2008 JANUARY-FEBRUARY RACE RECAPS

So-Cal Kartsport's team drivers and customers have had excellent results so far in 2008. Racing in 3 different series around Southern California, Tri-C Karters, SKUSA Winter Nats and the NCK Road Racing Club, all the drivers have been bringing home hardware.

In the SKUSA Winter Nats, So-Cal Kartsport co-owner Blair Chang has been competing in the G1 class piloting a G.P.8 powered by a TM K9C with tuning assistance from the Aluminos Team and Rob Soares. Soares has a long standing relationship with So-Cal Kartsport from when he owned KLS, the G.P. importer.
In the first weekend of racing at Calspeed in Fontana, California, Blair was only available to run on the first of 2 days of racing because of a scheduling conflict after the season opener was postponed a week due to weather. Blair ran very fast in practice and qualifying but inadvertent contact in the heat race and the main prevented him from challenging for the lead. None the less he took the bit between his teeth and rallied to a solid 3rd place finish.

So-Cal Kartsport co-owner Blair Chang in his G.P.8 flying the Aluminos colors.

At the second race weekend at Qualcom Stadium in San Diego Blair was again forced to participate in only the 1st day of action after he battled flu like symptoms and the competition to finish a strong 2nd place. The following day's heavy rain made him think better for his health and he called it a weekend.
Blair has been using the Winter Nats as a springboard for the upcoming season in the ProKart Challenge Where he will be racing in the ultra competitive G1 class.

In Tri-C Karters action at Apex in Perris, California, So-Cal Kartsport co-owner Tony Sinicropi has been piloting a First Kart with Parilla Leopard power in the TaG Masters class. In the first race of the year Tony was forced to start the heat race from the back of the field after he experienced mechanical problems and missed qualifying. Tony made an aggressive start and went from 10th to 4th on the first lap. Unfortunately 2 laps from the end he threw a chain which would put him at the back of the grid again for the main. Tony drove a steady and smooth race and rallied back to finish 4th. This was his first trophy in a TaG race.

So-Cal Kartsport co-owner Tony Sinicropi, 2008 February Tri-C TaG Masters.

The second Tri-C race, also at Perris, Tony avoided any mechanical setbacks, finding himself second quickest in practice. He qualified 4th , his best qualifying effort in TaG. As the green flag flew for the start of the heat race a driver starting from the back made an overly ambitious move, missed the 1st corner completely and went spinning in front of the whole field. Miraculously all the drivers avoided hitting him including Tony but he lost 4 spots in the chaos. Again driving a steady and smooth race he fought back up to 5th where he would start the main. In the 18 lap feature Tony drove a consistent and smart race running as high as 3rd until his tires started to go off in the final laps resulting in his falling to a 4th place finish. Tony ran his fastest lap of the day in the main and will be looking forward to running up front this year as he continues to improve and become more acquainted with his TaG power.

Also in Tri-C, Kenny Necochea has found some early success in his first year behind the wheel of a First Kart. Last year Kenny ran in the Yamaha Sr, Sportman class and has changed not only his chassis but also the motor and class to HPV 4 Heavy. In his first race in an HPV Kenny took on a very experienced bunch of drivers and came out with an 8th place in qualifying. He moved up to 5th in the heat race. In the main Kenny continued his climb up the charts, reaching as high as second before ending the day in a very strong 3rd place. Kenny's grandfather and dad had spent the day working on getting acclimated to the new chassis/engine package the end results showed they were going in the right direction..
In the second Tri-C race of the year Kenny qualified 10th but then the top 10 were covered by only 1 second. Kenny's skill as a driver made up for it in the heat race as he finished 5th. In the hotly contested main Kenny actually moved into the lead early on but eventually fell back to 3rd where he finished. Unfortunately they were DQ'd in post tech for a minor infraction. Once the team gets a little more HPV experience under their belts Kenny should be fighting for a victory.

