JDC MOTORSPORTS AT AUTOBAHN

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:37:31 -0400

Minnesota-based squad travels to Illinois with multiple drivers in contention for series titles

JOLIET, IL– The pursuit of a third Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear title continues for JDC MotorSports this weekend (July 24-25), when the renowned junior formula car squad travels to the Autobahn Country Club circuit in Illinois for Rounds Eight and Nine. The Minnesota-based team enters the doubleheader not only as a continued threat for several series honors – thanks to Connor De Phillippi, Gerry Kraut, Caio Lara and Chris Miller getting behind the wheels – but also as one of the hottest teams in series competition, following a race win in Round Six.

Lara travels to the technical Autobahn circuit riding a wave of momentum. The Brazilian, having been perhaps the most consistent front-runner over the past year and a half – finishing among the top-10 in 18 of 20 races – recently took the next step via a superb win in race one on the New Jersey Motorsports Park doubleheader. Given this result, the No. 19 MLD/ATW/Molecule/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports racer has his eyes set on another trip to victory lane and a second half charge for the series title.

One place behind his teammate in the current title fight, De Phillippi has already enjoyed a strong debut run in the highly competitive Star Mazda Championship. While most drivers would be pleased to have earned seven consecutive top-10 finishes, and be lying second in the Rookie of the Year chase, the reigning Skip Barber National champion has lofty expectations. De Phillippi therefore is firmly focused on not only earning his first podium finish during the Illinois doubleheader, but also piloting the No. No. 11 MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development/Justice Brothers/Sparco/Rock View Farms/Oakley/Power Balance/Reline Athletic/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports entry into the winner’s circle.

For Miller, the 2010 season to date has been an up-and-down affair. Just as it appears he is headed towards a good string of results and beginning to challenge for a place among the lead pack, his luck goes the other way. The reigning F2000 Championship Series champion hopes to change that at Autobahn, looking to build on another top-10 result at the recent NJMP event in his No. 85 Miller Milling/Red Line Oil/JDC MotorSports car.

As the current Masters Series championship leader, Kraut enters the Autobahn doubleheader with one thing on his mind…win. The team co-owner has been a leading force in the class when he gets behind the wheel of the No. 55 Dougherty and Co./Doughtery Funding LLC/Red line Oil/JDC MotorSports car, winning three of the four races he has contested to date. Given this performance, many expect Kraut to exit the weekend with more trophies for JDC MotorSports shop.

The JDC MotorSports racers will get their first chance to sample the Autobahn Country Club circuit on Thursday (July 29) via two track test sessions. Day two in Illinois will consist of two 45-minute practice sessions. Qualifying for Round Eight will take place on Saturday morning (July 31), followed by the 45-minute race later in the day. The same format will take place on Sunday (August 1), with Round Nine slated to launch after the lunch break.

Both races at the Autobahn Country Club will be broadcast live on HDNet as part of the Road to Indy program, with coverage commencing at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Additional information on JDC MotorSports can be obtained from the team’s website @ www.jdcmotorsports.com For direct contact, please contact John Church @ 952-233-3075

About JDC MotorSports:
Involved in formula car racing since its inception in 1994, JDC MotorSports has established itself as one of the leading junior open-wheel teams in North America. Initially making its mark in the F2000 class of club racing competition, JDC MotorSports was soon a team worth watching in the pro ranks. Competing in the Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship, the team not only won races, but also helped develop multiple young drivers. In 2005, JDC MotorSports expanded its efforts, entering the Star Mazda Championship. Quickly becoming one of the top teams in the series, JDC captured both the driver and team titles in 2007, as well as Rookie of the Year honors, with Dane Cameron scoring a series-high three wins. In 2008, JDC MotorSports was the runner-up in the Star Mazda Championship and finished fourth in its inaugural season F2000 Championship Series competition. The Minnesota-based team won the Star Mazda Championship title with Rookie of the Year Adam Christodoulou, and the F2000 Championship Series title with Chris Miller in 2009.

