Page 15 - 2022CalSpeedMagazineJan

TRound 1 - Jan 22
he CalSpeed Super Series would see its third different track configuration in three years for its 2022 season opener, taking to the Sportivo layout, with its full field of 90 drivers battling
high winds throughout the day. The new season welcomed back all of the protagonists from 2021, plus plenty of drivers moving up from the Sprint Series, and even more new faces looking to make a name for themselves in the most competitive sport karting series in North America...
But as it has been said, “before you can race, first you must qualify”, and when the green/white/checkered session was in the books, it was a couple of familiar faces right at the top. Having already scored the pole position in the IronMan Series earlier in the day, Andres Prieto made it 2 for 2 with another pole in the Super Series, with one of the best in the series at qualifying clocking the second-best lap, Paulo Franca. Rounding out the top three for the bonus points and the top starting spot for the heats would be a new face however, as Matt Steele took home the third quick time at the end of the session. Of the three however, only Andres Prieto would emerge victorious in his heat race, making up one of six different winners in the pre-lims, including Alyssa Yauney, Frank Chen, Ariel Rubio, Diego Morales and Ayrton Demoss. Coupling their wins with a thirds in the first set of heats, it was Demoss and Morales making up the front row of the A-Main, Demoss getting the nod via his strong time in qualifying...
Once the heat races were in the books, the first Main of the day would hit the track, with Edmundo Quezada leading the field away at the drop of the green for the C-Main. Veteran sport karter Vladimir Orlov would be the one to lead the first lap however, and in fact, would pace the field for the entirety of the first half of the race. The driver on the move however was long-time Sprint Series runner Nathaniel Small, working his way up from 11th on the grid to Challenge Orlov for the lead after the halfway point. Stealing the lead away on lap seven, the pair would stay linked for the next couple of laps, building a 1 second lead on third place James Bratton, before Orlov took another shot coming to two laps to go. Small’s counterattack would come on the final lap in the final corner, but contact would not only keep him from winning, but also take Orlov out of the running, gifting the win to third place runner James Bratton in the end...
The B-Main would see another great fight for the win, this time between overall podium runner last year Michael Hazlewood, and Sportsman class runner-up from 2021, Donnie Clarke. To start the race however, it would be James Lieser leading the field away, immediately coming under fire from 2021 Sprint Series podium finishers, Michael Martin. Martin would actually lead lap one, but his time in the sun was short lived as well, as Donnie Clarke took over the top spot on lap 2. Continuing the musical chairs for the third lap, Michael Hazlewood took over leadership from the 10th starting spot, having scythed his way through the field from the start, his B-main entry on the back of a penalty in the heats. Once in the lead, it became the Hazlewood and Clarke show, with the latter fighting back at the halfway point, and actually holding on to the lead for the next 5 laps. The final lap is the one that counts however, and Hazlewood showed why he was a
A-Main Podium
B-Main Winner Michael Hazlewood
C-Main Winner James Bratton