Local Drivers Shine At California Prokart Round


press release 11 June 2015
 

Another exciting weekend of racing for Superkarts! USA regional program at Simraceway Performance Karting Center

The second half of the California ProKart Challenge season is underway following the fourth event of 2015 that took place at the Simraceway Performance Karting Center on June 5-6. The Sonoma, California facility welcomed nearly 150 drivers to its 7/10-mile course, which has become a popular destination for karters in the region and around the United States.

Nearly 150 drivers competed at the fourth round of the California ProKart Challenge at Simraceway Performance Karting Center
Above: Nearly 150 drivers competed at the fourth round of the California ProKart Challenge at Simraceway Performance Karting Center
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

The ‘National Reverse’ layout provided a great challenge for the 11 categories competing, with the championship chases moving into another stage as the journey toward the season finale at the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix continues. Five of the 11 winners on the day call northern California their home, with many competing at the Sonoma Raceway facility month after month.

Mirko Mizzoni won his first S4 Master feature race
Above: Mirko Mizzoni won his first S4 Master feature race
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

At just 14-years-old, Christian Brooks is competing at the level of a veteran in the Phil Giebler Racing TaG Senior category. After assuming the championship lead following his first ever victory in the division at Round Two, Brooks has kept himself in position to challenge for the title. The results from Sonoma have made him the driver to beat in the final two rounds, as Brooks earned his second victory of the season after he and championship contender Austin Elliott battled all day long. In qualifying, Brooks struck first by securing the fast lap in the session, clearing Elliott and the rest of the 19-driver field by just over a tenth of a second. Elliott, racing on his home track, got the better of Brooks in the opening heat race. The war raged on in the second heat, with the two crossing the line at the checkered flag in a dead tie according to the scoring system. The photo finish and main event pole position went to Brooks. The first half of the main belonged to Brooks, until Elliott took over the point. It wasn’t until the last lap that the race would be decided, as Christian was able to make a pass stick, and hold on to the checkered flag. Elliott settled for his second runner-up finish in the last three races. Enzo Prevost recorded his best finish of the year on his home track, placing third ahead of veteran Matt Johnson – with Phillippe Denes putting three NorCal drivers into the top five.

Christian Brooks landed his second TaG Senior victory of the season, extending his championship lead
Above: Christian Brooks landed his second TaG Senior victory of the season, extending his championship lead
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

Two-time Pro Tour champion Fritz Leesmann led the way for the NorCal drivers in the win column, as the veteran swept the action in the Vemme Kart/Extreme Karting S1 Pro Stock Moto division. Leesmann set the tone in qualifying, posting a 47.714-second lap to beat out current California PKC point leader Jarred Campbell. Leesmann led all eight laps of the opening heat with Campbell on his bumper, and continued to the checkered flag in the second heat while defending series champion Billy Musgrave and Nic LeDuc slipped by Campbell for position.

Pulling away quickly and cleanly, Leesmann avoided any early challengers in the feature and went wire-to-wire for the victory in his first California PKC start of 2015. Campbell fought his way back into the runner-up position, continuing his streak of four results in a row inside the top two. LeDuc won the battle for the final step of the podium in his first race of 2015, while Musgrave settled for fourth ahead of veteran Ron White.

Two-time Pro Tour champion Fritz Leesmann swept the action in S1 Pro
Above: Two-time Pro Tour champion Fritz Leesmann swept the action in S1 Pro
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

The SwedeTech Racing Engines S4 Master Stock Moto class looked to belong to Robert Marks all day long. Five drivers recorded times within six hundredths of each other in qualifying, as Marks came out with the fastest time. David Arnstein battled for the win in Heat #1, with Marks coming out as the winner. Marks led each lap of the second heat, securing the pole position for the main event. He would set the pace throughout the majority of the race, until the closing laps when a charging Mizzoni emerged from outside the top five. With two laps remaining, Mizzoni took over the lead and established enough room to secure his first series victory. Marks settled for second, with Willy Musgrave recording his second straight third place result. Mike Mantel and Justin Bennett rounded out the top five. Kidd became the third different winner of the new 2Wild Karting S4 Super Master Stock Moto class. Patrick O’Neill posted the fast time in qualifying, but Kidd went on to win both heat races. The feature was all ‘Jimmy the Kidd’, leading all 16 laps for a three-second margin of victory. O’Neill drove to second in his first start of 2015, as two-time winner Ken Schilling completed the podium.

S4 Super Master saw Jim Kidd become the third different winner in the new category
Above: S4 Super Master saw Jim Kidd become the third different winner in the new category
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

Carter Williams entered Sonoma leading the Ryan Perry Motorsport S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto championship, winning eight of the nine races thus far including the three feature races. Will Preston came close to ending the streak back in April at Buttonwillow, and succeeded this time at his home track to score his first ever S2 victory. Florida native Jesus Rios made his first series start, topping the time charts in qualifying by 12 thousandths over Williams. The first heat race went to Williams, while Rios came back on top in the second qualifying race. Preston started the main third and got the better of the two on cold tires, taking the lead. Williams slipped back, but recovered by halfway to challenge Preston for the top spot. The second half of the race was back and forth between the two, as Preston secured the lead and the victory. Williams settled for runner-up, with Rios a solid third in his class debut.

