Gatorz Karting at CalSpeed: Who Says There's No Free Lunch?
March 26, 2007 (Orange, Calif.) - The third round of the Gatorz Eyewear Golden State Karting Cup, held this past Saturday at the CalSpeed Karting Center, saw eighty-four entrants enjoy the Chamber of Commerce weather, as well as the 9/10th's of a mile CalSpeed track.
Also highlighting the weekend was the kickoff of the Precision Works DD2 Mini Series. Sponsored by SSC Racing, the Mini Series will give away a free entry to the Rotax Grand Nationals to the winner, as well as a $400 voucher towards a Grand Nationals entry to the runner-up, and a $300 voucher to the third place finisher.
First on track was the Grange MiniMax class, which saw a renewed battle between Dakota Dickerson and Al Simpson - each coming into the weekend with one series win apiece.
Dickerson, despite grabbing pole and winning by a healthy margin in the heat race, had his hands full with Simpson and Michael Davis in the main. All three drivers lead the race, but Davis, while leading the race on the final lap, made a mistake in turn three, sliding wide and allowing Dickerson to slip past into his second win of the season. Simpson, right on his bumper, finished in second, with Davis third.
Alive Design Rotax International was missing one of its front runners, as James Kennedy was on duty for his Sodi Kart team at the Florida Winter Tour. This left Cory Pollock and Joey Collins to battle for the honors, a battle made tougher for Collins after he wrote off his Arrow in a Friday practice crash. Precision Works supplied Collins a chassis to finish the weekend with, which he put to good use qualifying second behind Pollock, and ahead of Nick Johnston.
The heat and main races were exciting - if you were Cory Pollock. Pollock distanced Collins in the heat but was passed by both Collins and Mike Herda at the start of the main, while Spencer Raine was shuffled from his third starting spot back to sixth. Pollock quickly dispatched Herda, then took two laps to move past Collins before setting sail to the finish, 4.2 seconds ahead of Collins.
Pollock then headed north to a dwarf car race in Ventura, leaving Dave Thompson to collect his hardware at the trophy presentation.
Thankfully for the Gatorz Karting Cup PR department, John Crow makes the Masters reports quite easy. Crow scooped his third-straight perfect weekend, taking pole, then winning the heat and main events. He was, however, pushed hard by Jeremy Drew on this weekend, as Drew led the heat race for a while before Crow made his way past. The main was essentially a repeat, as Drew, Paul Bonilla, and Robert Whitley all found their way past Crow at the start. Crow, however, was back at the front in five laps and took a three second win over Bonilla and Drew.
MyChron 4 Junior Rotax has been the domain of Justin Coplen thus far this season, and early indications were that it would remain that way as he grabbed pole from Miles Maroney and Garrison Masters, then waltzed to a six-second win in the heat race.
The main was a different story, as Maroney took the lead at the start and Coplen never got it back. In fact, Coplen would ultimately end up third, as Masters, who was a DNF in the heat, ran through the field to take second from Coplen on the last lap.
The final group of the day was the combined G-Phactory TAG, Metal Manipulations Club Rotax, and Precision Works DD2 group. The winner at Moran, John Stewart grabbed pole overall and in Club Rotax, with John Passon in second (first in TAG) and Russ Jordan (Club Rotax) third. The first of the DD2 karts was Antoni Czerniewski, just ahead of Austin Nichols.
The heat race saw a raging battle between Stewart and Passon, with Stewart edging Passon for the overall win and both winning their class. In the main, Stewart and Passon battled again, with Jordan hanging on in third, until Passon retired after nine laps. Jordan finally found a way past Stewart as the two threaded traffic in turn three in the race's latter stages. Jordan took the victory, with Stewart right on his heels for second overall and in Metal Manipulations Club Rotax. Allan Svela took G-Phactory TaG honors, while Czerniewski took the first round of the Precision Works DD2 Mini Series.
Next for the Gatorz Karting Cup is a date with the Grange Motor Circuit, on April 28. Apple Valley is a long haul for most of the series' competitors but Grange offers a racing experience unlike any other Southern California racetrack.
The Gatorz Eyewear Golden State Karting Cup is the largest and oldest Rotax Max karting series in the United States. The series caters to the recreational racer and serious competitor alike, delivering competition, fun, camaraderie, and abundant track time. The Rotax Max karting series is the Official Karting Series of the Champ Car World Series. More information can be found at www.gatorzkarting.com or by calling Full Throttle Karting at (714) 289-0432.
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