You would have been hard-pressed to tell that Jack Hawksworth had never driven on an oval before to see him in action in the Star Mazda Championship group test at Lucas Oil Raceway – and after lapping an outstanding second-quickest on his first visit to the track, the talented young Bradford-born speed demon is brimful of confidence for his prospects come race day.

The first of two consecutive oval outings in swift succession, Lucas Oil Raceway will stage the celebrated ‘Night Before the 500’ on 26 May, round five on the 2012 Star Mazda calendar and inarguably the series’ blue riband event, coming just 24 hours as it will ahead of the legendary Indianapolis 500.

Having already ably demonstrated his prowess on street circuits and road courses by coming out of the starting-blocks flying with a brace of victories and two second places at St. Petersburg and Barber to assume an early championship lead, Jack knew that competing on an oval would be a different kettle of fish entirely, with the defining characteristic a non-stop sequence of banked, flat-out turns and no straight stretches worthy of the name. Happily, the test would be a case of ever-decreasing lap times rather than ever-decreasing circles…

“It’s a pretty cool place, really old-school and with plenty of character,” reveals the on-form Star Mazda rookie, a newcomer to the American scene this year and incredibly with only one prior campaign of car racing under his belt. “I expected it to be different – and it certainly was!

“Oval driving is a different ballgame altogether – one that requires a different way of working. Set-up is a major element, so working closely with your engineers is key. On road courses, the driver makes up a bigger part of the DNA. On ovals, it’s more of an engineering exercise. It requires a different kind of mental approach.

“You don’t get much of a breather around the lap, that’s for sure! You have a little lift off the throttle on the entry to the corners, and then you need to get back on the power again pretty sharpish. You’re always on the edge, so it’s all about knowing what your car is capable of and driving to that limit but not beyond. You have to be extremely disciplined and consistent; if you drift even slightly off-line, you’ll be in the wall.

“If you try to extract an extra tenth out of the car that it isn’t willing to give, it puts you out of your groove, and if you go in just a little too deep, you’re in big trouble. It can all get out-of-hand extremely quickly, especially if your car is not handling quite perfectly. Then, you’re really playing with fire. That’s the real challenge of ovals, I feel – making sure you’re completely on top of the car.

“It took me a few sessions to feel confident and get properly up-to-speed. There are still more adjustments we can make and we still have more to learn – but the more laps we do around there, the better we’re going to get. There’s definitely more to come.”

Given that he lapped a close second-fastest amongst the 16 drivers in attendance at the wheel of his 260bhp, Team Pelfrey-run single-seater – a scant six hundredths of a second shy of the benchmark – that conviction is encouraging indeed…not to mention rather unnerving for Jack’s rivals. Be that as it may, he is well aware that safely and successfully navigating 100 laps in the race will be no mean feat.

“It’s the constant repetition of corner followed by corner followed by corner that will make it tough and such a stern mental test,” acknowledges the 21-year-old Cullingworth hotshot and British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star, “but I’m very happy with the work we did with the team to establish a good set-up during the test; we made really good progress and learned an awful lot.

“I would be surprised if we’re not up there in the mix by the time the race comes round. Our lap times compared to the other drivers looked pretty strong all day, to be honest, and it will be interesting to see if we can turn it up a little bit further when we get to the race weekend.”

Despite the prestigious nature of the event, though, and his palpable excitement about it, Jack is remaining laudably level-headed, stressing that at 29 points clear in the title standings, he does not need to take unnecessary risks, and maturely refusing to put any extra pressure on himself for the occasion.

“This is the big one,” concedes the TORGOEN Swiss brand ambassador and former national and international karting star, “but it still carries the same number of points as all the other races, so it would be daft to get carried away and put everything on the line.

“My approach will be the same as it has been all year, which is to try to get the best out of what we’ve got. If there’s an opportunity to win, then we’ll go for the win, but if a podium is all that looks to be within reach, that’s what we’ll focus on. The most important thing will be to get to the finish and score some decent points.”

You can keep up-to-date with Jack’s latest career news and results at www.jackhawksworth.co.uk and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Jackhawk91

“Veteran officials secured with AACA pre-grid officials marshalling all four events”

May 16, 2012 – With the start of the 2012 Eastern Canadian Karting Championship (ECKC) series just days away, series personnel are pleased to announce their line-up of Event Officials. As the premier karting series in Canada, the ECKC has secured a group of seasoned professionals to ensure order, diplomacy and sportsmanship as karters ready to descend upon Goodwood Kartways for Rounds #1 & 2 May 25-27, 2012.

