Phil Giebler Racing’s Carter Williams drove to his first feature victory in S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto, Cody Hodgson finished second in S1 Pro Stock Moto and Vatche Tatikian was third in TaG Master in the season opener of the Superkarts! USA California ProKart Challenge at Buttonwillow Raceway Park’s .69-mile kart track Saturday.

PGR had three more top-10 feature finishes with Nicky Hays fifth in TaG Junior, Dustin Salaveria seventh in TaG Cadet and Gino Alfonso-Macauley 10^th in TaG Senior.

“It’s a great start to the season,” team owner Giebler said. “Carter and Cody drove the new 2015 FA Karts the entire weekend and loved them. The updates have been great and the new karts proved to work well in the wet and dry.

“Carter overcame a mechanical problem in his heat that put him at the back of the field in a combined S1/S2 race and drove up to third overall and won S2. Cody had a strong performance from qualifying to the feature and Vatche was the fastest qualifier and won both heats. All the drivers did well to adapt to all the changing conditions. They learned a lot, I’m proud how we worked together as a team this weekend.”

Williams of Clovis, Calif., was the fast qualifier in S2 and second in the combined S1/S2 field and won his first heat and was third overall. His carburetor came loose in the second heat and he dropped out on the third lap, putting him 13^th on the grid for the 15-lap feature.

It had been dry for the first practice Saturday, but rained the rest of the day.

“Most people do not like driving in the rain, but I actually enjoy it and do well in it,” Williams said. “I managed to get up to fourth overall and first in S2 by lap eight and brought it home third in the combined class. The weekend went great and I believe it was a big step in the right direction. I am looking forward to Willow Springs (Lancaster, Calif.) for the next PKC event (March 6-7) to see what I can do in dry conditions.”

Hodgson of Escalon, Calif., was the fast qualifier in S1 and won both heats.

“Cody won his heats in very impressive fashion,” Giebler said. “He raced very well in the feature, too.”

Tatikian of North Hollywood, Calif., led the opening laps in TaG Senior, dropped to sixth and recovered to take third.

“Vatche had the rear axle lock up under braking into the second corner on the sixth lap while leading by five seconds,” Giebler said. “He won his first heat by 17.443 seconds and the second by 17.725 in only 10 laps. He’ll get his first win very soon.”

Hays of Huntington Beach, Calif., was the fast qualifier in TaG Junior and finished fifth in both heats.

Salaveria of San Francisco finished 15^th and 18^th in his heats and started midpack in the 8-lap TaG Cadet feature. His seventh place was the top finish for a rookie.

“Dustin raced extremely well to get up to seventh in the feature,” Giebler said.

Alfonso-Macauley of Northridge, Calif., completed only two laps in his first heat and finished 19^th, rebounded to 12^th in the second heat and took 10^th in the feature.

“Gino had a positive weekend and learned a ton in a deep TaG Senior field to finish 10^th in a difficult race,” Giebler said. “It was a good starting point for the year.”

Dodge of Canyon Lake, Calif., qualified in eighth position in a split session, but completed only one lap in one heat and none in the feature.

“Aden had a rough weekend,” Giebler said. “He was hit from behind on the first lap in the featue and it knocked off his chain.”

Owned by the 2007 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, Phil Giebler Racing is based in Anaheim, Calif., and competes nationally at the highest level of karting in the United States. Giebler is a resident of Huntington Beach, Calif. The team uses Fernando Alonso and Tony Karts and is a major dealer of OTK brands FA Kart, Tony Kart, Kosmic and Exprit.

For more information, go to www.philgieblerracing.com.

Feature results for Phil Giebler Racing, Superkarts USA! California ProKart Challenge at Buttonwillow, Calif., Feb. 7: S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto—1. Carter Williams, Clovis, Calif.; S1 Pro Stock Moto—2. Cody Hodgson, Escalon, Calif.; TaG Master—3. Vatche Tatikian, North Hollywood, Calif.; TaG Junior—5. Nicky Hays, Huntington Beach, Calif.; TaG Cadet—7. Dustin Salaveria, San Francisco, T35. (DNF) Aden Dodge (Canyon Lake, Calif.; TaG Senior—10. Gino Alfonso-Macauley, Northridge, Calif.

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