SERGIO BRAVO IS THE 2013 SUPER SERIES CHAMPION!

Bravo Takes Final Round Victory, Completing Improbable Come From Behind Championship Run

With a sold out field on hand for the 2013 finale, and a number of championship fights still to be decided, Round 11 proved to be one of the most memorable race days in series history. Heading into the Mains, both Sergio Bravo and Steve Jasinski had locked up their Masters and Heavy titles respectively, however the Rookie and Overall Championships would remain well up for grabs, coming down to the final laps.

Steve Spring and Justin Tolman would be first to settle their business, as a win for Spring in the B-Main cemented him as the 2013 Rookie of the Year as well as move him onto the grid for the final A-Main of the year. That A-Main, in which Sergio Bravo faced a must win scenario while also needing his championship rival KC Cook to finish outside of the top ten, would see the nearly impossible occur…

QUALIFYING HIGHLIGHTS:

The final round of the 2013 Super Series Season would face a bit of a twist as the 102 drivers on hand to compete would be set to take on the never-before-raced Classico Counter Clockwise configuration. The fast and technical layout offers everything from high speed esses to heavy braking zones, and everything in between. Despite over 40 drivers having attended the clinic on this layout just a week prior, it would be Northern California’s Jerott King snagging his second pole position in as many months in his first time turning a wheel on the circuit. He would be joined in the top three by Miles Calvin and Dave Messimer, both looking to finish out strong 2013 campaigns of their own.

QUALFYING TOP 5:

1. Jerott King – 52.130
2. Miles Calvin – 53.233
3. Dave Messimer – 52.269
4. Jon Kimbrell – 52.405
5. Jay Schreiber – 52.432

HEAT RACING HIGHLIGHTS:

An interesting bunch of heat racing results would serve as the appetizer for this month’s ‘Main’ course. Defending series champion, Logan Calvin, came into the day with a mathematical shot at the repeat, however his title hopes would sink early as he had to score the vital qualifying bonus points to stay alive in the hunt. Having missed a top result in that session, it was all about maximizing his day from there, and that he did as he would be the only driver to score heat wins in both attempts, thus landing him a front row grid spot in the day’s A-Main session. Elsewhere in the field, championship points leader KC Cook would log a couple of P3 finishes, only to see Sergio Bravo snag a first and a second place result, trimming Cook’s lead to just 41 points heading into their final showdown of the season.

HEAT RACE WINNERS:

Group 1A: Kirk Feldkamp +0.116s
Group 1B: Miles Calvin +4.105s
Group 1C: Darren Mercer +0.545s
Group 1D: Logan Calvin +0.150s

Group 2A: Jay Schreiber +0.107s
Group 2B: Chris Huerta +0.160s
Group 2C: Sergio Bravo +0.114s
Group 2D: Logan Calvin +0.078s

D-MAIN HIGHLIGHTS:

The D-Main would appear to be over very quickly after the green flag waived as Mike Arnold, having suffered a tough black flag penalty earlier in the day, would rapidly build a gap at the front as the battle for P2 behind him raged. It would ultimately be Mark Connell, in just his second Super Series appearance, emerging from that fray and setting his sights well up the road on Arnold. He would chip away at that lead lap after lap, cutting out half a second a lap. With two laps remaining Connell would not only catch Arnold, he would make the move without hesitation, taking over the lead and holding it thru the white flag. Arnold would not be dropped after relinquishing the lead, but he would also not quite have enough to counter back at Connell. Connell would take the win by nearly three quarters of a second and advance to join the C-Main up next.

D-MAIN TOP 5:

1. Mark Connell + 0.782s
2. Mike Arnold
3. Zoltan Sule
4. Blake Glenn
5. John Adams

C-MAIN HIGHLIGHTS:

The final C-Main of 2013 would be another great show as Isabella Busalacchi, a regular A-Mainer last season, returned to the Super Series grid after having moved into Sports Car racing for much of 2013. The race would feature a three kart battle in much of the early going as Busalacchi would rub fenders with Phoenix’s Jason Burstein, and fellow Super Series returner John Perry. Perry would lead lap 1 before falling victim to Burstein midway thru lap 2. From there Burstein would fall back as Busalacchi made her way to the front, where she would remain for most of the session. With just a couple laps to go, Perry had fallen just far enough back to lose the draft of the leaders, leaving it up to Busalacchi to defend from Burstein if she hoped to move on into the B-Main. With the while flag in the air, Busalacchi would take a defensive line thru the fast ‘Silk’ corner, however she would not be able to stop the run from Burstein into the ensuing hairpin. Forced way up the inside, Burstein would somehow find a way to get it slowed down and rotated at the apex, while keeping enough momentum on exit to beat Busalacchi to the following corner as she looked to hold the outside as a counter to his attempt. Burstein would close the door with just a couple corners remaining to earn himself a B-Main appearance to finish out his season as Busalacchi would be forced to settle for P2 in one of the better races of the day.

