THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WORLD KARTING ASSOCIATION
FEBRUARY 2014 VOL. 46, NO. 2
SOLARCZYK, SOUTHERN STAR AT DAYTONA SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS
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o c to b e r 2 0 1 3 - ka rt i n g s c e n e
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WKA MAN CUP
Daytona International Speedway Sprint Track; December 28-30, 2013
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MATT SO J.P. SOUT 4 WINS A SPRINT worldkarting.com
OLARCZYK (#12) & THERN EACH TAKE AT DAYTONA WKA CHAMPIONSHIPS feb 2014 - wka karting scene
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SOUTHERN, SOLARCZYK STAR AT DAYTONA WKA SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS EACH DRIVER NETS 4 WINS AT DIS SPRINT COURSE
sprint competitors continued to battle hard for Margay Sprint Championships victories while the rain fell. Skies cleared Monday morning and the Man Cup Series closed its 2014 opener with dry conditions at the 0.7-mile course.
The Mazda / Bridgestone
Manufacturers Cup Series kicked off its five-race 2014 season between Christmas and New Years at Daytona International Speedway, where the Man Cup was part of the tripleheader event with WKA Speedway Dirt and the National Road Racing Series that makes up World Karting’s biggest event, Daytona KartWeek. Many of the east coast’s best 2-cycle sprint racers – juniors and seniors – attended Daytona for the Margay Sprint Championships, the traditional opener for WKA’s Man Cup Series. Over 400 entrants competed between Sunday and Monday, Dec. 29-30, after a full day of practice Saturday. For the second straight year Mother Nature played a role in the sprint racing at Daytona KartWeek. A mostly dry day for Saturday practice turned into a full day of rain and racing in the wet Sunday. While periods of the day saw the rain stop, track conditions were mostly wet throughout the event’s qualifying, pre-final and final programs.
Two junior drivers had a big KartWeek in Daytona Beach. Virginia’s Matt Solarczyk and Ohio’s John Paul Southern Jr. capitalized on their experience in Junior and Sportsman categories to each score a big four-win KartWeek at The World Center of Racing.
Southern took advantage of the likes of But one of the great attributes to sprint 2013 Triple Crown champion Brandon karting is that the races go on in the rain, Lemke, David Malukas, Zach Holden and and while the Road Racing and Speedway others moving up to the Junior ranks to Dirt programs were halted for Sunday,
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win four of the six Sportsman finals he started. The PCR racer scored wins in three different engine platforms. Southern won Sunday’s Cadet (K80 Comer) main and Yamaha Sportsman 1 and he swept the Komet Sportsman finals.
Cup star and decorated karter A.J. Allmendinger wheeled an Arrow and an FA Kart to feature wins in Sunday’s TaG Senior main and Monday’s Parilla Senior headliner.
Here’s a rundown of the 22 Sprint In the two mains he didn’t win, Southern Championship main events that went still recorded strong top-five finishes with off Sunday and Monday, Dec. 29-30 at a runner-up effort to Devin Boutot in Cadet Daytona. Sportsman 2 and a fourth-place finish in Yamaha Sportsman 2. Solarczyk rode his Birel to a sweep of Yamaha and Komet Junior. The MRP driver, who improved throughout 2013 and scored a couple Man Cup wins down the stretch, really came into his own at Daytona and appears he’ll be one of the drivers to beat in the Southern dominates Sportsman John Paul Southern Jr. fended off a number of talented young drivers to score four wins at Daytona. What’s nearly as impressive is that Southern never finished a final outside the top four, and he scored three Streeter Super Stands Pole Awards, to boot. Junior categories all season. Solarczyk also raced to finishes of second and seventh in the hotly contested new Parilla (TaG) Junior finals. Three racers wheeled their mounts to a pair of KartWeek triumphs at the DIS Sprint Course. New Jersey’s Connor Ferris won both Yamaha Rookie Sportsman finals. Wisconsin’s Patrick Olsen did the same in the Senior Piston Port main events. And NASCAR Sprint feb 2014 - wka karting scene
Southern opened the weekend with a win in MRP / Birel Yamaha Sportsman 1. The Ohio driver dominated the 14-lap contest, crossing the stripe almost seven seconds ahead of second-place Alex Bertagnoli. Drew Lindley took third with Merlin racer Sam Mayer fourth. Lance Fenderson rounded out the top five on his Top Kart. Southern made it two for two in Sunday’s adverse conditions with another convincing win, this time in Komet Sportsman 1. Southern’s PCR crossed the
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finish stripe over seven seconds ahead of the Merlin of Austin Schaff. Sam Mayer was third, Drew Lindley fourth and Jack W Miller rounded out the top five. Southern scored the hat trick in Sunday’s Arai Helmet / Butler Built Cadet Sportsman 1 final. After Devin Boutot edged Southern in the prefinal, Southern returned to dominate the main event, officially winning by nearly a 15-second margin over Boutot. Pauly Massimino was another seven seconds back of Boutot in third, while Jason Welage and Dylan Gennaro filled a spread-out top five. Welage and Gennaro were both more than 32 seconds back of Southern. Southern’s win streak was finally halted in Monday’s first Sportsman main, CRP Racing Yamaha Sportsman 2. Southern actually crossed the stripe first but was penalized four positions for an on-track incident, handing the win to Sunday’s Komet Sportsman runner-up, Austin Schaff.
