Blog @ Octane Raceway: August 2012

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Jr Summer Leaguers of Octane Raceway Aug. 4, 2012

Arturo Frayre...Sam gillum...Luisa Rubio...Jack Fresquez...Matthew Stout...Kiana Lamanilao...Michael Stout...(Naomi Elet/Sam McGill/Jordan Manoff...missing from photo)

Jr League Race Final Podium shot Aug. 4,2012

Michael Stout ...1st

Jack Fresquez...2nd

Sam Gillum...3rd

Michael Stout WINS the Jr League Final & Jack Fresquez is declared "CHAMPION" on Sat. Aug. 4, 2012 at Octane Raceway

Sat. August 4, 2012 marked the date of the Jr League Finals.

Jack Fresquez now owns the right to be called Jr Summer League “Champion” of Octane Raceway with a well deserved win in the Heat and a 2^nd place finish in the Main.

Jack had a great finish to a nail biter of a season and Final. He set fast time in the qualifier to start the Heat race from the pole position and then raced away from the rest of the field. Fresquez ended up winning by 25 seconds or half a lap on the ½ mile GP Track layout. He would then start from pole position in a different kart for the 30 lap Main race.

The Main race became the showcase for the driver talent of Jr leaguer, Michael Stout. Michael started the Main race from P7 and cleanly worked his way thru the field to take a commanding lead by race end. 44 seconds separated Stout from 2^nd place Fresquez. Michael Stout was awarded the “Kandyman Award” for his never give up attitude and good sportsmanship throughout the Jr League series.

The points race came right down to the wire and with a one(1) race drop factored in, the point spread between the top three league racers was no more than 7. The point spread was only one point between Sam Gillum, 2^nd with 107 and Kiana Lamanilao, 3^rd with 106.

The racing was not without it’s drama and became a real nail biter with black flag penalties going to some of the top racers vying for overall points. Good racing none the less and I want to Thank all the racers and their all important sponsors (parents) for taking the time and resources to do this.

You are all “WINNERS” in my book!

Main Race Finish:

Michael Stout…(Fast Jr lap time of the day 61.133)

Jack Fresquez

Sam Gillum

Luisa Rubio

Arturo Frayre

Sam McGill

Kiana Lamanilao

Naomi Elet

Matthew Stout

Overall Jr League Points:

Jack Fresquez…113 (Jr Summer League Champion)

Sam Gillum…107

Kiana Lamanilao…106

Arturo Frayre…98( missed 1^st race)

Michael Stout…96

Luisa Rubio…91 (missed 1^st race)

Matthew Stout…70 (missed 1^st race)

Sam McGill…37 ( 2 races)

Jordan Manoff…(1 race)

Naomi Elet…15 (1 race)

Keeping the Rubberside Down,

Steve "Kandyman" Lattanzi

Team Titanium of Octane Raceway

steve@OctaneRaceway.com

Competition Director

Offsite Specialty Events Coordinator

Lead Instructor for the Raceology 101 Jr Kart Racing School

317 S. 48^th Street . Phoenix, AZ 85034

(d) 602-427-4416 / 602-302-7223 (t) 602-321-2035(m)

Visit us online @ www.OctaneRaceway.com

Octane Raceway - Your Phoenix Destination For Adrenaline-Packed Outings

Arizona's Premier Indoor Karting & Entertainment Venue

Seasonal Leagues, High Level Competition Events, Public Racing 363 Days A Year

Two Indoor Tracks, 45+MPH Karts, Billiards, Trackside Bar & Grill.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

2012 Octane Raceway Competition Schedule Update Aug. 2, 2012

Octane Raceway

2012 Competition Schedule

Winter League

Champion…………....Chaz Baca Jr

2^nd Place………………Tony Rolfson

3^rd Place……………..Steve Lattanzi

Kandyman Award…Krystal Wright

Spring League

Champion………….…Chaz Baca Jr

2^nd Place……………..Kyler Repella

3^rd Place…………….Steve Lattanzi

Kandyman Award…..Craig Moore

Summer League

10 Race Series…Tuesdays @ 7pm

July 10…17…24…31 August 7…14…21…28 September 4

Final- Sunday September 9 @ 9am (GP Track)

* $50 per race *

Fall League

10 Race Series Tuesdays @ 7pm

October 2…9…16…23…30 November 6…13…20…27

Final- Saturday December 1 @ 9am (GP Track)

* $55 per race or $495 pre paid series *

AZIKC Sundays 7pm

July 15…August 12…September 23…October 28

Final- Sunday December 2 @ 7pm

* $80 per team or $40 each for two man team

2012 Octane Raceway 9th Year Anniversary Race

9- Hour Team Endurance Race….3 to 6 drivers per team. Entry: $675.00 Date:TBD

More Info contact: Steve “Kandyman” Lattanzi, Director of Competition

Steve@OctaneRaceway.com or (602) 427-4416

Chaz Baca Jr (BMB Jr) back with Win and now stands tied for 1st Place with Kyler Repella

Dateline : Tuesday July 31,2012

Location: Octane Raceway

Time: 7pm

Event: Summer League Race #4 of 10

Twenty six racers from across the valley responded to the call of speed and deposited 50 hard earned dollars to compete in the valley’s only viable weight equalized indoor kart racing league series.

