|
 |
|
 |
| August 10, 2012 News |
| EKN Trackside: United States Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals - Friday Report |
| |
For complete coverage, visit the EKN Event Page
 | Daniel Formal will lead the Senior field heading into championship Saturday
(Photo: Ken Johnson -studio52.us) |
Friday was another puzzling stage of the 2012 United States Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals. The weather in the South Bend, Indiana area has kept the drivers and crews on edge with wet and dry conditions on the Michiana Raceway Park changing throughout the day. Some gambles paid off, others did not, and with the completion of the second and third round of heats, including the Last Chance Qualifiers - the fields are set for championship Saturday with the seven titles to be decided. Florida driver Daniel Formal is looking to clinch his first Senior title, as is Joey Wimsett in DD2, Alan Rudolph in DD2 Masters, Paul Bonilla in Masters, Santino Ferrucci in Junior, Anthony Gangi in Mini Max and Harry Coulton in Micro Max.
Motorama Kart Parts Senior
Top qualifier Stepanova Nekeel (Tony Kart) led the Group A vs. D field to the green flag with Fritz Leesmann (CRG) alongside. All the drivers were on slick tires with the weather holding off for the moment and sunshine coming down. Leesmann was shuffled back with John McCusker (Haase) and Andrew Palmer (Kosmic) sliding through for position in the opening corners. McCusker struck early, working by Nekeel to lead for the first time on lap two, but Nekeel came back in turn seven the following lap. This brought Palmer, Leesmann and a host of others trailing into the mix of the lead group. McCusker came under fire from Palmer for a few laps, finally able to work by for second as they began lap seven. This gave Nekeel a 1.4-second advantage at the cross-flags. Leesmann went through for third in the same turn one pass that Palmer executed the previous lap, and then Brandon Salyer (Tony Kart) working McCusker’s rear bumper. By lap 10, Salyer and host of others pushed past McCusker in turn five. Out front, Nekeel’s lead shrunk lap by lap with Palmer up on the wheel, cutting into the gap with no pressure from behind. As the white flag waved, Palmer had caught Nekeel and was looking for a way around. Keeping it clean, Nekeel held on for the win over Palmer with Leesmann in third. Salyer and Jonathan Kotyk put two Ocala Gran Prix Tony Kart entries into the top-five.
MRP Motorsport driver Jesus Rios Jr. (Birel) and Daniel Formal (Tony Kart), both hailing from Florida, led the field to the green flag for heat B vs. C, with Rios taking the inside line for the start. Rios was slow on the draw with Formal getting the jump as the green flag waved. Nick Neri (Tony Kart), Mason Chelootz (Top Kart) and Dan Roeper (CRG) worked past Rios in the opening lap. Chelootz was the first driver to charge, making it past Neri in turn five to take over second with Rios moving into fourth. Sam Beasley (Arrow) trailed the group to make it six for the lead pack. Beginning lap four, Rios drafted pass Neri for third place as they exited turn one. Lap five, Rios put Chelootz back to third as he continued to fight his way back to the point. As they completed the lap, Formal held a lead of eight tenths of a second with nine laps remaining. A fight for third allowed Rios to relax from pressure behind him and focus on closing up on Formal’s Tony Kart bumper. With four laps to go, the lead was null, Rios was there and the duo of Neri and Beasley were closing in. Receiving the two laps to go signal, Rios made his move to take over the lead. The four drivers then shuffled through the inner corners with Neri coming away in the lead over Rios, leaving Formal and Beasley fighting for third on the final lap. The four ran unchanged to the checkered flag with Neri taking the win over Rios, Formal and Beasley. Chelootz finished fifth with Roeper in sixth. Rios however would come in underweight at the scales, moving everyone up a position. Except for Roeper, who was removed in the tech barn, putting Andrew Wiener (Formula K) to fifth behind Chelootz.