Southern returned to the top step of the podium in Komet Sportsman 2, which saw the PCR racer sweep the day’s program with the Streeter Pole Award, prefinal win and final triumph. Southern bested Drew Lindley by a 2.2-second advantage for the win. Alex Bertagnoli was third, while James Lynch and Robert Noaker III each scored their first top-five finish of Daytona KartWeek in fourth and fifth. KartWeek’s Sportsman event capper saw Southern and Boutot, who challenged each other throughout the two days of racing at the DIS Sprint Course, go at it again in Grand Products / Top Kart Cadet Sportsman 2. Boutot closed his event on a high note, edging Southern by a mere 0.074 seconds and denying the Ohio driver of a fifth KartWeek triumph.
Boutot’s Tony Kart and Southern’s PCR left the rest of the 16-kart field; Drew Lindley was over four seconds back in third, Lance Fenderson fourth and Tyler Gonzalez. Schaff led WKA Man Cup newcomer Tyler Gonzalez across the stripe. Devin Boutot was third, Southern fourth and Sam Mayer rounded out the top five in the 25-kart field.
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As noted, Southern’s four-win weekend tied him with Matt Solarczyk as the top winner at the Manufacturers Cup event. The 11-year-old Westlake, Ohio, driver thanked a few of his supporters after his big weekend in Daytona. worldkarting.com
“I would like to thank Checkered Motorsports, Woltjer Racing Engines and my family for all the help and support,” J.P. stated. Solarczyk takes four of six in Junior competition When Saturday practice began at the Margay Sprint Championships, the Junior ranks appeared a lot like last year’s Sportsman classes. Brandon Lemke, David Malukas and Zach Holden – 2013’s top-three Junior Sportsman race winners – all moved up to the 12- to 15-year-old Junior ranks to challenge the mid-level Man Cup category.
with a big win in the TSRacing.com Parilla Junior 1 final. Lemke’s triumph made him the first ever Parilla Junior Man Cup winner in the class’s inaugural event with the national 2-cycle series.
Lemke and his Merlin scored the win by 2.7 seconds over Emerson Reed’s Top Kart. Braden Eves had a solid run for third with Abby McLaughlin netting a fine fourthplace result. Florida Tony Kart racer Austin Garrison was fifth in the 23-kart field.
But once the sixth and final checkered flag flew on Junior classes at Daytona, it was Birel pilot and Junior veteran Matt Solarczyk who shined above the rest of the Junior competitors. Solarczyk, of Virginia, won four of the six Junior mains and swept the Komet and Yamaha Junior finals. The weekend marked Solarczyk’s best in Man Cup, and his success flew the Birel flag high with only a handful of red chassis in the Junior fields at Daytona. When main event racing began Sunday afternoon, Lemke earned the upper hand feb 2014 - wka karting scene
Solarczyk’s success began with a very close 0.199-second win over Ohio’s Adam Sturgill in Checkered Motorsports Komet Junior 1. Solarczyk and Sturgill did battle some eight seconds ahead of third-place finisher Alexander Kardashian. Canadian Clay Van Eerd was fourth and Ryan Weyer fifth. Solarczyk swept the Komet Junior 1 program with the Streeter Super Stands Pole Award and prefinal win over
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Sturgill. Twenty-five karts made the call for Woltjer Racing Engines Yamaha Junior 1 to close out Junior competition on race day No. 1. Braden Eves edged Solarczyk in time trials by just 0.002 seconds with Lemke, Malukas and Reed third through fifth.
