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WKA: IRL SoK: Utah Western summary

Gary Carlton extended his ICC win streak to five for 2007 It was another hot day in Tooele, UT for the second round of the Snap-on Stars of Karting Western Division at the Miller Motorsports Park. Temperatures were over 100 degrees again with many ...

Gary Carlton extended his ICC win streak to five for 2007

It was another hot day in Tooele, UT for the second round of the Snap-on Stars of Karting Western Division at the Miller Motorsports Park. Temperatures were over 100 degrees again with many competitors making sure they were keeping cool and hydrated along with the Stars awesome staff, keeping everything on time. It was another Gary Carlton victory in the ICC division as Tyler Dueck earned his first win of the year, extending Team Intrepid/Champion Racing's ICA win streak to five after Scott Jenkins four wins to open up the year.

ICC

The final group of Gatorz Pole Qualifying was the headline ICC class. PCH Motorsports Nicholas Halen (CRG) was the first out of the box to hold on to the provisional pole before Ryan Yop put his Sodi Kart USA/G-Phactory machine on the top spot. After the halfway mark, defending ICC national champion Gary Carlton stole the P1 position with his 54.518 out lap. Fritz Leesmann made it CRG 1-2 on the front row with his late charge, coming in just 0.002-seconds short of the pole position. Team Intrepid/Champion Racing's Jordy Vorrath also made a late charge, posting the third best time with David Jurca (Italkart) dropping Yop to fifth. After the drivers went through the scale house, Vorrath was found to be underweight, removing him from the standings and moving Richard Benitez (Kosmic) into the top five.

Carlton got the hole shot as others had trouble getting of the grid with Jurca, Leesmann and Yop filling the top four spots. Matt Jaskol (Top Kart), from the seventh starting spot, moved up with the lead group. Leesmann moved up to second early and began tracking down Carlton as Jurca, Yop, and Jaskol were a few clicks back. Halen was the man on the move, running the fastest lap of the race while closing ground on Jaskol for fifth. Halen eventually made his way up to second after Leesman pushed outside into turn one, dropping back to fourth. Carlton took the win with Halen second, making it a CRG 1-2 again on the front row. Jurca and Leesmann set to start the main event from row two with Yop and Jaskol from row three. Vorrath was the man on the move, getting into the top ten before engine troubles put him on the sideline with five laps to go.

Jurca grabbed the holeshot at the start of the ICC main event as a few drivers got together in turn one with one kart flipping over. Fortunately, everyone was fine and the race went on without stopping. Jurca's time at the front was short lived as Carlton made the pass into turn one beginning lap two. From there, it was all Carlton as Leesmann and Halen found their ways to the front for a CRG 1-2-3 finish. Behind them, Jurca was holding on to fourth for most of the race until dropping a wheel off in turn 7, allowing Jaskol, Hayden Duerson (Italkart) and Yop by. The driver on the move was Vorrath, starting from 21st spot, as he eventually got to eighth and began closing on Jurca. After getting by Jurca, he put his head down and got by Yop and then Duerson to finish fifth.

PCH Motorsports ICA

23 drivers are on hand for the ICA group this weekend, hitting the track for their 15-minute qualifying session. Most of the drivers clocked in their quickest laps in their first few laps, including pole winner Tyler Dueck. The Team Intrepid/Champion Racing pilot put himself atop the charts early with a 56.202 lap time. Michael Hogg (Italkart) was second with Jacob Neal making a late jump into the top five. Jake Rosenzweig was fourth with Cody Jolly also moving up, putting CRG's sitting third, fourth, and fifth.

After a questionable start to the ICA Prefinal, Neal moved from row two into the lead after the opening corner, with Dueck, Rosenzweig, and Hogg dropping back to fourth as they pulled away from the battle for fifth. Most of the race the front four ran cleanly until Hogg pressured for third but Rosenzweig earned it back before the checkered fell, Neal taking the comfortable win ahead of Dueck. Jolly was able to get by Nicholas Tonkin (Birel) for fifth with one to go.

