The first class on the track for their main event was F100 Cadet. The F100 Cadet class is being run as an exhibition class through the 2013 season. With no points on the line, racers in the Cadet class could focus on having fun and learning the intricacies of kart racing. Colin Hawkins and Blake Hawkins both took to the track in pursuit of the victory. In the end, it was Blake Hawkins who would walk away with the victory, with Colin Hawkins claiming second. Both drivers looked solid on track, and with continued seat time, both will continue on their path to becoming formidable racing drivers. It was great to see the smiles on the faces of these cadet racers, and F100 looks forward to their continued participation through 2013 and beyond.
Like the Cadet class, the F100 Junior class is also being run as an exhibition only class through 2013. And like Cadet, two racers showed up for Round #4 at Adams, Nolan Ohnemus and Jared Patterson. When the checkered flag waived, it was Jared Patterson claiming the victory, with Nolan Ohnemus taking home 2nd place. Both racers have raced with F100 before, and it has been a pleasure to watch their development through the 2013 season. Both racers looked solid on track, and with continued seat time, both will continue to become excellent racers. With smiles all around, the F100 Junior racers had a very successful day, and F100 looks forward to many more successful Junior class races through 2013 and into 2014.
For the first time in 2013, F100 was joined by racers from the Socal Shifter Kart Series. SSKS is a new group, developed in conjunction with kart shops GP Track Support and Extreme Karting. SSKS is designed to provide a racing venue for amateur and beginner shifter kart racers who want to enjoy the sport of kart racing. The series, thus far, has one class, a combined class of different shifter engines known as SSKS Shifter Amateur, which is being run as an exhibition only class through the end of the 2013 season. Anything from 80cc shifter karts, to ICC, stock moto and Mod Moto shifters are legal. The idea of SSKS is to provide an affordable avenue for shifter kart racers to enjoy the sport without spending beyond their budget.
For their first race of 2013, SSKS had two racers show up to challenge the backwards Adams configuration, Kalvin Chen and Bill Dickey. Unfortunately, Dickey would experience trouble with his brakes, and would be forced to retire from competition. Chen would stay on for heat #2 but would bow out before the main event as well. Many more racers were scheduled to show up to the first SSKS race. Unfortunately many were not able to make it and had back out at the last minute due to schedule conflicts. SSKS will continue to run for the remainder of the 2013 with the F100 group. SSKS would particularly like to invite 80cc, Mod Moto and ICC racers to the next SSKS race, September 14th at Grange Motor Circuit in Apple Valley, CA. For more information on the Socal Shifter Kart Series, please visit their website, http://socalshifterkarts.webs.com/.
After the shifter karts finished on track, it was back to F100 action. After two exciting heats in F100 Senior Novice, the grid was set for the main, with Patrick Lonnee grabbing the pole. Newcomer Michael Palacios would slot in P2, after excellent work during the heats. At the drop of the green flag it was the #00 kart of Rich Johnson, starting from the 3rd position, who would grab the holeshot, darting to the inside of Lonnee, and grabbing the lead heading into turn one. Johnson would lead for the first few laps, showing excellent pace.
Lonnee would eventually work his way by the Birel of Johnson, moving his Sodi Kart into the lead. After moving into the lead, Lonnee would wisk away from the field, posting fast times, en route to his second victory of the season. Johnson would race strong, posting his best performance of the season with a 2nd place finish. It has been fantastic to see such quick progression from Johnson, who started kart racing only a short time ago. In a very short time period, Johnson has worked his way through the field and now appears to have solidified himself as a Novice class frontrunner. Congratulations to both Patrick Lonnee and Rich Johnson for their excellent drivers at Round #4.
Not far behind Johnson were Alejandro Cruz and Michael Palacios. Cruz, who stormed through the pack to land on the podium, raced an excellent race, as he tirelessly worked to catch the quick Birel driver Palacios, finally reaching his goal with just a few laps remaining. Palacios also raced an excellent race, posting fast lap times and a strong performance in his F100 debut. Palacios shows great talent, and with continued seat time he will continue to contend for podium finishes in 2013.
Rod Hawkins would finish in 5th place, not far behind Palacios and Cruz. Hawkins, also in his first F100 race, raced strong all day. Off to a strong start, Hawkins will look to continue posting solid results at Round #5.
Alex Cruz would finish 6th. Cruz raced well all day, and after an excellent battle with Bill Wilson, he would claim the 6th position. An excellent days work. Bill Wilson, another F100 newcomer, had an excellent battle with Cruz, passing back and forth lap after lap. In the end, Cruz got the position, but Wilson should be proud of the effort he put in during his first F100 outing, and with continued seat time, Wilson is sure to climb the ladder of the Novice class and beyond.