The class’s eight-lap prefinal saw Solarczyk and Lemke pull away from Malukas with Solarczyk garnering the win by a kart-length over Lemke. In the final it was Malukas’s turn to try and run with the Birel racer. David, a former Birel driver now on a Top Kart, did a good job to hang with Solarczyk but ultimately fell 1.7 seconds short of denying Solarczyk his second win of the day. Reed was third, over nine seconds behind the winner, while Holden and Ryan Norberg rounded out the top five. Monday’s competition opened with Arai Helmet / Butler Built Parilla Junior 2, and the race featured a surprise winner. NonMan Cup regular Austin Garrison wheeled his Tony Kart to the head of the pack after he scored the Streeter Pole Award and won the prefinal over Julia Boos.
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Garrison wouldn’t be denied in the final, earned the big win by nearly two seconds over Solarczyk’s Birel and scored the $500 bonus, posted by Arai and Butler Built, as the best average finisher in Parilla Junior at Daytona. Holden, Malukas and Lemke finished third through fifth behind Garrison and Solarczyk. Lemke and Garrison actually tied for the $500 bonus, but rules stated the better finish in day two’s Parilla Junior final would provide the tie-breaker, thus giving the award to day two winner Garrison.
Solarczyk made easy work of Orlando Kart Center Komet Junior 2, sweeping the class’s program and doing it in convincing fashion. Solarczyk pulled away in the 14-lap main, scoring an easy 7.3-second win over Connecticut’s Tazio Torregiani. Alexander Kardashian was third, Clay Van Eerd fourth and Devin Wojick fifth. worldkarting.com
Solarczyk’s entered the Junior weekend capper – Zero Error Racing Yamaha Junior 2 – looking for win No. 4 on the weekend. And he’d get it in fine fashion, posting another qualifying, prefinal and final sweep over the 25-kart field. Solarcyzk and his No. 12 Birel pulled out to a big 5.7-second win over i-Kart racer Ryan Norberg. Clay Van Eerd earned his third top-five result of KartWeek with his best finish at the event, a third. Holden was fourth and Andre Castro fifth. Allmendinger takes two TaG mains; Boos earns HYTORC $1,000 bonus For almost a decade Daytona KartWeek has provided a host of professional racecar drivers a chance to hone their karting skills during the offseason. Jamie McMurray, A.J. Allmendinger, the late Dan Wheldon and even motorcycle star Scott Russell have all competed and except Russell, have all won at the Daytona Sprint Course.
This year, of the professional racers, only Allmendinger took the Daytona challenge. The NASCAR Sprint Cup star – racing against many drivers about half his age, scored wins in Sunday’s Grand Products TaG Senior 1 and Monday’s HYTORC of Texas Parilla Senior 2. feb 2014 - wka karting scene
Allmendinger opened his KartWeek by riding his KartSport Arrow to a 1.2-second win over Pennsylvania Top Kart racer Mark Boos. Gabby Chaves was third, AJ Myers fourth and Andrew Bujdodo rounded out the top five in the 17-kart field.
Later Sunday Boos flexed his muscle in Franklinkart.com Parilla Senior 1. Boos rode his Top Kart to a one-second victory over Michael Geringer. Streeter Pole Award winner Cal Stewart was third, about three seconds back of the winner. Bujdoso netted his second consecutive top-five result with a fourth-place run. And Chaves did the same by finishing fifth. Thirtythree karts started the race to make it the largest field of the day at the sprint track. Monday’s TaG competition saw Illinois pilot Cal Stewart fend off challenges from Allmendinger to win OTK TaG Senior 2 by a slim 0.138-second gap. AJ Myers was right with the leaders but had to settle for third. Bujdoso once again put his PCR in the top five with a fourth-place result, while Dustin Stross earned his best finish of KartWeek with a fifth-place run. With $1,000 on the line for the best average finisher in Parilla Senior, Sunday’s main saw Allmendinger score
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the win over in a close race over Stewart, Boos, AJ Myers and Corey Towles.
Scot Carapellatti fourth and Peter Pestano fifth. McHattie, of Youngstown, Ohio, wheeled his DB Motorsports entry to the win in Monday’s Margay Racing Products TaG Masters 2. McHattie secured the win over Schiewer. Honeywell came home third, Jewell fourth and Kim Carapellatti fifth.
The race for the $1,000 HYTORC of Texas bonus came down to your second- and third-place finishers Stewart and Boos. Boos’s Parilla Senior finishes of first and third just edged Stewart’s third and second-place runs to earn Boos the cool $1,000 check. In TaG Masters competition, Jeff Jewell and Brian McHattie rode to Daytona KartWeek victories.