And finally the NCK Road Racing Club had their season opener at Buttonwillow Raceway in California where new First Kart driver Luis Marrero proved to be the class of the World Formula field in his new First Kart Monaco 4 cycle racer. Lewis started from the back of the field for this event and proceeded to slice through the field notching his first career victory. Luis was delighted with his new chassis and we couldn't be happier for his immediate success. We look for Luis to continue running up front through out the year

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THE NEW FIRST KART VR32C

The new First Kart VR32C is the latest evolution of the championshiip winning chassis line. First Karts are built in Italy but they they work very closely with First Kart of North America, listening to their input and suggestions. the results are numerous championships and excellent customer service.

Improvements to the chassis make the already large "sweet spot" tuning window on all the First Karts even greater as the rear end is even easier to free up.

Front end improvements include new 25mm spindles that are not only fatter but also longer. Also new is an 8 position castor/camber adjustment.

First Karts will also be utilizing the new for 2008 KG bodywork on their karts. The new bodywork is lighter than any bodywork that is CIK approved. The new sidepods will be released after the first of the year to complete the new package.

The new VR32C is available in both shifter/125cc configuration and TaG/100cc. We are taking orders now for January delivery.

First Kart also makes an excellent DD2 chassis that is based on the championship winning V32.

Call us for more information on the First Kart chassis line at 818-255-2010.

So-Cal Kartsport Now Does Commissioned Artwork

THE LATEST ARTWORK!

This is the latest piece created to comemmorate Brett Smrz Dual Stars Champiionship. The picture is of Brett flying over the famous Tic Tac Toe at Sonoma as he clinches the Stars West JICA title to go along with the East title. The actual picture measures 24"x36". Will you be next? Call for a price quote!

Blair Chang at thte Pro Kart Challenge at Calspeed in 2007. The original art piece measures 24"x36".

Sample Posters

Here are several samples of the type of posters we can create for you. Poster sizes can be as large as 24x36.

TEAM SHIRT DESIGNS

We can design your team shirts and have them printed at unbelievable low prices. Whether you have 1 shirt or 100 there is no expensive silkcreen fees like screen charges and color seperations. we can do full color printing on any shirt as long as it is 65% cotten. Cost of printing on shirts vary depending on location and number of prints per shirt. Supply your own artwork and shirts to save even more!

SAMPLE DESIGNS

ORIGINAL ARTWORK FOR YOUR HOME, OFFICE OR TROPHY ROOM

Now you can have your favorite driver immortalized in a personalized piece of art. Artist and co-owner of So-Cal Kartsport, Tony Sinicropi, has 2 art degrees and has been drawing cars for years. Some of his work includes doing murals in the showroom at Ferrari of Central Florida who also bought 4 original drawings for the owner's office. Tony also does the print ads in Go-Racing Magazine and all the graphics for the So-Cal Kartsport website. Whether it be karts or Formula One just provide a picture of what you would like to have done and Tony will create a masterpiece that will be more than suitable for framing. Tony's choice of medim is colored pencil and magic marker along with paint which achieves an effect simular to oil paints and airbrush with fine detailing. Samples of his work can be seen below. Call So-Cal Kartsport for more details on sizes, pricing and time availability.

Call for details on how we can help you create a winning image for your team!

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So-Cal Kartsport Race Team Reports

February 11, 2007

Driver: Mike Graves
LAKC Cal Speed, Fontana, CA.

The Los Angeles Kart Club looked more like the Yacht Club to start out the day's event as rain fell at the Cal Speed karting facility for round 2 of the 2007 season. Mike Graves would be competing again in the Junior Rotax class for only his 2nd time. Banking on his excellent showing in round 1, the new First Kart T.01 pilot had high expectations for the race and the rain wasn't changing that.
Do to the weather the turnout was small so several classes were combined for the heat race. The combined kart field would consist of a combination of Jr. Rotax, Mini Max, HPV 2 and Jr. Superbox for a total 15 drivers. Not wanting to risk anything in the rain Mike and his dad/tuner Mike Sr., decided to skip qualifying and were relegated to the last position on the grid (15th) for the heat race. Mike would have his work cut out for him if he was to catch up to the fast guys. He would have to carve his way past some slower karts, not get held up and not get caught up in any wrecks as the racing conditions would be slick.

