March 28th 2010 marked the first Championship Karting Series Race of the 2010 season at F1 New Jersey. Membership programs proved to be a great drawing point for many of the competitors. F1 New Jersey memberships have increased 75% from 2009. With this marking the first race of the season, those numbers are sure to increase as the word gets out about this first rate racing facility. The three tiered membership system seems to appeal to a number of competitors that are both new to karting and to F1 New Jersey as a whole. Discounted race rates and contingency programs are also a huge drawing point for many competitors.

As race day began, competitors got a chance to explore the new organization and additions to the registration building which include a 20 foot registration counter elevated 1 foot above floor level and a 5 foot map of the karting track layout where drivers can review driving lines and apexes easily. The parking set-up was also changed since the 2009 season. Any member of F1 New Jersey Championship Karting Series, who has chosen a Gold package or purchased preferred parking, receives their own 20’ by 40’ parking stall for the racing season. (copies of pit layouts and pit request forms can be found in the Forms section)

Drivers and mechanics were busily tuning their karts during the first rounds of practice which began at 10:13 a.m. on this beautiful Sunday morning. One 10 minute engine break-in session was followed by two rounds of practice for each group. There were 7 groups comprised of 12 different classes. Normally there will be only one 7 minute round of practice for each group; however, since it was the first race of the season, competitors were given some extra track time to get used to the layout of the track and prepare for racing.

The first group to hit the track was the Shifter Class. This was the second biggest class of the day with seven competitors. 2009 Shifter class champion, Mike Rivera, brought his infectious energy along with a new Shifter class driver, Jeff Stepina, to experience F1 New Jersey. The Shifter class also included National Champion and F1 New Jersey veteran, Alex Manglass, drivers Julian & Gunnar Vandersteur, Martin Cagliari, and Scott Tepper. Martin Cagliari, new member to F1NJ, suffered a clutch lever problem shortly after practice rounds. At the completion of qualifying sessions, Alex Manglass ran the Tempest configuration with a 1:09.347 at an average speed of 56.066. Mike Rivera was a close second with a time of 1:10.230 followed by Scott Tepper with a 1:10.541. Finishing order of the heat race placed Alex Manglass on pole with Mike Rivera off pole and Jeff Stepina following. Rounding up the pack was Scott Tepper. The Shifter feature race proved detrimental to reigning champion, Mike Rivera, as he suffered a problem from his engine mount. Alex Manglass took first place with a fast time of 1:07.973. Scott Tepper was second with a 1:10.746 and Jeff Stepina in third with a 1:11.154.

Group 2, comprised of Briggs World Formula, Senior Sportsman, and Senior Briggs classes, was the second class to hit the track. Briggs World Formula driver, Joe Sica, had the fastest qualify time for this group with a 1:20.119. Scott Downing ran a 1:26.479 for the Yamaha Sr. Sportsman class with an average speed of 44.959 mph. Robert Danka had the third fastest qualify time racing for the Senior Briggs class with a 1:30.440. Heat racing followed with Sica, Downing, and Danka followed by Senior Briggs racers, Ismail Irizarry, Charles Richardson, and Carlos Aguero. Aguero suffered kart difficulties and had to pit early. The latter four drivers hail from Living Hope Church in Trenton, New Jersey, who have created a racing team to reach out to youth in their community. (For more information on their cause contact F1 New Jersey offices.) The feature race proved to have similar results to the heat. Joe Sica and Scott Downing were first place champions in their classes. Senior Briggs finishing order: Irizarry, Danka, Aguero, and Richardson.

Group 3, TAG Senior Heavy, was the largest class of the day hailing 8 drivers. Reining F1 New Jersey champion, John Bonanno, had a constant battle with co-champion, Jimmy Fatum, during the TAG Senior Heavy racing. Fatum had a qualifying of 1:11.346 in lap 4. Bonanno followed with a 1:12.360 in lap 2 closely followed by Daniel Hewes with a 1:12.392. Chris McGinley came in with a 1:13.904. Heat race proved to be troublesome for McGinley who finished 5 laps down. Rookie drivers James Dawson and David J. Vai gained significant time between their qualifying and heat races. Driving along talented veterans such as Bonanno and Fatum will surely improve many of the new competitors’ skills. Finishing order for the TAG class: Jimmy Fatum, Daniel Hewes, John Bonanno, Paul Porreca, Steven Possehl, Chris McGinley, David J. Vai, James Dawson, and Todd Bauerband. This class will prove to be the growing class for F1NJ this season due to the fact that a number of racers just weren’t ready for the first race of the season.

