STEAD, NV (June 27) – The fourth round of this year’s season for the Northern Nevada Kart Club was held on a hot day. Despite this the racing was also hot as drivers worked for victories and points.
As usual the mains begin with the Kid Kart class. These are the youngest drivers and they are earning their racing spurs before moving up where the kids are older and more experienced.
Two types of motors are used for these karts and they are so low powered their heats and main begin with a standing start. Several parents are on the infield to give them encouragement.
When the green lights came on Jameson Judd was on point but soon Cash Carter swept past and would be the first to reach the checkered flag in his Honda powered kart.
Behind him Krake Kephart, whose kart is powered by a Comer motor soon took over second and would be the second to reach the checkered flag.
When the Super Stock main began Edward Atkins was on point with Kory Williams and Justin Heath giving chase. Soon it became a two-kart duel for the lead.
On the white flag lap, after the leaders rounded Turn 6 Atkins slid off the track giving the lead to Williams. Heath ended up second with Atkins finished third after recovering.
After the post-race weigh in Williams said, “I followed him the whole race but he made a mistake up on top of 5 and he lost all his speed so I drove it in on 6. I poked my nose in there and I think he started drifting on the marbles.”
Then he thanked his family as they are running three karts including his son and wife.
When the Shifter main began Mitch Kennedy took off and it was soon apparent no one would be able to catch him. Giving chase were Jeff Wamre and Adam Auerbach.
While Kennedy kept extending his lead and would win behind him Auerbach took over second and finished in the runner up spot. Behind them Wamre was third ahead of Dean Andrews.
Running solo was Skylar Corson, who in the only 80 shifter. Despite being low on power she ran a smooth race and finished.
After the race Kennedy said, “Good start, good race. Yea, those guys are puttng me up to my task here. Haven’t come out this year at all, been busy with other stuff.
“Figure I’d pick the hottest day of the year to come play. Jeff and I always have a good time together, love him as a driver and a friend so have a good time with him and the other guys are coming around.”
Asked who he needed to thank Kennedy smiled and said “me,” then thanked his girl friend Dona, who also helps him.
The closest race of the day came in the Junior 1 LO206 main. For much of the race it was a two kart duel between leader Kayden Williams and Jeremiah Nobles.
The deciding moment came when they encountered lap traffic that were racing for their own positions. Nobles guessed right and swept past them before Williams was able to pass the slower karts.
With a few laps to go it was a nose-to-tail duel and at the checkered flag Nobels scored the win slightly more than three tenths of a second over Williams.
“I was doing good and was on his bumper but I couldn’t pass him,” Nobles said. “In lap traffic he got on top of him so I just went around Kayden. He caught up to me so I held a good line.”
Then he thanked his grandparents, brothers and Cole Nelson Racing.
Next main has two classes, KA100 and TAG Masters. As a result they use a staggered start with the TAG group getting the green flag first then about 30 seconds later the KA100 group receives the green.
After one lap Mike Ryckebosch dropped out but Owen William took up the chase and was after leader Steve Ryckebosch. Behind them Nat Sombatsiri, on his way to winning the KA100 class was ripping around the track and ended up third over all.
Up front Ryckebosch had William on his back bumper as they had a race long nose-to-tail duel. In the end Ryckeobsch finished a bit over four seconds ahead of William.
After the weigh in Ryckebosch said, “I don’t look back normally but I could feel him. It was a good race, keeping it clean.”
Then he thanked his wife and dog, Enzo.
Then a delighted Sombatsiri said, “It was good. We have to start separate from the TAG, they start in the front and we start a little bit further back but I come out good.”
Then he thanked Adam, Dean and the 581 Engine.
Right after the Heavy LO206 main began Eric Kuzemchak was on point then Rachel Williams was in the lead. Later Kuzemchak took the lead back while Williams and Josh Prater began a duel for second.
At the end Kuzemchak won but behind him Prater was able to claim second with Williams less than three tenths of a second behind him in third.
Apparently there was a problem at the start. After the race Kuzemchak said, “I’ll admit this we didn’t make a fair enough pass so we gave it back to her (Williams), make it right, get the race cleaner.
