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| February 24, 2012 News |
| EKN Trackside: Gatorz Challenge of the Americas - PKRA Preview |
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The Gatorz Challenge of the Americas will make its second stop of its three month journey for the 2012 season this weekend as drivers and teams travel to the Phoenix Kart Racing Association (PKRA) Formula K Raceway in Glendale, Arizona. The facility will host the series for the fourth time in five years, and for the first time hosting rounds three and four of the six-race championship series. The international Rotax Max Challenge program welcomed over 110 drivers at the opening stop in Tucson, Arizona with the same numbers expected in Phoenix.
The PKRA course is 3/4-mile with 12 turns utilizing the ‘Full Course’ layout. The challenging circuit will be the backdrop for the halfway mark of the series championship chase with three spots to the coveted Rotax Grand Finals in Portugal later this year, one each in Senior, DD2 and Junior. Thus far, the racing has not disappointed as Tucson saw some great side-by-side action and drama unfold. Phoenix should be no different with the championship contenders established and another two days of racing on the horizon.
 | Kiel Spaulding leads the Senior standings heading into Phoenix
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Buddy Rice Karting Senior Max
The largest field in Tucson was the Senior Max category with 35 drivers on the grid. While some exciting racing took place, the star of the weekend was NorCal’s Kiel Spaulding (FA Kart). The 2011 Team USA member has partnered with Phil Giebler Racing for the series, and the combination has proven to be stout. Spaulding was on his way to victory in round one until contact on the final lap took him off the podium. He put that behind him on Sunday, driving away to a perfect score for round two, excelling him to the top of the point standings heading into Phoenix. Nothing is set in stone however as his lead is just a small seven points over Saturday winner Luke Chudleigh (Maranello). The Canadian driver benefitted from the last lap encounter for Spaulding, but was unable to return to the podium on Sunday to hold the point lead. Standing on the podium in third both days was Virginia driver Nick Rivellini (CRG). Two solid drives from outside the top-five put the Team WRS driver in the championship hunt, heading to a familiar track for the Phoenix-based operation. Former Junior Max series champ Louie Pagano (Birel) improved on day two to end up second and sits fourth in the championship with round one runner-up Mason Marotta (Intrepid) in fifth, all within 28 points of Spaulding. Throwing fuel on the fire will be the addition of Rotax Grand Finals vice-champion David Sera (Arrow) as the Australian is making a detour on his way back home after competing in Florida this past weekend.
Overdrive Motorsports DD2/BRK Engines DD2 Masters
Both DD2 categories in Tucson were swept in convincing fashion. Fritz Leesmann (CRG) and John Crow (Arrow) dominated the proceedings in Tucson for the two-speed divisions on-track at the same time. Leesmann - racing under the PSL Atlantic banner - went unchallenged on Saturday but was tested on Sunday at times, able to overcome to complete the sweep. Behind him, Austin King (PCR) and Daniel Burkett (LH) were the top challengers for most of the weekend. The two made contact on Sunday, dropping them off the podium and moving Bronson Eggert (Birel) and John Wallace III (Energy) up the order. Eggert currently sits second in the standings, 60 points behind Leesmann with King three points back of him. Crow led wire-to-wire throughout the weekend aboard his Billet Performance Karting entry in January in the Masters division, kept honest by Mark Wheeler (PCR) lap after lap.
 | Following a weekend sweep in Tucson, Fritz Leesmann is the target in DD2
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Rolison Performance Group Junior Max
Like the Senior class, the Junior Max class has one driver that may shine through to the championship crown. Defending series champ Canadian Parker Thompson (Tony Kart) kicked off his title defense with a sweep on the opening day. En route to a sweep on Sunday, Thompson encountered some mechanical issues and later made contact with another driver, taking him off the podium. Driving back to seventh, Thompson leads the point standings by 12 points over two-time podium finisher Zacharie Scalzo (LH). The feature win Sunday came down to a photo finish between Scalzo and Blaine Rocha. At the line, Rocha came away with the win by just four-hundredths of a second. With the win, Rocha is 16 markers off Thompson. Round one runner-up Luke Selliken (Kosmic) is fourth in the standings with Junior rookie Austin Versteeg (CRG), involved in the final lap action on Sunday, in fifth. The top-five are separated by just 35 points.
