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| July 21, 2012 News |
| EKN Trackside Live: Superkarts! USA Pro Tour SummerNationals - Saturday Report |
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It was an intense and interesting day at the track to kick off the first day of racing for the Superkarts! USA SummerNationals at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. The third round of action toward the SKUSA Pro Tour series set the tone for the second stage of the championship chase with a pivotal day of racing taking place. The weather was hot and windy for much of the day until storms surrounded the salt desert area and hit the course for brief moment. The short rain storm affected the final few main events, setting up for a wild finish to the day. Overall, a number of drivers earned their first Pro Tour victory, including TaG Senior winner Remo Ruscitti while S1 driver Joey Wimsett repeated his round one victory with a sweep on the day.
Phil Giebler Racing TaG Senior
 | Remo Ruscitti claimed his first TaG Senior victory on the Pro Tour
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Veteran Eric Jones is the first driver thus far to better championship leader Phil DeLaO in 2012 thus far for Pro Tour competition. The KartSport North America team manager put his Arrow X2 chassis on the pole position with a lap of 58.588 seconds. DeLaO was second quick, just 36-thousandths back to see his perfect record streak end. Jones was able to secure the top spot early but DeLaO had the faster pace, working around for the lead by the halfway point and pulled away. Jones fell back into the path of Remo Ruscitti (Italkart) and Andrew Wiener (Formula K). Wiener first worked by Ruscitti and then passed Jones for second. At the line, DeLaO won by over two seconds ahead of Wiener. Jones, Ruscitti and Mason Daughters (FA Kart) rounded out the top-five. DeLaO drove away for win two of the day, driving away to a 2.5-second advantage. Behind him was a great fight for second with a handful of drivers. Wiener won the spot ahead of Ruscitti, Travis Lowe (Energy) and Jake Craig (Formula K).
The last race of the day was something that could not have been scripted. With rain coming down to the west, south and east, drivers were left wondering what to do. After two false starts, the green flag finally waved and a slight rain hit the track. It left the course in a semi-wet condition, not wet enough for rains but just enough to take the grip out of the slick tires. Coming to the front was Ruscitti, with a lot of experience in the wet weather conditions. He was able to establish a sizable lead on the fight for second that included DeLaO and others. Ruscitti continued to lead as the track dried out and the lap times started to drop closer to the previous times set. Making their way forward were a number of drivers - including Joel Jens (Tony Kart) and Austin Elliott (Top Kart) - taking advantage of the conditions. Jens eventually made his way to the top-five and was engaged in the fight for the second spot with DeLaO and Craig. As the laps went on, Craig dropped from the group and Wiener came on the charge. Out front, Ruscitti was on cruise control and drove away to his first Pro Tour victory by just under two seconds. DeLaO would cross the line second with Jens and Wiener following With Jones and Craig rounding out the top-five. Penalties played a major factor in the final results with DeLaO docked three positions for ignoring the officials rule to place him back a row for the two false starts. Jones would be disqualified for a missing airbox. This put Wiener to third, DeLaO to fourth and Craig up to fifth. Elliott drove from 20th to sixth with Louie Pagano (Birel), Austin Dement (DR Kart), Aaron Telitz (Parolin) and Adam Isman (Italkart) rounding out the top-10.
Snow Racing S1 Pro Stock Moto
 | Joey Wimsett outran the field until the rains came in S1 for his second win on the season
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
The same drivers we saw at the front of the field at the SpringNationals were the same trio at the front in qualifying to begin round three. Round one winner Joey Wimsett (CRG) posted the fast lap to secure the pole position with a 56.723-second lap. Defending champion Daniel Bray (GP) was second quick with current point leader Fritz Leesmann (CRG) third. Wimsett was able to grab the holeshot and drove away to the heat one win. Bray kept Leesmann back early on but was unable to hold him off the entire time. He then had to fight off Tyler Bennett (Tony Kart) for third, which he did. Bonnier Moulton (Tony Kart) rounded out the top-five. Wimsett got away from the grid in heat two to secure a solid lead early as the rest of the top six trailed. Leesmann fell to fourth at the start as Bennett jumped to second with Bray in the middle. Bray fought off Leesmann for a few laps until Fritz drafted by for the position, and began running down Bennett. Wimsett led all nine laps to score another heat win, this time by 1.6 seconds. Bennett fought off Leesmann for second. Nicky Freytag (FA Kart) worked his way into fourth as Bray dropped to fifth.
