Los Angeles Karting Championship hosts Round Three of 2018
Championship picture beginning to take shape following April 22 event.
The Los Angeles Karting Championship reached the 1/3-mark for the season. Round Three of the 2018 program went into the books on April 22 at the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana, California. Over 160 entries on the weekend provided another full paddock outside the Auto Club Speedway, competing on the ‘Grande' counter-clockwise layout in categories that ranged from Kid Kart to Open Shifter. A handful of drivers returned to the top step of the podium while other categories welcomed more first time winners on the season.
The Nash Motorsportz X30 Senior Pro welcomed back some heavy hitters to the LAKC. Billy Musgrave and Dante Yu set the tone for the day in their return. Musgrave set fast time in qualifying (48.370) before winning the Prefinal. The two went back and forth during the early portion of the Final until Yu secured the position, leading the final 11 laps to earn the victory. Musgrave trailed in second with Ethan Barrett ran solo in third with Colby DuBato and Chance Skaufel completing the top-five. 2 Wild Karting X30 Senior Intermediate Round One winner Yuki Tanaka returned to the top of the podium. Tanaka was able to steal the Prefinal win over top qualifier Payne Brawley. When Brawley retired early in the Final, Tanaka ran away to a 10-second advantage for the victory. Gregor DiMaggio was second with Michel Manning completing the podium. Round Two winner Cody Diggs was fourth with 2017 X30 Novice champion Lauran Adams in fifth.
The P1 Engines Mini Swift class matched its total from last month with 21 drivers, serving as the largest category of the day, and welcoming its third different winner of the season. Round Two winner Jesus Vasquez Jr. was quickest in qualifying with Kasey Gillis coming away with the win in the Prefinal. Gillis and Round One winner Logan Toke were out on the opening lap, and AJ Zarcone benefitted by moving into the lead. Zarcone led wire-to-wire in the 18-lap race, holding off Mathias Colto at the line by six thousandths of a second. Troy Hageman joined them on the podium in third with Vasquez and Enzo Deligny rounding out the top-five.
A third different winner emerged in the Ryan Perry Motorsport X30 Junior Expert class as well. Veteran Oliver Calvo made his 2018 LAKC debut to earn victory. Bryce Stevens was top qualifier by just 15 thousandths over Round One winner Kameron Perry, with Calvo in fifth. It took just four laps for Calvo to move into the lead, showing the rest of the way in the Prefinal for the win. From there, Calvo led from green to checkered for the victory, only six hundredths ahead of Stevens at the line. Perry ran third with Round Two victor Alan Tang in fourth and Jace Denmark-Gessel in fifth.
A third different winner was in the process in the MRC S3 Novice Stock Honda division. Vicente Salas was the driver to beat during the day, setting fast time in qualifying and winning the Prefinal. Round One winner Eddie Tafoya however had other ideas, coming up to grab the top spot and score his second victory on the season. Quintin Bineau slipped by Salas for the second with Trevor Sumner and Carlos Gonzalez completing the top-five. Keawn Tandon scored his third straight victory in the Mad Old Nut S2 Semi-Pro Stock Honda class. Tandon outran Prescott Campbell and Carlee Taylor.
Former champion Rob Logan made it back-to-back sweeps in the Kimball Williams Racing S4 Master Stock Honda class. Logan, who won Round Two, went untouched in Round Three to a five-second advantage over Adrian Yong and Zoli Sule. His toughest competition was from the PKS S4 Super Master Stock Honda division victor John Crow. It was a third victory on the year for Crow, who was joined on the podium by Myan Spaccarelli and Brett Harrelson.
The Mike Manning Karting X30 Master division joined in the group of three different winners in 2018. It was a sweep at Round Three for Tony Rossetti, showing the way from qualifying to the final checkered flag. Rossetti scored the victory by two seconds over Steve Martin and Bob Montgomery with Mike Giles and Chris Kneevers completing the top-five. John Antonino had his two-race win streak come to a close in the Empire Karts Micro Swift category. Max Repolust set fast time in qualifying with Kane Martin named the winner in the Prefinal after provisional race winner Repolust and runner-up Antonino were given a penalty to drop them down to third and fourth. Truly Adams was moved up to second, and took control in the Final. Leading all but one lap, Adams scored the victory over Antonino and Keagan Kaminski. Alexander Gonzalez and Gavyn Decuir made up the top-five.
John Crow doubled up in the win column once again, winning in the iKart West Briggs 206 Master class. It was a third straight event sweep for Crow in the category, reaching the checkered flag in the Final by 17 seconds ahead of Robert Drenk and Mikey Griffin. Joey Paonessa grabbed her first victory in the Mack Motorsports Briggs 206 Senior division. Paonessa was the top qualifier, while Cole Keatts won the Prefinal. Keatts led until retiring on lap five, handing the lead and the victory over to Paonessa. Troy Jones and Ryan Carey joined her on the podium. IAME USA West KA100 Senior class was a great battle between to season winners Henry Morse and Luis Perez. Round Two winner Perez got the fast time in qualifying while Round One victor Morse won the Prefinal. The battle continued in Final with Morse the front early until Perez assumed the position. Perez held on for the victory over Morse with Jared Caylor in third.
Other winners on the day include:
Phil Giebler Racing Open Shifter Pro: Tyler Coffman
Baldozier Racing S1 Pro Stock Honda: Billy Musgrave
TruTech X30 Senior Novice: Tarek Elmoussa
Mike Manning Karting X30 Super Master: Larry Hayashigawa
Superkarts! USA KA100 Master: Arman Cornell
Italcorse S5 Junior Stock Honda: Cash Baxley
MDG X30 Junior Novice: Timothy Carel
Formula Works Honda Kid Kart Expert: Zate Legend
Formula Works Honda Kid Kart Novice: Sebastian Cortes
The 2018 Los Angeles Karting Championship season resumes with Round Four, scheduled for May 20 at the CalSpeed Karting Center facility. For more about the Los Angeles Karting Championship program, please visit LAKC.org and ‘Like' them on Facebook and follow on Instagram.
