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| July 29, 2009 |
| Team News: Alonso Kart USA - Rotax Summer Shootout Report |
 | Chaponick tore through the field on Saturday
(Photo: alonsokartusa.com) |
Alonso Kart USA was tuning up for the 2009 Rotax Grand Nationals recently as four team drivers were at Oklahoma Motorsports Complex for the 2nd Annual Rotax Summer Shootout. Devlin DeFrancesco, Cole Glasson, Dore Chaponick Jr., and Andrew Hawkins raced respectively in Micro, Mini, Junior and Senior Max, and showed beyond a doubt the team will be ready when the masses converge on Oklahoma in September.
Chaponick was a star of the show including a mesmorizing drive to the podium on Saturday. After taking pole from qualifying, a prefinal crash had him P23 among 27 drivers in Rotax Junior. He launched to an incredible 11th through the first flying lap, and was seventh through two and three! He had returned to the top five by lap five, and ran down fourth before the race hit its halfway point! Lap eighteen led to podium position, and there he stayed, gaining on the leaders and setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. It was the first in a pair of podium runs for the Alonso Kart driver as Sunday he qualified fourth, won the prefinal, and finished third in the final, once again with the fastest lap in the field.
DeFrancesco also stood on podium for Alonso Kart as he was second in Micro-Max on Saturday. After being fastest in morning warm-up and qualifying on the inside of row two, the youngest driver on the team advanced to second in the prefinal and fought for the win throughout the main event. In the end transplanted Canadian crossed just 0.01 short of a win, with another fastest lap for Supertune. Back a day later he qualified off-pole before moving up one with a prefinal win. On pole for the final, he led and once again battled up front before ultimately crossing fourth.
Hawkins was the third Alonso Kart/Supertune driver to take a pole and a fastest lap as he recorded both on Saturday in rotax senior. The pole came from qualifying, and he set the fastest lap in the field on his was to second in the prefinal. The final proved his toughest work of the day though, as after being shuffled back to thirteenth through the opening corners he fought his way back to finish fifth. He was right back on the front row to begin Sunday, and after the prefinal remained there after taking the spot back and setting his best lap on sixteen of seventeen. Sadly, for the second straight day a rebound run was required after a wild first lap. Hawkins was P20 through one, and coming forward. He moved back into the top ten on lap fifteen, and finished eighth at the checker.
Mini-Max driver Cole Glasson had the worst luck of all Alonso Kart drivers at Oklahoma, but things look still look promising for Grand Nationals. After qualifying seventh and racing to sixth in the prefinal Saturday, a broken nose cone ended his run before it had begun. Things were nearly as bad on day two, as after qualifying ninth Glasson was involved in a multi-kart pile-up in turn one of the prefinal. He emerged with a bend axle, and wobbled to finish fifteenth. Undaunted, the Texas was quick to work in the final. He was back to the top ten through one, and had reached seventh by lap five. Sadly, another failure would drop him down the order, eleventh at the final flag.
About: Alonso Kart USA is the total package when it comes to racing teams. With more than 30 years combined experience in motorsports, Alonso Kart USA is poised to change the face of karting in North America. The team is headed by legendary karter and race driver Bobby Wilson and based out of the motorsports capital of the World - Indianapolis. Alonso Kart USA competes in national events in Canada and the USA, and is the North American distributor for the Alonso Kart chassis and the exclusive North American partner for Supertune Rotax Racing Engines. For more information, please visit http://www.alonsokartusa.com
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