Race Recap | Colorado Karting Tour | Round 07

The 2018 Colorado Karting Tour returned to the metro-Denver region in late August, with a trip to Morrison, Colorado’s Action Karting. Located adjacent to the Bandimere Speedway, the venue tends to feature high speeds and close racing. Round 07 was no exception, with a unique twist to the track layout thrown in to keep racers on their toes. The tight ‘esses’ section near the pit-in lane were altered, significantly slowing laptimes, and testing the patience of every driver as late apexes and finding the balance between aggression and being smooth became key. With 88 entries on hand from over 75 drivers, the end of the season still demonstrates strong fields and active participation. The weather was mostly sunny, with some rain showers mid day, which then brought intense winds for a very brief period.

Asher Donnelly Emerged victorious after an incident for #20 Elijah Khrestsov in Kid Kart

First on the track were the Kid Kart drivers. In qualifying, #20 Elijah Khrestsov laid down the quick time, lapping the Action course with a time of 41.783, ahead of #25 Matteo Quinto, and #48 Asher Donnelly. In the pre-final Khrestsov took off to an early lead, followed by Quinto and Donnelly. Further back #17 Jerome Rondeau mounted a brief charge to the 3rd position, before falling back in behind Donnelly who eventually began to pull away, and run down Quinto for the 2nd position. At the line, Khrestsov would take a narrow victory over Quinto, who shadowed him in the latter stages of the race, with Donnelly, Rondeau, and #44 Rhys Bowman completing the top 5. In an interesting turn of events at the start of the final, the decision was made to start the Kid Karters largely from the grid. This resulted in some extracurricular ‘assistance’ from some team members, rocketing several drivers further forward in the pack early on. Rondeau lead the first few circuits, shadowed closely by Khrestsov. Khrestsov would make a move to the inside, with Rondeau unaware, the duo coming together in a slow-motion, controlled accident that eventually saw Khrestsov overturn. Workers were quickly to him, the race was red-flagged, and Khrestsov, more frustrated than startled, emerged unscathed. His race, however, was finished due to bringing out the red flag. Once re-gridded for a complete re-start, Donnelly and Quinto assumed the lead. For many laps Quinto would lead the way, Donnelly following him like a shadow. As the race wound down, lap traffic came into play, which slowed Quinto enough for Donnelly to pounce, making an outside-line pass to take over the lead as Quinto sought a way by the lapper. At the line, Donnelly would take the victory, followed by Quinto, Rondeau, Bowman, and #10 Elijah Spirz.

Jeremy Davis continued his domination in LO206 Heavy at Round 07

Next up were the LO206 Heavy Drivers. #403 Jeremy Davis laid down the quickest time in qualifying, turning a 50.980, ahead of #57 Robert Holubar, and #28 Brian Hoffman. As the green fell for the pre-final, Holubar narrowly edged around Davis, who slotted into the 2nd position for a period of time, followed by an aggressive and impressive move by #76 Rodney Ebersole, who caught many drivers sleeping on the start! With the first lap in the books, #70 Gregory Robinson found himself the odd man out early, falling further back in the standings, but determined to claw his way back forward. As the laps wound on, Davis would resume the point, displacing Holubar to the 2nd position. At the line, Davis would take the win, followed by Holubar, Hoffman, Ebersole, and #771 Daniel Lopez. In the main, Holubar would again get a strong start, with Davis and and Ebersole the usual company out front. Ebersole seemed to be strongest at the starts, briefly challenging Davis for the 2nd position, before relinquishing it to driver 403. After a slight struggle in the pre-final, Robinson was also moving forward, into the top 5 for a period of time. The top 4 ran close together for several laps, before Davis would take charge yet again, Holubar in tow as the duo began to separate from the rest of the field. At the halfway mark, Davis had the race in control, but Holubar was not too far behind! At the finish, however, it was Davis with a reasonably authoritative victory over Holubar, Ebersole, Hoffman, and Lopez, who battled mechanical issues early in the day but soldiered home to complete the top 5.

