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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| RACING
SCENE by Tim Kennedy |
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USAC Ford Focus Midgets |
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Irwindale, CA, Oct. 4 - Ryan Kaplan, 17, drove his family-owned
Stealth/Ford Focus four-cylinder Midget to an impressive car length
(0.075 seconds) victory in a 30-lap USAC California (South) Ford
Focus Series feature Saturday on the third-mile Irwindale Speedway.
The all-green flag race took only 7:31.625, a track record for the
longest USAC FF race run at the track. The high school junior and 500 cc karting veteran from Chico started fifth and led all but the first nine laps. Kaplan, a USAC rookie, earned his third USAC FF feature victory in the 20 California FF series events held so far this season. Ten different drivers, including four series rookies, have won this year. It was Kaplan's first triumph on pavement. He won on dirt tracks at Chico (July 19) and Petaluma (August 9). Kaplan, who ranked second in California FF (South) points before the race, edged Josh Lakatos, the third-ranked FF South driver and California FF (North) series point leader. The two drivers lapped slower cars in tandem from lap 11 to the finish. Kaplan, the third ranked California FF (North) driver, said, "We hit the set-up perfect for the main." Lakatos, quickest qualifier in an 18-car field, started sixth and passed pole-sitter and laps one-nine leader Chris Rahe on lap 11 for second position. Former United States Olympics team member Lakatos revealed, "I started losing my brakes at the end and I didn't want to hit him (Kaplan)." Todd Hunsaker, the California FF Series 2002 champion and current FF (South) point leader, started and finished third. Teenage Brad Galedridge started second and finished fourth. Teenage Bobby McGowan came from 12th to finish fifth, with 15 of the 18 starters running at the finish and 12 cars on the lead lap. Rounding out the top ten were Rahe, Steve Graves, female winged mini sprint veteran Ashley Walker, Steve Koster, Jr and Garratt Boyden. Former CRA sprint car driver Bobby Michnowicz and Walker led all the way in a pair of eight-lap heat races. Group time trials, with six cars qualifying simultaneously, were run at 3:30. Lakatos' fastest lap of 14.590 was only .063 seconds off the year old track record. The Summary: (pickup agate) Fast Time - Josh Lakatos, 14.590. Heat 1 - Bobby Michnowicz, Brad Galedridge, Lakatos, Steve Graves, Ryan pace, Eric Pace, Steve Koster, Jr, Steve Davis, Scott Nogrady. 2:02. 912. Heat 2 - Ashley Walker, Chris Rahe, Ryan Kaplan, Jimmy Miller, Todd Hunsaker, Bobby McGowan, Alan Budnick, Garratt Boyden, Brett Engstrom. 2:04.086. Main - Kaplan, Lakatos, Hunsaker, Galedridge, Bobby McGowan, Rahe, Graves, Walker, Steve Koster, Jr, Garratt Boyden, Scott Nogrady, R. Pace, Miller, Alan Budnick, Eric Pace, Steve Davis, Michnowicz, Brett Engstrom. 7:31.625. |
