the day, winning Heat #2 over Bujdoso and Heat #3 ahead of championship contender Laurentiu Mardan (Tecno Kart USA). Coello is joined on the front row tomorrow by Bujdoso with Kutscher and Settles in row two. Mardan starts from row three alongside Miguel Mier (Orsolon / Tony Kart).

A sweep of the heat races by Rocco Simone in Mini Swift (Photo: EKN)

It was a wild day in the Sodi Racing USA Mini Swift category, with all three races ending with the same driver in first. Rocco Simone (Trinity / Kart Republic) came from fourth in all three heat races to claim the win and the pole position for Sunday’s main event. Royce Vega (Team Benik) was second in the opening heat race, until multiple penalties dropped him down to 20th and moved championship contender Parker Ives (RPM / Nitro Kart) up to second. Simone won Heat #2 in a wild finish, holding off a charging Ben Gleberman (RPM / Nitro Kart) by 37 thousandths. Simone was able to get away from the field in the third heat for an uncontested win as championship leader Ashton Woon (Supertune / Parolin) recorded his best finish of the day in second. Woon suffered a DNF in the opening heat with electrical issues, while getting shuffled out in the second. He will go from P14 in the main event. Up front, Simone and Gleberman start from the front row ahead of Marco Sammut (BJR / LN Racing Kart) and JohnJohn McLellan (Nash / Energy) – who had bets finishes of fourth and seventh on the day. Top qualifier Josh Bergman (Trinity / Kart Republic) had an electrical issue in the opening heat, and then finished a best of third to start fifth for the main event alongside Mikha Barroukh (Sodi Racing USA).

Two wins in Micro Swift by championship leader Zayne Burgess (Photo: EKN)

Championship leader in the Team Ferris Racing Micro Swift class – Zayne Burgess (Sodi Racing USA) – won two of the heat races to earn the pole position for Sunday. Burgess qualified seventh and worked up to the win in the opening heat. The second moto was won by Cameron Johnson (FMS / Merlin) as he was able to run away from the fighting field. Burgess ended up fourth before winning the final heat ahead of Texas GP winner Migual Manzano Suarez (RPG / Kosmic). Suarez had a second in the opening heat but a DQ in tech in Heat #2 puts him down to 11th on the grid for Sunday. Johnson, the top qualifier, will now start from outside row one with Marcelo Flores (SLA / Kart Republic) and Lawrence Peremen (BJR / LN Racing Kart) in row two. Starting from row three will be Leo Simone (Trinity / Kart Republic) and Mauro Nario (Orsolon / Parolin).

Follow the coverage all day Sunday on the EKN Social Media accounts including the top-10 results after each main event and listen to the racing action by heading to the EKN Live page or tune in on the EKN Radio Network.

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