ROTAX ROUND 3: MIAMI

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:22:43 -0400

ROTAX PAN AMERICAN CHALLENGE

Palm Springs, CA- he Karting Center at Miami Homestead Speedway will host races 5 & 6 of the 2010 Rotax Pan American Challenge. With the first 4 races in the books the 7 seats to the Rotax Grand Finals are still up for grabs. We asked Tony Schroder manager (owner) of Homestead Kart Track why he is such a big advocate of Rotax and the new Pan Am Series.

“Rotax offers drivers a level playing field and gives teams with tight budgets the opportunity to compete and win. The Pan Am series that invites non US drivers adds to the flavor of competition and increases the level of competition. For karting in general the Rotax Pan Am offers the first International series where the little guy can compete and have an equal chance to stand on the podium. This series has been a very well run series, it allows lots of track time, consistent officiating and intense tech scrutinizing making this series the best karting has to offer,” states Tony. At round 2 in Indiana several new drivers put in good performances to add their names to the list of potentials to head for Italy in November.

The official hotel for round 3 is the Hampton Inn & Suites Miami-South/Homestead, 2855 N.E. 9th Street, Homestead, Florida, USA, 33033. Their phone number is 1-305-257-7000. The Registration Code RMC

Class Numbering System
The class numbering system introduced at the US Grand Nationals will continue at the Rotax Pan American
Challenge. Driver numbers must fall within the number ranges listed below;
Micro Max 0-99 Junior Max 300-399 Masters 400-499
Mini Max 100-199 Senior Max 200-299 DD 2 Senior 600-699
DD2 Masters 500-599

The series continues to add international competition at each event. The first event drew drivers from Columbia and Brazil. The New Castle round was represented by drivers from Costa Rico, Venezuela, and Canada. The 3rd round already has entries from Monterrey Mexico. The early registration will end August 6th with the entry fee increasing by $50.00 on the 7th and an additional $50.00 increase for entries received after August 15th. We want every driver to take advantage of these savings so register early which also gives our staff the information to provide you better service. Karting 2 Live Challenge non profit charity targeting the disable community spearheaded by Erick Lazar and will be represented in Miami by such disabled drivers as William Petes The charity will resume competition at round 3 with drivers attempting to beat the best time posted by a selected disabled driver, we invite you to experience driving with hand controls setting fast time in these specially equipped karts and be awarded the Karting2Live Challenge Trophy.

Schlosser Tops Junior Field

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:11:38 -0400

Wampum, PA – The Yamaha Junior Can class has proven to be very strong at BeaveRun in 2010 with the largest kart counts and most competitive fields. Rounds six and seven did not disappoint as 17 and 16 karts respectively filled the grid for two days of action featuring a standard qualifying format on Saturday and a Heat Race format on Sunday.

Andy Schlosser broke through for his first feature win of the season with a dominating performance on Saturday setting fast time in practice, qualifying second, winning the prefinal and closing out with a flag to flag win in the final. Schlosser held off tough competition though as Ayrton Climo and Tommy Frazier crossed the line on his back bumper with just over .3 seconds separating the three Turn1 ProSports/Birel teammates.

While it was a six year wait for the first win for the Sewickley, PA native, the second win followed less than 24 hours later. Schlosser again set fast time in practice but it was Ayrton Mutagaana and Tommy Frazier prevailing in two action packed heat races. Mutagaana earned the Pole position and pulled out to an early lead in the final but with dark clouds rolling in Schlosser made his move for the lead at the half way point and held on to take the checkered flag just as the raindrops started.

While the TAG fields were smaller than usual for the weekend, the racing was still close and exciting as always. Saturday featured a trio of Checkered Motorsports/PCR teammates topping qualifying as Kyle Knecht set fast time followed by Roby Bujdoso and Kyle Smith. In just his second weekend of TAG racing, Smith picked up the heat win but it was Maryland’s Daniel Hewes coming from the second row to take the lead on lap two of the feature and hold on for the win.

Smith and Bujdoso split the heat race wins setting up a final that saw them sharing the front row. Bujdoso started the race on pole but Smith grabbed the early lead and Hewes shortly after taking over second. Bujdoso picked up the pace in the second half of the race though eventually moving in to the lead with two to go and taking the unofficial win. Bujdoso did not clear the Tech area though, handing Smith his second win in just three starts in TAG. Hewes and Michael Burton, who recently joined the TAG ranks, rounded out the Podium.

