Entering its second season of existence, The Formula 100 Karting Series was poised to make a grand entrance onto the 2013 Southern California kart scene. A cloudy and overcast day at Apex Kart Track in Perris, CA made for a nice contrast to the hot and exciting action on the track during Round #1 of the F100 2013 Season. A record number of racers arrived at the famed facility to do battle for spots atop the podium. With stacked classes at all levels, the action on track was intense and exciting, as F100 continued to live up to its billing as an affordable, fast, fun and competitive kart racing series for racers of all ages and skill levels.
The F100 Senior Novice class provided exciting action all day as a strong group of upstarts took to the track for their right to claim victory. Throughout the day the Novice class racers proved their speed, with clean and fast racing, lap after lap. When the dust had settled, it was Brian Smith who would earn his first ever race victory. Smith drove fast and clean all day, and although he is a newcomer to F100, he looked like a series veteran flashing his talent each lap and showing great potential for the rest of 2013 and beyond. Crossing the line in 2nd place was another series newcomer, Ryan Shearer. Shearer drove a strong race from flag to flag. His speed and consistency throughout the day helped to ensure his spot on the podium. With continued practice and dedication, Shearer will be a force throughout the 2013 season in the Novice class and beyond. 3rd place belonged to another series newcomer, Polo Medina. Medina, a motorcycle racer, showed his comfort with speed all day as he raced strong and clean. Medina will continue to improve his lap times as he makes the transition from two wheels to four, and F100 racers should watch out for Medina as he, like fellow driver Ryan Shearer, has the talent to challenge for podium positions all season, in the Novice class and beyond. Crossing the line right behind Medina was another newcomer, Alex Cruz. Cruz looked solid in his first F100 race. As he improves his kart setup, Cruz will continue to gain speed as it was obvious that with more seat time Cruz has the talent to race with the best that F100 has to offer. Not far behind Cruz was Bryan Walters, another excellent Novice class racer just starting his journey in the kart racing world. Walters showed well throughout the day and with his passion and dedication to the sport and continued seat time, Walters will develop into a fast and formidable racer. Rich Johnson and Vincent Lefevre rounded out the Novice class, as both drivers were unable to finish the main event. Johnson had one of his strongest events as an F100 racer, but a mechanical problem sidelined his efforts in the main event. Johnson has improved a great deal during his time with F100. With more time and effort, Johnson will certainly begin to challenge for podium finishes and strong results. Lefevre raced fast and clean all day, but a rib injury sidelined him before the main event began. Lefevre has made great strides in his racing over a very short period of time. His results at Apex are not indicative of his potential and Lefevre will certainly be a racer to watch as the season progresses.
Some of the hottest racing action of the day took place in the F100 Senior Intermediate class. Nose to tail and round and round the racers went, with lap after lap after lap of exciting and extremely close racing. David Schall would pace the field in the main event. After making an amazing pass to go from 3rd to 1st in turn one during the heat race, Schall would continue to show his speed during the main event as he would lead flag to flag to take the victory in F100 Round #1. Not far behind Schall, a battle raged between teammates and long time friends Timmy Fritch and Kyle Gash. Timmy Fritch would eventually work his way past Gash, claiming the second spot. The Tony Kart driver Fritch, who raced strong through all of 2012, will look to continue his success in 2013 and his 2nd place finish at Round #1 will go a long way into making 2013 another successful season. Gash, on a CRG chassis for the first time with F100, raced strong all day and will have many opportunities this season to challenge for podium positions. Behind the top three another battle raged between Steve Muehler, Tom Denker, Adrian Yong and Jeremy Specht. Muehler would eventually work his way past Denker and Specht en route to a solid 4th place finish. Muehler, a series stalwart in 2012, continued his string of consistently fast performances with another strong result. After a spin in the pre-main, Muehler recovered to post a strong finish while driving an excellent race. Denker and Specht, who both fell victim to Muehler's hard charge, raced very well throughout the day, and both will continue to vie for podium finishes as the season continues. Both Specht and Denker began their F100 racing careers in the Novice class, and through dedication and hardwork, both have progressed to become excellent racers who have a legitimate shot at an Intermediate class championship in 2013. They are both excellent examples of how the