Route 66 Racing Coverage

2010 Racing Coverage

 

Route 66 Series Round Two at Concept Haulers Motor Speedway

The Route 66 Sprint Series, Co-Sponsored by Margay, Bridgestone, Mychron/AIM Sports and Laukaitis Racing held round two at Concept Haulers Motor Speedway (CHMS) in Norway, IL on May 15 and 16.  The event sponsor was Express Karts and Parts.  CHMS is one of the premier kart racing facilities
in the mid-west, having held numerous national events.  The Fink family, who own and promote the track, continue to make improvements to their facility.  More concrete pathways have been added from the rental garage areas and a new restroom with showers is under construction at the end of one of the rental garage buildings. 

A large turnout of 169 entries competed in 14 classes on the 12-turn/.75 mile sprint track.  The TAG Senior class had the most entries with 19 karts.  Extra practice time was made available by the track on Friday and about 50 teams took advantage of this.  Teams continued to roll in Friday evening as sign-in and pre-tech was available up until around 8 pm.  Although the evening temperatures
dipped down to the high 40’s, race day temperatures were very pleasant reaching into the upper 60’s and the predicted rain stayed away.

Four rounds of practice were held on Saturday with the final round being a timed
practice in order to set the qualifying order for the six classes racing on Saturday.    Saturday’s qualifying times set the order for the 8-lap pre-finals which were followed by the 12-lap finals.  A Route 66 Series tradition continued with the hosting track providing a free cookout for everyone in attendance at the end of the day on Saturday.  A big thank you goes out to the Fink family for providing the barbecue pork dinner.

On Sunday at the pre-race driver’s meeting, several prizes were given away by drawings.  A Yamaha KT-100 engine was won by Tyler Brinkman sponsored by
Laukaitis Racing and the series.  Christian Vega won a set of Bridgestone YKC tires sponsored by Margay/Bridgestone.  Logan Mitchell won a free series race entry and Kirsten Mosley won race gloves sponsored by the Route 66 Sprint Series.  Dustin Kessinger, Jose Sanchez, Drake Ostrom, Brian Zirves and Gary
Klamrowski each won Route 66 Series apparel gift certificates.  The Triple E Sales fast time awards for the Yamaha Jr. Sportsman class were awarded to Ryan DuBeau and Chris Gray.  More prizes will be given away at each event this season in a drawing held at the Sunday morning driver’s meeting.

Only two drivers were able to chalk up double class wins this weekend with Jimmy Clark taking wins in Yamaha Supercan Lite and Heavy and Kaleb Allison taking wins in Yamaha Sportsman Heavy and KPV Sportsman.

The first final of the weekend for the Comet Kart Sales Yamaha Supercan Heavy class had fast qualifier Drake Ostrom and Jimmy Clark pacing the field at the start.  Clark was shuffled back to fourth on the first lap with Chad Kruger and Tim
Brinkman moving into second and third.  Clark was able to work his way back to the point and pulled out to a 1.17 second win over Ostrom with Kruger, Adam Crepin and Mike Nesbitt rounding out the top five.

In the L & T Clutch Manufacturing Yamaha Junior Heavy class, Michael Dionne and Grant Vogel paced the start of the final.   Dionne would lead for about half
of the race until Vogel worked his way to the front and held on for a .109 second win.  Justin Stiffler, Perry Needham and Tucker Cory rounded out the top five
in a tight pack at the finish.

Next up was the Kid Kart Participation class sponsored by Mitchell Motorsports.
The start was paced by track owner Les Fink on his motor scooter.   The Kid Kart
classes race on a shorter layout of the track which allows them to run just as many laps in a timely manner.  Pole sitter Dylan Klein was able to pull out to a 15 second win over Max Lambert followed by Declan Shaughnessy, Dawsin Blair and Tyler Allison.  When the race is finished, the kid karts get to exit the track through a tunnel underneath turn 11 which leads to the scale house.

The Franklin Motorsports TAG Senior class staged next with 18 karts starting
the final.  Pre-final winner Keenan Hertzner and fast qualifier Cal Stewart paced
the field at the start.  Stewart grabbed the lead into turn one and was able to pull
out to a small advantage over Hertzner and Drake Ostrom.  Darin Marcus and
Chrsitian Vogel were close behind battling for fourth.  Hertzner closed the gap at the finish to just .227 seconds however Stewart was able to claim his first TAG
Senior class win on his 16th birthday.    

