New United States Rotax Max Challenge program opens up at CalSpeed Karting Center

ORANGE, CA (March 13, 2014) – The new So-Cal Rotax Challenge kicked off their inaugural season with the opening round contested on March 9 at the CalSpeed Karting Center located just outside the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Sunny skies greeted the 50 drivers making history as the new United States Rotax Max Challenge program began a new era in Southern California. The action was exciting in each category that took to the 3/4-mile course first of eight championship rounds, along with racers earning their first ‘punch’ toward qualifying to race at the 2014 United States Rotax Grand Nationals at Miller Motorsports Park in July.

The format for opening round of the So-Cal Rotax Challenge featured a throwback to club racing, as all classes were set by a ‘pea pick’ for position to open up the first heat race. The grid for heat two saw the field inverted, with points deciding the lineup for each main event. Series promoter Andy Seesemann will keep the racers on their toes, mixing up each event format in the future. Racers took to the ‘Grande’ circuit of the CalSpeed facility, going in the counter-clockwise direction. Scoring the first-ever So-Cal victories were seven drivers beginning their chase off right toward becoming the inaugural series champions.

Jake Craig dominated the opening round of the Tru Tech Senior Max class. Craig started near the front of heat one, which allowed him to take over the top spot by the completion of lap one. He started at the back of the pack to begin heat two, charging to the front end of the field and assuming the lead by lap five of the 10-lap race. Craig scored the win seven tenths of a second ahead of Nathan Seegrist, earning the pole position for the Final. Craig went wire-to-wire, leading all 20 laps and driving to over a five-second victory ahead of Carlee Taylor, who came up from sixth on the grid. Seegrist completed the Senior podium with Eric Molinatti and Alejandro Fernandez rounding out the top-five.

A solid 14 drivers, matching the count of the Senior field, filled the grid for the PSL SoCal Masters Max race in Fontana, with the complexion of the race coming down to everyone chasing just two. John Crow and Erik Jackson battled clean but competitive all day, trading wins with Crow eventually coming out on top with the first main event victory of the season. Both Crow and Jackson started heat one at the front of the grid, with Crow leading all 10 laps as Jackson finished right behind Crow’s rear bumper. Crow and Jackson started the second heat at the back of the field, with Jackson making quick work of the karts ahead of him to take the top spot by lap five and score the win. Crow made his way through his competition as well, but could only get to third before he ran out of laps. Crow set the tone early in the Final, securing the lead with Jackson in tow. Jackson assumed the lead for a few laps, before Crow retook the position and began pulling away. The 2012 Team USA driver checked out to a two-second victory ahead of Jackson. Chris Karlen crossed the line third, but was removed in tech for a float arm height issue. That put Larry Hayashigawa into third over Peter Mokran and Michael Boyer.

Christian Brooks has been winning many races thus far into the 2014 season, both at the regional and national level. The California racer took his winning ways to CalSpeed last weekend as he swept the day’s action in the Nash Motorsportz Junior Max class. Brooks led each lap of the first heat race, taking the win by nearly a full second ahead of Phillippe Denes. The second heat race threatened Brooks’ perfect run on the day as he spent nearly the entire race chasing Denes. Brooks took the lead away from Denes on lap seven before driving to the win and the pole position for the main event. Denes hung tough with Brooks the first half of the feature race before taking the lead on lap 11. Brooks would reclaim the lead with five to go, scoring the first win ahead of Denes and NorCal driver Horatio Fitz-Simon. Capping off the top-five were Jonathan Shone and Arie Zimmermann.

The Ryan Perry Motorsports Mini Max feature race was won by Myles Farhan, who strapped on a rental Rotax engine Saturday night to earn the inaugural So-Cal Rotax Challenge victory. Farhan won the opening heat race, with the second moto decided by a few inches. Dante Yu finished just a tenth of a second ahead of Trey Brown with Farhan in third. Yu led the opening laps of the feature race but by lap five, Farhan took the lead. From there, he drove away to the main event victory ahead of Brown and Yu.

Cole Keith Cotham secured the victory in the 2 Wild KartingMicro Max category. Dominic Gorden and Cotham paced the field in the opening heat race with Cotham crossing the finish line first. Cotham however was removed from the results for a post-race disqualification handing the win to Gorden. Cotham rebounded very well as he led every lap of the heat two en route to the win. Gorden looked strong as he led the opening three laps of the main event before giving way to Cotham on lap four. Cotham then checked out on the field and drove to a whopping 19-second win over Gorden. Cameron Easton was removed for a carburetor issue in tech, which promoted Ethan Ho to the podium, ahead of Jalen Mac and Tyson Quach.