Macy Williams got the job done in the end for Junior Rotax

The intense and competitive Henry’s Welding Co. Junior Rotax drivers were next on track. In qualifying, #214 Macy Williams would prove the fastest, with a time of 40.823, followed by #278 Timmy Trostel, and #298 Cameron Lazaroff in a very tight front group. In the pre-final, Trostel would emerge the early leader of the pack through the opening corners, thanks to a monumental shove by #217 Liam Letzsch. The duo seemed intent on drafting away from the rest of the pack, but it was tough going to do so, as Williams wasn’t going to let them pull very far away! Further back Lazaroff was also keeping reasonable pace, with #286 Adam Ambraziunas, #99 Nolan Payne, and #122 Seth Cothrun tussling further back. As the pre-final wore on, Trostel would continue to lead, but Williams would sneak past Letzsch to close on Trostel. At the line, Trostel would take the win “by the hair on his chinny-chin-chin”, in the words of the famed announcer Dave Williams of Southern California renown, a margin of victory of just 0.153 over Williams, with Letzsch further back. With the stage set for an intense final, the leaders poured on the Rotax coals into turn 1, with Williams muscling into the lead. Trostel found himself being shoved slightly wide through the opening corners, as Lazaroff and Letzsch both had their daggers out in the opening laps to overtake driver 278. Up front, Williams was busy getting her paperwork in order, relaxing back in the seat and setting a torrid pace. Letzsch was able to keep up for a period of time, but eventually began to fade ever so slightly, which allowed Williams to power away slowly but surely. At the checkered, Williams would take the win, followed by Letzsch, Lazaroff, Trostel, and a strong effort after a tough battle by Nolan Payne.

Weber, Hoffman, and Myers, the swiftest drivers in Amsoil Junior 1 at Round 07

The Amsoil Junior 1 drivers always put on a show, and Round 07 was no exception! In qualifying, the field was again very tight out front, with #61 Dylan Archer laying down the quickest time at a 45.820, followed oh-so-very-closely by #11 Vaughn Weber, and #5 Alex McPherson-Wiman. In the pre-final, Weber would muscle his way to the lead early, followed by Archer, McPherson-Wiman, and #28 Deanna Hoffman. One of the most impressive improvements this season so far, Hoffman was running strong with the leaders for the opening laps, while Archer was clawing his way back towards the front of the pack one-by-one after a tough go at the start of the race. With just a handful of laps to go, Archer was into the 2nd position, and looking to challenge Weber potentially for the lead if he had more laps. Suddenly, however, contact between McPherson-Wiman and Archer sent Archer into a sharp spin out of the hairpin corner at the top. While many drivers seemed to think it was a racing incident, officials saw otherwise, docking driver #5 a few positions for the accident. At the line, Weber would take the win, with Hoffman taking the 2nd position, followed by Eversman, McPherson-Wiman, and #60 Rye Myers. After his spin, Archer would recover to the 6th position. In the main Weber would again assume the point early on, with Hoffman, #22 Archer Eversman, McPherson-Wiman, and Archer all in the mix as well. Contact early in the race would sideline Eversman in a questionable call regarding a rear bumper dragging, which devastated the team after a strong showing by the promising racer. His chin held high, Eversman will look to be a serious factor at the next race. Back on track #60 Rye Myers was throwing his hat into the ring after some struggles in the pre-final, challenging the leaders for the podium. Weber remained calm and composed out front, however, as he and Hoffman would pull away from the rest of the tustling drivers. Despite the penalty in the pre-final, Archer and McPherson-Wiman found themselves running together on the track, #5’s pace hampered by rocks trapped in the brake rotor mechanism, sparks occasionally spitting from that machine. At the checkered, Weber would cap off a clean victory on the weekend, ahead of Hoffman, Myers, Archer, and McPherson-Wiman.

The duo of Joelle Lewis and Gage Korn were worthy adversaries in Junior 1 Cadet, with Lewis victorious.

