Austin Elliott Competes In WKA Manufacturer's Cup
press release
Traveling to the World Karting Association (WKA) George Kugler/Bridgestone Manufacturer's Cup event at the BeaveRun Motorsports Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania, Californian driver Austin Elliott was excited to get a look at his competition. Having competed in the International Karting Federation (IKF) and Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) action on the West Coast, this would be the Top Kart driver's first visit to the WKA karting scene and to the challenging and technical circuit against drivers on the East Coast.
Avive: Austin Elliott performs well in WKA action at BeaveRun
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On Track Promotions
"I knew there would be some great drivers competing at this race and high numbers of drivers so I was excited to get to the track and start testing" expressed Elliott. "There were thirty-three drivers in the Parilla Leopard class on Saturday and forty drivers in TaG Senior on Sunday. More than half the field could win one of these races on any given weekend."
Rain, thunder and lightening would delay official practice on Friday morning. After many hours of solid downpours, the sun eventually came out and the track dried up to allow for a few test sessions that afternoon. Having only minimal time to learn the track, Elliott started Saturday morning strong, qualifying in a solid seventh position just two tenths off the leader in the stout Parilla Leopard field. In the eight-lap prefinal, the P1 Engines powered Top Kart driver would battle with the lead group to cross the stripe in eighth. Knowing that work was needed to stay inside the top ten, Elliott and his Top Kart crew went to work to make the necessary changes for the main event.
At the drop of the green flag, the Californian went on the offensive gaining several positions in the opening laps. Keeping pace with the lead quartet was tough but Elliott was up for the challenge. When the dust had finally settled, an impressive sixth place result was in store for Austin and his Team Top Kart.
Sunday would see the same kind of start as Saturday when Elliott would qualify just inside the top ten in the TaG Senior class. Utilizing a Parilla Leopard motor in a class that allows multiple engine brands and models was a slight disadvantage at the long BeaveRun track, but Elliott had a good kart and setup and was up for the challenge. Racing up to sixth in the pre-final had Austin feeling a podium result for the Main event. Starting in the sixth position and after two restarts, the green flag was granted for the forty hungry drivers and Austin quickly moved into the fifth spot. By turn two, disaster would strike as the Top Kart driver would suffer a mechanical issue and be forced to pull into the pits.
Elliott commented, "The mechanical issue in the start of the main event on Sunday was disheartening because I really felt I would see a finish worthy of a podium result. I enjoyed this race as it was both exhilarating and challenging. I learned a lot about driving and tuning. You really need to stay on top of your game in these classes both with your driving and tuning skills. I have to thank my Top Kart team and my competitors for helping me get things together so quickly on Friday. I hope to get the opportunity to race this level of competition again soon.
Austin would like to thank his Mom for working along side him at this race and for her support of reaching his racing goals. Mike Tetreault and Grand Products Inc., Wesley Boswell, Bridgestone Tires, Jesus of P1 Engines, Ron Winter of Avery Dennison, STAT Medical, Fresno Tap Recycling Auto Dismantler, Sons of Stafford Plumbing and RDS Race Cars & Chassis of Elk Grove.