NEWS

CKNA at USAir Motorsports Raceway [2022]

I was able to complete a consistent weekend up north at USAir. Even without the racing it is impossible to have a bad time at USAir, it is easily my favorite track. My Dad and I reached a baseline setup early on Friday which left the rest of the weekend up to myself to drive.

Saturday was the most exciting day of the weekend. In senior light I qualified 3rd, finished 4th in the first heat race, 3rd in the second heat race, and finished with a 6th place finish in the final. What made light exciting was that I lead many laps during the day and the final. The only reason for not finishing higher was motor issues we've been figuring out all season. Then, in senior medium, I qualified 9th, finished 9th in heat one, finished 7th in heat two and unfortunately got involved in an incident with another driver after completing an overtake in the final. Not too much to say on the incident other than the other driver and myself made up quickly and ended up socializing all evening.

Sunday was a very clean day for our team as not once were we involved in any incidents, even though many happened around us. In senior light we started the day qualifying on the same tires we used the day prior, while many competitors put on a new set of tires. We qualified 6th, then went on to finish 5th in heat one, 7th in heat two, and a finishing position of 7th in the final. Consistent racing all day, I just happened to fall out of the slipstream of the drivers ahead of me which lead to the loss of positions. In the future I will make more decisions to defend my position to stay ahead of other drivers to avoid this issue. Senior medium started likewise to light on the issue of tires. I was able to qualify 7th, which was a difficult feat in itself. I went on to then finish 7th in heat one, and then 3rd in heat two after a massive accident happened in front of me, which I was able to avoid. I battled for the 3rd place position for a few laps before a red flag ended the heat race. In the final I positioned myself strategically with other drivers, but fell out of the slip stream once again. I was able to walk away with a content 5th place finishing position for the day in medium.

All-in-all, I cannot thank my sponsors and family enough for my results this past weekend! Now it is time to put the 2022 Kosmic kart back together with our KA100 motor and prepare for Route 66 Sprint Series in Ohio!

Route 66 Sprint Series at BKC [2022]

We had a great weekend at Badger Kart Club racing the 30+ drivers in the KA100 field. With BKC being my home track, we went in to the weekend with high hopes and a lot of practice time. Thankfully, it all payed off.

Saturday started off very odd with some of my safety equipment breaking during the first morning warm up and my steering wheel bolt sheering off in the second warm up. Those hiccups didn't seem to matter though as I set 5th fastest time in qualifying. A bit of battling in the prefinal ended with a 4th place position and great speed going into the final. The final started promising as I was sitting comfortably in 5th position behind the leaders with a large gap back to 6th. Unfortunately, with two laps to go, the spark plug boot figured out a way to fall off while I was taking the turn one corner. With the boot falling off we took a disappointing mechanical DNF for the day. The fight was still not over, however, as Sunday was still to come.

Sunday started out likewise to Saturday with another 5th place qualifying finish. Then, after some back and forth battling, I was able to finish 6th in the prefinal. The final was a very interesting race as I was able to fight my way up to 3rd on the start. The setup on my kart was not as good as it could have been though so I ended up falling a little back to finish 6th overall.

We raced amongst some of the best karting drivers in the nation so are very happy with our results. I would like to thank all of my sponsors, all of my friends, and FMS engines for an amazing weekend here at BKC!

CKNA at Concept Haulers Motor Speedway [2022]

Concept Haulers brought about a lot of ups and downs, yet we were able to overcome. Friday started the weekend on a good foot as we were within the group of fast karts. Saturday went downhill when we struggled with engine and chassis problems. Sunday revigorated us once we were able to fix all of our issues and become competitive once again.

Saturday started off decent with a 5th place qualifying finish in light and 16th in medium. Saturdays issues then began when an accident in the light class put us to 14th. We then ran the first heat in medium and dropped to 20th before realizing that the earlier incident caused a massive vacuum leak. We fixed the issue and came back for 9th in the second heat of light but stayed 20th in medium. The final then went smoothly with a 9th place finish in light and a drive back up to 16th in medium. Something to note as well, during the finals my team was able to figure out the correct setup for the kart which gave us positive vibes going into Sunday.

