BANQUET NEWS
The U. S. 13 Kart Club Banquet will be held on January 15, 2005
LOCATION: Laurel Fire Hall, 10th Street, Laurel, DE 19940
WHEN: January 15, 2005
TIME: Dinner starts at 6:30 PM
COST: Adults $25, 6 -12 years old $15, Under 5 free
Please respond in a timely fashion so the best arrangements can be made. Contact Phyllis Hayes, at H. P. Speed, 22091 Lewes Georgetown, Georgetown, DE 19947, 302-856-7835.
ALSO: Door prizes will be given out throughout the night, and we need help with these prizes. We would appreciate everyone's help in getting local businesses to participate by donating something as a door prize. All donations are tax deductible and will be mentioned in our Banquet program with a thank you to those sponsors. Prizes & Donations can be mailed to the same address as above. Thank you for all your help and support. More news will be following.
FIVE EARN DOUBLE GOLD AT G&J KARTWAY
Story and images by Bruce C. Walls
CAMDEN, OH-Five 4-cycle road course racers earned double wins during the WKA/Horstman Gold Cup MCP Brake Nationals held during the Fourth of July weekend at G&J Kartway in Camden, OH. Four hundred and nine racers entered the competition on the 1/2-mile nine-turn course up 30 from last year’s second race of the tour’s season. Starting with the event’s second winner Kyle Capodice the other double winners included Justin Cassity, Scott Rettich, Austyn Fugle and Eric Winkle who posted his pair that Sunday.
Capodice, of Sandusky, OH, piloted his Baker Racing Engines powered Bandit kart with perfection in Saturday’s RLV Briggs Junior Sportsman 1 Lite taking all the class offered. He spun the fastest qualifying lap at 37.337 seconds, beat outside pole winner Jimmy Heavlow to the heat’s stripe by 0.627 seconds and finished with a huge 3.759 seconds lead over Dakota Bell in the Feature.
“I don’t know how I stayed out front,” admitted the nine-year-old winner, “the kart handled great and the motor was real good it was real strong.”
Sunday TJ Duke was the fastest qualifier in McDonald Motorsports Briggs Junior Sportsman 1 Heavy beating Capodice out of the top starting spot by 0.057 seconds with a 37.417 seconds run. Capodice captured the rest of it. He beat Duke to the heat’s checkered flag by 0.572 seconds and by an even closer 0.162 seconds margin in the feature. As they were heading for the final flag a lapped kart appeared ahead of them. “I was worried when that lapped kart got in the way,” he described adding, “The kart felt great.”
Cassity an Urbana, MD based Rat Power Racing Engines powered Coyote kart factory driver bested fields of 19 and 26 in American Power Sports Briggs Heavy and Turner Racing Engines Briggs Medium. In Heavy he led the charge from start to finish with a 34.220 second lap for the pole from where he beat Jon Baker in the heat race by 0.146 seconds to the feature where Baker trailed him by 0.064 seconds. “I wasn’t sure who had it going down the straight-away on that last lap. We came in that last corner before the front straight there and I knew Jon (Baker) was going to try me in the corner,” Cassity described. “ Thankfully I stayed on the outside and was able to hold onto the lead and I got a good push from Lawson in the back there so it worked out great. I want to thank Thor Oils they’re helping my engines run a lot better and helped my success.”
Sunday’s Medium proved more of a challenge. Cassity struggled in qualifying with a 34.361 seconds lap 0.118 seconds off the pace set by Tommy Van Cleef’s 34.243 seconds pole wining effort for a fifth place start. Things got worse for Cassity in the heat where he finished 15th out to 26. He roared back in the feature. While his brother Ryan was enjoying a comfortable lead Justin worked his way to third, then second. He slipped past his brother near the end and beat him to the stripe by 0.648 seconds.
“That was unbelievable. I got taken out in the heat and started 10th in the feature,” he described. “I was just hoping to run in the top three or five today. Sometimes the way things workout is crazy. It just worked out where every pass was perfectly timed it was almost a coincidence not even driving skill. It just happened the way it did and I was lucky.”
