De La O 3rd In Stars of Karting National Championship

press release

After Junior Intercontinental A (JICA) front runner Phil De La O scored the Snap-on Stars of Karting Western division championship on a temporary circuit in Seattle, Washington, the talented junior went on to claim the third position in the National Championship. De La O proved to be one of the fastest karts on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway temporary course displaying his excellent driving abilities while final results would hinder any chances of scoring the championship.

“I’m a little disappointed,” explained De La O after learning he would finish third in the JICA national championship. “A month earlier we were able to claim the JICA West championship which was one of our goals this season. Next month, I will be traveling to Italy for the Rotax World Finals and I am looking forward to that. We will be back next year in Stars of Karting action with one goal, the national championship.”

Phil De La O opened the National Finals weekend with a ninth place qualifying result. With the challenging three heat race format, De La O would need to move forward with consistent results to ensure a good starting position for both feature events. A heat one incident put De La O behind the eight ball as he was eventually classified in the 24th position. With solid sixth and fifth place finishes in the next two heats, the JICA West champion would secure an eighth place starting position for both of Sunday’s main events.

As the green flag flew at the start of the first final, De La O quickly began his march forward only to be hindered by a mid-race incident. Through no fault of his own, De La O was involved when two drivers got together in turn four and the talented junior had no where to go after taking evasive action to try and avoid the wreck. With some bent components, De La O was forced to retire from the event and be classified in the 21st position.

Still having a shot at the title, the Arizona pilot was looking for a better result in the second of two finals. Progressing forward early, De La O moved into the third position after his seventh place starting spot in only three corners before a fellow competitor made a low percentage slide job and got into De La O. Getting back on track in 13th, the JICA west champion refocused his efforts only to be hit from behind and shoved off the racing circuit on the very same lap by another driver who Phil felt was over aggressive for that early on in the race. Showing his never give up attitude, De La O pushed hard throughout the 18 lap final turning one of the quickest times of event. As the checkered flag flew, the Tony Kart pilot crossed the stripe P15 garnering enough points to claim third in the national point standings.

Phil De La O will now shift his focus and begin preparation for the Rotax World Finals in November. With the event taking place at the La Conca International Circuit in Muro, Leccese, Italy, De La O will look to utilize the experience gained from a test there earlier in the year to fight for victory.

Phil would like to thank his sponsors and supporters for a successful year to date: Red Bull and Northwest Floor and Wall. A special thank you continues to go out to Tony Kart, Ariel Castrol and High-Rev Engines for their continued support through the 2008 racing season.

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