 | Joey Wimsett will retain the number one position in DD2
(Photo: Ken Johnson - studio52.us) |
A vs. B heat race put Nekeel and Rios against one another and on the front row, but Rios would not make it around during the pace lap as he lost a wheel and was forced to watch from the sidelines, putting him into the Last Chance Qualifier. Nekeel controlled the field during the opening lap with Beasley, Mitch Carey (Zanardi), Palmer and Will Owen (Arrow) making up the top-five. On lap three, Carey’s fairing was flapping around and he lost attention on the course, this allowed Palmer and a host of others to move around for position. Beasley, with tons of laps on the circuit over the last few years, put the pressure on the 2010 champion lap after lap. The pressure stepped up with two laps to go with Beasley sliding by into turn one, taking over the lead for the first time. This allowed Palmer to close up, making it three drivers bumper to bumper for the final lap. KartSport North America/Arrow driver Beasley drove away for the win with Nekeel holding off J3 Competition pilot Palmer for second. Wiener moved up to fourth with Owen recording his best finish in fifth, ensuring he would qualify directly into the show on Saturday.
The final heat race of the event put Group C and D against one another as Formal and Leesmann led the way to the green flag. Formal took the point as they completed lap one with Leesmann under heavy pressure from Neri. The two swapped spots in turn seven with Leesmann getting shuffled out in turn eight, falling outside the top-five. That moved Chelootz up along with Nick Rivellini (CRG) and Roeper into fifth. Lap nine, Neri made his move past Formal for the lead through turn one, but as they made their way through turn eight, Neri lost power with a carb issue and pulled off track. That handed the lead back to Formal with Chelootz and Rivellini trailing. Formal’s lead looked to be shrinking but the Florida driver ran his quickest lap of the race before receiving the two laps to go signal to hold a seven-tenth second lead. Formal went on to score the win over Chelootz as Rivellini had to hold off a charging Leesmann, who ran the quickest laps of the race to end up fourth while Roeper in fifth.
The Senior LCQ was a wild finish to the day that saw two front-runners vying for a spot in Saturday’s action. Phil DeLaO (Top Kart) started off-pole and led the entire 10-lap event. Jesus Rios Jr. came from ninth and into third, just behind Michael Pagano (Tony Kart) and looked to have transfer spot in hand until lap nine when his chain popped off. At the same time, Drew Cattell (CRG) was fighting a deflating left rear tire while holding the sixth position. With Rios out, it became the fifth spot but he was unable to hold it to the end. Ayrton Mutagaana (CRG) and Ann Hayden (Tony Kart) slid by to secure positions inside the top-six to qualify for Saturday’s events. Keith Harris finished third behind DeLaO and Pagano. Thomas Bernacki (Birel) was fourth on-track but removed after tech, thus moving the field up one position and putting Timothy Venable (Tony Kart) into the show. Formal and Nekeel will lead the field to the Prefinal green flag with Beasley and Leesmann in row two and Palmer and Wiener in row three. Neri, the 2011 champion, will start ninth after his DNF in heat three.
Rolison Performance Group DD2 / Dallas Karting Complex DD2 Masters
 | Alan Rudolph is perfect through in DD2 Masters thus far
(Photo: Ken Johnson - studio52.us) |
Joey Wimsett (Kosmic) and Cody Hodgson (Tony Kart) led the DD2 field to the green flag for the start of their heat two, with Alan Rudolph (CRG) and Brent Harper (Sodi Kart) on the front row for the Masters category, just a few seconds back. Wimsett got the jump but Hodgson came through in turn six. As they completed the first lap, both Hodgson and Wimsett went wide at turn one with some precipitation falling for a brief moment and lost the lead. That brought the entire field together with Nathan Mauel (Kosmic) coming from ninth to first at one point. Once they settled down, Wimsett fought his way back to the point and began to stretch out a lead while Hodgson continued to close back up on the pack, running seventh. At the front of Masters, Rudolph held the point with Rene Martinelli (CRG) ahead of Harper. Tim Lobaugh (Birel) and Mike Jones (Sodi Kart) were on the charge, working past Harper for position after five laps. The fight continued on for second with Sabré Cook, making her first DD2 start at the Grand Nationals, up to second from seventh in her CRG-USA entry as Derek Wang (Kosmic) and Kristina Vorndran (CRG) challenged. Contact was made on lap eight with Wang climbing over Cook in turn five. That dropped both out of top-three contention. The race continued to be busy with action as rain began to fall when the white flag was displayed. This sent all the karts cautiously around for the final lap to the checkered flag. At the line, Wimsett scored the win ahead of Hodgson with Vorndran, Matt Ostiguy (CRG) and Wang completing the top-five. Rudolph led the Masters group with Lobaugh able to hold off the charges of Cristiano Piquet (CRG) and John Crow (Arrow) on the final circuit. Sports car driver Bill Lester (Tony Kart) completed the top-five.