Rettich, a Camden, OH native, earned his wins that Saturday. Piloting a new Margay kart he earned a win in Power Products/Super Seat Briggs Limited Medium and when Justin Bonsignore was booted from Precision Industries Briggs Animal Medium at tech, he inherited his second win.
Rettich ruled Limited Medium from start to finish beginning with a blistering 31.845 seconds qualifying lap that earned him the pole. He dominated the heat and feature over Van Cleef who trailed him by 2.105 seconds and 2.837 seconds. “The Margay chassis was great,” Rettich explained. “The Coyote kart works great in the slower classes, but for the faster classes the Margay just works better, it just handled great. I was confident from the beginning and the kart came in as was just great.”
Fellow Ohio race Eric Winkle, of Cedarville, earned his first two national wins that Sunday starting with Viper Racing Engines Briggs Restricted Junior. ‘Bad’ Brad Bischoff blasted out a 34.909 seconds pole-winning lap. Winkle was the fifth fastest qualifier, but was fastest when in counted. He quickly climbed through the field in the heat race passing Bischoff before the half. When it was over Bischoff was 0.230 seconds behind him across the stripe. In the feature race Winkle roared by Bischoff as they battled down the front straight for the lead, which he held to the end where this time his was 0.311 seconds ahead of Bischoff at the end for his first national, win.
“It was easy because Eric Garland had me so hooked up on power and he hooked up the Shadow kart perfectly and my dad did a great job with him on setup,” Winkle credited after his first win.
Sunday Floridian Justin Larson cranked out a 35.510 seconds lap for Baker Racing Engines Briggs Junior Animal’s pole. Winkle cracked the top five in qualifying with a 35.699 seconds effort. Third fastest qualifier Steven Axtell topped the heat race with a 0.283 seconds edge over Larson and then followed Winkle by 0.230 seconds when in counted.
“The Garland Racing Engine had enough top end to power by him (Axtell) easily and Eric Garland’s setup the kart so good I was flying around the track.”
Livonia, NY based Austyn Fugle notched his first national win that Saturday and backed it up with another Sunday for a sweep of the Briggs Junior Sportsman classes. In Saturday’s Coyote Products Fugle was the fastest of 27 qualifiers with a 35.633 seconds lap. Brett Farmer and Tyler Sandmeyer got by him in the heat, but he rallied back in the feature winning it by 0.441 over Farmer. “It was kind of hard and I could hear them back there and I didn’t know if I was any faster or not,” admitted the 10-year-old Fugle. “The Margay kart handled pretty good and the Turner Motor worked really good.”
Backed by the confidence of his first national win Fugle took all Bonsignore Kart Shoppe Briggs Junior Sportsman 2 Heavy offered. A 36.106 seconds lap put him on the pole from where he captured the heat race with CJ Lintner trailing by 0.442 seconds and in the feature where he opened a 1.121 seconds advantage over Sandmeyer.
Horstman Gold Cup competitors have two more nationals remaining in the 2004 season. Next up they travel to Wampum, PA August 20-22 where they will compete at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex followed by Grand Nationals which will again be part of the North American Karting Championships at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC November 5-7.
U. S. 13 Kart Club
Bitten By Mother Nature Again
Delmar, DE.....June 11, Mother Nature bit the hand again this week for the U. S. 13 Kart Club at the Delaware Motorsports Complex for the second week in a row. No Race will be held this Sunday June 13 as a rain make up. The next race will be June 18, 2004, weather permitting. Gates open 5:00 PM, practice at 7:00PM. So come out and get in on the fast action and play in the clay.
Join us on June 26, for the third Delaware State Briggs Dirt Series race features. Gates open at 7:00AM, practice 9:30AM. Tyler Reed leads in the BRIGGS JR. SPTS. I LITE, Cameron Collins leads BRIGGS JR. SPTS. I HEAVY, Brandon White leads BRIGGS JR. SPTS. II LITE and HEAVY, while Kolby Schroder leads in the BRIGGS JR. SPTS. III LITE and HEAVY, Matt Mowbray leads in BRIGGS Lite, Chad Hayes in the BRIGGS -MEDIUM and SUPER HEAVY and BRIGGS CONTROL HEAVY, James Lewis in the BRIGGS HEAVY, Glenn Renfro in SENIOR STOCK and the BRIGGS SENIOR CHAMP, Kenneth Peek leads in BRIGGS LIMITED HEAVY, Chad Reed leads in ANIMAL HEAVY and Shannon Morris leads in OUTLAW OPEN.
