Gatorz Alluminum Sunglasses - The Real Deal!


Written by: Mark Mitchell, Charlotte, NC:

Sunglasses. If you are like me you have owned dozens of pairs, some got lost, some just plain broke. Get a pair of Gatorz and you’ll never have to worry about broken glasses again and believe me you will to be very careful not to lose them.

Popular among racers, riders and extreme sports athletes Gatorz, the original aluminum sunglass, are without a doubt the most durable sunglasses you will ever own. It is no wonder they have a dedicated following as the frames are extremely lightweight, virtually indestructible and they fit snug and close to the face to provide excellent wraparound sun and wind protection for active lifestyles.

Handmade in a 22 step process the Gatorz frames are first machined from raw stock T-6 7075 billet aluminum and then formed to shape. The significance of the grade of aluminum billet used should not be overlooked. The T-6 indicates the hardness of the aluminum and provides protection against scratches, gouges and nicks to keep your glasses looking stylish and new. The 7075 refers to the pliability of the aluminum and allows for easy adjustment and a custom fit to your face. The 7075 grade of aluminum also provides optimum balance between strength and flex to hold the lens firmly in place.

The commitment to only the highest quality materials continues as the frame pieces are riveted with nickel silver hinges precision punched and hand mounted to ensure superior quality. Finally, the screws that hold the hinges are Teflon coated to resist backing out. Lenses are tension mounted into the frames and made of a distortion free high quality 1.8mm G15 polycarbonate that offers 100% UV protection.

The adjustable silicone nose pad contains a thin metal insert that allows a custom fit to any shape nose and to ensure a lifetime of use is securely mounted by screws rather than glue. Finally a neoprene rubber pad is glued to the frame on the inside of each frame arm allowing the glasses to rest on your head comfortably and securely without a hint of heat or irritation.

With a total of 13 frame styles, 7 frame colors, and 23 lens colors there are more than 8000 possible combinations to choose from. If you would like to see all of the most popular styles and options available visit www.gatorz.com to let your imagination run free and create your own custom pair of Gatorz.

- Surfeyes.com

Gatorz Sunglasses at Willow Springs: The Bus Drivers Dominate!


May 22, 2007 (Orange, Calif.) - The announcer for the all Gatorz Eyewear Golden State Karting Cup events, Tim "Chappy" Chapman, has coined a name for some of the series' serial winners.

They are the Bus Drivers - because, as he says, they're taking the rest of the field to school.

The Gatorz Karting Cup event at the Willow Springs Kart Track was the fifth round of the series' eight race championship season. Despite what other series may say, the Gatorz Karting Cup is the one karting series that really makes its presence known, on the track at Willow Springs, and off the track in local Rosamond and Lancaster. Adding to the weekend was the fact that this was the round which determined who got the cash prizes doled out by series sponsor Gatorz Precision Eyewear in the Alive Design Rotax International, Dave's Performance Rotax Masters, and MyChron4 Junior Rotax classes.

And, you could say, it was the Bus Drivers that took everyone to school and took their money at Willow Springs on Saturday.

However, things began on a somber note, as the Willow Springs event would be the first since the series learned that one of it's own, Brett Smrz, lost part of his leg following an off-track accident. Smrz had been proving his mettle in the SCCA Pro-MX5 cup of late, but to show that he was on the minds of his karting brethren, the series produced decals that were displayed on all the competing karts with Smrz' last name and his number, six.

First on track at the Fastest Road in the West was the combined G-Phactory TAG Senior, Metal Manipulations Club Rotax, and Precision Works DD2 classes. Russ Jordan grabbed pole for Club Rotax and for the group, followed closely by John Stewart and rookie Ari Baquet. Allen Svela took the TAG pole while Antoni Czerneiwski took DD2 pole.

Jordan, Stewart, and Baquet ran in a train for the first part of the pre-main until Ryon Beachner in his TAG kart overhauled the field and ran away with the overall win. Stewart worked his way past Jordan with two laps to go to take the Club Rotax win. Czerneiwski won in DD2.