Bennett grabbed the holeshot to begin the 20-lap main event to put Wimsett back to second. It stood briefly as Wimsett took the spot back through the hairpin corner. Wimsett led the first time by with Leesmann all over Bennett with Lukas Johnson (GP) moving up to fourth with a great start from seventh as Bray dropped to fifth. Wimsett continued to stretch out his lead as Bennett fought off Leesmann. The PSL Karting driver was finally able to work by for the spot on lap 11. The rain that had been threatening the area came through just as they completed that lap. Officials threw the checkered flag as they completed lap 12 to end the race. Wimsett was awarded the victory, his second of the season with Leesmann in second. The results on the day put them tied in the point chase heading into round four. Bennett placed third to stand on the podium in his Pro Tour debut. Johnson matched his best performance of the season in fourth with Bray ending up fifth.
CRG-USA S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto
 | Christian Schureman fended off a strong field to earn his first S2 Pro Tour victory
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Championship leader Sabré Cook (CRG) led thing during Friday practice and continued through into Saturday qualifying. The CRG-USA driver posted a 56.900-lap to secure the pole position, with fellow CRG driver Cody Diede clocking in the second quickest lap of the session. Cook led the first few laps until Diede was able to work by for the lead. He would pull away to a 1.418-second win with Cook comfortable in second. Alec Gumpfer (Tony Kart) moved up to third from fifth with championship contender Cody Tracy (Tony Kart) also advancing two spots. Christian Schureman (Vemme) drove up from ninth on the grid to end up fifth. Diede grabbed the holeshot and led all nine laps to score another heat win. Tracy jumped ahead of Cook at the start and held it to the end. Schureman gained another position to finish fourth as Gumpfer fell to fifth.
The field went three wide into the opening corners as the all shuffled around the front row with Schureman grabbing the holeshot and leading the field with Tracy, Cook, and both Diede’s following. The top five put a gap on the remainder of the top-10 early as Schureman continued to show the way, leading his first Pro Tour race of the season. As Cook put the pressure on Tracy, Schureman stretched out to a one-second lead. Cook worked by Tracy for the second spot on lap eight, and set her sites on Schureman. Lap by lap, Cook continued to cut into the lead established by the Vemme driver. With five laps to go, the gap between the top two had leveled off to about a half-second with it closing up to two-tenths on lap 16. Closer and closer, Cook kept the pressure on but Schureman proved to be too consistent and ran to his first S2 victory on the Pro Tour with a great performance. Cook earned her third straight runner-up performance and gained some points in the championship lead. Tracy ran to third with Troy Diede (CRG) and Cody Diede capping off the top-five. Penalties however for jumping the start put Tracy and Cody Diede back one position. That moved Troy Diede to the third step of the podium and would have put Austin Schimmel (GP) to fifth, but he came in underweight and kept Cody Diede at fifth.
Extreme Karting / Vemme Kart S4 Master Stock Moto
 | Trevor McAlister won in S4, returning to the top of the podium in SKUSA competition years after the ProMoto Tour
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Championship leader Eddie Olpin (Kosmic) used the home track advantage from the start of round three. The Utah driver secured the pole position with a lap of 57.559 seconds to top the charts, followed by Texan Jordon Musser (Birel). The opening heat race began with a pile-up in the opening corner, which brought out a red flag. Everyone was able to walk away and the race was a complete restart. Once the lights went out to begin the race, Olpin, Musser and Curtis Cooksey (CRG) led things out front. Musser and Cooksey went back and forth for second, allowing Olpin to win by nearly a one-second advantage. Musser scored the spot with Cooksey in third. Ryan Pool (Tony Kart) won the battle for fourth with Trevor McAlister (Praga) in fifth. Olpin drove away with another win in heat two, stretching out ahead of the fight for second by just over one second. Musser and Cooksey swapped the spot until Cooksey secured the position. Musser then lost another position late as McAlister worked by for third. Pool led the second group, crossing the stripe in fifth.
