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| May 17, 2012 News |
| Race Report: IKF Region 7 Sprint Championships - Willow Springs |
| Article by: ikfkarting-r7.com |
The IKF Region 7 Sprint Championships began their 2012 season the weekend of March 2-4 at the world famous Adams Motorsports Park in Riverside, CA and they were back in action for round two at the Willow Springs Kart Track on May 4-6. Willow Springs Kart Club was the host and entries were solid as the new series continues to take flight. One driver, Austin Wolf made the trek all the way from Canada to participate in the second event of the series. Willow always provides fantastic on track action and this was no exception, as many of the finals came down to wire for the checkered flag.
The RLV Junior 2 PRD Controlled class was the first out of the gate with Willy Axton landing the pole with a time of 45.402. Axton went on to sweep the heat races with Chance Skaufel and Royal McKee each taking a second place finish. For the final, it was all Axton leading flag to flag for the victory. Skaufel, Nathan Seegrist and McKee battled early for the second spot with it eventually going to McKee. Hannah Grisham pulled away from the main pack to finish in third.
The Buddy Rice Karting TaG Sr. pole went to Andrew Weiner running a 44.671. Alejo Fernandez qualified P2 with a 44.780, but it was John Wallace III who followed Weiner to the finish for heat 1. Weiner continued to top the charts in heat two as Travis Lowe and Wallace were the only two drivers able to pace with the leader. A bad start for Weiner in the final saw him drop a few positions and Mike Herda jump to the front. Wallace and Lowe were right in the hunt and quickly moved to P1 and P2. Herda stayed with the duo but was unable to make any strides at regaining the top position. Lowe brought it home for his first win of the weekend with Wallace and Herda placing second and third.
 | Travis Lowe
(Photo: Cal Vandervoort - speedandsports.smugmug.com) |
Fleming Racing Engines PRD Junior 1 qualifying saw Carter Herrera best Jake Drew and the field of ten with a 47.253 lap time. Hunter Corbitt emerged in the heat races as the man to beat and he carried that pace well through the 20 lap main event. Corbitt led from start to finish with Herrera solidly in second and Noah Garza coming away with third.
Nick Ramirez scored the pole in the P1 Engines KPV2 qualifying session. Christian Brooks started heat #1 from the outside of row one in the 13 kart field. Brooks showed his cards in both of the heat races, besting Ramirez in Heat 1 and Willy Axton in Heat 2. The final saw Blake Mudock deal himself right into the game and jump out to an early lead. Brooks was only able to get by Mudock once in the first half of the race but he kept attacking at every moment. Mudock seemed like he could hold off Brooks to the finish but on lap 14, Brooks made a move that would stick. Grisham ran solidly in third until a charging Ramirez came blowing by. Ramirez and Colton Herta joined the leaders in the dash for the line with Brooks coming away with the win. Ramirez finished second and Herta in third.
Kaden Vermillion set the pace in the Pitts Performance Kid Kart qualifying session besting Carson Mallett by a few tenths. Vermillion was unstoppable through the heat races as Tanner Hudspeth and Aden Dodge took their shots. The Main Event was the Vermillion show with the #99 leading every lap and taking an easy win. Dodge ran solidly in second place, but was run down and passed in the closing laps by Hudspeth. Emerson Action and Rylee Martinez finished out the top five.
The Pure Karting KPV1 class was the final race group on the docket for day one with 18 entrants. Myles ‘the machine’ Farhan narrowly grabbed the pole over Jason Pettit with his lap time of 49.046. Heat one saw Farhan keep his top spot, but Carter Herrera, Pettit and Noah Garza were all right on his rear bumper at the line. Heat two saw a shuffling in the order with Herrera taking the win with Ryan Schartau, Garza, Jake Drew and Pettit in tow as Farhan dropped back to seventh. Herrera grabbed the lead to start the 20-lap final followed closely by Garza and Drew. Schartau soon passed Drew for third, but it was short lived as Pettit made his way around Schartau a few laps later. Garza made his move a couple laps past halfway, dropping Herrera down to second place. They crossed the line in that order, with Garza getting the win. Hunter Corbitt drove the wheels off his #1y kart for third place. Corbitt was back outside the top ten on lap one and worked his way past everyone else but the leaders for a great finish.