Returning once again as Chief Steward, Norm Jennings brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his post with the ECKC. As the first ever National Karting Steward, Jennings was the author and editor of the rulebook that has shaped the sport in Canada, and has officiated every Canadian National Karting Championship. Also involved with guiding events with the OKRA, CIK-FIA and the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship (SRFKC), Jennings provides a high level of authority through a calm, patient approach.

Bill Oakman will also return to his post with the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship as Race Director. The former Assistant Race Director of the SRFKC was also deeply involved with the Toronto Kart Club for almost a decade, and has nearly 20 years of experience in karting. Also wearing the tuner/father hat, Oakman’s life-long passion for racing has led him to take on larger roles in the Canadian karting community, and is certainly an asset to the ECKC Official team.

Denny Beaudin will also make a return to the ECKC as the Steward, with Paul Hunter named as the Technical Inspector and Rob Oakman the Starter. It goes without saying this group of karting professionals collective experience will ensure series participants will receive the highest level of officiating.

Also, in an exciting announcement, the pre-grid officials of the Association Amateur de Course Automobile (AACA), who were seen in previous years at Quebec events only, will also travel to the two Ontario events in 2012. With the AACA in attendance at all four events this year, the ECKC has truly created the highest level of professionalism for their competitors. And all of this would not be possible with the tremendous help and guidance of Paul Cooke and ASN Canada FIA. From track inspections to safety initiatives and anything and everything in between, the ECKC is coming to forefront of Canadian karting with the support from Mr. Cooke and ASN Canada.

“I am grateful to have so many experienced and knowledgeable professionals taking care of the officiating! These guys have been around and seen it all! They are a well-organized crew!” explained Series Manager Louis-Philippe Gelinas. “Then, all the track owners and managers, Dan DiLeo, Ken Flute and his wife Robin, Dominic and his wife Annie, do such an incredible job organizing and planning these events – they know how to do race events! It makes my job easier and I can focus on the sponsors, the partners, the manufacturers and the visibility for the drivers. I could not do all this promotion if I did not have Elena from Autosports Media working so hard on all the projects we have! I can’t wait for the green flag to go down Saturday afternoon!”

Online registration for Rounds #1 & 2 at Goodwood Kartways will close today, Wednesday, May 16 at 5:00pm. The online registration process saves competitors the $20 administration fee for trackside registration. Event schedules have also been posted, and are available at www.eckc.ca.

The Eastern Canadian Karting Championship is an ASN-sanctioned, four round, six race series with venues in both Ontario and Quebec. Now in its third year, the ECKC will start off the 2012 season at Goodwood Kartways in Stouffville, Ontario May 26-27 for the first double-header weekend. Circuit ICAR will host the third race in Mirabel, Quebec June 17 followed by the second double-race weekend at Mosport International Karting in Bowmanville, Ontario June 30-July 1. The series will conclude at the Monaco Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres July 29, the prestigious street race set at the site of the GP3R at Exposition Park. The Eastern Canadian Karting Championship is a Rotax Max Challenge series and will award Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals tickets to the Rotax Senior, Rotax Junior, Rotax DD2 and Rotax DD2 Masters class champions. In 2012, the Briggs & Stratton classes will contest the series six-race series, making up a national four-stroke championship. For more information on the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship, please visit www.eckc.ca.

Prepared by: Autosports Media Group

A little more than six months after crowning Nyck De Vries, the Suzuka circuit will host again the World KF1 Championship from 17 to 20 May. This time the Japanese track will be the scene of the first event of a competition which will see the fight between Karting stars and very ambitious young Drivers. In addition to the World KF1 Championship, the Asia-Pacific KF2 Championship should also provide a good show.

With 38 candidates for the CIK-FIA World Champion title, the first event of this competition promises to be interesting on several grounds, and in particular because we shall witness a generation gap: on the one hand, a few Karting professionals want to add a world crown to their list of results; and, on the other one, many young Drivers for whom a World Champion title could be a springboard for the highest echelons of Motorsport.

