WKA Karting Scene - September 2013

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE WORLD KARTING ASSOCIATION

SEPTEMBER 2013 VOL. 45, NO.9

Back to Back at Pitt

04 ZERO ERRO RAC NATIONALS

TUNED EXHAUST PRODUCTS

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UNITED TRAILERS RUSSELL KARTING TURK BROTHERS IAME HADDOCK TS RACING

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CING / CHECKERED MOTORSPORTS

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RAND NATIONALS

checkered motorsports zero error racing nationals

“SUPER SUB� VERHAGEN SUBS FOR LEMKE, WINS 3 FINALS AT PITT pittsburgh int'l race complex wampum, pennsylvania

Article by: Keith Shampine

T

he WKA Mazda / Bridgestone Manufacturers Cup Series converged at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in western Pennsylvania August 16-18 for round five of the six-race national 2-cycle sprint tour.

Over 120 drivers making up approximately 330

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entrants met at Pittsburgh for the Zero Error Racing / Checkered Motorsports Nationals, where 15 drivers raced to final wins, including five double winners and one triple winner.

The only driver to race to the hat trick was Neil Verhagen, who is listed in the results as Brandon Lemke because he was acting as the relief driver for Lemke, who broke his collarbone on July 28 in an accident at the Great Lakes Sprint Series divisional at Badger, Wisconsin.

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The Lemke team tagged Verhagen to wheel their No. 01 Merlin for the weekend while Brandon recovers from his injury. Lemke entered the weekend either at or near the top of each of the four Sportsman class standings. With national championships and a possible Triple Crown championship on the line, the Lemke team had no choice but to run the Pittsburgh event with a relief driver.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than Verhagen, who won multiple WKA Man Cup finals last year on a Haase chassis. He switched to Arrow for 2013 and has been a semi-regular in WKA Man Cup

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while also running Rotax events and USPKS. Verhagen wasted no time adapting to the Merlin chassis. After running fast in Friday practice, the Connecticut racer recorded finishes of second, third and seventh in Saturday’s three Sportsman contests.

It all came together for the Lemke group on Sunday, when Verhagen made a pair of last-lap passes on David Malukas in GT7 Motorsports Komet Sportsman 2 and Grand Products / Top Kart Cadet Sportsman 2 and bested Sam Mayer in Comet Kart Sales Yamaha Sportsman 2 to sweep the day in Sportsman and become the only driver to win three races at the

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checkered motorsports zero error racing nationals pittsburgh int'l race complex wampum, pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Man Cup round.

Top Kart racer Giovanni Bromante followed Verhagen and Malukas across the stripe in Komet Sportsman 2. Mayer took fourth with John Paul Southern Jr. rounding out the top five.

In the Sunday Cadet final, Southern was third, Indiana’s Zach Holden fourth and New Hampshire’s Lance Fenderson fifth. Verhagen won over Mayers, Malukas, Canadian Roman DeAngelis and Birel racer Luke Fineis in Yamaha Sportsman 2.

Verhagen’s success kept Lemke atop the standings in three of the four Sportsman divisions and keeps the Wisconsin racer’s hopes alive for a coveted Triple Crown championship.

New Jersey Sprint Series Yamaha Rookie Sportsman 1 1. Robert Noaker III 2. Mark J. Fineis 3. Jeremy Fairbairn 4. Maks Kowalski 5. Connor Ferris POLE: Rodgers 1:05.071

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Mike Doty Racing Yamaha Rookie Sportsman 2 1. Connor Ferris 2. Nic Sheppard 3. Jeremy Fairbairn 4. Mark J. Fineis 5. Robert Noaker III POLE: Fairbairn 1:05.068

John Paul Southern Jr. has put together a nice 2013 season and he scored his first Man Cup win of the year in Saturday’s Cadet go, sponsored by KoeneUSA. com. The Ohio racer wheeled his PCR to the win over Verhagen, Holden, DeAngelis and Fenderson.

“I took the lead on lap four with some help from Neil Verhagen,” Southern explained after his victory.

“Neil and I bump-drafted to the white flag and then battled it out. I would like to thank Checkered Motorsports, my dad, Robert Bujdoso and MCR Motors. I was very focused during the racing. I was also excited; it was a good race.”

As noted, five drivers raced to a pair of Zero Error Racing / Checkered Motorsports Nationals feature wins.

KoeneUSA.com Cadet Sportsman1 1. John Paul Southern Jr. 2. Brandon Lemke* 3. Zach Holden 4. Roman DeAngelis 5. Lance Fenderson POLE: Holden 1:04.033

Grand Products / Top Kart Cadet Sportsman 2 1. Brandon Lemke* 2. David Malukas 3. John Paul Southern Jr. 4. Zach Holden 5. Lance Fenderson POLE: Lemke 1:03.305

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Indiana Top Kart USA racer Zach Holden wheeled his No. 2 to victories in Saturday’s GT7 Motorsports Komet Sportsman 1 and Yamaha Sportsman 1 mains.

