Palm Beach International Raceway - South Florida Rotax Max Challenge Series Enjoyed Great Weekend

South Florida Rotax Max Challenge Series Enjoyed Great Weekend

Rounds 3 and 4 of the South Florida Rotax Max Challenge May 14 and 15 2011 saw Race 3 and 4 of the South Florida Rotax Max Challenge successfully run at the MRP Karting Track at Palm Beach International Raceway.

Over 40 drivers from all over South Florida, including drivers from Colombia and Brazil, came together to race at the challenging and fast MRP at Palm Beach International Raceway circuit. Practice kicked off Saturday at 9:00 and all classes from Micro Max to Senior Rotax practiced twice before qualifying started at 11:30 AM. Qualifying went very smoothly and the classes got sorted out by the fastest drivers.

Saturday's Micro Max event saw Michael Benyahia post the fastest lap time with a 57.528 followed closely by Derek Carmenate and Jason Brooks. With the starting grid set for the final via the heat race it was Benyahia in P1, Carmenate in 2nd and Ricardo Villsamil in the 3rd starting position which was the order they finished in after completing their 10 lap Final. Sunday's Micro Max was an almost exact repeat of Saturday’s results with the only change coming from young David Morales, who claimed the third and final spot on the podium instead of Villsamil.

The Rotax Mini Max races had some of the biggest names in South Florida racing for glory. Logan Sargeant, Mathew Thomas, Kyle Kirkwood, Juan David Buitrago and Tyler Lindberg, to name but a few, laid down some very close times early in qualifying. The heat and final races didn't disappoint either with some close racing by this group of competent drivers! The top three drivers on Saturday were Logan Sargeant, Matthew Thomas and Kyle Kirkwood. Sunday results would get shuffled a little with Kyle Kirkwood taking the win followed by Logan Sargeant and Matthew Thomas.

Rotax Jr. put on a great display of racing during the Saturday Final as the top three drivers had their fastest lap times separate by only hundreths of a second! The consistency for young Dalton Sargeant paid off both Saturday and Sunday, scoring the win in both finals. Saturday saw Ben Auriemma in 2nd place and Ashley Baldwin in 3rd place. For Sunday’s race the drivers shuffled behind Sargeant with Humberto Silva Jr. and Conrad Czaczyk taking the final steps on the podium. It was Czaczyk's first career podium!

The Premier Rotax Sr. Class saw Daniel Formal and Sebastian Ordonez battle it out for all the glory as both drivers are highly ranked in the Rotax Senior class in North America and their performance on the track proved why they are ranked among the best drivers in our country and no doubt in the world. Saturday’s weather prior to the Sr. final did not look very promising and the Race staff managed to bring the final to a conclusion just ahead of the rain. After Technical inspection was cleared by Rotax National Technical Director, Don Moorsmeister, the top three on top of the podium were Sebastian Ordonez in first place, Carlos Almeida from Brazil in 2nd place and Andres Mendez from Colombia in third place. Sunday was a repeat for Ordonez claiming the top step of the podium once again with Daniel Formal driving from the back of the grid to finish 2nd and veteran racer and premier Rotax engine technician, Ariel Castro, claimed the 3rd step to the cheers of all his friends and family.

Next Stop for the SFRMC will be at Homestead Karting. Visit www.homesteadkarting.net for information!

CLASS RESULTS:

Micro Max - Saturday

1st - Michael Benyahia

2nd - Derek Carmenate

3rd - Ricardo Villasmil

4th - David Morales

Micro Max - Sunday

1st - Michael Benyahia

2nd - Derek Carmenate

3rd - David Morales

4th - Ricardo Villasmil

Mini Max - Saturday

1st - Logan Sargeant

2nd - Matthew Thomas

3rd - Kyle Kirkwood