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| EKN Trackside: 2024 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour SummerNationals – Saturday Report |
| Saturday, 27 July 2024 00:00 |
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James Overbeck claimed his first SKUSA Pro Tour triumph in KA100 Senior (Photo: EKN) An amazing day at the New Castle Motorsports Park was the stage for the opening day of racing at the 2024 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour SummerNationals. Clear skies, temperatures in the 80s, a nice breeze, and 230 entries competing in the eight categories for what was the penultimate day of the season championship. The Semi-Pro divisions battled for their fifth round of action on the year while the two SKUSA Pro Show classes contested qualifying and two heat races. The big winner of the day was Brandon Jarsocrak Racing driver James Overbeck taking his first career victory in the KA100 Senior class.The day began in the Sodi Racing USA KA100 Senior division with Caleb Gafrarar (CDR / Kart Republic) opening up the day with fast time in qualifying, coming into the weekend as a last minute entry after testing on Thursday. He edged out Henry Wheeler (PSL / Birel ART) by 37 thousandths with a 1:10.673 lap time. Gafrarar led for much of the eight lap Prefinal until Wheeler worked past on the final circuit for the win. They led the field to the green flag for the 16-lap main event. Gafrarar was shuffled back as Jake Drew (FW / GFC) and James Overbeck (BJR / Tony Kart) worked up to Wheeler and became the lead group. Overbeck, who started seventh, took the lead on lap six as Wheeler and Drew trailed until two laps remaining. Wheeler pulled the trigger to take over the lead, bringing Drew with him. After taking the white flag, Drew made a move inside Wheeler at the end of the long pond straight into the I-70 corner. He pushed wide on the entry, allowing both Wheeler and Overbeck past. After the Monza, Overbeck was able to pull off the over-under move on Wheeler, taking over the lead. He held on through the final corners, reaching the line first to claim his first career SKUSA victory. Wheeler settled for second with Fernando Luque (Supertune / Tony Kart) working past Drew for the third spot on the podium. Drew received the pushback bumper penalty, dropping him to eighth, moving privateer Eli Warren (Redspeed) to fourth and Keagan Kaminski (FW / GFC) to fifth.
Jackson Wolny escaped with a second victory in X30 Junior (Photo: EKN) The Rolison Performance Group X30 Junior class saw Jackson Wolny (SCR / Kart Republic) claim a second victory on the season. Diego Ardiles (SCR / CS55) and Turner Brown (RPG / Kosmic) were the top two drivers on the day with Ardiles claiming fast time in qualifying and winning the Prefinal. He and Brown were able to break away from the pack with Round Four winner Brown out front. Two-time winner Ardiles reclaimed the top spot on lap 13, and began running a defensive line with three laps to go. This allowed the second group, led by Wolny to close back in and make it a wild finish. After getting the two laps to go signal, Brown tried an outside move in turn one. Contact was made, sending Brown off into the grass, dropping him down the order. Wolny took advantage and slipped by both, pulling out a small gap. He maintained that advantage through the final corners, claiming his second victory on the season. Ardiles held on for second as Chace Gassiot-Lee (Nash / EOS) drove to third. Ty Fisher (Racelab / TB Kart) and Alexander Vanchev (Sodi Racing USA) led a group to fourth and fifth, however, both received penalties for contact and PBB respectively, dropping them to ninth and eighth. Other penalties promoted Brown up to the fourth spot after crossing the line in eighth and moving Nixx Eggleston (Ruthless / Gillard) up to fifth.
Diego Ardiles clinched the KA100 Junior title with a third victory on the season (Photo: EKN) The Nash Motorsportz KA100 Junior division opened up the action on the day. Turner Brown (RPG / Kosmic) led the day with fast time in qualifying and winning the Prefinal. At the start of the Final, Brown was shuffled down to fourth with Diego Ardiles (SCR / CS55) and Enzo Vidmontiene (Trinity / Kart Republic) leading the way. They ran 1-2 for much of the race until Ardiles began a defensive line with two laps remaining. This allowed Brown to close back up to the lead duo for a battle over the closing laps. Ardiles kept the defensive line up, holding on to claim his third win of the season. Brown came away with second as Dean Pedersen (Nash / EOS) moved to third in the closing corners to drop Vidmontiene to fourth. Ty Fisher (Racelab / TB Kart) completed the top-five.
Second victory on the year for Scott Barnes in Master Shifter (Photo: EKN) It was perfect day in the GP Kart USA/ Fury Motorsports Master Shifter category Scott Barnes (Maranello USA). The Round One winner was able to set fast time in qualifying and win the Prefinal over local driver Tim Hollowell (TB Kart) and championship contender Joe Ruch (Maranello USA). Two-time SpringNats winner Ruch challenge Barnes early in the Final, until lap six he suffered a brake issue that would force him to retire. That lap, he bottled up the group behind him, causing contact as Mike Rivera (GFC Karting) got the worst of it and retired after spinning around. This broke up the field and allowed Barnes to get away with Hollowell trailing. Late in the race, Hollowell – posting fast laps of the race – closed up to challenge Barnes in the closing laps, making a last move at the line to only come up short with Barnes claiming his second victory of the season. Defending series champion Luis A. Quinones (Factory Karts) drove to third over Nicolas Bedard (PSL / Birel ART) with former SummerNats winner Justin Kelly (Maranello USA) ending up fifth in his first race of 2024.