Both Group 4 and 7 were comprised of Jr. TAG/Jr. Rotax Max drivers Jeremy Doll, Jacob MacAvoy, and Darren Whitehead. These drivers ran both classes in an attempt to gain punches towards Rotax National points. The 2010 season marks the second season for MacAvoy and Doll to be racing with each other. Both drivers battled throughout 2009 for F1NJ championship points and the struggle seems to continue into 2010. Qualifying time for Doll was 1:10.703 but by the time the feature race concluded, MacAvoy had gained 2 seconds on his qualifying time, finishing with a 1:12.674. Rookie Jr. TAG driver Darren Whitehead seems to be beginning a promising racing season.

Group 5 included Rory Vandersteur, Yves Baltas, and Rut Sandoval driving for Cadet, Minimax, and Jr. Briggs respectively. Yves Baltas had the best qualifying time with a 1:21.141 followed by Vandersteur (1:25.734) and Sandoval (2:00.065). Sandoval, running for Living Hope Church, experienced her first race this weekend and her times improved as she ran a 1:51.393 in heat racing. Rory Vandersteur suffered a DNF in the fifth lap of heat racing and Baltas finished with a 1:19.574. Feature racing proved an excellent finish for Baltas and great practice for the rookie, Sandoval.

Senior Max and Masters, group 6, race proved to be a melting pot of double class drivers. Many were racing for both F1NJ points as well as Rotax punches. Max DiBella and John Bonanno both suffered mechanical issues during qualifying that effected their heat racing.  Bonanno returned to finish first in the Masters class with a 1:12.056 and DiBella suffered a DNF due to more kart malfunctions. Chris McGinley finished second in the Masters class with a 1:13.259. Rookie driver, Todd Bauerband, finished first in the Senior Max class followed by David J. Vai, who jumped in the class at the back of the pack during heat racing.

The first Championship Karting Series event of the 2010 racing season proved to be a successful event for both drivers and staff alike. New F1NJ staff got the chance to experience real racing situations and meet with a few of the nation’s top drivers. This is a small exposure to the racing scene. F1NJ will experience true racing when World Series Karting and Championship Karting International compete in late July. These large scale events will turn-out world renowned drivers and huge publicity. As the event details are finalized, more information will be released. In the meantime…stay in touch on njkarting.org for updates and announcements.

Photos by: Jacquelyn Allen

Although it's been a year in the making, the Championship Karting Awards Banquet for the 2009 season took place on April 3, 2010 at the Finish Line Pub at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The small ceremony allowed competitors who faithfully competed at F1NJ in 2009 to receive their well-deserved rewards. Dinner was served buffet style with a choice of grilled salmon or London broil to be accompanied with a salad, mashed potatoes, and succotash. The awards presentation followed dinner and began with a touching speech made by Scott Paape, Director of Karting, addressing his biggest supporters: his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Emma. When the tears dried, participation awards were given out for those competitors who faithfully competed at F1 New Jersey. Participation trophies were awarded to drivers based on classes.

TAG Masters participants included: Chuck Parker, Sal Sparacio, Tony Sparacio, James Hunnell, Richard Picut, Luke Johnston, Reto Baumann, and Marko Ott. The Champion of the TAG Masters class for 2009 was veteran F1NJ driver, John Bonanno. John started his racing career on the rental karts and upgraded in 2009 to a Zanardi and began racking up the championship points. Second place was awarded to Chris McGinley who has been a great supporter and volunteer for F1 New Jersey for the past two years. Both he and John have greatly contributed to the success of the 2010 membership programs as well as the Championship Karting website. Third place for TAG Masters went to Paul Porreca, a Millville local who faithfully competed at F1 New Jersey during the 2009 season. Fast time award was given to John Bonanno with a 1:10.564.

