Cameron Lovejoy Wins Three of Four In Chapel Hill

From WorldKarting.com

07.20.2010 – Kennebunk, Maine’s Cameron Lovejoy has been a top competitor on the WKA Vega Speedway Pavement tour since last season, and the young 10-year-old talent put together his best event as a national competitor at last weekend's Chapel Hill (N.Y.) Raceway’s Soraghan Woodworking Nationals.

Lovejoy led all Speedway Pavement racers with three wins on the weekend. He swept the Briggs Sportsman 1 divisions, winning Lite and Heavy over Tyler Frantz. Lovejoy garnered the two wins in his first national race in the flat-kart classes. Lovejoy added the Sportsman 1 Champ Lite feature to his list of victories, marking his second win of the year in the competitive champ-kart division.

The only race Lovejoy lost was Sunday’s Sportsman 1 Champ Heavy, which saw Virginia’s Jacob Leverstein wheel his Titan chassis to the win by three-tenths of a second over Lovejoy. Wyatt Alexander finished third.

Nearly 200 entries made it the best-attended Vega Speedway Pavement Series race thus far in 2010. Numbers are still down from 2009, but the series now has some momentum heading into the final two nationals of the year.

Next up for the Pavement Series is the big Aug. 20-22 Pavement, Gold Cup doubleheader at New Castle (Ind.) Motorsports Complex. Click here to view the New Castle X-Caliber / Rage Nationals entry blank.

The season will close with the Bonsignore Kart Shoppe Grand Nationals Sept. 24-26 at the popular BeaveRun (Pa.) Motorsports Complex. The BeaveRun entry blank will be available on WorldKarting.com in the coming weeks.

Cameron Finishes Fifth At Riverhead, Takes Second in Heavies Points

From WorldKarting.com

10.13.2009 – Junior drivers James Hayden and Brandon McGough led all Rage Karts Speedway Pavement Series racers with fine triple-win performances over the weekend at the inaugural Bonsignore Kart Shoppe Nationals at Riverhead Raceway on Long Island. Well over 200 entries made the event a positive one for WKA and Riverhead Raceway. Competitive racing and strong entry counts in most classes gave Speedway Pavement racers, officials and fans something to be pleased about heading into the offseason.

McGough capped a stout 2009 season with wins in three of the four Briggs Sportsman 1 divisions – Sportsman 1 Heavy and Sportsman 1 Champ Lite and Heavy. James Hayden matched Brandon’s terrific weekend with three wins of his own, coming in Jr Champ Lite and Heavy and Jr Champ Raptor Final 1.

Chase Dowling, Ryan Breithoff and Dean Grunet each drove to two wins. Dowling’s triumphs came in Sportsman 2 Lite and Sportsman 2 Champ Lite. Breithoff entered six classes at Riverhead and came away with victories in Briggs Jr Lite and Jr Champ Raptor Final 2. Local racer Grunet drove to a pair of wins in the Briggs Raptor finals.

New York’s Ryan Barbieri was the only driver to beat Brandon McGough in a feature at Riverhead. Ryan won Sportsman 1 Lite over Stephen Brewer Jr.

Trevor Trost and Dylan Duhaime didn’t let Chase Dowling get any more than two first-place trophies to take home. Trost won Sportsman 2 Heavy while Duhaime finished ahead of Matt Pappa and Dowling to take his only win of the weekend in Sportsman 2 Champ Heavy.

Maryland racer Chris Hammett found victory lane once with a big win in Briggs Jr Heavy. Top WKA Pavement racers Tyler Robertson and AJ Roderick split the ultra-competitive Briggs Champ Lite and Heavy features.

Long Islander Justin Bonsignore won over a large 18-kart field in Briggs Raptor Champ Final 1. The field was by far the best of the season in the Raptor Champ division and also the largest national class of the weekend. Bonsignore also took home the winner’s check in a special Saturday night Sr Champ Money Race, which was promoted by Riverhead. Over 35 karts started the under-the-lights affair. 

There were three different winners in the three Sr Briggs divisions. New Englander Glen Meisenhelder took the win in Briggs Lite. North Carolina racer Tyler Gauthier traveled north and won Briggs Medium. The win capped an outstanding 2009 campaign for the Tar Heel, who won his first ever national just last month at the BeaveRun Motorsports Complex. New York’s Chris Daley got the win over Cole Lenhart in Briggs Heavy.

Three local-option classes hit the track at Riverhead. Alexa Hipperling won Sportsman 1 Raptor Champ while Artie Tappen took first place in Sportsman 2 Raptor Champ. David Hardman won over a competitive seven-kart field in Sr Raptor Champ Over 35.

