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| EKN Trackside: 2015 Superkarts! USA Fikse Wheels Pro Tour – SpringNationals Saturday Report |
| Saturday, 02 May 2015 00:00 |
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Belgian driver Rick Dreezen scored victory in his S1 Pro debut (Photo: EKN) For the 190+ drivers in the Phoenix Kart Racing Association paddock, success in the opening round of the Superkarts! USA Fikse Wheels Pro Tour would require the mastery of many factors, including the high heat, the massive grip and the deep competition that dominated the day. Each pilot on the SKUSA SpringNationals grid was challenged to step up his or her game. Overtaking on the Phoenix layout is tough on a good day, but the conditions this weekend upped the ante. Chassis set-up would be key, engine tuning would be increasingly important and driver stamina was put to the test. The day’s action featured seven different chassis brands score victory in the eight categories, highlighted by dominant performances from guys like Darren Elliott, Callum Smith, Jak Crawford, David Malukas and Rick Dreezen, breakthrough victories from Louie Pagano and Nick Tucker, and a victory decided via an on-track call that promoted Carter Williams to the win after he hounded Marco Eakins for 16 straight laps. The national championship season is now underway, and the primary title contenders have been identified.
Making his Fikse Wheels Pro Tour SpringNationals debut, Rick Dreezen secured the fast time on his opening circuit in qualifying. His 44.288-second lap was good enough by over two tenths ahead of California ProKart Challenge two-time champion Billy Musgrave (Praga). Two-time S1 Pro Tour champ Fritz Leesmann (CRG) was third, as 2013 S4 SuperNationals winner Matt Hamilton (Aluminos) was fourth in his S1 debut. S1 rookie Kolton Griffin (Tony Kart) capped off the fast five. Dreezen made his first Stock Moto start, and was slow off the line, dropping back to fifth as Musgrave and Fritz led the way. Dreezen fought his way back into the third spot by the final lap, where he watched the top two battle for the win. Into the monza, Fritz got into the back of Musgrave, sending him wide. Leesmann went on to cross the line first, with Dreezen second and Musgrave third. Officials put Leesmann back behind Musgrave, giving Dreezen the win. Hamilton drove fourth with Patrik Hajek (Praga) to fifth. From the P3 grid position, Leesmann grabbed the holeshot as he blasted past both Dreezen and Musgrave into the opening corner to begin Heat #2. On lap three, Dreezen was able to slide inside of Leesmann at the hairpin, taking over the lead while Hajek was up into third. That was the deciding move of the race, with Dreezen pulling away to the victory. Quick on the lights, Leesmann began the 16-lap main event as the leader to drop Dreezen back to second. The field ran tight through the opening corners, jostling for position as Dreezen looked for a way past the former champ. On lap four, Leesmann slid wide at the monza corner, and that was all the Belgian needed to take over the lead. From there, Dreezen led the remaining laps to secure his first Fikse Wheels Pro Tour victory in his S1 debut. Leesmann led Musgrave to the checkered flag, with Griffin bouncing back to finish a close fourth. Hajek was shuffled back early, and drove back to finish fifth in his first S1 start. Read Full Story on eKartingNews.com |
