NNKC ended its season honoring one of its own as well as setting championships for a few classes.

STEAD (Oct. 3) – Every year the Northern Nevada Kart Club (NNKC) honors one of its founders with a memorial night race. The late Rick Jerome helped move the club from racing in parking lots to having a track of its own; Desert Park Raceway.

This year however Mother Nature threw a wrench into the works although the club was able to get in enough racing so championships could be decided.

Alec Beaudoin scored wins in both Senior Clone heat races and clinched the class championship.

After qualifying each class got ready to run what they hoped would be two heats and a main.

Senior Clone went first and the championship fight was between a father and son. While both had mechanical challenges during the season the title came down to how they did on this night.

Brud Beaudoin’s second and third place in the Senior Clone heats meant he finished second in the points.

Asked about the night Brud Beaudoin said, “All it takes is a wiin and he’s going to go after the win so that will beat me by one point if I’m second. If he doesn’t win, as we go down the scale, he’s got to finish fifth or better and me sixth or worse. But a win outright does it, no matter where I finish.”

Then Alex, who started the night trailing his father by 24 points, said, “It’s interesting that’s for sure. Just want to put on a show and have fun.”

When the green waved on their first heat Alec Beaudoin took off with his father right behind him. They would finish in that order.

Jason Anderline was third and second in the Senior Clone heat races. The class was one of two that were able to run two heats before the rains came.

When the second heat began Alec was on point but this time Jason Anderline was able to take second dropping Brud Beaudoin to third at the finish. So Alec Beaudoin should be the 2015 class champion with his father the runner-up.

Three championships were already decided before the racing began. The first title went to Cooper Perez in the Kid Kart division.

Cooper Perez made almost every race this season and is the 2015 Kid Kart champion.

Brian Rivera went into the night with the TAG Masters title secured followed by Randy Ryckebosch and Dan Harris.

Brian Rivera is giving up racing for the next few years but he goes out as the TAG Masters champion.

When the green waved Dean Andrews took the point with Rivera giving chase. Later in the race Harris dropped out with mechanical problems while John Ryckebosch took over third and Randy Ryckebosch fell to sixth.

Dean Andrews won the final TAG Masters race of the season.

They all finished in that order and Rivera, now the 2015 champion, allowed this would be his final race for the next few years. He’s going to help his brother Rodney, who owns Nevada Kart Sport, as the business is growing.

The third title that had been clinched was in Junior 2/LO206 where Zack Rivera had a big enough lead that no one was going to catch him.

At the start of the Jr. 2 Clone race winner Isaac Bourque (27) and runner up Jake Guzelis (1) were on the front row.

Isaac Bourque, who was second in points, won the heat race followed by Jake Guzelis and Heather Hadley.

As for Rivera, his father put him into a 125 shifter. He didn’t finish his first heat but ended up 6th in the second, not bad for his rookie outing.

The closest championship battle was in 125 Stock Moto where Alex Gray led Steve Ryckebosch by a scant two points going into the night.

Steve Ryckebosch went into the night second in the 125 shifter points and might have finished second in the points.

When Ryckebosch was asked about the night he said, “Well I have to hopefully beat him and that’s all I’ve got to do no matter where we end up, I have to be ahead of him or he has to be ahead of me. Which ever does that, wins the championship.”

Alex Gray had a slim lead in the 125 points going into the night but he may or may not have won the championship.

For his part Gray said, “I think I’ve just got to stay ahead of Steve. It’ll be interesting, should be fun. My kart was running good on Wednesday when we came out here and practiced.”

The 125 shifters actually ran two heats that night with Matt Koerner winning both of them and Mitch Kennedy taking the runner-up spot in both heats.

Matt Koerner won both 125 Stock Moto heats.

In the first heat Steve Ryckebosch was third ahead of Gray but in the second heat it was reversed with Gray finishing ninth and Ryckebosch ending up 10th.

So their finishing order will depend on how the points, including a throw away race, are totaled.

Junior 1 Clone was another division with its title up for grabs on this night. Chase Delude only had a 38-point advantage over Chase McGraw going into the night.

Asked what winning the title would mean, Delude said, “It would mean a lot. We’re all a circle of friends and it’s a good thing when you’ve got this dynamic between the kids.”

As for McGraw he was getting focused on the job at hand and said, “I need to race smart and pass everybody to get the lead. I’d be really happy if I won the championship.”

When the Jr-1 Clone heat began Aiden Hawkins jumped into the lead with Delude giving chase. The group lost two karts due to a Turn 1 tangle even before the green flag waved.

Aiden Hawkins won the Jr. 1 Clone heat race.

Later more would either drop out or get tangled up with each other. But in the end Hawkins won with Dulude runner up, which probably clinched the championship as McGraw was one of those that never finished the race.