Luck was on his side as the rain had stopped when the green flag dropped to start the heat race. With rain tires assisting him he showed what he could do with smart driving and determination. On the 2nd lap he had picked up 6 places followed by 2 more in the next lap and then settled into 6th place overall by the 8th and final lap.
The main would show that the heat race was no fluke as Mike picked off drivers one by one in the 14 lapper. On the 9th lap he took the class lead for good and ended up grabbing one more spot from an HPV2 driver to finish 1st in class and 2nd overall.
"We knew we were going to be fast today as Mike has really taken to the Jr. Rotax and the First Kart really quickly." Mike Sr. stated." Mike loves the power of the Rotax and says the First Kart is by far the best kart he's ever driven. He loves it! In fact he doesn't want to drive anything else!"
The Graves would like to thank So-Cal Kartsport for their continued support and are looking forward to their next race.

January 27, 2007

Driver: Scott Chohlis

So-Cal Sprinters at Adams Kart Track, Riverside, CA

So-Cal Kartsport's team driver Scott "Cholo" Chohlis cruised to an easy victory in his First Kart V32/Leopard in the TaG class in the opener for the So-Cal Sprinters 2007 season. Scotty decided to do the race in virtually the 11th hour after an S.C.K. team practice at Moran was cancelled do to a sudden schedule conflict the night before. Not one to miss a chance to race, Scotty took it upon himself to hit Adams on his own.

Qualifying was replaced by the old "Pea Pick" formula and Scotty was given the "bad pea", sticking him in last place on the grid. It didn't seem to matter though as he methodically passed his way up to the front on the 6th lap out of 8 in the 1st heat race. He held the position easily and would start from the pole for the 2nd heat.
In what could only be described by the onlookers as a "yawner", Scott led from flag to flag in the 2nd heat race, easily pulling away from the field. He would start the feature event on pole.
In the main, Cholo led from start to finish and was never challenged, in fact he actually lapped part of the field all the way up to 6th position.
"The V32 felt great and really handled well with the YHC's," Scotty stated. Recent testing on the kart has been on MG Yellows in preparation for the Pro Kart Challenge events.

January 21, 2007

Driver: Mike Graves
LAKC Cal Speed, Fontana, CA.

The Los Angeles Kart Club kicked off their 2007 season with a great turn out on Sunday January 21st under clear skies, a somewhat windy day and typical California winter temperatures in the 60s. So-Cal Kartsport was there to support their latest team member, Michael "Mike" Graves who would be piloting a First Kart T.01 in the Jr. Rotax class.
On Saturday Mike turned only a handful of laps in the First Kart. It was the first time he had driven a full size kart or anything more powerful than an HPV2. He took to both very well and his results on Sunday would prove it.
On Sunday qualifying Mike posted a 54.08, missing the pole time by .18. He ripped off the flying lap on his second lap, falling victim to a flat tire for the rest of the session. He would settle into the number 2 position.

Mike Graves in his First Kart T.01/Rotax at LAKC.

At the drop of the green flag for the heat race, Mike quickly jumped to the lead, holding the point for several laps and pulling out to a 3 kart gap to the second place driver at one point. Still becoming acquainted with a new kart and more power he went wide on turn 3 and the gap was lost and 2 drivers got by him. Mike drove smoothly to finish an easy 3rd where he would start for the main.

