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| February 25, 2013 News |
| Florida Winter Tour Rotax MAX Challenge Action Continues at Homestead |
The Rotax MAX Challenge portion of Formula Kart Production’s Florida Winter Tour was back in action on Sunday (February 25) at Homestead Karting for Round Four of the 2013 FWT season. The day was sunny and warm, with bright blue skies and white puffy clouds. Just one of those days that makes the FWT “THE Winter Place To Be”.
The first class in the day’s racing queue was the two-speed DD2 karts. Belgian Xen De Ruwe set the pole time for the pre-final in Friday’s qualifying trials and, after dominating the field on Saturday, was looking to continue that form. However, three-time world champion Ben Cooper was keen to get back to his winning ways and in the pre-final he did just that to prevail over De Ruwe by 0.746 of a second. In the DD2 final, Cooper got the jump at the start, with Marco Di Leo falling in right behind. De Ruwe was following closely in third, but had his sights on the lead. Just behind the leaders were two more Canadians, as Jesse Lazare battled IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe for fourth. As the laps wore on, Cooper began to steadily pull away and at the checkers had a 4.223 second lead over second place. Behind Cooper, Di Leo survived a serious last lap challenge from De Ruwe to take second by just 0.068 of a second.
So far this weekend, the Micro MAX class has been owned by the GT7 Motorsports teammates Dylan Tavella (USA) and Giovanni Bromante (USA). During Friday’s qualifying session, the two qualified within 0.033 of a second from each other and were never more than a few feet apart in the Saturday races. In the day’s pre-final, they again outran the field, with Bromante taking the win by a scant 0.057 seconds. In the final, Bromante and Tavella paced the field to the green, but going into turn one, it was Derek Carmenate (USA) who split the two to take second. By lap two, Bromante and Carmenate were breaking away from the field, while Tavella and Harry Coulton (USA) were working together to catch them. Carmenate did all he could to try to get around Bromante, but in the end, he had to settle for second. It was a great win for Bromante, who has really been running fast this year. Behind the top two, Coulton was able to take third to claim the last Micro MAX FWT Palm.
So far this season fans have watched as Derek Wang dominate the MAX Masters class. With the Washingtonian on pole position for the pre-final, would it be the same again on Sunday? As it turned out, Wang was fast, but Leonardo Nienkotter (Brazil) was faster and took the pre-final win by 1.756 seconds over Wang. In the MAX Masters final, Nienkotter got the jump into turn one and it was Scott Falcone (USA) who followed him into second, while Wang fell back a few positions to fourth, behind Michael Auriemma (USA). Within a couple laps, Wang was able to work his way back to third, but by that time, Nienkotter and Falcone were gone. In the end, it was Nienkotter taking a dominant win over Falcone and Wang, prompting Formula Kart Production’s Bill Wright to ask him during the podium celebrations what made the difference from Saturday. Nienkotter said he and his team found something in their setup that worked. But, like a true racer, he was not about to share what it was.
Ignacio Salvucci (Argentina) led the Junior MAX competitors to the green at the start of the Junior MAX pre-final, but by the end of the 16-lap race, it was Saturday Junior MAX winner Thomas Issa (Jamaica) who took the checkers first. Salvucci held on for second just ahead of Brazilian Pedro Cardoso and Poland’s Antoni Ptak. At the start of the final, Issa led into one with Cardoso and Salvucci right behind as a couple spinning karts sent half the field into avoidance mode. When the dust settled, all were back up to speed, but some had a lot of ground to make up. Up front, Issa and Cardoso had a great battle going until Cardoso got taken out by an incident that had taken place before the leaders arrived on the scene. This gave Issa all the breathing room he needed to take the win over Salvucci and Ptak.