Jewell gave event sponsor Margay a Sprint Championships win in DRT Racing TaG Masters 1. The Tennessee racer triumphed over Oklahoma’s Anthony Honeywell, who normally runs the Daytona Road Race but this time tried his hand at the sprint track. Man Cup regular Steve Schiewer was third, New York’s
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Olsen sweeps Senior Piston Port Patrick Olsen continued to prove he’s the top 100cc Senior racer in Manufacturers Cup. The Wisconsin racer wheeled his Top Kart to a pair of Senior Piston Port victories at Daytona KartWeek.
On Sunday, Olsen won the Zero Error Racing Senior Piston Port 1 main over Illinois’ Tony Jump. Derek Hughes was third on his Arrow with senior rookie Austin McCusker fourth and Chase Jones fifth. worldkarting.com
Monday’s RLV Senior Piston Port main saw Olsen triumph over McCusker. Jones was third, Jump fourth and Hughes fifth. Connor Ferris wins both Rookie mains New Jersey’s Connor Ferris won a pair of highly contested Yamaha Rookie Sportsman main events at Daytona KartWeek.
Next up for the Manufacturers Cup Series is round two April 4-6 with the Mazda Zoom Zoom Nationals at the 0.7-mile Carolina Motorsports Park Sprint Track in Kershaw, South Carolina. The event will mark the fourth consecutive spring Man Cup national at Kershaw and preregistration is open until March 24.
Ferris, who finished eighth in 2013 Rookie Man Cup points, took advantage of many racers moving up to the full-blown Sportsman categories to start his 2014 season on a high note with two Daytona wins.
Ferris won Sunday’s New Jersey Sprint Series Yamaha Rookie 1 final over Jayden Larson. Talan Drake was third, Lucas Rodriguez fourth and Caleb Bacon fifth. Monday’s Comet Kart Sales Rookie final saw Ferris score his second win over Aiden Lindley. Georgia’s Tyler Maxson was third, Lucas Rodriguez fourth and Donald Whorton II fifth. ®
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YTONA ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT feb 2014 - wka karting scene
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ROAD RACERS BATTLE RAIN TO GET IN ONE FULL DAY OF RACING AT DAYTONA BY KEITH SHAMPINE PHOTOS BY KRAPP
course. And unfortunately after morning warm ups only one race group went off before the skies opened up and Mother Nature had her say. The remainder of Sunday’s action was canceled due to the rain with only one of the seven groups on the schedule getting in.
Classes canceled due to the rain were GM-Fort Wayne Assembly B Stock, West Texas Outlaws Yamaha Medium, Revound one of the 2014 WKA VEGA / Clean Formula 125, KALL Racing Formula TS Racing Road Racing Series driven 100 Final 1, Micro Precision Stock Honda by Mazda took place December 27-30, 2013, at the series’ tradition opening event 1, TaG Heavy 1, MGM Chassis Co. Pro Gas Animal Final 1, Sleeper Racing Team venue, the famed Daytona International 100cc Controlled Spec Final 1, Dart Kart Speedway and the venue’s 3.56-mile suClub 100cc Pipe Heavy, Brown Racing / perspeedway road course. Hartman Yamaha Sportsman Heavy, UnSome 465 entrants – up about 20 from the limited Final 1, WKA 125 Shifter Final 1, December 2012 version of this great event CIK 125 Shifter Final 1, TaG Final 1, WKA Sprint Final 1, Animal Sprint 335, Hoosier – filled the DIS garage area during the Racing Tire Animal Sprint 385, The Agile final days of 2013. Racing mounts ranging from 4-cycle Briggs and Clones all the Group 100cc Controlled Final 1 and Safe Harbour Wine Storage Yamaha Sportsway to 250cc super karts and 125cc and man Lite. dual-engine laydowns hit the track over the three-day stretch. Racers and teams from across the country, including Califor- Weather cleared for Monday, December nia, Texas, Oklahoma, the Midwest and up 30, and the full program of morning practice and six race groups were completed. and down the East Coast, traveled to the World Center of Racing for enduro-style Here’s a rundown of seven race group that karting’s biggest event of the year. did run at the latest version of the Daytona Road Race Championships. After a day of parking, pre-tech and registration activities, road racers enjoyed a Sunday Race 1 full day of practice Saturday, December Eight classes took the green flag Sunday 28 while Manufacturers Cup competitors morning before inclement weather moved were practicing at the DIS Sprint Track into the Daytona Beach area. and Speedway Dirt contestants were battling it out at day one of racing for the The group featured Stock Leopard TaGs Daytona Dirt World Championships. and an array of 4-cycle and 2-cycle sprint classes. A safe day of practice led to day one of racing on the superspeedway road
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Streeter Super Stands Stock Leopard Sprint Final 1 was the largest division on track with a dozen entrants. Fayetteville, Arkansas’ Stephen Bassham scored the win on his Intrepid chassis. Bassham took the lead on lap two and ran away to a comfortable seven-second win over Woodbridge Kart Club regular Aamir Hyder. Wisconsin’s Jeff Wesell was third with Donald Nelson and Robert Cole rounding out the top five.
