Veterans Elliott, Horstman win Wheel-to-wheel duels in ICC, ICA Stars of Tomorrow Championships at Moran Raceway BEAUMONT, CA (Nov. 2, 2003) - The final race in the season-long 2003 Snap-on.com Champ Car 'Stars of Tomorrow' presented by RACER Magazine national karting series lived up to the hype Sunday at the all-new Moran Raceway with some sensational wheel-to-wheel action on the one-mile road circuit. In addition to the spectacular racing in the 'Stars Karting Championships', six national karting champions were crowned after the 17-race national campaign. Sunshine greeted the 200-plus racers Sunday morning after rain showers played havoc with the competition on Saturday. Veteran racers Darren Elliott, 35, of Canyon Country, Calif., and Bobby Wilson, 21, of Dousman, Wis., dueled for 23 laps Sunday in the ICC (125cc shifter) division in a classic match-up that saw the two national stars pull away from the rest of the 44-driver field. Polesitter Wilson dove into the first turn at the green light but couldn't hold off the aggressive Elliott on the outside through turn one. For the next 23 laps, it was nose-to-tail for Elliott and Wilson with the Wisconsin driver making numerous attempts for the top spot. But it was Elliott who held off the Eastern Division point leader to win by just two-tenths of a second. Wilson's second place finish was good enough to clinch the 'Stars' national point championship. "I knew it was Bobby on my rear all race long and I couldn't make a mistake," said Elliott, a multi-time national champion who returned the CRG chassis for this race. "It was an awesome race. Bobby drove like a champion. He was very clean and fast. I was able to set my pace and it was fast enough to beat Bobby today." While the veterans were one-two Sunday in ICC, the teenagers put on a show of their own as Graham Rahal, the 14-year-old son of the three-time CART champion and 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, and 16-year-old Alex Speed diced in the late stages of the 23-lap race. Rahal of New Albany, Ohio and Speed of Manteca, Calif., swapped third place twice before the young Rahal was able to claim the podium finish. Fifth place went to David Jurca of Federal Way, Wash., followed by Jan Velez-Walter of Puerto Rico and Alan Sciuto of Orange, Calif. In the ICA (100cc direct drive) main event, Australian Ben Horstman and Canada's Jordy Vorrath swapped the lead on five different occasions in the 23-lap finale before Horstman held off Vorrath by three-tenths of a second at the checkered flag. The drive of the day in any race came from young Robbie Pecorari of Aston, Pa., who finished third after starting 26th in the 40-driver lineup. "It was some great racing today," said Horstman, the 28-year-old European karting veteran who won the ICA Stars finale last year also. "The Stars series does a very good job for karting. Jordy and I race well today and I looked back and saw Robbie coming up. So I made a pretty brave pass on Jordy for the lead and it worked." Pecorari's charge to third place Sunday gave him the ICC national championship in a great battle with polesitter Kevin Glover of Burnaby, B.C., Can., who took fifth behind Chris Green of Beaconsfield, Que., Canada. While the veterans captured the pro divisions at Moran Raceway, the teenagers took home the hardware in the other four classes Sunday. The 80cc Junior Shifter class saw a dominant performance by 14-year-old Kevin LaCroix of St-Custache, Que., Canada, whose win also clinched the Stars national title. LaCroix jumped to the lead at the start and never looked back. His chief rival in the national points, Kyle Rahal of Glen Ellyn, Ill., came from a sixth starting position to place runner-up in 80cc Junior followed by Nelson Mason of Niagara Falls, Ont., Can., Daniel Morad of Markham, Ont., Can., and Patrick Winninger of Yorkville, Ill. "Kyle and I raced all season together and it was a very good battle," said LaCroix, who plans to race in the European karting championship in 2004. Nicholas Johnston of Tarzana, Calif., 13, and Cole Whitt of Alpine, Calif., 12, put on a spirited battle in the Junior Superbox division before Johnston held off Whitt at the checkered flag. Matthew Lee of Syosset, N.Y., rounded out the top three followed by Dominic Scheer of Pinecrest, Fla., and Chris Keller of Green Brook, N.J. Keller's fifth place run secured the national point championship in the Junior Superbox class. "The last couple of laps I had to hold off Cole," said Johnston. "He made some good runs at me. This is my biggest win ever." Young Trevor Daley of Brompton, Ont., Can., survived a bumping match with veteran Curtis Cooksey of Las Vegas, Nev., early in the 18-lap main event Sunday to win the Rotax category. Dennis Howell of Rancho Palos Verde, Calif., Susan McIlroy of Middleton, N.Y. and Lynsey Tilton of El Cajon, Calif., rounded out the Top Five in Rotax, while Clark Sanchez-Figueras of Shadow Hills, Calif., captured the national point championship with an 11th place finish. "We had to make a few adjustments with the jetting of the engines due to the altitude here (2700 feet)," said Daley, a karting mechanic during the week. "But the kart was very good after the changes." The easiest win of the day Sunday came from 13-year-old Garrison Masters of Thousand Oaks, Calif., who ran off from the 31-driver field in the Grand Products Cadet (ages 8-12) class. Masters took the checkered flag by 11.495 seconds in the 14-lap featured. Second went to Sergio Pena of Catharpia, Va., followed by Evan Kalogiannis of Sharon, Conn., Jacob Neal of Wildomar, Calif., and Gustavo Menezes of Coto de Caza, Calif. Neal's fourth place gave him the Stars national point title on Sunday. "I got a great start with Anthony Llopiz and was able to take the lead in turn two," said Masters. "The kart was a little loose at the end but I held a good advantage by then. It's great to win today." The three-day Stars Karting Championships was moved to the new facility in Beaumont, Calif., after the massive wildfires in the Southern California area forced the 200-driver field from the previously scheduled California Speedway weekend. The Champ Car 'Stars of Tomorrow' presenting by RACER karting series is the official first level in CART's driver development system and an officially sanctioned series of WKA/SCCA Pro Racing. Founded by racing star Bryan Herta and now owned in conjunction with a group of racing veterans, including three-time CART champion and Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, the Stars of Tomorrow serves as the first step for the CART driver development ladder. Stars focuses on recognizing the skills of the drivers rather than the technology development within the machines, using FIA/CIK International standards. More information can be found at www.cartstars.com. Snap-on Incorporated is a leading global developer, manufacturer and marketer of tool and equipment solutions for professional tool users. Product lines include hand tools, power tools, automotive diagnostics and shop equipment, tool storage products, automotive diagnostics software and other solutions for the transportation service, industrial, government, education, agricultural, and other commercial applications, including construction and electrical. Products are sold through its franchise dealer van, company direct sales and distributor and Internet channels. Founded in 1920, Snap-on is a $2+ billion, S&P 500 company headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin and employs approximately 14,000 worldwide. More information can be found at www.snap-on.com.