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Monticello Karters Compete in FKCS Race

May 3-4, 2008 - Stop number three of the Florida Kart Championship Series (FKCS), was at Monticello Karting this past weekend. The weather could not have been more perfect as it made for quick laps, close competition and an overall Chamber of Commerce weekend. Many drivers showed up on Thursday and Friday for practice before the racing began on Saturday.

 Monticello karters would take the track on Saturday in four different classes, Kid Kart, Easykart 100, Easykart 125 Lite and Tag Heavy. Starting off with Easykart 100, Lucas Rego from south Florida would put his kart on pole with a new track record of 59.089. Local drivers Curtis Morgan of Monticello, FL and Will Courreges of Tallahassee, FL would end up 5th and 10th respectively in qualifying. Rego would eventually finish in 2nd place in the pre-final to Space Coast Florida's Eric Filgueras. Curtis Morgan would run into problems from the start and not complete a lap of the pre-final, while Courreges would end up 9th. Rego would pull to an almost four second lead in the final for the win. Morgan overcame his pre-final woes and would finish a hard fought 6th, while Courreges battled with young Jason Devine to place 8th.

Next up was the Easykart 125 Lite, where five Monticello Karting drivers would compete. After qualifying was over the Monticello Karters found themselves in 1st, 3rd, 4th, 8th & 9th. Overall fast qualifier Nick Rickert would end up with a new track record of 57.132 and pole position, while Chris Grektorp of Tallahassee, FL and Michelle Hummell of Pace, FL would end up 3rd & 4th separated by a mere .019 seconds. Gainesville, FL's, Peter Kraft would end up 8th after a long awaited return to racing at Monticello, while Tallahassee's Henry Ferree would end up shotgun on the field after failing to start on the grid for qualifying.

From the drop of the green flag in the pre-final Nick Rickert knew something was wrong as a flat tire would cause an early retirement while running 2nd. Hummell would fight with south Florida's and 2007 Easykart 125 Lite FKCS Champion Daniel Delgado for a 3rd place finish, while two seconds back Ferree and Grektorp were battling for 5th. Ferree would hold off Grektorp for the position as Peter Kraft battled with south Florida's Kyle Connery to eventually finish 8th. The final would have everyone start in their pre-final finishing positions and after starting 3rd and running 2nd for 6 laps, Grektorp's kart would loose the rear bumper only to be black flagged and finish 9th, while only 2 laps later Rickert would be black flagged for loosing his air-box and finish 8th. Peter Kraft would end up 7th, as Ferree would score a 6th place finish after fighting with Connery. The best finish of the class for Monticello Karting was Michelle Hummell, whom continued her string of podium finishes in FKCS races with a close battle with James Shahan and Delgado for the 2nd spot on the podium!

Tag Heavy would also run on Saturday and include names like JC Courreges, Bob Wegman and Ken Holland, all local Monticello Karting drivers. Wegman in his Sonik powered Arrow, would end up 3rd in qualifying with a 1.00.747, while Courreges and Holland in stock Easykart's would end up 4th and 9th respectively. All of those positions would change for the pre-final as after many a hard fought pass Holland would end up in 3rd. Courreges would end up 6th and Wegman 10th after a turn one crash that would cause them to start last on the field. The 15 lap final wouldn't be so lucky for Holland as after 5 laps found himself side-lined with a blown motor. Courreges would hold onto his 4th place starting position for the entire race to finish there after racing hard with eventual 3rd place finisher Mark Thomas for 15 laps, as Wegman would start lap one in 10th and fight his way up to 5th.

Sunday would see Easykarts compete in three classes, Easykart 60, Easykart 125 Heavy and Tag. The rising stars of the sport in Easykart 60 would take the track for qualifying and include local drivers, Aubrey Duncan, Drew Kimbrel, Brian Lockwood and Nic Shealey. Coming out on top was Nic Shealey with a pole sitting time of 1.08.992, followed closely by Brian Lockwood with a 1.09.404. Kimbrel and Duncan would end up 5th and 8th. A four kart break away in the pre-final would end up with Shealey finishing in 1st and Lockwood in 2nd, leaving Kimbrel and Duncan to battle for 6th & 7th. Shealey, Lockwood and Ashley Rogero would all end up running under the pole-sitting qualifying time in the final as the three would check out on the field and continue a 10 lap nose to tail battle ending up with Shealey in 1st and Lockwood in 3rd, as Lockwood would also capture fast lap of the weekend for the 60's with a 1.08.448 lap. Kimbrel and Duncan struggled all day for speed and settled for 7th and 10th.