Smith was fourth and Chris Miller rounded out the top five in the nine-kart field. Doug Stearly and Joe Cuslidge split the Clone finals. Stearly, a former winner on the dirt at the Daytona Flat Track, drove a backup Linsell kart to the win in Clone 360 Final 1. Stearly bested Kevin Colborn and Paul Smith for the score.
“I led every lap and never looked back,” the 17-year-old Stearly stated. “I’m thankBassham talked about his big win.“I had a ful for a good run and thank you to all the great kart in practice on Saturday. I stayed people who helped me.” with the lead group at the start and did a kamikaze pass on several in the kink on Cuslidge, a 2013 WKA Clone Road Race lap two. I pulled out on the high banks, national champion, won Clone 385 Final 1 pulled ahead and drove away. It’s the best over Matt Skaggs and Mark Gallagher. race I’ve ever had and thanks to those fast 4-cycle for helping me. They gave me the Bloomfield, New York’s JT Coupal domfastest lane every time I caught them. inated the Junior Sprint Lite main event with a big win over Amy Hollowell and “Thanks? Not enough room here. Paul Parker Brown. Coupal commented after Bachman, Sam Linhardt, Brian Wilhelm his win. and his team, Roger Hatcher and Kelly “The Man” Reed. Jim Russell Jr. and “I started the race in second and took the Russell Karting and Texas Karts. KART/ lead on lap two on NASCAR turn two. I MARRS Series family and all the guys that pulled away and stayed in the lead until race with me,” Bassham said. the end. It’s always fun to race at Daytona!” Coupal said. With the stock Animal sprint races getting rained out on day one, Wind Gap, Pa.’s Alabama’s Will Delaney was the only Zachary Linsell had to make it count in entrant in Animal Junior Sprint Lite and Animal Limited Modified 360. Linsell, now scored the win. a multi-time WKA national champion in Animal Sprint, scored the Modified win The fastest kart on the track belonged to over defending Modified national champi- Lou Magiera in the Open Sprint 1 local on Jonathan Tedder. Linsell, riding a sleek option division. Magiera, a 40-plus year MGM chassis, dominated the race on his veteran of enduro karting, clocked off fast way to a 15-second victory over Tedder. laps in the 2:23 bracket on his way to the win over Jeremy Parsons. David Planakis Steven Kilsdonk wheeled his Coyote to was third. third, finishing just behind Tedder. Dennis feb 2014 - wka karting scene
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SUNDAY RACE ONE: Stock Leopard TaGs, 4-cycle sprint-enduros
MONDAY RACE ONE: 250cc Super Karts, Unlimited, 125cc sprint shifters
MONDAY RACE TWO: 100cc Controlled and Yamaha pipe enduros
MONDAY RACE THREE: Stock Leopard sprints, 4-cycle sprint-enduros
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Timmonsville, S.C.’s Darren Greene rode his PT4 chassis to the win in LO206 385. Greene won the race over Joshua Trone and Andrew Petty.
