A road trip with First Kart

Road Trip Photogallery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (NOVEMBER 16, 2004)

CONTACT:   Tony Ventresca, 519-824-4343, www.firstkart.com

                        Mike Maurini, 416-678-4939, autosportsmedia@earthlink.net

It all became a reality on October 23^rd when the karts were complete, the trailer was loaded and the boys hit the road. On our way to Orlando, Florida for the Stars of Karting finale via a short stop at North America’s biggest shifterkart race, the SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas, the 25-day road trip was underway.

The trip across the country went in stride as the convoy of First Kart haulers headed south and through Texas to avoid the majority of the mountains. As we only did 12 hours of driving a day, we were left with a lot of time to rest and fix the problems that would arise. A blown truck tire was the first to come and less than five hours after that the same happened to the trailer. Hours past before everything was fixed and we were back on the road again.

The next major problem was when our drivers Terry Ventresca, Trevor Daley, Trevor and Tim Wickens tried to cross the Hoover Dam Bridge. Due to terrorist threats, any trailer over 16 feet in length would be forced to take an alternate route. Having one 44ft and one 40ft trailer, the First Kart boys fell under the category of the alternate route. Wasting a full tank of fuel and nearly four hours of driving, both haulers were turned around and again on their way to Vegas.

Upon the arrival to Vegas and Sam Boyd Stadium where the race was being held, the tents were put in place and the trailers unloaded. Trying to fit 26 karts, a few spares and several replacement parts and tires in the trailer was a chore, and unloading had to be done in a specific order. With 12 Rotax karts complete and ready to go for our corporate outing next week (more to come on that later) we had plenty of karts to put on display around our tent and pit space.

Returning drivers Bobby Wilson and James Hinchcliffe were poised and ready to compete in the pro class while Jimmy Moriarty and Robert Wickens joined the newest team members in Rene Silva and Daniel Morad in the S1 division. David Ostella would be our lone runner in 80 Junior while Howie Idelson and Jim Moriarty would compete for the win in Super G. Giannia Bianchi and Gilberto Fratessi from First Kart Italy and CRS would be in attendance to help ensure upfront finishes for the First Kart competitors.

The SuperNats weekend had plenty of ups and downs and none more than the high of three drivers on the podium in S1. It was an enormous boost for the race team and First Kart as Morad, Silva and Wickens put on a great display of driving. The low of the weekend came with the 18^th and 39^th place qualifying in SuperPro by Hinchcliffe and Wilson. Though Hinchcliffe would not compete in the final, Wilson moved forward through the heat races and the final before a stuck motor ruined his chances while running in the top five. Jimmy Moriarty and Ostella fell victim to on-track incidents while Jimmy’s father and Idelson had respectable finishes in Super G. 

Loading the trailer again Sunday night again a chore and when we were finished, we found three extra karts on racks that we had no room for. With extra storage space in the SKUSA tent overnight and an on-duty security guard, we placed the karts in there, as the daytime light was nearly gone. Then it was on to the track early Monday morning to unload and check over all the Rotax karts for the Wednesday evening corporate outing…we mean Tuesday evening. A slight change in plans forced Toyota to move the event forward one day to Tuesday night.

With new karts and motors for the event, Trevor Daley had the opportunity to break the motors in – in the SKUSA pit parking lot. A few circuits around the racecourse got him in trouble but before we knew it, we had our own temp course in the parking lot. Even SKI’s Rob Howden had a chance to turn some laps in what would be a corporate kart.

Tuesday morning was a bit hectic as final plans were being put in place for the event. Tony Ventresca and Mike Maurini headed to the SEMA show to do a site check before both trailers would arrive. Tight quarters forced us to take an alternate route into the back parking lot but when all was done, we were in the proper place. A final cleaning of the karts and a few test laps around the tight circuit were completed before that karts were put on display for the event. Our chassis and motor combination would be on-track for a total of 20 minutes if all ran smoothly.