Easykart 125 Heavy which is normally Monticello Karting's largest class with 15 plus drivers ended up having only 7 entrants with 4 being Monticello Karters. Tallahassee's Brett Thompson, would capture pole position with a new track record of 58.555. co-track owner Tim Phipps would place 2nd with a 59.551 and Ken Holland 3rd with a 59.758. JC Courreges would end up 6th after struggling with a "hop" in qualifying. The pre-final was all Thompson as he cruised to a 8.7 second lead, but the best part was the top four were all from Monticello, Phipps 2nd, Holland 3rd and Courreges in 4th. The final again was all Thompson as after 10 laps, he had opened up a 10 second lead to finish 1st. Holland would end up 2nd and Courreges would find his way to the podium in 3rd. Phipps would end his day early as a mid race accident with Peter Pestano would side-line both karts.

Once again the largest class of the FKCS weekend was Tag with 19 entries. Monticello Karting fielded 3 drivers and one Easykart in the field which was comprised of Leopards, Soniks, a Rok TT and 2 Easykarts. All the karts in the field were sent out at once for qualifying in order to give all drivers equal time on track. After one lap, local driver Nick Rickert pulled his Easykart in and would stand on his time of 57.892, which wound up being a new track record and good enough for pole, his 2nd of the weekend. Chris Grektorp would qualify 5th with a 58.689 in his Sonik powered Gillard, while Monticello's Bob Wegman would end up 13th. Tallahassee's Brett Thompson failed to make a lap and would start at the back of the field.

The pre-final was all Rickert as he checked out on the field to the tune of 4.895 seconds over Grektorp whom came up from his 5th place starting position. Brett Thompson would pass 9 karts in the first lap and eventually finish 7th, Wegman moved up 4 spots to finish 9th, but the drive of the weekend had to be Dane Ierna's drive to 3rd after starting last. Ierna had to make a kart change to his trusty Easykart after his Leopard powered CRG had engine troubles. Ierna passed 9 karts in his first two laps of the race and would also record the quickest race lap on his way forward.

The final was the race of the weekend as Grektorp, Rickert and Ierna proceeded to set a blistering pace on the field. Grektorp got the jump on the start and would head into turn two with Ierna in 2nd and Rickert in 3rd. The two Easykarts of Ierna and Rickert hooked up to try and motor past Grektorp and on lap 6 Ierna bobbled off turn 17 and gave up the position to Rickert. But even after the positions switched neither driver had the power to motor past Grektorp and he would finish 1st  just .053 ahead of Rickert in 2nd. Bob Wegman would wheel his Arrow to an 11th place finish, while Brett Thompson would troubles in the late laps and would finish a lap down in 15th after working his way up to 8th.

Based on the results of the first couple of races in the FKCS the Easykart 125 has proven to be very competitive at the new WKA weight of 350 lbs, with 4 top three place finishes and one win. For more information on the Easykart line of karts visit www.easykart.com.

Round four is June 7-8, 2008 in Moroso, FL at Moroso Motorsports Park.

Monticello Karting in the News

Articles Reprinted from the Tallahassee Democrat

FSU Kart Racer Nearly Sweeps Divisions Races

by St. Clair Murraine

MONTICELLO — All afternoon Chris Grektorp darted from one garage tent to another Sunday at the Monticello Karting and Motor Club. He worked on one driver's carburetor and lent a hand to anyone else who asked. In between, he tried to make last-minute adjustments to the two karts that he drove in the Florida Kart Championship Series. Even then, he stopped occasionally to assist other drivers — some who he competed against. Oddly enough, no one could have helped Grektorp when his sputtering engine prevented what might have been a sweep of the two divisions that he raced this weekend. He ended up with a win in the TAG Class and finished second in the Shifter Class after overcoming a late start behind eventual winner Kyle Connery.

