CRG Tops the List in Qualifiers at CKI Grand Prix of New Jersey

Qualifying positions are all set for Championship Karting International’s (CKI) Grand Prix of New Jersey at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ. With CRG competitors leading the way – the qualifying sessions set the starting grids for Saturday’s heat races, which in turn will set the grids for Sunday.

Gary Carlton (CRG), of Marysville, Calif., topped the KZ2 time charts with a lap of 1:04.904 around the 1.030-mile Avenger course. The CRG driver was 0.766 seconds faster than second-best Alex Manglass (CRG). “We rolled off the truck pretty good and almost have the same set-up from New Castle,” Carlton said. “Conserving tires is so important, so I put in a quick lap on my first lap and pulled off, and it held up. Tomorrow we’ve got to try to finish everything and hopefully get the pole for the pre-final. “The kart has been really good this weekend,” continued Carlton, the KZ2 class points leader. “This is my first time here, and it’s a beautiful facility. They’ve done a great job.”

On the other end of the spectrum in both speed and experience is the CKI Cadet class, with 10-year-old Ryan Raffa (Top Kart), of Washington Crossing, Penn., on the pole. Raffa turned a lap of 1:18.822 to best runner-up Josh Saurino (Top Kart) by 0.257-seconds. It was a successful day for Raffa, who isn’t a regular on the CKI circuit and would have missed the event without the generosity of fellow racers such as Mike Doty Racing and other competitors. “I’ve run here one time before in the WKA Regional, but missed Saturday because of a baseball game,” Raffa said. “I’d like to win this weekend, or at least get in the top five. It’ll be tough.”

In addition to Carlton, two other CRG drivers qualified on pole in their respective classes. Arie Ouimet, of Plymouth, Mass., and Phil DeLaO, of Phoenix, Ariz., led the KF2 and KF3 class qualifying sessions, respectively. Ouimet turned a lap of 1:06.432 to lead Shin Iguchi by just 0.162 seconds, while DeLaO’s 1:09.006 bested Taylor Miinch (Top Kart) by 0.222 seconds.

The pole times hold extra meaning for the SSC East drivers, Carlton, Ouiment and DeLaO, as New Jersey Motorsports Park and F1 New Jersey principal RJ Valentine also heads the trio’s CRG race team. “Being at F1 New Jersey for RJ, and also being on his team, is a big opportunity,” Ouimet said. “Tomorrow, I just need to play it cool, try to take it easy on the tires, and not kill ourselves for the final.”

Likewise, DeLaO also feels up to the challenge. “This track is a lot harder, and I’ve never been here before,” DeLaO said. “You have to get all of the turns right, and it’s up to the driver to adapt. The competition is going to be good, and we need to keep trying to find more speed. That’s what racing’s all about.”

Miinch, of Alpine, California, was the runner-up in KF3 but snagged the pole in IAME Jr. class with a lap of 1:08.642, just 0.080 seconds quicker than Raquel Martinez (Top Kart). “It went good,” said Miinch of his IAME Jr. pole. “Our kart handled really well, and it went our way. This track is really fun. Hopefully we can win tomorrow to have a good spot for Sunday.”

Andre Nicastro (ItalKart) captured the IAME Sr. pole position with a lap of 1:08.250, edging Kyle Wiegand (Top Kart) by 0.377 seconds. Russell Hamel will start on pole of the Rotax Masters class with a lap of 1:10.546, besting Chris Rock by 0.814-seconds.

RaceFanRadio.com and SpeedCastTV.com will be providing audio and live video. RaceFanRadio will carry the qualifying action from Friday along with the three rounds of heat racing action on Saturday. A sixty minute trackside video program, “Bench Racing Live” will air at 6pm EST Saturday evening complete with the weekend’s activities and comments from those making the headlines. Sunday’s live videocast will air all Prefinal and Finals plus a post-race ‘F1-style debrief’ of all classes represented on the weekend.