Did you say weight equalized? Why, yes I did and if you are going to compete for prizes worth millions and trophy’s big enough to warrant a moving company’s help, then weight equalization to 200# evens the playing field so that driver skill and race craft determine the win, not weighing 100# in equally prepared 9hp Sodi karts. Weighing out the top 5 in each position Heat and Main keeps all drivers within the parameters of fair and equal. Weigh less than 198# and you run the risk of being DQ’d. No, it does not have anything to do with Dairy Queen ice cream. It’s no reward but a penalty that will drop you into last place faster than dropping a lead ball into a swimming pool.

The weather Tuesday night was ominous at best but all clear inside and perfectly suited for a great night of league racing. Newcomers to the league racing are people like former F1 Race Factory(Octane Raceway) employees Pat Joyce, Romano Cionni, and Alicia Davis. From Bondurant Superkarts we had Nick Aiuto join us and he not only won the 40 lap “C” Main but got to advance into the “B” Main where he finished a very respectable 8^th place. Not bad for being on Track 2 c/c/w for the Qualifier/Heat and c/w in the Mains, for the first time. Congratulations Nick and hope to see you again. Cassie Gannis, a K& N series racecar driver also tried her hand at this but struggled as we all have when the added weight (75#) was strapped to her and added to the kart by way of weight vest and bracket weights. Cassie has an extensive racing and teaching resume’ and is being wooed to help out with the Raceology 101 classes we have for the Jr racers.

New to indoor karting adult racers like Mike Lee, Steve Nowland, Scott Swayzee, Justin Padilla, Mike Bryant, Dane Traines, Tysen Zimmerman, Craig Abraham, Tage Evanson, Peter Madrigal, Chris & Joe Ciolek, Brian Beck, Matt & Jason Olden, Ben Holladay, Sophia Lunceford, Aaron Brady, and Jason Griepentrog have decided to jump into the Octane Summer league and we welcome all skill levels that show a true spirit of racing and good sportsmanship.

It can be a bit intimidating at first but once you show up more often than not the group embraces you and helps you any way they can. Been there, done that by this writer. Back in 2004 my first league series outing produced , “0” points the entire season!!! Race director Victor Felice felt so bad he made up a consolation trophy in my honor. I find myself in the top 5 now but will always remember the help I got no matter how many times I spun off track during a race. My nickname has gone from, Mr. Zero to Mr. Hero but that may be for my helmet mounted GoPro Hero2, which takes awesome footage when I remember to activate!!!

So far, so good!

Top 3 for each of the 3 Groups…Q/Ht:

Group 1: Austin Kipp…Josh Sarchet…Keith Sears.

Group 2: Kyler Repella…Cody Gutierrez…Philip Schroeder.

Group 3: Chaz Baca Jr…Steve Lattanzi…Chris Wynne.

The 40 lap Mains were set and new karts drawn. “C” Main heads out with Scott Swayzee starting on pole, Nick Aiuto P2 and Cassie Gannis P3. By race end Swayzee has fallen back to 7^th and Mike Bryant makes his way to the front finishing 2^nd with a great run from P8 at the start. Cassie Gannis had a NASCAR death grip on the wheel and manages a 3^rd place finish. Nick Aiuto of Bondurant takes the win by almost 13 seconds or about half a lap. Nick advances to the “B” Main.* Side note: Craig Moore became the leading man in the Spinderrella Show and his dance partner shall remain a mystery!

A corrective reshuffle between the “B” & “A” Main has Mike McClaran on pole for the “B” Main, Brian Landry starting from 2^nd and Scott Lodding drying out his goatee from 3^rd starting spot. By race end we see McClaran winning by a mere 3 tenths of a second over Lodding who had passed Landry who ends up 3^rd. The real battle was between Charles Crowe, Pat Joyce and Romano Cionni. Tractor trailer wide Crowe is not an easy one to get by but Joyce loved his kart so much that eventually the pass was made and Cionni went along with him. Kind of a 2 for 1 deal.

Mike McClaran advances into the coveted “A” main and will start from 10^th.

“A” Main has “B” Main Baca Jr (BMB Jr) starting from pole, Kyler Repella staring 2^nd and Austin Kipp Von Winkle staring at the back of Repella’s helmet from the 3^rd starting spot. Green-green-green and away they go. Chaz/Kyler/Austin with Chaz walking away from Repella & Kipp who decide to dice early and fall back to allow a clean getaway by Baca. Steve Lattanzi who started 4^th matches their times and is reeling them in as they battle for position. Battle away and let me catch you say’s Lattanzi who now catches a glimpse of Josh Sarchet who’s on the move and gaining every lap after breaking away from the pack that included Keith Sears, Cody Gutierrez, Philip Schroeder, Chris Wynne and Mike McClaran. Sarchet passes Lattanzi to finish 4^th and would have caught Repella/Kipp if not for the Checkered Flag at 40 laps to end the race. Sears and Gutierrez make contact and Gutierrez spins out and into 10^th place where he would finish the race. This is not the first time or race that Sears has been involved in an incident and we are all starting to wonder if his race suit is too tight around the neck and is cutting off the blood flow to his cranium. Focus, man, focus!

The podium players have remained the same for all 4 races and the points spread is as tight as a clam in cold water.

Top 10 Finish “A” Main with Overall League points:

Kyler Repella…222

Chaz Baca Jr…222

Austin Kipp…220

Josh Sarchet…152 (missed 1 race)

Steve Lattanzi…200

Keith Sears…193

Chris Wynne…184

Philip Schroeder…169

Mike McClaran…184

Cody Gutierrez…202

Tuesday…Aug. 7^th,2012… 7pm we set the groups and do it all again.

Thanks to all the league racers from near and far for making this a most successful and fun league series yet.

‘Til we meet again, I will be,