STEAD, NV (Sept. 22) — The Northern Nevada Kart Club ended its 2024 season at Desert Park Raceway. A full day of racing was highlighted by good weather.
As usual most of the day was taken up by practice, qualifying and two heat races. After that it’s time for the main events.
First up is the Kid Kart Class, which has the youngest racers earning their racing spurs. They have low power karts and use a standing start.
On the green Ryan Knight led the charge into Turn 1 then left everyone in his wake. He would reach the checkered flag first followed by Presley Prater and third place Brooks Morrisey while Claire Morrissey and MacKenzie Kaphart finished fourth and fifth.
When drivers need to move up from Kid Kart they go into Junior 1 Rookie. This allows them to get used to a more powerful and faster kart before joining the Junior 1 class.
They use a rolling start and on the green Jesse Shriver took off and stormed to the win. Finishing second was Bryce Holden followed by Paisley Purdy, Brooklynn Knight and Drake Kephart in fifth place.
Finally it was time for Junior 1 where the more experienced young racers are. There was also a tight points battle for the class championship.
On the green Owen Hansen jumped into the lead with his cousin Cash Prater giving chase. At first Hansen had a good lead but later Prater closed the gap.
Hansen did win with Prater only eight tenths of a second behind in second while Harrison Oziminski finished third.
Asked about the race Hanson said, “The race was a good one and if there is someone behind you just have to get faster and faster. Won’t give me the championship but I’m still on podium for it.”
Prater did what he had to do and finished second that earned him the class championship.
After the race he said, “I won the Junior 1 championship. So I finished second place in this race and my cousin finished first. I had to finish to win the championship so I drove smart. I want to thank my cousin Owen, my parents and my grandparents for coming out.”
Next were the fastest karts, the 125 Shifters that use a gearbox and only take about 45 seconds to complete a lap. On the green Zeke Corson took off with Mitch Kennedy giving chase.
The race was stopped when one of the drivers crashed on the front straight. It took some time to clean the dirt off the track and replace one of the barrier sections. It also appeared the driver didn’t need medical attention.
Finally the field restarted and once again Corson led but Kennedy was right behind him. Both the leaders use ROK motors while Brooks Anderline, who was third uses a Honda engine.
At the end Corson reached the checkered flag just over three tenths of a second ahead of runner up Kennedy. Anderline, who was the first Honda powered entry to reach the finish, claimed third overall.
After the post race weigh in Corson talked about the second half of the race.
“I think he (Kennedy) was within a kart or so all the way to the end,” he said. “It’s always interesting restarting like that, tires are different, everything is kind of different all of a sudden. I felt like everything was coming back pretty good and it was over.
“It was a reset that has to go down but the trauma when you see one of your buddies crash. This does give me the championship and I definitely need to thank my daughters Sky and Morgan.”
He also thanked those that always helps him in the pits; Cody, Mitch as he explained that it’s a complicated deal getting things together.
One race combines three similar classes, KA Masters, KA100 and KT100. When the green waved 13 of them raced down the straight and into the Turn 1-2 combination.
Up front Giovanni Medina and Bill Ramsey were dueling for the lead. Some thing happened on Lap 5 that put Medina out of the race and dropped Ramsey to a 10th place finish at the end.
That came as a gift to Stevie Ray Rosario and he gladly took it as well as the overall victory and KA100 win. Finishing second was Ben Fisher, who won the KA100 Masters class while the KT100 winner was fourth place Allen Wilt who ended up behind third place Cody McKinney.
Asked about the race, Rosario, who is a second-generation racer, said, “I was back in fourth place, had some good luck off the start, didn’t get tangled up in a first lap wreck. Two karts in front of me, one went off the track and another had mechanical failure and I was there to pick up the win.
“Sometimes to finish first you’ve got to finish first. Kart felt really good at the end and finally got that KA win at the end of the season so I’m really happy.”
Then he thanked his father, who bought the ending and has been wrenching on the kart all year.