Neal was able to grab the lead to start the ICA Final but it was Dueck who quickly stole the spot on lap two, pulling out to a small gap. Lap five, Neal dropped to 15th after going off in turn one. The battle on track was for P1 as Rosenzweig was able to chop into Dueck's lead until on lap 10 when the engine slowly began to fail, pulling off the track. Jolly was then moved up to second with Tonkin running third. Attrition began to hit the class at the halfway mark, beginning with Tonkin exiting the track with a broken exhaust. Dueck cruised to the win by 5.496-seconds over Jolly with Hogg earning his best Stars ICA finish in third. Nick Boulle (Gillard) was fourth with Neal bouncing back to round out the top five. When the checkered flag fell, only nine karts were running.

Spec Racer

Spec Racer began the day's Gatorz Pole Qualifying with 38 drivers taking to the track. Msquared's Bonnier Moulton (PTK) was at the top of the charts for most of the 15-minute session until Zach Beard put his FirstKart.com machine on the pole position with a 58.176 lap time. Local driver and 2006 Rotax World Finals qualifier Austin Isaac was third in his Birel/Rotax machine with fellow Birel driver Jason Toft and Canadian Nicholas Fairney (CRG) rounding out the fast five.

The field got the green for the Prefinal after two attempts with Beard jumping into the lead. Beard went wide into the 'Box' allowing Isaac to take the top spot and pull out to a comfortable lead early over Moulton. The man on the move was Joey Licata Jr. (Biesse). The Californian was able to move up from his seventh spot, eventually getting by Beard for third and began tracking down Moulton, getting by easily and set his sites on Issac. A great battle for fourth was going on as Cody Tracy (First Kart) and Cory Pollock (Birel) put a lot of pressure on Beard, eventually getting by in turn 11. Michael Self (Arrow) joined the battle after Beard fell back while trying to keep his battery pack on the kart. In the battles, Pollock was sidelined with two laps to go after contact with another driver pulled the spark plug wire off.

When the checkered fell, Isaac took the first on-track win for Rotax in Stars Spec Racer competition. Licata was second ahead of Moulton with Tracy earning fourth ahead of Greg Welch (Shockwave).

After two failed attempts to start the Final, row two moved to row one, allowing Tracy and Moulton to lead the field to begin the final. Licata quickly changed that, getting by Moulton on lap three, bringing Joey Wimsett (Intrepid) with him. Prefinal winner Isaac had engine problems, falling back in the first two laps before making contact with Max Riddle (CRG) and pulling off to end his chances. Lap 4, Tracy and Wimsett made contact, dropping Tracy back and Wimsett on the sidelines. That allowed Licata to take the lead and pulled out to a comfortable lead over Moulton and a charging Devon Sandeen (Intrepid). Lap 13, Sandeen set up a pass going into turn one, the end results was Moulton spinning and losing plenty of positions, handing Sandeen second.

Licata cruised to his first Stars Spec Racer win with a four second win. Self was the man with a mission, running the fast laps of the race as he closed up on Sandeen. The two battled hard but it was Self who earned the spot when the checkered flag fell. Beard moved up to fourth with Spencer Raine (CRG). Having strong drives from the back included Pollock (seventh), Scribner (eighth), and Fairney (tenth).

JICA

Gustavo Menezes (Tony Kart) led the way in JICA Gatorz Pole Qualifying with a 58.232 lap. IKF Region 7 star Branden Underwood (Top Kart) was second fastest with Florida Winter Tour champion Jarvis Gennari (Tony Kart) starting the Prefinal third. Fellow IKF Region 7 star Donny St. Ours (PTK) was fourth with Dusty Davis (Maranello) rounding out the fast five.

A few drivers getting off in the opening corner of the JICA Prefinal as Menezes, Gennari, and Davis pulled out in the front pack. Lap five saw Davis drop out of the race with mechanical problems, leaving Gennari, Menezes and Garrison Masters (CRG) in the lead group. The man of the race was Team Top Kart USA's Brendan 'Mini' Phinny, starting from the 17th spot and quickly moving into the top ten. Running the fastest laps of the race, Phinny eventually moved up to the lead group, getting by Masters and Menezes before taking the lead from Gennari heading into turn one. Phinny would take the win by 0.488-seconds with Gennari, Masters, and Bijon Spinazzola (Maranello) rounding out the top five.