Billet Performance Karting Masters Max
Riding off the momentum from earning the Rotax Grand Nationals title last year, Brent Harper (Swiss Hutless) is starting out his 2012 season on top. Harper was able to score both feature wins in Tucson to start out the Gatorz COTA title chase on top. Series regular Paul Bonilla (Arrow) gave him a good fight throughout the weekend and sits 18 points back heading to Phoenix. Defending series champ Scott Falcone shook off a slow start to the year in round one, bouncing back on day two with a runner-up finish behind Harper to sit third in the title chase. Joining the fight for the Phoenix rounds will be local drivers Bill Kann (Birel) and Arie Luyendyk Jr. (Zanardi). Kann was the vice-champion last year, including two podiums at PKRA with Luyendyk a runner-up last year in Sonoma.
BBR Karting Mini Max
The Mini Max class in Tucson was a one-driver show as Christian Brooks (Energy) put on a clinic over the two days of racing. The Buddy Rice Karting driver established himself as the point leader and early favorite at defending his Mini Max Rotax Grand Nationals title. Sting Ray Robb (Tony Kart) and Royal McKee (Energy) are nearly a deadlock in second spot, each placing second and third last month, about 50 points behind Brooks.
 | Defending Junior champion Parker Thompson leads the standings with one victory at the opening weekend
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Apollo Motorsports Micro Max
The chase for the title in Micro Max is surely up in the air as the series travels to Phoenix with three drivers within eight points of each other. Sophia Price (Kosmic) leads the standings thanks to a third and first in Tucson. Five points back is double runner-up finisher Jacob Blue Hudson (Energy) with round one winner Derek DesLauriers (Energy) sitting third. Defending series champion Cody Dempster (CRG) and Conner Wick (Wild Kart) are fourth and fifth with plenty of opportunity to climb up the order in Phoenix.
EKN Trackside Live
For those family members, friends, and karting fanatics who are unable to attend the second stop of the Gatorz COTA program in person, eKartingNews.com will bring you the benefit of feeling like you are there right to your couch or computer desk. The EKN Trackside Live coverage - http://www.ekartingnews.com/live - will give you the play-by-play action from EKN’s own Rob Howden and allow you to view the live scoring feed from Race-Monitor.com. The EKN Trackside Live page is the one page to bookmark for your weekend. If you have a mobile device, you can listen in through EKN’s streaming page (mobile.livestream.com/ekartingnewslive) when racing is taking place. Check updates from the event, including the top-10 of each session, at the Official Discussion Thread in the EKN Forums. Be sure to ‘Like’ us on Facebook/eKartingNews and @eKartingNews on Twitter for extra updates, pictures and videos from this weekend.
Pre-Entry Lists - 2012 Gatorz Challenge of the Americas - PKRA
Senior Max
| No. | Driver | Chassis | Hometown| 100 | Sabre' Cook | CRG | Grand Junction, CO | | 101 | Ben Schermerhorn | CRG | Highlands Ranch, CO | | 103 | Adam Dowler | Tony Kart | Sherwood Park, AB | | 105 | Parker McKean | Kosmic | Gig Harbor, WA | | 106 | Augie Lerch | Intrepid | Tucson, AZ | | 108 | Kiel Spaulding | FA | Elk Grove, CA | | 114 | Sean Conyers | Intrepid | Phoenix, AZ | | 116 | Mitch Carey | Arrow | Parker, CO | | 123 | Will Owen | Arrow | Castle Rock, CO | | 130 | Timothy De Silva | Arrow | Palos Verdes Estates, CA | | 131 | Chad Grunrow | Tony Kart | Saskatoon, SK | | 134 | Emily Maddison | FA | Calgary, AB | | 139 | Austin King | PCR | Calgary, AB | | 140 | Kevin King | CRG | Sherbrooke, QC | | 145 | Tyler Edwards | Arrow | Littleton, CO | | 151 | Andrew Wiener | Tony Kart | Spring Valley, CA | | 154 | Mason Marotta | Intrepid | Bakersfield, CA | | 155 | Kyle Byers | Kosmic | Auburn, WA | | 171 | Niki Luna | CRG | Newport Coast, CA | | 172 | Tazio Ottis | CRG | Berkeley, CA | | 173 | Andrew Zimmer | Energy | Beaverton, OR | | 177 | Phil DeLaO | Top Kart | Peoria, AZ | | 180 | Dakota Dickerson | Arrow | San Diego, CA | | 195 | Bryan Lemon | Kosmic | Glendale, AZ | | 197 | Brandon Cusack | Tony Kart | Mill Creek, WA | | 199 | Brittney Cusack | Tony Kart | Sinohomish, WA | |
