Pit Board 2009-12-16

WKA's Pit Board - 12.16.2009

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Dunlop RH2 award tires not available for Daytona, limited supply available

12.16.2009 -- Due to unforeseen circumstances with the vendor's supply, the Dunlop RH2 award tires for top 2009 Road Racing Series points finishers originally scheduled to be awarded at Daytona will not be available. Please plan accordingly for your tire needs.

WKA wants Road Racing competitors to be aware that it is unknown what the supply of the RH2 compound will be at Daytona. WKA has contacted various vendors to notify them that there is a limited supply of the RH2 tire. WKA recommends that racers planning to run the RH2 tire at Daytona make plans immediately to assure you'll have them at your disposal come Dec. 28. If this affects you, WKA recommends contacting your vendor / kart shop of choice, immediately.

WKA apologizes for the unexpected inconvenience this may cause.

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Last-minute details to prepare for your arrival at Daytona KartWeek

12.16.2009 - As Daytona KartWeek 2009 fast approaches, WKA felt it important to cover a few last-minute details to help make your arrival that much easier.

Competitors will be staged in the SuperStretch Lot beginning at 7:00 a.m. on December 27. Access to this lot is via Gate 70 off Midway Blvd. Staging and pit pass sales will take place in this location on December 27 only. Upon arrival, please advise Daytona personnel if you are a Road Race, sprint track (Manufacturer's Cup) or dirt track competitor. You will then be directed to the appropriate staging area. Once in your series specific staging area, you will be separated by sponsors and general competitors. For the DIS staging map go to www.worldkarting.com/downloads/eb-2010/1209_dis_map.pdf.

Pit pass sales will open at 7:30 a.m. with separate lines for Road Race, sprint track (Manufacturer's Cup) and dirt track attendees.

In addition to obtaining your event pit passes, the following items will be distributed to you at pit pass sales:

Window Tags: You will receive a window tag denoting Road Race, Sprint or Dirt. These tags will help identify you to the DIS and WKA staff during load-in. These tags must be displayed in your vehicle throughout the weekend.

Road Race Garage Passes: All Road Race competitors who purchased garage spaces must pick up their garage pass at pit pass sales. The Garage Pass will be issued to the competitor who purchased the garage. Your name and garage number will appear on this pass. This will allow you to participate in the 9 a.m. load-in process with WKA sponsors. Garage co-occupants will be moved in with the 11:00 a.m. competitor load-in.

Event load-in will begin at 9:00 a.m. for all WKA sponsors and Road Race garage occupants. All other competitors will begin moving in at 11:00 a.m. We will alternate between the Road Race and sprint track (Manufacturer's Cup) competitors as we bring you from the SuperStretch Lot to the infield. Dirt track competitors will follow a different route to their pit area. Please pay attention to the attendants. We ask that you exercise patience and understanding as the WKA and DIS staff work to get you settled into your assigned areas.

The Road Race and sprint track (Manufacturer's Cup) parking areas are full. Staff members will work as quickly and diligently as possible to see that you are in the facility in a timely manner.

Tow vehicles will not be allowed in the pit areas except to drop your trailer during load-in. Sprint track (Manufacturer's Cup) vehicle parking will be adjacent to the sprint track per the direction of DIS and WKA staff. Road Race tow-vehicle parking will be along the International Horseshoe on the Lake Lloyd side for Road Race. Dirt track tow vehicle parking will be on the __ side of the West Lot.

Overnight RV Parking (Lake Lloyd Lot and West Lot): All pre-reserved RV lot passes will be available for pickup at the pit pass sales windows as well as new request sales. All individuals with Lake Lloyd and West Lot RV parking passes must purchase a pit pass prior to entering the facility. RV Lot load-in will begin at 9:00 a.m. for WKA sponsors on the 27th followed and by 11 a.m. for competitors. Each lot offers power, water and cable hookups as well as dry camping (no hookups) in the West Lot. DIS will provide a pump-out service for $35 per vehicle, cash only. Showers will be available for use from 4 p.m. -- 9 a.m. daily.

Pit pass sales will close at 5 p.m. on the 27th in the SuperStretch Lot and reopen at 7 a.m. daily at the Turn 1 Tunnel Ticket Booth throughout the weekend. Access will be via Gate 40 off Williamson Blvd. Hours are as follows: December 28 -- 7 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. December 29 and 30 -- 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.

May you all have a joyous holiday with your family and friends and a safe trip to Daytona.

Happy Holidays!

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Three titles in ultra-competitive Manuf. Cup classes propel Beasley to Triple Crown

12.16.2009 -- Competing regularly in no fewer than three sprint-karting touring series, Sam Beasley racked up the race weekends in 2009, and in the George Kugler / Bridgestone Manufacturer's Cup Series driven by Mazda, he racked up the championships.