With the track nearly dry from the rain, the entire field for the S4 group started the feature race on the slick MG Tires. Once the 20-lap began, Olpin grabbed the holeshot with McAlister in tow. Cooksey, Musser and Jennings made up the front five until Jennings went wide, allowing Lane around for the position on lap two after starting tenth. A few laps later, contact was made and the two were dropped down the order, ending their chance at a top-five finish. Up front, T-Mac put his Leading Edge Motorsports entry to the point for the first time on lap seven with Olpin dropping in behind. As the laps clicked off, McAlister stretched his lead out and Musser closed the gap on Olpin. At the checkered, McAlister scored his first Pro Tour victory with Musser able to work by Olpin for the second position. Home town driver Ryan Pool (Tony Kart) advanced up to fourth, pushing Cooksey back to fifth.
Leading Edge Motorsports TaG Master
 | Scott Falcone drove away from the TaG Master field for his first Pro Tour victory
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Scott Falcone (Arrow) was the top driver in qualifying as he had done all through Friday practice, posting a 59.763-second lap to secure the pole position ahead of point leader Paul Bonilla, giving Arrow the front row for the start of heat one. The two led things early for the opening heat but were joined by Russell Karting Specialties pilots Jim Russell Jr. and Chuck Gafrarar. Falcone was able to hold off the charge from Russell (Parolin) to score the win with Bonilla keeping Gafrarar (Parolin) back for third. Randy Froom (Intrepid) moved up to positions to finish fifth. Falcone went wire-to-wire in heat two, pulling out to nearly a one-second win as the top-four remained the same. Gafrarar moved to second with Russell back to third and Bonilla in fourth. Froom fell outside the top-five but fought his way back to fifth at the end.
Falcone led the field to the green flag for the 20-lap main event with Gafrarar and Russell falling in behind. Froom was running fourth with Bonilla back to fifth until lap two when Froom went off the track with a mechanical issue, ending his race early. That put Pro Tour rookie Anthony Honeywell (Tony Kart) up to fifth as Bonilla moved to fourth again. Bonilla moved by Russell for third and a few laps later, Russell’s kart locked up on the front straight and put him out of the race early. That moved Honeywell up to fourth and Brian McEvoy (Merlin) to fifth as the front five ran spaced out. The fight on track was for sixth with four drivers battling, including defending champion Brian McHattie (Exprit), who started 15th. With five laps to go, the fight was the final spot on the podium as Honeywell had closed up on Bonilla and was looking for a way around. Fighting for the spot, it brought in McEvoy and McHattie, both running really fast laps to close up. Lap 18, Bonilla went wide through the bowl and Honeywell took the spot. Up front, Falcone drove away for the victory by five seconds for his first victory. Gafrarar was second and Honeywell escaped for third. The fight for fourth came to the line as McHattie came through at the final stretch to edge out McEvoy for fourth. Vatche Tatikian (FA Kart) was to sixth with Bonilla dropping to seventh in lap.
DRT Racing S5 Junior Stock Moto
 | Texan Patricio O'Ward score victory in his S5 Pro Tour debut
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Making his Pro Tour debut after securing the championship in the Texas ProKart Challenge, Patricio O’Ward earned the pole position to begin Saturday’s action. A lap of 58.403-second was quickest over #3 SKUSA plate holder Ryan Rudolph (CRG). O’Ward dominated the opening heat race, winning by 2.3 seconds over Jim McKinney (Intrepid). Rudolph dropped back to third with Erik Nelson (Kosmic) and Carter Williams (Tony Kart) completing the top-five. Another stellar run by O’Ward put him over four seconds out front at the end of the second heat, putting him on the pole for the main event with Rudolph in second as McKinney had to recover from a slow start off the grid. Mianna Wick (CRG) came up from 13th to fourth but lost two positions in the final two laps to Williams and Nelson.
With the track wet from the rain that fell before their main event, the entire field elected to go with rain tires. Rudolph grabbed the holeshot to begin the 16-lap race with O’Ward finding himself in the challenger role for the first time on the day. The front two pushed the pace on the MG rain tires as the track continued to dry out in a number of spots. Nelson held third for most of the race until McKinney was able to close back up and pass for the position on lap 12. Lap 14, O’Ward was finally able to close in and make a move for the lead through the bus stop. From there, O’Ward was able to showcase his skills on burnt up rain tires as he did on the slicks, driving to a nearly four-second victory in his Pro Tour debut. Rudolph finished second for his best finish of the season. McKinney held on for third with Nelson back in fourth and Curtis Paul (Tony Kart) winning the fight for fifth.
