Route 66 Racing Coverage
2009 Racing Coverage
Erdmann Claims Four Wins at Route 66 Series Round Five at 61 Kartway
Delmar, IA
July 31 - August 1, 2009
Story By: Joe Brittin
The MyChron Route 66 Series presented by Margay/Bridgestone and KartLift held round five at the 61 Kartway nestled in the rolling hills near Delmar, Iowa on July 31 and August 1. Kyle Erdmann continued his winning streak by capturing four wins out of the five classes he contested. In the Junior classes, it was Josh Hotz who took two class wins in Yamaha Junior Lite and HPV Junior. Kaleb Allison also had two class wins in the TAG 60 and Yamaha Junior Sportsman classes.
The 61 Kartway is a challenging 1/2 mile track that takes advantage of the natural Iowa terrain with 50 feet of elevation change. The combination of twists, turns, chicanes, sweepers and elevation changes makes for an exciting track that takes much practice to master. With the tight turns and up-hill sections, most competitors were using 10 tooth drivers and tall rear sprockets to pull themselves around the track. The somewhat difficult to pass on track also put a premium on qualifying. The Nielson family had the facility in great shape and the experienced corner workers helped get the event completed without a single red flag.
Friday was a practice day with 12 hours of track time available from 10 am to 10 pm. The track was briefly closed from 7 pm to 7:30 pm for a free cookout for everyone in attendance. Three more rounds of practice were held Saturday morning before qualifying. The rain predicted for Saturday did not materialize and the weather turned out to be partly sunny reaching into the upper 70s. At the Saturday driver's meeting, Kyle Erdmann won a drawing for a set of Bridgestone tires donated by Margay. Kaleb Allison won a gift certificate from Triple E Sales in a drawing for fast time qualifiers. Triple E Sales also gave away gift certificates to participants in the Yamaha Jr. Sportsman class won by Robby McQuinn and Steven Wallace.
The Laukaitis Racing TAG Senior class combined with the Jet Karting TAG Masters class were up first for their final event. In TAG Senior, Alex Nowysz and Kyle Erdmann started on the front row with Nowysz grabbing the lead. Erdmann stayed glued to Nowysz's bumper for most of the 15 lap final, but was not able to make a pass as Nowysz finished .149 seconds ahead at the finish. Brett Johnson, Morgan Schuler and Dustin Kessinger rounded out the top five. In the TAG Masters class, Rick Apichairuk pulled out to a nine second win over Rod Holliday with Peter Cook, Russ Kemple and Shane Wells rounding out the top five.
The Comet Kart Sales Yamaha Supercan Heavy class took to the grid next where fast qualifier Kyle Erdmann and Brandon Cather paced the field. Erdmann jumped to the lead with Cather in close pursuit. After 15 laps, Erdmann was able to increase his lead to 3.2 seconds over Cather. Tim Brinkman, TJ Keesy and Jordan Hicks rounded out the top five in a close battle for third place.
The Kevin Williams Karting Yamaha Jr. Supercan Heavy class was up next with fast qualifier Jake Cole and Drake Ostrom pacing the field. Ostrom was able to squeeze by Cole in turn three on the first lap. Although Cole pressured Ostrom the entire race, Ostrom held on for the win by .226 seconds over Cole. JT Lewis, Dustin Blomme and Brad Brittin rounded out the top five.
Next up was the Viper Racing Tag Sr. Leopard class for their final with fast qualifier Kyle Erdmann and Kevin Riley pacing the field. The top three of Erdmann, Riley and Cal Stewart stayed close together with Stewart eventually moving to second around Riley. Riley would have mechanical problems on lap 10 and Brett Johnson began reel in the leaders. Erdmann finished 1.668 seconds ahead of Stewart with Johnson taking a close third. Rounding out the top five were Rick Apichairuk and Dustin Kessinger.
The Joey Karter Kid Kart Unrestricted class was up next paced by fast qualifier Cameron Campbell and Jadon Biles. Although Campbell lead most of the race, lapped traffic allowed Biles to close in and make the pass for the win by just .117 seconds. Eric Erdmann followed closely 2.159 seconds back in third with Daltyn England and Grayson Shankleton rounding out the top five. The Kid Kart class would have the closest finish of the weekend.
Next up for their final was the MarCo Sign and Graphix Yamaha Rookie class with nine entries. Fast qualifier Logan Mitchell and Jeremy Fierke paced the start with Fierke grabbing the lead in turn one. Mitchell would retake the lead and pull away to a five second win over Jeremy Fierke. Stephen Dial, Brant Carter and Joshua Fierke rounded out the top five.
The Adkins Speed Center Yamaha Sr. Supercan Lite class was up next where Kyle Erdman qualified on pole and paced the final along with Brett Johnson. The top three of Erdmann, Johnson and Brandon Cather were locked in a tight battle as they pulled away from the rest of the field. Erdmann eventually pulled out to a 3.37 second win over Johnson and Cather. Jordan Hicks and Dave Timmerman rounded out the top five.
In the Triple E Sales Yamaha Jr. Sportsman class, 13 karts started the finals with fast qualifier Kaleb Allison and Nick Dibenardo pacing the start. The first corner saw karts entering three-wide and Stephen Wallace lost the nose off his kart as the karts bunched up. Allison would steadily pull away from Dillon Morely, Dibenardo and Chris Gray who were battling for second. Allison took the win by 8.309 seconds over Morley who edged Dibenardo for second by just .093 seconds as they raced side-by-side at the finish. Chris Gray and Robby McQuinn rounded out the top five in a wild final that had several karts spin off the track.
Next up was the Express Karts and Parts Yamaha Jr. Supercan Lite final. Josh Hotz and fast qualifier Jake Cole paced the field at the start with Hotz taking the lead at the start. Cole would follow Hotz closely until lap 12 when he had a mechanical problem. Michael Dionne, Collin Griffin and Drake Ostrom were having their own battle for third about four seconds back. Hotz took the win and set fast time at 47.569 with Dionne, Griffin, Ostrom and Perry Needham rounding out the top five.
The Daggett Racing Photography TAG 60 class final was next with fast qualifier Kaleb Allison and Jacob Blair starting on the front row. Allison would gradually pull out from Blair and cruised to a 3.531 second win over Blair. Alanmykael Polley, Ethan Cook and Hunter Turpin rounded out the top five.
The final event of the day was for the Streeter Super Stands HPV Junior class combined with the LSR Motorsports HPV Senior class using a split start. In the HPV Senior class, Kyle Erdmann pulled out to a huge 18 second win over Joe Matker followed by Michael Matker in third. The HPV Junior class had a great battle up front between Josh Hotz, Jake Cole and Collin Griffin who all turned in lap times breaking the class track record. Hotz would hold on to take the win by .424 seconds over Cole with Griffin just .85 seconds back in third.
The final round of the MyChron Route 66 Series presented by Margay/ Bridgestone and KartLift will be held at Mid-State Raceway near Springfield, IL on Sep. 19 and 20. Registration opens at 9:00 am on Saturday and practice starts at 10 am. Qualifying will be held on Saturday after the 3:30 pm driver's meeting. Sunday practice starts at 8:45 am with the pre-finals and final events following practice. A free cookout will be held Saturday following qualifying for all in attendance. Sunococ 110 spec fuel will be available at the track. The new Bridgestone YKC spec tire will be required at this event. Pre-entry forms are due by Sep. 12.
