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WKA: Pit Board 2008-07-17

WKA's Pit Board presented by AMB i.t. - 07.17.2008 *** WKA Approves Conditional Use Of Non-Karting Engines In Local Option Classes 07.17.2008 -- WKA has recognized the interest by several tracks in offering classes for karts equipped with ...

WKA's Pit Board presented by AMB i.t. - 07.17.2008

***

WKA Approves Conditional Use Of Non-Karting Engines In Local Option Classes

07.17.2008 -- WKA has recognized the interest by several tracks in offering classes for karts equipped with 4-cycle engines not specifically designed for racing conditions. These engines include the so called "clone motors," the engines on which they are based, and any other non-kart specific engines. The WKA Board of Trustees would like to accommodate any WKA Master Track or Divisional Series that would like to offer Local Option Classes using these engines.

Because these engines were not developed specifically for kart racing and have not been tested in racing conditions and operating RPM, the WKA Board of Trustees is concerned about driver and spectator safety. To address this concern, the Trustees have approved these engines for Local Option Classes with the condition that they must be equipped with an SFI certified flywheel. The flywheel may be OEM or aftermarket.

Due to the number of non-karting engines in the market, WKA does not have the capability of developing technical specifications and inspection procedures for these engines. Therefore, any Master Track or Divisional Series offering such Local Option classes is responsible for developing their own specifications and procedures.

Master Tracks and Divisional Series wishing to offer Local Option classes with non-karting specific engines can submit a request as part of their annual Track or Divisional Application. For Local Option classes, their request should include the brand and model of the engine or engines, factory rated horsepower, modifications allowed, kart/driver weight, driver age and fuel type.

Non-karting specific engines with a normal operating range that exceeds 4,500 RPM must be equipped with an SFI certified flywheel. The flywheels and hubs must be specifically tested and certified to SFI Quality Assurance Specification 1.1. Manufacturers, importers and aftermarket suppliers can contact SFI at 858-451-8868 to arrange for flywheel certification.

WKA will continue to monitor the use of these engines and reserves the right to add any additional specifications necessary to ensure driver and spectator safety.

***

Midwest Sprint Series Visits CHMS

07.17.2008 -- The nation's premier WKA Regional sprint series visited Concept Haulers Motor Speedway in Norway, IL the weekend July 12 -- 13 for the fourth stop in the five race Midwest Sprint Series campaign. In addition to the ordinarily tough competition, several top national drivers were on hand to test for the upcoming Manufacturer's Cup event at CHMS.

Animal Sr. Heavy kicked off the activities with Connor Lund snagging the pole and prefinal win, but Kellen James stormed back to the feature win by 1.2 seconds on the .7 mile track with Tyler Flores in second and Lund in third. Flores managed to take a small bite out of Lund's season point lead, but with one event to go, the class championship remains undecided. Briggs Jr. Sportsman 1 Lite & Heavy continued to be dominated by Jacob Zellner, with Natalie Decker closely behind. Briggs Jr. Sportsman 2 Lite was dominated all day by Spencer Boyd who beat Tyler Huenink, Parker Williams, and Kyle Huastein to the line to unofficially secure the season championship by winning the first four events of the season.

In HPV Jr. Lite action, Tommy Andersen showed why he is the current Manufacturer's Cup point leader as he paced the field in qualifying with a blistering lap of 47.545 sec. Birel's Steve Nemeth timed in second, but Andersen would not be denied and cruised to the prefinal and final wins comfortable about his Merlin chassis. Nemeth would finish second with Colton Ramsey (Margay), Luke Johnson, and Nick Stagl (Merlin) rounding out the top five. Andersen also clinched the unofficial series championship following his wins at South Bend and Dousman.

Twenty-one entries took time in the HPV Jr. Sportsman class, with series point leader Kyle Kalish (Merlin) coming out on top, just nipping James Bennett (Birel) by .121 sec. for the pole position. Bennett came out on top in the prefinal, which set the stage for the final. The final was a wild and wooly affair with three and sometimes four wide racing through the pack. In the end, it was the Birel of James Bennett who came out on top, with fellow Birel driver Kyle Crump in second. Jared Thomas, Christopher Barngrover, and Sawyer Haese rounded out the top five.

Manufacturer's Cup Daytona and Dousman winner, TJ Koyen set the pace in HPV Lite qualifying over Ryan Stewart (Birel) and Matt Bigos (Haase). The prefinal and final were all Koyen as he cruised comfortably on his Switch powered Merlin to his fourth win of the season by 7.68 secs. en route to a season championship in his first year as a senior driver. The Birel of Patrick Olsen, followed by Bigos, Jamie Thiel (Margay), and Tyler Walsh rounded out the top five.

Local expert Brian Jacobsen smoked the Tag field by qualifying his Haase kart .497 sec. faster than the Arrows of Mark Dismore Jr. and Adam Crepin. Jacobsen never looked back and handily dispensed with the field in both the prefinal and final, cruising to a 4.95 sec. margin of victory. Matt Laukaitis managed to work his #81 Birel/PRD into the second spot, with Crepin, Mark Vielgut (Haase), and Jimmy Simpson (Arrow) rounding out the top five.

Yamaha Jr. Supercan Heavy, Justin Jennings put his Margay on the pole with Jordon Bachmeyer (Intrepid) in second. It was Jennings again in the prefinal with Bachmeyer and Kevin Bowler (Arrow) in tow. The final saw a great battle between Jennings and Bachmeyer, with Jennings winning the fight by a scant .157 sec. margin of victory. Bowler, Steve Nemeth, and Cal Stewart picked up top fives for the day. Series point leader Cody Humphreys was unable to attend this event.