Sunday was a much better day starting off qualifying 7th in light and 11th in medium. An interesting first heat in light ended us in 4th while medium stayed consistent with an 11th place finish. Light heat two ended up in 6th and medium in 9th. I headed into the finals with a good shot at a top 5 or even a podium finish. Light was going great up until I got caught in an accident that happened between the two drivers in front of me while I was running 5th. I dropped to last but made a comeback drive back to finish 9th. Medium was then a very exciting race with a lot of passing and strategic moves, in which I was able to work my way up to a 6th place finish.

Between the highs and the lows of the weekend the team and I are very happy with our results. Thank you to everyone at the track who helped me throughout the weekend and thank you to my amazing sponsors for making it possible! Now onto KA100 at Badger!

Stars Championship Series at NCMP [2022]

Our weekend at Stars started out spectacularly. We were fast all day in Friday practice and morning warmup on Saturday. We rolled in from qualifying 3rd out of a 50+ driver group and felt prepared for the races to come. In the first heat I got pushed off on the start but was able to get back on the track and work my way up to a 5th place finish. The second heat started our troubles when I was pushed off again, but this time I was spun out. I pulled off the track and took the DNF in heat 2 in order to conserve my tires. After the second heat race I unfortunately had to run in the last chance qualifier. Our weekend ended in the last chance qualifier when there was an accident between myself and a slower driver while I was overtaking him. Not the outcome we were looking for but we are planning for a better result at the next Stars event at GoPro Motorplex.

CKNA at G&J Kartway [2022]

We spent a lot of time at the front of the field this weekend. The competition was fierce and one mistake or hiccup could ruin your race day. We were one of the fastest karts all day on Friday. Saturday started promising before two accidents set us farther back. Sunday followed the same pattern as Saturday with a surprise to end the day.

A promising lead into Saturday showed when I qualified 4th in light and 5th in heavy. During the start of the light race I was involved in an accident which lead to an almost totaled go kart and a lot of work to get the kart back together for senior medium. My team and friends were able to get the kart together to finish 4th in the medium heat one. In light heat two I had to start 17th, nevertheless, I was able to move up to 7th in only eight short laps. Medium heat two followed the consistency where I then finished 3rd. For Saturdays senior light final I moved up again to finish 6th. In the senior medium final I worked my way up and lead the race for a few laps before an accident occurred while a driver was attempting to overtake me which lead to an 8th place finish.

Into Sunday we carried confidence knowing our kart was fast and that we had the capabilities to battle at the front. In qualifying most drivers went out on brand new tires, I decided to stay on the used tires from the day prior. Qualifying ended with two 5th place positions in both light and medium. Sunday then repeated Saturday when an accident on the start rendered me unable to finish the senior light heat one. Senior medium heat one was consistent with a finishing position of 7th. In senior light heat two I drove the kart up to around 13th before a penalty pushed me back to 20th once again. Senior medium heat two remained calm with a finishing position of 9th. To end senior light for the weekend I made the comeback drive from 20th to 5th within the twelve lap race, a result myself and my team are very happy with. Senior medium followed suit with a drive from 9th up to 4th. Unfortunately when I avoided an accident I used a cut through on the track which resulted in a five second penalty in the senior medium final, despite that I did not make any on track advancements from using this cut through (a protest was made but did not pass).

The start of the CKNA series is looking promising for myself and the team! Right now we are preparing two karts in order to take on double duty in both LO206 and KA100 Sr. at Stars "King of the Castle" in a few short weeks. Additionally, we look forward to competing at the next CKNA race in June at Concept Haulers Motor Speedway.