Just like their faster counterparts, the KMG Plumbing & Heating Junior 1 Cadet drivers were setting the stage for an epic race from qualifying onward. #5 Gage Korn would set the pace with a truly impressive time of 49.177, ahead of #51 Joelle Lewis and #13 Darrick Potts, who was looking strong after some work to his kart the previous few days. In the pre-final, Lewis would take charge early in the race, followed by Korn and #85 Andrew Wilson, who would challenge for the 2nd position early on. Chaos erupted in the opening laps, with #18 Braden Lapoehn and #1c Cadence Presley becoming hung together in a dangerous spot on the track, which was eventually cleared despite some delay. At the line Lewis would take the victory over Korn and Wilson. In the final Lewis would assume the point early, but Korn was right there to challenge for the lead! The due traded positions back and forth for many laps, with Wilson and #11 Tyler Pompian tustling slightly further back, while Potts ran solidly by himself in the top 5. As the race wore on lap traffic began to play into things, with newcomer #27 Troy Dunwoody creating some chaos in the middle of the pack on the tight and narrow Action Karting course. Out front, Lewis and Korn were truly in a race of their own, each pushing the other to make a mistake. Lewis would not be broken, however, as she narrowly held off a solid attempt at victory by Korn, who followed her to the line for 2nd. Wilson would emerge victorious for 3rd over Pompian, followed by Potts in 5th.

Jackson Dunn would narrowly lead Seth Axelson all day in Rotax Senior competition.

The Rotax Senior, Rotax Master, and Unser Karting KA 100 drivers were next on the track. In qualifying, #370 Jackson Dunn would set the pace with a time of 41.014, narrowly ahead of #22 Seth Axelson and #23 Quinton O’Donnell. #618 Wright Hugus was looking solid in qualifying for Master, taking the pole with a time of 42.421, while #76 Everest Fedler would take the top position in qualifying for KA 100 with a time of 43.100 ahead of #145 Greg Welch and #14 Kenny Schmied. In the pre-final Dunn would lead wire-to-wire, but not without challenge from Axelson in Rotax Senior, who would dog the leader for the entire race as O’Donnell soldiered on in 3rd. Master leader Hugus would tussle with KA 100 leader Fedler for the opening circuits, before his Rotax power would allow him to pull away free and clear from driver 76, to run uncontested in his category for the victory. At the halfway point Welch looked to the inside of Fedler, overtaking him for the lead in the category. At the line, Dunn would take a very narrow victory over Axelson, who bided his time in 2nd, followed by O’Donnell a ways further back. Hugus would lead the Master field alone, while Welch would take the KA 100 victory over Fedler, and a sidelined Schmied after an off-track early in the race. In the final it was again Dunn and Axelson out front for much of the race early on, with Axelson following Dunn like a shadow lap after lap. Further back Hugus was having a field day in Master competition, running again uncontested for his position in the category. Fedler and Welch meanwhile were putting on a show, which eventually ended with a somewhat violent crash between the duo, as Welch left some space to his inside in one of the tighter corners, causing a helicoptering Fedler to be sidelined for the remainder of the race near the halfway point. At the line, Dunn would take the Rotax Senior victory over Axelson and O’Donnell, Hugus would emerge victorious in Rotax Master, and Welch would take the win despite a slight injury to his knee and a delay in restarting his kart, to finish ahead of Schmied.

The Korn boys had a solid outing, with Henry earning victory in LO206 Light and SKUSA Stock Honda Shifter

Next on track were the rough and tumble Loan Simple SKUSA Stock Honda and Open Shifter drivers. In qualifying, #21 Henry Korn would lay down a quick time of 39.363, followed by #12 Josh Weis and #314 Jacob Meister, taking the pole for the Open Shifter category with a time of 39.950. In the pre-final Weis would get a slightly slower start than Korn and Meister, who used his ROK shifter power to launch into 2nd. Korn out front would become a familiar sight to the shifter drivers, with Meister hanging tough with him for a handful of laps before Korn’s pace would become too much. Further back and #19 Colton Timmons was fighting for his life ahead of #9 Cody Russell and the ambitious #69 Norbert Laczko. As the final wore on, so did Korn’s pace against the rest of the field, pulling away from all but Meister for a solid victory in his category. Naturally, Meister’s 2nd place finish overall would net the victory in the Open category, while Weis would finish 3rd overall. In the final, the engines revved as head flagger Cody Dempster would drop the green on a field of shifters. Once again, Korn would rocket to the lead with Timmons getting a surprisingly strong start from 4th, catching Meister and Weis slightly asleep as they were displaced to 3rd and 4th. After a solid run in Open Shifter, an early off-track excursion would prematurely end Lazcko’s day, a dejected fan favorite forced to watch from the sidelines as Korn would put a hurting on the rest of the field lap after lap. Meister was again on pace for the 2nd position overall in the race, but fell back mid race as Weis and Timmons continued to battle nearby. With a little bump and run action on Timmons, Weis would elevate himself into the second position in the Stock Honda category, which was seen by officials but eventually relinquished after debate. At the line, Korn would emerge victorious, with Weis in 2nd, followed by Timmons, #11 Ahmad Bharazi, and Lazcko, who would both DNF the race unfortunately. In Open competition, Meister would wrap up the victory, finishing 2nd overall in the event. #13 Alex Ollig continues to improve with each race, and finished 2nd on the day, with Russell 3rd.