Conditions looked questionable for the start of heat three. The track was dry but the clouds were coming in the area. Wimsett and Hodgson kept their top two spots through the start with Connor Wagner (Sodi Kart) holding third. Rudolph paced the field in Masters with Lobaugh up to second and Harper back to third. In the end, the bad weather stayed away and the ending was not the dramatic finish witnessed in heat two. Wimsett took his third straight heat win with Hodgson in second. Wagner held off Wang for third with Vorndran edging out Cook for fifth. Rudolph matched Wimsett’s results, pulling away from a great battle for second. Lobaugh held the position but Castro made a great second half charge to steal the spot. Martinelli was fourth with Crow in fifth, dropping Harper back to sixth.
 | Paul Bonilla is in the lead role for the Masters Max category
(Photo: Ken Johnson - studio52.us) |
Wimsett and Hodgson will continue to pace the DD2 field, entering Saturday’s action with Wang and Vorndran moving up one spot each on the grid as Wagner falls to fifth, next to Cook. Rudolph retains the top spot in DD2 Masters with Lobaugh moving up to second on the grid. Martinelli remains third with Crow up to fourth. Piquet will go from P5 with Jones now starting sixth. It’s anyone’s game come Saturday.
Full Throttle Karting Masters Max
Heat two for the Masters class saw Paul Bonilla (Arrow) and Scott Roberts (Tony Kart) on the front row once again, this time on dry Mojo tires for the first time for official competition. Bonilla elected for the inside line and it did not fair out with Roberts jumping out to the lead over John Bonanno (Kosmic) jumping to second from fifth on the grid. Bonilla had his hands full with Andy Seesemann (Arrow) and Scott Falcone (Arrow). Roberts made another error, similar to yesterday as he dropped the kart off the track on the exit of turn five, dropping to six. That moved Bonanno to the lead with Seesemann trailing while Bonilla, Falcone and Johnny Blair (Tony Kart) fought for third. Seesemann challenged Bonanno on lap five, and that brought back in the other three to make it a five driver battle once again. Seesemann pulled the trigger once again as they completed lap six, ducking into turn one and bringing Bonilla with him for a Full Throttle Karting 1-2 at the halfway mark. They stayed in line to the checkered flag with Blair posting the fast lap of the race to end up third. Falcone finished up fourth from eighth while Bonanno was fifth.
The heat was turned up for the final heat race for Masters as a number of drivers made contact through the opening corners. As they completed the first lap, Roberts was leading Bonilla with Bonanno, Blair and Pelosi in the top-five. Bonilla made quick work of Roberts on the second lap and stretched out to a solid lead. Roberts established himself in the second position as Bonilla ran consistent laps out front, but Blair had moved into the third spot and was running some of the fastest laps of the race. They began racing for the runner-up spot with two laps to go. In the end, Bonilla took the win with Blair clinching the second spot ahead of Roberts. Bonanno was fourth with Pelosi fifth. Seesemann was running sixth when he lost a tire on lap 13, ending up 16th in the final order. Both Scott Falcone (Arrow) and Jason Bell (Kosmic) continued to have issues, both involved in separate incidents in the opening lap. Falcone drove back to finish seventh with Bell up to tenth.
 | Santino Ferrucci has a perfect score in Junior Max heading into Saturday
(Photo: Ken Johnson - studio52.us) |
Bonilla earned the pole position to begin Saturday’s event with Roberts back to the off-pole position once again. Blair moves to third with Pelosi in fourth. Seesemann will start fifth with Bell outside in sixth.