Holden bested Malukas and Southern in Komet Sportsman 1. Mayer and Bromante rounded out the top five.

Holden beat out Malukas and Verhagen for the MRP / Birel Yamaha Sportsman 1 score. Mayer and Fenderson rounded out the top five. The wins marked Holden’s third and fourth of the 2013 Man Cup season.

Canadian Grant Quinlan continued his hot streak as of late. Quinlan picked up wins in both Yamaha Junior categories, which marked his third and fourth triumphs of the year. Top Kart racers Emerson Reed and Kaden Harter followed Quinlan’s No. 28 Birel across the stripe in Woltjer Racing Engines Yamaha Junior 1. Haase pilot Austin McCusker was fourth and Brendan Cullura fifth.

Yamaha Junior point leader Brandon Jarsocrak and Reed finished second and third to Quinlan in Sunday’s Verde Speed Resources Yamaha Junior weekend capper. Jacob McWhirter, who was making his first Man Cup appearance of the season, took home fourth with PCR racer Braden Eves fifth.

clinch the $2,000 national championship prize in HYTORC Komet Pro. Kotyk bested Patrick Olsen and James Brock in both days’ Komet Pro main event contests. After a four-win weekend at South Bend in June, Kotyk continues to make a case for having the most successful season of any driver in Man Cup in 2013. Kotyk scored another $300 prize for racing to the overall weekend win in Komet Pro. While Olsen was denied in Komet Pro, the Wisconsin Top Kart pilot picked up wins in both Yamaha Senior main events. Olsen won over point leader Dakota Pesek and Chase Jones on Saturday, making it an allTop Kart top three. Trevor Delong and Olivia Horn completed the top five.

On Sunday, Jones followed Olsen across the stripe with Birel racer James Brock breaking up the Top Kart parade by taking the third slot. Pesek was fourth and Kody Evans fifth.

The Zero Error Racing-sponsored Yamaha Senior classes started 15 and 16 karts, making it the best turnout for the division since the Daytona season opener in December.

Florida Tony Kart racer Jonathan Kotyk did all but

Twin brothers Garrett and Jake Johnston continued their terrific rookie campaign in the senior TaG divisions. The brothers finished first and second in Saturday’s TSRacing.com TaG Senior 1 and Grand

GT7 Motorsports Komet Sportsman 1 1. Zach Holden 2. David Malukas 3. John Paul Southern Jr. 4. Sam Mayer 5. Giovanni Bromante POLE: Mayer 1:02.049

MRP / Birel Yamaha Sportsman 1 1. Zach Holden 2. David Malukas 3. Brandon Lemke* 4. Sam Mayer 5. Lance Fenderson POLE: Southern 1:03.903

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GT7 Motorsports Komet Sportsman 2 1. Brandon Lemke* 2. David Malukas 3. Giovanni Bromante 4. Sam Mayer 5. John Paul Southern Jr. POLE: Lemke 1:01.927

* Denotes Neil Verhagen substitute driver for Brandon Lemke. Lemke credited with finishes and points.

Comet Kart Sales Yamaha Sportsman 2 1. Brandon Lemke* 2. Sam Mayer 3. David Malukas 4. Roman DeAngelis 5. Luke Fineis POLE: Southern 1:03.633

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checkered motorsports zero error racing nationals pittsburgh int'l race complex wampum, pennsylvania

Products / Top Kart Parilla Senior 1 contests with Garrett taking the victory in both contests. FA Kart driver Mark Dismore Jr. was third in Parilla Senior 1 with Derek Dignan and Top Kart racer Mason Chelootz completing the top five.

USA TaG Senior 2. Dignan won over Rios and Jake Johnston for his first Man Cup win since Kershaw, S.C., in April. Roger Ralston Jr. and Kotyk finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Sunday’s TaG competition saw Michigan’s Derek Dignan race his sleek FA Kart to victory in OTK Kart

Rios gave the new American-made iKart chassis another Man Cup win in Franklinkart.com Parilla Senior 2. The Miami Beach racer scored the win over Garrett Johnston and Dismore. Oliver Scigliano posted his best Man Cup finish of the season in fourth. Horn continued her strong showing since

Tecno Chassis Komet Junior 1 1. Austin McCusker 2. Killian Keaveny 3. Grant Quinlan 4. Gresham Wagner 5. Matt Solarczyk POLE: Quinlan 58.226

Woltjer Racing Engines Yamaha Junior 1 1. Grant Quinlan 2. Emerson Reed 3. Kaden Harter 4. Austin McCusker 5. Brendan Cullura POLE: Jacob McWhirter 1:00.089

TSRacing.com TaG Senior 1saw Garrett and Jake beat out iKart pilot Jesus Rios Jr., Dignan and Mark Boos.