In the group's main, Beachner ran away with the overall and TAG win, while Stewart cruised to his third Club Rotax win of the year. An early challenge from Jordan faded in the races' latter stages, and Jordan was overhauled by Baquet for second place. Joey Collins hopped into his DD2 kart to win the class handily.

The day's second race was MyChron4 Junior Rotax. Miles Maroney, winner of the last two Junior Rotax races, stomped the field by four-tenths of a second to take pole, ahead of Justin Coplen and Dylan Stalker.

The pre-main saw Maroney and Coplen take off, while Stalker faded to the back. Cameron Jocelyn, who was DQ'd after qualifying, stormed from the back to finish third.

Coplen made the start of the main work to his advantage as he took the lead from Maroney, and held him off for the first five laps. Coplen, however, lost the lead to Maroney with a pass in turn nine, then drove off the track trying to defend the position. He eventually rejoined in eighth place. Behind new leader Maroney, Jocelyn, Jacob Pearlman, and Lou Pagano disputed second place, but none of them would come near Maroney again. Maroney won his third straight MyChron4 Junior Rotax race of the season, followed by Jocelyn and Pearlman.

Those three wins were good enough to put Maroney on top of the points, earning him the $400 cash prize from Gatorz Precision Eyewear. Jocelyn is second, and earns $200, while Coplen's finish dropped him to third, but still with $100 in his pocket.

Grange MiniMax has been a season-long battle between Al Simpson and Dakota Dickerson, with Dakota taking the lion's share of the wins, while Simpson grabbed one at the Streets of Willow. He was clearly looking for two on this weekend, as he took pole from Dickerson by a mere .076 of a second. Michael Davis, who nearly won the Gatorz Karting Cup race at Fontana, was third.

Simpson put his pole position to good use in the pre-main, leading for the first four laps, but Dickerson made his way past on the fifth lap and stretched out nearly three seconds on Simpson before the end.

Dickerson would not relinquish the lead in the main, either, despite heavy pressure from Davis for the entire twenty laps. The win was Dickerson's fourth of the season and third in a row. Simpson grabbed the third spot on the podium.

Considering that he is the class' defending champion, it came as no surprise that Joey Collins took pole position for Alive Design Rotax International. What was a bit of a surprise was Chelsie Jackman putting in her best effort of the season to grab second on the grid, with Spencer Raine putting his trip from Oregon to good use by qualifying third.

A frantic start saw Jackman get shuffled back to fifth on the opening lap, with the beneficiary being Clark Sanchez-Figueras, who jumped into the second spot, chased by Michael Self. Jackman, Raine and Self battled for the third spot over the course of the pre-main, but Jackman took third for good on the fourteenth lap. Collins cruised to an easy win thanks to battle behind him.

The main, however, would not be so easy for Collins. A determined Jackman passed Sanchez-Figueras at the start and dogged Collins for each of the thirty laps. Sanchez-Figueras was similarly glued to Jackman's bumper, and the three would run in lockstep for the entire race. Collins won the race, his third of the season, but Jackman earned the distinction of running the quickest lap of the race. Sanchez-Figueras was third.

Along with his win, Joey Collins won the $400 cash prize for leading the points championship after five rounds, with Cory Pollock earning $200 and Spencer Raine's Willow effort thrusting him up to third, and earning him $100.

Dave's Performance Rotax Masters has been a tour de force for John Crow, as he has three wins to his credit thus far this season - the only blemish on that record was his second place to Waqar Meyer at last month's race at Grange. And at Willow Springs, he went right ahead to correct that as he grabbed pole, nearly a half-second ahead of Andy Seesemann and Meyer. Ian Thomas, who had a huge shunt at Grange last month, brought out a newly-rebuilt kart and put it fourth.