The youngest racers competing at the opening weekend of the So-Cal Rotax Challenge contested the local option Mack Motorsports Honda Kid Kart division. Cooper Hicks began the day by scoring the first heat race win, beating Nick Curry by over thirty seconds. The second heat race featured Hicks coming from the back of the pack with Curry pulling away from the field. When the checkers flew on the race, it was Curry clearing the finish line two seconds ahead of Hicks. The feature race however belonged to Hicks, as he took the lead on the opening circuit and drove to a 21-second victory. Curry ended up second, with Ian Dodge joining them on the podium. Delaney Adamo and Skyler Geczi rounded out the top-five. Erik Jackson was the lone competitor in the K1 Race Gear DD2 Masters category, sweeping the first round action.

The new series returns to action following a two-month break, scheduled for another day of exciting and family-fun racing at CalSpeed Karting Center on May 10 to complete round two. For all information regarding the So-Cal Rotax Challenge, be sure to bookmark the RotaxChallenge.com website.

Long-time Birel supporter amps up new product line from Orange, California retail store

ORANGE, CA (March 11, 2014) – Full Throttle Karting (FTK) is Southern California’s full service kart shop focused on the TaG and Rotax divisions, and promotes the sport through a highly-visible retail storefront in Orange, CA.  FTK owner Andy Seesemann’s operation has focused on the popular Arrow brand for the last several years, with much success, and is now happy to announce that the shop will be rekindling its support of the iconic Birel brand, welcoming the full line of 2014 products on the showroom floor.  Full Throttle Karting began as a Birel dealer in 2002, and has supported the brand and it’s Birel customers since that day. During the years of 2005-2008, more than 100 Birel karts were sold each year in Southern California, and these racers always needed support, both at events and between races. FTK has always had stock on hand to support Birel racers. In 2010, Seesemann moved his focus toward the Arrow brand, while still carrying the Birel product line. With three successful seasons of promoting the Arrow kart on the West Coast to the shop’s resume, Seesemann is excited about the new Birel line that is hitting the United States, adding the Italian marque alongside the venerable Australian brand.

Andy Seesemann and Full Throttle Karting is rekindling their relationship with Birel in 2014

“I started a conversation last fall with Ronni Sala, the owner of Birel, about their future plans,” commented FTK owner Andy Seesemann. “He told me they were working hard to design and build a kart that was good on Mojo tires, as well as softer compounds like the MG. That conversation carried on through the SuperNationals and I received a chassis to test. I was very pleased with the results of the RY30-S6, their new Rotax/TaG kart. Now, we’ve decided to help rebuild the brand here in Southern California.”

Birel is one of the iconic brands in the sport of karting, and is among the early manufacturers in the sport, dating back to the late 1950s, building chassis at their manufacturing facility in Lissone, Italy. The brand has earned countless victories and championships worldwide, featuring names like Mike Wilson, Gianluca Beggio, Mika Hakkinen, Robert Kubica, and Juan Pablo Montoya. Birel has always made high-quality Cadet models, most recently dominating the racing on the western coast of the United States. New updates to the Birel chassis line for the younger drivers have already been proven with four straight Micro Max victories at the Rotax Challenge of the Americas program with the new Birel C28-R.

The full lines of Arrow and Birel karts are available at Full Throttle Karting in Orange, California

“The success of the Birel Cadet models will allow us to open up more to the young drivers in the sport,” added Seesemann. “Josh Huff, a national-level Cadet tuner with years of experience, will lead the charge with the young driver program with Birel and FTK. We look to continue supporting and growing the Arrow brand as well, as we garnered a number of race victories and championships over the past three seasons. Carrying the two different brands will provide options to both new and current customers, depending on their different preferences and needs.”

Full Throttle Karting is gearing up for a busy 2014 season, supporting drivers of all ages in both the Birel and Arrow brands, as well as FTK Rotax Engine Service Center racers. Drivers can find FTK trackside at the new So-Cal Rotax Challenge and at the United States Rotax Grand Nationals at the Miller Motorsports Park in July, along with Los Angeles Karting Championship events at the CalSpeed Karting Center.

For more information on the full Birel and Freeline product line available, be sure to check out fullthrottlekartingshop.com.