The main played out a little differently than the heat race as the competition were now aware of the threat coming from the new driver in the First Kart. Mike fell to the number 4 spot at the start as he was unable to get a good jump. He soon came under attack and fell to 5th. The top 5 drivers stayed tied in a train as they pulled away from the rest of the field. Mike tried several times to get by the number 4 position kart, showing maturity and excellent kart control, driving side by side through several corners with out incident. Finally on the last lap on the 2nd to last corner, he powered by and held the position for good to finish in 4th, an excellent result for the first time First Kart/Jr. Rotax pilot.
Mike will contest the entire season in the Jr. Rotax class at LAKC and possible in some other clubs including Gators. "We're really excited about how quick Mike was out there in his first race with a full size kart and a Rotax," said proud father and head tuner Mike Graves Sr. "We think we can win some races and be a serious contender for the championship. The First Kart was great and Mike said it may be the best kart he's driven. As he gets more practice time in the kart he's bound to get quicker as he learns how to drive with more power. We would like to thank So-Cal Kartsport for all their help including tuner Scott Chohlis who put the kart together for us under short notice and team principle Tony Sinicropi for his assistance in turning a wrench and getting the whole deal put together in only a week's time. The guys at S.C.K. may only be a year old but they know what they're doing!"

January 6, 2007
Pro Kart Challenge, Round 1

Moran Raceway, Beaumont, Ca.

Before the new year was even a week old So-Cal Kartsport kicked off their ambitious 2007 racing season at round 1 of the Pro Kart Challenge. S.C.K. was there with 6 drivers under their tent while Lorenzo Mandarino sported the So-Cal Kartsport colors on his kart while running out of the KLS tent in a show of his support for the yearling kartshop. A total of 180+ drivers showed up to compete in the first PKC event of 2007 and most brought their "A" game to the track.
Ready to contest the ultra competitive TaG Sr. class were S.C.K. local team driver Scott "Cholo" Chohlis and First Kart of North America's A.J. Whistler making the trip from Arizona, both piloting First Kart V32's with Parilla Leopard power.
In G2, S.C.K. had 4 drivers; Blair Chang in his G.P.8/K9B, Dan Aspesi G.P.8/K9B, Tom Kim G.P.8/K9B and Gene Agatep in a TonyKart/Vortex.
Lorenzo Mandarino would be piloting a G.P.8/K9B in the S1 class.
The talent stacked TaG Sr. class with a field of 29 karts produced near record lap times for the front row qualifiers running in the 1:04.8 range. Cholo qualified 16th while A.J. managed an impressive 14th considering it was his first time in the kart and he was still recovering from a compound fracture of his leg that he had suffered several months earlier. Cholo and A.J. showed a true team effort, sharing set-up information which resulted in them running nose to tail through out the race day. In the first heat the two drivers shadowed each other while moving up slightly as Cholo finished 12th and A.J. fell in behind in 13th. In the second heat Cholo shot into the top 10 quickly but problems set him all the way back to 17th. A.J. suffered a similar set back and finished ahead of him in 16th.
The main provided plenty of drama from the start when in turn 2 an ambitious move by a TaG Sr. driver caused a bit of mayhem resulting in a chain reaction of chaos that collected Cholo's rear end. Cholo kept his foot in it as he exited the track at the top of the corner and "dirt tracked it" around the perimeter before re-entering at turn 3 but still costing him several places.
Meanwhile A.J. kept his nose clean and moved up to 12th only to fall victim to a throttle cable problem that sidelined him on lap 4. Cholo carved his way through the field from 20th to finish an impressive 11th in the 8 lap feature.

Scott "Cholo" Chohlis in his First Kart V32/TaG/Leopard. Picture courtesy of Sean Burr at Go-Racing.

