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| February 20, 2009 |
| Driver News: Devlin DeFrancesco - Florida Winter Tour Homestead 2 Report |
 | DeFrancesco is headed to his fifth National in Florida this weekend
(Photo: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media) |
With the Canadian winter just beginning to show signs of relenting, Devlin DeFrancesco is already headed to his fifth National race weekend of the season beginning today! Once again camped at Homestead Karting between Florida Winter Tour rounds, the firstkart.com pilot is prepping for the second ‘Formula Kart’ weekend, having just completed races three and four of the FWT International Rotax Max Challenge.
Driver and team headed into last weekend’s events brimming with confidence and standing third in Rotax Micro-Max points. After two near-misses of the podium at the opening round, the goal was crystal clear and within reach Saturday. DeFrancesco qualified tenth, but after a fantastic prefinal run he was lined up in third position as the field headed to the green flag of the main. Sadly, disaster struck in turn one when he was squeezed and forced right to the tail of the field. Yet a red flag waved over Homestead and the field regrouped for a second try. This time it was magical as the eight-year-old came out of turn one on the tail of the leader and stayed there through the first two race laps. Once again it was not to be, as a failed pass attempt from a trailing driver took out DeFrancesco and he fell to eleventh. After that a recovery run was the order of the day, and he was able to climb back to eighth by the checker.
The Sunday track was much quicker with its new asphalt having a day of rubber applied, yet despite lowering his best time of the weekend by three-tenths, DeFrancesco qualified ninth for the prefinal. Once again he was collected on the first lap, and this time he had his hands full after a DNF and a starting position of seventeen. Undaunted, the young driver was tenth by the end of the first lap, eighth through three laps and up to seventh by the end of five. That would prove the high water mark though, as by that point the leaders were gone, and DeFrancesco’s kart/engine package was showing the effects of a rough and tumble weekend. He now sits fifth in International Rotax Max Challenge points. This weekend the team returns to Comer Cadet, the package DeFrancesco will run for firstkart.com in the upcoming Stars of Karting National Championship. Follow the action live beginning Saturday at http://www.floridawintertour.com |
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