Crow got away cleanly at the start while Seesemann was bumped down to sixth. Meyer could not make an impression on Crow, who easily won the race, with Meyer in second and Seesemann working back up to third.

The final would be more of the same, as Crow simply waltzed away from Meyer and Seesemann. Seesemann would lose the final podium spot to Rob Whitley with eleven laps remaining, giving Whitley nearly enough time to catch Meyer for second. But neither would catch Crow, who simply owned the field again.

And, with his fourth win, Crow easily led the points and banked the $400 Gatorz Precision Eyewear prize. Meyer earned $200 for sitting in second, while Eric Von Zeipel sits in third and receives $100.

The Gatorz Karting Cup will next visit Buttonwillow Raceway Park on June 16th for their sixth event of the season. Buttonwillow's layout lends itself to plenty of passing, and might provide the venue for the bus drivers to take a backseat to some other drivers for a change.

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.

Buy Gatorz Sunglasses for your next Race!

Check Out Gatorz Karting for more info!

- Surfeyes.com

Gatorz Sunglasses & Grange Motor Circut: Party in the Desert!


May 2, 2007 (Orange, Calif.) - What may be the most remotely located kart track in the world - the Grange Motor Circuit in Apple Valley, Calif. - was the site of the fourth Gatorz Eyewear Golden State Karting Cup round of the 2007 season this past weekend.

Considering the location, as well as the fact that other series are beginning to see their numbers drop as the season wears on, many were surprised to see the Grange paddock stuffed full of trailers, canopies and karts. A full 93 entries were on hand to compete in the series' seven classes, the second-best turnout of the season (the season opener at Moran featured 98), including a mammoth 36 in the Alive Design Rotax International class.

Extra incentive for the competitors is the cash prize being put up by series sponsor Gatorz Precision Eyewear. The money will be dolled out to top three in points in Alive Design Rotax International, Dave�s Performance Rotax Masters, and Mychron4 Junior Rotax. With the prize set to be given after the series' next round at Willow Springs, the heat is being turned up on the points leaders of those classes.

The first race on the schedule for the afternoon was the Dave's Performance Rotax Masters class. John Crow has made this class his own personal stomping ground this season, but for the first time he was bumped off of pole when Ian Thomas grabbed pole, with Waqar Meyer second, and Crow third. Thomas, however, would be sent to the back after he was found to be two pounds underweight, promoting Meyer and Crow one position.

Crow, however, made the most of the start to get past Meyer in the first corner and cruise to a three second victory over Meyer and Erik von Zeipel. Thomas ran from the back of the grid to finish eighth.

With the roles reversed at the start, Meyer got the jump on Crow to take the lead. Crow would never be more than a few inches off of Meyer's bumper, with von Zeipel running uncontested in third. The race, however, would be stopped on the fourth lap after a massive crash in turn one that involved Thomas, who was charging to the front, Brian Hommel, and Greg Lawson. Thomas took the biggest impact, ending his race and requiring attention from paramedics, but was for the most part unharmed.

When the race restarted, the battle between Meyer and Crow resumed as well. Try as he might, Crow could not find a way past Meyer - even slight contact which sent Crow's kart in the air could not dislodge Meyer, and he took his first Masters win of the season. Crow crossed the finish line just behind, and von Zeipel was a distant third.

The Grange Mini Max class was second on the agenda. This class has seen a season long battle between Dakota Dickerson and Al Simpson, but this weekend would see another new face at the front, as IKF stalwart Raquel Martinez entered her first Gatorz Karting Cup race and put herself on pole. Predictably, Dickerson and Simpson were second and third.

The heat race saw a raging battle between Dickerson and Martinez, swapping spots for the lead before Martinez made the move stick for good on the penultimate lap. However, it was all for naught for Martinez, who was disqualified for a tech infringement at the end of the race and sent to the back for the main.