In the G2 field where ICC drivers have to pack on the extra pounds to match their "Masters" age category, the S.C.K. Team drivers had their work cut out for them but still made an impressive showing in their inaugural outing. So-Cal Kartsport Co-Team Owner Blair Chang came prepared and was fast right out of the box in the first practice session. Tom Kim spent the session shaking down his new kart while Gene Agatep worked on getting his kart sorted for his first race in a while. Dan Aspesi skipped the session completely as he was thoroughly preparing for his first race in his new G.P.8.
The second practice session again had drama as Blair was caught out by a slower kart. Despite trying to avoid the moving "chicane", he clipped him with his front tire resulting in a bent frame. Dan made it on the track and got squared away while Gene and Tom continued to progress.
Qualifying saw Dan miss the front row by .163 but the tight field would slot him all the way back in 5th. Blair, bent chassis and all was only .211 behind Dan and would start 6th, as the kart was a full second of its pre-bent time. Gene shocked everyone, taking his old TonyKart and putting it in 10th position a little over 2 seconds behind the pole time. Tom struggled slightly with his new G.P.8 and fell .163 behind Gene into 11th position out of the field of 27.
The 1st heat race started out with a bit of confusion as the in track timing system faltered resulting in all the timing and scoring to be done by the very capable and resourceful Pro Kart staff. The good news for S.C. K. was that Dan and Blair took off and finished 2nd and 3rd respectively while Tom managed to move up considerable to 7th. The bad news was that Gene had a stuck throttle cable and shut it down for DNS.
Heat 2 got under way with the timing and scoring back online. The bad news this time was Dan got a poor start and fell from 2nd to 7th where he remained through out the race. Meanwhile at the back of the grid, Gene was relegated to 2nd to last do to his DNS in the 1st heat while for some odd reason Tom wasn't allowed to take his spot on the grid when another driver mistakenly took it. Tom was then forced to start from the rear of the field.
Blair had a decent start and battled hard for 2nd place and grabbed it for good on the 6th lap out of 10. Gene found a hole and shot through it, picking up 5 places on the first lap, he found 3 more spots to finish 18th. Tom went on a tear grabbing 3 spots on the 1st lap, 4 more by the 4th lap and another 4 by the end to finish 16th.
With darkness coming quick the main was shortened to 5 all or nothing sprint laps and for some that was exactly what happened. At the start Dan jumped 4 spots to 3rd with Blair right in front of him. The drivers jockeyed for position through the first 3 turns but no places were given up. All that changed though after the 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions disappeared into the down hill esses. A cloud of dust rose above the hill and only Dan emerged. Blair suffered the worst of the incident, going off and ending his day.
Meanwhile back in mid pack, Tom moved up through out the sprint to finish 13th and record the 4th fastest lap of the race. Gene moved up to finish 15th in his aging TonyKart, an impressive drive considering the age of his equipment compared to his competition's. Dan "The Man" Aspesi, after his first lap incident, ran strong and took home a solid 2nd place notching the 3rd quickest time of the race.

Dan Aspesi in his G.P.8/K9B in the G2 class, taking 2nd as night falls. Picture courtesy of Sean Burr at Go-Racing.

In the S1 class where the crème de le crème reside in the Pro Kart Challenge, only one name and one kart is all that needs mentioning. Lorenzo Mandarino and his G.P.8/K9B was the class of the field all day taking the pole, winning both heat races and handily walking away with the overall victory.

Lorenzo Mandarino in his G.P.8/K9B sweeps up the S1 class. Photo courtesy of Sean Burr at Go-Racing.

So-Cal Kartsport is entering their 2nd year of operation and are committed to running the entire Pro Kart Challenge season along with the Tri-C Karters season. So-Cal Kartsport team principle Tony Sinicropi stated after the race, "This was our biggest team event to date and I think all in all we did a pretty good job. Although we are fairly new as a team we worked really well together and our tuners proved that they are second to none. Every driver got faster all day. That says a lot for our preparation and our knowledge of chassis's. There is room for improvement and we are already making plans to be better at the next race. Our goal is to be professional, get results, get better at every race and have a lot of fun all year long. So far we're on the right track. We can't wait for the next race!"
S.C.K. would like to thank all the people that worked so hard to get our drivers on the track. They include Marc and John Zartarian, Jeff Osborne, Will Ving, Jeff Doidge and everyone else that volunteered their assistance. S.C.K. would also like to thank Rob Soares and everyone else at KLS including Vince and Lorenzo Mandarino for their help and support. The next race should be even more fun!

