First Gatorz / LAKC Shootout set for this weekend

August 25, 2010 (Orange, Calif.) – With Southern California having two Rotax Max Challenge series – the Gatorz Karting Cup and the Los Angeles Kart Club – the two organizations have decided to join forces for this weekend. For the first time, the Gatorz / LAKC Rotax Shootout will run as a part of the monthly Los Angeles Kart Club event, which will be held on the Grande CW configuration of the Calspeed Karting Center in Fontana, Calif.

While heats and mains will be run on Sunday, qualifying will be held Saturday afternoon as each class will get a fifteen minute hot pit session that will set the grids for the following day’s heat race. The event will offer an increase in track time for the LAKC Rotax drivers, and it has also attracted drivers from outside the state with several drivers from Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada making the trip.

In Minimax, Gatorz Karting Cup points leader Royal McKee will face his biggest challenge from the winner of last month’s LAKC race, Nicky Hays, who recently made the move from MicroMax to Minimax. Noah Grey is also a front runner at LAKC events, while Blaine Rocha – Gatorz Challenge of the Americas champion in the class – will also attend the race.

Junior Rotax points leader Jeremy Kane has moved to Senior, leaving Dakota Dickerson as the points leader in the class. Dickerson also won last month’s LAKC Junior Rotax race, leaving him as the favorite ahead of Jake Craig, Breanna Miscione, and Nova Brown. A wildcard, as ever, is Nicholas Silva, who won the last Gatorz Karting Cup race at the Streets of Willow.

The most competitive race might come in Rotax Senior. With Louie Pagano and Jeremy Kane moving up to the class from Rotax Junior, the talented youngsters will face veteran John Crow – a former Gatorz Challenge of the Americas and Gatorz Karting Cup Masters class champion, as well as LAKC regular Brett Sheffer and Zach Woodsford.

Both series feature large groups of Rotax Masters racers and should provide for a very entertaining Rotax Masters group this weekend, which will likely be headed by brothers Jim and David Busby, as well as Steve Dzurilla. Dzurilla is the defending LAKC Rotax Masters class champion, while Jim Busby won the last Gatorz Karting Cup race at the Streets of Willow.

DD-2 will also be contested, with Matt Ostiguy expected to compete and win, as he is the defending Gatorz Karting Cup DD-2 class champion.

Live timing and scoring will be available on Sunday at LAKC’s website, at www.lakc.org.