The Ultimate Karting Challenge was a test to see which track held the best drivers.  Summit Point Karting and Lehigh Valley Grand Prix each selected their top 6 drivers for the ultimate showdown.  The format was a two day race held at each location.

Day 1 was held at Summit Point Karting.  The team from LVGP arrived knowing that it was going to be a challenge to compete against an ALL STAR team of drivers on their home track.  SPK came out on fire.  Having the track and kart knowledge the SPK team jumped out to a commanding lead.  LVGP was fortunate that Kevin Bligan had a strong performance to keep them in the hunt.  Jianni Koburi, Kevin Bligan and Carl Bligan each won a heat race to capture 3 of the 5 features. The rest of the team managed to keep in the hunt the best they could to earn valuable points.  At the end of the day SPK walked out with a commanding lead of over 30 pts.

Day 2 team LVGP had an uphill battle to come back.  The team was ready!  In the first 3 features team LVGP placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th in each race.  The points started flowing and the team never looked back.  Andrew Pettijohn scored a team high pts on Day 2 leading the charge for the comeback.  The SPK team was not ready for the physical indoor karting style racing and by the time they caught on the event was over.

The final team totals were 362 pts for SPK and 418 pts for team LVGP.  Taking the overall title was a huge honor against a tough team from West Virginia.

Individual Awards

Top Performer:  Kevin Bligan

Second:  Jianni Koburi

Third:  Carl Bligan

Look out for the second Annual UKC between LVGP and SPK.  Tryouts will be held for the next team selections.  For more Pics Click Here.  Gallery 1 & Gallery 2

Team SPK:

Nathan Bates (Broxter), Edward Adams (E3), Austin Dickey (Austin), Russell Mullen (Russh), Patrick Moran (Patty Cakes), Alexander Cater (Sandy Cater)

Team LVP:

Kevin Bligan (Bligan), Carl Bligan (Von Blargen), Ryan Suchon (Warren Wallace), Jason Frankenfield (Bone), Jianni Koburi (Fox Racer), Andrew Pettijohn (F4ast Kid) & Kyle Lick (Lick One)

The Jameson 12hr is the ultimate test for competitors in indoor karting.  The team at LVGP delivered what could be regarded as one of the most challenging 12hr endurance race formats in the industry.  Teams from all over the East Coast showed up for the challenge including teams from Victory Lane Karting, Allsports Indoor Karting, F1 Boston and Summit Point.

The first 6 hours of the race was run with baby powder on the track.  The racing surface was extremely slick and proved to be a mental challenge for all of the competitors. “When you make a mistake on the slick track it costs you seconds, when you make a mistake on a tacky surface it costs you tenths,” said Ryan Suchon, Competition Director. Teams that figured out the slick surface were able to create sizable leads on the other teams.

The second half of the race the staff let the powder run off and the surface gained grip.  What made it so challenging was the fact that the surface was constantly changing as the race went on. In the first 6 hrs, every time you seemed to get grip the track guys were throwing down more powder.  At the second half of the race as you gained grip the track put a greater physical toll on the body.

To start the race team MIA took a sizable lead with Ryan Curtin flying across the powder track.  Andrew Von Fange from Xpress Lube did a great job keeping pace but Curtin seemed to be the hot hand all day.  The 3rd team from VLK was able to maintain and kept the race within reach throughout the first 6hrs.

As the powder started to run off team VLK made their move to secure the top of the board.  The local team 333 was in a strong position halfway through the race but ran into some challenges and found themselves 4 laps down from VLK.  Throughout the second half of the race 333 made a strong charge to jump into the second position passing MIA for the second position.  MIA slowly faded in the second half after a strong start.  They appeared to be the team to beat but in the end they finished 3rd.

In the Amatuer class Wheel to wheel karting was able to secure the top position from start to finish.  The battle for second place proved to be the most exciting race of the 12hr.  With 10 minutes left in the race and a 1 lap lead team SNOT fought off Zack Dunn from THOSE DAMN KIDS to earn the second spot by less than 3 seconds.

LVGP would like to give special thanks to Fred Ogrim from Victory Lane Karting and Bill Judy from Wheel to Wheel karting for the active involvement and exposure.

Maybe next year we will get Fred and the Victory Lane Crew off the podium ;)

Final Standings

Pro Class

1.  VLK- Fred Ogrim, Hans Soneson, Ryan Curtin

2.  333- Mike Bendar, Carl Bligan, Kevin Bligan, Carter Fartuch

3.  MIA- Ryan Curtin, Andrew Hopwood, Fred Ogrim

4.  Xpress Lube- Jamil Nassar, Andrew Von Fange, Mike Birkle

5.  LVGP- Pat Gillin, Jason Frankenfield, GJ Dixon, Joe Voda

Amatuer Class

1.  Wheel to Wheel Karting- Bill Judy, Matt Williams, Jon Pessoa

2.  SNOT- Tom Philip, John Hall, Joe McGroagty, Chris Haug

3.  Those Damn Kids- Andrew Pettijohn, Zack Dunn, Hunter Stewart, Noah Kreitzer, Joey Brey, Jase Smith

4.  RMG- Jon Zombeck, Pat Gouttevel, Joe Bendor, Bodi Debnath, Jens Scott

The 12hrs of VLK held at Victory Lane Karting in Charlotte, NC is always a great test to see how your team matches up against the best in the industry.  LVGP sent down 3 teams to take part in the annual event with hopes to prove that we have what it takes against the top drivers in the nation.