C-MAIN TOP 5:

1. Jason Burstein +0.072s
2. Isabella Busalacchi
3. John Perry
4. Mike Dixon
5. Aaron Scott

B-MAIN HIGHLIGHTS:

Other than the chance to join the final A-Main race of the season, also at stake in the Round 11 B-Main would be the coveted title of Rookie of the Year. Both Steve Spring, the points leader heading in, and Justin Tolman sat just a few grid spots apart, with Toman needing to best Spring by roughly five positions to realize his title hopes. Spring would get out to an early jump, battling near the point with the likes of regular A-Mainers David Kelmenson and Rene Hourian. Further back, Tolman would have his hands full as he sat mired in a 7 kart pack consisting of fellow rookie hot shoe Charles Eichlin, Northern California Spec E30 notable Michael Shawhan, and Pacific Northwest wheelman Stephen Greene. Lap after lap, Tolman could not find a way to clear the crowd while up front it was Spring holding off every attempt from Kelmenson that was thrown at him. With the white flag out, Spring would leave no doubt, as he would be the first to the checkers, cementing himself as the 2013 Rookie of the Year in the process and grabbing the 26th and final spot in the Round 11 A-Main. Tolman would cross the stripe with a hard earned P7, capping off a very successful rookie campaign of his own amongst arguably one of the most talented crop of rookie drivers to date.

B-MAIN TOP 5:

1. Steve Spring +0.109s
2. David Kelmenson
3. Rene Hourian
4. Henry Morse
5. Michael Shawhan

A-MAIN HIGHLIGHTS:

As the points would shake out, Sergio Bravo sat entering the A-Main 41 points adrift of KC Cook, needing nothing short of an A-Main win while simultaneously needing Cook to finish tenth or worse amongst one of the stoutest fields in Sport Karting. Bravo would come to the green sitting P3 while Cook sat… P10. The stage would be set for one of the most epic finishes to a championship possible. It would not take long for Bravo to begin taking care of his end of business as he found himself out front by lap 2 and quickly walking away from Logan Calvin and Darren Mercer as they jockeyed for position off his rear bumper.

Further back, all eyes would be on Cook as he sat perilously on ‘the bubble’ bouncing between P8 and P12 for most of the 15 lap affair. As the laps wound down, it would become apparent that Bravo would not face a challenge for the race win, making it his 3rd A-Main victory on the season, and one of the largest margins of victory of the year. The championship, however, would ultimately come down the last lap of the season as Cook took the white flag sitting P10, but very much in the middle of an 8 kart pack. As the group exited the fast ‘esses’ section and entered the carousel corner, a move for position would be made further up the train, causing everyone futher back to adjust their standard line hoping they picked the right lane.

For Cook, he would take a run of his own and attempt the tricky ‘around the outside’ move making it an all or nothing proposition for the title. Unfortunately for him, it would turn out the latter, as he would exit Contino shuffled back to P12, and with a slam of the steering wheel, it was all over. Bravo would cross the stripe and immediately start counting positions back to Cook… he had pulled it off. In a true ‘thrill of victory, agony of defeat’ moment, Cook would limp it home on the cool down lap in obvious anguish, while Bravo celebrated one of the most improbable comebacks in Super Series history. Sergio Bravo is the 2013 Super Series Champion!

A-MAIN TOP 5:

1. Sergio Bravo +5.241s
2. Logan Calvin
3. Darren Mercer
4. Jerott King
5. Jay Schreiber

CalSpeed would like to congratulate all drivers on yet another fantastic season of racing, and arguably the most competitive to date across all categories. Hats off to the following drivers on their stellar individual accomplishments here in 2013:

OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Sergio Bravo
2. KC Cook
3. Logan Calvin
4. Darren Mercer
5. Taylor Hays

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. Steve Spring
2. Justin Tolman
3. Andrew Lemons

MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Sergio Bravo
2. Jay Schreiber
3. Dave Messimer

HEAVY CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Steve Jasinski
2. Mike Arnold
3. Greg Reinhardt

IRONMAN CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Bill Myers
2. Steve Spring
3. Bruce Allen

CLUB SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

1. Dave Messimer
2. KC Cook
3. Bill Myers

A full championship recap will be posted in the coming weeks as we head into a very short offseason here at CalSpeed. Next on the racing calendar will be the final competitive event of the year as teams take on the annual December 4 Hour Enduro on December 14th. Beyond that, registration for the 2014 Super Series Season Opener Event on January 4th is currently underway and can be done via the CalSpeed Karting website.

For information on the series, or questions on how to secure your spot on the grid, please contact CalSpeed at 951.506.9363, or via email at brad@calspeedkarting.com