Monday Race 1
With most racers unable to compete on day one due to the weather, competitors were chomping at the bit to go racing when Monday morning came calling. Once the weather cleared and it became apparent the final day of Daytona KartWeek would go off without the threat of rain, many competitors rushed to registration to enter additional classes after their divisions were rained out the day prior. The first race group to hit the track Monday included many of the fastest karts not only in attendance, but in the world. Unlimited Final 2 saw a great battle among Formula 125cc laydowns Brian Wilhelm and Mitch White and the dual-engine enduro of Robby Harper. Multitime Daytona winner Wilhelm, of Rogers, Arkansas, ended up beating out Harper by just 0.076 seconds while White faded toward the end of the 30-minute contest to finish 12 seconds back of Wilhelm in third. Craig Keller came home fourth while Michael Lattos rounded out the top five in the 19-kart field.
was tight! I’d like to thank Russell, Dunlop and SwedeTech for their support,” Wilhelm said. Johnny Gottsacker was one of many Lone Star State competitors who found success at Daytona. Gottsacker, hailing from Dallas, Texas, wheeled his Intrepid chassis to the victory in CIK 125 Shifter 2. Gottsacker had to work for the win, however, as Dan Chalk finished a mere 0.024 seconds back in one of the closest finishes of the weekend. Howard Rico was third, Ted Telitz fourth and David Walker fifth. “I passed for the lead on the last lap out of turn four and won by a real slim margin,” Gottsacker said. “This was my first time at Daytona and I’m glad to get a win. Very awesome!” Lake City, Florida’s Brad Zoeller had the fastest 125 sprint shifter in attendance. Decked with full fiberglass bodywork, Zoeller raced his DR Kart chassis to a big 16.7-second win over former Daytona winner Tracy Phillips. Jordan Huguet was third, Keith Buffo fourth and Steven Intravaia fifth.
“We set a goal of beating our 2:11 lap time from 2012,” Zoeller commented. “Early in the race we accomplished that goal with a Wilhelm talked about his latest Daytona quick time of 2:09. I would like to thank my victory after the contest. team who took off work to come support “It was an incredible race. Mitch White and me this year.” I had a great race and traded positions many times. Robby Harper caught us and Huoma, Louisiana’s Bobby Butler was the lone 250 Twin entrant, but he made some made it a three-way battle. I was able to hold off Robby at the line. There were five heads turn when he passed all the Unlimdrivers in the race that turned 1:59 laps. It ited entrants and clocked a best time of feb 2014 - wka karting scene
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1:57.447, the fastest lap turned at Daytona this year. Butler spoke about his efforts. “I started last behind the Unlimiteds. It took four or five laps to catch Brian (Wilhelm) and Mitch (White), who were leading the race. I got by them and kept the lead. I ran out of fuel with two laps remaining but was able to keep it running. I finally finished ahead of the very fast Unlimiteds after years of trying. Many thanks to Brandon (Taylor) and his staff for running a smooth race event. A special thanks goes to Mr. and Mrs. Echols who are always there making it all happen.”
Monday Race 2
The Yamaha laydown divisions – pipe and sportsman – were the best-attended classes at Daytona this year. West Texas Kartway Yamaha Heavy saw 25 karts take the green flag and invaders from the west dominate the action.
finished sixth through 10th. The fastest kart on track belonged to Randy Fulks, who was competing in the Tru Stripe (Fulks’ road-striping company) 100cc Controlled Final 2 division. Fulks turned fast laps in the 2:10 bracket on his way to a convincing 23-second victory over Florida’s Matt Michel. Todd Hayden was third, Terry Koen fourth and Don Chrzan fifth.
Monday Race 3
The only race group that ran Sunday was back at it in Monday’s third contest. Once again it was Arkansas’ Stephen Bassham scoring the win in Streeter Super Stands Stock Leopard Final 2. Bassham won a close contest over Maryland’s Robert Wimmer. Alex Laughlin was third, Aamir Hyder fourth and Robert Cole fifth.
“Close clean racing with Aamir Hyder, Robert Wimmer and Alex Laughlin,” Bassham began. “Hyder beat my best Kansas’ Bernie and Pierce Baldus, Oklatime and Alex did a great job. I feel for Jeff homa’s Ryan Hatcher and Missouri’s Keith Wesell and Walter Troup, WKA regulars Freber were the class of the field. The and front-running racers. They each had Baldus’s and Hatcher pulled away from an off-day. I would like to get to race with Freber to make it a three-kart battle for the them. All the drivers were a class act the win. Pierce Baldus ended up crossing the entire event. finish line first ahead of Bernie and Hatcher, however, Pierce met his match in post- “Thanks to SwedeTech, Margay Racrace tech, where he was disqualified for ing, Russell Karting and Texas Karts, an infraction. Rev-Clean, Brian Wilhelm and his team. Thanks to everyone at KART/MARRS for The DQ gave the win to Bernie Baldus, making me a better driver. Kelly Reed, a longtime enduro racer. Hatcher would Sam Linhardt, Roger Hatcher and Paul settle for second with Freber third, Wayne Bachman.” Rumsey fourth and Texas’ Jamey Brown fifth. Scott Grenier, John Brown, William Jonathan Tedder scored his only win of Anderson, Steve Gore and Bobby White KartWeek with the triumph in Animal Lim-
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MONDAY RACE FOUR: Stock Honda, TaG Heavy, Pro Gas Animal
MONDAY RACE FIVE: Formula 100, Controlled Spec, Yamaha Sportsman
MONDAY RACE SIX: Briggs Animal, TaG, WKA Sprint
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ited Modified 385. Tedder won over Toni Alexander. Dennis Smith was third, Chris Miller fourth and Jack Reall fifth.
