Regional programs join forces for double weekend at New Castle Motorsports ParkNEW CASTLE, IN – For the second time on the season, the Great Lakes Pro Series and Superkarts! USA Central States Challenge programs joined forces at one location for another exciting weekend of racing. Over the July 23-24 weekend at the New Castle Motorsports Park in Indiana, both series co-hosted a double-header weekend to include two rounds of racing towards each series championship. Renewing the friendships made in May at the Anderson Mayor’s Cup Grand Prix, the competitors from both series joined again to provide some great shifterkart and TaG racing.
Leading the way in the Stock Moto category on day one was Illinois driver Josh Lane. Scoring the pole position over 12 other drivers, he and second qualifier Kyle Ludwick battled for the Prefinal victory. Local driver Ludwick came away with the win and the pole position for the main event. Lane got the jump from the outside row one grid position and led all 15 laps to the victory. Ludwick kept close, crossing the line just four-tenths back. Winning a great battle for third was Eric Batt as he edged out fellow Indiana drivers Joe Ruch and Evan Batt. The next day, Eric Batt shined above the others with Ludwick not competing and Lane having issues throughout the day. Batt posted the fast lap in qualifying and had a race long battle with Tennessee driver Brian Fisher for the entire 15 laps. At the checkered, Batt took the victory by seven-tenths over Fisher with Kelly Johnson scoring the third spot over Ruch and Nicholas Lougee.
The second group of shifters was the combination of Masters drivers and the GLPS Pro category. Riley Turk dominated the proceedings in the Pro class over Max Gamble. GLPS multi-time champion Kurt Mathewson had the Master class in his hand throughout the day, qualifying on pole and winning the Prefinal before a mechanical issue took him out of the main event early. This left Ron Peterson and Lance Lane to battle for the win. After some early exchanges for the lead, Peterson drove away to a two-second victory over Lane with GLPS Series Director Terry Riggins coming home in third. On Sunday, the Pro class was joined by former nationally-ranked driver David Carmendy. The Ohio driver swept the proceeding, driving to a four-second advantage in the 15-lap feature over Turk and defending series champ Alex Conlin. Mathewson came back from his troubles on Saturday to take the victory in the second round of racing, leading Peterson and Lane to the checkered flag.
In TaG competition, Mick Gabriel swept the action in the Senior division, out-running Colton Aldridge and Florida resident Mikey Wright. Gabriel repeated on Sunday with Tiffany McCollum jumping in Wright’s ride for a second place performance ahead of Kyle Koetters. Peter Cook bested New Hampshire’s Don Guilbeault in Masters both day while Drake Woodard edged his brother William Woodard in Junior. Austin Mayton was another double-winner on the weekend, as he finished first over Ryan Joehl in TaG Cadet.
Five drivers took to the track in the growing S5 Junior Shifter category with Jenna Grillo leading the way on day one. Sweeping the action on the day, Grillo drove to a big victory in the main event over Joe Reed and Colt Masewich. Day two, Collin Willis stepped up the pace and led the field through the action. After qualifying on the pole position, Willis held off Erik Nelson through the races. At the end of the feature, the two were separated by just 0.033-seconds with Willis taking the victory. Grillo settled for the third spot on the day.
Up next for the Great Lakes Pro Series will be the final two rounds of the 2011 season. Round seven takes the series to the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois with the Championship Enduro Series on August 28 for a one-day event on the 1.4-mile road racing circuit. Round eight will close out the year, with another joint event with the CES group, this time on the 2.0-mile Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, Michigan on September 25. The Great Lakes Pro Series would like to thank the 2011 supporters: MG Tires, Alden Engine Components, eKartingNews.com, National Kart News, Streeter Superstands, Bush Trophy Case & Embroidery, 2nd II None Racing, Evolution Karting, and Margison Graphics. For more on the Great Lakes Pro Series, contact Terry and Shirley Riggins - (765) 643-2752 and also visit their website - www.glproseries.com
Rounds five and six will close out the 2011 year for the SKUSA Central States Challenge will take place at the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri. The first will take place August 20-21 with the series finale on September 24-25. The SKUSA Central States Challenge would like to thank all of the 2011 partners: Crockett Motorsports, Margay, MG Tires, K1RaceGear.com, Mates Concrete, Ostrom Painting and Sandblasting, Unique Heating and Cooling, Riverlake Racing (RLR), Nado Alley Silk Screen and Embroidery, and WaltersWebDesign.com. To follow updates on the upcoming 2011 Central States Challenge, be sure to watch their website - www.centralstateskarting.com - and see how you can become of the growing SKUSA regional program.
About Great Lakes Pro Series:
The Great Lakes Pro Series presented by MG Tires is a six-weekend, eight-race regional program promoted by Terry and Shirley Riggins. Their purpose and focus is on providing a great atmosphere for the competitive karters while also introducing the younger generations to the sport. As young as eight, and as old as 60, the GLPS offers classes for TaG and shifter kart packages along with their GLPS Rotax Series on race tracks ranging from short temporary circuits to 2-mile road race courses.
About the Central States Challenge:
The Central States Super Series was conceived to serve the Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois-based drivers who want to run a quality regional sprint series that is located a little closer to home. Entering its fourth year, the Central States Challenge is committed to provide a strong, fair, and fun regional series with great competition. And their status as SKUSA's Midwest Regional Series just pushes the competition level up that much more! Check them out at www.centralstateskarting.com as they travel to some of the absolute best tracks in the Midwest.
About Superkarts! USA:
Established in 1995, Superkarts! USA is dedicated to shifterkart and TaG racing and is the leader in the field, currently promoting five regional racing series. Racing programs are currently running in Southern California, Northern California, Central States, Hawaii and Colorado – in cooperation and support from official tire supplier MG Tires. In 2010, the organization launched its new SKUSA Pro Tour, which featured a pair of major events in the Midwest and Western United States, all leading up to the annual SKUSA SuperNationals, the biggest shifter kart race in the world, held every November in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on SKUSA, please visit www.superkartsusa.com
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