A five kart battle began the JICA Final with Phinny, Underwood, Masters, Menezes and Gennari leading the way. Phinny was untouchable though as he posted the fast lap of the race and went on to win his first Stars JICA race. Tony Kart USA drivers Menezes and Gennari ran to podium finishes. Masters was mixing it up with both until he dropped a wheel and fell back in the field. Coming from 17th starting spot, Miles Maroney (CRG) worked his way to finish fourth, his best run in Stars JICA competition, ahead of Underwood. The front five would change in the tech barn as Underwood was disqualified for a technical infraction, moving Tatiana Calderon (Tony Kart) to fifth.

King Taco Cadet

Stars official was busy during the Cadet Gatorz Pole Qualifying as drivers were bumping throughout the 10-minute session. Tyler Thomas (Top Kart) was the quickest, edging Sage Karam (Birel). Santino Ferrucci (S-1) was third with Dylan Kwasniewski (Tony Kart) and Andrew Murray (Top Kart) rounded out the fast five after the penalties were handed out.

The Cadet Prefinal was all Thomas as he led flag to flag as the rest of the field battle for the positions behind him. Karam fell back early but was able to work his way back up to second at the checkered flag as Austin Barnes (Birel) ran most of the race in second until Karam worked by. Camden Geise (Top Kart) worked up to fourth from starting at the tail of the field with James Michael Sullivan (First Kart) in a solid fifth.

It was another great Cadet Final with the early portion of the race seeing a 10 kart lead pack. At the end, it came down to the same two we saw at Norman, Karam and Thomas. Both swapped the lead until Thomas held the spot for the final lap. Karam looked in a few different places until he was able to squeeze by exiting turn 12 and took the checkered flag for his fifth straight Stars win of the year. Tristan DeGrand (Kosmic) was third with Sullivan and Nick Neri (Tony Kart) rounding out the top five. Unfortunately Neri was removed from the results for unsportsmanlike conduct after the checkered flag.

As the day came to a close, a big wind storm came through the area, stirring up the dust and taking a few canopies along the way. The weather looks to be the same with hot temperatures and a sticky track.

EKN Trackside: Stars of Karting - West #2 - Sunday Report

The second round of the Snap-on Stars of Karting Western Division is now complete after a hot and dusty weekend at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT. The facility and course is one of the best in the country, the time of year for a national championship kart race just may have been wrong. The drivers, teams, and Stars staff put in a 100% effort to make it through the long and difficult weekend however there was great racing in all five groups on the final day with Gary Carlton extending his win streak to six while Nicholas Tonkin earned the ICA win on the final lap.

ICC

Five-time winner Gary Carlton (CRG) kept pushing the envelope on Sunday morning as he laid down a quicker time than he did in yesterday's Gatorz Pole Qualifying session, setting a new track record in the process. Jordy Vorrath (Intrepid) came on strong midway through in the session but came up just short, just 0.002 seconds back. The Canadian pulled off and called it a session early while Carlton decided to go back out after a minor change to his machine. The adjustment was spot-on as he put down a smoking 54.133-second lap time, putting an exclamation mark on his dominance of the class. Ryan Yop (Sodi Kart) continued his good weekend with the third quickest lap time while the CRG's of Fritz Leesmann and Nicholas Halen rounded out the fast five.

At the start of the Prefinal, Vorrath grabbed the holeshot as he and Carlton got the jump on the rest of the field to begin the opening lap. Vorrath would lead the initial circuit, but Carlton pounced early, diving to the inside of the left-hand turn three to assume the top sot. In contrast to Saturday's races, Carlton was not able to pull away, instead beginning a race-long battle with Vorrath. This fight would continue throughout the 16-lap sprint as Vorrath dove past his challenger in turn 12 to take the lead back on lap six, but it would be short-lived as Carlton put the CRG back to the point the next time down the frontstraight, re-taking the #1 position with a great pass in the opening corner. Vorrath would try him back a few laps later, unsuccessfully, as contact ensued.

Leesmann remained close to the lead duo throughout the race to take third while Halen closed throughout the entire session, finishing just 1.708 seconds behind Carlton at the checker. Yop completed the top five ahead of David Jurca (Italkart). Matt Jaskol (Top Kart) had been quick yesterday, but succumbed to a broken chain in the Prefinal. Jaskol will start the main from the final row of the 28-kart grid.