Trent Tucker set the pace on both days in Kid Karts as has been the case throughout the 2010 season. Tucker picked up the win in Race #6 followed by Ayden Sprague and Christopher Moul. Summer Dodson and Sara Castles rounded out the top five. Sunday proved to be an interesting day though as Bo Power picked up his first win of the season despite being the only kart to not finish the race. The rest of the field suffered a variety of DQ’s at the scales or at the hands of Tech.

Derek White and Harry McElhaney finished 1-2 in the Metric Screw & Fastener Senior Yamaha race repeating the previous week’s results. Ironman Randy D’Amato who can be found in TAG, Yamaha and/or Clone classes on any given weekend rounded out the top three each day.

The Sportsman ranks provided their fair share of excitement as always on Saturday with three different racers officially leading the Cadet final and an untold number of lead exchanges throughout the race. Nick Luedeke started from the Pole and lead early on but dropped as far as fifth by mid race. The top five karts continued to swap positions until Luedeke made his bid to regain the lead with two laps to go. Leo Stoia was runner-up with Eli Ciotti prevailing over a battle for third featuring four karts separated by three tenths of a second.

Ciotti and James Todd won their respective Yamaha Sportsman and Cadet Novice races in the combined feature in another wild finish. Todd distanced himself from the remainder of the Cadet Novice group early on and settled in behind the four Yamaha Sportsman racers battling for their race lead. With just over a lap to go though Stoia and Kaden Harter made light contact not only allowing Ciotti to pull away for the win but forcing Todd to make a decision to drive by the duo. A lap later the rookie pulled ahead for the race win as well as the class win.

Sunday’s races saw O.P. Kinos bring home a heat race win along with teammate Stoia. The duo finished 1-2 in the final as well with Stoia finishing ahead of Kinos followed by Luedeke rounding out the top three.

For Sunday, the Yamaha Sportsman and Cadet Novice classes were split in to two rungroups. Alex Lester ran a strong race to win the Cadet Novice race followed by David Kalb and Jacob Todd. Stoia doubled up on his Cadet feature win by pulling down the Yamaha Sportsman victory as well followed by Harter and Luedeke.

The Season Championships could well be decided in the month of August which features four races kicking off on August 1st followed by races on the 14th, 15th and 29th! The August 1 race is a standard clockwise direction event with the qualifying format. The remaining three races are scheduled to feature a few alternative layouts and formats. This will be discussed further at the drivers meeting for the August 1 race. If you would like your opinions heard on the remaining races, please plan to attend the race on August 1!

For more information about the BeaveRun Championship Karting Series please visit www.beaverun.com/karting or call 724.740.1200.

BRCKS Results (Full results can be viewed at www.BeaveRun.com/Karting)

Race 6:
CRP Racing Kid Kart
Trent Tucker
Ayden Sprague
Christopher Moul

J3 Competition Cadet
Nick Luedeke
Leo Stoia
Elijah Ciotti

Turn1 ProSports Cadet Novice
James Todd
Trevor Tucker
Jacob Todd

Checkered Motorsports Yamaha Sportsman
Elijah Ciotti
Leo Stoia
Kaden Harter

Cook Racing Engines Yamaha Junior Can
Andy Schlosser
Ayrton Climo
Tommy Frazier

JW’s Eurotech TAG / DB Motorsports TAG Masters
Daniel Hewes
Kyle Smith
Kyle Knecht

Metric Screw & Fastener Yamaha Senior Pipe & Can
Derek White
Harry McElhaney
Randy D’Amato

Bergfelt Racing Clone
Jimmy Stoicovy
Henry Gnad
Mike Gnad

DE LA O WINS IN NEW JERSEY

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:42:25 -0400

Arizona pilot back on home soil and looks to add to point total

Fontana, CA – Karting sensation and soon to be formula car star Phil De La O will be back in his Team Top Kart USA ride this weekend at the New Jersey Motorsports Park facility in Millville, New Jersey. Competing in the WSK World Series event in the ultra competitive KF2 division, De La O will look to improve on his solid top ten result in Portugal and advance forward in the WSK World Series point standings.

