September - 2002

• CES Returns to Gateway for Series Race #5
  Round five of the MG Tires Championship Enduro Series was held at the Gateway International Raceway on August 30 - September 1. Having just hosted the IRL Gateway 250 on the previous weekend, many signs were still in place that the Indy cars had just raced there. The ambiance of a professional racing facility always seems to add a little extra excitement when racing at Gateway.
• 3 Tied going in - Brandon Eash comes out on top in the Short Season Championships
  The Short Season Championship was on the line at the Burris Circle Tour on August 18th. Going into the event, Brandon Eash, Kris McCarty and Eric Freiberg were all tied in the points. The Short Season was a six race series that consisted of two races at each of the Burris Circle Tour tracks - Lake Geneva Raceway, Illiana Motor Speedway and Rockford Speedway. Brandon Eash, running at his home track in Rockford, took home the second place trophy for the day and bested Kris and Eric for bragging rights.
• Jr. III's wait until the final inches to decide the winner of the 6th Annual Gold Runner
  Labor Day weekend was the stage for the 6th Annual Jr. III "Gold Runner" for the Burris Circle Tour, the Midwest's premier speedway karting series. The format of the Gold Runner is one ten-lap heat race to set the starting places for the feature, three trophy dashes and a long twenty-five lap feature. The anticipation for the big event had been building as the drivers and their crews plotted strategy to overtake class leader and last year's winner, Jeff Everts.
• PDKA State Championship Kart Series races Round Five
  Amber Lyter of Landisburg celebrated her fifteenth birthday with her biggest racing win of the season Sunday in the Pennsylvania Dirt Karter's Association (PDKA) Burris State Championship Series at the Path Valley Speedway Park. Lyter was one of 19 kart class winners in the fifth race of the six-race series.
• Path Valley Kart Wins to First-timers
  First time winners were the rule as nearly 100 kart and quad riders descended on Path Valley Speedway Park Aug. 17 to practice racing for Sunday's PDKA State Championship Series races. Most of the junior and senior 'boxstock' classes had a dozen or more riders and the caged classes had increased entries too.
• Path Valley Kart and Quad veterans win
  Veteran riders dominated the Burris kart and quad racing Saturday at the Path Valley Speedway Park as points leaders Cory Burhman of Chambersburg and Dane Delancey of Port Royal raced away from bigger than usual fields in the two classes of quads. The four-wheelers packed in to practice for that evening's AMA motorcycle and quads district 6 points race.
• The Rock Island Grand Prix
  In just his second kart race of the year, Californian Scott Speed held off a strong and talented field to win Superkarts! USA's "King of the Streets" at the Rock Island Grand Prix. He was one of five first-time participants to win this year at The Rock. A record field of 254 drivers comprised 390 entries in 16 classes for the largest and most successful event in the eight-year history of the professional kart races.
• Kindler, Cota and others break Badger records
  With last week's running of the WKA Grand Nationals at Badger Raceway, the track was lightening fast for Round 14 of the BKC Bridgestone Tire Championship points series. The national series uses a much softer tire compound than Badger's local racers, so the extra rubber on the track really helped to break some track records. Unfortunately, the extra traction also caused a number of drivers some problems as Badger saw a record number of red flags (eleven).
• Herta talks about 'Stars' GrandNationals, ICA demonstration class
  CART Stars of Tomorrow founder Bryan Herta spoke recently about recent events and the next few important months in the program. "Firstly, I wanted to make sure our participants know exactly how they can race at the Grand Nationals in Las Vegas in November. There are still some regional races upcoming and one National event in British Columbia next month.
• ThunderHill sees huge turnout for mid-August races
  One of the biggest fields of karts this season assembled at Thunder Hill Speedway on Saturday night as Dunn County D. A. R. E. presented the last night for racers to accumulate season points. It was also a night that two father-son duos won feature events in their respective divisions.
• Bach and B-K leave them racing for second
  Jamie Bach and his B-K Motorsports team did it again this weekend and this time it was at the site of the upcoming SCCA National Championship RUNOFFS...Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Bach started from the pole with a new track record, beat the field into turn one, and after some early race pressure from Jim Goughary...Pulled away to a 25-second victory.
• A KGB Agents First Year in S1 - Lemel's Race in Norway
  I was very excited to for the Superkarts Promoto Tour Eastern Zone race at Norway Speedway. I was hoping for this race to be the turning point of my season at one of my favorite tracks which also happens to be only about three and half hours from my home. This was my third time racing at Norway and only my second in a shifter. So as this year's been concerned I have a bunch of experience here, compared to most of the other tracks where I am driving the track for the first time.
• From the desk of the President:
  2002 has been a great year for the International Racing Association. We have enjoyed growth in our racing programs, our newspaper, and our insurance business. We are pleased to provide a top level insurance program coupled with a complete set of rules and technical regulations to help tracks around the country to offer safe organized racing under a uniform set of rules. IRA appoints Mr. Mike Lapke as new National Tech Director and Mr. Timothy Lang as Tech Director of the Championship Enduro Series.
• Margay offers Fast Karts, Great Deals & more
  Just because the end of summer is right around the corner doesn't mean that racing season is over. As a matter of fact, it seems that the karting season is just about a year round deal anymore. We hate to see anyone suffer through the end-of-summer-blues, so we thought we would announce some special deals and some new products to help you forget the fact that Christmas is only 125 days away.
