Rolison Performance Group Junior Max Saturday Report
With the top two drivers leaving to the Senior Max category, the championship in
2014 was up for grabs. The first driver to make his mark was Rolison Performance
Group’s Austin Versteeg with victory in round one. Junior Max rookie Sting Ray Robb
was quick out of the gate on Friday, as he recorded the fast lap in the final practice.
He carried that over into Saturday’s qualifying session as he moved up into the top spot
quickly, showing the way in the second of the two groups taking a 15-minute session.
The BBR Karting/Black Racing Engines Tony Kart driver was able to hold off the field
for the top spot with a 52.044-lap, unable to break into the 51-second mark. Austin
Versteeg (Kosmic) was second quickest, just four hundredths off the time set by Robb.
Phillippe Denes (ART GP) was third with Christian Brooks (Tony Kart) and Jeff Fulham
(Kosmic) rounding out the fast five.
It was a clean start for the 17-lap Junior Max prefinal with Robb leading the field to
the green flag. He would lead the opening lap of his first Junior wheel-to-wheel action,
before losing the spot to outside polesitter Versteeg. Robb came right back the following
lap after Versteeg opened the door, taking over the lead with the top two pulling away
from the rest of the top eight. It would come down to the end as Robb stayed glued to
the bumper of Versteeg until the final lap. Versteeg went inside, and Robb went outside.
A little bit of contact was made, and Versteeg came away with the lead and the win.
Robb settled for second with Denes holding third ahead of Brooks. Kyle Wick (Kosmic)
advanced up from 10th on the grid to end the race fifth, dropping Fulham to sixth.
Versteeg was able to get away from the field as the 25-lap main event kicked off.
Robb was shuffled back to nearly outside the top-10, with Brooks and Denes slotted into
the top-three. Versteeg was out to over a one-second advantage, with a group of drivers
fighting for fourth early on before Fulham pulled away and left them to fight for fifth. By
lap five, Robb had found himself in that battle and in to the fifth spot to lead the group
of drivers, trying to run down a 2.5-second gap to Fulham. Robb, with a clear track in
front of him, began laying down some qualifying laps to close up on Fulham, catching
the Canadian by lap 14 and securing the fourth spot at the end of the lap. With 11
to go, there still was enough time to cut into the gap held by Brooks in third, just two
seconds again. It was four laps to go when the two seconds became zero, with Robb
on the bumper of Brooks. Two attempts on Brooks for the position, and the elder Junior
driver fought off Robb and continued to do so until lap 24 in turn four. Robb took over
the position and put himself on a provisional podium position. Out front, Versteeg ran
consistent laps to secure his first Challenge of the Americas Junior Max victory. Denes
drove to second with Robb third. Brooks ended up fourth with Fulham capping off the
top-five. Technical inspections however adjusted the podium, with Robb removed from
the results for utilizing the wrong carburetor. That put Brooks onto the podium, and Junior
rookie Horatio Fitz-Simon (Tony Kart) into fifth.
Christian Brooks