This past weekend, De La O participated in the WSK North American Series event at the same New Jersey Motorsports Park location and showed his true speed. After topping all of Friday’s official practice sessions, the Top Kart driver would look forward to Saturday and Sunday’s wheel-to-wheel combat.

Saturday morning would see De La O qualify in the second position and start the prefinal on the outside of the front row. With a difficult entry into the first corner from the even number grid positions, De La O instantly fell back to the fourth position but battled hard to move forward to the lead, eventually finishing in the second spot.

The final would see the same sort of result for De La O on the start as he again fell back, this time to the fifth position. With one of the fastest karts on the track and determined to be back up front, the Arizona resident looked like a seasoned veteran as he worked his way forward. With two laps to go, De La O had a massive lead of nearly seven seconds before the clutch on his powerplant would shed all its teeth forcing him to retire from the event.

“It was a disappointing end to such a dominant Saturday,” expressed De La O. “In the final, the kart was flawless and I was really on my game. We will be back again on Sunday, and I have no doubt we’ll be in contention for the win.

Sunday morning’s qualifying session looked like a carbon copy of Saturday’s event as De La O would turn the second quickest time in the KF2 division and start the prefinal from P2 on the grid. Looking to improve on his outside row starting spot, De La O rocketed forward when the green flag flew and took the lead on the exit of the first corner. Never looking back, De La O stretched his lead and took the prefinal win and main event pole position.

De La O looked poised as he prepared for the final but some bad weather with fierce winds and heavy rain moved into the area, literally flooding the track and destroying the pit area. After careful consideration and taking safety into mind, series officials decided to cancel the remainder of the event and use the heat race results to determine the final outcome, giving De La O the win.

“That wasn’t the way I wanted to win as I was really looking forward to the final,” expressed De La O. “A win is a win and it is tough to be up front in this series so I will take it. Next weekend is the WSK World Series race here and I am really looking forward to that.”

De La O continued as he discussed next weekend’s WSK World Series event, “Coming home from Portugal with a top ten result was a great feeling. I had some trouble in one of the heats and was forced to run the last chance race but still managed to move forward in the main event. The Portugal facility was new to me and very challenging but having now raced in New Jersey, I am confident about competing against the world’s best and running at the front of the field.”

De La O will be back aboard his familiar Team Top Kart USA chassis with GKS prepared TM power. Turning the wrenches will be long-time tuner Ariel Castro as he and De La O look for that prestigious WSK World Series win.

Phil would like to thank his sponsors and supporters for a successful year to date: Grand Products, Team Top Kart USA, Bridgestone Racing Tires, De La O Motorsports, Red Bull, AM Engines, Northwest Floor and Wall as well as his mechanic Ariel Castro.

For sponsorship opportunities and more information on Phil De La O, Jr. and De La O Motorsports, please visit them online at www.DeLaOMotorsports.com or contact Phil De La O at 602.697.1255 or via e-mail at info@delaomotorsports.com.

Tony Kart West at SKUSA SummerNationals

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:36:16 -0400

Fontana, CA – Traveling far from their new home base in Southern California, the Tony Kart West team enjoyed another strong weekend of racing at last weekend’s SKUSA SummerNationals, held at the challenging USA International Raceway in Shawano, Wisconsin. In addition to the high level of competition the team would face at this second weekend of the SKUSA ProTour, changeable weather conditions would come into play as intermittent rain fell on the track through the weekend.

The team would have four drivers underneath its tent – TaG Cadet driver Parker Thompson, TaG Junior drivers Emmanuel Mestre and Emily Maddison, and S4 driver Christiaan Bouhuys.

Thompson would lead the charge as he scored a victory for the team in Sunday’s TaG Cadet final in the rarest of ways – running away from the field in a class that is usually a closely-faught drafting affair. On the heels of a strong third place result in the Saturday final, Thompson sits third in the championship standings after four of six events.