Next up was the Heavy 206 class. On the green Kelsey Nelson led the charge. Behind her was Josh Prater, who soon got into a three-way duel with Derek Anderline and Steve Dow for second.
Up front it was all Nelson as she cruised to victory with an almost 5 second lead at the finish over runner up Prater. Behind him Anderline ended up third with Dow finishing in fourth place.
For Nelson her run may have sewn up the class championship and after the race she explained it was a good race and might the victory may have earned her another class championship.
(Reporter’s Note: Have to apologize to Kelsey as I didn’t sent my recorder right so lost her quotes.)
Over the past year Kayden Williams dominated Junior 1 but now that he’s old enough this is his first race in Junior 2. On the green Isaiah Manubi was on point with Landen Warren and a little further back Williams giving chase.
Eventually Williams saw his chance and used an inside move to take the lead. However Manubi wasn’t going to give up without a fight and both leaders ran nose-to-tail as they circulated the track.
The final laps had the top three running nose to tail right to the checkered flag. Williams finished just two tenths of a second ahead of runner up Manubi and over three tenths of a second over third place Warren.
Later Williams said, “I don’t know how but I reeled them in. He started blocking, I crossed him up and I just wanted to race. They were driving their asses off like I did too.”
Then he thanked his dad, grandfather and his motor builder for getting his new kart ready for his first Junior 2 race.
Next to last race of the day was the Pro 4 Cycle class. This has become a popular group and when the green waved 11 drivers roared into Turn 1.
Up front it was Rachel Williams, who started on the front row and began to leave everyone in here wake. Behind her there was a three-way duel for second.
Over the course of the 12-lap race Williams kept extending her lead. Behind her Alec Beaudion and Jeremy Clark were having a nose-to-tail duel to see who would ended up second.
In the final laps everyone spaced out so Williams had almost a second and a half lead over runner up Beaudion. Finished further back was third place Jeremy Clark while Raymond Smithson ended up fourth.
Williams was the second woman driver to win their main and, after all the points are totaled, maybe the second woman class champion. After being told this she said, “Go girls.”
Then she spoke about the race, “That was an intense race, watching my son right before I go out so my adrenaline was going. Then it was time to calm down and focus so it was an exciting and fun race.
“I got signals that I had a lead but how much so you just keep going, put you head down and just keep putting in the laps. Track is good started out a little sticky with all the rain we had this week but it turned out to be really nice and really fast.”
Then she thanked her family, husband, son, Invader for an awesome kart.
This year the Senior Class had the honor of ending 2024 season. When the final green flag launched the race 16 drivers stormed down the front straight into the Turn 1-2 combination.
Up front Andrew Hitchcock was on point followed by Brooks Anderline and Matt Winfrey. Anderline did fall back into third for a spell but soon began to catch the lead duo.
A few laps later he swept past the two leaders and took the point himself. Then he started to pull a gap.
For a spell there was a four-way duel for second. Anderline made a mistake by getting one wheel in the dirt, the quartet behind him caught up and it became a five-way duel for the lead.
After the white flag and coming down toward the final corners, also known as Tic-Tac-Toe, a series of left, right and left turns that lead on to the front straight Winfrey made his move.
He was able to get past Anderline and lead the five-kart charge to the checkered flag. The five of them ended the season with the closest finish of the day.
Up front Winfrey was slightly under a tenth of a second ahead of Anderline. Right behind them were Andrew Hitchcock, Nathan Heath and Giovanni Medina.
The spread between Winfrey and fifth place was 0.478 or just under a half second. So they ended the 2024 season in spectacular fashion.
After the post race weigh in Winfrey said, “Got a little tangled up in One and fell back to third almost like a half straight away. He made a little mistake and we were able to draft up to him. Waited until the last lap, saw an opening and took it.
“It was crazy weren’t too many passes on this short track. I took it into a fast sweeping left hander, tried to hold it on the inside going into the esses, was sticky and I came out with the win.”