In a bizarre incident on the warm-up lap, Martinez, Holden Delcoure, and Joshua Jones ran into each other, eliminating them before the race began. Martinez would have likely run to the front and taken after Dickerson again, but as it was, Dickerson had another race long battle with Simpson. Dickerson finally got ahead for good with five laps to go and stretched a gap on Simpson by the checkered, for his third win of the season. Nicholas Silva ran uncontested for third.

Over a third of the weekend's entrants were in the Alive Design Rotax International class, which saw 36 karts line up to do battle. Some of the western states' top Rotax pilots, such as Greg Welch from Colorado, and Michael Self from Utah, made long hauls to see how they measured up in the toughest Champ Car Rotax Max Challenge in the country.

But in a bit of a surprise, series veteran Kenny Maler took pole as he scorched the earth ahead of Oregonian Spencer Raine and defending champion Joey Collins. One second covered the first nineteen karts on the grid, but in a big shock, series points leader Cory Pollock found himself mired down in eighteenth.

A series of waved off starts saw series newcomer Joshua Harris sent to the back of the grid for attempting to jump the start. The race, once finally underway, saw a predictable turn one stackup, with Maler leading the field from Collins and fifth starting Taylor Castle. Castle moved past Collins on the third lap, but Collins picked off Castle before picking off Maler two laps later and cruised to victory. Maler was second, but all of Castle's good work was undone when he was sent out of the techshed for his rear width being fractionally too wide. Roger Scott was credited with third place.

In the main event, Collins simply waltzed away from the field, cruising to a twelve-second victory. Self made his trip from Utah worthwhile by moving from his fifth starting position to finish second, while Maler ended his weekend in third position. Pollock, no longer the points leader, finished in eleventh.

The MyChron4 Junior Rotax class has seen Justin Coplen at the front for the first three races, but he could manage no better than sixth in qualifying as Miles Maroney took pole ahead of Cameron Jocelyn and Taylor Miinch. In the mess of a first lap, however, Mason Marotta took the point on the first lap, which he would hold only for two laps until Maroney took the position back. Jocelyn and Louie Pagano made their way past Marotta on the next lap and Jocelyn went to work on Maroney, making the pass for the lead with one lap remaining. Pagano was third, while Coplen was a DNF, along with Miinch.

Maroney made the final race boring, as he led from start to finish. Behind him, Jacob Pearlman held second until Jocelyn moved past him halfway through the race. Jocelyn set sail for Maroney, and while he caught him he could do nothing to make his way past, and crossed the line right on Maroney's bumper. Pearlman was third.

The final group of the day was the combined G-Phactory TAG Senior, Metal Manipulations Club Rotax, and Precision Works DD-2 classes. Run together, Ryon Beachner qualified first in TAG and first overall, with Las Vegas' Curtis Cooksey right behind and first in DD-2. John Stewart was third overall and first in Club Rotax.

When the heat race got underway, Cooksey put his two-speed transmission to good use and rocketed ahead of Beachner, and the two stretched ahead of the rest of the field. Beachner was never able to make his way around the DD-2 kart, and the race ended with Cooksey leading Beachner across the line. Stewart fell to fourth overall, behind TAG Senior competitor Rob Logan, but easily won Club Rotax.

The final race was a repeat of the Cooksey/Beachner battle, as Beachner was close for all 25 laps but could never make a pass. Cooksey took DD-2 honors and Beachner won TAG Senior. Behind them, Antoni Czerniewski aboard his DD-2 moved through the field to finish third overall, and had a close battle with Logan and Stewart, who won Club Rotax. Czerniewski also extended his lead in the DD-2 Mini series.

It is to be another quick turnaround for the Gatorz Karting Cup, as the series is back on track May 19 at the Willow Springs Kart Track.

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.

Buy Gatorz Sunglasses for your next Race!

Check Out Gatorz Karting for more info!

- Surfeyes.com

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.


Buy Gatorz Sunglasses for your next Race!

Check Out Gatorz Karting for more info!

- Surfeyes.com