Newcomers Scott Miyako and Jon Watkins finished 8th and 9th respectively. After buying their first race karts only a few weeks prior to race day, both Miyako and Watkins should be proud of the performances they put in at Round #4. Both showed excellent ability on track, and in the pits they both have the desire and mechanical knowledge to get to the front of the Novice class and beyond. For many new racers, finishing your first race is very difficult, as keeping the kart together in the pits and on the track is much more challenging than it looks. Both Miyako and Watkins accomplished this goal with ease, and with continued seat time, both will climb the F100 ladder very quickly. F100 looks forward to their continued participation and development.
Phil Sanine, Vincent Lefevre, Gabe Perreira and Chad Hawkins experienced difficulties on track and were unable to finish the main. A disappointing result, as all four drivers looked strong with a chance to challenge for solid finishing positions. F100 is looking forward to seeing these drivers at Round #5 as all four have an excellent shot at the podium.
F100 Senior Intermediate is always an exciting class to watch, and the action at Round #4 did not disappoint. With a full field of racers with a legitimate chance to stand atop the podium, the competition was fierce. When the dust had settled there was a new face atop the podium. Bryan Bender, a longtime F100 racer and contributor, stole the show and drove away with the hardware.
Bender, who had been sidelined with a shoulder injury and complications arising from shoulder surgery, finally returned to a kart for only his second race of 2013. By the way he drove though, you wouldn't know that his time in a kart in the past few years could easily be counted on two hands, as he easily had the field covered, winning heat 1, moving through the field in heat 2, and blasting away from the pack to claim victory in the main. Only James Hayner seemed to pose a threat to Bender, but a small mistake and a cracked wheel ended Hayners bid for the podium early in the main event.
Coming in second place in his first F100 race was Rene Villeneuve. Villeneuve, a professional American Le Mans Series driver for GMG Porsche, posted excellent lap times all day, even though it had been quite a long time since he had been in a kart. With more karting laps under his belt, Rene is sure to contend for the top spot on the podium in the F100 class of his choosing.
Kyle Gash was able to hold off a hard charging Alex Bacon to claim third place. Gash continues to show well in F100 competition, and if his schedule permits, he will continue to contend for podium finishes and victories in 2013.
Alex Bacon claimed the fourth spot. Bacon, who voluntarily started at the back of the grid after not being able to take any practice laps on the backwards track prior to race day due to kart damage, had an excellent race day, charging through the field in each of the heats, and flying to the front in the main. Had it not been for the formidable Kyle Gash, Bacon would have capped his excellent day with a podium result. Bacon raced fast and clean all day, showing great speed and determination, as he has at previous 2013 F100 races, en route to another excellent finish.
Charging through the field also was Ivan Urueta. Urueta was bogged down greatly at the start of the race, due to an interesting and unfortunate collision between Jeremy Specht and David Schall (more on this later). Lap after lap, Urueta kept a torrid pace, moving through the field en route to an excellent finish. Urueta has experienced great highs and great lows since joining F100. After winning the 2012 Senior Intermediate class championship with excellent performances throughout the year, Urueta earned his Advanced class license. Almost immediately after ascending to the top rung of the F100 Licensing Ladder, Urueta began to experience equipment difficulty that proved too much to overcome. After a voluntary move back to Intermediate, Urueta has slowly but surely been regaining his 2012 form. At Round #4, the Urueta of old was back, as his pace and competitiveness were evident. Urueta's continued efforts are commendable, as during his difficulties he has remained positive and upbeat, and has soldiered on, hoping to reclaim the spot atop the podium once more. With continued effort, Urueta will surely be rewarded, and once he gets his speed all the way back, both the Intermediate and Advanced class racers will need to be on alert for the speedy #33 machine.
Mike Heron would bring his blue Birel home in the sixth position. Heron has showed great speed throughout the year, and has had excellent results to show for that speed. Heron's hard work during the offseason and his continued practice time is evident, as he has been a strong contender at each F100 race in 2013. With continued work, it is only a matter of time before Heron breaks through and stands atop the podium.
Gregorio Urueta would take seventh place. The work that Gregorio has put in is beginning to pay off, as he is consistently posting strong results as he continues to climb up the standings in the Intermediate class. Gregorio has raced well all year and with continued dedication, he is a racer to watch as 2013 progresses.
Mike McGinnis, another F100 newcomer, brought home an eighth place finish. McGinnis, who also voluntarily started at the back of each heat race, raced strong, fast and clean all day. F100 looks forward to seeing McGinnis again soon, as he is a welcome addition to the group.
John Shepherd brought home a ninth place finish. Shepherd, who has shown great speed throughout 2013, had a bit of an off day at Adams, and will look to rebound with a strong performance at Round #5. In the hotly contested Intermediate class, anything less than your best can make a solid finishing position a difficult proposition.