• A Cadet Jr. Sportsman in Race 4 of WKA's Manufacturer's Cup
  Badger Raceway is a very fast track with a lot of rubber, even though it is still hard to keep traction on some of the tracks ten corners. The track is asphalt with concrete on the turns. The whole place overall is a very nice track. The track is in very good condition and has real apexes!
• Woodbridge Kart Club news
  Woodbridge Kart Club will once again run the Team Race on Saturday, September 21, time and weather permitting. The race will be 30 minutes long, run Piston Port Can rules, and have separate classes for sprint and enduro. Normal entry fees apply but please list yourself and your co-driver on the entry. Because this is a once a year event, it will not carry points or year-end awards.
• Ray steps away from Foyt team; Toyota continues testing
  1999 Indy Racing League champion Greg Ray is pursuing other drives in the IRL after he requested his release from the #41 A.J. Foyt Racing entry for the final two races of the season. Ray, from Plano, Texas, joined Foyt Racing at this year's Indianapolis 500 after driving for Team Menard from 1999-2001. He drove in the Chevy 500 last October for A.J. Foyt Racing.
• IRL drivers respect Gateway; G Force growing
  At first glance, Richmond International Raceway might appear to be the toughest track on the Indy Racing League schedule. RIR is a tight, "bullring" oval in which IRL drivers turn laps in the 16-second range. No picnic! But many drivers consider Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., home of the Gateway Indy 250 on Aug. 25, to be even tougher than Richmond. Gateway is a 1.25-mile oval with asymmetrical turns.
• Porsche Michelin Supercup to race again in Indianapolis
  For the third consecutive year, the Porsche Michelin Supercup, the worldıs fastest international single-marquee sports car series, will race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a support event during the SAP United States Grand Prix.
• Team Sajibumi Young Guns claim the Prime Minister's Cup
  Team SAJIBUMI YOUNG GUNS claimed the Prime Minister's Cup this year after winning the Pan Global Indy 40 Enduro 2002. Starting in pole, Sajibumi dropped down to 9th after the first lap due to a slow start. However, they climbed up the ranks steadily and reached the 2nd spot by lap 62.
• A New Book from Steve Smith Autosports - Kart Chassis Setup Technology
  Kart Chassis Setup Technology furnishes comprehensive details on chassis setup and teaches a racer the easiest and best way to prepare a kart for competition. Whether a competitor is racing 2-cycle or 4-cycle, sprint or oval, aspahlt or dirt, this book will help maximize a kart's handling and performance.
• Kart races return to the streets of Milford, DE
  Milford Delaware's 10th Annual Grand Prix Black Top Kart Race returns to its origins on the streets of the downtown business district, October 19-20, 2002. The races include the Rodney J. Harrington Memorial Pro Race, with $500 to the winner and prizes as far back as 10th place, plus 14 feature races which will have trophies awarded to 1st through 5th places.
• MWSS Reigns in Dousman
  On August 3-4, the Midwest Sprint Series visited the Badger Kart Club in Dousman, WI for Round Four of the five race 2002 tour. Temperatures in the 80's and 90's were simmered down by the ever-present Wisconsin winds, as racers did not have the humidity of South Bend or Springfield to deal with. Saturday was a clear day with only picturesque clouds in the sky.
• The St. Louis Karting Association opens its new track to competition
  The weekend of August 17th and 18th marked a milestone in the history of the St. Louis Karting Association as their new track at the I-55 Raceway complex was opened to competition karts. Roughly 150 karts arrived Saturday morning to take part in the opening day of practice.
• The St. Louis Karting Association has it's first complete race weekend at I-55
  The racing Gods smiled on the new I-55 Raceway complex this weekend as the St. Louis Karting Association ran it's first complete weekend of racing. Approximately 100 plus karts signed up to both practice and race. One noteworthy participant was "Quincy in the Park" legend, Pete "The Pistol" Vetter, who had nothing but good things to say about the new facility.
• Kyle Martin captures Pole for "Stars" at Road America
  Trackmagic driver Kyle Martin posted the fastest lap in qualifying today for the CART "Stars of Tomorrow" presented by Snap-on.com event at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex at Road America. Martin lapped the 8/10th-mile sprint kart course in 46.591 seconds, followed by Paul Tracy Karting driver Matt Jaskol of Las Vegas, Nevada at 46.770 and Arizona's Alan Rudolph in the Franklin Motorsports/PCR kart at 46.807.
• Matt Jaskol wins thrilling CART "Stars of Tomorrow" presented by Snap-On.com at Road America
  Paul Tracy Karting driver Matt Jaskol won his first top-level national karting race in exciting fashion as he bested Trackmagic's Kyle Martin with a stunning last lap pass. Jaskol, from Las Vegas, Nevada, unexpectedly dove in on Martin at the end of the main straight on the final lap. Franklin/PCR's Alan Rudolph had stalked the two leaders the latter half of the race and was nearly able to make an issue of it at the end.
• Change Engines in 60 Seconds & Gears in 45 Seconds!
  Although never before heard of or possible, it really is true! TG Squared has the tools to do it. They've developed the "Time Grabber Quick Change Gear System", which incorporates a Quick Change Motor Plate Assembly and Quick Change Gear Hub. With these revolutionary products you can now change motors or gears quickly and easily, with no tools.
• "Winberg wins SSC Racing Shifter Kart Pro Series SK-125 race at Gateway Int'l!"