“We had to keep running hard because yesterday we had like motor issues. Because of Team Invader and Cole Nelson and his dad behind us that’s the reason why we couldn’t let up today. We brought everything we got because of the Cole Nelson Racing they’ve done for me, they gave us one heck of a motor.”
Right after the green waved for the Junior 2 Class to start its main there were problems in the pack and two karts never finished that first lap.
Up front Brooks Anderline was on point but Nathan Heath and Cooper Perez were giving chase and not that far behind him. Up front however Anderline was on a roll and extended his lead a bit every lap he raced.
Behind him Perez found himself in second as Heath apparently had an off course excursion and wound end up fourth behind Isaiah Nobles. Up front however Anderline was on cruise control as he scored the victory.
“I have no idea what happened on the start. Came around the first lap, they were still pretty decently close, second lap I looked back and there was no one behind me,” Anderline said. “The track is really good, we got the go kart tuned really good, we came flat out of nine without a problem.”
Then he thanked Cole Nelson Racing, his parents and everyone that supports him.
This season the Senior LO206 has had the biggest fields. This time Cole Nelson, from the racing team, decided to join the fun and race.
On the green Nelson took off followed by Matthew Winfrey and Isaac Bourque. Unfortunately Bourque’s kart lost a bumper and that puts a driver out of the race so he only completed three laps.
After that the chase was on as Winfrey was after Nelson. At one time the gap between them was at least 2 seconds.
In the last laps after catching some lap traffic the top two closed up and ran essentially nose-to-tail. At the end Nelson scored the win with just over four tenths of a second lead ahead of Winfrey.
Asked about the race Nelson said, “It was a good race, it was unfortunate Isaac bumper came off, I want to race Matt and Isaac. Just got to a lead and we caught some lappers, allowed Matt to close the gap and we raced it out to the end. I could feel him on my bumper.”
Then he thanked his father, wife and everyone in the pits.
Next up for the NNKC is a visit by the KPX Karting Championship on July 10 and 11. This will bring karters from the west coast to Desert Park Raceway. For further information please check www.nnkcreno.com.
REPORTER’S NOTE: I want to give a special thanks and appreciation to the Kephart family. They were the reason I was able to attend the race as I got riders to and from the track not to mention a great lunch.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• Are you an experienced motorcycle tech looking for work. Well there is an opportunity for you as Moto-Source has a job opening. If that’s you please send your resume to rich@moto-source.com.
• Tuesday evening the south Steak ‘N Shake has a cruise from 4 until 8 p.m.
• On Wednesday, starting around 5 p.m. the Sparks A&W has a cruise in. It’s located across the street from Reed High School.
• Teresa’s Garage Radio Show is on the air from 2 until 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. In northwest Nevada, and all the way up to Susanville, it can be heard over the air at 1060 AM.
There is also a Podcast at amm.streamon.fm or it can be seen live on Face Book. The show is focused on all things automotive, trends, new developments and trivia.
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Tread Connection is our newest sponsor and Blake Sobiloff owns the local franchise. The business brings the tire store to the customer so they don’t have to take time off work or even leave home.
Once the tires are ordered Sobiloff picks them up and arrives where the customer’s car is in a van packed with state of the art equipment. He observes all safety precautions and it’s no contact so tires can be chosen and paid for online.
Another service he provides is scanning tires as that will tell if any alignment is needed. A useful service for fleet owners so they won’t find several vehicles need new tires at once. There are discounts for First Responders, veterans as well as active duty military and members of the National Guard and Reserves.
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Among the services offers are Surface and Mineral Title Reviews and Cartographic Services. The website is www.gislandservices.com.
Next sponsor is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists owned by former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian. The shop is located at 2515 Sutro Street in Reno, a few blocks below Hug High School.
The shop services older and new transmissions and how has a section for high performance units and those used in towing. Phone number is 775-786-5888 and the shop’s website is www.generaltransmissionreno.com.
Racing photographer Melissa Coker is another sponsor. If you raced at Summit in Elko, Battle Mountain, Lovelock, Rattlesnake Raceway or Diamond Mountain Speedway she probably has a photograph of your car on the track.
She’s also been at the Duel in the Desert, Northern Nevada Modified Tour, Wild West Tour and the IMCA Super Nationals. She produces hero cards and memory books. To see her collections or to place an order, check www.melissasoutonalimb.smugmug.com.
