This time the weather gods once again smiles on the Northern Nevada Kart Club.
STEAD (May 22) – NNKC’s (Northern Nevada Kart Club) first race of the season was a rain out but today the club made it up. Desert Park Raceway was once again home to the sounds of karts tearing around the track.
Saving the best for last the combined Sr/Sumo LO206 race had the closest finish for the day. And the winner wasn’t sure until that final sprint to the checkered flag.
At the post race weigh in winner Stephanie Callahan said, “I ended up back behind quite a few right off the start and thought, ‘man, there’s no way I going to catch back up.’ The person in first (Gary Guzelis) kept pulling away and just kept going and going.
On the green Guzelis took off with Brandon Walsh and Callahan giving chase and Alec Beaudon not far behind her.
After a while there was a knot of karts going into Turn 9, the one before the straight, and somehow Callahan was in the right place as she went in fourth and came out second place.
Then the chase was on.
Lap after lap Callahan closed on the leader and with five to go she drafted her way into the lead.
“Finally made it up to Gary and was just following him for a few laps and kept waiting for an opportunity but he wasn’t giving me very many,” she said. “So I ended up getting him on the front straight then he tried to get on the inside and we were going right next to each other into Turn 3. I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen but I ended up pulling it off.”
However Guzelis wasn’t about to give up and he was soon joined by Beaudon as they pressured Callahan.
Several times they arrived at Turn 9 almost three side but somehow Callahan was able to hold them off. On the final lap she some how managed to keep Guzelis and Beaudon at bay and came home with the victory.
Heading into the last lap Senior LO206 leader Stephanie Callahan (6) holds off challenges by Gary Guzelis (66) and Alec Beaudon (95).
Asked if she knew how close Guzelis and Beaudon were at the end Callahan said, “I saw Alec come up and it was a lot of pressure.
Then she thanked everyone especially the NNKC board.
This race is includes two classes with the Sumo group being a bit heavier. In that race Brandon Walsh took the class win ahead of Jason Anderline and Zack Koch.
During that main there was an almost nose-to-tail duel between three sumo drivers and one senior. Zach Koch was leading, by inches, Jason Anderline and Chris White. At the back of the quartet was senior driver Kelly Chinander.
Three Sumo LO206 drivers Zach Koch (44), Jason Anderline (76) and Chris White (69) along with Kelly Chinander (at the back) had an almost race long, nose-to-tail duel during their main.
The fastest class is the Stock Moto 125 shifter karts. When their main began Jeremy Kay took off with Mike Faker giving chase.
After several laps Faker closed the gap to less than a second over leader Kay and soon they were nose-to-tail. And they stayed that way for most of the remainder of the race.
Jeremy Kay (11) spent a lot of the Stock Moto 125 main holding off Mike Faker.
Kay was able to handle the pressure and opened a slight gap in the final lap to insure his victory while Faker settled for the runner-up-spot.
“I could hear him (Faker) on my right rear quarter panel and I felt him coming on a lot,” Kay said later. “I just had to put in consistent, fast laps and knew where he was going to make a move and where he was stronger and faster.”
He admitted he got tired and needs to do more work in the gym.
Then Kay thanked his family, grandparents, Jeremy, Ryan and Kurt at Holm Racing, Rodney at Nevada Kart Sport for supplying an awesome, fast Tony Kart. Then he thanked Brian Rivera, the Club and the “Man Above.”
The F80 Shifter race was a runaway as right from the start Jeremy Holm checked out and sprinted away from everyone. Behind him however there was a spirited duel for second between Ryan Holm and Jeff Wamre.
Jeremy Holm, using the motor from his father’s kart, ran away with the F80 shifter main.
For much of the race it appeared Wamre had the advantage holding off his younger rival. And the final laps were marked by both a place-swapping duel between these two.
Heading towards the checkered Ryan Holm (8) leads Jeff Wamre. Both drives had a place swapping duel for second in the F80 main.
