STARS OF KARTING RACE OF AMERICA - 17/18/19 MARCH 2006 - ROUND 1, NORMAN (OKLAHOMA)

EVEN IN AMERICA BIREL IS AT THE TOP

FOLLOWING THE GREAT RESULTS OBTAINED IN THE FIRST EUROPEAN RACES, BIREL’S CHASSIS ARE ALSO PLAYING A LEADING ROLE IN THE USA: BOSWELL WINS IN THE ICC, MUNOZ IN THE JUNIOR AND MUSSER IN THE TAG.

The American professional season officially opened last weekend with the 1st Karting Race of the Star Series, held at the Norman track in Oklahoma, which saw the participation of the best drivers and teams of the West and East coasts, who will compete for the title in the classes 125 Icc, 100 Ica, 100 Ica Junior and Spec Racer (TAG) throughout the long American karting season. Birel was represented by the racing teams of the official Mrp and 3S Go Kart importers, as well as by many private drivers who chose the Italian chassis for the American season. Similarly to what happened during the first European races, in the USA too the great competitiveness of the new Birel chassis was reaffirmed; as well as standing out in the queen of classes (ICC) with Wesley Boswell, the chassis also won with the young Carlos Munoz in the 100 Junior and with Jordan Musser in the TAG class. Birel Motorsport played a vital part in supporting the drivers by making available to its customers 3 engineers with the purpose of giving advice and useful tips in order to help them get used to the new 2006 chassis. This support turned out to be even more valuable if one considers the adverse weather conditions of the weekend, during which the set ups played a fundamental role. The first day of free trials took place on a dry track, although on Saturday there were scattered showers, and on Sunday all races took place in the driving rain. In these difficult conditions Welsey Boswell’s skills and the efficacy of his Birel CRX were highlighted; after having obtained very good results in the qualifying practice and the 2nd position in the Semi-final, in the Final Boswell was an absolute leader. As soon as the green light came on, the American driver managed to take the lead, leaving Funakoshi and Giebler behind to fight for the 2nd place, eventually won by the latter when he managed to overtake the other driver during the last lap. Rudolph came 4th, whereas Ryan Yop obtained the 5th position. With his success at Norman Boswell is a likely candidate to succeed the Speed title-holder who, following a triumphal season with the Birel – Mrp team, retired from racing. Carlos Munoz, who is a real leader in the 100 Junior class, is another one of Birel’s drivers who is likely to reach the top of his category. The Spanish driver, who will race for the whole Stars season, outdistanced Michael Hogg and Brett Smrz. In the Junior class is also worth mentioning the great race of young Taylor Miinch who, despite ending up off track, managed to recover and climb back up to the 13th position thanks to a series of remarkable overtakings and excellent times. Bad luck struck on the other hand Brendan Phinni, as he had to stop in the first part of the race because of mechanical problems. In the 100 Ica too Birel could have had a successful day, as the representative of the Mrp team, Nicholas Tonkin, had won the Semi-final, achieving a position in the first row: during the race however, Tonkin has mechanical problems which slowed him down until he ended up at the rear. The winner was Sims (official driver of Crg), who preceded Mandarino, Rosenzweig and the great Cory Pollock, all members of the Mrp team. Among Birel’s drivers Dominic Sheer also stood out; after struggling in the group immediately behind the leaders, he eventually ended up in 10th position. Full merit goes to a winning Jordan Musser (Birel – Mrp) in the TAG class. The American driver’s success, who preceded Johson and Gerrits, is particularly important as in the TAG category nearly all engines are Parilla; this means that the chassis’ efficacy plays a significant role and is the only element, together with the driver, which can really make a difference. Always in the TAG category both Justin Miller, who raced with a Birel chassis, and Federico Montoya, who raced with an Easykart 125, performed well, ending respectively in 6th and 7th place. The Cadet was the last race, which was reserved to the very young. Despite its many drivers taking part in this class, luck was not on Birel’s side: the fast Louie Pagano had to stop at the 1st lap because of engine problems. Andrew Murray too had to slow down because of a set up problem and, after having fought for the first positions in the first part of the race, eventually ended in 7th place. As far as this first American race is concerned, Birel’s results are on the whole positive. As the season progresses these results should only be reinforced.