SO-CAL KARTSPORT RACE TEAM

October 7, 2006

IKF Region 7 at Grange, Apple Valley, California

So-Cal Kartsport's team driver Scott "Cholo" Chohlis continued on with his impressive driving and tuning skills at Grange for the final weekend of racing for IKF Region 7. When he wasn't driving and wrenching on his First Kart T.01 with Parilla Leopard power to compete in the TaG Light class, he was tuning for Timmy Bachman who was running in Jr. Super Box and JICA. The two found great success and also oddly enough ended the day racing on the track at the same time!

Photo Courtesy of Sean Burr of Go-Racing

The day started with a question mark as Scott was relegated to using his back-up motor (a stock Leopard) after his built Leopard packed it in on Friday practice after he posted the quickest time of the day. After practice on Saturday morning he found himself slightly off the pace of Ray Robinson and his TonyKart/Sonic who led the time sheet.
Qualifying is when it matters though and Scott showed that he was up for the test knocking 3/10ths off of his fastest time on the last lap and taking the pole from Robinson with a 56.085.

Cholo holding on to his lead over Ray Robinson, Rob Logan and NicK Johnston.

The heat race was exactly that as Cholo shot out to the point with Robinson on his tail. The two front runners put on a clinic of skill and kart control, driving side by side at the end of the main straight and into turn one with barely an inch between their tires and without as much as a bump of their side pods. This hotly contested battle continued on for 7 of the 12 laps until Robinson finally found his way by on lap 8 through turn 2 and 3. The two stayed close until the white flag when Cholo's throttle cable came loose. To Cholo's credit he quickly took control of the situation and drove the last lap with one hand on the carburetor and finished 3rd as the TonyKart/Sonic driven by Rob Logan got by him for 2nd.
As the sun began to set on the day and the 2006 IKF Region 7 season it was decided that JICA would be running with the 2 TaG classes. The JICA's took to the track first with a gap left behind them to the TaG Heavy and Light class. As the TaGs rocketed down the front straight to take the green the two TonyKart/Sonics held the lead into turn one with Cholo unable to make it by either driver. Robinson held the top spot after the first lap as Logan sat in 2nd with Cholo in his wake. The order remained the same through the first 9 laps as Robinson stretched out to a comfortable lead. Logan's Sonic power showed its strength on the straights but Cholo continuously looked to be held up through the infield section, taking peeks on several corners especially turn 12. On the 9th lap as Logan and Cholo began to catch one of the JICA drivers, Cholo found his opportunity to pass and made it stick at turn 12. Cholo then got after it posting his best race time on the 10th lap with a 56.722. Robinson answered on the 11th lap posting his best time with a 56.314. The cards were dealt and the checker flag fell on the 12th lap with Robinson winning, Cholo finishing 2nd 5.597 seconds behind with Logan taking 3rd one second behind Cholo. To Cholo's further credit, his driver that he tunes for, Timmy Bachman, finished 2nd in JICA to go along with his win earlier in the day in Jr. Sportsman.
So-Cal Kartsport would like to thank the Bachman's for letting Scott split his tuning duties with driving for our team. It's that type of sportsmanship and understanding that makes karting the fantastic sport that it is. We congratulate Timmy on a great season and an awesome finale to his 2006 IKF season.
In Cholo's 3 races that he has done for So-Cal Kartsport he has put together 1 win and 2 second place finishes in his First Kart T.01 with stock Parilla Leopard power. Impressive results to say the least. Scotty Chohlis will be racing almost every weekend as he prepares for the SKUSA Super Nats in Las Vegas in November where he will compete under the First Kart of North America tent for So-Cal Kartsport in the TaG Senior class.

Sept. 17, 2006

Los Angeles Kart Club at Calspeed, Fontana, California

So-Cal Kartsport's newly signed team driver Scott "Cholo" Chohlis cruised to an easy victory in the TaG class in Sunday's LAKC race. Cholo's victory was impressive in that it was the first time he had ever driven the Calspeed track, qualified 3rd with virtually no practice, won the heat race and then won the main with ease leading from flag to flag.
The heat race began with veteran TaG driver Jim Schafer holding the point in his Arrow/Leopard closely followed by Nick Johnston in his Marenello/Leopard with Cholo in his First Kart/Leopard shadowing the two. The trio remained tied together as they soon pulled away from the rest of the 17 kart field. Cholo waited patiently to make his move and was rewarded on the 6th lap when Johnston made a bold move on Shafer going into the hairpin. The two touched and Cholo shot past them both never looking back for the win. Johnston finished second as Shafer retired from the contact.