Next up was the CKT Racing Engines Yamaha Rookie Lite class with fast qualifier Thayne Chapin and Brandon Klein pacing the start of the final.  Chapin
and Klein swapped the front position several times with Jack Maechtle locked in the draft in third place.  Chapin would hold on for a .259 second win over Klein with Stephen Dial, Michael Paterno and Dillon Schwanbeck rounding out the top five.

The final class racing on Saturday was the Triple E Sales Yamaha Sportsman Lite class.  Pre-final winner Becker Reardon and fast qualifier Kaleb Allison paced the field at the start.  A big pile-up in turn one on the start sent six karts
spinning with three karts unable to continue racing.  Allsion and Reardon battled
for the lead the entire race with Reardon making a move for the win on the final lap.  Chris Gray, Jaydon Biles and Jared Needham rounded out the top five in
a tight battle for third.

The first class to race on Sunday was the Adkins Speed Center Yamaha Supercan Lite class with 16 entries.  Drake Ostrom edged Jimmy Clark in
qualifying for the pole although Clark would win the pre-final.  In the final,
Ostrom grabbed the early lead until Clark moved to the point on lap three.
The front two pulled away from the next pack of Adam Crepin, Brad Brittin,
Brandon Cather and Christian Vega.  Clark was able to pull out to a two second win over Ostrom with Crepin, Brittin and Cather rounding out the top five,
Clark picked up his second class win of the weekend and is undefeated
in the Yamaha Supercan senior classes this season.

The Two Cycle Engine Technologies Yamaha Sportsman Heavy class final was
up next where fast qualifier Kaleb Allison was able to hold off Becker Reardon
by .274 seconds after a tight battle the entire race.  Robby McQuinn, Jeremy Klein and Ryan DuBeau rounded out the top five.

Next up was the Russell Karting Parilla Leopard Senior class paced by Keenan Hertzner and Darin Marcus.  Marcus would move to the point and Hertzner slipped back to fourth behind Cal Stewart and Drake Ostrom.  Christian Vogel, Adam Crepin and AJ O’Brien were also in the hunt as the top six pulled away from the field.  Stewart made a late race pass for the lead but overdrove turn seven and slipped back to third place handing the win to Marcus.  However Marcus would fail post-tech giving the win to Hertzner.

The Express Kart & Parts Yamaha Junior Lite class  was up next with 14 entries. The final was paced by pre-final winner and fast qualifier Perry Needham.  Justin Stiffler and Tucker Cory moved to the front in the first turn followed by Needham,
Michael Dionne and Collin Griffin.  Grant Vogel worked his way up from deep in the pack to battle with the top five.  As Stiffler pulled away to a five second win,
the next five karts mixed it up with Dionne moving to second followed by Vogel,
Needham and Griffin with Cory fading to sixth on the final lap.

 

The Jet Karting Kid Kart Championship class was up next with the nine entries.
Fast qualifier Nicholas Cory won by 2.38 seconds over Evan More with Dylan Klein, Max Lambert and Tyler Allison rounding out the top five.

A competitive field of 14 Komet Piston Valve Senior class entries sponsored by Haddock Ltd. took to the track next for their final.  Fast qualifier Drake Ostrom
and Darin Marcus paced the start.  Ostrom would get shuffled to third place in
the first turn as Marcus and Kyle Prokup moved to the front.  Ostrom would move to second place on lap two and began to reel in Marcus.  After trailing Marcus for
most of the race, Ostrom moved to the lead and pulled out to a 2.24 second win.
Nick Nile charged up to third place followed by Dean Leifheit and Alex Conger. 

The Ballistic Designs Komet Piston Valve Sportsman class raced next.  Kaleb Allison had to work his way through the back of the pack to pull away to a 10 second win over Owen Leatherberry and Colton Peterson.  Brady Garmon and Connor Stuart rounded out the top five.  Allison picked up his second class win
of the weekend.

The final race of the day was the Switch Racing Engines Yamaha Rookie Heavy class paced by jack Maechtle and fast qualifier Thayne Chapin.  Chapin grabbed
the early lead followed closely by Maechtle and Brandon Klein.  A late race tangle in turn two by the leaders allowed Klein to slip by for the win.  Dillon Schwanbeck, Jared Maechtle, Jack Maechtle and Alec Evers rounded out the top five.

For the complete race results, visit www.mylaps.com.

The next round of the series will be held at the Badger Kart Club track
in Dousman, WI on June 12 and 13.  Friday practice will be available.  Camping is available at the track.  All entrants will have a chance to win a set of Bridgestone YKC tires in a drawing at the Sunday driver’s meeting.  Spec fuel will be available for sale at the track.  For more information about the Route 66 Sprint Series, visit www.route66kartracing.com.