The pages would turn to the old for the ICC main event as Carlton again was quick on the cold tires and was able to stretch out a lead early as the field began the behind him. Early on in the 24 lap event, Vorrath and Leesmann were battling for second when they made contact in turn 12, allowing Halen and Jan Velez (Intrepid) to pass through for second and third, dropping the duo back sixth and tenth. As the race progressed, Carlton put a some distance from him and Halen while the second place kart put a gap on the rest of the top ten.

After the contact, Vorrath continued his charge back to the front working first by David Jurca and then by his Italian Motors' teammate Hayden Duerson four laps later. The Canadian then set up for his new Team Intrepid teammate Velez, getting by in just a few laps. The front would go unchanged the rest of the way as Carlton took his sixth straight victory of the year by nearly seven seconds over Halen, his best Stars finish of his career. Vorrath earned the final podium position with Velez and Duerson rounding out the top five. Leesmann was able to bounce back to sixth, getting by Jurca in the closing laps.

PCH Motorsports ICA

Canadian Nick Tonkin (Birel) led for a majority of the ICA Gatorz Pole Qualifying until Saturday winner Tyler Dueck (Intrepid) made a late charge in the 15-minute session. As the checkered flag fell, Dueck was able to steal the pole position from Tonkin with a solid 56.057-second lap time. Saturday podium finishers Michael Hogg (Italkart) and Cody Jolly (CRG) were third and fourth quickest while defending ICA champion Joel Miller - who ran most of yesterday's final with a flat right-front tire - rounded out the fast five.

Troubles for Dueck as his exhaust broke on the warm-up lap while Jolly was unable to start, putting both at the back for the main event. Shortening up the races for the ICA division today, the group was very racing from the beginning as Rosenzweig was able to finally break away from the field after numerous lead changes. The PSL Karting driver continued to lead the pack and earned the Prefinal win as Jacob Neal (CRG) worked his way up to second ahead of Hogg. Victor Cabrera (Kosmic) drove up from 15th to fourth with Tonkin rounding out the top five.

It was an unpredictable ICA Final with nearly anyone with a chance at winning with the attrition factor high. At the start, Saturday winner Dueck was unable to get past turn two, ending his race early. Up front, Hogg and Rosenzweig had a great early battle with the most of the field still in a single group. Things quickly changed as Miller and Anthony Llopiz got together in the 'Snake' section of the course, ending their race early and beginning the attrition battle. First, Jolly was waved off for losing his sidepod. Next, Victor Cabrera (Kosmic) and Colby Jenn (Intrepid) got together and sat on the sidelines. Three laps later Rosenzweig retired while running third with mechanical troubles, leaving Hogg and Michael Giessen (Birel) to battle for the win.

Five laps later, Hogg was running on Giessen's bumper when his engine came to a halt on the main straight. This gave Giessen a solid lead over Tonkin and Neal. As the laps wore down, it look like the gremlins would stay away until the final lap when Giessen came out of turn 11 really slow, allowing Tonkin and Neal to close. When they went into the following turn, Tonkin made the pass for the lead and Giessen came to a halt, falling just a few turns short the win. Tonkin would take the win, his first of '07, with Neal and Andrew Zimmer (Italkart) earning his first podium finish in Stars ICA competition. The consistent Nick Boulle (Gillard) crossed the line fourth with Johnny Johnson (Top Kart) completing his first race of the season in fifth.

Spec Racer

The Spec Racer began the Gatorz Pole Qualifying again for Sunday with Bonnier Moulton (PTK) earning the top spot for the Prefinal, edging Zach Beard (First Kart) by 0.003-seconds. Colin Katzakian (Intrepid) was third on the time chart with New Castle winner Nick Freytag (Sodi Kart) and championship leader Chris Scribner (Tony Kart) rounding out the fast five.

Beard was able to get by on the outside to begin the Spec Racer Prefinal as he, Moulton, and Katzakian led the way as the field sorted itself out. In the opening corners, Scribner fell out on the opening lap with a thrown chain. As the race developed, Katzakian showed his speed, moving by Moulton and then Beard for the lead. He was able to hold the big lead group off for his first Stars win to start the main from row one. Michael Self (Arrow) moved up to third from a sixth starting spot as Freytag grabbed fourth from Moulton after a great Prefinal race for the group.