Then he thanked his father, mother, girl friend, Skip, Cole Nelson Racing, Jeff Nelson for the motor and the kart.
For Anderline it was a case of losing the battle but winning the war.
“Yea I left the door open for him but it’s all good because had the bigger picture and we got the championship. I started in second, got shuffled back to third pretty quick off the start. The pulled away and I was starting to lose draft and all of a sudden started reeling them back in.
“Soon as I got to them I passed them as soon as I could. I got to the lead coming down the straightaway then pulled a gap from them. Then I dropped a tire coming out of Six or coming out of Five. I had no grip for the next two laps so they just ran me back down.
He then thanked Cole Nelson Racing, Invader Racing Engines and everyone that supports him.
Next up for the NNKC is the awards banquet on January 11 of 2025. Until next spring Desert Park Raceway will only be used for practice but in the spring it will again echo with the sounds of go kart racing.
For further information please check their website at www.nnkcreno.com.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Trucks & Tacos of Northern Nevada will meet at Legends Grill. Location is 60155 South Virginia Street and later they’ll wander over to the new Harbor Freight.
• Wednesday has two different events. It is the season’s final Cruise-in at the Sparks A&W, located across the street from Reed High School at 1311 Baring Blvd. There will be a live DJ, cars to see and prizes.
- PJ&Co, located at 1590 South Wells is having special guest this Wednesday on Bike Night. Starting at 6 p.m. its a meet and greet for Motorcycle Mary McGee. She is in several Halls of Fame, is the first person to do the Baja 500 solo on a motorcycle and there is a new documentary about her.
• Thursday is when the Street Vibrations Fall Rally begins. Event runs through the weekend and makes Northwest Nevada like Sturgis West.
• Davey’s American Racing is found on Face Book. His focus is on western oval tracks as well as national series.
He recently started his broadcasts so check Face Book around 6 p.m. Wednesday. He also posts during the week.
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SPONSOR LIST:
• If you enjoyed this article please “like,” and share it as widely as possible. Comments are welcome.
Subscribers have articles posted to their inbox as soon as they are up on the site.
We now have six very appreciated sponsors supporting this site. Please patronize them as they support your sport and help nvracingnews continue. And let them know you heard about them through this site.
• Our newest sponsor is State Farm agent Kelby Schoorl, who was a racer in his younger days. He has some supplemental insurance that racers might be interested in checking out.
There is medical that covers visits to the ER, ambulance rides and if a person has to stay in a hospital. In addition trailers as well as tools and tools in shops can be covered with additional policies.
If Kelby isn’t available the other guys at his office will be very happy to explain what they can offer both to racers and those enjoying motorized recreation.
Office hours are from 9 until 5: 30 Monday through Friday, appointments are needed on Saturday. The phone number is 775-827-2255 or at his website, www.kelby@insuringreno.com.
• One of our sponsors is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists owned by former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian. The shop is located at 890 Gentry Way.
The shop services older and new transmissions and now 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.
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 Moto-Source located at 3180 Mill Street. Once again they are a full service shop plus the showroom has 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.
Have a business targeted toward motorsports or car enthusiasts? This site is a great way to expose your services to those communities. Sponsorships are very reasonable and one can contact us either through the comment section of this site or on our Face Book page.
RESULTS:
Northern Nevada Kart Club – Round 7
Desert Park Raceway – Sept. 22
Kid Kart:
- Heat Winners: #1 Ryan Knight, #2 Ryan Knight.
- Main (7-Laps): 1. Ryan Knight, 2. Presley Prater, 3. Brooks Morrisey, 4. Claire Morrissey, 5. MacKenzie Kephart.
Junior 1 Rookie:
- Heat Winners: #1 Jesse Shriver, #2 Jesse Shriver.
- 125Main (8-Laps): 1. Jesse Shriver, 2. Bryce Holden, 3. Paisley Purdy, 4. Brooklynn Knight, 5. Drake Kephart.