Two of our sponsors are first class motorcycle shops located in Reno.
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The next shop is Moto-Source 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.
Concours Body Shop, located at 250 Telegraph Street in Reno, is another sponsor. The shop does quality collision repair for cars and trucks.
Owner Brian Saul is a car enthusiast himself and is 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. Wednesday evenings, starting around 5 p.m. is Bike Night, good time to meet fellow riders and have a great dinner.
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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RESULTS: Northern Nevada Kart Club – Round 4
Desert Park Raceway – June 27
Kid Kart:
+ Heat Winners: #1 Drake Kephart, #2 Cash Prater.
+ Main (4-Laps): 1. Cash Prater, 2. Drake Kephart, 3. Leila Pinten, 4. Jameson Judd, 5. Davey Jorgenson.
+ Comer: 1.Drake Kephart, 2. Jameson Judd.
+ Honda: 1.Cash Prater, 2.Leila Pinten, 3. Davey Jorgenson.
Super Stock: + Heat Winners: #1 Edward Atkins, #2 Edward Atkins.
+ Main (12-Laps): 1. Kory Williams, 2. Justin Heath, 3. Edward Atkins, 4. Jimmy Johns, 5.Russell Rosario.
Shifters:
+ Heat Winners: #1 Jeff Wamre, #2 Mitch Kennedy.
+ Main (12-Laps): 1. Mitch Kennedy, 2. Adam Auerbach, 3. Jeff Wamre, 4. Dean Andrews, 5. Gerry Williams, 6. Skylar Corson (F80), 7. Zeke Corson.
Junior 1, LO206 : + Heat Winners: #1 Jeremiah Nobles, #2 Kayden Williams.
+ Main (12-Laps): 1. Jeremiah Nobles, 2. Kayden Williams, 3. Jeremy Heath, 4. Skylar Gagnon, 5. Noah Nobles, 6. Wyatt Koch, 7. George Hitti, 8.Cody Ficarra, 9. James Nguyen, 10. Samantha Jallo.
KA100/TAG:
+ Heat Winners: #1 Steve Ryckebosch, #2 Steve Ryckebosch.
+ Main (12-Laps): 1. Steve Ryckebosch, 2. Owen William, 3.Nat Sombatsiri, 4.Eric Drummond, 5. Troy Berry, 6. Mike McMullen, 7.Adrik Owen, 8. Mike Ryckebosch.
+ KA100 Masters: 1. Nat Sombatsiri, 2. Troy Berry, 3. Mike McMullen.
+ TAG Masters: 1. Steve Ryckebosch, 2. Owen William, 3. Eric Drummond, 4.Adrik Owen, 5.Mike Ryckebosch.
Heavy LO206:
+ Heat Winners: #1 Eric Kuzemchak, #2 Eric Kuzemchak.
+ Main (12-Laps): 1. Eric Kuzemchak, 2.Josh Prater, 3.Rachael Williams, 4. Jake Burechette, 5. Paul Picotte, 6.Derek Anderline, 7. Jeff Jallo, 8. Jeff Wamre, 9. Jessica Mansfield, 10. Jazz Manning.
Junior 2 LO206:
+ Heat Winners: #1 Brooks Anderline, #2 Brooks Anderline.
+ Main (12-Laps): 1. Brooks Anderline, 2. Cooper Perez, 3. Isaiah Nobles, 4. Nathan Heath, 5. Giovanni L. Medina, 6. Joesph Hitti, 7.Carter Chaffey, 8. Brody Allyn, 9. Andrew Hitchcock, 10. Will Oehlert, 11. Jack Foy, 12. Jackson Nguyen.
Senior LO206 : + Heat Winners: #1 Isaac Bourque, #2 Cole Nelson.
+ Main (12-Laps): 1. Cole Nelson, 2. Matthew Winfrey, 3. Deeahme Malone, 4. Steve Dow, 5. Stevie-Ray Rosario, 6. Heavyn Hill, 7. Noah Kitchingman, 8. Kyle Harlan, 9. Austin Coberley, 10. Tommy Rosario, 11. Austin Hawkins, 12. Jerry Clark, 13. Jesse Goodrum, 14. Harold Lease, 15.Sassy McCormik, 16. Isaac Bourque.