Will Preston used home track advantage for his first ever S2 Semi-Pro victory
Above: Will Preston used home track advantage for his first ever S2 Semi-Pro victory
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

The streak did continue, however, for Callum Smith in the Sanner Racing S5 Junior Stock Moto division, scoring his fourth straight win of 2015. The fourth victory of the season did not come so easily, with heavy pressure from Hunter Kelly throughout the day. Kelly earned his first fast time in qualifying on the season, clocking in the only lap time below the 50-second mark. The momentum carried him over into Heat #1, where he led all eight laps for the win – while Smith fought back in Heat #2 to make the score even. Callum got the jump at the start of the main with Kelly on his bumper. They ran that way the entire 16 laps, with Smith leading each circuit for his fourth feature victory of the season. Kelly recorded his second straight runner-up result, with Noah Grey on the podium for a third straight race.

Callum Smith kept his main event score perfect in S5 Junior, extending his streak to four
Above: Callum Smith kept his main event score perfect in S5 Junior, extending his streak to four
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

Jagger Jones became another first time winner on the season, besting the 20-driver field in the Nash Motorsportz TaG Junior category. Jones, coming off his first podium at Round Three, set the fast lap in the qualifying session, edging out point leader Trey Brown and Round Two winner Nicky Hays. Jones and Hays fought for the win in the opening heat race until contact on the final lap dropped them down the order. Hays finished fourth while Jones was 11th, giving the top spot to Jake Drew. The second heat was all Drew leading all seven laps, with Hays working up to second and Jones up to sixth. It was a wild one for the 16-lap main event involving all three, along with Hannah Grisham and Ethan Barrett. A minimum of 10 lead changes occurred, all taking a turn. Grisham looked primed for a chance at the top step of the podium until contact between she and Hays took them both out of contention for the win. Jones took over the point at lap 14, pulling away to a 1.2-second advantage for the victory. Barrett crossed the line runner-up, with Drew in third. Brown moved up to fourth in the closing laps, bringing Gary Lyles with him.

Jagger Jones landed his first TaG Junior victory
Above: Jagger Jones landed his first TaG Junior victory
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

The Professional Kart Support S3 Novice Stock Moto division saw Aaron Schmitt earn his third victory of the season. A perfect score was broken up early, with Nikita Lastochkin posting the fast lap in qualifying in his class debut. Schmitt was second in the order, but jumped to the top in Heat #1. Adding another win in Heat #2, Schmitt went wire-to-wire in the 16-lap main event. Lastochkin finished runner-up, with Robert Heck Jr. earning his third podium finish of the season to keep him in the championship hunt.

Aaron Schmitt took his third victory of 2015 in S3 Novice
Above: Aaron Schmitt took his third victory of 2015 in S3 Novice
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

Carlos Calderon almost scored another win for NorCal drivers, until Round Three winner Brian Phillipsen stole the victory in the Mike Manning Karting TaG Master class. Calderon just edged out Phillipsen and Federico Aquini in qualifying, before winning both heat races over Phillipsen and point leader Vatche Tatikian. The 16-lap feature had Calderon leading the first 15, with Phillipsen right on his bumper. On the final circuit, Phillipsen took over the lead, and kept Calderon at bay to become the first two-time winner of the season. Tatikian won the final step on the podium over Aquini.

Brian Phillipsen locked up his second TaG Master victory with a last lap pass
Above: Brian Phillipsen locked up his second TaG Master victory with a last lap pass
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

The largest class of the weekend was the Leading Edge Motorsports TaG Cadet category. Twenty-five young drivers battled in Sonoma, with championship leader Anthony Willis locking in his second victory of the year. Round Two winner Oliver Calvo looked to have a second sweep of the season after he cleared the field in qualifying as one of two drivers to dip into the 56-second bracket – Daniel Inzunza the other about two tenths off the pole time. Oliver led all eight laps in Heat #1, with Willis coming up just short after starting fifth. Ryan Schartau joined the fight and led laps in Heat #2 until Calvo edged him out at the line for the race win by 74 thousandths. The main event was decided by the three, with Calvo and Schartau leading the majority of the race. It wasn’t until the final lap that Willis took over the lead, and held on in the remaining corners to secure his second victory of the season. Calvo won second over Schartau, while Tomas Mejia and Dominic Gorden completed the top five.

Anthony Willis beat out Oliver Calvo and Ryan Schartau for his second TaG Cadet victory of the season
Above: Anthony Willis beat out Oliver Calvo and Ryan Schartau for his second TaG Cadet victory of the season
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

The fifth win for NorCal drivers came in the Leading Edge Motorsports TaG Cadet Rookie class with Cole Shade earning his first victory. Bryce Stevens earned fast time in qualifying, but Aiden Kempf and Shade each took a win in the heat races. The fight for the feature win came down to three drivers – Shade, George Diakoumopoulos, and Bianca Bustamante. All took a turn at the point with multiple lead changes in the 14-lap event. As the white flag waved, Shade secured the lead and fought off the other two to reach the checkered flag first. Diakoumpoulos crossed the line second, but was moved back one position to advance Bustamante to runner-up. Aiden Kempf and Charlie Drago made up the top five.

Cole Shade became the fourth different winner in TaG Cadet Rookie
Above: Cole Shade became the fourth different winner in TaG Cadet Rookie
pic - Tony Leone, DromoPhotos.com

The month of July will be off for the California ProKart Challenge as the Superkarts! USA Fikse Wheels Pro Tour SummerNationals takes place July 24-26 at the New Castle Motorsports Park in Indiana. Round Five of the California PKC program is set for August 28-29 at the historic Adams Motorsports Park in Riverside. Plans are in development for the season finale, the growing Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix, scheduled for September 26-27.

 

 

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