Junior 1:
- Heat Winners: #1 Owen Hanson, #2 Owen Hanson.
- Main (12-Laps): 1. Owen Hanson, 2. Cash Prater, 3. Harrison Oziminski, 4. Jameson Morrisey, 5. Kipton Bocchi, 6. Kayden Duncan.
125 Shifter:
- Heat Winners: #1 Zeke Corson, #2 Zeke Corson.
- Main (12-Laps): 1. Zeke Corson, 2. Mitch Kennedy, 3. Brooks Anderline, 4. Jeff Wamre, 5. Kevin Jerome, 6. Javier Avila, 7. James Crawshaw, 8. Turbo Sombatsiri, 9. Jesse Goodrum.
- 125 ROK: 1. Zeke Corson, 2. Mitch Kennedy, 3. Jeff Wamre, 4. Javier Avila, 5. James Crawshaw.
- 125 Honda: 1. Brooks Anderline, 2. Kevin Jerome, 3. Turbo Sombatsiri, 4. Jesse Goodrum.
KA100/KT100:
- Heat Winners: #1 Giovanni Medina, #2 Giovanni Medina.
- Main (12-Laps, Overall): 1. Stevie Ray Rosario, 2. Ben Fisher, 3. Cody McKinney, 4. Allen Wilt, 5. Douglas Stewart, 6. Mike McMullen, 7. Brian Lewis, 8. Brian Lowrance, 9. Darryl VanDom, 10. Bill Ramsey, 11. Giovanni Medina, 12. Nat Sombatsiri, 13. John Dutra.
- KA 100 Masters: 1. Ben Fisher, 2. Cody McKinney, 3. Mike McMullen, 4. Brian Lowrance, 5. Nat Sombatsiri.
- KA100: 1. Stevie Ray Rosario, 2. Douglas Stewart, 3. Giovanni Medina.
- KT100: 1. Allen Wilt, 2. Brian Lewis, 3. Darryl VanDorn, 4. Bill Ramsey.
Heavy 206:
- Heat Winners: #1 Kelsey Nelson, #2 Kelsey Nelson.
- Main (12-Laps): 1. Kelsey Nelson, 2. Josh Prater, 3. Derek Anderline, 4. Steve Dow, 5. Nathan Heath, 6. Rob Amster, 7. Jessica Mansfield, 8. Jake Burchette, 9. Eric Kuzemchak, 10. George Crezee, 11. Jeff Wamre, 12. Ron Duminie, 13. John Dutra.
Junior 2:
- Heat Winners: #1 Kayden Williams, #2 Kayden Williams.
- Main (12-Laps): 1. Kayden Williams, 2. Isaiah Manubi, 3. Landen Warren, 4. Bryce Benton, 5. Jonah Smorgon, 6. Jonah Smorgon, 7. Phoenix Ciorciari, 8. Jeremy Heath, 9. Gregory Lopez.
Pro 4 Cycle:
- Heat Winners: #1 Jacob Ciari, #2 Rachel Williams.
- Main (12-Laps): 1. Rachel Williams, 2. Alec Beadion, 3. Jeremy Clark, 4. Raymond Smithson, 5. Jimmy Johns, 6. Hunter Colodny, 7. Cole Liebherr, 8. Russell Rosario, 9. Austin Gillis, 10. Zach Sievert, 11. Jacob Ciari.
Senior:
- Heat Winners: #1 Brooks Anderline, #2 Andrew Hitchcock.
- Main (12-Laps): 1. Matt Winfrey, 2. Brooks Anderline, 3. Andrew Hitchcock, 4. Nathan Heath, 5. Giovanni Medina, 6. Joseph Huet, 7. Carter Chaffey, 8. Austin Hawkins, 9. William Amster, 10. Jazz Manning, 11. Steve Dow, 12. Sebastian Sierra, 13. Sassy McCormick, 14. Penny King, 15. Evan Cooley, 16. Mia Smithson.
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