There were three Intermediate class racers who were unable to complete the main event. James Hayner tagged the wall with his outside rear wheel while in hot pursuit of leader Bryan Bender. Hayner had an excellent race day, and would have likely brought home a solid second place finish were it not for the contact. Hayner will look to continue his string of strong performances at Round #5.
The other two racers unable to complete the main event were Jeremy Specht and David Schall, as the two would be involved in an interesting and unfortunate incident at the drop of the green flag. As the field came around the final corner, something caused Specht to overcook the corner, and he strangely banged into Schall, sending the #222 CRG racer off the track, ending his race day. Specht did continue on briefly, but would pull off shortly after. Specht would receive a DQ3 for his actions, an unfortunate result as the contact was most certainly unintentional. But regardless of the intent, the penalty is necessary, as the result of the contact was the end of the race day and the start of a disappointing ride home for Schall. Both racers will look to rebound from this incident at Round #5.
The last group on track for the day was F100 Senior Advanced. Throughout the first two heats, it was evident that the main event would be filled with bumper to bumper racing action. True to expectation, the main event did not disappoint.
Andrick Zeen, an F100 newcomer and experienced racer and tuner, took the victory in his new Vemme Kart. Zeen would lead from green to checker, as he displayed great driving ability, clicking off fast lap after fast lap en route to his first career F100 win in his first attempt. Zeen is a welcome addition to F100 competition, and he will be a serious contender at each F100 race he attends in 2013 and beyond.
Coming home in second, for the second straight race, was Sebastian Bacon. Bacon ran off with the first heat, but struggled to move up in the second heat, after becoming engrossed in a heated battle for position with Stu Hayner that resulted in a brief flight for Bacon and a refreshing dirt bath for Hayner. Starting from fourth in the main, Bacon benefitted from the unfortunate mechanical issues experienced by Kyle Kuntze, and made a nice move on Kalvin Chen to grab second position. Bacon would hold second most of the race, as he was unable to make up much ground on the speedy Zeen.
Third place belonged to Kalvin Chen, who put in another strong F100 performance to extend his season points lead over Stu Hayner and Bacon. Chen, as usual, raced hard, fast and clean all day. Chen will look to continue his streak of solid performances at Round #5 to further extend and solidify his points lead.
Jean Michel Crettaz piloted his beautiful OTK kart to a strong fourth place finish. The Swiss driver posted fast lap times all day en route to an excellent finish. Crettaz has raced well in F100 competition, and his performance at Round #4 was very solid. Crettaz will look for another strong finish at Round #5.
Coming home in fifth was the #32 machine of Stu Hayner. Hayner raced well all day, but did not quite have the pace of the top 5. Hayner started the year off very strong, and he is sure to regain his prior form soon and will be a strong contender for victory at Round #5. Hayner is currently in second place in the points standings, and some strong races at the remaining rounds of the 2013 season could result in an F100 Championship for the Birel pilot.
Steve O'Hara, a multi-time IKF National Champion, brought home a sixth place finish in his first F100 outing. After hurriedly assembling a kart just prior to race day, O'Hara was not able to get the performance that he wanted out of his machine. O'Hara put in a strong effort, and with more time to tune his machine prior to Round #5, he will also be a very strong contender for victory at Round #5.
Kyle Kuntze was, unfortunately, unable to complete the main event due to a cracked header. The ART GP America chassis importer raced strong all day, placing at the top of the heap in each of the heat races. With a few changes made to his kart for the main event, Kuntze looked to have the speed to contend for the victory. The cracked header put a damper on his chances but not on his spirits. F100 looks forward to continued participation from Kuntze, as he should be a top contender for podium results each time he hits the track.
Round #4 showcased how well F100 has accomplished their goal to provide affordable, fun and competitive kart racing with an emphasis on proper racing technique and driver etiquette. Drivers in all classes showcased excellent racing ability. The racing was clean and fast all day, with hardly any on track incidents occurring, which is particularly impressive considering that a pea-pick system was used in lieu of timed qualifying. Many of the racers at Round #4 have been racing with F100 since its inception, and it is excellent to see so much progression and development so quickly. This is a testament to both the hard-work and dedication of F100 racers, and also to the environment that F100 provides, an environment that is fun, competitive, fair and conducive to growth. F100 and the Fast 100 Karting Blog look foward to continued success for all F100 racers, and continued fun and excitement as F100 continues its 2013 season and marches into 2014. F100 has many exciting things on the horizon, and as the series continues, so too will the fun and the competition. F100 would like to thank all of its loyal racers for their participation, and would like to congratulate all racers at Round #4 for their excellent performances. The next Formula 100 Karting Series race, Round #5, will be held on September 14th at Grange Motor Circuit. The track will be run in the clockwise direction. For more information on The Formula 100 Karting Series head to their website, F100karters.com.
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