But the 20-year-old FSU incoming junior didn't hurt his chances of maintaining the lead in the Series points standings. He has two more races to make up any ground he might have lost when the standings are released today. He will see many of the same drivers in the last two races of the series. Just like he did all weekend, he'll help anyone who asks — even if it's his closest challenger. "Racing is a competition, but it's more about friends and people," he said. "I have a blast here just because of the people. "The racing is great, but when you walk around and help everybody it means a lot."

Grektorp shared Brett Thompson's tent during the weekend. They've been a partnership since they met 18 months ago, traveling to Italy for the World Championships. They also teamed up for the Winter Tour raced earlier this year. Grektorp has become the primary mechanic for Thompson, who said he occasionally picks Grektorp's brain for pointers on racing. "I joked with him earlier today and said, 'brother, two third of the people would be stuck on the sidelines if it weren't for him,'" said Thompson, who raced against Grektorp in the TAG Class. "He knows karting inside and out."

Austin Miles also was one of Grektorp's competitors in the field of 18 karts. They started against each other just hours after Grektorp helped Miles adjust his engine. "Almost every weekend he helps us get up to the front," Miles said. "When we're out on the track, we use each other as teammate. I appreciate it a lot." But Miles couldn't do much for Grektorp in the Shifter final. His engine sputtered at the drop of the green flag, leaving him briefly into third. Midway through the second lap, he maneuvered back to second, but couldn't catch pole-sitter Connery who pushed his lead to 3.9 seconds midway through the race. "I went to launch, and it just wasn't there," Grektorp said of the rough start. "I didn't put a lot of effort in the Shifter package. "You shift 40 times during a lap. It's a lot of work, and it really wears you out. They are difficult but a lot of fun." Connery ended up taking the racer in a time of 11:05.716. His fastest lap around the 1.1-mile track was 55.863. Grektorp drove his fastest lap in 55. 926. "I wasn't aware of the large gap we had over Chris," Connery said. "I knew that with somebody like him I could never look back and never set down my game because he would be right there to pick up my mistake."

Grektorp was the one who made a flawless run in the TAG Class. He started second and quickly got past pole-sitting Nick Rickert and relinquished the lead once before regaining it for good. Rickert pushed Grektorp most of the race before he managed to get some distance over the last two laps. "I drove up to him and he made a little mistake when I got by him," Rickert said. "Maybe one more lap I would have had him but I didn't have the motor for him. "Chris has been racing for a long time and to come out here and be competitive is a great experience. "We all were having fun."

Easykart Provides Kids First Taste of Racing

by St. Clair Murraine

MONTICELLO — One after another, they pulled up to wait their turn to get on the track. Mayo Livingston's parents stepped back, while his buddies helped him get situated in his go-kart. The 7-year-old sat down behind the wheel and his friend Britt Jones began to remove Livingston's glasses. Then he set the neck brace on and replaced his helmet and glasses. The other three pint-sized drivers around them were getting the same kind of assistance from their parents. Jones had one last bit of advice for his friend just before the karts began to roll out for their final of three starts Saturday afternoon at the Monticello Karting and Motor Club.

"Don't think; just do it," Jones whispered to Livingston, patting him on his helmet. "You're going to do good." It didn't matter, though. These child drivers in the 5-7 division were out on learning rides and everyone will get a first-place prize. They are regulars on the circuit, usually appearing as a prelude to the more serious drivers.

Their stage this weekend is the third stop of the Florida Karting Championship Series. Most of the drivers will move up to the competitive division next season. Their parents want them to be primed, but it's as expensive way to learn. Livingston's parents bought his kart and safety gear to the tune of over $2,000 as a Christmas gift. They'll sell them when he moves up to an age group — a common practice among parents.

Meanwhile, they're hoping he'll take in all he needs to know before getting into more serious competition. Mayo seems to be getting it. "I'm learning it's hard to take the turns," said an animated Mayo, gesturing with his hands. "It seems like a piece of cake, but it's hard to do. It feels fine, but you've got to hold onto the car and not let it spin. I hold on and not yank it while I'm steering." They're learning more than car control. Time management and understanding the meaning of each flag they'll see while driving are also key elements of the training rides.