Six Kid Kart participants made laps over the weekend, comprising William Ebert, Edward Fatscher, Julia and Nichola Dicanio, Michael Hurley and Joseph Bertuccio.

As noted, the Bonsignore Kart Shoppe Nationals marked the end of the 2009 season for WKA’s only pavement-oval tour. Only two national events remain on WKA’s ’09 schedule: the Road Race Season Finale Oct. 30-Nov. 2 at Road Atlanta and the SSC East / CRG Nationals for the George Kugler / Bridgestone Manufacturer’s Cup Series driven by Mazda Nov. 6-8 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Of course, as soon as these events are complete racers will begin to make plans for KartWeek 2010 Dec. 28-30 at Daytona International Speedway.

Speedway Pavement point standings will be updated on WorldKarting.com by the end of the workweek. Divisional transfers will be included from divisional series that have provided final standings to WKA. As always, the divisional transfers included are listed at the heading of the points page.

3D Motorsports Briggs Sportsman 1 Champ Lite 1. Brandon McGough 2. Mike Giachetti 3. Cole Timm 4. Cameron Lovejoy 5. Jacob Leverstein 6. Sean Glennon 7. Stephen Ford 8. Kenneth Morin 9. Ryan Timm 10. Owen Grennan FT – Cole Timm 15.993

Briggs Sportsman 1 Champ Heavy 1. Brandon McGough 2. Mike Giachetti 3. Cole Timm 4. Jacob Leverstein 5. Cameron Lovejoy 6. Brayden Houpt 7. Kenneth Morin 8. Ryan Timm 9. Izzac Collins 10. Christian Ottati FT – Cole Timm 15.887

Cameron Lovejoy has strong run at BeveRun, keeps Heavies points lead

From WorldKarting.com

09.22.2009 – Only one round remains on the 2009 WKA Rage Karts Speedway Pavement Series with the conclusion of last weekend’s Pro Kart Racing Karts Nationals at Wampum, Pennsylvania’s BeaveRun Motorsports Complex. Terrific weather and top-notch competition highlighted the Pavement Series’ return to the western Pa. facility. Over 200 entries made up the 23 feature events, which was a steady increase from last year’s official BeaveRun entry count of 196. 

Racers of all ages and experience levels vied for national victories throughout Saturday and Sunday. In the end, 18 blacktop oval-track racers were able to garner a Pro Kart Nationals victory. But Ryan Breithoff, who was racing in his home state, clearly had the best weekend of anyone. The 14-year-old Quakertown, Pa., shoe was the only driver to win three times on BeaveRun’s 0.800-mile oval. Breithoff netted victories in Briggs Jr Heavy and both Briggs Jr Raptor Champ finals. His wins came over solid competition in each class, especially the Jr Raptor Champ finals which saw him fend off top contenders Ryan Douglas, Craig Lutz and Patrick Robertson for the wins.

Next to Breithoff’s success, equal competition was the story at BeaveRun. Sixteen other racers were able to visit victory lane once in western Pa., and only one of them saw it twice, which is usually a more common occurrence at nearly every WKA national event.

Here are the other 17 drivers who stood atop the podium at the Pro Kart Nationals: North Carolina’s Tyler Gauthier was the only double winner with triumphs in two of the most competitive Pavement divisions, Briggs Lite and Medium. Maryland’s Stephen Brewer Jr. won Sportsman 1 Lite; Brandon McGough won in his home state in Sportsman 1 Heavy. 

Jacob Leverstein drove to victory Sportsman 1 Champ Lite; Ryan Timm earned his first national triumph with a fine drive in Sportsman 1 Champ Heavy; Chase Dowling traveled west from Connecticut and won Sportsman 2 Lite; Matt Pappa was victorious in Sportsman 2 Heavy. 

Jacob Thompson won one for the Buckeye State in Sportsman 2 Champ Lite; brothers Patrick and Tyler Robertson won Jr Champ Lite and Raptor Champ Final 1; Craig Lutz drove to victory in Briggs Jr Lite; Eilijah Rios continued a solid ’09 season with a win in Sportsman 2 Champ Heavy.

Jacob Gunn was another Pennsylvania victor in Jr Champ Heavy; Cullen Mumaw surprised a few with his first win of the season in Champ Heavy; Craig Wetzel scored another victory in Briggs Heavy; Kyle Long won Raptor Final 1 while Chad Brooks was victorious in Raptor Champ Final 2.

Briggs & Stratton Racing and WKA drew for some more outstanding Briggs product at BeaveRun. Four Brute by Briggs pressure washers and one portable generator were given away at Saturday morning’s drivers meeting. Winners of the fine Briggs product were Justin Fulmer, Kyle Ellwood, Kyle Long, Tommy Stilphen and Emily Flaim. Fulmet, Ellwood, Long and Stilphen won pressure washers and Flaim took home the generator.

