Junior Open Wheel Talent

8:25am ~ Good morning from the Rock.
The King of the Streets competitors are on the grid as we speak warming up their engines. The smell of premix is beginning to fill the air. This is one of the best moments of the weekend, that first session on track…where all you see is a cloud of blue smoke as the field takes off down the front straight. And then as the drivers come around turn six sliding on the slippery street surface completing the first laps of the year….

Alex Speed is first out. The one minute warning has just sound…..

There are 11 karts taking to the track…..
Very few drivers are using transponders at this point (maybe 4), so the lap times aren’t available. Based on perception both Alex Speed and Kyle Wiegand appear to be quite quick as they are moving through the field with ease. The fastest times at this point are already right around the 33.0 mark. Watch for the lap times to drop dramatically as the rubber begins to build. KoS and ICC have one practice session remaining prior to qualifying. I will try to get complete lap times online if drivers decide to use transponders….

10:30 am~ The KoS drivers just completed their second session. Both Alex Speed and Kyle Wiegand remain the drivers to beat, I haven’t been able to get the full lap-time results yet, but based on my stop watch, both were running consistent 32.7 second laps. The ICC drivers are next out…

11:00am- ICC drivers are on track now for their final practice session.

Stopwatch shows: Wiegand 32.82, Speed 32.90, Wiegand 32.80…. stay tuned for updated (accurate) results.

Qualifying to follow….

King of the Streets Qualifying 1:00 PM

The karts are on the track…

Nick Johnson leads the field around… 12 drivers on track.

34.244 Wiegand

32.967 Wiegand

Nick Johnson out with a broken chain.

Alex Speed 32.175

Derek Crockett in third… 32.960

Speed still holding the top spot.

4/10′s of a second seperating Kyle and Alex.

Cole Mathewson into fourth.

Jason Lee up to sixth.

Patrick M. up to seventh.

Wiegand and Speed into the pits, to save tires.

Alex Conlin and Koorsen remain on track

Speed only turned three laps. All drivers have pulled off track with five minutes remaining.

Alex Speed takes pole position with a 32.175 for the King of the Streets.

Unofficial Qualifying Results

Alex Speed: 32.175

Kyle Wiegand 32.568

Derek Crockett 32.960

Cole Mathewson 33.018

Kurt Mathewson 33.136

Jason Lee 33.137

Patrick Malacarne 33.175

Jonathan Koorsen 33.3

Nick Johnson 33.388

Justin de Sa 33.344

Alex Conlin 33.348

Scott Barnes 33.597

ICC Qualifying: 2:30 PM

The 125cc moto class is just finishing up and the ICC drivers are next on track for their qualifying session.

Kyle Wiegand will be trying to beat his track record from last year 32.176.

Collin Lynn holds the top spot.

Alex Speed on track… just in front of Kyle Wiegand.

32.839 Kyle Wiegand holds top spot

33.514 for Alex Conlin taking the third quickest time.

33.880 for Alex Speed caught in traffic. 32.974 moves into second after clearing traffic.

Speed…takes it …32.711, Wiegand takes it back…

Two drivers into the 32 second mark, Collin Lynn maintains third.

Barnes into fourth.

Crockett moves into fifth, getting quicker: 33.337

32.540….Wiegand pulls off track, Speed has followed him in, looking to save tires.

Alex Conlin 33.262

Crockett takes fourth 33.080 just behind Lynn.

Two minutes remaining in the session. Most of the drivers are pulling off.

Justin de Sa stays out in ninth. Zach Betts in 7th 33.5.

Kyle Wiegand 32.504

Alex Speed 32.718

Collin Lynn 33.014

Derek Crockett 33.083

Alex Conlin

Scott Barnes

Zach Betts

Cole Mathewson

Justin de Sa

Jonathan Koorsen

Saturday Qualifying

Full Qualifying Results: Classes 1-7

Full Qualifying Results: Classes 8-14

Hello from downtown Rock Island. The trip went smoothly and I’m now sitting in my hotel room, less than a block from the race circuit, at the Holiday Inn (used to be the Four Points by Sheraton). I followed a few race trailers on my way into town and saw Kyle Wiegand among others sitting in the hotel lobby on my way up to the room. I’m going to venture out shortly to see what else is going on at “The Rock”. I expect the race teams will be released into the paddock area shortly as the downtown businesses come to a close….This is typically a race in itself, so hopefully all the teams make it to their pit spot without too much crash damage.