Amongst the most experienced Drivers, there will notably be the Karting legend Davide Foré (CRG-BMB). Already four times World Champion in the top category of direct-drive karts, the 37 year-old Italian is determined to show to his young opponents that he is still entitled to have his say at the highest level. Likewise, the 2009 World Champion Arnaud Kozlinski (PCR-TM) will have a sole ambition: to win a second crown! As for Belgium’s Yannick de Brabander (FK-TM), winner of the World Cup for Super KF on this very Suzuka track in 2009, he is also dreaming of making a victorious comeback on the ground of his finest win.

These three top-guns will clearly be the references for the younger Drivers or those who have already landed titles in lower categories. Such is the case of Britain’s Matthew Graham (Zanardi-Parilla), last year’s U18 World Champion (under 18 years old). It will also be worth keeping an eye on France’s Anthoine Hubert, third in that U18 Championship, the Italian Flavio Camponeschi (Tony Kart-Vortex), who stepped on the podium of the 2011 World KF1 Championship, the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Intrepid-TM), the Pole Karol Basz (Birel-BMB), Italy’s Felice Tiene (CRG-BMB) or Britain’s Tom Joyner (LH-BMB).

Not forgetting the Japanese, who will be in their home land. Although they do not always compete in Europe on a regular basis, 13 of them dream to create a surprise in front of their supporters. Last year, Daiki Sasaki (Kosmic-Vortex) and Kazuya Ishii (Birel-BMB) showed how competitive they were in the championship final. This time they will clearly target the podiums! Like their competitors they will have four opportunities to score championship points: after practice and the qualifying heats (two per Driver), two Races are scheduled on Saturday and two more on Sunday.

As well as the World KF1 Championship, Suzuka will also host the Asia-Pacific Championship of the KF2 category, the Hopefuls’ class. With 20 representatives out of 30 entries, Japan will have the advantage of numbers. They will be joined by Drivers from Singapore, Hong-Kong, Australia, Thailand, as well as Argentina and Europe. Unlike the KF1 category, this championship will be held in a single Final, scheduled for Sunday at the end of the day – a competition which will certainly not lack in spectacle and suspense!

Find all the information on the World KF1 Championship and Asia-Pacific KF2 Championship on http://www.cikfia.com or via the link http://www.cikfia.com/competitions/cik-calendar/2012/suzuka/event-guide.html

Article prepared by cikfia.com

May 16, 2012 – Travelling to the Musselman Honda Circuit for the opening round of the SuperKarts! USA (SKUSA) Pro Tour, TaG Senior pilot Enzo Mestre would look to start his 2012 campaign off right. Competing aboard a High-Rev powered Formula K Chassis with support from Champion Racing, Mestre opened the weekend strong but would encounter trouble in the main events to take home a pair of disappointing results.

“Though the results do not speak for the pace we had, overall we did have a good weekend of competition,” explained Mestre. “An electrical issue put us behind the eight ball and it was hard to recover. I am definitely looking forward to the next round and the chance to stand atop the podium.”

Setting the pace as the fastest driver in the first and last practice sessions on Friday, the weekend was looking good for the Ryan Perry tuned driver. Back at the track Saturday for qualifying, Mestre turned a solid lap of 45.332 seconds to claim the second position and outside front row starting spot for the first of two heats. With the heat race results determining the starting order for the main event, good and consistent race results would be key to fight for the victory.

Maintaining his second position starting spot, Mestre ran a great first heat to cross the stripe in P2. Looking for much of the same in the second heat, the Formula K pilot would lose one position at the start due to a difficult outside starting position. Maintaining the third position for the rest of the heat, Mestre would claim a third place result.

With the ever-important main event later that afternoon, the High-Rev powered competitor would begin his quest for glory from inside row two. Maintaining his position yet again, Mestre slotted into the third position before disaster would strike on the fourth circuit.

“I started to experience some engine issues that was later deemed to be electrical. Down on power, I slowly fell down the running order and was forced to retire from the event. It was a disappointing end to a solid first day of action,” expressed Mestre.

Hoping to turn his luck around on Sunday, the morning did not go well for the up and coming talent as he was forced to miss the morning warm-up. Heading straight into the timed qualifying session, Mestre would muster up a 16th place effort and would begin his wheel-to-wheel action from the outside of row eight.