Italian Motors USA TaG Junior
 | Carter Williams entered Utah on a regional streak, bringing it to the Pro Tour to earn the TaG Junior victory
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Utah driver Austin Versteeg (CRG) used his home track advantage to show the way through round three qualifying. The TaG Junior rookie laid down a 59.720-second lap to secure the pole position by just 49-thousandths of a second over fellow rookie Christian Brooks (Energy). The story of the session was point leader Luke Selliken (Kosmic) having an issue, posting only the 23rd quickest lap of the session. The field just got through the opening lap with only a few drivers getting off track. The fight for the lead was hotly contested with Kyle Wick (Kosmic) coming through from fifth to score the win in his Pro Tour debut. Carter Williams (Tony Kart) ran second. Jake Preston (Kosmic), another Rolison Performance Group driver making his Pro Tour debut, was third with Davey Manthei Jr. (Arrow) and Colton Herta (DR Kart). Versteeg and Brooks were in the battle until they made contact entering the bowl section, dropping to the tail of the field to end up 20th and 21st. On the reverse side, Selliken drove his way back to ninth to begin his drive toward the front. Six drivers broke away in heat two, all led by Wick. Lap four, Manthei took over the lead for the first time and opened up the lane for the rest of the group. Brendan Baker (Formula K) started tenth and was part of the lead group, working his way to the point by lap five. At the line, Baker scored the win over Manthei with Herta moving up to third over Preston and Wick dropping to fifth.
After one false start the TaG Junior field got their 16-lap main event underway. A group of five formed up front that included Baker, Manthei, Herta, Williams and Preston. Their shuffling for position allowed Selliken to close in to make the lead group a six-pack. At the halfway mark, Preston was leading the way with Baker and Williams right on his bumper. Selliken worked his way into the fourth spot with Herta and Manthei trailing. Contact between Williams and Baker allowed Selliken to gain another position moving to third as they completed lap nine, while at the same time Williams got a run on Preston to take over the top spot. Once in the lead, Williams was able to lay down solid laps to secure the lead with Selliken moving to second on lap 13, moving around Preston. As they fought for second, Williams continued to stretch out his lead even more. The Phil Giebler Racing pilot would score his first Pro Tour victory. Selliken won the fight for second over Baker and Preston. Herta ended up fifth with Brooks moving up from 12th to sixth over Wick, Manthei, Noah Grey (FA Kart) and Versteeg to tenth after starting 18th.
Iron Rock Motorsports TaG Cadet
 | Jason Pettit become the third different winner in TaG Cadet competition
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
The TaG Cadet division welcomed 18 drivers to the grid for the start of Saturday’s action, led in the qualifying session by Roy Fulmer IV (Arrow). His 1:05.998-second lap was best with Jagger Jones (Tony Kart) second quickest to fill out the front row for heat one. Fulmer converted the pole into a heat win as he held off a challenge from Hunter Corbitt (Top Kart) and Jason Pettit (Wild Kart). Jack von Quilich (Intrepid) and Jones capped off the top-five. A four kart break-away formed in heat two as the swapped the lead lap after lap. With two laps to go, Corbitt led the way but was back in fourth as they took the white flag with Pettit at the point. The great fight last to the checkered with Fulmer edging out the group by three-hundredths of a second. Pettit was second, Corbitt third and Sawyer fourth. Jones ran to fifth with von Quilich in sixth.
The main event in TaG Cadet was another four kart battle until Fulmer spun on lap seven, leaving just three to fight it out for the win. As they took the white flag, Pettit and Sawyer were side by side with Sawyer coming away with the lead as they exiting the first few corners. On the exit of the hairpin, Sawyer dropped a wheel on the exit, allowing Pettit to slide by for the lead. At the line, Pettit scored his first Pro Tour victory with Sawyer holding on for second. Dante Yu (Energy) charged up from eighth to complete the podium with von Quilich and Cody Dempster (CRG) rounding out the top-five. Corbitt and Kelly made contact on lap four, putting Kelly off the track with Corbitt going on to finish eighth.
Be sure to check out the EKN Trackside Live coverage - http://www.ekartingnews.com/live - tomorrow for round four action, giving 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. 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. Check out photos from On Track Promotions as well. |
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