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SKUSA Pro Tour
| EKN Trackside: 2022 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour SpringNationals – Sunday Report |
| Monday, 13 June 2022 01:00 |
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Ryan Norberg secured his third victory on the season, second of the weekend in X30 Senior (Photo: EKN) The 12th edition of the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour SpringNationals – presented by ASPEN Fuels USA – was completed on Sunday at the Utah Motorsports Campus. The weather was intensified at the Erda, Utah facility with the temperature increasing, while bringing on strong winds that played havoc on the track and the paddock. The competitors and SKUSA staff powered through, completing the day for the nine categories competing the fourth round of the championship chase for the 2022 season.For the third time in four rounds, four-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion Ryan Norberg (RPG / Kosmic) won the X30 Senior presented by Speedlab Racing Engines class. Today’s effort was a perfect score on the round to help elevate him to the top of the championship chase. After setting fast time in Qualifying and leading all 10 laps of the Prefinal, Norberg was shuffled down to fourth on the opening circuit with former FIA Karting World Champion Pedro Hiltbrand (PSL / Birel ART) leading. Cameron Weinberg (SCR / CRG) and Paul Bocuse (RPG / Kosmic) were the drivers to jump ahead of Norberg on the opening lap. By the end of lap three, he was back into the lead. Once there, he extended his lead with each lap until the checkered and red flag was waved as Julian DaCosta (RPM / Tony Kart) needed medical attention following an incident. Norberg finished with a five-second advantage, posting a fast lap three tenths quicker than nay other driver. Hiltbrand settled for second, holding off Bocuse with Frankie Mossman (Benik / Tony Kart) up to third. Jeremy Fletcher (RPM / Tony Kart) completed the top-five.
AJ Myers returned for redemption, picking up his first Pro Shifter victory on the season (Photo: EKN) The day appeared to belong to two-time winner Marijn Kremers (PSL / Birel ART) in the PSL Karting Pro Shifter division. Setting fast time in qualifying, Kremers led all 10 laps of the Prefinal with defending champion AJ Myers (Magik Kart USA) on his bumper. Kremers was able to get off the line better than he had all weekend, holding off Myers to the apex of the opening corner. He led the opening lap until both Myers and Saturday winner Kyle Wick (GFC / Trackmagic) worked around him on lap two. They ran nose-to-tail the remainder of the race. Everyone was expecting fireworks on the final circuit, however, Wick nor Kremers were able to make any moves forward as Myers held them off to secure his first victory of the season. Jake French (PSL / Birel ART) moved up one spot to fourth with 2021 X30 Senior champion Hannah Greenemeier (RPG / LN Racing Kart) advancing three spots to fifth to wrap up her class debut. The ‘Green for Green’ $6,000 purse for the weekend total was split up by Wick, Kremers and French. Wick took home the $3,000 top prize with $2k and $1,000 for Kremers and French. For Wick, it was a weekend total of $6,500 to take home.
Jeremy Fletcher drove away from the field in KA100 Senior (Photo: EKN) The Ryan Perry Motorsport KA100 Senior class also welcomed a double race winner on the weekend. Saturday winner Jeremy Fletcher (RPM / Tony Kart) was able to put together a dominant performance in the Final. Prior to that, Round One winner Cedrik Lupien (RPG / Kosmic) set fast time in qualifying but finished second to Fletcher in the Prefinal. Early pressure had Lupien, point leader Alex Stanfield (GWR / Tony Kart) and Adam Ali (REM / Kosmic) at the front of the field on Fletcher. The Senior rookie held off any challenge, and was able to run away throughout the 20-lap race. At the checkered, Fletcher scored his third victory of the season by nine seconds. Lupien crossed the line in second, however, a five-second starting infraction dropped him down to eighth. That promoted Stanfield to second with Ali into third. Alan Rudolph (PSL / Birel ART) crossed the line in fifth, but was penalized three seconds along with three others that finished nearby. This promoted Frankie Mossman, who subbed for Cole Kleck in the Arcane / CRG – started last in the Prefinal to finish 20th – advancing a total of 16 spots to finish fourth. Rudoph was then classified fifth, recording his career best finish in the category.