Feeling like he was lacking the necessary power, Mestre decided to change his Vortex Rok powerplant to his backup and was assessed a penalty that would see him start from the tail of the field. With 43 karts taking the green flag, Mestre would advance forward 14 positions to claim a 29th place result and starting position for heat two. Looking for the same sort of gains in the second heat of the day, a solid move forward to the 15th position before lap three had commenced had Mestre looking good as the race entered its mid stages. A carburetor issue late in the race would force the Formula K driver to the pits and eventually out of the race.

With his poor finishing result in heat two, Mestre would start Sunday’s main event from the 41st position. Looking to drive through the field, the Champion Racing supported driver was involved in a huge first corner incident ending his day.

Mestre continued, “Overall, the SKUSA SpringNationals was a great debut for us on the new Formula K Chassis. We learned a lot and now have a better understanding of the equipment moving forward.”

Enzo Mestre would like to thank High-Rev Engines, RPM – Ryan Perry Motorsports for tuning and driver coaching as well as Champion Racing for all the great hospitality and support throughout the weekend.

For more information on Enzo Mestre, please contact him via e-mail to Info@EMestreRacing.com or visit them online at www.emestreracing.com.

For information on press releases or other media services offered by Race Tech Development, please contact Mike Maurini via e-mail at Info@RaceTechDevelopment.com or 317.270.8723. Race Tech Development can also be found on Twitter at @RaceTechDvlp as well as Facebook at their Race Tech Development Fan Page.

Photo – Todd McCall – On Track Promotions

May 15, 2012 – Unlike many of their karting counterparts, Alex and Mikey Hornborg take to the kart track not only for results, but to garner support and help for a charity of their choice. Working the first four months of 2012 with The Kidney Trust, the Hornborg duo is set to close out their campaign and handover all the donations received to date.

With the final donations made this weekend at the North Florida Rotax Max Challenge (NFRMC) program at the Ocala Gran Prix (OGP) facility in Ocala, Florida, Team Hornborg will present a check to the association that continues to look for a cure for kidney disease. While no amount is too small to donate, Alex and Mikey will present The Kidney Trust with $1402.97 gained from their friends and competitors in karting.

“This is a great cause and something that my boys decided to do on their own,” expressed Lisa Hornborg, proud mother of Alex and Mikey. “Along with their focus on racing, the kids collected money at the Florida Karting Championship Series, Florida Winter Tour and the opening round of the North Florida Rotax Max Challenge to aid in their efforts.”

With collections complete, it was time to focus back on the on track activity, as Team Hornborg would compete in their local Rotax division this past weekend. Competing with the Ocala Gran Prix race team, Alex and Mikey would test and race with the squad to gain the necessary punches to allow them to compete at the United States Rotax Grand Nationals later this year in northern Indiana. With a shot at competing in Portugal at the Rotax Grand Finals in November, Alex and Mikey are doing whatever it takes to gain experience and score the necessary results.

Competing in the Rotax Mini Max division, Mikey Hornborg would see action in a talented field of drivers. With podium winning competitors from the ultra-competitive Florida Winter Tour in attendance, Mikey would run inside the top-ten throughout the weekend. After qualifying in the ninth position, Mikey would improve in the prefinal to cross the stripe P8. Looking for more in the final, a difficult outside row starting position cost the Floridian valuable positions at the start and he was forced to utilize the long main event to battle back inside the top ten. When the final checkered flag had flown, Mikey would garner a ninth place result.

Older brother Alex would also compete this past weekend as he would once again see action in the Rotax Junior class. Just like his younger brother, Alex would be forced to compete against Florida Winter Tour race winners and champions at the Ocala Gran Prix facility. Improving throughout the day, Alex turned his eighth place qualifying effort into a seventh place result in the prefinal and would look for more in the main event.

Battling hard with a quartet of karts, Alex would swap positions nearly every other lap in the 20 lap main event. Finally getting to the front of the group, Alex would score a solid fifth place result and will now shift his focus to the next event.

Enjoying one weekend off, Alex and Mikey Hornborg will travel to the newly repaved Orlando Kart Center facility on Memorial Day weekend for the fifth round in the Florida Karting Championship Series.

For more information on Team Hornborg Racing, please contact Mike Hornborg at 813.220.5993 or via e-mail to MikeHornborg@Verizon.net.