Yamaha Medium was the last class to run on Saturday, but had to be held off while a quick shower passed. TJ Koyen once again paced the field, but Tony Jump was right there in qualifying. Koyen picked up the prefinal win, with the Margays of Jump, and Kevin Nelson right behind him. For the final, Koyen would pick up his second win of the day and complete his two class clean sweep by besting Jump by 1.4 sec.. Jason Foley (Merlin) made a last lap move to secure third, but it resulted in Nelson spinning, which allowed Chuck Tate (Margay) to get by as well and relegate Nelson to fifth.

The cloudy skies of Saturday seemed worlds away from the sunshine and warm breeze on Sunday. Steve Kilsdonk led the way in Animal Sr. Medium qualifying over Greg Flores and Kellen James. The order remained unchanged for the prefinal, but Connor Lund was able to move up to second in the final, with Kilsdonk notching the win and James third.

In Briggs Jr. Sportsman 2 Heavy, Spencer Boyd showed the way in qualifying and the prefinal, but Parker Williams would come out on top in the final with Boyd, Tyler Huenink and Kyle Haustein in tow.

Jeremy Remick's Margay topped the charts in Cadet Jr. Sportsman qualifying, with Jake Cole (Birel) in second and Kyle Crump (Birel) in third. Remick would go on to pickup the final win over series point leader Cole, Joel Jens (Merlin), and Crump. Cole's second place finish unofficially secured the class championship for him as well.

Wisconsin's Mark Vielgut (Haase) showed the way in HPV Heavy qualifying, with Patrick Olsen, Ryan Stewart, and Matt Bigos topping the 12 kart field. The order would remain unchanged for the prefinal. In the final, it was an all Haase battle up front. Bigos stalked Vielgut for 10 laps until moving into the lead for good on lap 11. Vielgut settled for second, with the Birels of Olsen, Scott Kopp, and Ryan Stewart rounding out the top five. Bigos' second win of the season sets him up well for the final event at Shawano.

HPV Jr. Heavy a.ka. "The Tommy Andersen class" went as expected with Andersen sweeping all on track activities. Series newcomer, Nick Stagl (Merlin) did make it interesting though. Stagl dogged Andersen through the prefinal and early on in the final, but ultimately had to settle for second. Jennings, Nemeth, and Zach Busch (Arrow) completed the top five.

Series point leader, Matt Laukaitis set the pace in the Leopard class over Keenan Hertzner (Margay) and Adam Crepin. Laukaitis and Mark Dismore Jr. jumped into an early lead in the final, but Crepin worked his way by Dismore on lap five and set his sights on Laukaitis. The two leaders distanced themselves from the rest of the field, but Laukaitis prevailed with a narrow win over Crepin. Dismore, Ben Payne, and Hertzner rounded out the top five.

The usual suspects paced the field in Yamaha Jr. Sportsman qualifying with series point leader and Dousman and South Bend winner, James Bennett, taking top honors. Kyle Kalish, Kyle Crump, Jeremy Remick and Jake Cole completed the top five. Some prefinal shuffling meant Crump would lead them to the green in the final. As usual, the final was nothing but exciting. A last lap pileup/passing attempt in the hard right hander after the monza turn left karts four wide and with two wheels in the grass, all scratching for position. The top six karts all crossed the finish line within 1.5 secs. Ultimately it would be Cole and Remick who got there first, along with dark horse Sawyer Haese who lurked outside the top five all day. After leading most of the race, point leader Bennett got the worst end of the melee and held on for fourth place, followed by Christopher Barngrover.

The Yamaha Jr. Supercan Lite class uncharacteristically was a bit of a snoozer, with Justin Jennings dominating the whole way. Daniel Chan had a nice qualifying effort but struggled to maintain it through the day. The final was Jennings well ahead of Colton Ramsey, Nicky DeFronzo, Kevin Bowler, and Chan.

The final class of the weekend was the Yamaha Sr. Supercan class. Manufacturer's Cup Triple Crown winner from Dousman, Jason Foley, put his Merlin kart on the pole in qualifying with his team mate TJ Koyen grabbing the outside pole. Tony Jump, Man. Cup regular Travis Firing (Margay) and Jeff Jewell (Haase) rounded out the top five. In the prefinal, Foley and Koyen pulled out to a decent lead, only to have Koyen's kart tighten up. With the help of Mark Dismore Jr., Jump was able to catch and pass Koyen and Dismore slid through the open door as well. Dismore spent considerable time in the scale line though, trying to figure out how he was 13# light. Foley wasted little time in the final and cruised to the victory over Jump. Kevin Nelson made the last lap pass on Koyen for third, and Dismore, after starting last in the 13 kart field due to his weight problem, managed to work his way back up to fifth.

Other class winners were Olivia Beam in Briggs Restricted Jr. Lite & Heavy and Missy Nelson in Yamaha Masters.

The Midwest Sprint Series now heads north to USA International Raceway in Shawano, WI for its final event weekend on August 30-31. This is also a bonus point weekend.

For more information about the Midwest Sprint Series, visit www.midwestsprint.com.

***

Speedway Kart Club Holds Informal Memorial For Steve Peterson

07.17.2008 - The Speedway Kart Club will still hold kart practice on Saturday July 19th from 12-5pm. In honor of Steve Peterson there will be an informal memorial service for him at Lowe's kart track at 2pm. Everyone who knew him is welcomed to attend. We have learned it was Steve's wishes to be cremated and have his ashes put on the kart track at Lowe's and his home town track in Michigan. We will keep you posted as more is learned about this and other memorial services that are open to the public. Steve was a very special man and will be missed.

-credit: wka

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