CONCORD, NC - With Springtime knocking on the door in the Carolinas, a strong contingent of 2 and 4 Cycle competitors converged on GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville, North Carolina for the third and final round of WKA Winter Cup action, as the inaugural season for the newest program of the WKA fold successfully came to a conclusion, with 5 drivers taking a seat twice on the top shelf of the podium. Leading the way was Lance Fenderson, taking both days of action in the Allison Racing Engines Pro IAME Junior class. Other double up winners were fellow 2 cycle competitor Brandon Lemke in the KartSport North America Pro IAME Senior category, while both Zach Linsell and David Kalb Jr swept the Briggs and Stratton LO206 Senior and Junior classes respectively. Jason Welage was also a 2 time winner for the weekend, but was the only driver to win in 2 separate classes, the IAME USA East Pro Swift Sportsman, and Woltjer Racing Engines Yamaha Sportsman classes.
Other weekend winners included:
Caleb Gafrarar, Eli Trull: crpracing.com Mini Swift
Kaden Wharf, Jason Welage: Woltjer Racing Engines Yamaha Sportsman
Zane Maloney, Jason Welage: IAME USA East Pro Swift Sportsman
Ayrton Grim, Karsyn Walters: Water for a Cause Kid Karts
For Fenderson, the sweep in the Allison Racing Engines Pro IAME Junior class began Saturday with a victory over Alex Bertagnoli, with Pauly Massimino, Brooke Nachtman, and Stephen Dial making up the top 5. Not to be forgotten on Sunday was Ty Gibbs, one of Fenderson’s staunchest rivals all winter long. Gibbs shadowed Fenderson home in second for the Sunday finale, with Gage Rodgers, Maks Kowalski, and Drew Lindley completing the top 5. Fenderson and Sam Mayer were recipients of the Comet Kart Sales Fast Time Awards.
Lemke was clearly the class of the field for the weekend in the KartSport North America Pro IAME Senior ranks, taking a convincing win on Saturday over Braden Eves, Jonathan Kotyk, Brandon Jarsocrak, and Mike Giessen. On Sunday, Lemke had to rebound from a miscue in the heat, starting a little further back, but eventually snaring the lead and the victory for the weekend sweep. David Ilavia came home second on Day #2 with Eves, Jarsocrak, and Nick Landi completing the top 5. Jarsocrak and Lemke took the Comet Kart Sales Fast Time honors.
In the 4 cycle ranks, Zach Linsell had to stave off some pretty stiff competition in LO206 Senior action during the weekend, first topping Corey Towles in day 1 of racing, then Eric Fagan on day 2. Following Linsell and Towles on Day 1 were Comet Kart Sales Fast Time winner Dustin Demattia, Fagan, and Mike Greiner, with Towles, Demattia, and Greiner chasing Linsell and Fagan on Day 2.
For David Kalb, one of the few drivers doing double duty in both 2 and 4 cycle competition, the Midwest speedster turned back the competition both days in the Briggs and Stratton LO206 Junior category, topping Comet Kart Sales Fast Timer Cade Frazier, Seth Gentry, Matthew Miller, and Jimmy Cole Jackson in day 1 action, while Jackson, Miller, Frazier, and Nash Duyn completed the top 5 on day 2. Kalb took Fast time honors on the second day of action, while also competing in the Pro IAME Junior class for the weekend as well.
For the better part of the weekend, Jason Welage and Kaden Wharff appeared to be joined at the hip, running either side by side or nose to tail in the Woltjer Racing Engines Yamaha Sportsman class, with Wharff winning on day 1 over Welage, with Comet Kart Sales Fast Timer Robert Noaker III, Rylee Engels, and Garrett Adams making up the top 5. On day 2, Welage returned the favor, edging out a win over Wharff, with 2015 Gold Cup Champion Aiden Baker Crouse coming home in third, followed by Zane Maloney and Lucas Smalec. Maloney was Fast Timer on Day 2.
Welage also found his way to victory lane in the IAME USA East Pro Swift Sportsman Class, this time trading Wharff for Zane Maloney as his chief rival for the weekend in this class. Maloney took the Day 1 win over Welage, with Leland Honeymann, Will Robusto, and Gray Leadbetter taking the top 5. Connor Ferris was the Comet Kart Sales Fast Time winner, finishing 8th in race #1. On Sunday, Welage returned the favor, collecting his second win of the weekend, topping Maloney, Honeymann, Crouse, and Wharff. Honeymann was the Comet Kart Sales Fast time winner on Sunday.
As usual, the Water for a Cause Kid Karts did not disappoint, with great competition each day. Taking the top honors on Day 1 was Ayrton Grim with Preveil Perkins rebounding from an early spin to claim second. Rounding out the top 5 were James Newell, Ava “Ice Cream” Dutton, and Hoyt Mohr. Dutton also took the Fast Time Award on Saturday. Day 2 action saw a battle right down to the wire with a pair of top future female competitors in Karsyn Walters and Dutton battle to the end, with Walters collecting the win. Dutton topped off a great weekend with a second place run, followed by Grimm, Newell, and Perkins. Walters was the Comet Kart Sales Fast Time winner on Sunday.
From Kid Karts a season ago to the crpracing.com Mini Swift class, Caleb Gafrarar has not skipped a beat at all. On Saturday, Gafrarar, the Comet Kart Sales Fast Time winner, topped Brent Crews, Eli Trull, Danny Dyszelski, and Adam Maxwell. Sunday was a little different with contact between Gafrarar and Crews changing the fortunes for both teams, while Trull, fresh off a 3rd place finish the day before, took full advantage, taking a huge win, with Nicholas Terlecki, Crews, Dyszelski, and Ben Maier completing the top 5. Adam Maxwell was the Comet Kart Sales Fast Time winner on Sunday.
With the third race of the Winter Cup program in the books, the final tabulation on the season points will be forthcoming soon, as discussion took place the following Monday at the most recent WKA Board of Trustees Meeting regarding an outcome of one of the classes events this season that could have an impact on the final top 3 in the point standings. Once the competitors involved have been formally contacted, and the points calculated, the final standings will be released on the WKA website.
World Karting would like to thank all competitors, sponsors, tracks, crewmembers, and family members, for adding yet another series to their schedule, and in the process, turning the first edition of the WKA Winter Cup into a great success.
The next event will be the respective 2 and 4 cycle national events for both the Bridgestone Manufacturers Cup Series April 1-3 at GoPro Motorplex, and the season opener for the RLV Tuned Exhaust Products Gold Cup Series April 15-17 at 103rd Street Sports Complex in Jacksonville, Florida, also site of the 2015 National Awards presentation.
For more information on these events, click here.