For information on press releases or other media services offered by Race Tech Development, please contact Mike Maurini via e-mail at Info@RaceTechDevelopment.com or 317.270.8723. Race Tech Development can also be found on Twitter at @RaceTechDvlp as well as Facebook at their Race Tech Development Fan Page.

The Kidney TRUST
The Kidney TRUST aims to benefit the 31 million American adults living with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), as well as the 506,000 Americans with kidney failure that require dialysis or a kidney transplant. The TRUST was formed to increase awareness of kidney disease through public education and testing programs so that progression of CKD to kidney failure can be delayed or prevented.

The Kidney TRUST was founded in 2006 by DaVita Inc., a leading provider of kidney care in the United States. The Kidney TRUST is an independent, nonprofit organization that believes everyone should be empowered to take a proactive role in their health. Toward that end, the TRUST is seeking to reduce the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) through free, rapid screening in non-medical settings and to provide financial assistance to people affected by CKD.

May 14, 2012 – Descending on the Circuio Internazionale Napoli in Sarno, Italy, DeFrancesco Racing (DFR) pilot Devlin DeFrancesco would see action in the Mini 60 division at the CSAI Championship. With impressive results in North American and European karting to date in 2012, the young pilot would look to find the top step of the podium in a field of more than fifty talented karters from around the world.

Turning times in the top three on the official test day, DeFrancesco entered the weekend with high hopes. Wanting to start his CSAI title chase off on the right foot, the Florida resident claimed the fifth quickest circuit in the qualifying session, gaining a great starting position for the heat races.

“Devlin performed well in qualifying,” explained Team Manager and Driver Coach Nick Mitchell. “Of course we wanted Devlin to be on the pole, but more importantly, we needed a good qualifying effort to ensure a good starting position in the heat races.”

The first of two heat races would be a good one for the multi-time karting champion as Devlin showed the rest of his competition that he is a threat for race wins and championships. Taking the point, DeFrancesco drove his DFR prepared LKE powered Top Kart to the win in the first wheel-to-wheel action of the weekend.

“I am pumped!” announced Devlin after the win. “I have a great feeling about this weekend and will push hard to score the best result possible.”

Taking the green for heat two, disaster would strike for the young pilot as DeFrancesco’s engine died and sent him spiraling down the running order on the opening lap. Finally getting back up to speed after the first complex of corners, Devlin would be forced to come from just inside the top fifteen in the hunt for a good result. Coming through the field at a blistering pace, DeFrancesco scored a fourth place result in the five-lap heat race to salvage a decent finish.

With the results of the heat races setting the grid for final one, Devlin DeFrancesco would start from the outside of the front row. Hoping that engine woes from the final heat race were gone, DeFrancesco would look to fight for the win. At the drop of the green flag, Devlin would feel the engine gremlins come back to life as he struggled with speed to keep at the front of the field. Ending the event in eighth, the entire DFR crew was disappointed with the result.

With limited equipment changes allowed during the event weekend, Devlin’s power issues would present themselves again in final two. Driving to gain as many championship points as possible, DeFrancesco would claim the ninth position and will now shift his focus to the next event.

Enjoying little time off, Devlin DeFrancesco and DeFrancesco Racing will be back on track June 1-3 at Pista Salentina in Ugento, Italy for round two of the CSAI Championship.

For more information on DeFrancesco Racing, please contact Andy DeFrancesco via e-mail to Info@DFRUSA.com or visit them online at www.DFRUSA.com. For more information on Devlin DeFrancesco, please visit him online at www.DevlinDeFrancesco.com For real time updates from DFR Racing and Devlin DeFrancesco live trackside, please follow them on Twitter at @DFR_USA and @DevlinD00

For information on press releases or other media services offered by Race Tech Development, please contact Mike Maurini via e-mail at Info@RaceTechDevelopment.com or 317.270.8723. Race Tech Development can also be found on Twitter at @RaceTechDvlp as well as Facebook at their Race Tech Development Fan Page.

Bolton, Ontario – May 14, 2012 – After a long offseason, Ledson Motorsports is back in full swing as they recently got their 2012 season underway. Taking to the Simcoe Kart Club for the first event on their busy schedule, team drivers Nicholas and Cole Ledson were both in action at the first round of the popular club series. With Nicholas making his debut in the Senior karting ranks, and Cole a favourite in his Junior categories, both drivers were seen at the front of the pack.