In TaG Junior, Mestre and Maddision would be at the front of the field all weekend but came up just short of a final victory. Mestre would finish second in the Saturday final while Maddison DNF’d due to a problem with her engine, but her speed was never in doubt after qualifying second and nearly winning the day’s second heat. On Sunday, Mestre came through after a wild race to finish second again while Maddison drove her Tony Kart home in fifth place. The results place Mestre second in the TaG Junior championship and Maddison in third.

The biggest surprise of the weekend was Christaan Bouhuys. Competing in his first national-level karting event, he showed well in the Saturday final to finish fourth in the competitive S4 class. On Sunday, he raised his game and was on contention for the lead before the powerplant on his kart expired, leaving him with a DNF. His performance, however, raised more than a few eyebrows as Bouhuys very nearly became the team’s second win of the weekend.

“All in all it was a good weekend for our team,” said Marc Miller, team principle for Tony Kart West.”Parker keeps rolling with the podiums and victories, and Emmanuelle and Emily are progressing nicely and getting faster each time. Emmanuelle had a great weekend with two podiums and Christiaan did a great job considering this was his first national event. It was very encouraging that the Tony Kart chassis were fast all weekend no matter the track or weather conditions, and we were always able to get our drivers dialed in to run up front.”

About Tony Kart West
Owned by Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, Tony Kart West, LLC is an official importer of Tony Karts and OTK Kart Parts. Tony Kart West services 13 dealers across the western United States, in addition to competing in several series including Gatorz, IKF, Championship Karting International, and SKUSA. To learn how you can race for Tony Kart West call 1.877.TONYKART, or e-mail Seth Nash at seth@tonykartwest.com, or Marc Miller at marc@tonykartwest.com. The team’s website is at www.tonykartwest.com.

TONY KART, OGP DOMINATE FLORIDA CHAMP SERIES

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:25:49 -0400

Multiple race wins and podiums in Jacksonville

The Ocala Gran Prix/Tony Kart race team made the short trek from their facility to the 103rd Street Motorsports Complex for the fifth round of the Florida Karting Championship Series (FKCS). Competing at the ultra fast Jacksonville, Florida facility, the OGP race team lived up to their expectations scoring multiple race wins and podiums throughout the three day event.

A total of five main event victories and fifteen podium results were accumulated throughout the event as junior driver Jonathon Kotyk had a tremendous weekend. Taking advantage of certain situations, Kotyk won the Easykart 100 and KPP Junior classes while scoring a third place podium result in Yamaha Junior.

National level driver and current top five finisher at the US Rotax Grand Nationals Ashley Rogero was back in action and could also be seen at the front of the pack. Rogero scored four podium results including three third place finishes in Cadet Sportsman, Rotax Mini Max and KPP Sportsman while improving to the second step on the podium in Yamaha Sportsman.

“Overall, it was a good event for the team,” expressed Team Manager Kyle Kraus. “We worked hard as a group to ensure all of our drivers had the best possible equipment and opportunity to win. We have a lot of momentum heading into the final round of the series and should be able to score multiple championships as a group.”

Floridians Oliver Askew and Andrew Evans joined Kotyk and Rogero on the podium by splitting the results in Rotax Junior and TaG Junior. Askew claimed top honors in Rotax Junior while Evans got the better of the two in TaG Junior. Both drivers also scored second place results when they were not on the top step of the podium.

Sportsman competitor Devin Boutout was back in action in Jacksonville and again, continues to improve with each and every outing. Following a strong run in Ocala, Boutout scored a third place result at the 103rd Street Motorsports Complex in Rotax Micro Max and backed it up with a solid top ten on Sunday in Cadet Junior Sportsman.

Tony Kart newcomer Yamir Raj was quickly up to speed in his new green machine scoring a second place result in Rotax Senior on Saturday. With only one practice session on Friday, Raj quickly adapted to the kart and was up to speed fast. Looking to improve on Sunday, Raj ran into some bad luck as he brought his Tony Kart home in ninth in TaG Senior.