Williams and Lazaroff had a coming-together in the final lap, netting Timmy Trostel the win.

Next on track was the small but mighty field of Junior 2 drivers. In qualifying #98 Cameron Lazaroff set the quick time at 47.477, followed by #214 Macy Williams and #78 Timmy Trostel. In the pre-final Williams would take the lead early, displacing Lazaroff and Trostel to 2nd and 3rd respectively. While Trostel would do his best to keep pace with the leaders, after a handful of laps the writing on the wall was that Lazaroff and Williams were intent on drafting away from everyone else. Fortunately for Trostel, his pace would break up this party, allowing him to lead for the mid portion of the race as newcomer #48 Dave Williams would run ahead of several drivers in the 4th position. As the race continued the biggest shuffle was for Macy Williams, who seemed to have engine issues, pulling off with a handful of laps to go with potential problems. Back on track and it was Trostel’s turn to lead, with Lazaroff stalking him until the final laps, when he made his move to take the lead. At the line, it was Lazaroff, Trostel and Dave Williams. In the final, Macy Williams was looking for redemption. At the drop of the green it was Lazaroff and Trostel leading the opening circuits, with Trostel holding the majority of these laps. As the lead duo continued to tussle over the lead, Macy Williams was picking her way through the field as Dave Williams became unnerved by many karts around him and fell further back in the race. As the final few laps were being run, Macy Williams had arrived on the scene. Together, she and Lazaroff began to draft away from Trostel to settle the race for themselves. As the white flag fell it was Lazaroff in the lead, with #214 biding her time in the 2nd position. A challenge for the lead out of the final hairpin caused the leaders to run side-by-side into the next fast left-right section of the track, with neither driver lifting. Lazaroff caught some dust on the outside line, drifted sideways, and his kart climbed up and over the front of Williams, causing a gasp from the crowd and a spin from Macy Williams, now out of the race and visibly hurt. With medical teams standing by to head her way as the race concluded, the accident disrupted the running order enough to allow Trostel to sneak by to take the victory, with #0 Baden Dunn inheriting 2nd ahead of eventual 3rd place finisher Lazaroff. Dave Williams would soldier on to take the 4th position, followed by #37 Jack Ary with his best result so far in the season in 5th. Clutching her hand and keeping a stiff upper lip, Macy Williams was quickly evaluated and released by trackside medical staff. Despite the intensity of the collision, with precautions taken and thanks to modern safety equipment and quick action by all involved, Williams was soon on the mend and reset for Round 08.

Myers would claw his way to victory despite a rough pre-final outing in Mini Max.

The turbulent Micro Max and Mini Max drivers were next on the track. In qualifying #160 Rye Myers would set the pace with a time of 43.739, followed closely by #177 Kaden Dosmann, #161 Dylan Archer. #22 Archer Eversman set the pace in Micro Max competition, the sole competitor, but did not set a time in the session. In the pre-final Dosmann would aggressively move to the front early, while Myers would spin due to contact from behind, which elevated #107 to the 2nd position and Archer to 3rd. As the pre-final wore on, Dosmann would put a hurting on the field with Myers mired in traffic, opening up a reasonable margin for himself out front, until Hindson would challenge late in the race to take the preliminary victory. Discussions by officials deemed that Hindson may have been involved in the opening lap melee, which displaced him to the 3rd position, elevating Archer and Dosmann to 1st and 2nd, respectively. In the final it was Dosmann and Archer getting things started at the drop of the green, with #199 Zach Morris making a strong move early to 3rd. Archer would quickly assume the lead from Dosmann, who struggled for pace a little in the middle of the race. Meanwhile, Myers was a man on a mission, charging from the back of the field towards the lead pack in the opening laps. Passing multiple drivers each lap, nothing could deter Myers from his mission of making it to the front! Nothing, that is, except the lead pack, who made it slightly tougher on Myers midway through the race. Out front, Archer was still in the lead, followed by Dosmann who had faded slightly. Myers eventually overtook Morris and Dosmann, and set his sights on Archer, taking over the lead from driver 161 on lap 9. At the line, a big win for Myers after a hard charge through the pack, Archer in 2nd, and Dosmann in 3rd. Archer Eversman ran smoothly all day to take the victory unopposed in Micro Max, a solace after a gutting result in Junior 1.