The current leaders in U. S. 13 Club points are Austin Wright in JUNIOR I, Scott Hitchens in JUNIOR II, Brandon Beale in JUNIOR III and has won every feature so far in that class. Butch Tucker leads in STOCK LITE, John Macklin leads in STOCK MEDIUM, Anthony Brock leads in STOCK HEAVY, James Hickman leads in STOCK XTRA HEAVY, Ralph Moore in 35 AND OVER, and John Ellis Jr. leads in the LIMITED classes.
ATTENTION DRIVERS:
If you notice your points are not correct, Please contact Richard Pearson at 302.349.5169.
Also, when you do see an error or have a question about your points don't wait weeks or months to notify us. Thank you. If there is another error on one of the drivers records or something notify Bonnie by email or which ever is easiest. Thank you.
Jerry Nadeau
Returns to Connecticut with Endurance Karting: NASCAR driver and
Danbury [CT] native
Jerry Nadeau returns to his home state June 18 and 19 for the
www.EnduranceKarting.com
events at Lime Rock Park. Nadeau will serve as an instructor in the June 18
racing school, which is limited to 20 participants. On Saturday, June 19, Nadeau
will be on one of 28 teams competing in an eight-hour go-kart endurance race.
Nadeau says: "I really enjoyed instruction and working with people and coming
back to Lime Rock is going to be so much fun." Pre-registration is required for
the race and the school. "I have raced with
www.EnduranceKarting.com three
times at the kart track at Lowe's Motor Speedway [in Charlotte]," Nadeau said.
"Last time, I teamed up with Ernie Irvan and my dad, who had not raced in years.
We had a great time, racing together and against racing enthusiasts." Nadeau was
seriously injured in a May 2003 crash at Richmond International Raceway. He has
since undergone extensive rehabilitation and has progressed remarkably. He keeps
his racing skills in practice through go-karts and racing-themed video games, in
hopes of returning to the Nextel Cup Series in 2005. The Lime Rock race also
marks a homecoming to go-kart racing for Nadeau. He began racing go-karts at age
four, winning three consecutive World Karting Association Gold Cup Championships
(1988 to 1990). He won the WKA Grand National Championship and the Skip Barber
Eastern Series Rookie-of-the-Year title in the same year (1991). In 1996, he
competed in the Formula Opel European Series and finished sixth, the
highest-ever finish by an American. Nadeau began racing in the prestigious
Nextel Cup Series in 1997, posting one win at Atlanta Motor Speedway (November
2000) in 177 starts. Throughout his rehabilitation process, Nadeau has enjoyed
spending time with his wife Jada and one-year-old daughter Natalie.
www.EnduranceKarting.com travels
the country holding "Arrive and Race" events for the avid race fans to try the
spirit of racing. For more information on the Lime Rock races, or
EnduranceKarting's other events in Portugal, North Carolina, Indiana, Las Vegas
or Florida, visit
www.EnduranceKarting.com or call toll-free 1-866-722-3669.(Endurance
Karting PR) Jayski.com
THREE DOUBLE AT DELMAR
Story and Photos by
Bruce C. Walls
DELMAR, DE-Regional kart racers competed in the second of six races scheduled in the World Karting Association Delaware Dirt Divisional Series at Delaware Motorsports Park in Delmar, DE Saturday May 8th. Three of more than 100 racers entered earned double wins that day on the 1/5-mile dirt oval.
HP Speed Shop team drivers won seven of 16 classes offered that day starting with double winner Tyler Reed of Delmar, DE who swept the Junior 1 Heavy and Lite races from their poles. Starting on Heavy’s pole Reed led the 10-racer field through two caution restarts before beating Austin Wright to the finish. Cody Davison got a piece of the lead early on but Reed quickly raced by him. Austin Wright took over second in the final laps, but couldn’t catch Reed. “I had to keep the pressure on 36’s (Davison) bumper,” described the 10-year-old Delmar, DE based double winner after his first trip to victory lane. “He (Davison) got loose and I got by him and stayed low on the restarts and kept going.”
