STEAD, NV (June 7) – Desert Park Raceway echoed with the sound of racing as the Northern Nevada Kart Club finally was able to start its 2020 season. It was a cold, windy day and in the end Mother Nature didn’t cooperate.
In fact with the weather in mind there were only one set of heats. Then after several weather delays it was time to star the main events. First up were the Kids Kart class and four of these youngest racers took the green flag.
Up front Noah Nobels was on point chased by Cayden Duncan and Cash Prater. For most of the race Prater and Nobles had a great duel for second. In the end Nobles fell back while Prater ended up a solid second behind the winner Cayden Duncan.
Next main was for the F125 Shifter karts. Their heat race had been a nose-to-tail duel between Mitch Kennedy and Jeff Wamre. At the end of that heat Kennedy made a rare mistake and Wamre took the gift and the victory.
When their main began Kennedy was off the line first with Wamre giving chase. It looked like a repeat but Kennedy was able to put a small gap between them.
On the third lap popcorn snow and some very light rain began to fall. Five laps into the event Gerry Williams hit a curb and broke his shifter lever so he was out.
Up front the chase continued but both leaders began to slow as the track was getting slippery. Racing on slick tires soon became an exercise in ice driving so the race was called after six laps.
After the post race weigh in Kennedy said, “A lot slick, it was pretty bad there the last three laps. I don’t know what they could see but our shields were already covered in water so you knew grip was going to be horrible. It was a good start for me but probably not as good for Jeff so that was kind of the race right there.”
After that the officials waited to see what might be coming. Due to the forecast of more rain and the fact it was almost 4 p.m. the decision was to call the event. Once the track gets wet enough unless a person has rain tires it’s too dangerous to try and drive at high speeds.
As a result the heat races for the other classes will count for points.
Earlier when the heat races began there was another serious matter. A week or so ago 13-year old Austin Perez lost his life in a freak camping incident. This young racer is also related to the Cole family and part of the Invader team.
To honor his memory before the Junior 2 heat race the field lined up and did two parade laps. Each driver held one hand with two fingers in the air and one driver, Brooks Anderline, had a #2 on the front of this kart to honor his teammate . This week the family will have a memorial for Perez in Atwater, California.
On the green Anderline took off with Giovanni Medina giving chase. In the end Anderline won going away followed by Medina and Andrew Cushman.
Next up was the KA100 heat and Jeff Culver was on point during the first lap. After that it became a duel between Robert Judd and Levi Ratto, who was chasing him.
In the final laps Ratto closed the gap but Judd was able to hold the lead and claim the victory.
The Junior 1 race was all Isaiah Nobles as he left everyone after the start. Kayden Williams wound up second with George Hitti coming home third.
Next up was a multi class heat with Senior LO206 and Master L206 racing together. On the green the race became a two-driver duel as Zach Rivera was on point with Chase Dulude inches behind him. Further back Jeff Wamre and Edward Atkins were deciding who would win the Master’s class.
Lap after lap the Rivera/Dulude duo stormed around the track. The race was decided after Rivers lost a wheel in Turn 3 then slid off the track.
Dulude took the gift and stormed off to victory while Tanner Schultz ended up second ahead of Alec Beaudoin. Back in the pack Wamre claimed the Masters win.
Although he started in the second row soon after the green waved for the Superstock heat Nat Sombatsiri took the lead and left everyone in his wake. Justin Heath ended up second ahead of Jason Anderline.
Now the first race is over and hopefully next time Mother Nature will smile on the kart racers. Next scheduled race will be the KPX event, usually one of the biggest of the year, on July 19th while the next points race is scheduled for July 26.
RESULTS*:
NNKC – Race #1
Desert Park Raceway – June 7
(* Due to weather shortening the day, only two classes were able to run a main. For the rest the heat results are used to
determine the points.)
+ Kids Kart:
+ Heat: 1. Cash Prater, 2. Drake Kephart, 3. Cayden Duncan, 4. Noah Nobles.
+ Main (6-Laps): 1. Cayden Duncan, 2. Cash Prater, 3. Noah Nobles, 4. Drake Kaphart.
+ Jr 1 LO206:
+ Heat: 1. Isaiah Nobles, 2. Kayden Williams, 3. George Hitti, 4. Jeremy Heath, 5. Jeremiah Nobles.
+ Jr 2, LO206:
+ Heat: 1. Brooks Anderline, 2. Giovanni Medina, 3. Andrew Cushman, 4. Nathan Heath, 5. Heavyn Hill, 6. Joseph Hitti, 7. Mathew Fecko.