As noted, only one race remains on the 2009 Rage Karts Speedway Pavement tour – and it’s going to be a big one. The tour will travel to Riverhead Raceway Oct. 9-11 for the Bonsignore Kart Shoppe Nationals. The event is the inaugural event at the Long Island track and marks the first ever WKA national on Long Island.

Racers will not only be contending for national wins at Riverhead, but national championships as well. 

Updated Speedway Pavement point standings will be available on worldkarting.com by the end of the week.  The Bonsignore Kart Shoppe Nationals entry blank can be viewed by clicking here. Pre-entries will be accepted until Sept. 30.
 

Cameron gets second WKA win at New Castle!

08.25.2009 – The constant advantage road racing has over oval-track racing is that the road courses allow the option to race in the rain. That’s just what the Bully Clutches Gold Cup Series did Saturday amid wet weather in central Indiana. Unfortunately, the Rage Karts Speedway Pavement Series was forced to sit the day out after qualifying rounds were completed, waiting for clear skies over the New Castle Motorsports Park facility that never came.

Fortunately, better weather was on the way Sunday, and the Jammer Clutches Grand Nationals at least got one full day of competition in before teams headed back to their respected homes and race shops.

New York’s Patrick Robertson and Pennsylvania’s Craig Wetzel each drove to two Grand National victories Sunday afternoon, taking home a pair of prestigious Grand National Eagle trophies in the process. Patrick triumphed in Briggs Jr Champ Heavy and Briggs Jr Champ Raptor Final 2, while Wetzel’s wins were in Briggs Medium and Briggs Raptor Final 2. Craig Lutz finished second to Robertson in Jr Champ Heavy; Ryan Breithoff was the runner-up in Jr Champ Raptor Final 2. Wetzel’s wins came over Justin Bonsignore in Medium and Kyle Long in Raptor Final 2.

Brandon McGough continued his outstanding Pavement campaign with a win in Briggs Sportsman 1 Heavy. McGough won over Chase Hawkins and Brayden Smith. The Pennsylvania racer also notched a second-place result on Sunday, finishing behind Cameron Lovejoy in Briggs Sportsman 1 Champ Heavy. Lovejoy, who traveled some 16 hours to New Castle from Kennebunk, Maine, has now closed up the points battle between him and McGough in the Sportsman 1 Champ Heavy class.

Chase Dowling beat out Kyle Soper to win Briggs Sportsman 2 Heavy. Points leader Matt Pappa finished third.

Soper qualified fastest in Saturday’s Sportsman 2 Champ Lite class, but didn’t get a chance to show his speed in the main event due to the rain. He made sure everyone was aware that he was indeed the fastest Sportsman 2 Champ racer at New Castle, setting fast time and winning Sunday’s Heavy main event over Elijah Rios and John Hawley.

CJ Leary entered his first Speedway Pavement event of the season at New Castle, and he wasted no time visiting victory lane with a win in Briggs Jr Heavy over New York’s Hayden Newcomb.

AJ Roderick, who doubled up by competing in the Pavement and Gold Cup events at New Castle, found his only victory of the weekend in Briggs Champ Heavy. He won over Tyler Robertson and Cullen Mumaw. Roderick also had top finishes of second and third on the Gold Cup’s Coyote Motorsports Nationals side of the action.

Tyler Robertson had to keep up with his younger brother, Patrick. He added his name to the winners’ list when he triumphed over Chelsey Friel in Briggs Raptor Champ Final 2, meaning the Robertson family headed back to the Empire State with three Grand National Eagles from Sunday’s racing alone.

Regarding Saturday’s main event rainouts, the qualifying rounds were completed so points will be awarded based on the qualifying results. If Saturday’s program was a complete rainout, 200 points would have been awarded to each entrant. Qualifying results will be processed as if they are race results.

Saturday’s fast timers comprised the following: Brayden Smith in Sportsman 1 Lite; Cole Timm in Sportsman 1 Champ Lite; Soper in Sportsman 2 Champ Lite; Newcomb in Briggs Jr Lite; Patrick Robertson in Jr Champ Lite and Jr Champ Raptor Final 1; Tyler Robertson in Briggs Champ Lite and Raptor Champ Final 1; Hank Branham in Briggs Lite and Raptor Final 1; and Wetzel in Briggs Heavy.

Two events now remain on the 2009 Speedway Pavement schedule. Pavement racers will get back at it in less than a month at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex for the Pro Kart Racing Karts Nationals Sept. 18-20. The season will conclude with the Bonsignore Kart Shoppe Nationals Oct. 9-11 on Long Island at Riverhead Raceway.