Looking to lock up two championships this year, senior driver Brandon Salyer would compete in both Rotax Senior and TaG Senior this past weekend. After qualifying near the front of the pack in Saturday’s Rotax event, Salyer injured his ribs and was unable to compete in the day’s action. Relief driving for Salyer was Ocala Gran prix mechanic Nate Grindell as he put a clinic on the sixteen kart field. After starting in the last position for the prefinal, Grindell stole the show claiming the heat race win and main event victory on his way to helping Salyer compile first place points. Salyer would be back in the kart on Sunday in the TaG division but would suffer an engine failure in the main event and be classified 14th.

Sebastian Sierra was one of the quickest Rotax Mini Max drivers of the weekend as he took the pole position and heat race win on Saturday. Looking for the perfect day, Sierra missed the win by one position but managed to score OGP another podium result.

Jackson McKeague was back in Sportsman action as he competed in both the Yamaha and KPP divisions. Looking for experience and seat time, McKeague raced with fellow Sportsman drivers as he looks to gain as much racing experience as possible.

Young pilot Dylan Gennaro completed his last weekend in the Kid Kart division and will look forward to the next event where he will make his debut in the Rotax Micro Max class.

For more information on Ocala Grand Prix, OGP race team opportunities and info on how to get into karting, please visit Ocala Gran Prix online at www.OcalaGranPrix.com or contact Kyle Kraus at 352.291.0600 (Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com) or Mike Maurini at 317.270.8723 (Mike@OcalaGranPrix.com).

LIBERTY RETURNS TO USF2000 WITH POWERS

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:38:53 -0400

Illinois-based squad ready to race in home state after solid test outing with California karter

ROCKFORD, IL – Liberty Motorsports resumes its chase for top honors in the Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda this weekend (July 31 – August 1), with a pair of races in its home state at the Autobahn Country Club circuit. Rounds Seven and Eight will mark the return of Matthew Powers to series competition, having recently reunited with the Illinois-based squad via a strong showing in official testing.

As part of a partial inaugural pro Formula Ford 2000 campaign, Powers returns to the cockpit of the No. 41 Liberty Motorsports Van Diemen set to build on his early season experience and recent test outings.

An accomplished karter in his native California, Powers earned a solid seventh place finish during his series debut event on the streets of St. Petersburg back in March. Unfortunately he had to wait to build on this result, as a limited budget meant his next scheduled outing was not until official testing at Road America and Autobahn in mid-July. Fortunately, when he did get back behind the wheel of the Liberty Motorsports Van Diemen, it did not take long for the talented young racer to get re-acclimated to both the crew and the car. With the goal of gaining valuable seat time and continually fine tuning the Zetec-powered Van Diemen for the second half of the 2010 season, Powers exited the tests in Wisconsin and Illinois having impressed the squad with his continued progress. As a result, both Powers and Liberty Motorsports enter Rounds Seven and Eight with lofty expectations.

“It is always great to work with Matt, he is a very talented driver and gets up to speed quickly,” said Liberty Motorsports Team Manager Chuck Lessick. “Any televised race provides great exposure for the drivers, which could lead to increased sponsorship. We’d like to help Matt have a good showing and run up front. We look forward to continuing the car development program that we were working on at the Autobahn test. With similar weather forecast, we should be able to pick up right where we left off.”

The Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda doubleheader at the Autobahn Country Club commences for Liberty Motorsports’ Powers on Thursday (July 29) via two track test sessions. After two practice sessions on day two, qualifying for Round Seven will take place on Saturday morning (July 31), followed by race one just after the lunch break. Round Eight is scheduled for Sunday afternoon (August 1).

Both races at the Autobahn Country Club will be broadcast live on HDNet as part of the Road to Indy program, with coverage commencing at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Additional information on Liberty Motorsports can be obtained from their website @ www.LibertyMotorsports.net. For direct contact, please email Brian Belardi at Libertyinfo@LibertyMotorsports.net or call 414-916-6715.

About Liberty Motorsports:
Liberty Motorsports is an organization comprised of experienced individuals in the racing industry with an aggressive growth strategy and a strong commitment to finishing up front. No stranger to winning, team members having been achieving success in both the amateur and pro ranks for over a decade, winning numerous junior formula car races and championships. Liberty Motorsports will compete in the USF2000 National Championship, F2000 Championship Series and SCCA Club Racing in 2010, with the goal of not only winning, but helping develop the next stars of motorsports.

