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 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

Practicing for the 3 hr endurance race on Sunday, Jianni Koburi aka Fox Racer set a new track record.  The previous record held by Andrew Pettijohn of 28.127 had no chance as Jianni dropped a 27.757.  Jianni is set to race the 3hr enduro race on 9/11.

The 3hr race is turning into a heated battle amongst the competitors.  Josh Schreiber, a strong competitor in the last iron man had some choice words for the competition, “Make sure you call everyone up and tell them they will be finishing behind me cause I’m gonna be doing work up in there!”

There are a couple of seats left for the race this Sunday.  Two classes will be running; amateur and pro.  For more details or registration contact competition@lehighvalleygrandprix.com.