Scott "Cholo" Chohlis leading the field at the start of the main.

In the main, Cholo led from start to finish and was never really challenged. Johnston, who started in 9th position behind Shafer as a penalty from the contact in the heat race, was the closest competitor as he carved up the field to finish 2nd. Although Chohlis appeared to be on cruise control through out the race began lapping traffic on the 11th lap which helped Johnston to make some headway on him but to no avail.
Chohlis was driving a First Kart T.01 with a stock Parilla Leopard for only his second time and had nothing but praise for the package.
Chohlis stated," The kart was a dream to drive and the stock Leopard had power to spare. Since I was so far ahead I ran it rich to preserve the motor. I also was taking it easy to preserve the kart. I had plenty of power in reserve and the kart was handling perfect. If Nick would have got closer I would have been able to lay down quicker times, no problem."
So-Cal Kartsport Co-Team Principle Blair Chang was pleased with the results saying, "Scott drove great, had a great attitude and the support he receives from his family and friends is fantastic. It all added up to a awesome day and I look forward to our next race."
So-Cal Kartsport Co-Team Principle Tony Sinicropi added, "I knew Scott would finish high as he has a lot of driving talent and technical knowledge in both motor and chassis set up. What makes me happy is that he really likes the First Kart and had no problem putting it up front and keeping it there. I don't think anyone can doubt that First Kart is one of the best chassis's around. As Scotty gets more familiar with the kart the combination of the 2 may well be a force to be reckoned with."

August 23, 2006

So Cal Sprinters Summer Shoot Out Sponsored by So-Cal Kartsport Round 3, Adams Kart Track Riverside, Ca.

So-Cal Kartsport's newly formed race team took to the track for round 3 of the Summer Shoot Out with 2 new drivers. Scott Chohlis driving a First Kart T.01 with a Parilla Leopard would compete in the TaG class while Jesie Oldenburg would be competing in the Sr. Sportsman class. Both drivers would find some success on the track in their first drives in the karts.

Scott was fast right away qualifying 2nd for the heat race. After the start Scott slipped back to 3rd but passed his way back up to 2nd where he finished behind the pole sitter and class points leader Mike Mantel. Scott would start in 2nd again for the main . As the green flag fell for the main the field screamed into turn one known as "Big Monza". This time Scott held his position as they exited the corner and hitched on to Mantel's rear bumper. Mantel who has been relatively unchallenged all season in the TaG class found that this race would be different. As the 2 leaders checked out from the rest of the field Mantel seemed harried by the fact that Scott was still tied to his bumper. Scott took several looks inside throughout the early laps but seemed content to wait for the right moment to make his move. Unfortunately by the halfway mark Scott's brakes began to fade and the used tires that he chose to run also lost their grip as the hot track temperature and the high speeds took their toll. This combination put an end to his hopes for victory however the two leaders had managed to put such a huge gap between them and the rest of the field that Scott had no problem holding his runner up position to the finish. Mantel seemed relieved to be able to keep the win. Had not for Scott's fading brakes and tires the rersults may have been different. It was obvious he couldn't shake him until his brakes went away.

Scott said that the First Kart T.01 chassis felt good and was reponsive to all the changes he made and the "bone stock" Parilla Leopard ran flawless. He reasoned that because the brake pads were the same ones used on the kart when it ran at King Taco in early July they should have been changed and the slightly used tires obviously weren't the right choice. The good news is that this was more of a test race for Scott in exploring the First kart chassis. Victory can't be to far off.