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Komet Junior 2

1. Tazio Torregiani 2. Killian Keaveny 3. Jacob McWhirter 4. Clay Van Eerd 5. Gresham Wagner POLE: Mike McAndrews 58.155

Verde Speed Resources Yamaha Junior 2 1. Grant Quinlan 2. Brandon Jarsocrak 3. Emerson Reed 4. Jacob McWhirter 5. Braden Eves POLE: Quinlan 59.639

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advancing to the Senior ranks at MRP in June. She took home her second fifth-place finish of the weekend.

Connecticut’s Tazio Torregiani and New York’s Austin McCusker both gave Haase chassis Junior feature wins at Pittsburgh. McCusker all but clinched the Komet Junior national championship with his victory in Saturday’s Tecno Chassis Komet Junior 1 main event. He won over Killian Keaveny and Quinlan.

Gresham Wagner was fourth on his Arrow and Matt Solarczyk rounded out the top five on his Birel.

On Sunday, Torregiani wheeled his Haase to his first Man Cup win of the season in Orlando Kart Center Komet Junior 2. Torregiani scored the popular victory over Keaveny and Jacob McWhirter. Clay Van Eerd was fourth and Wagner fifth.

“I took the lead on the second turn,” Torregiani said. “I led until getting passed by two karts, I immediately passed for second, then retook the lead in the next couple laps. A race I’ll remember forever! Thanks to my parents and my brother, Mike Doty Racing, Woltjer Racing Engines, WKA and my HYTORC Komet PRO 1 1. Jonathan Kotyk 2. Patrick Olsen 3. James Brock 4. Dakota Pesek 5. Brett Schneider POLE: Kotyk 58.464

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HYTORC Komet PRO 2 1. Jonathan Kotyk 2. Patrick Olsen 3. James Brock 4. Brett Schneider 5. Dakota Pesek POLE: Olsen 58.411

competitors for the exciting racing. It was a tough race that took a lot of effort that put us up top at the end. We will be looking ahead to many more races like this one and will be going forward with momentum in the races to come.”

The Haase chassis continue to prove their a force in the Junior categories with McCusker, Jarsocrak and now Torregiani all scoring feature wins in 2013 Manufacturers Cup competition. It looks as though Haase will sweep the Junior class national titles, as well, with McCusker in Komet Junior and Jarsocrak in Yamaha Junior.

Second-generation racer Robert Noaker III won his first-ever Man Cup race in New Jersey Sprint Series Yamaha Rookie 1. Noaker, who was racing in his home state of Pennsylvania, bested Rookie point leader Mark J. Fineis and Florida’s Jeremy Fairbairn for the victory. Noaker’s win also gave Praga chassis its first Man Cup victory. Maks Kowalski was fourth and Connor Ferris fifth.

Top Kart racer Connor Ferris took the win in Sunday’s Mike Doty Racing Rookie contest. Ferris bested Nic Yamaha Senior 1

1. Patrick Olsen 2. Dakota Pesek 3. Chase Jones 4. Trevor Delong 5. Olivia Horn POLE: Olsen 59.305

Zero Error Racing Yamaha Senior 2 1. Patrick Olsen 2. Chase Jones 3. James Brock 4. Dakota Pesek 5. Kody Evans POLE: Olsen 59.209

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Sheppard and Fairbairn for the victory. Fineis and Noaker crossed the stripe fourth and fifth. Ferris’ win marked his second of the season in Rookie.

TaG Masters competition saw Scott Ferris and Chuck Gafrarar split the weekend’s main events. Ferris raced his Top Kart to the win in Saturday’s DRT Racing TaG Masters 1, beating out Bobby Cummings, who was relief driving for Steve Schiewer, and Kim Carapellatti.

Gafrarar returned Sunday to score the victory in Margay Racing Products TaG Masters 2 on his Grand Products / Top Kart Parilla Senior 1 1. Garrett Johnston 2. Jake Johnston 3. Mark Dismore Jr. 4. Derek Dignan 5. Mason Chelootz POLE: G. Johnston 55.457

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Franklinkart.com Parilla Senior 2 1. Jesus Rios Jr. 2. Garrett Johnston 3. Mark Dismore Jr. 4. Oliver Scigliano 5. Olivia Horn POLE: Rios 55.269

Leopard-powered Parolin chassis. Gafrarar, a former WKA Road Racing national champion making his first Man Cup appearance in a number of years, won over Cummings and Ferris.

On the Manufacturer (Chassis) Championship front, Top Kart dominated the weekend and all but clinched its second straight Man Cup Manufacturer title. Top Kart racers drove to eight feature wins, an unprecedented five more than any other chassis make.

The only chassis to see victory lane more than twice TSRacing.com TaG Senior 1 1. Garrett Johnston 2. Jake Johnston 3. Jesus Rios Jr. 4. Derek Dignan 5. Mark Boos POLE: G. Johnston 55.376

OTK Kart USA TaG Senior 2 1. Derek Dignan 2. Jesus Rios Jr. 3. Jake Johnston 4. Roger Ralston Jr. 5. Jonathan Kotyk POLE: Rios 55.070

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was Merlin, which all came at the hands of Verhagen and the Lemke team.

