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| January 25, 2010 |
| Team News: Prime Kartsport - Florida Winter Tour Orlando Rotax Report |
Prime Kartsport hit the track en masse a week ago as the Canadian-based CRG outfit had sixteen karts under its tent for the first round of the Florida Winter Tour. Spread across five Rotax Max Challenge classes at Orlando Kart Centre, the rookie-laden squad had an auspicious start to its initial campaign.
“Everyone had a great time under the tent; spirits were up and we had smiles all around,” said Team Principal Frank Menotti. “The DD2 guys worked well together, sharing information and passing it to rookies in other classes, just like a good team should. The tent itself looked great with Prime banners hanging and the entire team had new Prime team shirts. It was a fantastic environment, and everyone felt a part of the team.”
“The race weekend itself was a great success for Prime,” added Team Manager Trevor Wickens. “With so many rookies to major competition and especially world competition like the Winter Tour is, we have to measure success in ways other than direct results initially. In that regard I can’t help but be pleased with how things went, and now we are really excited about round two at Moroso and have a few new drivers and new tricks up our sleeves.”
Nowhere was progression more obvious for Prime/CRG drivers than in the Rotax Junior field nearly 60 strong. After only veteran Reid Arnold reached the final on Saturday, Luke Chudleigh and Fred Woodley joined him in the main event on Sunday, and Chase Pelletier nearly made it four of six team juniors when he finished seventh in the Last-Chance Qualifier. Woodley especially impressed on Sunday, where after being tossed to the back of the field from qualifying he charged through the pack to finish 4th in the LCQ before his first FWT final. Fellow rookies Nick Nogueira and Chris Battagli gained their education in the B-mains, and all are sure to benefit when the racing season begins at home.
 | Chase Pelletier raced one of 16 Prime Kartsport CRG’s in Orlando
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
The senior statesmen of the group in DD2 rode a wave up and down the time sheets at Orlando, never quite finding the groove they were looking for. Enrico Menotti and Eric Simon led the way crossing fifth and sixth on Saturday, before things improved somewhat on Sunday. Menotti, Simon and Tyler McEwan each improved their qualifying position through the prefinals, and Brendan Bain might have done the same if not for being punted into a spin on lap one. Menotti was in peak position sitting on the outside of row two headed to the main, but things went away in the final as Menotti and McEwan limped to a pair of top tens and Simon and Bain retired early.
Robert Wickens, Max Preston and Erik Dalla Riva had Prime Kartsport in the senior field of 48 and by varying accounts, all three were rookies. Wickens was in a kart for the first time since 2005, Preston was racing his first weekend of Senior competition and Dalla Riva was at his first large-scale event, period. Wickens didn’t take long to have total recall, qualifying P13 on Saturday and P8 on Sunday, but on both days had problems take him from the top ten. The first came after five laps Saturday while he raced just three of the main on Sunday before being squeezed into the wall. Preston and Dalla Riva raced the B-side on both days, but showed beyond a doubt the A-main is sure to come. Preston drove from fourteenth to finish third on Saturday, and Dalla Riva went from seventeenth to second on Sunday.
In the kid classes at Orlando Tyler Rushton and Alex Murphy had Prime/CRG entries in Mini-Max while William Ferguson raced Micro-Max. Another trio of rookies, they had a lot to learn in Florida. Murphy came through the LCQ on Saturday after finishing fifth and Rushton was fifth himself in the B-main. Both raced their Sunday, where Murphy scored a fifth-place of his own. Ferguson also made progress, as he gained time throughout the weekend. His fastest lap in the Saturday final was better than his qualifying time, and his best lap from the Sunday final was quicker than both.
Prime Kartsport is now preparing for the second round of the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge set for Palm Beach International Raceway February 19-21. Watch the internet for the launch of primekartsport.com prior to that, and follow the team on Facebook. |
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