When the event was finally over around 8:30pm, some minor damage was reported. A few bent axles, spindles and a side pod were on order to fix to get the karts back in running condition. Another night was spent in Vegas before both vehicles were back on the road heading southeast to Florida. With plenty of time, we stopped in New Orleans for a small break and to relax for a day before continuing on to Ocala. In the mean time, another truck and trailer driven by Mike Maurini and Mike Roth was being loaded and ready to head south. This trailer would carry five more complete karts as well as two spare chassis as the team headed to another temporary circuit.

Departing from the Toronto area on Sunday afternoon, both the Hurricane and First Kart trailers would arrive in Ocala around noon on Monday. Bypassing the track for the first two days, we headed to the warehouse to set-up and rebuild chassis for the prestigious Stars finale. Motors and tires that were supposed to arrive for Wednesday’s test session at the Ocala Gran Prix facility were late as both Bobby Wilson and Robert Wickens were forced to borrow motors if they wanted to complete any laps during the Wednesday test. As night rolled in and karts were still on-track, the First Kart squad ended its testing in preparation for the trek south to Orlando.

Setting up tents and moving trailers into place on Thursday was the plan, and before we knew it the day was over. A few walking laps of the track to check it’s corners and surface was in order before the sun was gone and all the talk that night was of the track. Is it slick or will it have grip? Is it wide enough or too narrow? How will the hay bails and water barriers hold up?

Friday morning proved to be much busier than others. When we arrived to the track, we were forced to move our main trailer one aisle over to secure enough working space. A lot of stuff needed to be moved and then put back in place within the hour before the first practice session. The tuners, drivers and families all pitched in and we completed everything in time. Thanks guys.

Friday at a Stars event is a pretty demanding day. Five time-specific practice sessions along with tire mounting in parc ferme and fuel purchasing provides for the busiest day of the entire weekend. Thankfully we had an extra person this week to take care of all the running around. Maurini organized fuel drop off in parc ferme and the delivering of rain tires. In early afternoon tire mounting took place for all drivers, which was completed well ahead of schedule. The weekend seemed to be running well.

Bobby Wilson and Nick Maddison were our two drivers that would compete in the ICC category while David Ostella and Mike Vincec would run in 80 Junior. Columbian National Champion Gustavo Yacaman would compete for the JICA championship and with the support of Giannia and Gratchino Bianchi from the First Kart factory, the team would benefit from their support.

Saturday started off incredibly well with Yacaman qualifying 5^th in JICA and Wilson on pole in ICC. Vincec in 80cc Junior was inside the top ten, while Ostella and Maddison had some strong runs in their respective classes. Heat races proved to be the tough part of this weekend as Yacaman was forced to the tail of the field after a first corner accident and Wilson was run over by a fellow competitor while in 2^nd position. Maddison and Ostella had motor related problems but progressively moved forward throughout the heat races.

Tire conservation was the key come the final and all competitors tried their very best to do so. Wilson managed to card a 4^th place finish while Yacaman came from 30^th on the grid to steal the show and finish 5^th. Maddison progressed forward to the 22^nd position while Ostella and crew could not solve their problems and struggled in the final.

With the 25-day trip coming to an end finally, one of three truck trailers was heading north and on the way home while the others spent the night in Orlando before heading north to Ocala. Transmission trouble on the way home in the first truck extended the trip by four hours while the others headed to Ocala. The dismounting of all the corporate kart motors was next on the skid as these karts were staying in Ocala to be used in the weekly race school at the facility. A full days work to properly clean and disassemble the karts was completed late on Monday and the 24-hour drive was about to get underway.

A minor problem on the way home again with a flat tire slowed us down a little before the Tuesday midnight arrival back at the shop. Finally, almost a full month on the road and everyone was home to enjoy a few days off.

All in all it was a great week….we mean three and a half weeks. A couple podiums, two weeks in Sin City and another in Florida, a couple of late night parties…kart racing rocks. See everyone in December at Daytona.

First Kart North America.

For more information on the First Kart North America, product sales, the race team and exciting dealership opportunities including information on how to get into kart racing please contact First Kart President Tony Ventresca at 519-824-4343 or visit them online at www.firstkart.com.