Birel, Tony Kart and Haase each claimed two wins.

Praga, PCR, Parolin and FA Kart earned their first Man Cup wins of the season. Rios’ victory gave iKart its third win of the year.

advantage over Tony Kart.

Pre-registration is now open for the Man Cup season finale this Sept. 27-29 at the GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Fourteen chassis makes have now won at least one Man Cup final in 2013. Top Kart will enter the final round at the GoPro Motorplex with a 10-win

DRT Racing TaG Masters 1 1. Scott Ferris 2. Steve Schiewer* 3. Kim Carapellatti 4. Keith Bishop 5. Tom Gerstner POLE: Gafrarar 56.493

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Margay Racing Products TaG Masters 2 1. Chuck Gafrarar 2. Steve Schiewer* 3. Scott Ferris 4. Kim Carapellatti 5. Keith Bishop POLE: Ferris 56.530

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08.25.2013 - WKA West Super Series Round 5 Race Report

Marina, CA.– 73 drivers made it out for the 5th round of racing, hosted by Monterey Bay Kart Track, in hopes of getting closer to being the WKA West Super Series champion!! The day broke on Race Day Sunday, and drivers geared up to hit the track an hour earlier for their practice sessions, and after a temporary closure of the track after last year’s race, all the racers were flying high with excitement to be back! As the karts lined up on the grid, it was in the back of every driver’s mind that reputation and championships were at stake, and everyone was ready to battle it out to defend their position!

Kid Karts

Three drivers have been the consistent group running the series for 2013 and Niki Dimitrov was looking to make a comeback from his round 4 second place finish, but Wyatt Myers felt the force put forth by Dimitrov and set his fast Qualifying time at a 56.791.

Dimitrov did his best and laid out a 1:01:398,

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just one tenth faster than Seth Huntley! The battle continued through the first Heat session, and Myers once again, remained out front having left Huntley to fly be Dimitrov and lock in the second place finish. After Huntley was DQ’d in the Pre Final for his muffler, Dimitrov sat off pole for the start of the Main Event. Huntley, came back with a vengeance in the Main Event, and maneuvered his way by Dimitrov, but just couldn’t get up to Myers, who drove off with another 1st place win under his belt! Great driving to all, these kids are really working hard and are super dedicated to their sport!!

Jr. 1-2 Cycle

With the top two victors from the 4th round of racing in the WKA West Super Series nowhere in sight, it looked like an easy day for Clayton Williams, who left off as the third place winner. Williams had the ball rolling in the right direction for first place today as he set the fast lap at a 45.875, one tenth ahead of Chase Farley! Charlie Drago, Anthony Freese, and Dylan Roberts rounded out the top five fast times and sat at the top of the starting grid for the first Heat race of the day. Farley, saw his op-

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portunity, stuck his nose in, and made it past Williams as Freese followed suit! Williams made some progress in the Pre Final, and pressed past Freese while Farley continued to lead the pack of seven drivers! Farley felt Williams on his bumper and worked hard to shake him throughout their 15 lap Main Event and brought every spectator to their feet for the white flag lap!! It was Williams, Farley; Farley, Williams, and just as Williams had taken the lead again, it looked like he would be the one leaving with a win!! As Williams and Farley rounded the second to last turn before the checkered flag, Williams made an error that sent him into the barriers and out of the race!!! A truly heartbreaking ending to the day for Williams and a bittersweet victory for Farley, Freese and Roberts!! Each driver should be extremely proud of themselves; they demonstrated some amazing skill and built the excitement to an all time high for Round 6 in Davis!!

TaG Sr/ TaG Master

All drivers previously absent for the past few rounds of racing, it was great to see Coy Collins and Rich Schwarzenbach make it out for the TaG Senior class!

Likewise, Carlos Forte, Paul Hohlbein, and Ron Schwarzenbach made it out for the TaG Master class!

This combined class of five set out to have a little fun, and get back in the swing of WKA racing as Rich

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Schwarzenbach set the time to beat at a 42.381 for the TaG Seniors, and Ron Schwarzenbach set 43.188 as fast for the TaG Masters!! After a fuel DQ in tech for both Schwarzenbach’s, Forte sat pole position for the start of the first Heat session, with Coy Collins right next to him. The Schwarzenbach’s made their way up through the field and sat in the 1-2 spots ahead of Forte and Collins, until the Pre Final that is! Forte got a little tired of staring at the their bumpers and regained his first place position just in time for the Main Event, but Rich Schwarzenbach saw a way in and dominated the win over Collins for the TaG Seniors! Forte, however, held off Ron Schwarzenbach for the win and hopes are high to see these classes in round 6!!