The Florida Winter Tour has a reputation around the world as having the strongest Micro and Mini MAX fields you’ll find anywhere. And this weekend, with 37 entries in Mini MAX, was no exception. Leading things off in qualifying was Nicholas Brueckner (USA) who set the fastest time. Brueckner was able to parlay the pole position into a fantastic race win over Anthony Gangi Jr. (USA) and Michael Benyahia (USA). Starting the final, it was again Brueckner leading the way. However, starting lap five, Benyahia made his bid for the lead down the inside going into turn one. The pass was clean, but as Brueckner swung wide to get a better corner exit, he touched the curb just enough to upset his kart, allowing Gangi Jr. by as well. One lap later and Gangi Jr. took the lead, but it wasn’t over yet. Benyahia challenged the New Yorker all the way to the finish, with Brueckner ready to strike should either of them bobble. In the end, it was Gangi Jr. with the win, followed by Benyahia in second, and Brueckner third. For Anthony Gangi Jr., it was the seventh win this season out of eight Florida Winter Tour races he’s run. Many have been watching this young driver do some pretty impressive things over the last few years. But for 2013, he and the GT7 team have taken everything up a notch, and the results are proof their extra effort is working.
With 12 entries on the entry list, DD2 Masters is far from the largest class at the Florida Winter Tour. But, what it lacks in numbers, the entrants make up in accomplishments and accolades. In fact, in just this one class, the drivers collectively make up seven world championships and numerous FWT and national titles. Leading the way in qualifying was South Africa’s Cristiano Morgado who also took the win in the pre-final. Rounding out the pre-final top three were Scott Campbell (Canada) and Alessandro Manetti (Italy), for a total of six world titles represented in just the top three. In the final, Campbell got the drop on the field, but slipped up a bit on the opening lap, allowing Morgado, former FWT champion Rene Martinelli (USA) and double CIK world champion Manetti through. Beginning lap two, Manetti drafted past Rene Martinelli down the front straight. The battle for second between Manetti, Martinelli, and Campbell allowed Morgado to pull a bit of a cushion that he would build to just over three seconds at the checkers. Behind Morgado, a furious battle raged among the other various champions of the sport. In the end, Manetti captured second, while Martinelli came home third to take home his first FWT Palm trophy. During the podium celebrations, Bill Wright commented to Morgado that he manages to make wining look easy even amongst one of the toughest fields at the FWT. Ever so humble, the South African was quick to point out that his success is due in a large way to the support he’s received from his team. To that end, it must be pointed out that his tuners for this year’s Tour have been fellow South Africans Ralph and Henry Odendaal. Considering Ralph was just a small twist of fate from one, or possibly two, world championships of his own a few years back, and you understand just what a formidable team this is.
Oliver Askew (USA) started the Senior MAX pre-final from pole position after being the fastest qualifier during Friday’s time trials. The young Floridian is the reigning FWT Junior MAX champion, and he’s been hungry to prove he can win in Senior MAX too. The lead battle in the pre-final was a tight one between Askew, reigning Senior MAX World Champion Charlie Eastwood (N. Ireland) and Nick Neri (USA). Once Askew had established the lead, he was able to extend it by about a half a tenth a lap to take the pre-final win. The Senior MAX final got underway early due to the ever diligent Formula Kart Productions crew keeping everything running so smoothly. At the start, it was Askew who assumed the lead, with Neri on his tail. Behind them, Eastwood and reigning US Senior MAX national champion Daniel Formal were hooked up and running down the leaders. By the time Eastwood and Formal got around Neri, Askew was six tenths clear of second place. Of course, to many people, six tenths of a second sounds like the blink of an eye. But, to race fans, that can be very significant. For Eastwood, it meant that Askew was just outside the range he needed to pick up the draft. As such, Askew was able to extend his lead by just enough each lap to pick up his first international win in the Senior MAX class. As Oliver crossed the line, the roar from his Ocala Gran Prix crew all but drowned out Eastwood and Formal coming home second and third respectively. During the podium celebrations, Askew said he made the conscious decision before the race never to look behind him and just keep driving.
And with that, we’re two-thirds of the 15th annual Florida Winter Tour season is now complete. Those that could not make this event in person were able to watch the races live on FWT LIVE! Next up on the schedule is the karting sanctified grounds of the Ocala Gran Prix facility on February 16-17, for the FWT Formula Kart Racing program, and February 22-24, for the FWT Rotax MAX Challenge. If you saw how good the action was from the first four rounds, just wait until Ocala! With all championships on the line for manufacturer’s cup, the nation’s cup, the Skip Barber Racing awards, the FWT driver’s championships and the coveted Dan Wheldon - FWT Karting Ambassador Award, Championship Sunday in Ocala is going to be one for the history books! For more detailed information log on to the official FWT web site at http://www.floridawintertour.com |
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