NASCAR’S JACK ROUSH IN PLANE CRASH

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:17:54 -0400

NASCAR team owner Jack Roush was hospitalized after a plane crash Tuesday night. Roush, who is an aviation enthusiast, flew the plane as it skidded off the Wittman Regional Airport runway while landing at approximately 6:15pm CDT.  Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith told The Associated Press, "There are injuries. Possible surgery ... But he walked out of the plane."
His injuries, according to Smith, include facial lacerations.  The following statement is posted on the EAA website:
At approximately 6:15 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, July 27, 2010, a Beechcraft Premier business jet registered to Roush Fenway Racing, LLC, was involved in a landing accident on Runway 18 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh. The National Transportation Safety Board and Winnebago County Sheriff's Department has confirmed the two occupants on board were Jack Roush of Northville, Mich., and Brenda Strickland of Plymouth, Mich., who each exited the aircraft following the accident. Both were transported to local hospitals, with Roush in serious but stable condition and Strickland with non-life threatening injuries. The NTSB is leading the investigation into the accident.

PLAYTHINGS EARNS 2 ROTAX CHAMPIONSHIPS

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:19:30 -0400

Florida karting team scores victories in Mini-Max and DD2 Masters in New Castle

Miami, FL – The Playthings Racing team recently traveled north to New Castle Motorsports Park in Indiana for the 2010 US Rotax Grand Nationals. Official drivers Todd Ulmen and Jordan Perry set out with only one result in mind, victory, and following the five-day event at one of America’s finest facilities, both drivers returned home as Grand National Champions.

“The week was great, racing has its ups and downs and we fought through the obstacles that came our way. I am always thrilled to see Jordan win,” commented Todd Ulmen driver and co-owner of Playthings Racing.

Jordan Perry returned to New Castle with plenty of momentum after winning the Rotax Pan-American Challenge event three weeks prior. Competing in the Rotax Mini-Max class, one of the toughest classes of the weekend, Perry placed his Playthings Racing/PSL Karting/Homestead Karting CRG kart in sixth place in qualifying, securing him a second row starting spot for each of his three heat races. He then converted all three heat races into victories, setting himself up for the pole-position for the pre-final.

After trading places for the top spot the entire eleven lap pre-final, Perry would settle for second place at the stripe. In the final, a tough start forced him back to third place rounding lap one, and fifth place as he completed lap two. Regaining his momentum, he collected himself up and by lap four was back to third place, and tracking down the leaders. Trading the lead through laps nine, ten and eleven, he secured it on lap twelve, and held on for victory.

“I really can’t thank the guys at Playthings Racing enough, they have been very supportive not only this weekend, but all season long. It was a great feeling having Todd on the top of the box with me,” smiled Perry following the event. “I also have to thank my dad, without him I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

The teams second Rotax Grand National Eagle came in the hands of Todd Ulmen, aboard his Playthings Racing/Homestead Karting CRG in the Rotax DD2 Masters class. Competing within the DD2 Sr. class, Ulmen set the pace throughout the opening practices, but come qualifying was plagued with engine woes. Working with MRP Motorsport, Ulmen was able to bolt on another engine, and after breaking it in on the kart stand, was ready to go. However his luck didn’t change in the first heat, as a stuck throttle resulted in a DNF, but he rebounded in the second and third heats with solid finishes up front with the Masters.

In the final, Ulmen found himself in a great battle early on for the top spot within the Master’s class, but after his closest competition withdrew with a flat tire, he was in cruise control, and when the checkered flag flew, Ulmen joined an elite group of American Karters as part of Team USA heading to Italy this fall for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals.

“I really enjoy racing Jim Busby, and was looking forward to a good final. For sure not the way I wanted his race to end with a flat tire. The rest of the final was pretty smooth and now off the Italy in November,” commented Ulmen following the race. “A big thank you is sent to the guys at Homestead Karting for their continued support of PTR.”