In the Senior Sportsman race Jesie Oldenburg also drove a First Kart T.01. His chassis differed in that he was using a 40mm rear axle set up. Jesie qualified 7th for the heat race in what was his first race of 2006. Jesse made it up to 3rd but eventually faded back to fourth where he would start the main. On the first lap of the main Jesie made it up to 3rd again but going into Big Monza on the next lap he was passed by by Brian Philipson. The 2 touched exiting the turn and Philipson spun off. Jesie finished in 3rd but was moved back to 4th after the race director decided that Jesie was guilty of rough driving despite that fact that no protest was filed.

Tony Sinicropi, Team Principal of The So-Cal Kartsport Racing Team said, "We were using this race as an r&d outing. We were looking at our drivers and how the chassis's were working with them along with the engine packages we chose. We feel we have an excellent start and know what direction we have to go on some choices. The drivers are definetly the right choice and we are looking into expanding our team by putting a few more drivers into karts in other Southern California club races. The results we got this weekend definetly generated some interest and it shouldn't be long before First Kart will be well known out West besides in the Stars of Karting series where they took 3 of 10 National titles."

August 13, 2006

Travis Lowe Bags Gold Cup World Formula Light Championship and a Race Car Ride

Since the Gold Cup West’s inception three years ago it has been World Formula Light that has defined the spirit of the series. Tight racing where the driver’s skill and Kart set up determine the victor. Travis Lowe held on for a solid fourth in the main. More importantly it put Travis in the catbird seat for the Senior High Points Championship and the ride in the race prepared Scion TC at Willow Springs with Danny McKeevers Fast Lane Racing School. When Travis finished 4th in the World Formula Heavy class he secured it. Congratulation goes to Travis on a great season, winning the ‘06 championship and the race car ride!

July 21, 2006

Travis Lowe, First Race, First Place, First Kart!

On a scorching hot day in Riverside, California at the world famous Adam's kart track, where there were more casualties off the track than on as drivers succumbed to heat exhaustion and dehydration, Travis Lowe shined brighter than the sun.
Travis braved 120 degree plus temperatures to score So-Cal Kartsport's first victory in only 7 months of being in business. The young driver did it in remarkable fashion in only his second year of competing in the 4 cycle World Formula class. He lead the time sheets in practice, grabbed the pole in qualifying, won the heat race (no pun intended) and then took the win in the main to complete a perfect sweep to remain the current points leader in the class. All this is impressive enough but this is where the story begins…
Travis was driving a brand new First Kart Monaco chassis in the 4 cycle World Formula class in So-Cal Sprinters Summer Shoot-Out Series sponsored by So-Cal Kartsport. The chassis had never been on the track before the morning practice and Travis had never even tested the chassis before that. The First Kart Monaco was flawless in the brutal conditions but Travis's talent and bravery were equally if not more responsible for the victory.
As the temperature soared to 122 degrees Travis began to feel the heat as much as the other drivers. Pulling double duty, driving in both HPV 4 and World Formula, he was overcome with heat exhaustion and dehydration before the World Formula main. Paramedics administered fluids and cooled him off in time to run the final to the dismay of his competition as he pulled off the victory with ease, or so it seemed. After the race he immediately was put under the shower in the tech area to cool down and was given more fluids. Unfortunately heat stroke eventually set in again. He was rushed to the emergency room of the local hospital where he recovered completely to the relief of everyone.
Travis says he will never race in conditions like that again but will happily pilot the First Kart Monaco chassis in his next World Formula race at Santa Maria in the WKA Gold Cup West.
The Lowe family would like to thank the paramedics at Adam's and So-Cal Sprinters for all their help. They would also like to thank Rich Hearn for a great motor, Travis's dad/tuner Craig Lowe and of course So-Cal Kartsport for the use of the First Kart Monaco chassis.

So-Cal Kartsport would like to thank Travis and the entire Lowe family for their dedication, professionalism and bravado in what can only be described as brutal conditions in bringing home the first victory for our rookie kart shop. We look forward to more successes with you in the future in more favorable conditions.

SO-CAL KARTSPORT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S FIRST KART DEALER 818-255-2010 info@socalkartsport.com