Heading to 3-S Go-Karts in Sutton, Ontario May 6, Cole led the way for the Ledson Motorsports team after he came way with the win in the Junior Lite class. Nicholas made a promising start to his Senior karting career, earning a fifth place finish in Senior Medium. Posting a DNF in the Rotax Senior class after being taken out of contention, Nicholas will certainly be a threat for wins and podiums as the season progresses.

Next on the karting calendar for Ledson Motorsports is a return trip to the 3-S facility May 19-21 for the opening round of the Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship. As both team members had strong showings in the 2011 edition of the series, with Cole earning fourth place honours in the Junior Lite class and Nicholas the Rotax/TaG Junior class champion, the duo will look to continue their strong showings in the competitive regional series.

Also taking possession of their newly acquired Legends car just last week, Ledson Motorsports got their Legends program underway over the weekend with testing at Peterborough. Taking in three practice days before the first race of the season May 19, Nicholas will get behind the wheel as he takes his first steps out of the karting ranks. Ledson Motorsports has also added several more races to their Legends program, as the team and Nicholas will take on 15 races in the challenging and competitive series.

Cavalier Transportation Services and Ledson Winery & Vineyard support Ledson Motorsports. The following associate sponsors also support the team: Cooksville Tire, Edgehill Insurance Brokers, Jackson Transportation Systems, Motive Media, Peterbilt Region of London/Ayr, Secure Benefits Solutions, Shaw Tracking, TBM Legal Services, Trailcon Leasing Inc, Vitran, West Side Buggy and Xtra Mechanical.

For information about Ledson Motorsports and their supporters, please visit http://ledsonmotorsports.com.

May 14, 2012 – Descending on the newly renamed Pittsburgh Racing Complex, d’Orlando Racing pilots, Michael and Nicholas d’Orlando would look to continue momentum gained at the previous events. Fresh off of podium results at both the World Karting Association (WKA) Manufacturer’s Cup event in South Carolina and a Northeast Rotax Max Challenge event at Oakland Valley Race Park, the duo would return to WKA action in Wampum, Pennsylvania.

With multiple classes for each and every age group, Michael would compete in the Cadet Junior Sportsman and Yamaha Junior Sportsman division on both Saturday and Sunday while younger brother Nicholas would do battle in the Yamaha Rookie class. Progressing through the unofficial practice day on Friday, the d’Orlando brothers immediately showed their ability to quickly adapt to the changing conditions and were set to hit the track Saturday morning for qualifying runs before wheel-to-wheel action would take place later that day.

Michael would be the first of the two drivers to hit the track on Saturday as he would open his campaign with pole position until settling into a third place result in the late stages of the three lap timed qualifying session. Falling back in the prefinal to finish sixth, Michael would battle hard in the main event to move into a podium position. In the final circuit, the New York resident was poised for the third place result and went for a pass with three corners remaining but was unable to complete the move. Losing momentum, Michael fell to the seventh position when he crossed the stripe, narrowly missing the podium.

Looking for redemption in the Yamaha Junior Sportsman division, Michael would start the day off with a ninth place qualifying run. With the goal to move forward through the heat race, d’Orlando would be caught up in an incident and was forced to start from the tail of the field on the restart. When the green flag flew, Michael was aggressive into the first complex of corners but was collected in another incident proving the difficulties from starting near the tail of the field.

Starting the main event in the 34th position, Michael charged inside the top twenty and then top fifteen as he began to mount a charge for a top ten result. Working with a fellow Kosmic driver to march their way through the field, Michael marched to the top ten with three laps remaining before an equipment failure would send him down the running order..

Entering the Yamaha Rookie class, Nicholas would start his Saturday competition with a ninth place qualifying effort out of a field of 24. Much like his older brother, Nicholas ran into some trouble in the prefinal while running in the sixth position. Contact would force the up and coming pilot to retire from the heat.

Being forced to start the main event from the tail of the field, Nicholas had a spirited drive forward to claim a ninth place result after the race was shortened by three laps due to a red flag situation.

Sunday morning would prove to be a difficult one for both Michael and Nicholas as the duo would run into additional problems during all three of their qualifying efforts, as Michael would fail to post a lap in the timed session and start his racing action from the tail of the Cadet Junior Sportsman division.