PSL Karting Junior Max
Santino Ferrucci (Energy) and Oliver Askew led the field for the start of the Group A vs. D heat race to kick off the day for the Junior class, the first race to start on rain tires for the day. Ferrucci took the outside line and used it on the exit of turn one to establish himself as the leader. Askew dropped into second with Darren Keane (Tony Kart) into third, followed by Luke Selliken (Kosmic) and Chase Jones (Birel). Selliken went wide in turn seven and spun around. He was unable to get his engine re-fired and retired from the race. That moved Jones and Jeremy Doll (Tony Kart) up further in the top-five. Ashley Rogero (Tony Kart) was on the charge once again, up to sixth by lap five with AJ Myers (Arrow) joining her after starting 12th. Ferrucci was on cruise control, just as he did yesterday during his first heat and scored the win by over two seconds. Askew held second the entire time while Keane struggled in the second half. Doll moved up into third and Keane had Jones pressuring him for fourth. On the final lap, Keane dropped a wheel in turn eight, losing some spots and ended up in seventh with Jones, Rogero, and Brian Lockwood (Tony Kart) working by.
Former Michigan resident Alex Keyes (CRG) and Junior rookie Kyle Kirkwood (Arrow), both winners from the Summer Shootout here in June, led things for Group B vs. C heat race. Rain had stopped and the wind picked up, so a drying track was possible for the group. Kirkwood led things during the opening lap but was pressured by Juan Manuel Correa (Maranello) with Keyes falling down the order. Kirkwood then began to fall down the order as Correa, Patricio O’Ward (Tony Kart) and Antoni Ptak (Birel) moved by on lap two. Correa and O’Ward had the quick pace, pulling out a sizable lead over Ptak with Jack Weprin (FA Kart) now into fourth with Keyes continuing to fall back, as did Kirkwood who was involved in some contact at turn 10. After receiving the halfway signal of the 14-lap event, O’Ward made his move to overtake the top position for the first time. Lap 11, Weprin had the third position in hand but his rear bumper had worked loose and received the meatball flag. Out front, Correa struck back as they received the two laps to go signal, moving back to the lead. Correa would score the win with O’Ward second at the checkered flag. Elliot Finlayson (Birel) was third with Nolan Ruocco (Haase) fourth. The story at the end was Lindsey Freier (Birel), who started 24th on slick tires and worked her way up to fifth at the checkered on the drying track.
The third round of heat races began with A vs. B groups, which put Ferrucci and Keyes at the front of the field. For many, it was the first session on dry tires for the first time. Ferrucci led the way early with Keane up to second, dropping Keyes back to third. O’Ward spun in the opening corner and thankfully was avoided with the field scrambling around him. Ferrucci’s lead was just over 1.5 seconds at the halfway point with Keane holding strong but had Keyes closing in addition to others trailing. Keyes mad his move on lap nine, taking back the second position away from Keane. Ferrucci scored his third straight heat win for a perfect score after two days. Keyes held second over Keane while Correa and Sebastian Sierra (Tony Kart) completed the top-five. Rogero had an impressive run once again, climbing up to seventh from the 17th.
Kirkwood and Askew filled out the front row for the Junior C vs. D heat race to cap off the heat races for the category. Kirkwood got the jump and Weprin came through as Askew fell to fourth behind Armin Cavkusic (Birel) through the opening corner. Armin tried Weprin in turn four, and that opened up the door for Askew in turn six for the third spot. He then nipped Weprin in turn seven to return back to the second position. That gave Kirkwood a 1.7-second advantage after two laps, running in dry conditions for the first time. Kirkwood and Askew would run unchallenged, nearly running identical lap times with Kyle out front by four-seconds at the checkered. Weprin held off challenges for the third position while Gavin Reichelt (Tony Kart) recorded his best finish of the day in fourth ahead of Cavkusic. Weprin however was disqualified for a tech issue, moving the rest of the field up one position.
 | Anthony Gangi Jr. is the driver to beat in Mini Max
(Photo: Ken Johnson - studio52.us) |
The LCQ put Michael Ilavia (Kosmic) and Thomas Issa (Kosmic) on the front row for the 10-lap battle. Rain fell just before the session with drivers putting on the wet Mojo tires aside from a few drivers taking a gamble to be part of the top-six to transfer to Saturday. The front five sorted themselves out with Sebastian Sierra (Tony Kart), Ilavia, Issa, William Myers (Birel) and Dominic Tesoro (Kosmic). It was a battle for sixth and the final transfer spot with Jesse Woodyard (Maranello), Nathan Adds (Sodi Kart), and Victoria DiGiovanni (Birel). In the end, DiGiovanni would secure the position to earn the 34th and final starting position for the Prefinal on Saturday. On the pole will continue to be Ferrucci with Askew set to start off-pole. Keane and Doll will fill out row two as Sebastian Coulson (FA Kart) - improving up from qualifying 27th - and Keyes in row three.
