|
 |
|
 |
| February 21, 2005 News |
| EKN Weekend Wrap-up – v2.21.05 |
| |
Winter Cup
South Garda, Italy
Red Bull driver search winner John Edwards is settling into his role on the European JICA grid with a strong showing at the Winter Cup race meeting at the South Garda circuit in Italy this past weekend. In just his second race in the very competitive junior class, Edwards made the final – no small feat considering the number of entries for the class went into the triple digits (106).
After what he characterized as a disappointing qualifying session, Edwards went to work in the heats and semi finals. He drove well but was hampered through out the weekend by motor problems with both his primary and back-up powerplants. In the end, he opted for better of the two balky engines and did what he could on the track. After finishing a solid ninth in the pre-final, Edwards lined up 17th on the grid for the main event. The 13-year-old was moving up in the race until on lap six, his Maxter powerplant gave out for good, leaving him classified second to last in the event.
Edwards is using these early races to prepare himself for the European JICA championships. With no previous time in the class, Edwards is proving to be a quick study.
Gatorz Golden State Karting Challenge
Round #1 – Moran Raceway
Under monsoon conditions in Southern California, 75 entries dared the elements to attend the first round of the Gatorz Golden State Karting Challenge at the Moran Raceway. The series offers seven categories made up of Rotax Max Challenge and TaG USA classes during the one-day event on Saturday. Series promoter Andy Seesemann has improved the tech portion of the program by appointing Don Moormeister as their new Tech Director.
The stud of the event, Phil Giebler, took his Rotax-powered TonyKart to both the TaG Light and Rotax International divisions. Giebler qualified second in TaG Light to Grant Hebner (CRG/Leopard) and went on to dominate the pre-final and final. In Rotax International, Giebler took the pole but was edged out in the pre-final by John Crow (KRT). Giebler then went on to win the final by eight seconds.
The Rotax Masters, which is consistently the biggest and most competitive class, was dominated by Kyle Eggleton (Monza). Eggleton won the pole by five tenths and then went on to win the pre-final and final by twelve and twenty-five seconds respectively. That didn’t stop the rest of the field from shuffling around the rest of the finishing positions in the pre-final and final. In the end, Neil James (CRG) took the runner-up spot followed by Gary Lozonne (Birel), who took his first ever podium finish. In Junior Rotax competition, MacKenzie Johnson (Margay) and Jeff Pesner (CRG) finished 1-2 before being disqualified in tech for fuel filter infractions, giving the win to James Kennedy (Birel).
The next round will attend the Streets of Willow facility on March 26.
IKF Region 11 – NoCal
Round #1 – Tom Dash Memorial Speedway
As rain hit the Gatorz Challenge, rain was also a factor at the Northern California IKF Region 11 event at the Tom Dash Memorial Speedway. Hosted by the Atwater Kart Club, the organization put on two days of events for first chance for the No-Cal sprinters to test out their new rides. Rain fell for most of Saturday, leaving teams scrambling for the right setup. Luckily, the skies cleared just enough for the finals to be run under dry conditions. Heavy rains fell later that evening though the would stop Sunday morning for the track to be under somewhat dry conditions.
Last years TaG Masters champion Steve Slacks started out the year on a good note by finishing first in the final. Chris Scribner debut his new Bodyline bodywork with a win in Super Sportman Light. Gary Gwin took home the Formula 80 Limited win while Joel Chavez took home the Animal Briggs Light class. Nick Dunn took home the 125cc National Cup victory while Formula 80 Sr. was won by Jon Van Nghjem. The next round will be at the Prairie City Kart Track on March 12-13.
WKA Florida Championship Series
Round #2 – 103rd Street Sports Complex
Beautiful weather graced the Jacksonville area for the second round of the World Karting Association Florida Championship Series. The three-day event, hosted by North Florida Kart Club, was a chance for four-cycle drivers to prepare for the upcoming Jacksonville WKA Gold Cup event in March and was also an opportunity for the two-cycle competitors to go out and have fun in the sun. Total entries went well over 200 for the entire event, which gathered entries from many northern states including Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and a large group from the Oakland Valley Raceway Park group. More news and results will be available in the next couple of days with a more detailed release from Neal de Jesus, the FCS President and Series Director. |
|
|
Go Top
|
|
|
|
|