Charging forward in the prefinal to claim the 17th position, Michael advanced further forward in the main event to lead the second group of karts as he ran in the sixth position. Unable to catch the lead five karts, Michael would finally catch a break as the race was stopped for an injured driver with five laps remaining. Lining up single file for the restart, Michael would advance forward as the young field of competitors would go two and three wide on the final few circuits. When the dust had finally settled, Michael would cross the stripe in the fourth position, bringing home his second WKA National podium.

After qualifying 20th in the Yamaha Junior Sportsman division, Michael would be forced to retire from the prefinal, thus starting the final from the 34th and last position. After a spirited drive, the eldest of the d’Orlando pilots would advance forward to garner a 17th place result.

Much of the same would happen for Nicholas in the Yamaha Rookie class, as the young pilot was unable to turn a lap up to par in qualifying. Starting shotgun in the prefinal, and a successful engine change completed, a determined Nicholas drove like a seasoned veteran as he moved forward to claim the inside row five starting position for the main event. Wanting more in the main event, Nicholas advanced to the sixth position, a mere one step off the five-position WKA podium.

Michael and Nicholas d’Orlando would like to thank their team J3 Competition, and their engine builder Doug Fleming of Fleming Race Engines for their efforts to date in 2012.

Next on the docket for d’Orlando Racing will be a private event for a group of third and fourth graders at their home facility of Oakland Valley Race Park before returning to regional action.

For more information on Michael or Nicholas d’Orlando, along with partnership opportunities, please visit www.dorlandoracing.com. Also, be sure to follow Michael and Nicholas on Facebook and Twitter (@dorlandoracing) to stay up to date on news, information, photos and results.

For information on press releases or other media services offered by Race Tech Development, please contact Mike Maurini via e-mail at Info@RaceTechDevelopment.com or 317.270.8723. Race Tech Development can also be found on Twitter at @RaceTechDvlp as well as Facebook at their Race Tech Development Fan Page.

Photo: Sean Buur – Go Racing Magazine

May 14, 2012 – Traveling to the famed Road Atlanta facility in Braselton, Georgia, Venezuelan pilot Robert La Rocca would look to extend his F2000 Championship Series overall point lead. After proving that he would be a championship contender during the first event weekend, La Rocca solidified that fact this past weekend taking two main event victories and maximum points in Atlanta.

Holding a six-point advantage in the chase for the championship, La Rocca carried the momentum gained from round one and two to the tricky Atlanta facility. Competing with his Auto Errante – HP Tech Motorsport squad, La Rocca’s Van Diemen racecar was fast from the very first on track session. Pacing the field during the pre event test sessions, La Rocca carried that speed into the race weekend to dominate the headlines.

“It was a great weekend for the team and for myself,” expressed La Rocca. “I wanted to start the series off strong and get a jump on the points lead. The Auto Errante – HP Tech Motorsport squad have been awesome and provided me with the best possible car. I am already looking forward to the next round.”

Just missing the elusive pole position for round three, La Rocca would qualify in the second position, a scant .047 off the pace setter. Having to pass a slower car on his timed lap, the Venezuelan would settle for the front row starting position, as he would utilize his aggressive, attacking driving style to try and get out front early.

Jumping out to the lead and turning fast and consistent race laps, La Rocca drew away from the rest of his rivals to score the race win by 1.169 seconds. Turning a blistering lap of 1:24.805, La Rocca set the track record en route to his second win of the season.

Back to the track for race two, La Rocca’s pole position run would not be denied as he turned the quickest lap of the session to take the top honors. Resetting the track record from the previous day’s main event, La Rocca would turn a quick time of 1:24.373, a huge .328 seconds ahead of his closest competitor.

Wanting to keep his winning streak alive, La Rocca dominated the second event of the weekend. Garnering the quickest lap of the event once again, the Veneuzelan driver was the only driver below the 1:25.000 time as he turned an impressive 1:24.404. Taking the checkers more than five seconds ahead of the second place driver, La Rocca scored the day’s hat trick taking home the pole position, race win and fastest lap of the race.

Enjoying only one weekend off, Robert La Rocca and his Auto Errante – HP Tech Motorsport team will head north to Lakeville, Connecticut and the tricky Lime Rock Park facility on Memorial Day weekend. With rounds five and six on the docket, La Rocca and his squad will look to keep up on their winning ways.