About Full Throttle Karting:
If customer service is your top priority, Full Throttle Karting is your solution. FTK is a full service kart shop owned by veteran karter Andy Seesemann – they are Southern California’s Rotax and TaG specialists. With over 20 years of experience, FTK provides the best products and parts available, matched with the best support and service in the industry, making sure each and every customer enjoys the sport no matter the results on track. Full Throttle Karting is the official Western United States Distributor of the Australian-manufactured Arrow Racing Karts along with a United States Distributor of the Italian-made Birel and Freeline product lines. They are a long-time Rotax Max dealer and Service Center, along with supporting lines of Holeshot Drive Systems and many other karting products. You can find Full Throttle Karting at many of the top national events throughout the season, at many local Southern California tracks, or online at fullthrottlekartingshop.com.

Four tickets to 2013 Rotax Grand Finals at NOLA to be awarded in Fontana March 8-10

ORANGE, CA (February 28, 2013) – The 2013 Rotax Challenge of the Americas series will wrap up its season next weekend (March 8-10) at the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana, California. The ‘temporary-like’ circuit outside the Auto Club Speedway will host the finale for the premier winter karting series on the left coast a second straight year. Some of the top Rotax competitors from the United States and Canada will battle for race victories before heading into the busy summer season, along with four tickets to the 2013 Rotax Grand Finals in Senior Max, DD2, DD2 Masters and Junior Max.

Nearly every championship in the Rotax Challenge of the Americas program was decided on the final laps last year, and the same is expected this year. With the series counting the best five rounds of the six-race championship, no titles are locked. The Buddy Rice Karting Senior Max standings have 2009 US Rotax Grand Nationals champion Phillip Arscott at the top following a victory at each of the first two events. His advantage into the final weekend is 24 points with former Junior Max series champ Louie Pagano in second as Round one winner Parker McKean sits third, 60 points back. The Rolison Performance Group Junior Max class has two teammates leading the way with Luke Selliken and Blaine Rocha separated by 17 points. Each has two victories to their credit, one from each event, and carries a slight advantage over the competition heading to CalSpeed. Austin Versteeg and Noah Grey remain in the chase, 66 and 74 points behind Selliken.

Defending Dallas Karting Complex DD2 champion Fritz Leesmann suffered his first non-victory round in Phoenix, but remains a top of the chase for the Rotax Grand Finals ticket. Series rookie Andrew Evans is 84 points back with three podium finishes, still with a shot at the championship, as Bill Kann holds the third spot. The Billet Performance DD2 Masters category has 2012 Team USA member Alan Rudolph comfortably out front. His 112 point advantage over Daryle Redlin has all but locked up the title, however, the Arizona driver will have to manage the CalSpeed rounds error free to confirm the ticket to New Orleans.

One category that may be decided by a fast lap in either of the two feature races in Fontana is the CRG-USA Masters Max class. Three drivers enter the finale separated by just five points, equal to a fast lap main event or pole position bonus. Utah driver Justin Peck stood on the podium all four events, earning his first series victory in Phoenix, and leads the championship chase. NorCal’s Donald Durbin Jr. has the same podium record, but not yet recorded a win, is two points back. Fellow Utah pilot Ken Maxfield also earned his first series win in Phoenix, and sits third in the standings five points behind Peck. With a number of drivers coming into CalSpeed that are schedule to compete, there is no telling who will leave with the championship and Grand Nationals entry.

The stakes in the HoleShot Drive Systems Mini Max and Overdrive Motorsports Micro Max classes have doubled. Not only will the champions from each class be awarded a paid entry to the Rotax Grand Nationals of the driver’s country, the driver who earns the most points during the CalSpeed weekend in each class will earn a ticket to participate in the Micro & Mini Invitational. Horatio Fitz-Simon and Sting Ray Robb are the top two contenders in Mini Max, separated by 15 points at the top of the class standings. Fitz-Simon has been on the podium in all four main events with a win in the opening round, while Robb has two victories to his credit. Round 3 winner Chase Farley, David Rafailov and Sophia Price remain in the chase. Micro Max is very similar, as it’s a difference of 16 points with Liam Letzsch leading Payton Durrant heading into Fontana. Letzsch has taken home hardware from all four events, including a Round one victory. Durrant scored a feature win each weekend, with three straight podium trips. Anthony Willis sits third, 89 points out with a chance still to sneak his way into the title.

eKartingNews.com will provide their ‘Trackside Live’ coverage throughout the March 8-10 weekend at the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana. Live audio broadcast begins Friday with the final round of practice, and will carry the entire action Saturday and Sunday from qualifying to the final lap of the main events at www.ekartingnews.com/live . Recordings of the previous events from 2013 can be downloaded through iTunes by searching ‘eKartingNews.com’.

