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| March 09, 2012 News |
| Event News: Florida Winter Tour - Ocala - Formula Kart Weekend - Preview |
| Article by: Ken Johnson and Bill Wright |
This weekend the competitors in the Formula Kart portion of the Florida Winter Tour, presented by SPORTALITY, will invade the Ocala Gran Prix circuit in Ocala, Florida. It’s been an amazing season thus far with record entry numbers, tight battles and a lot of “Serious Fun!” at “THE Winter Place To Be!”.
The Florida Winter Tour is owned and operated by Formula Kart Productions. FKP’s Bill Wright is justifiably pleased with the direction that the Formula kart program is headed, “With participation so far from 110 unique competitors in six classes, representing an average of 160 entries per event weekend, and with the addition of new racers from karting stalwarts like Russell Karting and the return of the Mega Teams like PSL, J3 and Goodwood / Intrepid North America, the future of the FWT Formula Kart Racing shifter and TaG program looks very bright.”
The events this weekend in Ocala will feature rounds five and six of the Formula Kart program. In addition to the opportunity for drivers to take home a prestigious FWT podium, these final 2012 FK rounds will also see drivers add points to the FWT Nation’s Cup and Manufacturer’s Cup championships. These FWT titles score points from both the FK and Rotax FWT programs. Strong results in the Formula Kart program are crucial to overall success in these important FWT championships.
As the FWT left Homestead Karting last month, Tony Kart had overtaken CRG for the lead in the Manufacturer’s Cup by the slimmest of margins. In the Nation’s Cup, The USA widened its lead over Canada with a small but potent contingent from Venezuela in third. Both of these championships will be fought over until the end so stay up-to-date on the current points total at the official FWT web site. Current points can be seen at floridawintertour.com/results/points.html
 | | Among the prizes handed out this weekend will be a trip to the Granja Viana 500 event in Brazil thanks to MG Tires |
Another program that awards points based on participation in both programs is the Skip Barber Awards Program. This award is open to all drivers who registered for the award and counts the drivers results from both Formula Kart and Rotax MAX participation. With a company like Skip Barber behind the award, you know the prize will be something special, and it is! The awards for the top three in Skip Barber points are:
1st: Three Day Racing School, Two Day Advanced Racing School and a Full Season (eight races) in a Skip Barber Summer or Winter series.
2nd: $15,000 in “Skippy Bucks”
3rd: $10,000 in “Skippy Bucks”
Those are some amazing awards indeed and it’s no wonder the drivers going for those awards are very focused on them. After the Homestead races the top three in Skip Barber points are; 1st Kyle Kirkwood (1392), 2nd Ashley Rogero (1381), and 3rd Danny Formal (1313). With a point battle this close it’s far from over and we’ll just have to see how the next couple weekends turn out to find out who will be racing cars courtesy of Skip barber Racing School.
Another awesome award handed out this year at the Florida Winter Tour is a seat on the MG Tires Granja 500 Team. Anyone who’s ever been to this event raves about what an incredible event it is and how much fun they had. For 2012 MG Tires is awarding one lucky winner a spot on the MG Tires Granja team.
The MG Tires Granja Seat Award will be awarded to any driver who is 18 or older, who has not been to Granja, and has raced all six rounds of the 2012 FWT Formula Kart program. During the weekend three names will be pulled from a hat and one lucky Formula Kart Racing driver and two alternates will be chosen to go to Brazil to race in the Granja 500.
TaG Cadet has seen a total of 41 international drivers take part. Drivers to watch this weekend include a trio from the United States who have seen the podium at each of the previous FWT events; Darren Keane, Devlin DeFrancesco and Anthony Gangi Jr.
Tag Jr features strong fields with a total of 27 drivers participating. Kyle Kirkwood (USA) has been perfect in the finals with four wins in four starts. Watch out for other podium visitors like U.S. drivers Ashley Rogero and Dan Roeper, Ecuadorian Juan Manual Correa and Jamaican Thomas Issa.
TaG Senior has been tightly fought, with Canadian Alex Guenette, Costa Rican Danny Formal and the U.S. driver Andrew Evens all seeing the podium. Look for those three to continue their tight battles.
 | The TaG Cadet division has seen solid numbers in 2012
(Photo: Ken Johnson - studio52.us) |
TaG Masters continues to grow. Reigning FWT TaG Masters Champion Jim Russell Jr. (USA) has struggled, but is always a threat. Chuck Gafrarar (USA) started off with two wins in Palm Beach but didn’t see the podium at Homestead where John Dixon (USA) stood on top of the box both days. Don’t count out Venezuelan Carlo Rinaldi, who has been fast but inconsistent, or the steady Phil Kirby (USA) who has kept himself within striking distance for the duration.
In Open Shifter reigning FWT Champion Zach Meyer (Canada) started off with a win but has struggled since. Conversely, fellow Canadian Nicholas Latifi struggled in the first race day but has been perfect since, with three uncontested wins. The Jamaican Colin Daley Jr continues to be a threat in his shifter debut, with three podiums to his credit. Alex Manglass (USA) has also been on the box three times. Shifter standout Cole Mathewson (USA) makes a return to FWT at Ocala and should be at the front.
In Masters Shifter George Moss (USA) is up for the “Mister Consistency” award, as he has been on the box in every 2012 FWT FK event. Look for George to continue his run at the front, with fellow U.S. driver David Levy. Reigning FWT Masters Shifter Champion Kurt Mathewson (USA) makes an appearance in Ocala. Look for Kurt to be at the sharp end of the field.
As with all events in the 2012 Florida Winter Tour season, log on to watch the racing action live at Formula kart Production’s FWT LIVE! (http://floridawintertour.com/fwtlive/2012) FWT LIVE! Features live streaming video and live timing and encourages audience participation with the ability to email the announcer to send “shout outs” to your favorite drivers and teams.
For more in-depth coverage and current results, visit FloridaWinterTour.com and be sure to “like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/FloridaWinterTour |
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