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| September 14, 2012 News |
| EKN Trackside Live: 2012 Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix - Preview |
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For the fourth time, the City of Lancaster will open up its streets and welcome karters from all across the west coast of the United States to host the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix. A 0.8-mile temporary circuit has been constructed around the ‘Boulevard’ section of the Southern California city, north of downtown Los Angeles with two full days of racing schedule for Saturday and Sunday. Working with Superkarts! USA, the event will host the final round of the California ProKart Challenge, with $65,000 in championship purse on the line, including guaranteed starting positions for the upcoming SKUSA SuperNationals XVI in November.
The partnership between the City of Lancaster and SKUSA formed last year in an effort to raise the bar of the event. The new joint venture brought on new class structure and layout for the event, which equated to the highest entry total in the three years. Building on that success, event organizers from the city and from the karting organization have worked months to ensure this year’s event will be another step in making the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix a destination for racers and fans alike.
The course will be similar to the 2011 layout, positioned right in the middle of the busy city, surrounding the course with restaurants, bars, and shops. The circuit includes four 90-degree corners and a tight hairpin, leading onto a 1000’ straightaway with top speeds reaching 90mph, making it the fastest street race in American karting. In addition to being fast, SKUSA official ensure the track is among the safest course with the proper barrier systems, haybales, and fencing.
What makes this year’s event more exciting then from year’s past, it’s more than a one-off event for a number of competitors, reach just above the 120 driver mark. The California ProKart Challenge will have each of the ten championship chases decided on the weekend, mixed in with a number of competitors taking part in the race to prepare for the SuperNationals in November. Jimmy McNeil (CRG) leads the S1 category and should clinch the title, but will have to fight off a potent field, including last year’s Pro Shifter winner Daniel Langon (Zanardi) and current Pro Tour championship leader Fritz Leesmann (CRG). Mix in the battle for the S2 crown on the track at the same time, with Matias Podboj (CRG) and Michael Leib (DR Kart) engaged in battle. Throw in Pro Tour championship leader Sabré Cook (CRG) contenders Cody Diede (CRG) and Troy Diede (CRG), and you got yourself a stout S1/S2 grouping.
 | The 2012 Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix will welcome a record breaking 120 drivers this weekend in Southern California
(Photo: dromophotos.com) |
Matt Johnson (Energy) controls his outcome in TaG Senior, leading the championship by a healthy margin, with a number of contenders showing up in Lancaster for the victory. The top two drivers from last year, Shawn Cricca (FA Kart) and Devin Lindsey (Tony Kart) are back for more hardware. Special guest stars Ryan Phinny (Arrow) and Joel Miller (FA Kart) are set to disrupt the status que, always quick on temporary circuits. And watch out for 65-year old Mike Manning (CRG) as the karting legend will take on the young guns. Billy Cleavelin (CRG) has all but wrapped up the title in TaG Master, but needs to at least finish with a result Sunday afternoon in the main event to secure the championship. Gunning for the win will be former point leader Paul Bonilla (Arrow), the always fast Randy Froom (Intrepid) and Ethan Wilson (Tony Kart) making his second start since returning from a broken wrist.
The S4 category is filled with drivers ready and able to raise the SOLGP trophy at the end of the day, along with a tight battle for the championship. Just five points separate Robert Marks (CRG) and PP Mastro (CRG) at the top of the standings, with every lap on the weekend crucial in their championship chase. Trevor McAlister (Praga) has been the hot hand as of late, and could be the spoiler if he plays his cards right. The S3 category will mix up with the absence of Todd Wilson. Point leader Steve Ryckebosch (Zanardi) is needing to secure more points in order to hold back Chalee Siengthai (DR Kart).
S5 welcomes six drivers, all Pro Tour contenders preparing for the SuperNationals in November. Pro Tour championship contenders Jim McKinney (Intrepid) and Micah Hendricks (Praga) join Carter Williams (Tony Kart) for a weekend battle. Williams will run double-duty, looking to secure the TaG Junior title with class rookies Colton Herta (DR Kart) and Christian Brooks (Energy) on his heels. Defending race winner Nathan Seegrist (Tony Kart) and a host of others will be battling for the victory once again. The fight for the TaG Cadet crown has three drivers in the hunt. Hunter Kelly (Tecno Kart) holds the top spot with Anthony Sawyer (DR Kart) and Jack von Quilich (Intrepid) not far behind.
The EKN Trackside Live coverage for the two-day Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix will begin on Saturday morning as opening ceremonies are set for 11:30 am PDT, breaking right into qualifying at 12:15 pm. The first round of heat races will immediately follow. Coverage will continue on Sunday with the second round of heat races beginning at 10:15 am PDT. Following a lunch break, coverage continues for the main events, set to start at 12:30 pm PDT.
Be sure to bookmark http://www.ekartingnews.com/live to listen in on the action at the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix for the final round of action of the Superkarts! USA California ProKart Challenge. Also make sure that you follow the eKartingNews.com Facebook and Twitter feeds for updates as they happen, including pictures and videos from the weekend. |
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