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| January 22, 2013 |
| Team News: Overdrive Engines and KGB Chassis Propel Micro Max and Junior Max Drivers to Top of Speedcharts |
 | KGB-Overdrive Rotax racer Liam Letzsch was the lone Micro Max driver to break the 59 second barrier during the Challenge of the Americas opener
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine) |
CALGARY, ALB. (January 21, 2013) - 2013’s first race brought on some big changes for Overdrive Motorsports’ team odkarts.com. The structure of the team has changed, with Tuner Ryan Ruth resurrecting the KGB kart brand that saw so much success in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Ruth has now joined Joey Guyon as Co-Team-Manager for the Challenge of the Americas, bringing with him four agents of the KGB squad under his Ruthless Karting LLC banner.
In the Junior Rotax Category, Jim McKinney (KGB/Overdrive Rotax) hoped to improve on his eighth finishing position at the 2012 Challenge of the America’s, and carry his momentum and #1 SKUSA Pro Tour plate from the S5 category. McKinney took a few days to grasp the D1 tire, but when he did, he was on a tear. Saturday’s 11th spot qualifying position set him up for a sixth place run in the Prefinal. At the start of the Final, McKinney went to work, but when passing karts contact caused his right-rear tire to de-bead, he held on as best as possible to a 13th place finish, having ran the last 10 laps with 0 psi of air in that same tire!
The competitors turned up the heat on Sunday’s qualifying, with McKinney missing pole by only 0.04 seconds, placing him in the fifth position. An off-track excursion in the second corner of the Prefinal sent him back to 35th early on, but McKinney recovered cleanly to finish in the 5th position. An epic run in the Final followed, using his Overdrive Power to make passes each lap early on in the race, while his KGB chassis handled better and better, taking fastest lap overall, and allowing McKinney to earn fifth place and in a chance to keep fighting for the points title.
In Micro Max, the team had four eager drivers. Liam Letzsch (KGB/Overdrive Rotax) is the current points leader with a victory on Saturday; although his second place finish on Sunday was impressive as well, after dropping back to seventh on the start. He was also the only driver to cross below the 60 second lap time. Oregon’s Austin Torgerson (KGB/Overdrive) finished eighth on Saturday, and 11th on Sunday, showing he has the speed, and is determined to refine his race craft. Sebastian Davis finished 15th both days, as the eight year-old gains the experience he needs to build his skills.
Overdrive’s Power also propelled Senior driver Mason Marotta (FA-RPM/Overdrive Rotax) to the pole position on Saturday. He followed that up with a second place in the Prefinal, but contact on the start forced him to recover to the eighth position. Sunday’s second place in qualifying and Prefinal were also discounted by a bad start in the Final that only allowed for a 13th position recovery drive.
Calgary’s Brad Dezall (Tonykart/Overdrive Rotax) joined team Overdrive/Ruthless this weekend to help his season get off to a good start. Unlike most others, Dezall had consistently great starts, placing him into 11th at the start of Saturday’s Final, but he was forced to stop when a motor mount broke when he ran out of room and was forced wide in corner four by another competitor. He was again a victim of this corner on Sunday during the Final, when he was in sixth place on the
opening lap. The off-track excursion filled the airbox with rocks, and he struggled to continue.
In Mini Max, PGR’s Trenton Sparks chose an Overdrive engine for his first class race. Some good runs into sixth place during the races did now show up on the results sheets, as he walked away with two 13th place finishes.
If you would like to get your Engine Dyno tested or Rebuilt by Overdrive Motorsports, please contact Joey by email at info@odkarts.com or by telephone 403-270-0160. The engines used by Mckinney and Marotta are also available for rent at this year’s Eastern Canadian Karting Championship. Follow the team at http://www.facebook.com/overdrivekarts
If you would like to become a KGB chassis dealer, please visit http://www.kgbkart.com or to join team Ruthless Karting for the SKUSA Pro Tour and Arizona racing, please contact Ryan by email at phxracr@cox.net or by telephone 602-826-4985. Follow the team at http://www.facebook.com/ruthlesskarting |
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