Pit Board 2010-06-15

WKA's Pit Board - 06.15.2010

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itsTV.tv Dirt Nationals at Margarettsville on tap this Saturday

06.15.2010 - The WKA Briggs & Stratton Speedway Dirt Series returns to action this Saturday with the itvTV.tv Nationals at Margarettsville Speedway in North Carolina. This weekend's event is the third national on the 2010 slate, and it marks the midpoint of the five-race national tour.

The Dirt Series will return to an "awards series" at Margarettsville, meaning there will be no cash payouts. WKA tried a money series at the Daytona opener and the second race at Alma, Ga., and due to racer input officials have decided to return to traditional trophies and awards for top-five finishers.

Margarettsville will go off as a one-day show, a decision made after hearing racers' suggestions and input after the Hurricane Bordeaux Dyno Cams Nationals in April. The entire itsTV.tv Nationals program will run Saturday with gates and registration opening at 7 a.m. and practice at 8. The drivers meeting is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. and qualifying will commence at 1 p.m.

Margarettsville will open for parking at noon Friday. Registration and tech will be open Friday from 4 till 6 p.m., and gates will close at 10 p.m.

Many karting series are successful in running one-day shows with an equal amount of classes, and WKA officials are confident Saturday will run smooth with teams able to leave at a decent hour to head home and enjoy their Sunday.

There are some tight point battles to keep an eye on this Saturday. In the junior ranks, Dillen Brown leads Brayton Haws by slim margins in both Briggs Sportsman 1 divisions. Brown's lead is 15 points in Lite and only five markers in Heavy.

Georgia's Blaze Burns is 10 points ahead of Florida's R.L. Anderson in Briggs Sportsman 2 Heavy. Anderson has a commanding 140-point lead over Burns in Sportsman 2 Lite.

Matthew Boyd leads Spencer Davis by 20 points in Briggs Sportsman 2 Champ, while North Carolina's Trey Mishue has fairly comfortable point leads in Briggs Jr Lite and Jr Heavy.

In the senior divisions, Georgia's Bradley Gerrells is in the market for a Triple Crown. Gerrells leads Briggs Lite by 100 points over Bradley Hauser, and he's 30 points better than C.J. Waldron in Briggs Medium.

Gerrells has some work to do in Briggs Heavy, though. Georgia's Shay Chavous has a 98-point lead over Austin Smith, who missed the Daytona opener before winning at Alma. Gerrells sits in third, 110 points back of Chavous.

Tennessee's Kyle Bowers is 25 points ahead of Pennsylvania's Matt Tanner in Briggs Super Heavy. Dee Paschal leads Darren Brown by 70 points in Briggs Raptor Lite; Chavous is 50 markers ahead of Donnie Nall in Raptor Heavy.

WKA urges teams to bring plenty of cold beverages to Margarettsville. Temperatures in North Carolina have been in the mid-90s for nearly a week, and the forecast is calling for continued hot weather through the weekend.

To view Saturday's race schedule and other important information, go to www.worldkarting.com/downloads/eb-2010/0618_marg_dirt.pdf .

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PEC sponsors Dirt Series, too

06.15.2010 - Last week's Pit Board release detailing sponsorship support on the WKA Briggs & Stratton Speedway Dirt Series missed a longtime series sponsor. Performance Engine & Chassis, based in Sylvester, Ga., sponsors the Briggs Jr Heavy division and has been a Dirt Series sponsor and WKA supporter for a number of years.

PEC not being included in last week's release was a simple oversight. WKA is very proud to have 14 of the 19 national classes sponsored on the Dirt Series, as well as three of the series' five local-option divisions.

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Larry Streeter visitation information

06.15.2010 - Visitation information to pay respect to Larry Streeter is as follows.

Prasser-Kleczka South Suburban Chapel - 6080 S. 27th St.; Milwaukee, WI 53221. Phone number 414-282-6080. Web address www.pkfuneralhomes.com. Visitation hours will be Thursday, June 17, from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Funeral services at 7:30 p.m. with Military Honors to follow.

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Jorge Arellano to step down as FKCS president at end of 2010 season

06.15.2010 (OCALA, Fla.) - Hot on the heels of the fourth largest round of Florida Karting Championship Series (FKCS) history, current President Jorge Arellano made it official that he will step down as president for the program at the end of the racing season and will not run for re-election for the 2011 program. Citing business opportunities and possible conflicts of interest in the future, Arellano will shift the majority of his focus to his Ocala Gran Prix (OGP) facility, the OGP race team, Tony Kart and the newly formed company of Ocala Grand Prix International Imports (OGPII).

"It has been a great two seasons and I have really enjoyed the challenges of helping grow the series to where it is today," Arellano said. "In the short period as the president of FKCS I have grown as a leader and as a person and from the bottom of my heart I say thank you to all members for allowing me the freedom to lead. This has been by far one period of my life I will always look back and smile. I have come to know the FKCS members as a growing family. I look forward to meet my upcoming challenges with the same intensity as I have done for FKCS."

Arellano continued: "I have several businesses in which I am trying to grow that will need my utmost attention, one which includes becoming a Tony Kart distributor for the United States, and I did not want there to be any conflicts of interest as an active board member in the future. I will continue to support the series for the years to come including the end of the year charity event to help raise money for the Victory Junction Camp, and OGP will continue series sponsorship and the end of the year gift certificates. I will always make myself available for any questions comments or concerns regarding the FKCS program."

Informing the Board of Directors in a closed-door meeting on Saturday evening, Arellano was emotional in his decision showing his true passion for the sport of karting and the FKCS. As the official World Karting Association state series for Florida and providing national level classes to offer transfer points to the WKA Manufacturer's Cup Series, the competition level of the series has increased throughout the past seasons thanks to the hard work of Arellano and his Board of Directors.

The announcement was made to the FKCS members during Saturday at the drivers meeting this past weekend. Becoming emotional during his announcement, silence was brought upon the over 200 participant crowd as Arellano struggled to get through his speech. Though he was hugely involved in the day-to-day operations of the series at the track, the president worked diligently behind the scenes to ensure the utmost professionalism and fun at his series.

After the announcement, Arellano worked the pits as he visited each and every trailer to thank everyone for a great season and to ask for their support in the series coming years.

The next FKCS event is July 16-18, 2010 at the 103rd Street Motorsports Complex in Jacksonville, Florida. Visit FKCS online at www.flwkasprintseries.com.

-source: wka