Clone Sr.

The 5th round of racing for the Clone Sr class was expected to be a battle to the bitter end, and with former champ Luis Tyrrell a no show, the top spot was open and all eyes were locked on it!! Geoff Shaw wasted no time as he laid out a 46.883 Qualifying time, one tenth ahead of Jonathon Leach, and just two tenths faster than Harrison Mills! Shaw worked hard to hold off the 15 drivers behind him, but Rob Nascimento, Austin Elliott, Brian Hill, and Mills made it hard for Shaw to forget they were there! As the Clones rounded out their Pre Final, R. Nascimento found

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his way by Shaw, and left Elliott and Chad Nascimento to stay glued to the back of Shaw!! There were 15 laps in the Main Event, and that gave Shaw the opportunity

over the field as he locked in another win in the WKA West Super Series!! Milton, Prinzo, Matthew Proud, and Peterson rounded out the top five and they will for sure bring what we have come to expect as a standard for great racing!!!

HPV 1

he needed to take back his spot and his win for the day!

Jonathon Leach and Nick Grossi clawed their way up as well, but with a DQ in tech for his header, Grossi was DQ’d. RJ Kahler rose to the third place podium finish with Elliott in fourth and Mills in the fifth spot finish for the Clone Sr class!! Great job guys!! The question remaining is what’s coming for the next round in the WKA West Super Series, checking in at Blue Max Kart Club?!?!

HPV 2

Ten drivers and only one first place trophy; round 5 of racing for the HPV 2 class set the stage for a brutal battle, and word had made its way around through the pits during the practice day already that Jason Pettit was fast!!! Qualifying went underway and Pettit set a quick time of 42.395, with Mikey Prinzo just behind him at a 43.048!! After a DNF call was placed for Pettit, he was forced to start from the back of the ten kart field for the start of the Heat! This in no way deterred Pettit, who came from the back all the way up to second place behind Blake Milton, after Prinzo was DQ’d in tech for fuel!! Eric Nascimento made his way behind Pettit, and had his work cut out for him while he held off Milton, Christian Peterson, Callum Smith, and Prinzo! Pettit maintained his domination

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In his second class of the day, Clayton Williams once again sets a high bar for the other five drivers in the HPV 1 class, with a 44.937 in Qualifying, six tenths ahead of Chase Farley, and Anthony Freese! Williams kept a tight hold on his pole position in the first Heat session, and Farley utilized all eight laps to look for a way in, and that work paid off in the Pre Final when Williams couldn’t hold Farley back anymore!! Charlie Drago held tight to the third position as the remainder of the class did not finish! Farley saw the green flag go out for the start of the Main Event and darted out to defend his spot, but on the third lap, Williams stuck his nose in right where it belonged and got by Farley, and managed to hold him off long enough to walk away with the win for this class!!!

Branden Benedix, Drago, and Nathan Haney made the complete podium for the top five! Some more great driving is expected for Round 6!!

PRD Spec

Four drivers made up the PRD Spec class in Marina for the fifth round of racing, and Austin DeMent was ready to fight as he came out swinging with a 42.281 for the Qualifying session! Matt Koerner came up with a close second place start for the first Heat session at a 42.325, just ahead of former champ Matt Chase!! DeMent took the hole shot in the Heat with Cabot Bigham hot on his bumper, and trailed Koerner through the checkered!!

Bigham got too close for DeMent’s comfort and in the Pre Final, Bigham made his move for the first place spot, followed closely by Chase and Koerner!! Bigham had his win in the bag, but the third lap proved to be exactly what Koerner needed to make his comeback from a second place finish in the previous round of racing in Reno, and Koerner took the win, Bigham was sent back behind Chase, and just ahead of DeMent, just in time for the

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Clone Sumo

checkered flag to fly in the Main Event!! That was a close one, great driving!!

World Formula

With a return of the World Formula class, ten drivers made their way out to Marina to be a part of the WKA West Super Series’ fifth round of racing! Trevor Agan put his best foot forward, with a 44.905 in Qualifying, Guy Gentry checked in off pole with a 45.093, and Tyler Agan making third a 45.368!! Tyler Agan battled his way in front on Gentry, to sit on the grid for the first Heat session, just behind his brother Trevor Agan. Mat Kattanek pushed his way in the top group for the start of the Pre Final, trailed closely by Taylor Young! Trevor and Tyler Agan remained 1 and 2 for the Pre Final and through the Main Event, leaving for the day with their finishing order intact. Kattanek made his way to top out the top three, but was shut out by Derek Jorge in the Main Event!! Hope to see these guys make their way out more often for our races!!

