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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 8th 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 7th and Mike Bryant makes his way to the front finishing 2nd with a great run from P8 at the start. Cassie Gannis had a NASCAR death grip on the wheel and manages a 3rd 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 2nd and Scott Lodding drying out his goatee from 3rd 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 3rd. 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 10th.
“A” Main has “B” Main Baca Jr (BMB Jr) starting from pole, Kyler Repella staring 2nd and Austin Kipp Von Winkle staring at the back of Repella’s helmet from the 3rd 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 4th 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 4th 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 10th 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. 7th,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,
Keeping the Rubberside Down,
Steve "Kandyman" Lattanzi
Team Titanium of Octane Raceway
Competition Director
Offsite Specialty Events Coordinator
Lead Instructor for the Raceology 101 Jr Kart Racing School
317 S. 48th Street . Phoenix, AZ 85034
(d) 602-427-4416 / 602-302-7223 (t) 602-321-2035(m)
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.
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