Pre-entry for the Fontana rounds of the Rotax Challenge of the Americas closes today, February 28. To send in that last-minute entry or to find out more about season finale of The Challenge 2013, visit www.rotaxchallenge.com

ROTAX CHALLENGE OF THE AMERICAS TO AWARD TICKETS TO ROTAX GRAND FINALS FOR MICRO AND MINI MAX

Series finale to award two tickets to North American invitational event in support of world championships

ORANGE, CA (February 21, 2013) – The Rotax Challenge of the Americas is preparing for the final two rounds of the 2013 season, set for the CalSpeed Karting circuit in Fontana, California on March 8-10. Four tickets to the Rotax Grand Finals – set for the NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans this November – will be awarded to the series champions in DD2, Senior Max, DD2 Masters and Junior Max following the racing on the 3/4-mile course. With the announcement of the Micro & Mini Invitational scheduled in conjunction with the Rotax world championship, the Rotax Challenge of the Americas is happy to announce two tickets to the support event will be awarded at the series finale weekend. Continue reading →

The MAXSpeed Group is very pleased to officially announce the presence of the Micro MAX and Mini MAX categories at the 2013 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF).

The US Rotax MAX Challenge Director, Josh Smith, had this to say about the announcement, “With the Grand Finals coming to the United States in 2013, this was our opportunity to bring the entire Rotax family together. In doing this, we are creating an environment for the youngest drivers in the North American Rotax community to experience firsthand an event that is truly unique in the world. In addition, this is great for spectators too because the Micro and Mini MAX races are always fun to watch.”

Josh also shared some additional thoughts, “With the presence of these two additional categories, NOLA Motorsposrts Park will host 356 drivers for the Grand Finals. This will be the highest level of participation in the history of this event! I want to sincerely thank BRP-Powertrain for their confidence and support in the exceptional development of the Rotax series in the United States. We are already very eager and excited to welcome the world’s best karting drivers to Louisiana in a few months”.

From Patrick Moreau, director of the Canadian RMC, “At the national level, the Rotax MAX Challenge has been a complete program for many years. Having the Micro MAX and Mini MAX classes at the Grand Finals is be the best way to show the whole program to the karting community in one fantastic setting. This event will also be a perfect wrap of our 2013 racing season.”

Patrick also sees the NOLA Invitational as a positive step towards the future for the North American Rotax programs, “With the Grand Finals in North America, our young drivers will experience an opportunity of a lifetime. They will have the chance to see and meet the world’s best drivers and this will surely give them the passion to climb the Rotax ladder and become world champion. No one has ever won the triple crown at the Grand Finals (Max Junior, Max Senior and DD2 titles), and, I dream to see it happen for a North American driver, and show the world how good our drivers are”.

For this unique event, only 34 Micro and 34 Mini Max drivers will be invited to compete. Due to international regulation, these classes will only be open to WKA and Canadian licensed drivers.

As this just has been confirmed, details for qualification will be announced before March 1st.
Reminder: the event will be held in November at the karting facility at the NOLA Motorsports Park, just outside New Orleans.
In the weeks to come, The MAXSpeed Group will be releasing more information on the Micro and Mini Grand Final event.

To keep up to date on the latest news, go to www.GoRotax.com and be sure to “like” us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gorotax for more information.

Deadline for the upcoming Rounds 3-4 of the Rotax Challenge of the Americas is quickly approaching. Pre-registration deadline is January 30th, 2013 and the host hotel block of rooms also closes January 30th, 2013.

Points after Rounds 1-2 are now posted

http://www.mylaps.com/championship/index.jsp?id=5308

Competitors battle rare cold temperature in Arizona and tough competition at International Rotax Max Challenge

ORANGE, CA (January 16, 2013) – The journey to New Orleans began this past weekend as the Rotax Challenge of the Americas hosted the opening two rounds of the 2013 season. The international Rotax Max Challenge program traveled to the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona where unusually cold temperatures challenged the record-breaking 129 drivers in attendance. The competition was fierce as only two drivers were able to record double wins on the weekend in the seven Rotax Max Challenge categories, four of which will see the series champions awarded tickets to the Rotax Grand Finals in November.