Later that day Reed decisively ruled Junior 1 Lite from start to finish with Brandon Stargus trailing a distant second at the end. Davison offered several early challenges, but dropped back into the field later on. “I want to thank my dad for hooking me up,” Reed said during his second visit to victory lane. “Cody (Davison) came up on the back of me and I thought I was going to loose my position, but I held on to it. The motor and the Shadow kart both worked good.”
Charles Hayes III added two more wins to HP Speed Shop’s tally topping Controlled Heavy and Stock Extra Heavy. Kenneth Ayers hustled into Controlled Heavy’s early lead with Hayes III closing fast. Hayes III pulled up beside him and they battled side-by-side for almost half a lap before Hayes III took it from him down the back straight and never looked back. Behind him Manchester, MD based Renfro tried to reel him in. Renfro was close at the finish, but couldn’t get close enough to take it at the end.
“He (Renfro) was on me. I started to develop a fouled plug or a coil or something was going wrong with the motor. With five to go the motor started shutting off on me a little bit like she was running out of fuel, but I held on to her” Hayes III of Lincoln, DE described. “I’d like to thank my brother Chad, G-Man Kart Works, HP Speed Shop and I want to thank Opie Lawson for helping me today and I want to thank my Mom and Dad for everything they do for me.”
James Lewis, of Delmar, roared away from Stock Extra Heavy’s pole with Hayes working his way through the field behind him. Hayes reached Lewis’s bumper near mid race and then shot by Lewis for a never surrendered lead to the finish. “It took about ten laps, but once she came in she was good to go,” Hayes said of his second win.
Hayes’s brother Chad, won Stock Medium over pole winner Charles Vallanginham of St. Mary’s County, MD taking the lead from third on the last lap as the front two Vallanginham and Matt Mobray of Hebron, MD tangled battling for the lead.
According to Chad, “That was wild. Vallandingham went to the inside and got Matt Mobray a little high. It was just a battle for the lead. I just took advantage of it. I want to thank my sponsors HP Speed Shop, G-Man Kart Works, Phantom Chassis and Maxxis tires they were really hooking up good today we had a good setup and everything was good to go.”
Radical Racing Engines powered Legend Kart pilot Kolby Schroder swept both Junior 3 classes. Robert Grady III earned the pole and grabbed the early lead from there as Schroder battled his way through the field. Schroder reached second near mid race and then got by Grady for the lead.
“I was right there, I was just waiting for the tires to come in,” said Schroder of Staatsburg, NY. “ I knew it was going to take awhile because in qualifying they got really better after three or four laps. I just needed to get down on the start. I knew I’d run them down; it was just a matter of how early I could get them.”
Later that day in Junior 3 Lite Schroder started from the pole and quickly built a huge lead over the 15-racer field. Then the caution flag suddenly cut his lead. Schroder led the restart and built another big lead that he took across the strip for his second win.
“It was awesome winning two again here,” said Schroder who won both at the first race April 10th, “I can’t believe it. Actually I have four in a row two here today and two here at the last state race. I’m just excited. We were running pretty fast but we were really fast at the other race. This race the track slowed down a little bit, but we were still really fast.”
After struggling early in the Stock class, Chad Reed, of Lincoln, DE, won the Briggs Animal feature in an HP Speed Shop powered Phantom Kart.
“It definitely made up for that other race,” Reed said, “We scrambled all day with the stocker, tore the floor pan up ran a set of Burris tires that weren’t very good and come back with a good setup on this Phantom Nemesis and HP Speed Shop’s Animal motor and got out there and won it.”
Parsonsburg. MD pilot Brad Trice led 15 Stock Lite racers with perfection. After producing the fastest qualifying lap the Ace-N-Racing Powered Outlaw kart pilot quickly hustled into the lead over Vallandingham, the outside pole winner. Vallandingham kept the pressure on Trice, but couldn’t take the lead from him.
“Today she really hooked up well. I qualified on the pole and we had a good kart to win today so everything worked out to our advantage. Hopefully everything will work out the rest of the year,” Trice said.