Playthings Racing is supported by Homestead Karting. For more information about the Playthings Racing Team, check out their website, http://playthingsracing.com

CHAVES CLOSER TO ROOKIE LEADER AT MUGELLO

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:16:12 -0400

American teenager showcases speed and skill in Italian F3 Championship as development continues with Mygale chassis

MUGELLO, ITALY – Rising junior formula car star Gabby Chaves continued his quest for top rookie honors in the highly competitive Italian Formula 3 Championship this past weekend (July 24-25), adding two more top-10s to his inaugural European racing resume at the Mugello International Circuit. The Eurointernational race pilot was the top Mygale driver in Round Seven with a strong seventh place finish, and was part of the fight for the Round Eight win, before an oil leak relegated the American to eighth place at the checkered flag.

Chaves entered the Mugello doubleheader with two goals on his mind…be the top rookie and be the top Mygale driver. Right from the get go, it appeared the reigning Formula BMW Americas champion had the pace to accomplish both these goals, fighting for positions among the top-10 in the opening two practice runs.

That trend continued when qualifying got underway one day later on the Italian road course. Despite not having the outright pace of the leading Dallara chassis drivers, continued hard work by the French manufacturer and Eurointernational squad to develop the Mygale chassis, meant Chaves was able to close the gap on the timing monitors. The American as a result ended qualifying an impressive seventh on the timecharts, quickest among both the rookie and Mygale contingents.

Returning to the cockpit of his No. 17 entry a short time later, the opening race proved to be an uneventful affair for the highly-rated teenager. While able to easily hold off any challenges from behind, Chaves did not have the car to advance up the scoring table. The teenager therefore received the checkered flag right where he had started, in seventh place as the leading rookie and Mygale pilot.

When the field line-up for Round Eight on Sunday morning, Chaves found himself on the front-row for a second time in 2010, thanks to the top-eight from race one being inverted. Chaves promptly made the most of the opportunity when the action got underway, battling for the race lead as the top-three pulled away from the rest of the field. Luck however was not on his side, as midway through lap two his engine began leaking oil, coating his left rear tire. The sudden lack of grip resulted in Chaves losing upwards of four seconds a lap on the lead pack. Never one to give up without a fight, the American teenager battled for positions all the way to the checkered flag, eventually taking home a hard earned eighth place as the leading rookie racer and second among the Mygale drivers – only behind the more experienced Christopher Zanella.

“As expected it was a hard weekend behind the wheel,” stated Chaves. “While we’ve definitely gotten quicker, we still have a ways to go to match the speed of the Dallaras. That being said, overall it was good weekend with two rookie wins, helping me close the gap in the Rookie of the Year title chase.”

Chaves and the Eurointernational squad now have a month-long break, before returning to action on August 28-29, with Rounds Nine and Ten at the Autodromo Riccardo Paletti in Varano, Italy. The American standout enters the Italian Formula 3 Championship doubleheader second in the rookie standings, a mere eight points behind the leader.

Additional information on Gabby Chaves can be obtained from his website @ www.GabbyChaves.com . For direct contact, please email gabbyracing@yahoo.com

About Gabby Chaves:
Widely considered one the premier up-and-coming drivers in the junior formula car ranks, Chaves has made a name for himself by winning races and challenging for championship titles. The American first got behind the wheel of a race car at the age of 13, winning a Skip Barber Racing Shoot-out scholarship. In his first full-season of competition, the former Easy Kart, Stars of Karting and Florida Winter Tour champion captured the Colombian Grand Prix Formula Renault 2000 title and finished as the series runner-up in the Skip Barber Eastern Regional Series. Building on this success, Chaves went undefeated in the 2006-07 Skip Barber Regional Southern Series, winning all 10 races. The teenager continued his winning ways one year later, extending his Skip Barber Racing victory streak to 17 consecutive victories, leading the Skip Barber National Series before making the switch to Formula BMW Pacific competition. Last year, Chaves returned to the top of the championship charts, winning the final Formula BMW Americas title with five wins and podium finishes in every race. In 2010, Chaves will race full-time in Europe, competing in the Italian F3 Championship.