The Spec Racer Final began as a four kart battle with Self, Licata, Katzakian, and Beard. Contact on lap eight between Licata and Self, Katzakian came through with the lead and Beard followed for second. The two ran clean the rest of the race, with Katzakian earning his first Stars win ever and Beard picking up a solid second.

Behind them was a charge from mid-pack as Joey Wimsett (Intrepid) began moving up through the field. Running the fastest laps of the race, Wimsett picked off drivers one by one, getting into the top five by lap 15. At the same time, Self began to lose some speed, first falling back to fourth when Licata worked by him, then Wimsett got by for the spot. Self continued to fall, dropping back to seventh at the checkered. After getting by Self, Wimsett was able to move to third ahead of Licata with Moulton rounding out the top five.

JICA

After winning big on Saturday, Kartel's Brendan Phinny (Top Kart) continued his stunning pace on Sunday morning, earning the JICA Gatorz Pole early in the run, holding the spot for the remaining time. Gustavo Menezes (Tony Kart) clocked the second fastest lap to start outside the front row for the Prefinal. A late charge by Dusty Davis (Maranello) earned him the third starting spot while Donny St. Our (PTK) and Branden Underwood (Top Kart) rounded out the fast five.

The JICA field made it through the first lap cleanly as Phinny was able to check out early as the rest of the field began battling for second. St. Ours won the battle for the runner-up position while Jose Zanella (FA Kart) moved up from 12th to take third. Menezes and Davis completed out the top five. FirstKart.com's Branden Langlois made the right changes after a tough qualifying run, moving up from 19th to sixth ahead of Underwood and Gennari.

The initial start of the JICA main was scuttled when a red flag came out for a nasty turn one pile-up that damaged a host of karts. The teams were given a 30-minute repair window while the Stars officials rolled the Cadet main event to fill the time.

After getting the green following the Cadet Final, the JICA pilots showed they learned from the first start, getting through the opening lap without issues. Up front, St. Ours put early pressure on Phinny, leading for seven of the 20 laps. In the end though, Phinny ran his quickest laps at the end of the race to earn his second victory of the weekend. The fast lap of the race however went to Menezes as he made his way from seventh to second after getting by St. Ours with two laps to go. Davis won the battle for fourth over Underwood.

King Taco Cadet

Tyler Thomas put his Top Kart machine P1 in Gatorz Pole Qualifying with a 1:06.182 lap time with Gavin Boyett (Birel) stepping up the pace to sit second. Dylan Kwasniewski was third fastest in his Tony Kart while Santino Ferrucci (S-1) and Jacob Will (Top Kart) rounding out the fast five. Saturday winner Sage Karam (Birel) was only eight fastest in the session, giving him some work to do in the Prefinal.

Another great Cadet race for their Sunday Prefinal as Austin Self (Birel) won a photo finish over Kwasniewski as Karam, Nick Neri (Tony Kart) and Will were all within one second across the line. Ferrucci was in the lead group until a flat tire put him on the sidelines after two laps.

The Cadet Final was a four kart show with Kwasniewski, Karam, Thomas, and Camden Geise (Top Kart). On the final lap, Karam made a move into turn 12 for the top spot and made contact with Kwasniewski, with Karam ending up on top of the Tony Kart driver on the outside of the turn. That gave the lead to Geise as they went through the final corners. As the pulled onto the main straight toward the checkered flag, Thomas pulled out from behind the draft and the two crossed the line side-by-side. Thomas was credited with the win, a 0.010 margin of victory. Anthony Furfari (Juncos) filled the third podium spot with Self and Will rounding out the top five.

Snap-on Stars of Karting presented by IndyCar Series is based out of Seattle, Washington, sanctioned by the World Karting Association (WKA) and owned and operated by 1986 Indianapolis 500 champion and IRL IndyCar Series team owner Bobby Rahal, IndyCar Series driver Bryan Herta and veteran karting promoter Paul Zalud. www.starsofkarting.com, www.worldkarting.com.

-credit: sok

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Edition

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