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