tling it out, a competitive three-kart battle was ongoing in TaG Heavy Final 2. Noel Farrelly scored the big win by just 0.109 seconds over New Englander Michael Rhode Island’s Dawn Magiera won the Ya- Camarra. Texas’ Harry Gottsacker had to maha Sprint Final 2 contest over Florida’s settle for third, only 0.157 seconds back of Jimmy Duguay. Jeff Bierman and Adam the winner. James Slade was fourth and Parker finished third and fourth. Tom Prioli fifth. Dawn’s husband Lou Magiera made it two-for-two in Open Sprint with another dominating win Monday. Magiera bested David Planakis and Robert Drye for the victory. MGM racers Doug Stearly and Paul Rice split the Clone Sprint mains. Stearly won Clone 360 Final 2 over Paul Smith and swept the division for KartWeek, while MGM owner Rice won Clone 385 Final 2 over Sunday winner Joe Cuslidge. Will Delaney won Animal Junior Sprint Heavy while JT Coupal bested Amy Hollowell to win Junior Sprint Heavy. Joshua Trone won LO206 360 over Desmond Lewis.
Monday Race 4
Nine fast shifter-kart racers took the green flag for Stock Honda 2. WKA regular Mark Nagy scored the close win over former WKA national champion Steven Rougeou. Steve Flatt was third on his DR Kart, while Dan Chalk and Bill Pyles completed the top five. John Gottsacker was sixth. In an incredibly close race, the top-six finishers – Nagy, Rougeou, Flatt, Chalk, Pyles and Gottsacker – crossing the finish stripe within a half-second of one another! While the Stock Honda racers were bat-
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The new Michigan Kart Supply Pro Gas Animal Final 2 saw Zachary Linsell win his second race of the weekend. Linsell won by a 4.6-second margin over Sam Sheckells. Austyn Flurer was third, Robert Garland fourth and Rob Garland fifth.
Monday Race 5
Another 25 Yamahas took the green flag in Competition Karting Inc. Yamaha Sportsman Medium. The highly contested race featured a “who’s who” in enduro karting with a star-studded top five of winner Matt Michel, second-place Ryan Hatcher, third-place Keith Freber, fourthplace Courtney Atkinson and fifth-place Pierce Baldus. Michel scored the win by a tight margin over Hatcher, who for the second time on the day had to settle for the runner-up finish. Brothers Randy and Rick Fulks battled it out in 100cc Controlled Spec Final 2. The pair dueled for the entire 45-minute contest with Randy edging out his younger brother by just 0.082 seconds. Justin Sanders took third in his first race in Controlled Spec. Lance Fry was fourth and Adam Myers fifth. Wisconsin’s Don Chrzan won the Formula 100 Final 2 contest in a dominating performance after Travis Miller and Milo Schoonover dropped out with mechanical worldkarting.com
problems. Chrzan finished a full lap ahead of runner-up Brian Morse. Bill Miller was third, Carl Scholz fourth and Schoonover fifth.
because we were having a blast! Thanks to Hatcher Enduros and Jean Brown for fast stuff,” Brown stated.
Chrzan’s win was a big one as the 55-year-old veteran accomplished his first Daytona victory since 1996. He talked about his triumph.
Daytona KartWeek final enduro race went off late Monday afternoon with 2-cycle and 4-cycle sprinters going to battle for 30 minutes.