For sponsorship opportunities and more information on Robert La Rocca and Auto Errante – HP Tech Motorsport, please visit www.RobertoLaRocca.com or contact Robert La Rocca at 561.843.1179 or via e-mail at Rdlarocca@gmail.com. For more information on media releases, please contact Race Tech Development at 317.270.8723 or via e-mail to Info@RaceTechDevelopment.com.
Photo: Dennis Valet

A kart driver at international level since 2011, 13 year-old Max Defourny has made a stunning progression over the last few months. This driver from Luxemburg is 100% focussed and committed to his goal: to get back on the podium as soon as possible. In the last few races, he has shown his competitiveness at all KF3 levels: the national Championship, the WSK Series, as well as the European Championship…

Since his second place at the Ayrton Senna Trophy, at the end of last season, Max Defourny has continued to progress at each new meeting. Behind the wheel of his PCR-Parilla, he has become one of the fastest Juniors in the hypercompetitive KF3 class. “Max is highly committed and is becoming increasingly self-confident. He knows that now he has the potential to fight for the first positions, and he has already shown it. He still needs to polish a few things to be regular in his excellent performance level. One must consider that he is only 13 and that he faces drivers who are much more experienced that he is”, Alain Boumal, his team manager, commented.

For Max, the season began with the WSK Master Series in Italy. He has achieved his best performance so far at Sarno, in mid-March, when he climbed up to 8th place in his pre-final, though his results were not equally good in the final race. A few days later, he was at the opening of the French Championship at Varennes sur Allier, in early April. He took an excellent sixth place in Final 1, where there were as many as 40 drivers, he made a good start in Final 2 and was on his way to a podium finish when he was involved, through no fault of his own, in a collision.

Max Defourny proved to be perfectly familiar with the special features of the Varennes track at the second round of the European Championship, held on that same circuit four weeks later. “After the first qualifying heats, Max seemed to be in excellent position to access the final phase. Unfortunately there was a long series of race mishaps on Sunday morning and Max only gained access to Final B, where he finished 6th with the third fastest lap in the race”, Alain Boumal pointed out.

The French round of the WSK Euro Series held at Val d’Argenton also offered its fair share of satisfaction, with an excellent performance level, on a dry as well as on a wet track surface. “I set the 12th time and finished two heats in 4th place. Unfortunately, I could not even pass the first bend of the pre-final owing to a collision. Some drivers are too impetuous and think they can win the race at the very start! It is a pity to lose races this way…” Max regretted. But now more than ever, Max Defourny appears to be on the right track to translate his progression and competitiveness into tangible results.

In a sport in which results are invariably determined by split-second precision and minute gaps on the timing screens, Tom Ingram’s newest sponsor should come in ‘handy’ indeed – as the talented High Wycombe-based speed demon has been appointed a brand ambassador for up-and-coming watchmaker Kennett.

Founded and run by young entrepreneur Tom Kennett, in an effort to further broaden its burgeoning popularity and appeal, the ambitious and eponymously-named timepiece company is branching out into the sporting sector.

Kennett has targeted the realms of motor racing, golf and polo amongst other high-end disciplines – and having been impressed by Ingram’s title-winning prowess in both the Ginetta G50 Cup and Ginetta Junior Championship in recent years, the 18-year-old MSA Academy member was an obvious choice to help propel the business into the fast lane.

“To be the first racing driver to be selected as a sports ambassador for Kennett is both a tremendous honour and a huge opportunity for me,” enthused the former British Karting Champion, already a race-winner in 2012 in his JHR Developments-run Ginetta G55 in the ITV4-televised, British Touring Car Championship-supporting Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup.

“Kennett is a relatively new company, but also one that is proving to be extremely successful, and I’ll be proud to be wearing one of their watches on my wrist. Hopefully, we can help to raise each other’s profile and go on to enjoy a long-term relationship together.”

“It is great to have Tom Ingram as an ambassador for the Kennett brand,” concurred Tom Kennett. “His passion for motorsport and other outdoor, high-thrill pursuits is a great fit with our brand. On the track, he has been a serial champion throughout his career and has been rightly awarded a British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star. We think he has the potential to go right to the top of the racing ladder, and we look forward to getting behind him every step of the way.”

You can follow Tom on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tomingram80 and keep up-to-date with his latest career news and results at www.tom-ingram.com

Picture courtesy of Jakob Ebrey Photography