A-M Engines Mini Max
The weather remained dry for the start of heat two for Mini Max with Anthony Gangi Jr. (Tony Kart) and Devlin DeFrancesco (Top Kart) on the front row. Gangi was able to get away cleanly as DeFrancesco fell into the grasp of Mathias Ramirez (Tony Kart) and David Malukas (Birel). On lap seven, Gangi dropped a wheel and that allowed DeFrancesco to close up. Devlin ducked under Gangi in turn six and took over the lead with a great move. DeFrancesco made an error through the esses on lap nine, and that allowed all three drivers to push through for position with Gangi back at the point. Gangi ran a defensive line on the final circuit with Malukas all over his bumper. At the line, Gangi held him off for the win with DeFrancesco back up to third behind Malukas while Ramirez crossed the line in fourth. Michael d’Orlando (Kosmic) drove a great 10-lap event, advancing up from ninth to fifth.
Gangi led the long train that made up the third heat for Mini Max with Ramirez jumping up into second ahead of DeFrancesco with Augusto Soto Schirripa (Kosmic) and Malukas making up the top-five. Gangi held a half-second lead at the halfway point with DeFrancesco and Ramirez trailing, leaving behind a battle for fourth. Coming to the white flag, DeFrancesco deleted Gangi’s lead and made his move for the lead navigating their way through turn one. Devlin ran a defensive line around for the final circuit, with Gangi trying for a way around. That opened the door for Ramirez in turn eight, sliding through for the second position. They would cross the line that way with Malukas earning fourth over Schirripa in fifth.
Gangi remains on the pole position heading into the final day of action with Ramirez up to second. Schirripa will go from P3 as DeFrancesco drops back one row to start fourth. Sting Ray Robb (Tony Kart) improved during the heat races, scheduled to start fifth with Max Hewitt (Tony Kart) sixth.
GT7 Motorsports Micro Max
 | Harry Coulton recorded the best results in Micro Max to secure the pole heading into Saturday's action
(Photo: Ken Johnson - studio52.us) |
The Tony Kart drivers of Dylan Tavella and Justin Sirgany led the field to the opening race of the day, heat two for Micro Max. With no rain falling, all drivers were on the Mojo slick tires for the first time under official competition. Four drivers formed the lead group with the top two joined by Devin Boutot (Tony Kart) and Nicholas Brueckner (Kosmic). Tavella led the way until Sirgany took over the point after lap three. At the halfway mark, all five were dicing for the lead with heat one winner Harry Coulton (Birel) now in the mix. Sirgany was able to break away momentarily but with two laps to go, Brueckner was able to close in and move into the lead. Brueckner would secure the win, running the fast lap of the race on lap nine, outrunning Sirgany with Coulton, Boutot and Tavella rounding out the top-five.
The third heat race began with Tavella and Sirgany once again leading the way with Nicholas d’Orlando (Kosmic) holding the third position for his best start in the heat rounds. Eight drivers filled out the lead group early on. By the end of lap three, Tavella held the lead by one-second as they fought for the second position behind him. d’Orlando took over the runner-up spot and began cutting into Tavella’s lead quickly. The gap was null and with three laps to go, d’Orlando made his move in turn six to lead for the first time on the week. The Kosmic driver held on to become the third different winner of the heat races. Tavella finished second over Brueckner with Sirgany and Coulton completing the top-five.
Coulton’s results placed him on the pole position for the Prefinal Saturday with Brueckner matching his results with Coulton’s better qualifying lap place him P1 on the grid. Tavella and Boutot will fill out row two with d’Orlando and Sirgany in row three. |
|
|
Go Top
|
|
|
|
|