Look for Pit Board and Web site announcements for these two events in the coming weeks. Updated point standings should be available on worldkarting.com by the end of the week.
 

3D Motorsports Briggs Sportsman 1 Champ Lite 1. Cole Timm 2. Ryan Timm 3. Cameron Lovejoy 4. Brandon McGough 5. Mikey Giachetti 6. Stephen Ford 7. Jacob Leverstein 8. Brayden Houpt 9. Ken Morin 10. Dylan Tucker FT – Cole Timm 17.318

Briggs Sportsman 1 Champ Heavy 1. Cameron Lovejoy 2. Brandon McGough 3. Steven Ford 4. Dillon Tucker 5. Brayden Houpt 6. Spencer Blackmore 7. Ryan Timm 8. Jacob Leverstein 9. Cole Timm 10. Mikey Giachetti FT – Cole Timm 17.236

Cameron Lovejoy is first time WKA winner at Chapel Hill

07.23.2009 – The WKA Rage Karts Speedway Pavement Series returned to action last weekend, July 17-19, when the tour made its second 2009 stop at Humphrey, New York’s Chapel Hill Raceway. The 1-800-GOT-JUNK Nationals marked the first race in over three months for WKA’s only pavement-oval national series, and 257 race entries were received for the traditional WKA event in upstate New York’s scenic Southern Tier region.

A stout group of pavement racers filled the Chapel Hill pit area. While entry numbers from each state have not been tallied, the Carolinas, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia were all well represented. Ironically, the Speedway Pavement opener April 3-5 at the OCR Action Sports Park in Rougemont, N.C., had exactly the same amount of entries as Chapel Hill. On another positive note, last weekend’s 1-800-GOT-JUNK Nationals outdrew both of 2008’s Chapel Hill national races, which saw entry counts of 228 and 183.

Fifteen drivers left Chapel Hill with at least one national win. Result-wise, Pennsylvania’s Ryan Breithoff had the best weekend of any racer. Breithoff won three main events – Kevin Smith Racing Engines Briggs Jr Lite, Briggs Jr Champ Heavy and Briggs Jr Champ Raptor Final 1. He also finished second in Jr Champ Raptor Final 2 and Jr Champ Lite, while netting a third-place finish in Briggs Jr Heavy. That means Breithoff finished no worse than third in six feature starts – certainly a weekend to be proud of.

But Breithoff wasn’t the only racer celebrating in the Empire State. Maryland’s Stephen Brewer Jr., who splits his time between the Speedway Pavement and Bully Clutches Gold Cup series, swept the Sportsman 1 main events, finishing ahead of Aaron Weed in both. Connecticut’s Chase Dowling did the same in Sportsman 2 Lite and Heavy.

Speedway Pavement hot shoe Patrick Robertson won two mains at Chapel, taking the top spot in Briggs Jr Champ Lite and Jr Champ Raptor Final 2. Robertson was close to a quadruple-win weekend; he took home second-place results in Jr Champ Heavy and Jr Champ Raptor Final 1, finishing behind Breithoff in both.

Versatile kart racer AJ Roderick, who also splits his time between Gold Cup and Pavement, won two of the more competitive classes of the weekend, Briggs Champ Lite and Turner Racing Engines Briggs Champ Heavy.

George Curtis Jr. topped all in Briggs Lite and the weekend’s largest class, Briggs Medium, which had 18 racers start the 20-lap feature. And Kyle Long extended his point lead in Briggs Raptor, winning Custom Trophy Final 1 and Final 2.

Single feature winners at Chapel Hill were Brandon McGough in 3D Motorsports Sportsman 1 Champ Lite; Cameron Lovejoy in Sportsman 1 Champ Heavy; Elijah Rios in Bonsignore Kart Shoppe Sportsman 2 Champ Lite; Matt Pappa in Sportsman 2 Champ Heavy; Jimmy Hayden in Jr Heavy; Craig Wetzel in Briggs Heavy; Cullen Mumaw in Raptor Champ Final 1; and Chelsey Friel in Raptor Champ Final 2.

Andrew Morin, Dale Martel and Jenet Blackmore were the weekend’s Kid Kart participants.

The break is over for the Speedway Pavement racers. The series will be in action once a month from July until October. The next event on the schedule is the big doubleheader with the Gold Cup Series Aug. 21-23 at Indiana’s New Castle Motorsports Park. Tagged the Jammer Clutches Grand Nationals, the event is the first ever Speedway Pavement / Gold Cup doubleheader and it is expected to be one of the best events for both series in recent memory. As noted in a news release in the July 21 Pit Board, WKA will be accommodating those racers who run both series.