Route 66 Sprint Series at NCMP [2022]

We showed great pace this weekend along with some spectacular starts. This race proved to be a major challenge with most of Friday being canceled due to snow and racing on Saturday taking place with snow falling and well below thirty degrees. Sunday brought warmth, but also brought along mechanical failures which plagued us the whole day. The weather, along with a competitive 40 kart field, made for an interesting weekend.

Saturday was consistent starting with a respectable 15th in qualifying. My dad and I then played around with our karts setup for the prefinal in an effort to find more grip, which lead us to a 17th position finishing position after some aggressive battling. We again struggled to find grip in the final, yet I was able to maneuver the kart to a finishing position of 14th. After the race I was given a penalty which then changed my finishing position to 16th.

Sunday is where the problems began. In practice our engine died, leaving us to start last for qualifying. We thought we fixed the problem for qualifying, but we found out quickly we didn't when the kart died, leaving us to start 39th for the prefinal. I was able to make it to roughly 25th exiting the first corner, but an incident occurred in turn two sending me back once more. I finished the prefinal in 30th after some more battles. Another great start on the final put us near 21st after the first few corners, however, first lap battles exceeded the limits of the track which inevitably took off my chain. I was able to get the chain back on and rejoin the race, finishing 33rd.

We are taking this weekend as a learning experience for cold weather driving and look forward to returning to the track for the Stars series next month. Until then, its time to get ready for CKNA at G&J in a short two weeks!

CKNA Spring Nationals at Charlotte Motor Speedway [2022]

Myself and the team had an amazing weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2022 Cup Karts North America Spring Nationals. Spring Nationals was the teams season debut, which is always entered with nervousness. However, there was no need to worry, as I came home with a 4th place podium finish in the competitive light category and 7th in the aggressive medium category with top 5 lap times all weekend.

Senior light is highly competitive with over 55 drivers entering for the competition. I was able to qualify 4th Saturday which then led me into a 2nd place finish in the first heat race and a 1st place finish in the second heat. I ended up starting 2nd for the Sunday final, to which I took an early lead. I then continued to lead the entire race up till the last lap battles resulted in a respectable 4th place finish.

Senior medium is equally as competitive with another 55+ driver field entering the weekend, however, senior medium tends to be more diverse and aggressive. Qualifying did not suit us as I placed 11th, but I was still hopeful. In the first heat I had worked my way up to 3rd before a last lap incident resulted in a 13th place finish. In the second heat I was able to to move from 13th to 4th, a much better improvement. I then started the final in 13th. I battled the whole race and was able to take home a 7th place finish along with numerous fast lap times.

Myself and the team are very happy with the outcome of the first race weekend and we are excited to see what the future has to come for us in 2022.

USPKS at GoPro Motorplex [2021]

The final round of the United States Pro Kart Series made it's way to the GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville, North Carolina. During this event I was given the opportunity to pilot a Will Power Kart underneath the Will Power Kart (WPK) and My Parents Garage (MPG) tent. This event was challenging for me as it was my first national two-stroke race of the season. I was faced with challenging opponents and technical racing.

Saturday went very well. I was able to keep the kart near the front all day as well as advancing many positions. I tried my hardest to keep the kart on track during the final and proceeded to finish 12th out of a field of roughly 70 competitors.

Sunday is where disaster struck, unfortunately. I was repeating my actions the day prior, keeping the kart near the top 10. Starting the final I had hopes of a top 10 finish and perhaps a top 5 if the cards went in my favor, which they did not. I ended up leaving too much space on the inside line while batting an opponent which let another two drivers to overtake me. This predicament lead to me dropping my outside rear tire on the most technical portion of the track. I ended up hitting a barrier which ended my weekend.

This race weekend was by far one of the most fun weekends I've had. The WPK/MPG tent was an amazing experience to which I can't thank Billy Vincent and Chase Jones enough for. The Will Power Kart was also a fun learning experience which I feel has helped me improve on my throttle and steering techniques. I hope the kart, as well as the track, is an experience I will get to try again sometime soon!