Speed But No Luck For Myers At FWT

press release

Heading to Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR) for the second round of the Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour (FWT), Rotax Junior pilot AJ Myers was looking to build on momentum and make a solid bid for the championship. After leaving round one sixth in the point standings, Myers would team with the Kartsport North America squad on an Arrow chassis as he looked to stand atop the podium.

aj myers arrowWith some minor track changes, the PBIR facility hosts one of the longest straight-aways in karting but also manages a technical infield section that requires horsepower and a talented driver. Proving that he had both of those keys on Friday afternoon, Myers would compete in two separate qualifying sessions that would set the order for both Saturday and Sunday’s prefinals. When the dust had settled on the 68 kart field, Myers would claim the pole position for Saturday’s action while on Sunday he would retain an inside starting position in P7.

Starting at the front of the talented Rotax Junior class is a bonus as drivers look to stay out of trouble and challenge for the race win. With only 34 competitors making the final event, drivers need to be on their game from the drop of the green flag. Myers proved that he had this capability on Saturday as he drove a smart prefinal event to come home in the second position and set up a front row starting spot for the final.

It would be a drama filled main event as Myers worked with a fellow competitor on the high speed drafting track to draw away from the rest of field. Circulating the PBIR for twenty laps, Myers bided his time as he challenged for the top spot in the final corner. As the leaders touched and lost their momentum, the third place driver attacked and won the drag race to the checkered flag. Not to be out down, the young Floridian battled tooth and nail for the final podium position and came home as the bridesmaid.

Sunday would prove to be a little more challenging for Myers as a seventh place qualifying effort would leave him running where incidents can and usually happen. Running unscathed in the prefinal, the Arrow kart driver came home in the sixth spot and would start the main event from outside the third row. Disaster would strike at the drop of the green flag as Myers was involved in a first corner incident that would see him spin off the racing surface. As streams of drivers drove by, the Floridian would get back on track in the thirty-third position.

With a never give up attitude and experience as a seasoned veteran, Myers drove forward making pass after pass in the twenty lap final. Running out of laps, Myers would cross the stripe in the tenth position to score his second top ten result of the weekend as well as the fastest lap of the event which was a positive outcome to a tough day of racing.

“The PBIR track has changed a lot from years in the past,” expressed Myers when the race was complete. “A few years back in was very technical but now, you need a drafting partner or teammate to run at the front of the field. We had some success here this weekend and will now shift our focus to the final round at the Ocala Gran Prix facility in mid-March.”

After four of six event days, AJ Myers currently sits fourth overall in the Rotax Junior standings and will look to complete the series with a double victory in Ocala, Florida in a few weeks time.

2011 will see the young up and coming talent compete at several high profile series and events throughout North America. After completing the Florida Winter Tour, Myers will also see action in the South Florida Rotax Max Challenge program, the United States Rotax Grand Nationals at the famed Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah as well as the Rotax Pan-American Challenge and the Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals in Las Vegas.

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