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| July 06, 2012 News |
| EKN Trackside: WKA Manufacturers Cup Series - MKP Nationals Preview |
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 | Robert Bujdoso continues to lead in TaG, chased by Mason Chelootz
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
The halfway point has been reached for the 2012 season, including the same timeline for the WKA Mazda/Bridgestone Manufacturers Cup Series. This weekend, the program will contest round four of the six-event series as JET Karting/Michiana Raceway Park hosts the MKP Nationals in North Liberty, Indiana - just outside South Bend. The challenging 0.74-mile course has hosted a number of WKA events and has been on the Manufacturers Cup schedule seven of the last eight years. According to WKA, pre-entry numbers for this weekend’s event have matched the count from last year, setting up for a possible record number of total entries on the weekend. The highest total came in 2006 when 549 entrants were recorded.
The facility is now under the management JET Karting. Andy Finke took over the management of Michiana Raceway Park and has been busy preparing for a number of events visiting the 17-year old kart track. Each year, owner Garry Lobaugh has continued to improve the amenities surrounding the track. This year, Finke and the JET Karting/MRP staff have followed through as the track now has new curbing, resurfaced paddock area, and just received a widening of the front stretch. The track just hosted the Rotax Summer Shootout this past weekend, with a number of competitors testing for the upcoming United States Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals in August.
Aside from the tough circuit, which should have a lot of rubber already laid down from events from the past two weekends, competitors will be battling the weather. Temperatures are set to reach 100 degrees during Friday practice with Saturday’s forecast predicting a high temperature of 97. Sunday will cool down with temperatures back down inside the 80s.
 | John McCusker and Dakota Pesek are the top dogs in Yamaha SuperCan heading to South Bend
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Like the weather, the championship battles are heating up across the board. The TaG categories have been hotly contested this season during the first half, but the same driver remains at the top. Robert Bujdoso (PCR) has won both the TaG 1 and TaG 2 championships the last two seasons and leads both standings heading to South Bend. The gap in Saturday’s class is just five points and 30 on Sunday, both ahead of the charging Mason Chelootz. The Texas driver won both features in Pittsburgh and also leads the Parilla Leopard standings. Veteran Chris Wehrheim is third in both, and has probably the most laps in South Bend among those in the championship chase. In the TaG Masters category, where both days count toward one title, Ohio driver Brian McHattie leads the fight. A victory in race three, McHattie has a runner-up finish and two third place performances to compliment the win. However, he will not be in South Bend for rounds seven and eight. John Ferris III (Top Kart) has two victories on the year and is second in the standings, 45 points out of first with Kim Carapellatti (PCR) in third. The results this weekend will dictate the new championship leader for sure.
The Yamaha SuperCan divisions have witnessed six different feature winners in six races over the course of the three events that made up the first half of the season. Dakota Pesek (Arrow) and John McCusker (Haase) have been the most consistent drivers up to now and lead the championship standings in the Lite and Heavy divisions. Pesek won the opening round in Daytona with two third-place finishes to follow. Mark Boos (Top Kart) trails by 140 points with McCusker in third. McCusker has one win and a third place finish to his credit in the Heavy class and only leads Pesek by 10 points heading into the weekend while Jackson Mears (Birel) sits third. Chelootz has a solid record in the Komet categories in 2012 with five wins in six feature races. The Top Kart driver leads the Lite category by 20 points over Jacob Donald (Arrow) with California driver Raquel Martinez (Top Kart) in third. In the Heavy division where Chelootz is three for three, he leads Martinez by 130 points with former champion Patrick Olsen (Birel) in third.
 | 2011 Triple Crown winner Joel Jens leads three of the four Junior title chases at the halfway point
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
The Junior categories has seen one or two drivers dominate over the past few seasons. Last year was Joel Jens (Tony Kart) as he earned the coveted WKA Triple Crown award last year for three championships. At the halfway point, Jens is set to repeat as he leads three title chases heading into South Bend. Jens leads the Yamaha Jr. Lite and Yamaha Jr. Heavy standings. No victory in the Lite class yet, he leads by 25 points over round one winner Garrett Johnston (Top Kart) with round two winner Brandon Jarsocrak (Haase) sitting third. Jens leads the Heavy category by 50 points with Jarsocrak in second and Jake Johnston in third. Jens has yet to reach the top of the podium in the Komet Junior classes this season, but leads the Heavy standings. He holds the P1 position by 34 points over round three winner Ashley Rogero and round one winner Kyle Kalish. In the Lite category, Kalish has two runner-up finishes and a victory in Pittsburgh to lead the standings by 115 points over Jens with Rogero sitting third.
Zach Holden (Arrow) has been on fire as of late, winning four of the last Yamaha Sportsman features to hold the championship lead in both point standings. On Saturday, Holden leads Nick Luedeke (Kosmic) by 105 points with Leonardo Stoia (PCR) in third. Luedeke holds second in the Sunday standings, back of Holden by 80 points, with David Malukas (Arrow) in third. Johnny Smith has been the most consistent in the Komet Sportsman class and leads the standings heading into South Bend. Holden is second with Braden Eves (PCR) in third. Two race winner Stoia sits fifth after missing the opening event in Daytona. Jared Cordova (Haase) is the top driver in the Cadet Sportsman standings, putting together the results from both days of action into one championship. He has one victory thus far and leads Holden, who has stood P1 twice this year, by 49 points while Pittsburgh winner Malukas is third. The growing Yamaha Rookie Sportsman division has Tyler Ferris (Top Kart) at the top of the standings. With no victory this season, he has been the most-consistent to date. Jason Welage (Merlin) is second with Samuel Paley (PCR) in third. Alex Verhagen (Haase) has four-straight feature wins heading into South Bend and could take over the title chase with wins five and six this weekend.
 | Zach Holden is the driver to beat in the Yamaha Sportsman categories
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
Top Kart currently leads the Manufacturer Championship Standings for the series with 14 wins thus far. Arrow sits second with 10 while Haase holds 9 after three events. Birel has won the trophy the last four years and sits seventh with just four wins. Now at their home track, don’t be surprised if they move up the ranks after this weekend.
eKartingNews.com will be Trackside all weekend long for the first time in two years for a Manufacturers Cup Series event. The regular posting of the top-10 from each on-track session will be posted to the Official Event Discussion thread in the EKN forums. A report of the day’s action will be published at the end of each day with photos from Sean Buur at Go Racing Magazine. EKN will also be bringing some videos and interviews through the Facebook and Twitter accounts, so be sure to like and follow both to keep up-to-date as the weekend unfolds. Also, WKA will be providing their live coverage through their website worldkarting.com/index.php/live |
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