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 Iron man series was a hit!  This new program completely sold out within days for the 2nd two races and proved to be an extremely competitive format.    The program consisted of 3 races that were 1.5 hrs.  These were individual drivers racing for a straight hour and half!!  ”If you have been to the facility and participated in the standard 8 minute heats, you can put into perspective what these drivers accomplished by simply finishing,” said Mike McCreary, owner of LVGP.

What was impressive with the competition is the fact that all 3 races had the top two drivers finish on the same lap!  In the first race Sean Roberts (Scooter) took the victory with Joe Voda only 24 seconds behind.  In the second race Kyle Shenk took the checkered flag with a 19 second lead over Pat Gillin and Andrew Pettijohn (fast kid).  The final race was won by Joe Voda by 4 seconds over Josh Schreiber and 23 seconds ahead of Kyle Shenk.  The most laps completed under the format was by Joe Voda finishing with 184 laps in the final race.

Prizes!!

The overall prize from the PRO CLASS is any choice of helmet from the Vega helmet company.  Kyle Shenk won that victory by securing a 3rd place finish in the final race.  The award was given to the driver to accumulate the most points over the 3 races.

The overall prize for the Amatuer Class was a 5 Race Pack valued at $80.  The overall amatuer victor was Mike Egge.

“It was a great race and a great accomplishment to finish all 3 races with no cautions!  This goes to show that our drivers are not only fast but respect each other and due to that it creates a great atmosphere for racing.  Thank you to all the participants,” Ryan Suchon, Competition Director

THE NEXT COMPETITION WILL BE A 3HR ENDURANCE RACE ON 9/11.  Contact Ryan Suchon at competition@lehighvalleygrandprix.com for details.