"We want to get to the drivers in the formative years so that they'll develop the right habits and right attitudes," said Rudy Ramsaroop, president of Easykart. "By teaching them about competition and everything from getting to the track early in the morning is a discipline that they can take with them through their lives."

It can sometimes be a tough way to learn. Todd Kovi watched as his son lingered in the back of the afternoon's second start. Kovi took some of the blame for what was going on with the kart driven by his son, Dezso. "What he's dealing with is my lack of maintenance on the kart," the older Kovi said. "You have to do maintenance on it regularly, and he's being racing the motor for about 40 hours now."

Performance troubles aren't all the young drivers have to deal with. There's the case of Justin Gordon, who last year crashed in his first race after being rear-ended by another driver. He suffered a broken right hand and took nine months to get back into racing. During the time away Justin and his father, Eric, worked on his driving skills in a parking lot. The drill restored his confidence, said Justin, who is in his first season of racing in the 8-to-12 age group and looking to spending many more years on the track. "The thrill of going fast for me is the corners," he said. "My mechanic always tells me to go full around the corners, but I don't like it. Even if I come last, it's the funnest thing I've ever done."

Hummel the only female racer at Florida Kart Championships

by St. Clair Murraine

Michelle Hummel has big dreams of being a doctor one day. That's if she can't get a racing career cranked up. As odd a mix as Hummel's career choices might seem, her father won't doubt her — just as he didn't when she declared she'll become one of the best go-kart divers in North Florida. "When she puts her mind to something, it's very hard to stop her from doing it," Alan Hummel said. "It's not a natural thing to get into one of those (go-karts) and go about 90 mph and be good at it. That part of it surprised me."

Hummel will make her third start in this weekend's Florida Kart Championship Series. She's expected to be the only girl in the 125 Light Class when the two-day competition gets under way in Monticello after today's testing. In her first race in the Series, Hummel placed second at Jacksonville. The 16-year old from Pace was the only female, as is usually the case in most of her races. "I think it's fun to be one of the only girls out there," she said. "I know the boys don't like to lose to girls, but it makes things interesting. We are all trying to be successful."

Hummel, a shortstop for the Pace High softball team in Santa Rosa County, has a better-than-average shot at getting an athletic scholarship to college. She's nixing that idea for now, though, because she thinks a scholarship commitment would get in the way of her racing. But the junior is giving scouts reasons to look. Last week she started a double play while playing second base. The play in the seventh inning secured a 2-1 win for Pace that eliminated Lincoln from the playoffs. Pace was eliminated from the Class 5A playoffs in its next game. Now her focus will be on completing the Florida Championship Kart Series.

Success at this stage of her fledgling racing career has been coming in increments, the same way she developed interest in the sport. She heard stories from her father, who has written a book ("Penske Racing: 40 Years of Excellence") about his passion for racing. But her passion for racing didn't begin until she saw Danica Patrick race in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg three years ago. Until then, the trip to St. Petersburg was one of few that she'd taken with her dad to the races. His interest goes back to the 1960s when his father worked for Sun Oil Company, which at the time helped finance the early years of the Penske team.

He takes his daughter with him during an annual pilgrimage to the Indy 500, just as his father did with him. By the time she accompanied him to her first Indy 500 race two years ago, she was hooked on racing. Seeing Patrick race at St. Petersburg in 2005 was the impetus, she said. "During the course of the weekend, I realized this is really cool and I would want to get involved in it," she said. "When you're at St. Petersburg the cars are right in front of you going so fast. That's interesting." She bought her kart on money she'd saved from her part-time job at the family's batting-cage business and other cash she'd gotten as gifts. She also financed most of the maintenance on the $4,000 kart on her own.

Her passion for racing goes beyond the adrenaline rush. "It's kind of hard to describe, but going fast is a lot of fun because you don't get to do that normally," Hummel said. "The most fun thing is to be out there racing competitively with a group of karts." Her future in racing isn't mapped out quite yet, Alan Hummel said. They're looking for sponsors, with hopes of competing at the national level. From there, they hope to take the same path that Patrick rode to make a breakthrough for women drivers. "If we could figure out a way to make it all work," he said, "you'll be seeing her in the Indianapolis 500 some day."