KATY, TEXAS (May 11, 2012) – Starting out a championship series with a victory is the best way to accomplish the task of earning the year-end title. For Parker Chase, the Texas ProKart Challenge kicked off in stellar fashion as the 11-year old began his bid for the series title in the competitive TaG Cadet division with a victory and runner-up finish in the opening two rounds at the Gulf Coast Kartways in Katy, Texas. The New Braunfels, Texas driver made just his second ever start with a Vortex Mini Rok engine aboard his brand new Tony Kart chassis, switching from another brand.

The first round of the weekend took place Saturday around the 7/10-mile course as Parker qualified second to begin the action. His best lap of 45.098 seconds was just a few tenths off the fast lap. From outside row one, Chase was the early leader in the first of two 10-lap heat races. In the late stages, he relinquished the spot and finished second. The second heat race was a battle to the finish line with four drivers crossing the line in under one second. Parker came across the stripe in the third spot to sit inside row two for the main event. Quick early, Chase was able to advance up into the lead by the completion of lap three. From there, he led the remaining circuits in the 16-lap event to score the inaugural Texas ProKart Challenge TaG Cadet victory by just under five-tenths of a second.

Round two began in similar fashion for Parker as he laid down a similar lap time (45.030) to end up third overall in the order. A great battle for the win in heat one came down to a photo finish between him and two other drivers. Chase came up just short, about 41-thousandths at the line and was classified third in what was the closest finish in the weekend. Heat two did not start as planned with Parker getting shuffled back to the tail of the field. After 10 laps, he was able to work up to fourth and record the fast lap of the race. Just as he did Saturday, Chase was on the move early and into the lead by lap three. He would lead the field until the white flag was displayed when the final lap battle began. On the final lap, Parker came up just short in securing the top spot, settling for the runner-up position and earning his second straight podium finish.

Parker ran double duty on the weekend, piloting his Rotax Mini Max machine against another stout field. He would struggle all weekend with the engine tuning and thus his speed was hampered each session on-track. He managed to record a top-five finish on Saturday but continuing engine issues forced him to retire early on Sunday.

Eric Chase, Parker’s father, was proud of the performance his son recorded on the weekend, “I am really excited for Parker to score his first win in the series. The Tony Kart chassis was simply tuned perfectly. Parker and I want to express our appreciation to Jared Beyer and Tony Tesoro with Southern Karting Specialist along with Mike Mantel. We also want to thank Stuart Robinson for lending a helpful hand this weekend.”

Up next on the Parker Chase schedule will be the second event of the Southeast Karting Challenge, set for the MSR Houston kart circuit in Angleton, Texas on May 19-20. Chase will look to continue his podium streak in TaG Cadet and upgrade his performance in Mini Max at the next Texas ProKart Challenge event on June 2-3 at the fast Grandsport Speedway in Hitchcock, TX – southeast of Houston. For more on Parker Chase and his 2012 season, be sure to visit www.chaseracing.com

The other three Cadet drivers battled in the competitive Mini Max division that hosted 60 drivers from around the world. Unfortunately, none were able to qualify or race their way into the A main. In the B main, Estep shined with a victory in round one and a sixth place in round two. Chase performed well, gaining valuable racing experience on the big stage with a 10th and seventh place. Lewis was unlucky once again, recording two DNFs.

Tesoro was a contender both weekends with mix final results. Running TaG Junior the first weekend, Dominic was in the top-10 until contact caused the chain to break, putting him off in the main event. Round two saw Tesoro improve to sixth throughout the day until lap two of the feature when again contact forced the chain to break to end his weekend. Bouncing back the next weekend in Rotax Junior, Tesoro was 11th out of 62 in qualifying for the opening round, improving to seventh in the Prefinal. Running eighth the entire main event, the last lap brought on tough racing where an opponent did not give him any room and the two made contact. The result put Dominic down to the 29th position. Matching the results the following day, the end result was his finish was his best to date for the series as he ended up seventh at the checkered flag.

SKS drivers Trenton Estep and Parker Chase were featured in the Florida Winter Tour report
(Photo: studio52.us)
Myers had a tough start to the 2012 season, battling back from a tough qualifying run for round one. Advancing inside the top-10 in the main event, AJ was shuffled off track and down the order halfway through the race, managing to pull off a 17th place finish. Round two began with Myers back at the front with a ninth in qualifying, holding it through to the main until he was shuffled back to 15th. Pushing forward, AJ ended up 10th in the final order.

Tesoro continued, “The results may have not gone the way we had hoped, but that doesn’t take away from the things we learned in Palm Beach. Two of our Cadet drivers were making their Florida Winter Tour debut, and the other two are still adjusting to the level of competition here compared to their club action, so I know each one of them will improve on the results side next month. AJ and Dominic had to overcome some hurdles, and both recorded top-10 finishes. I feel confident they will challenge for podium spots in Homestead.”

Next up will be the second round of the Florida Winter Tour, at the Homestead Karting facility in Homestead, FL, with the TaG categories racing on February 10-12 and the Rotax Max Challenge event on February 17-19. If you are looking to take your program to the next step, contact the Southern Karting Specialists today by visitinghttp://www.southernkartingspecialists.com or contact Tony Tesoro directly at 813.707.4481.

About Southern Karting Specialists:
Everywhere you look these days, Arrow Racing Karts are upfront. It’s not a surprise either that Arrow is leading EKN Constructors Championship. Arrow now has an even larger presence, thanks to Southern Karting Specialists, the country’s newest full-service Arrow kart dealer. Located in Tampa, Florida, the new operation – under the direction of Tony Tesoro – can provide full race support at most Florida-based karting series, including the Florida Karting Championship Series, the North and South Florida Rotax Max Challenge series, and the Florida Winter Tour for both the Rotax and Formula Kart weekends in 2012. The shop can also provide full engine support for Rotax and TaG drivers, working closely with one of the most respected names in kart power – Ogden USA. SKS always has new Arrow chassis and parts in stock, as well as the full Kartech line of components for anyone’s general karting needs. They are also full stocked with the latest SKF bearing and Sniper products. Their new website can be viewed at http://www.southernkartingspecialists.com or contact them directly at 813.707.4481.

Parker will compete for the first time in Florid Winter Tour in an Arrow with Vortex MiniROK prepared by Ogden Engines. First round of Winter tour is January 6, kicking off the short season in West Palm Beach, Florida.