In other racing action that day David Feester won Junior 2 Lite over defending series champion Brandon White of Lewes, DE. White also the defending Junior 2 Heavy champion, lost that one to 11-year-old Nicholas Hughes of Hampstead, MD. “The kart was good. I just ran my line as fast as I could. The motor was excellent I have two races on it and the kart handled good,” Hughes said.
Rookie Limited racer John Ellis, Jr., of Seaford, DE better known as ‘The Iceman’ lead a talented group of veterans in that class wire-to-wire. “They got a lot of experience back there. But we got the kart hooked up good. I’ve got to give a lot of thanks to HP Speed Shop for their sponsorship without their help we couldn’t do it,” he explained. “I’m a rookie in the limited class and I’ve got a good year going on so far. We’ve got a couple of features so I’m feeling pretty good wining my second straight state race. It was a lot of fun.”
Glen Renfro, of Manchester, MD piloting a P&P Speed Shop powered Phantom Nemesis kart posted Senior Stock’s win with a perfect performance from the pole. “It was all the setup my son put on the kart,” Renfro credited. “ I had problems in warm up and a guy ran into me and believe it or not he lent me his motor so I could race this race and you thank God for people like that because without friends we’d have nobody and I thank Tommy Adkins for the courtesy and consideration of giving me that motor and allowing me to get this win.”
John Davis was the final feature winner dominating the Open/Outlaw Class. Delaware Dirt Divisional racers return to Delaware Motorsport Park June 5th for round three.
FIVE DOUBLE AT DE DIRT DIVISIONAL OPENER
Story and photos by
Bruce C. Walls
DELMAR, DE-Racers in near record numbers competed in the first of six races in this year’s Delaware Dirt Divisional Series season opener last Saturday April 10 at US 13 Kartway in Delmar. Five of the 160 entries earned double wins on the fast 1/5-mile oval.
Cameron Collins, of Millsboro, swept the Junior Sportsman 1 classes Lite and Heavy. He won Lite’s pole with a 13.145 seconds lap and then beat Tyler Reed to the stripe by 3.492 seconds in the feature. In Heavy the 11-year-old HP Speed Shop powered Phantom kart pilot qualified dead last in a field of 12 and came back for the win over Kody Joudery by 2.709 seconds. “The kart felt good enough to do just what I wanted and what I wanted it to do to win,” Collins said.
Staatsburg, NY based Kolby Schroder scored both Junior 3 class wins wire-to-wire. In Heavy he spun a blistering 12.992 seconds lap for the pole and then beat outside pole winner Robert Grady III to the stripe 3.370 seconds. “That was an awesome race, the kart was really good,” Schroder said after his first win. “In the beginning I was struggling with a push and then it just got better and better. It was awesome.”
Brandon White bagged both junior 2 feature wins starting with Heavy were he started on the outside pole and beat pole winner David Feeser to the finish by a huge 5.450 seconds. “This is the first win of the season and it feels good to win,” said the Lewes, DE native. “The Shadow kart skated pretty much the whole time, but it was good enough to pull out the win. I’ll be back here in victory lane later, “ he predicted.
His prediction came true. He turned a 12.953 seconds lap for the pole and led the field flawlessly to the finish where he was just 0.242 seconds ahead of Jacob Pearson.
Veteran Thomas Adkins of Sharptown, MD captured Controlled Heavy and Senior Stock’s feature wins. He grabbed Controlled Heavy’s early lead from pole winner Bryant Renfro and beat him to the stripe by just 0.199 seconds. “The first person I want to thank is the Lord, the second person I want to thank is my girlfriend Jo Ann and the third person I want to thank is P&P Speed Shop,” Adkins said after his first win. “I also want to thank Ronnie Robinson if it weren’t for him I wouldn’t be here today. Everybody was very competitive so it was a good race.”
Later that day Adkins went wire-to-wire in Senior Stock. After producing the pole lap at12.872 seconds he beat Ralph Moore to the stripe by 0.224 seconds
Club competition at US 13 Kartway will be held every Friday night until October and the next divisional race is scheduled for May 8th.