In the final class of the day, these six drivers proved that they save the best for last and Michael Grossi set his hot time of the day at a 49.114, seven tenths ahead of Josh Finkelstein in Qualifying! M. Grossi held off fellow competitors Jason Cohick and David Johnson in the first Heat session and M. Grossi continued this trend throughout the day, hitting the road with a first place win coming home with him! Cohick and J. Finkelstein battled it out throughout the day, with Anthony Grossi as leader of the back pack of the Clone Sumo class!! J. Finkelstein saw a way past Cohick, got by, and slammed the door in Cohick’s face as he locked in his second place win!! Cohick walked away with a third place trophy in hand, David Johnson with a fourth place win, and Gary Filpvla rounded out the top five!!

Big thanks go out to: RLV, Track Warrior Photos, Melanie Miller Photography, Race Monitor, Bridgestone, Grand Products, Scott Conway Racing, Snow Race Engines, WKA Officials and all Monterey Bay Kart Track Workers.

The 2013 WKA West Super Series next travels to Davis, CA for Round 6 scheduled for September 22nd and hosted by Blue Max Kart Club. Practice and Pit Parking will be available the day prior, September 21st. Entry Forms and information can be found at www.bluemaxkartclub.com or www.WKADistrict10.com.

Formula 80 Masters/80 Senior

The winds in Marina sure were picking up as the day was winding down, and Colin Katzakian made it known that he was up for the challenge with a 41.736, fast lap for the three Formula 80 Senior drivers, and Chuck Hastings in with a 42.420 for the remaining three Formula 80 Master drivers. Katzakian took the hole shot to the outside leaving Jon Ban to fall in behind him in the first Heat session. Hastings felt the pressure that Jerry Campos brought, and it was anyone’s race! Katzakian maintained his hold over Ban for the Main Event, and Connor Solis put in some work to catch them, but just was not able to get by them for the Formula 80 Senior finish!! Hastings was a DNS for the Main, and Campos took home the win for the Formula 80 Master finish followed by Adam Gavalla!! Great to see so many shifter drivers in for the win!!

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Photo by Cody Shindle – Autosports Media

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LAWSONgtSWEEPS PRO machine grand nationals GAS, BAGS $2,000 AT PITTSBURGH GOLD CUP TUNED EXHAUST PRODUCTS

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TUNED EXHAUST PRODUCTS

T

he WKA RLV Tuned Exhaust Products Gold Cup Series ran its fourth national event of the 2013 season August 23-25 with the GT Machine Grand Nationals taking place at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in western Pennsylvania.

The event marked the second straight weekend of WKA national racing at Pittsburgh. The Mazda / Bridgestone Manufacturers Cup Series held its fifth event of 2013 the weekend prior.

The big story heading into the weekend was the big money posted in the Senior Pro Gas Animal division. With an eye on continuing to build the

new class, which has seen solid double-digit entry counts at every Gold Cup national in 2013, a $2,000 purse was posted with three $500-ToWin races in Friday night’s Animal Heavy Money Race and the Saturday, Sunday points classes and a $500 bonus if one driver could win all three races.

The healthy purse was enough to entice Mentor, Ohio’s Gary Lawson, a two-time WKA Triple Crown champion, back to race the Gold Cup Series for the first time this year. Lawson, who won Gold Cup championships as recently as last year, has been helping other teams in the series as a mechanic, but had not suited up to wheel

Article by: Keith Shampine Photos by: Keith Roberts

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TUNED EXHAUST PRODUCTS

gt machine grand nationals pittsburgh int'l race complex wampum, pennsylvania

his No. 10 Arrow in WKA competition until the Pitt Gold Cup show.

Lawson proceeded to race his Arrow to the top prize in all three Pro Gas main events, besting Dakota Bell in Friday’s Money Race, Jim Lipari in Saturday’s Senior Pro Gas main and Bell again in Sunday’s weekend capper to pick up the entire $2,000 prize.

Performance North Sportsman 1 Lite 1. Nick Fauci 2. Jason Alder 3. Matthew Miller 4. Camden Gruber 5. Trevor Vargo

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Sportsman 1 Heavy 1. Nick Fauci 2. Jason Alder 3. Trevor Vargo 4. Camden Gruber 5. Matthew Miller

Friday’s Money Race saw 20 Pro Gas Animal and methanol-powered Animal entrants in what was the best turnout of the year for the special division.

Maryland’s Tony Wimmer had it working in his methanol-powered Animal. Wimmer scored the overall win, triumphing over Lawson’s Pro Gas Sportsman 1 Clone 1 1. Nick Torres 2. Cale Hall Sportsman 1 Clone 2 1. Nick Torres

Baker Racing Engines Sportsman Pro Gas Animal 1 1. David Kalb Jr 2. Alex Vrabel 3. Matthew Miller 4. Zach Wells

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kart by about 10 kart-lengths. The next-best finishing methanol kart was Travis Manning, who crossed the stripe fifth overall.

Wimmer took home the lion’s share of the 75-percent payback on the entry fess, while Lawson won the $500 for winning the Pro Gas portion of the race. Lawson also picked up the second-place share of the 75-percent payback, meaning he actually left Pittsburgh with checks totaling over $2,000.