Ashton Woon nearly locked up the Mini Swift title with his third straight victory (Photo: EKN) The championship is nearly locked up in the Trinity Karting Group Mini Swift division as Ashton Woon (Supertune / Parolin) claimed a third straight victory. Title contender Royce Vega (Team Benik) set fast time in qualifying while Woon came up from fifth to claim the Prefinal win. In the Final, Woon was joined at the front by Rocco Simone (Trinity / Kart Republic) as the two pulled away. Simone took over the lead for two laps toward the end, however, Woon was able to grab back the lead on the final circuit to claim the top step of the podium. The fight for third was wild over the closing laps and saw Brayden Wagner (FW / GFC) climb from seventh to earn the final spot on the podium provisionally until he was penalized for contact, dropping him to eighth. The drivers getting the most benefit from the battle were Josh Bergman (Trinity / Kart Republic) and Enzo DiGennaro (Supertune / Parolin). Both were involved in contact in the Prefinal and started at the back. Bergman gained 25 spots over the 14-lap race while DiGennaro improved 27 positions to earn hard charger of the race to finish third and fourth. Nico Kotowski (U Race / Sodi Kart) ended up capping off the top-five.
Daniel Ramirez won a wild one in Micro Swift (Photo: EKN) It was a career first victory for Daniel Ramirez (RPG / Kosmic) in the JNM Racing Micro Swift class. Jayden Francisco (RPM / Nitro Kart) appeared to be the driver beat after setting fast time in qualifying and winning the Prefinal. He battled in the first half of the race with championship leader Zayne Burgess (Sodi Racing USA), Wynn Godschalk (Team Benik) and Ramirez. Francisco, however, pulled off the track after nine laps, mistaking the halfway signal for two laps remaining. Despite not seeing a checkered flag, he pulled off the course. During this confusion, the rest of the lead group shuffled around as Ramirez took control of the top spot. He led the remainder of the race to reach the line first. He had the win taken away provisionally until his pushback bumper penalty was overturned, giving him his first SKUSA victory. Burgess claimed the second spot at the flag, securing enough points to earn the provisional championship. Jake Manalio (TFR / Kart Republic) drove to the third step of podium, with Godschlak dropping to fourth with fast lap of the race honors and Lawrence Peremen (BJR / LN Racing Kart) coming up 13 spots to fifth.
Matheus Morgatto helped his title chances in Pro Shifter with a heat win (Photo: EKN) The title chase in the Pro Shifter by PSL Karting is now defined as a two driver battle. Estonian Markus Kajak (Maranello USA) claimed the fast time in the Super Pole session to open up his SKUSA Pro Tour debut. It however was the two championship contenders of AJ Myers (Magik Kart USA) and Matheus Morgatto (PSL / Birel ART) taking the two heat wins. Myers beat out Kajak in the opening heat as Morgatto slotted into the third spot. The opening corner of the second heat saw Kajak make contact with Myers after earning the holeshot, spinning around and collecting several of the 35-drivers in the incident. Morgatto was able to muscle his way past Myers for the win as defending champion Marijn Kremers (RPG / Kosmic) – who made his first laps of the weekend in warm-up in the morning – held on for third. Morgatto enters the day ahead of Myers by 58.5 points, with Myers needing Morgatto to slip down to seventh in the Final if he hopes to steal the championship away on Sunday.
A perfect day for Ryan Norberg in Pro X30 on Saturday (Photo: EKN) Five-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion Ryan Norberg (RPG / Kosmic) did what he needed to do on the opening day of action in Pro X30 presented by Speed Concepts Racing. Norberg set fast time in the Super Pole session and led every lap of the two heats to claim maximum points on the day. Norberg drove to the opening heat race over championship contender Hayden Jones (RPG / Kosmic) and Austin Garrison (SCR / Gillard). Points leader Diego Ramos (PSL / Birel ART) suffered a mechanical issue on the left front of his machine, forcing retirement in the opening heat. Norberg again led all 10 laps of Heat Two, this time with Jones and Jonathon Portz (RPG / Kosmic) making up the top-three as Garrison ended up fourth. Ramos finished 11th, hurting his title chase chances even more. The lead is now in the hands of Jones, holding a five points advantage over Ramos with Norberg trailing by 31.5 points. Norberg needs another perfect day, including the victory and fast lap honors with Jones finishing third or worse and Ramos second or worse. |