+ KA100:
+ Heat: 1. Robert Judd (Tag Sr.), 2. Levi Ratto (Tag Sr.), 3. William Owen (Tag Sr.), 4. Jeff Culver (Tag Master), 5. Michael McMullen (KA100 Masters), 6. Ryan Albert (Tag Master), 7. Devon Ratto (Tag Sr.).
+ Sr/Master LO206:
+ Heat: 1. Chase Dulude, 2. Tanner Schultz, 3. Alec Beaudoin , 4. Jacob Ciari, 5. Nicholas Villaman, 6. Deehame Malone, 7. Kelly Chinander, 8. Stevie-Ray Rosario, 9. Jeff Wamre (Masters), 10. Edward Atkins (Masters), 11. Eric Kuzemchak, 12. Rachael Williams (Masters), 13. Crew Kundma (Masters), 14. Zack Rivera, 15. Issac Bourque.
+ Super Stock:
+ Heat: 1. Nate Sombatsiri, 2. Justin Heath, 3. Jason Anderline, 4. Brud Beaudoin, 5. Giovanni Medina.
+ F-125 Shifter:
+ Heat: 1. Jeff Wamre, 2. Mitch Kennedy, 3. John Morgan, 4. Adam Auerbach, 5. Gerry Williams.
+ Main (Shortened to 6-laps due to weather): 1. Mitch Kennedy, 2. Jeff Wamre, 3. John Morgan, 4. Adam Auerbach, 5. Gerry Williams.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• This weekend it appears Lovelock Speedway may only have one race this season. Even though the town canceled it’s Frontier Days celebrations the track will still host the two-day Frontier Day races, which are part of the I-80 Challenge series.
• Teresa’s Garage Radio Show is on from 2 until 3 p.m. Tuesday. The show is an hour of talk about automotive issues, news and trends and I have a preview section at 2:15.
In the Reno/Sparks area the show can be heard over the air on 1180 AM or can be listened to on a Podcast at amm.streamon.fm. It can be seen live on Face Book.
• If you enjoyed this article please “like,” and share it as widely as possible. Comments are welcome.
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As our economy opens up again please be sure to patronize our sponsors. This helps them survive as their support keeps nvracingnews going.
Our newest sponsor is G.I.S.L Land Services that, while having a global client base it has a Western U.S.A. Focus. Owner Greg Ekins is a long time off road motorcycle racer competing in the MRANN Series as well as the AMA National Hare and Hound series.
Among the services offers are Surface and Mineral Title Reviews and Cartographic Services. The website is www.gislandservices.com.
Another great sponsor is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists. The shop is located at 2515 Sutro Street in Reno, a few blocks below Hug High School.
Former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian is the owner and they not only service older and newer transmission but now have a section dealing with high performance units including those used for towing.
The phone number is 775-786-5888 and the shop’s website is www.generaltransmissionreno.com.
Last year fantastic race photographer Melissa Coker joined the family of sponsors. If you have raced at Summit in Elko, Battle Mountain, Lovelock, Rattlesnake or Diamond Mountain Speedway she probably has a photograph of your car on the track.
She’s also been at the IMCA Duel in the Desert was well as the Wild West Tour and IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa. Melissa not only has photos of the cars, and many times drivers, but she can produce hero cards and even a book of from your season.
To see her collections or to place an order please check her website at www.melissasoutonalimb.smugmug.com.
Two of our sponsors are first class motorcycle shops located in Reno.
Our first sponsor is Reno Motorsports (RMS). Not only do they have about anything a rider might want or need and the store also has a full service shop.
Their location is at 964 Terminal Way, by the intersection with Mill Street. Store’s phone number is 775-322-1499 and the site is, www.rms-renomotorsports.com.
The next shop is Motosource located at 3180 Mill Street. Once again they are a full service shop plus about any thing a rider might need or want.
The phone number is 775-856-3855 and the website is, www.moto-source.com.
The next sponsor is an excellent place if you need collision repair on your car or truck. It’s Concours Body Shop, located at 250 Telegraph Street in Reno and has a long history of first class repairs.
Brian Saul is the owner, a car enthusiast himself and he’s committed to continuing the shop’s reputation of quality work. Phone number is 775-329-4557 and the website is, www.concoursbodyshop.net.
Hungry, want a great place to eat, then try PJ&CO for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and it’s a great place to watch your favorite sports. If you’re a rider, well Wednesday evening is Bike Night, always a great time to see some great looking bikes and meet like-minded people.
The location is 1590 South Wells Avenue, just north of the round about. Phone number is 775-323-6366 and their website is www.pjandco.net.
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