Young Chase Delude finished second in the Jr. 1 Clone race and clinched the class championship.

Going into the night Dan Harris led the F80 shifter points. The race also marked the return of Cody McKinney as well as Greg Latimer, who returned to competition after a five-year absence.

Cody McKinney returned to F80 competition and won the heat race.

When the checkered waved on their heat race McKinney was true to his word as he won. Harris was second and is now the class champion and Latimer ended up sixth.

Dan Harris is the 2015 F80 champion.

Now, except for practice and test sessions the track goes dark until next March when the club’s 2016 season begins. However several drivers will go over the hill to race in California or travel south to the Super Nationals next month.

The club will honor this year’s champions on November 14th during the award’s banquet at the Grand Sierra.

RESULTS

NNKC Night Race – Round 8*

Desert Raceway Park – Oct. 3

Jr. 1 Clone:

Qualifying: 1.Aiden Hawkins, 58.504, 2. Chase Dulude, 3. Asa Gourley, 4. Evan McGraw, 5. Austin Hawkins, 6. Brooks Anderline, 7. Heavyn Hill, 8. Wyatt Sander, 9. Kendra Winters, 10. Korey Sander, 11. Chase McGraw.

Heat 1: 1. Aiden Hawkins, 2. Chase Dulude, 3. Evan McGraw, 4. Austin Hawkins, 5.  Wyatt Sander, 6. Korey Sander

DNF: Brooks Anderline, Chase McGraw, Asa Gourley, Heavyn Hill, Kendra Winters.

Jr. 2/LO206:

Qualifying: 1. Jake Guzelis, 2. Isaac Bourque, 3. Heather Hadley, 4. Bryce Berry.

Heat 1: 1. Isaac Bourque, 2. Jake Guzelis, 3. Heather Hadley, 4. Bryce Berry.

Sr. Clone/SR LO206:

Qualifying: 1. Gary Guzelis, 56.558, 2. Alec Beaudoin, 3. Brud Beaudoin, 4. Rick McLeod, 5. Jason Anderline, 6. Kelly Chinander, 7. Dan Andrews

Heat 1: 1. Alec Beaudoin, 2. Brud Beaudoin, 3. Dean Andrews, 4. Kelly Chinander, 5. Jason Anderline, 6. Rich McLeod.

DNF: Gary Guzelis.

Heat 2: 1. Alec Beaudoin, 2. Jason Anderline, 3. Brud Beaudon, 4. Rick McLeod.

DNF: Kelly Chinander, 2. Gary Guzelis, 3. Dean Andrews.

Tag Masters:

Qualifying: 1. Dean Andrews, 49.624, 2. Brian Rivera, 3. John Ryckebosch, 4. Pandora Garcia, 5. Mike McMullen, 6. Randy Ryckebosch, 7. Jeff Solvason, 8. Dan Harris, 9. Scott Andrews.

Heat 1: 1. Dean Andrews, 2. Brian Rivera, 3. John Ryckebosch, 4. Mike McMullen,5. Pandora Garcia, 6.Randy Ryckebosch, 7. Jeff Solvason.

DNF: Dan Harris, Scott Andrews.

F80:

Qualifying: 1. Cody McKinney, 49.323, 2. Dan Harris, 3. Alan Jaime, 4. Ben Fisher, 5. Greg Latimer, 6. Steve Dow, 7. Jeff Wamre, 8. Dan Votino

Heat 1: 1. Cody McKinney, 2. Dan Harris, 3. Alan Jaime, 4. Ben Fisher, 5. Greg Latimer, 6. Steve Dow, 7. Jeff Wamre

DNF – Dan Votino

Stock Moto 125:

Qualifying: 1. Matt Koerner, 47.128, 2. Mitch Kennedy, 3. Dennis Hill, 4. Zachery Rivera, 5. Alex Gray, 6. Steve Ryckebosch, 7. Steve Dow, 8. James O’Brian, 9. Jeff Wamre, 10. Tyler Wamre.

Heat 1: 1. Matt Koerner, 2. Mitch Kennedy, 3. Steve Ryckebosch, 4. Alex Gray, 5. Jeff Wamre, 6. Dennis Hill.

DNF: Steve Dow, Zachery Rivera, James O’Brian, Tyler Wamre

Heat 2: 1. Matt Koerner, 2. Mitch Kennedy, 3. Jeff Wamre, 4. Dennis Hill, 5. James O’Brien, 6. Zachery Rivera, 7. Tyler Wamre, 8. Steve Dow, 9. Alex Gray,10. Steve Ryckebosch.

*- Prior to the event drives were told that if it rained their final heat would count as the main event.

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