Korn again victorious with some solid drivers on the podium!

Last but certainly not least, the fence was lined with spectators for the massive field of Amsoil Adult LO206 Lights! In qualifying, #21x AJ Jacobellis was the pace setter, with a time of 49.962, closely followed by #22 Seth Axelson who was looking stronger after a new motor, with #21 Henry Korn 3rd. In the pre-final chaos erupted early on as rain showers caused spins and all sorts of a mess in the opening laps, with the race being recalled for the track to dry. Once the race got started, Jacobellis would not hold the lead for long, as Korn muscled his way to the front followed by #8 Jackson Dunn and a displaced Jacobellis. As the laps wore on the running order remained Korn, Dunn, Jacobellis, and Axelson the top 4. Further back, as always, things were more chaotic, with several drivers sidelined prematurely due to the tight and tricky nature of the Action Karting facility. At the line, Korn would take the win, followed by Dunn, Jacobellis, and Axelson. In the main, the drivers were slightly more orderly on the opening lap….just kidding! Chaos was abound in the mid-field, as #11 Mike Weber even tried his interpretation of the ‘pass-in-the-gravel’ to avoid some colliding karts. Korn still retained the lead early, but this time it was Axelson stalking him from 2nd, with Dunn sidelined after the opening lap. Jacobellis had a hellacious start, but was working his way back through the field after #45 Duncan Warnke fell by the wayside. At the halfway mark Korn still ran in first, followed by Axelson, a recovering Jacobellis, and #118 Lapoehn, who inheirited the position after a spin by #86 Nathan Sewolt. As the checkered flag fell on a typically wild race, Korn would salute the sweep of the day with a fist pump, with Axelson riding close behind in 2nd, Jacobellis 3rd, Lapoehn 4th, and #303 Jose Rivera 5th.

With the race day over, Colorado Karting Tour racers hung around for the podium presentations. Many had contested multiple classes on the day, and were excited to applaud their fellow racers for their successes. After a trying day in the timing booth, it was longtime Colorado karting fixture Rodney Ebersole that was recognized with the “True Karter” award to much approval. Others quickly packed up, and hit the road, determined to come back rested and prepared for Round 08 at Unser Karting & Events, Centennial.

As a racing series largely driven by the tireless efforts of a driven group of officials, volunteers, and supporters, The Colorado Karting Tour in particular wishes to thank our series supporters, our raceday crew of Donny Holder, Ian Francis, Cody Dempster, Kenny Francis, CJ Weidner, Jack McPherson-Wiman, Julie Williams, McKaylie Williams, Craig Mansfield, Danielle Hindson, Steven Chapman, Ryan Tucker, Ron Rudolph, Martin and the team from Rotax BRP, and the Action Karting staff for putting on a great event. By and large, these individuals and team members support kart racing in Colorado not by choice, but by a drive to see the sport grow and benefit the racers, who themselves understand the time and effort these individuals put forth to put on an event that they can come and enjoy.

The Colorado Karting Tour will soon head to Centennial, Colorado, to host the final Round of the 2018 Championship Series, Round 08, at Unser Karting & Events Centennial on September 08. This course shall be run in the clockwise direction, and is shaping up to be an outstanding event! To reserve your pit spot, contact the team at Unser Karting Centennial.

CKT’s next board meeting will be on September 11, at Great Scott’s Eatery, Denver from 6-9 PM.

To stay up-to-date with all of CKT’s media, announcements, and scheduling, head to our website: www.coloradokartingtour.com, or via Facebook @ColoradoKartingTour-CKT. You can also find us on Instagram @coloradokartingtour

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