Bell, Jacob Heavlow and Manning were third through fifth. For Bell it marked his return to the Gold Cup on a Baker Racing Engines MGM chassis for the first time. Bell competed on a Michigan Kart Supply Coyote last year but had not seen the track in 2013 until this past weekend.

Baker Racing Engines Sportsman Pro Gas Animal 2 1. David Kalb Jr 2. Cody Hall 3. Matthew Miller 4. Nick Fauci 5. Zach Wells

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Van-K Wheels Sportsman 2 Lite 1. David Kalb Jr 2. Adam Cornell 3. Wyatt Frantz 4. Joshua Stark 5. Zach Wells

Heavlow was also making his first start of the year in Gold Cup. The event marked Heavlow’s first foray into senior competition on a national level. The Maryland racer is a multi-time national champion in Sportsman and Junior Gold Cup racing.

Jason Zobkiw, Jim Lipari, Dylan Zobkiw, Josh Stiefel and Zack Clark finished just out of the money in sixth through 10th. All were on Pro Gaspowered karts.

Lawson’s job was made slightly easier in Saturday’s Senior Pro Gas main event when his closest competitor, Bell, dropped out early.

Heavlow crossed the stripe second to Lawson but was disqualified for a bumper dragging. The Heavlow DQ gave second to Coyote Motorsports’ Sportsman 2 Heavy 1. Zach Wells 2. David Kalb Jr 3. Adam Cornell 4. Wyatt Frantz 5. Joshua Stark

Sportsman 2 Clone 1 1. Dylan Murry 2. Cody Hall 3. Zach Wells Sportsman 2 Clone 2 1. Dylan Murry 2. Cody Hall 3. Zach Wells

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Lipari. Dylan Zobkiw took third, Camden winner Michael Fauci fourth and Jason Zobkiw fifth.

With $1,000 on the line for Lawson Sunday others were simply looking to break into the win category and score $500. But Lawson was at his best once again. Bell looked to have a legitimate shot after he ran close with Lawson in the heat race. But Dakota, who like Lawson owns a pair of Triple Crown championships, as well, faded in the main event, letting Lawson pull away for an uncontested victory and the $2,000-plus pay day.

Junior Lite 1. Sarah Luoma 2. Skyler Locklear 3. Tyler Stiefel 4. Dustin Demattia 5. Tyler Frantz

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Junior Medium 1. Sarah Luoma 2. Tyler Frantz 3. Skylar Locklear 4. Tanner Lee 5. Dustin Demattia

Ohio’s David Kalb Jr. had a big weekend at Pitt.

Kalb raced his Margay chassis to a sweep of the Baker Racing Engines Sportsman Pro Gas Animal main events and added a victory in Van-K Wheels Sportsman 2 Lite to give him the weekend hat trick.

Kalb bested Alex Vrabel for the win in Saturday’s Sportsman Pro Gas feature. Matthew Miller ran third after winning Friday’s Sportsman Pro Gas Shootout. Zach Wells was fourth and Dylan Murry rounded out the top five.

MGM Chassis Co. Junior Heavy 1. Sarah Luoma 2. Skyler Locklear 3. Tanner Lee 4. Tyler Stiefel 5. Dustin Demattia

Restricted Junior 1. Dustin Demattia 2. Tyler Stiefel 3. Spencer Sherman 4. Tyler Woods Junior Clone 1 1. Tanner Lee

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fourth and Stark fifth.

Fifteen karts started Sunday’s Sportsman Pro Gas feature, making it the largest field of the year for the 7- to 12-year-old division. Once again Kalb had his way with the big field, triumphing by 0.376 seconds over Cody Hall for the win.

Miller finished third for the second consecutive day, while New York’s Nick Fauci and Wells completed the top five.

Kalb and Wells split the Sportsman 2 divisions.

Kalb scored the win in Saturday’s Sportsman 2 Lite over Adam Cornell, Wyatt Frantz, Joshua Stark and Wells. On Sunday’s Wells bested Kalb by a 0.378-second margin for his first and only win of the weekend. Cornell was third, Frantz Junior Clone 2 1. Tanner Lee

Razor / Roberts Kart Shop Junior Pro Gas Animal 1 1. Tanner Lee 2. Tyler Woods 3. Cameron Vargo

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Margay Racing Products Junior Pro Gas Animal 2 1. Tanner Lee 2. Tyler Woods 3. Cameron Vargo 4. Dustin Demattia

Nick Fauci raced his Coyote to a sweep of the Sportsman 1 alcohol classes. Fauci won over Jason Alder in Performance North Sportsman 1 Lite and Sportsman 1 Heavy. In Lite, Miller was third, Camden Gruber fourth and Trevor Vargo fifth. In Sunday’s Heavy main, Fauci and Alder crossed the finish line ahead of Vargo, Gruber and Miller.