While WKA's five national series boasted five Triple Crown champions, it'd be hard to argue that Beasley's 2009 accomplishments weren't the most impressive of any WKA national competitor. The Leroy, Ohio, driver won three national championships on the Manufacturer's Cup tour to give him the elusive Triple Crown, an award he says he's always dreamed of winning. He also won four divisional titles racing with the Great Lakes Sprint Series and garnered two runner-up point finishes to fellow Triple Crown winner Dakota Bell in the Bully Clutches Gold Cup Series.

Beasley's Manuf. Cup titles came in Yamaha Jr Lite, Yamaha Jr Heavy and HPV Jr Lite, while he took second to Nick Neri in HPV Jr Heavy. While each of the other four Triple Crown winners drove to at least three championships in 2009, and other national competitors netted a trio of titles in classes that didn't meet the 10-average entry count requirement, Beasley's three championships came in three of the four best-attended classes in all of WKA national racing. The entry-count accumulations in the three divisions Beasley won show just what the 15-year-old Arrow Kart driver accomplished. HPV Jr Lite averaged 37 karts per race in 2009, Yamaha Jr Heavy 39, and Yamaha Jr Lite an even 40. The only WKA class to field as many karts as those was Manufacturer's Cup's Yamaha Sportsman, which also saw 40 karts per race.

Sam took some time last week to talk about his terrific campaign, one that saw him win seven national races, including two SSE East / CRG Grand National features, on his way to the Manufacturer's Cup hat trick.

"We got brand-new Arrow karts right before Daytona last December," Beasley began. "We had no testing prior to Daytona and basically just looked at that race as a chance to get the new chassis dialed in. We ended up second in one of the Yamaha classes, and things looked really promising.

"MRP went even better and we got a win there in Yamaha Jr Heavy. We were quick from the start that weekend and we knew we really had some great karts underneath us. Usually, we have to work on the setup quite a bit to get really fast, but at MRP we were quick right off the trailer."

As the Beasley Motorsports team dialed in their new Arrows in the first two Manuf. Cup race weekends, Beasley didn't let the points leads slip too far away. As noted, he drove to one victory at MRP, but never finished outside the top 10 in the eight finals he ran between Daytona and South Bend. His worst finish was ninth in HPV Jr Heavy at Daytona, and six top fives had him in the thick of the points battle heading into the season's third race at Road America, Wis.

"About five years back, my dad raced SCCA at Road America and I had a chance to check out the (Briggs & Stratton Motorplex) track and I really liked it. When we went there this year, it quickly became one of my favorite tracks. We were able to get two wins and a second there, and the success really helped us toward the championships."

Beasley continued the hot streak when the second half of the five-race tour commenced in August at New Castle Motorsports Park. While he picked off another pair of victories at the popular Indiana facility, some adversity in the form of disqualifications had the Triple Crown in jeopardy heading to the season closer at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

"At New Castle we were again really fast right from the first practice. We won the two Yamaha classes and then won HPV Jr Heavy but got DQ'ed in tech. We got DQ'ed after the prefinal in HPV Jr Lite and had to start in the back and ended up 11th in the final. That made things a little tougher heading to Charlotte," said Beasley.

The New Castle DQ and a ninth at Daytona put the HPV Jr Heavy championship basically out of reach for Beasley with one race remaining. Florida's Nick Neri had laid down a string of strong performances to put him in the driver's seat for that championship. But Beasley still had the two Yamaha divisions and HPV Jr Lite within his grasp. He and the Beasley Motorsports team traveled south from their Ohio base and Beasley proceeded to have one of the best weekends of his Manuf. Cup career.

"We knew what we had to do at Charlotte. I knew we had to win Sunday's HPV (Jr Lite) class and we did it. Sunday in Yamaha (Jr Heavy) we had a bad run in the prefinal so we had to come from the back in the final. I passed a lot of karts in that race and we got up to fourth, and it was enough to get the championship, which gave us the Triple Crown. It was pretty wild, that race. I just did what I had to do to get there."

Beasley had been a respectable WKA racer prior to his Triple Crown Championship, but his success throughout the course of 2009 put him into the league of one of WKA's best. He says he'll make a return to Manufacturer's Cup in 2010, and may do some racing in the CKI series as well.

But before 2010 hits next week at Daytona, Beasley took one final moment to sum up his fine 2009 season. "Going from only one win in 2008 to having a dominant season is pretty unbelievable. I have a lot of people to thank. My dad is awesome and makes it all possible. Gary Lawson for the awesome setups. BTK Motorsports, SKF and L&T Clutches all help and we appreciate it very much."

Beasley will accept his Triple Crown at the Manufacturer's Cup awards banquet Monday night, Dec. 29 at the Daytona 500 Club at Daytona Int'l Speedway.

-credit: wka