FWT - PSL Karting Ocala finale notes

PSL KARTING EARNS PAIR OF FLORIDA WINTER TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Canadian team takes four victories and two shifter kart titles with Leesmann and Vidal

Ocala, FL (March 19, 2008) --PSL Karting wrapped up the 2008 edition of the Florida Winter Tour at the sixth and final weekend of the two-group program. The third double-header weekend of the schedule took the Quebec-based CRG importer to the Ocala Gran Prix facility in Ocala, Florida on March 14-16. The weather was not typical Florida condition as strong storms cut practice short on Friday, leaving the team to battle both the track and set-up strategy throughout the weekend. Bouncing back from a tough Rotax Max finale on the previous weekend, the PSL shifter drivers scored four victories and two championships this time out, led by Californian Fritz Leesmann and Virginia's Gus Vidal.

Since January, Leesmann has been the most dominant shifter kart driver on the FWT. Earning the Saturday pole by five-hundredths of a second, Fritz tucked into second at the drop of the green flag for the Prefinal. He waited until lap seven to make his move and then cruised to a five-second victory. The Final would be all Leesmann as he turned laps a full second quicker than his qualifying time to earn the win, putting the PSL logo on the top of the podium.

Sunday was no different as Fritz was in command all day. A blistering lap in qualifying earned him the pole and a clean start in the Prefinal allowed him to cruise to the win. After slotting into second at the start of the main event, he did not wait long to regain the top spot. Leesmann would go on unchallenged to a three-second victory, successfully clinching the FWT Pro Shifter championship. In total, Leesmann took home an impressive $7500 for his four victories and the overall crown.

Fellow PSL Pro Shifter pilot Corey Rossman scored his two best finishes on the Tour, running 11th and 12th in the main events to move up in the standings to 12th on the year.

Adding to the success for PSL Karting was Masters Shifter driver Gus Vidal. A regular on the road racing scene, Vidal was in the spotlight in his class on the weekend. After putting the CRG on the pole in Saturday qualifying, Vidal put in two dominant performances in the Prefinal and Final, winning both by over five seconds. With the championship fight coming down to Sunday, a winner-take-all situation, Vidal found himself in a tight battle with his primary challenger, Jason Lee. Running second to Lee in Qualifying and the Prefinal, the duo started the main event from the front row. At the start, Vidal slipped back but began to reel in the leader after getting himself situated. Once he caught the leader on lap 13, he only needed one more lap before taking over the top spot, checking out once he was presented with open track. Vidal would race unchallenged to the checkered flag with a two-second advantage and a 20-point championship victory.

Making his first Florida Winter Tour start this past weekend, Masters Shifter driver Gobeil Benoit got in some valuable race time, recording finishes of seventh and eighth in the two Finals.

The PSL Karting team will now prepare for the Snap-on Stars of Karting presented by IndyCar - North America's national championship program - beginning with the first round at the Ocala facility over the April 4-6 weekend.

-credit: psl