Nick Torres won over Cale Hall both days in Sportsman 1 Clone. Dylan Murry swept the Sportsman 2 Clone main events over Cody Hall and Wells. Tanner Lee won both Junior Clone main events.

Coyote Motorsports Animal Lite 1. Travis Manning 2. Scott Kleman 3. Cayla Chapman 4. Chandler Sherman

Animal Medium 1. Travis Manning 2. Ryan Bavineau 3. Tyler Sandmeyer 4. Paul Headley 5. Josh Stiefel

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Ohio’s Sarah Luoma accomplished her best Gold Cup weekend of the year. Luoma wheeled her GT-powered Coyote to the hat trick, sweeping the three Junior divisions she entered.

On Saturday Luoma bested Skyler Locklear to win Junior Lite and Junior Heavy. In Lite, Tyler Stiefel followed Luoma and Locklear across the stripe. Dustin Demattia was fourth and Tyler Frantz fifth. Junior Heavy saw Luoma win over Locklear, Tanner Lee, Stiefel and Demattia.

Animal Heavy 1. Anthony Wimmer 2. Tyler Sandmeyer 3. Paul Headley 4. Joshua Stiefel 5. Case Hall

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Margay Racing Products Animal Amateur Medium 1. Anthony Wimmer 2. Travis Manning 3. Chandler Sherman 4. Paul Headley 5. Ryan Bavineau

Sunday’s Junior Medium main event was the last chance for the boys to beat Luoma. But once again Luoma was ultra-impressive in her drive, hitting her marks throughout the 12-lapper and posting a 2.3-second win over Tyler Frantz.

Locklear took third, Lee fourth and Demattia fifth.

Demattia was able to score one win on the weekend, coming in Sunday’s Restricted Junior show. Demattia wheeled his Bandit to the Target Distributing Animal Masters 1. Tim Stiefel

Senior Clone 2 1. Matthew Horst

Coyote Motorsports Senior Clone 1 1. Matthew Horst

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victory over Tyler Stiefel, Spencer Sherman and Tyler Woods.

Tanner Lee swept the Razor Chassis / Margay Racing Products Junior Pro Gas features. The Georgia racer bested Michigan’s Woods both days. Cameron Vargo was third and Demattia fourth.

Manning won Animal Lite over Scott Kleman, Cayla Chapman and Chandler Sherman. Animal Medium saw Manning best Coyote racer Ryan Bavineau, who had commitments that kept him from racing at Pittsburgh until Sunday. Tyler Sandmeyer had an off-weekend and came home third in Medium. Paul Headley was fourth and Josh Stiefel fifth.

A couple of Maryland racers scored double wins in senior competition. Travis Manning raced his MGM to victories in Coyote Motorsports Animal Lite and Animal Medium, while Tony Wimmer, fresh of his win in Friday’s Money Race, won Animal Heavy and Margay Animal Amateur Medium.

“I had an excellent time racing with Scott Kleman and Ryan Bavineau,” the 18-yearold Manning commented after his double-win weekend. “Huge thanks to my dad, Dave Koehler and Paul Rice.”

Coyote Motorsports Senior Pro Gas Animal 1 1. Gary Lawson 2. Jim Lipari 3. Dylan Zobkiw 4. Michael Fauci 5. Jason Zobkiw

MotoOption Friday Night Thunder Series Sportsman Pro Gas Shootout 1. Matthew Miller 2. Nick Fauci 3. David Kalb Jr 4. Alex Vrabel 5. Dylan Murray.

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Coyote / Margay / Razor Senior Pro Gas Animal 2 1. Gary Lawson 2. Dakota Bell 3. Michael Fauci 4. Steven Kilsdonk 5. Jeffrey Beatty

Wimmer bested Sandmeyer to win Animal Heavy on Saturday. Headley was third, Josh Stiefel Junior Pro Gas Shootout 1. Dustin Demattia 2. Tanner Lee 3. Cameron Vargo

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fourth and Case Hall fifth.

Wimmer added his second points-class win and third win overall counting Friday’s Money Race in Sunday’s Amateur Medium show. Wimmer won over Manning, Chandler Sherman, Headley and Bavineau in the eight-kart race.

New York’s Tim Stiefel won Target Distributing Animal Masters and Georgia’s Matthew Horst triumphed in both Senior Clone mains.

The Friday night 10-lap Shootouts saw Matthew Miller win the new radio-controlled ECX truck with his triumph in the Sportsman Pro Gas Shootout. Nick Fauci was second, Kalb third, Alex Vrabel fourth and Murry fifth.

Demattia won over Lee and Cameron Vargo in the 10-lap Junior Pro Gas Shootout.

Animal Heavy Money Race 1. Tony Wimmer (methanol) 2. Gary Lawson (Pro Gas) 3. Dakota Bell (Pro Gas) 4. Jacob Heavlow (Pro Gas) 5. Travis Manning (methanol)

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