The Buddy Rice Karting Senior Max division welcomed the largest amount of drivers (35) on the weekend as Pacific Northwest drivers Parker McKean and Phillip Arscott scored victories. Californian Mason Marotta was the top qualifier in round one, and he was run down by Arscott in the Prefinal to set up the front row for the Main Event. Contact in the opening corner sent both Arscott and Marotta off course, allowing McKean to slide through with the lead. He went on to score the win by a comfortable six-second margin over Louie Pagano and Alejandro Fernandez. Sunday was a sweeping performance by Arscott, as he qualified in the pole position, and went on to score wire-to-wire wins in the Prefinal and Final for his first series victory. Colorado’s Will Owen secured a series best finish of second with Pagano completing the podium.

Defending Challenge champion Fritz Leesmann began where he left off last season, winning both main events on the weekend in the Dallas Karting Complex DD2 division. The Californian swept the proceedings both days to score maximum points toward a possible second straight point championship, which will be decided in March. Series rookies Andrew Evans and Sean Owens ran second and third both days. The Billet Performance DD2 Masters class tripled in entrants over last year’s numbers with 2012 Team USA members Mike Jones and Alan Rudolph earning wins on the weekend. Rudolph was the top qualifier in round one, but was demoted in a great Prefinal battle with Jones scoring the win. Jones triumphed once again in the 25-lap Final, outrunning Rudolph with defending series champion John Crow in third. Rudolph qualified on pole position in round two, but a spin in the Prefinal dropped him down the order, giving the rest of the field a chance at the win. Jones won the race long battle and started the Final from position one. Contact in the opening corner however dropped Jones out of contention, allowing Rudolph to slide through from fourth for the lead. He went on to earn the victory by 10 seconds over 2012 Masters Max champion Paul Bonilla with Crow in third once again.

Teammates Luke Selliken and Blaine Rocha dominated the 32-driver field in the Rolison Performance Group Junior Max class on the weekend. Northern California driver Sonny Cervelli shocked the paddock with the fast time in the cold qualifying session. Selliken however struck early in the Prefinal, as he advanced forward from fifth on the grid to earn the win. The 2012 vice-champion went on to record the fast laps of the race en route to lead all 25 laps of the Main Event for the round one victory. Young drivers Noah Grey and Austin Versteeg rounded out the podium. Selliken began round two as the top qualifier, but was outrun by Rocha. After starting the Prefinal fourth, the Californian won the Prefinal by just over a second, and led all 25 laps in the Final to win by three seconds for his second straight year winning at the Tucson facility. Selliken ran runner-up to Rocha in both races with Brendan Baker winning the battle for the third position.

In the support classes, Diego Pelosi was the only driver aside from Leesmann to stand at the top of the podium twice on the weekend, winning in the CRG-USA Masters Max category. Ryan Casner was the top qualifier to open up the action in round one, earning the Prefinal win in the process. While leading the final, Casner experienced a brake issue and spun out, handing the lead and the win to Pelosi. Donald Durbin Jr. was second with Utah’s Justin Peck in third. Pelosi was the top driver early on in round two, topping the charts in qualifying and the Prefinal. A three driver battle in the Main Event ended with Durbin taking the checkered flag first, but was penalized for contact. This promoted Pelosi to the first place position, dropping Durbin to third and moving Peck up to second.

Horatio Fitz-Simon and Sting Ray Robb were the victors in the HoleShot Drive Systems Mini Max division. Fitz-Simon came from 16th on the grid to score an emotional last-to-first win, edging out Robb and David Rafailov. Robb outlasted the competition on Sunday, beating Rafailov to the line for the win as Fitz-Simon won the battle for third. Rounding out the event, the Overdrive Motorsports Micro Max class saw Liam Letzsch and Payton Durrant taking top honors. Letzsch won after provisional winner Anthony Willis was given a three-second penalty for a starting lane infraction. Filip Niemkiewicz ended up second with Canadian Marco Kacic in third. Durrant drove away from the field on Sunday for a near five-second margin of victory with Letzsch in second and Willis edging out the competition for third.

The Challenge will return to action on February 8-10 as rounds three and four of the six-race championship visit the Phoenix Kart Racing Association facility in Phoenix, Arizona.