F100 Licensing Ladder System helps to develop driving talent. Finishing in between Denker and Specht was another hard charger, Adrian Yong. Yong, who has often been the fastest driver through the offseason F100 practices had a solid day at the track, but he will look for better results as the season progresses as he looks to once again stand atop the podium in the Intermediate class. Specht would end up finishing behind Yong. Specht drove well all race but faded a little towards the end of the race and was unable to hold onto his position. He will look to continue his strong driving at Round #2. Behind Specht were Mike Heron and Alex Bacon. Both drivers have proven their speed before, but Round #1 was not their day. In a tight, competitive class such as F100 Senior Intermediate, off days can put drivers well back in the field. The racing between the two, however, was exciting throughout the race, and both drivers will look to bounce back from their Round #1 performances and put in a strong performance during Round #2 at Willow Springs Kart Track in May. Another racer who struggled at Round #1 was Gregorio Urueta. Urueta is a fast driver, but his kart seemed not to handle particularly well. Urueta has struggled since moving up from the Novice class, but not because he lacks the talent to succeed. Once Urueta gets his chassis dialed in, he will once again challenge for victories. The Intermediate class proved once again that it is an incredibly close and competitive group. From top to bottom every racer in the group has a legitimate chance at winning. F100 Senior Intermediate promises to provide great racing action in 2013 and it is a definitely a fun class to watch for any racing fan.
The top class of F100 competition is the F100 Senior Advanced class. The Advanced class lived up to its reputation, as competitors were locked in a war all day to determine who would walk away with the trophy. The racing in the Advanced class at Round #1 put on display the biggest differentiator between F100 racing and other top level racing, which is the degree of respect that drivers give to one another in F100. Only one minor incident occurred in the Advanced class all day, as drivers were more than willing to adhere to proper racing etiquette and give necessary room to competitors. The racing in the Advanced class is racing as it should be time and time again. With little contact and proper racing technique, the Advanced class allows the cream of the crop to rise to the top, and while all racers in the group have a great chance of winning and a great desire to win, at Round #1 it was Kyle Hayner who put together the best package of kart and driver to claim the victory. Hayner drove a marvelous race, unfettered by pressure put on by Kalvin Chen and Stu Hayner, who were right on his rear bumper all race. Hayner has been almost unstoppable recently, winning the final round of 2012 and now Round #1 of 2013. Close behind Kyle Hayner were the battling duo of Stu Hayner and Kalvin Chen. Stu Hayner would make a great last lap pass on Chen in the infield hairpin to claim second position. Chen would finish in third after another great performance. Chen is always fast and will be a strong contender for a season championship in 2013. Chen came across the line at Round #1 pumping his fist with excitement, as even though he had been passed for second on the last lap, the racing action on track was so awesome that both drivers and fans alike couldn't help but to smile and fist pump with excitement. James Hayner would cross the line not far behind the fist pumping Chen, bringing home a solid fourth place finish. James, the youngest of the Hayner racing clan, put in another strong performance, and he is also a driver who will continue to vie for podium finishes as the year progresses. Brad Richardson, an F100 newcomer, raced a strong race, battling with George Gallardo for much of the race before making a pass to bring home 5th place. Richardson is a great addition to the series and he will be a strong contender for podium finishes in 2013. George Gallardo raced well also, battling Richardson throughout the main event. Gallardo is a fast racer, and when he puts it together he is nearly unstoppable. When Gallardo comes to race F100 he is definitely a driver to keep an eye on. Further back in the field was the Kosmic kart of Jean Michel Crettaz. Crettaz raced well all day, but incidental contact with the #25 of James Hayner on lap one forced the Kosmic driver off track and ended his hopes of a podium finish. The Kosmic driver will look to rebound during Round #2 at Willow Springs. 2012 Advanced Class Champion Sebastian Bacon had a tough day at the races, and was unable to start the main event due to an engine issue. Bacon will also look to rebound at Round #2.
Formula 100 Karting Series Round #1 may be in the books, but the smiles and excitement remain. Be sure not to miss out on the fun and excitement that is The Formula 100 Karting Series! The next F100 race will be held at Willow Springs Kart Track on May 11th, 2013. For more information on The Formula 100 Karting Series, head over to F100karters.com.