The field hosted competitors such as Fred Ogrim, Dan Burke, Johan Schwarz and other internationally ranked drivers.  Out of a 14 team field team LVGP took home 3rd, 7th and 11th respectively.  Missing 2nd place by a few tenths of a second to the team from Endurance Karting provided excitment for the drivers.

“Last year we fought for 5th place.  This year we proved we had what it took to get 2nd.  We just missed it, but I know they will be looking out for us next year,” said Kyle Lick aka Runt.

It truly was an exciting finish.  With just over an hour and a half left in the race Mike Bednar passed the kart off to Carl Bligan for the finish.  With a 1/4 lap lead, Carl had the impossible task of fighting off Dan Burke from Endurance Karting.  At the 55 minute Dan took advantage of some lap traffic and made an impressive move to sneak past Carl and team LVGP.  Dan managed to hold Carl off for the finish as the both crossed with a very little gap between them.

“We knew it was going to be tough to hold Dan off.  I have been on Dan’s team in the past and have seen him work his magic.  It was tough being on this side of it but I am extremely proud of Carl and the team for a strong finish and a great race!” Kevin Bligan, LVGP driver and father of Carl Bligan commenting on his son’s finish.

The LVGP teams all seemed to struggle in the pits throughout the race.  Seat belt issues plagued all 3 teams that were all running strong lap times.  It cost the team 2nd place but there was no chance the team had at catching the front runners from VLK.  There is great excitement on the improvement from last year but in the back of their minds the competitors know they left too much time in the pits.  Next year should be a fun and exciting test.

LVGP Team Roster

Kevin Bligan, Carl Bligan, Jason Frankenfield, Ryan Suchon, Kyle Lick, Jianni Koburi, Andrew Pettijohn, Pat Gillin, Michael Bednar

Click the Link for a video from the race!

LVGP will be holding a 12hr race at the end of March.  Look out for details!

Endurance, grit, toughness and the will to win are all required to win a 3hr endurance race at LVGP.  One team shined above the rest but as a whole it was a tough race run by all competitors.  Team Speed Dudes used a winning combination of strategy and quick lap times.  Kevin Carney of Speed Dudes created a formula for success and the team executed to perfection.  Andrew Pettijohn of Speed Dudes layed down the fasted time ever recorded at LVGP of 27.402.  The previous record of Jianni Koburi only stood for 3 days!!

Other notable finishes:

2.  Team #1- Josh Scrhreiber ran the race as a solo driver and has finished 2nd in the last 4 endurance races.

3.  Bone- Jason Frankenfield finished in 3rd place also competiting as a solo driver.  Bone has proven that he can race against the best on the short races and the long enduros.

4.  333-  Carl Bligan had a strong 4th place finish.  Only 16 years old, Carl completed the entire 3hr race himself!  Carl is competitive at karting on a global level and just returned from the Indoor Karting World Championships.

5.  Trorosso- Pat Gillin and Kyle Shenk finished strong in 5th place.  Making 2 kart swaps hurt their chances at podium but they both threw down their fastest laps ever at LVGP!

6.  Wahoud Racing- Mike Egge and Ishmail Wahoud ran a competitive race in the Amateur class.  They won the second class.  The team hit some road bumps with seat adjustments but proved that they can hang with the PRO’s.

7.  No Pulse- Brian and Lauren Hammerman and teammate James Apgar finished 2nd in the Amateur Class.  This was the first endurance race for this team.  They finished with a respectable 26 laps behind the top place Pro Team.  That is an amazing feat for a new team!!

8.  Ground Zero- Jianni Koburi and Giuseppe Curto.  This team came out of the blocks strong setting the pole position in qualifying.  During the race the team lacked communication and teamwork and it showed in their last place finish.

Overall, a big congratulations to all competitors.  It was a great race.  Our next competition will be leagues held on Oct 5th at 7pm.  To register contact Ryan Suchon at competition@lehighvalleygrandprix.com

The karting world is growing.  One of the individuals that started the sport in it’s infancy just happens to be a member at Lehigh Valley Grand Prix.  Kevin Bligan started indoor karting at Arnold’s, which is now Arnold’s Family Fun Center.  The sport which hosted only a few facilities when Kevin started now is turning into a major industry.

Kevin’s latest adventure was attending the Indoor Karting World Championships held in Belgium with his son Carl.  Even though the father son duo didn’t finish where they had hoped, they still did very well in the 185 driver field.  The next race for Kevin will be the Machismo race held in Las Vegas.  The Machismo event will be held in conjunction with the final race of the Izod Indy Car Series.  Following the Machismo Race Kevin will be participating with team Lehigh Valley Grand Prix at the 12hrs of Charlotte, held at Victory Lane Karting in December.

For more info on the IKWC and the 12hrs of VLK.