In the end it became a one-two Holm family finish as young Ryan Holm was able to draft his way into second and hold off Wamre for the runner up spot.
After the race Jeremy said, “I was more worried about these guys (His brother Ryan and Wamre.), glad to see my brother finished second. Special thanks to Team Bankruptcy, our new tire sponsor this year, Kay Motorsports for tires for my brother and special thanks to my father as we generated a motor yesterday in practice and he donated his motor for mine.”
Then his brother Ryan said, “It was really fun, it was really cool. I think I could get second but when he took it back I wanted to make it count. I thanked him very much after I passed him back and I passed him on the straightaway.
And he too thanked the same people his brother did for their support.
When the Junior 2 LO206 main began Jake Guzelis was on point with Aiden Hawkins in third behind Issac Bourque. It would take several laps for Hawkins to finally rundown Guzelis and take the lead.
In the Jr.-2 LO206 main eventual winner Aiden Hawkins first had to catch then pass early leader Jake Guzelis.
Behind them the “race within the race,” was between Bourque, who slipped back to fourth and Chase Dulude. Lap after lap both boys ran nose-to-tail around the course and finished in that order while Hawkins scored the victory.
Asked if he knew he could get to the front Hawkins said, “I was nervous, really nervous. I like this track but I like the bigger ones better.”
Aiden Hawkins on his way to winning the Jr-2 LO206 main.
Then he thanked Cole Nelson, the mechanic, as well as his wife Kelsey and his Hawkins’ father.
Brooks Anderline and Austin Hawkins were one-two when the Junior 1 LO206 main began and they finished in that order. Behind the leaders Heavyn Hill and Korey Sander finished third and fourth while Landon Kwapich was fifth.
Brooks Anderline on his way to winning the Jr-1 LO206 main race.
After winning the race Anderline was asked how the race was and if it’s harder to be leading without anybody else close.
“It was good and it’s actually harder because you’re trying to get away from that person behind you, you’re driving hard and sometimes you over drive it and you make mistakes,” he said.
Then he thanked his parents and Cole Nelson Racing.
Tarron Graves won the Kid Kart race.
Only two Kid Kart racers were on hand this time. Tarron Graves won over the improving Mia Wright.
Mia Wright, although second in the Kid Kart main, has been improving every race.
The next race on the schedule will be Sunday, June 5.
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RESULTS:
Northern Nevada Kart Club – Make Up Race, Round 1
Desert Park Raceway – May 22
+ Stock Moto 125 (14-Laps): 1. Jeremy Kay, 2. Mike Faker, 3. Dean Andrews, 4. Doug Hunter.
Not Classified: Jeff Wamre.
+ F80 (14-Laps): 1. Jeremy Holm, 2. Ryan Holm, 3. Jeff Wamre, 4. Jeremiah Golden, 5. Ken Brown.
+ Sr. Heavy Clone/LO206 (14-Laps): 1. Brandon Walsh, 2. Jason Anderline, 3. Zach Koch, 4. Chris Wright.
+ LO206/Clone (14-Laps): 1. Stephanie Callahan (1st Overall), 2. Gary Guzelis, 3. Alec Beaudon, 4. Nat Sombatsiri, 5. Brud Beaudoin, 6. Kelly Chinander, 7. Jon Mayer.
+ Jr. 2 LO206/Clone (14-Laps): 1. Aiden Hawkins, 2. Jake Guzelis, 3. Bryce Berry, 4. Issac Bourque, 5. Chase Dulude, 6. Caleb Mayer.
+ Jr. 1 LO206/Clone (14-Laps): 1. Brooks Anderline, 2. Austin Hawkins, 3. Heavyn Hill, 4. Korey Sander, 5. Landon Kwapich, 6. Wyatt Sander, 7. Adrian Brown, 8. Isaiah Nobles.
+ Kid Kart (6-Laps): 1. Tarron Graves, 2. Mia Wright.