Ayden Ingratta picked up his first SKUSA win aboard the CRG (Photo: EKN) It was a two-driver battle of Canadians to the very end in the Rolison Performance Group X30 Junior class. Ayden Ingratta (SCR / CRG) earned the pole position and was the provisional winner in the Prefinal, only to receive a three-second penalty for jumping the start. That dropped him down to fifth on the Final grid with Saturday winner Jensen Burnett (RPM / Tony Kart) on the pole position. Burnett led the opening 11 laps of the Final until Ingratta was able to close back up and take over the lead. From there, the two ran nose to tail until the final circuit. In the double left hand corners before the final few turns, the two were side by side going for the same piece of race track. The two made contact as Burnett was unable to continue, and drifted to the sideline. Ingratta continued on and was able to secure his second victory of the season. Jesus Vasquez Jr. (Nash / EOS) was fourth as he took the white flag and came around in the second position, working past Max Taylor (RPG / Kosmic) on the final circuit. Caleb Gafrarar (RPG / Kosmic) – celebrating his 14th birthday – was involved in contact in the Prefinal and started 19th. He fought up to fourth by the checkered flag with Ernesto Rivera (RPG / Kosmic) rounding gout the top-five.
Jesus Vasquez Jr. now has two wins on the 2022 season in KA100 Junior (Photo: EKN) The action was busy in the Nash Motorsportz KA100 Junior category with no one driver really showing any dominance until the main event. Keagan Kaminski (GFC) secured his first Pro Tour pole position in qualifying, but was shuffled back in the Prefinal as Saturday winner Charlie Smith emerged as the race winner after a hard fought 10-lap battle. Smith led the opening 11 laps of the race until he was joined at the point by Jesus Vasquez Jr. (Nash / EOS), who started fourth. The two went back and forth for the lead until Vasquez solidified his position out front, leading the final four laps to earn his second victory in the category on the season. Smith settled for second with Steven Miller (CDR / Kosmic) a close third. Preston Lambert (GFC / Trackmagic) won the battle for fourth ahead of Kaminski, who advanced five spots in the main event.
Michael Guasch took the Sunday victory in Master Shifter (Photo: EKN) A day of redemption for Michael Guasch (RWR / CRG) in the Master Shifter class sponsored by Harden Motorsports Group. Guasch, who lost the victory on Saturday for a technical DQ, swept the action on Sunday. The Final was a 3.2-second advantage over Robert Fiege (HMG / Maverick) to earn maximum points on the day. Ken Schilling (HMG / GP) drove to third. Mario Barrios (RPG / Kosmic) was the lone X30 Master driver on the day with Mike Rolison keeping the kart on the sidelines.
Jack Iliffe held off the challenges to earn his third Mini Swift victory on the season (Photo: EKN) The front of the Parolin USA Mini Swift class was close all weekend long. Among those at the front all weekend long were Saturday winner Jack Iliffe (IRM / Parolin), Michael McGaughy (RPM / Parolin) and Lucas Palacio (TKG / Kart Republic). Iliffe opened up the day with fast time in qualifying but was beat out by McGaughy in the Prefinal. McGaughy – racing at his home track – led the opening three laps before Iliffe took over the lead. They were joined by Palacio to form a three-driver breakaway. Iliffe stayed strong, holding off the advances of both McGaughy and Palacio to earn his second victory of the weekend, third on the season. Palacio was able to beat out McGaughy to the line for second. McGaughy did not end up on the podium in third, as he suffered a five-second penalty for contact, dropping him to eighth place. That promoted Kai Johnson (Benik) up to third with Gage Bailey (Benik) and Asher Ochstein (Supertune / Tony Kart) completing the top-five.
Two wins on the weekend for Rocco Simone in Micro Swift (Photo: EKN) The two winners thus far on the SKUSA Pro Tour in the Team Benik Micro Swift class faced off against one another in the Final. Saturday winner Rocco Simone (Parolin) began the day where he left off, securing fast time in qualifying and winning the Prefinal. He was joined at the front of in the Final by two-time WinterNationals winner Troy Ferguson (Benik). The two exchanged the led multiple times over the 18-laps with Simone able to secure the lead in the closing circuits to record his second victory of the weekend. Ferguson settled for second with Royce Vega (Benik) joining them on the podium in third. Braydon Wagner (GFC) had a strong run, earning the hard charger honor by advancing 10 spots to fourth with Nicolas Orbezo (Tony Kart) in fifth.The Superkarts! USA Pro Tour now moves forward to the final event of the 2022 season, the SKUSA SummerNationals set for the July 29-31 weekend, returning for an eighth straight year at the New Castle Motorsports Park in New Castle, Indiana. |