“Sleeper Racing Team learned enough during the 12 minutes of Formula 100 Final 1 (on Sunday) before the rainout. Before the rainout we made two small changes that brought the PCR powered kart to life for this race. This is my first Daytona victory since 1996 and my fastest laps ever here! After several second-place finishes, in 2007 by less than a kart-length, I had a close race with Travis Miller, who broke a header, and Milo Schoonover, who stuck his engine. “Special thanks to the entire Sleeper Racing Team – Mike Lattos, Greg Mayr, Milo and Mark Schoonover, Wild Bill Bernet, Randy and Rick Fulks and Bobby Varga. Also thanks to Jamie and Cale at Franklin Motorsports, John Klutz at CKI, Jim Wagner, Don Grenier at LAD Specialties and Van Gilder.” Jamey Brown gave the Lone Star State another Daytona victory with his win in Dart Kart Club 100cc Pipe Medium. The 37-year-old Stephenville, Texas, racer won over John Brown while Richie Warren was disqualified for not weighing, but he was in contention for the win until he dropped out. “I had a great race with Richie Warren. It was unfortunate that he fell out of the race feb 2014 - wka karting scene
Monday Race 6
Most of the earlier TaG Heavy racers were back on track for TaG Final 2. This one wasn’t as close as TaG Heavy, however, as Michael Camarra stretched his lead to 4.8 seconds over James Slade before the checkered flag waved. Slade would settle for second behind Camarra, while Noel Farrelly was all of 24 seconds back of the winner in third. Dave Courchesne was fourth and Tom Prioli fifth. Florida’s David Bruinsma pulled his kart out of the shop just a day before KartWeek, brought it to Daytona and proceeded to win with it on Monday. Bruinsma, a longtime WKA road racer who now only runs once a year at Daytona, won WKA Sprint Final 2 by a 14-second gap over multi-time WKA Sprint national champion Adam Myers. Otto Vollmerhausen was third, Adam Trumbley fourth and Jim Sorrentino fifth. “I started last on the grid but I had such a great start that I was in second place coming out of the first turn,” Bruinsma commented. “Thank you WKA for putting on a great show. Brandon Taylor and the crew did an amazing job. Lots of fun!” Dawn Magiera won her second race of the day, this time in Yamaha Sportsman Sprint Final 2. Magiera won the contest over Alex
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Frazier and her husband, Lou Magiera. AJ Ellis was fourth and Stacey Holewski fifth. MGM Chassis Co. / Moon Power Animal Sprint 360 was the largest class on track with 21 entrants. Once again it was Zachary Linsell dominating the action. Linsell remained almost untouchable in WKA Briggs road racing with a convincing 14-second win. While Linsell gapped the field, a fierce battle was raging for second among Tony Wimmer, Austyn Flurer, Sam Sheckells and Blake Beattie. Wimmer ended up earning the runner-up spot by just a kartlength over Flurer. Sheckells and Beattie were just behind in fourth and fifth. Kannapolis, North Carolina’s Paul Rice scored his second win of the day in Animal Sprint 410. Rice bested the father-son team of Darlington, S.C.’s Robert and Rob Garland, who took second and third. Steve Johnson was fourth and Jerry Duffle fifth. Dick Charest won the Vintage Classic 2 local option over EM Saharin. Many thanks and gratitude goes out to everyone who made Daytona KartWeek possible and a successful event, including the fine WKA officials, Daytona International Speedway staff, Road Racing sponsors, race teams and families. Round two of the National Road Racing Series is on tap for April 4-6 at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, S.C.
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worldkarting.com
GOLD CUP TO OPEN SEASON MARCH 7-9 AT JACKSONVILLE The World Karting Association RLV Tuned Exhaust Products Gold Cup Series is ready to swing the doors open on its 204 campaign with the first of four big national events March 7-9 at the 103rd Street Sports Complex in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2014 the Gold Cup has been trimmed to 11 national classes, which will run twice at each event for a “count best six out of eight-race” series. For the first time in several years, the Gold Cup is a Briggs & Stratton-only series with classes offered for Pro Gas Animals, methanol Animals and LO206. Last year greater purses began to be offered for senior classes in the Gold Cup, and WKA looks to offer more of this in 2014. At Jacksonville over $3,000 in purse money is posted for senior main events, while junior and sportsman racers will be battling for trophies, new Samsung Galaxy 3 tablets and other contingency prizes. Twenty-five-plus karts are expected for Senior Pro Gas Animal, while strong fields are anticipated for Pro Gas Animal Sportsman, Junior Animal and other senior divisions. Four-cycle sprint racing is some of the best action karting has to offer! If you’re near Jacksonville, or need to head south this winter to enjoy some karting, 103rd Street will be the place to be this March 7-9! For more information, visit http://worldkarting.com. feb 2014 - wka karting scene
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LIVE COVERAGE 2014 Daytona
Parilla Sr Final - December 30, 2013
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worldkarting.com