2014 SPORT KART GRAND NATIONALS DRIVER PREVIEWS: PART 1

Team Affiliation: T4 Autosport
Grands Experience: 2012- 3rd Overall and co-Team Champ, best race finish: 1stPatrick carries a lot of momentum into the 2014 Grands, having already scored the CalSpeed Winter IronMan title, and is the current point leader in the CalSpeed Super Series. He’ll be looking to improve on his 2012 performance, where he scored 1 win, 3 top 3’s, and 6 top fives to finish 3rd overall, and co-Team Champion. With an impressive run so far locally in 2014, expect Britain to be a top contender right out of the gate.

Driver: Sergio Bravo [M] Hometown: Redondo Beach, CA
Home Track: CalSpeed Karting
Team Affiliation: S3/GranStand
Grands Experience: 2012, 2013- 14th, 2nd in Masters (2013), best race finish: 1stSergio Bravo has basically won everything there is at CalSpeed, except the Sport Kart Grand Nationals. In the Super Series last year, he scored the Overall Championship, and his third Masters title in a row, proving that he has what it takes to beat any and all comers, regardless of age. Already considered one of the primary contenders for the Masters National title, given his most recent performances, the Overall National Championship may be within reach as well…

Driver: Patrick O’Keefe
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
Home Track: CalSpeed Karting
Team Affiliation: Arkham Motorsports
Grands Experience: “Rookie”Like many drivers before him, Patrick has added a Sport Kart Grands debut to his to-do list, partially as a measuring stick, but more importantly as a sure fire way to improve. Coming off a pair of A-Main appearances in the local Super Series, O’Keefe has emerged as one of CalSpeed’s rising talents, and top contenders for the Rookie Championship in that series.

Driver: Sushanth Suresh
Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA
Home Track: Dallas Karting Complex
Team Affiliation: N/A
Grands Experience: “Rookie”

Priorities have kept Sushanth further from the track then he’d like, having seen some strong success back in 2012 with a Redbull Qualifier podium, as well as a Main win in the CalSpeed Super Series. Able to get back in the seat lately, Suresh has shown he can come back up to speed fairly quickly, and should show good progress throughout the event.

Driver: Roman Alekseenkov
Hometown: Santa Clara, CA
Home Track: Lemans Karting, Fremont
Team Affiliation: Lemans Karting
Grands Experience: “Rookie”

First racing in the endurance events held by CalSpeed, Roman has progressed into a serious contender for Rookie Championship in this year’s Super Series season. Coming right out of the gates strong this year, he bested all comers in the opening round, and his continued to improve ever since. A fierce competitor, Roman’s analytical approach and focus on improvement makes him a very tough opponent when attacking new tracks, something in spades at the Grands.

Driver: David Kelmenson [M] Hometown: Pacific Palisades, CA
Home Track: CalSpeed Karting
Team Affiliation: T4 Autosport
Grands Experience: 2012, 2013- 43rd, 10th in Masters (2013), best race finish: 4th x 2A regular front runner in the CalSpeed Super Series, David has also emerged this year as one of the top Masters drivers in the series, showing he has the pace and craft to challenge the status quo. Improving immensely since the Grands last year, Kelmenson could be a serious threat for the Masters title here in 2014, especially if he can have more races like he did in day two last year, finishing in the top six in 3 of his 4 races.

Driver: Jonathan Vitolo
Hometown: Ft Lauderdale, FL
Home Track: CalSpeed Karting
Team Affiliation: Arkham Motorsports
Grands Experience: 2013- 40th Overall, best race finish: 1st x 2Jonathan had an up and down Grand Nationals last year, showing serious pace with a pair of wins on day two, but had to dig out of a hole from tough finishes on day one. Also a winner in the Super Series, Vitolo has proven to be one of the best new talents to come to the So-Cal track. A former competition kart racer, he has returned to his roots this year, also competing in the S2 class at the SKUSA Pro Tour.
Driver: Justin Tolman
Hometown: Escondido, CA
Home Track: CalSpeed Karting
Team Affiliation: Arkham Motorsports
Grands Experience: “Rookie”

Justin skipped the Grands last year to concentrate on the Super Series and his fight for the rookie title, but will be making his debut here in the 2014 event. One of the best new drivers in the both of CalSpeed’s regular championships, Tolman has established himself as regular front runner, garnishing praise not only for his pace, but also his clean driving. While he may be a ‘rookie’ to the Grands, don’t expect him to drive like one…

Driver: Brett King
Hometown: Aliso Viejo, CA
Home Track: CalSpeed Karting
Team Affiliation: Brett King Designs
Grands Experience: 2013- 89th Overall, best race finish 12th

A regular supporter of the Grands as a sponsor via his internationally known helmet painting company, Brett decided to jump behind the wheel last year after being out of racing seat for quite a while. While certainly a baptism of fire for King, he came back after the Grands for a handful of Super Series events, showing improved pace while best many regulars in the series.

Driver: Ashley Arnott
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Home Track: CalSpeed Karting
Team Affiliation: Arkham Motorsports

Grands Experience: 2013- 84th Overall, best race finish 15th x 3Ashley made her debut at the 2013 Grands after only two prior races in the CalSpeed Super Series, and went into it fairly green, but learned a lot, scoring three top-15 finishes. Since then she has put in a lot of work, and is one of the leading contenders for the 2014 Rookie Championship in the Super Series. Essentially jumping into the deep end last year, a much more prepared, and learned Arnott heads into 2014 contest.