DD2/DD2 Masters
| No. | Driver | Chassis | Hometown| 239 | Austin King | PCR | Calgary, AB | | 261 | Fritz Leesmann | CRG | Elk Grove, CA | | 311 | John Crow | Arrow | Anaheim, CA | | 336 | Mark Wheeler | PCR | Calgary, AB | | 356 | Jim Carey Sr. | Arrow | Parker, CO | |
Junior Max
| No. | Driver | Chassis | Hometown| 2 | Coltin McCaughan | Tony Kart | Calgary, AB | | 3 | Zachary Sinclair | Tony Kart | Sherwood Park, AB | | 4 | Niko Pagones | Tony Kart | Medina, WA | | 6 | Grant Copple | Sodi | Golden, CO | | 8 | Marco Eakins | Energy | Beaverton, OR | | 11 | Nathan Seegrist | Tony Kart | Corona, CA | | 12 | Matt McMurray | Kosmic | Phoenix, AZ | | 18 | Lindsey Freier | Birel | Arvada, CO | | 19 | Jim McKinney | Intrepid | Chandler, AZ | | 21 | Jonathan May | Energy | San Marcos, CA | | 22 | Pete Yerkovich Jr. | Intrepid | Desert Hills, AZ | | 24 | Bradley Dezall | Tony Kart | Okatoka, AB | | 26 | Jake Boyle | CRG | Anthem, AZ | | 30 | Zacharie Scalzo | Lewis Hamilton | Drummondville, QC | | 38 | Walker Hess | Tony Kart | Park City, UT | | 42 | Corrie Hiatt | RK | Cocord, CA | | 48 | Kyler Repella | Lewis Hamilton | Phoenix, AZ | | 51 | Jake Preston | Kosmic | Renton, WA | | 77 | Austin Kuehl | Intrepid | Cave Creek, AZ | | 88 | Jason Dempster | Sodi | Highlands Ranch, CO | | 90 | Jordan Redlin | CRG | Aldergrove, BC | | 92 | Blaine Rocha | Arrow | Oakdale, CA | | 98 | Matthew Moniz | CRG | Vancouver, BC | | Lindsay Brewer | Arrow | Arvada, CO | |
Masters Max
| No. | Driver | Chassis | Hometown| 608 | Ryan Peace | Italkart | Calgary, AB | | 609 | Roger Culver | Intrepid | Phoenix, AZ | | 611 | Bill Kann | Birel | Mesa, AZ | | 613 | Brent Harper | Swiss Hutless | Lubbock, TX | | 617 | Ed Bush | Zanardi | Scottsdale, AZ | | 618 | Billy Kann | Birel | Mesa, AZ | | 620 | Paul Bonilla | Arrow | Cypress, CA | | 625 | Arie Luyendyk Jr. | Zanardi | Phoenix, AZ | | 641 | Larry Hayashigawa | Energy | Downey, CA | | 649 | Justin Peck | Tony Kart | Spanish Fork, UT | | 654 | Steve Wiener | CRG | Spring Valley, CA | | 662 | Ken Maxfield | Arrow | Murray, UT | | 671 | Derek Poirier | Intrepid | Glendale, AZ | | 696 | Harindra De Silva | Energy | Palos Verdes Estates, CA | | 699 | Scott Falcone | Arrow | Lone Tree, CO | |
Mini Max
| No. | Driver | Chassis | Hometown| 502 | Royal McKee | Energy | Las Vegas, NV | | 503 | Max Fedler | Sodi | Denver, CO | | 511 | Nicky Hays | Birel | Huntington Beach, CA | | 514 | Carson Vogel | Tony Kart | Elk Point, AB | | 516 | Sting Ray Robb | Tony Kart | Boise, ID | | 527 | Nolan Vogel | Tony Kart | Elk Point, AB | | 531 | Jeff Fulham | Lewis Hamilton | Winnipeg, MB | | 543 | Garrett Gulenchyn | Tony Kart | Hadashville, MB | | 548 | Jessica Dezall | PCR | Okatoka, AB | | 556 | Horatio Fitz-Simon | CRG | Pleasanton, CA | |
Micro Max
| No. | Driver | Chassis | Hometown| 402 | Derek DesLauriers | Energy | Littleton, CO | | 406 | Griffin Dowler | Tony Kart | Sherwood Park, AB | | 417 | Sophia Price | Kosmic | Heber City, UT | | 421 | Corbin Emery | Birel | Lone Tree, CO | | 422 | Cody Dempster | CRG | Parker, CO | | 450 | Marco Kacic | CRG | West Kelowna, BC | | 453 | Jacob Blue Hudson | Energy | Keizer, OR | | 476 | Everest Fedler | Shockwave | Denver, CO | | 481 | Peyton Durrant | Birel | Lehi, UT | |
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