Senior TAG was one of the largest classes for the 2009 season and boasts a record number of 17 members for 2010. Participants in this class included: Nick Evancich and Tyler DiBella. Senior TAG 2009 champion was Jimmy Fatum. Jimmy and his family travel a great distance to race at F1NJ and have been truly loyal participants at many of the club races. Michael Teti won the second place TAG Senior award. Like John, Michael also began racing with the 9 horse power rental karts at F1 New Jersey in 2008 and has taken a number of titles both at F1NJ and Raceway Park. There was a tie for third place in this division. The awards were given to both Luke Johnston and Keith Horner. Fast time award was presented to Jimmy Fatum who ran a 1:10.105.

Junior TAG was a small class for 2009, but it contained some very talented and dedicated drivers. Jeremy Doll took the Championship award as well as fast time with a 1:10.535. Jeremy has been a constant presence at F1 New Jersey since its opening season of 2008 and has proudly represented the track at both national and regional events throughout the years. Jacob MacAvoy took the second place award and was also a veteran rental kart driver who advanced to TAG in 2009. He will soon be a featured driver on njkarting.org. Colin Thompson, who has been accepted as a driver for the Volkswagen TDI Cup, was awarded third place in the TAG Junior division. Participants in the Junior TAG class included: Michael Horton and Kelsee Tepper.

F1 New Jersey also ran an Expert class. This class allowed drivers who did not fit into the mold of any of the other classes a place to race. Many drivers who were racing with a Yamaha Pipe entered this class. There were no Championship awards given for this class; however, fast time went to Raul Escobar with a time of 1:16.430. Participants in this class included: Larry Bishov, Raul Escobar, James Dawson, Lou Talotta, and Steven Baine.
Briggs Animal Senior was the smallest class of the 2009 season. The Championship award was given to Todd Weaver. Todd has been a great supporter of F1 New Jersey since its opening. He is also a huge promoter of the Animal class and has brought a number of new competitors to the 2010 season thanks to his wonderful words for both the facility and his class.

Yamaha Senior Can was also a small class during 2009. The Championship was given to Steven Possehl and Max DiBella took second place. Fast time was awarded to Jimmy Fatum with a time of 1:17.331.

The Shifter class, which is the second largest class for 2010, was also considerably smaller during the 2009 season. Russ Puesi was a faithful participant during 2009. The results for the Shifter class truly show how attendance can make a difference. Our Championship winner was Mike Rivera who travels a large distance but just loves to race at F1 New Jersey. He has been a faithful driver and supporter of F1NJ since 2008. Alex Manglass, who took the second place trophy, was in a tight race for first. However, because he races on both the regional and national level so successfully, he could not make it to all of the club races, but when he did he brought the Shifter class to a new level. Alex also received the fast time award with a 1:06.328. Third place for this division went to Kristian Werkley. Kristian is hastily preparing his kart for the 2010 season.

F1 New Jersey would like to thank all of the drivers that competed during the 2009 season and hope that you will be back to join in 2010. Without you, we wouldn't be us. Sincere thanks also go out to all of those who did spare a little time to come to the awards ceremony. Your dedication and loyalty truly mean so much to the staff of F1NJ.

A big thank you also goes out to our sponsors for the 2010 season. MG Tires is the series sponsor for the 2010 season and rewards winners with discount coupons towards their tire purchases at selected dealers. Bertil Roos racing has sponsored both TAG Senior and Shifter class Champions. They will graciously award the winners of these classes with a $1500 gift certificate to their choice of a one or three day open-wheel racing school. Mike Doty Racing is also a proud sponsor of F1NJ's Championship Karting Series. SSC East has awarded the race winners of all of the Rotax classes with a discount certificate on their purchase of $150 or more. Service Master is the class sponsor for Briggs World Formula and Compressed Air Equipment sponsors TAG Senior Heavy.