CSK Racing Doubles Up on Podium with Pair of 1-2 Finishes

Round #2 for the Tri-C Karters season saw overcast skies eventually clear to a beautifully sunny day, and perfect conditions to go racing. And with nice weather comes more racers, with each of the three classes CSK Racing competes in swelling in numbers for the April event. When the dust settled, the team saw their drivers score pole positions, heat wins, and fast laps; all culminating in a pair of 1-2 finishes to cap things off…

100cc TAG Masters

Known as a powerhouse in the 206 ranks, the VLR Emerald chassis has made its debut in the 2-stroke ranks here in 2019, with Mark Connell carrying the torch for the CSK Racing team at Tri-C Karters. Scoring a podium in the rain during his debut in the package, Connell came into the weekend with very little seat time in the dry, but was able to benefit from the R&D from fellow CSK Racing coaches Mike Smith and Derek Esquibel. Making the most of the development since February, Connell looked anything but a newcomer to the class, scoring the pole position in qualifying. He would back that up with a pair of heat wins going away, including cutting the fastest lap of the race in heat race 2.

In the Main he would get the hole shot from the pole position, and immediately drive to over a second lead in the opening laps. Unfortunately, carburetor issues began to plague his motor from then on out, and his advantage over the rest of the field waned. Slipping from 1^st to just off the podium in 4^th, it was a tough pill to swallow for the driver who had been so dominant, but was able to take solace in the fact it was still a solid points day. He’ll head into round #3 second in the standings, just 6 points behind the leader…

100cc TAG Masters (Top 5)

Robert Perez 767
Mark Connell 761
Bryan Williams 712
Nick Dyer 682
Jason Collins 681

206 Masters

Finishing 1-2 in the rain, CSK Racing drivers Jose da Silva and Lukas Dziemidok entered round #2 tied for the point lead, and certainly favorites once again for the sharp end of the field. In qualifying, the pair would each have issues, the former with a small mistake in the final corner, while the latter battle with traffic. It would be a battle royale in each of the three races on the day, with the teammates always at the front. Heat one would see da Silva finish in front of Dziemidok after the pair lost the lead during their infighting, while heat two would see Lukas emerge the winner, with Jose coming home third, just in front of stablemate Sean Bradley.

When the green dropped for the Main it was clear another CSK Racing driver intended on being in the mix, as Alexander Bermudez immediately worked inside the top three. For Bermudez, it was a long climb from the back in heat race two, having cut the fastest lap en route to a 5^th place finish. It did not take long in the main to again show his speed, and by lap six he moved into the lead. From there it was him and Lukas Dziemidok controlling the race from the front, while Jose da Silva and Sean Bradley found themselves embroiled in a battle with Steve Jasinksi for the final podium spot.

At the front, Lukas would find his way back by Alexander in the last few laps, but was unable to shake his rival before the end. On the final lap it was Bermudez again on the hunt, challenging Dziemidok through the final corner, the pair crossing the line just .054 seconds apart, advantage Dziemidok. Behind them da Silva and Bradley saw a shot at the podium for a brief moment, before settling for 4^th and 5^th respectively after a three-wide battle.

206 Masters (Top 5)

Lukas Dziemidok 790
Jose da Silva 761
Steve Jasinski 736
Sean Bradley 710
John Rice 700

Senior 206

The 206 Senior category again would host some extremely tough competition, beginning straight away with the battle for pole position in Qualifying. CSK Racing would claim the first two rows on the grid, with Evan Karp coming away with his first pole position of the year by .177 seconds over round one podium finisher Seth Willits. Karp would lead a closely packed group at the front during heat #1, until the last few laps when Willits found his way by. Somewhere in the pack, contact saw Karp’s bumper ripped off from its holdings, earning him an early trip out of the race. Willits would hold on for the win, with TJ Blackledge besting Lukas Dziemidok and Riley Dugan in a three way fight for 2^nd.

Heat two would see a dominant performance from Seth Willits, breaking away from the infighting behind him to score a convincing win, while the same trio of drivers battled for the runner-up behind him; this time with Dziemidok coming away with the advantage. In a stout comeback run, the aforementioned Karp was able to make it up to 6^th after starting all the way back in 17^th.

In the Main things went awry in the very first corner for several drivers, as contact saw several front runners entangled, namely that of Blackledge and Dziemidok. Out front of the turn one incident, Seth Willits marched out to a commanding lead, while Evan Karp worked his way to second after sneaking through the melee. It was Willits’ first win in just his second 206 start, moving into the point lead after a pair of races in the books.

206 Senior (Top 5)

Seth Willits 790
Dakota Tate 755
Riley Dugan 739
Adam Nagao 702
Lukas Dziemidok 699

CSK Racing would like to again thank all of their customers for coming out last weekend, as well as congratulate all of our drivers for their success in round #2. We’re looking forward to round #3 on the Tecnico configuration on May 11^th, in just 3 short weeks! Want to get in on the fun? Hit us up to get on track in one of our rental packages, or inquire about how you can get coaching from some of the best in the 206 business. And remember, CSK Racing offers VLR kart and part sales trackside at CalSpeed Karting, so feel free to hit us up for all your VLR needs!