 | Matt Kimball
(Photo: Cal Vandervoort - speedandsports.smugmug.com) |
The Mike Manning Karting PRD Sr. class got things started on Sunday for race day #2 with Travis Lowe topping the charts in qualifying. Ryan Casner qualified P2 and that’s where he remained after heat 1. Lloyd Mack stepped up to second place in heat two with Casner dropping to third. Lowe continued to dominate both heats and looked invincible for the final. Mack went on the attack right away and led the field around to complete the first circuit. Lowe slotted in to second with Casner trailing. By lap five, Lowe was back up to the front, a position he never relinquished again. Mack drove it home to second place with a second to spare ahead of Alejo Fernandez, his best effort to date and continuing to get faster race after race. Lowe held a 2.5-second advantage at the finish for his second win of the weekend, and the only double winner of the weekend.
The PKS Kart Supply Kid Kart Heavy pole went to Rylee Martinez with a 1:02.123 lap time. The top position didn't last though as Aden Dodge was the victor in heat 1 and in heat 2. The final played out with the same results as Dodge went flag to flag for the win. Emerson Action was the only driver able to keep pace with Dodge but came up a little short at the finish and had to settle for second place honors. Pole sitter Martinez rounded out the top three.
Hayden Wagner narrowly earned the Empire Karts KPV1 Heavy pole over Hunter Corbitt. The top two were separated by only 0.056 of a second. Heat #1 went to Carter Herrera with Wagner, Corbitt, Myles Farhan and Jason Petitt the top five. Heat #2 saw Corbitt jump up to the top with Herrera, Farhan, Wagner and Anthony Sawyer in tow. Corbitt continue to drive the field in the main event, leading the charge for the first half of the 20-lap contest. Herrera and Farhan were not far behind but it wasn't until lap nine that we saw a shuffle for position. Herrera led for only one circuit before yielding it back to Corbitt. By lap eleven, the rise of ‘the machine’ came. Farhan made his way to the front and never looked back, scoring the win by three seconds over Herrera and Corbitt.
 | Anthony Willis
(Photo: Cal Vandervoort - speedandsports.smugmug.com) |
Matt Kimball owned the KPV4 Heavy class. It all started for Kimball with a 47.209 qualifying lap. He was nearly a second faster than P2 qualifier Nico Giordano. His speed continued in heat 1, outrunning Giordano and Tim Meyer. Heat two saw Kimball again score the win, but Meyer dropped to third behind Sebastian Bacon. The final was ‘the Matt Kimball show’, starring Matt Kimball as the KPV4 Heavy Race winner. Giordano ran the entire 20 laps in second as did Bacon in third.
Hyper Racing Engines KPV2 was one of the most anticipated classes of the day. Colton Herta landed the pole over Christian Brooks and Josh Kurtz. Brooks went to the top of the charts in Heat #1 with Herta hanging on for second place. Positions shifted yet again in Heat #2 with Kurtz scoring the win over Herta and Blake Mudock. The on-track action in the final was outstanding as Mudock, Brooks, Herta, and Royal McKee all led laps. The top seven drivers finished all together, only separated by tenths. Mudock led them down to the checkered flag but race officials had the final say handing the win to Kurtz. Nick Ramirez climbed his way up to finish in second place with McKee rounding out the podium.
The Grand Products Rookie Comer 80 was the final class on the schedule and Dezel West set the pace in qualifying with a time of 51.317. Ryan Schartau qualified P2 but fell back to 4th in the first of two heat races. West won the first heat over Hayden Wagner and Anthony Willis but Willis bounded to the top of the charts to win Heat #2 over Wagner and Brenden Olsen. Willis killed it in the final running pretty much unchallenged for the 20-lap contest. Schartau got a great start and finished solidly in second place over pole sitter West in third.
The third round of the IKF Region 7 Sprint Championships is June 2-3 at Apex Raceway in Lake Perris, Ca. It has been some time since the IKF Region 7 racers have visited the Apex circuit and it is sure to be an exciting event. Online registration will be available soon. |
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