“Hubcap Mike” Collins, Scott Bohle, Emma Herzog, Shane Holt and Chris Gibb won the final So Cal Oval Karters main events on the Perris Auto Speedway oval to begin a unique doubleheader.  Soon after the show ended, the second half of the twin bill featured the same karters on a road course cut into The PAS infield.

Veteran Collins from Lake Forest outdistanced the pack for his first 2018 win in the Yamaha of America KT100’s.  The 12-lap race started out on the rough side when a five-kart tangle knocked out Scott Sloane of Perris and Hesperia’s Gary Southern before they could complete one lap.  On the restart, Collins, who captured one of the preliminary heat races, was the first to turn one ahead of Thomas Southern of Hesperia and Ventura’s Kenny Byers, who captured the other heat.  Southern maintained the second-place spot until he spun on the second circuit.  That advanced Byers up to the “show place.”

Collins and Byers pulled away from the rest of the field with Byers staying close to the race long leader all the way, but at the checkered, it was Collins by two kart lengths for that initial KT100 win of the year.  Byers claimed second and was followed by Art Klein of Las Vegas, Thomas Southern and former sprint car racer Robert Smith of Escondido.

In a race that looked as much like Roller Derby as a kart race, Fountain Valley’s Scott Bohle led from the pole to the checkers to claim his second straight win in the Burris Racing F200’s.  Banning’s Scott Gaynor worked his way from the back in the rough and tumble race and by the end of the third lap he was trading paint with leader Bohle.  Bohle withstood the attack and maintained the top spot.  By lap seven, race director Matt Jones had seen enough of the beating, banging, and finger pointing and instructed starter Craig Zimmerman to give the entire field a warning with a furled black flag.  It had little effect as two laps later Gaynor climbed the back of newcomer Peter Lund forcing Lund to stop on the track.

Five laps later when the race came to an end, it was Bohle across the line first with Gaynor glued to his rear bumper.  Soon to be class champion Steve Juillerat of Whittier was third and was followed by Norm Reynolds of San Marcos and Lund.  Reynolds and Bohle earlier in the day won the heat races.

In the Caltrol Incorporated Senior Clones, it was all Emma Herzog of Anaheim as she won one of the heats and the main event.  Starting on the pole Herzog immediately took the lead over James Kelsey and Wildomar’s Mike Demello, who won his first main at the previous race on September 22nd.  Demello relegated Kelsey to third on lap two but was a half straight behind Herzog.  A late race yellow tightened up the field for the finish, but in the end, it was Herzog for her first ever SCOK main event victory.  Demello ended up second with Kelsey third and Christina Klein of Las Vegas fourth.

Chris “Ready to Rumble” Gibb came from the fifth-place starting spot to win his first Colt Group Open class main event of 2018.  Hesperia’s Chris Southern, who won both preliminary heat races, finished the first lap in front of Gibb and Dillon Hoffman of Cathedral City.  The race got as far as lap two before Thomas Southern and Jason Bishop got involved in a tangle that ended their main event aspirations.  The race restarted with Chris Southern at the point ahead of Gibb and Hoffman.  The elder Southern maintained the top spot until Gibb and Hoffman blasted by coming off turn two on lap four.  Hoffman stayed close all the way, but in the end, he was five kart lengths behind at the checkered.  Collins, Bohle and Southern rounded out the top five.

Huntington Beach karter Shane Holt took home the trophy in the Fair Oak’s Ranch Junior Clones.

The SoCal Oval Karters would like to thank 2018 series sponsors Yamaha of America, Burris Racing, Caltrol Incorporated, The Colt Group, Fair Oaks Ranch and Ancon Marine for supporting the 2018 championship season.  If you or your company would like to join the SCOK as a sponsor, please call Matt Jones at (714) 614-8891 or E-mail him at mailto:mattjonesracing@yahoo.com

2018 SoCal Oval Karters Schedule

November 17 – Wheel2Wheel Raceway – Victorville

To keep up with the So Cal Oval Karters on Facebook, please use the following link:  https://www.facebook.com/search/str/so+cal+oval+karters/keywords_search

The So Cal Oval Karters website is available at http://socalovalkarters.com/

The So Cal Oval Karters would like to thank the following sponsors for helping make the championship series possible.  Burris Racing, Hubcapmike.com, Perris Auto Speedway and Yamaha of America Racing Engines.  If you or your business would like to become a partner of the So Cal Oval Karters, please call or E-mail Matt Jones at (714) 614-8891 or  mailto:mattjonesracing@yahoo.com

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