Check back later for updates…

10:30 PM ~It seems most of the teams and drivers have made it safely into the paddock area and are actively preparing for tomorrow’s practice and qualifying session. While walking through the pits I noticed SWE Racing brought their hauler to the event and are proudly exhibiting Mike Potekhen’s Indy Lights car, giving the KoS/ICC competitor’s even more incentive for a solid performance this weekend. (The competitor who has the best overall finish in both classes will receive a test with SWE in their Indy Lights car.)

After making my annual Friday night visit to Huckleberry’s for a Gambler Pizza, I decided to head over to Jumer’s Casino and make my donation to help support next year’s RIGP purse. Signing out for the night, but make sure to check back tomorrow morning for updates throughout the day.

The countdown to “The Rock” has begun…. this Labor Day weekend race drivers from all over the world will gather in downtown Rock Island for the world’s largest go kart street race. Junior Open Wheel Talent will be on hand to provide live updates and coverage throughout the weekend for the King of the Streets(KoS) event and the CIK ICC class.

With the anticipation building, I figured now would be a good time to do a preview of the upcoming weekend and it’s gearbox competitors. (KoS, ICC)

I received the current entry list this morning (8/27/08) for both the King of the Streets class and the CIK ICC class. I must say I was rather surprised at the lack of entries (at this point) in the two headline classes considering the $11,000 purse between the two. The King of the Streets or SuperPro class is the headline class and will provide the winner $4000 in prize money and a free entry into the SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s important to note that the registration for the RIGP doesn’t close until Saturday morning, so the entry numbers may increase. With that in mind, I was still shocked to see the lack of numbers, so I decided to dig into the situation….

SKUSA (Superkarts USA) sanctions the King of the Streets event and has been a huge promoter of the race in past years. After doing a little research, I was shocked to see that SKUSA had actually overlapped their final Southern California ProKart Challenge event with the Rock Island Grand Prix. On top of this, their website www.superkartsusa.com has only one event featured: The SKUSA SuperNationals XII. I found all this rather intriguing after reading Tom Kutscher’s statements in May regarding the King of the Streets event…

“Tom Kutscher, CEO of Superkarts! USA says, “Since purchasing SKUSA a few years ago, I’ve been bombarded from all karting circles with a message that stands out: ‘Please continue to support the King of the Streets program, as Roger’s tireless efforts have made the race and the RIGP the backbone of the Midwest karting scene.’ I couldn’t agree more. I’ve raced it more than once, and it’s a terrific weekend. The atmosphere is truly a slice of Americana, and that makes Roger’s event the ideal pillar for continuing to position our sport globally as well. Thanks to MG Tires for their support, too.”

In all fairness I will say that Tom and SKUSA have done a fantastic job promoting the SKUSASupernationals and their ProKart Challenge events, but it seems that the RIGP has fallen off their radar since May. Hopefully the RIGP (KoS) entries are just slow and we will see a much larger/deeper field come Saturday. I pondered the entries for quite awhile this morning, thinking the low numbers might just be due to the high gas prices… which may and probably does play a major role in your average privateer effort, but I find it hard to believe that some of the “Stars of Karting” ICC factory drivers couldn’t afford the trip. After looking at the Stars of Karting divisional points this year, I began to wonder what the purpose of a East/West division is, …with many of the top pilots running both coasts.

The Rock Island Grand Prix is my favorite event of the year and I truly hope to see more of you out there. Without further ado, here are your competitors…..

King of the Streets and ICC field (Entry as of 8/27/08)

Scott “Skitchy” Barnes: The 24 year old from Bermuda will make his return to the Rock after winning the 125cc Moto class in 2007. Barnes has never had much success in the ICC or the KoS class, but this may be his year. (KoS & ICC entry)

Patrick Malacarne: of Belleville, Ill. is another returning driver (known mostly for his road racing efforts) who finished inside the top ten last year in ICC but failed to finish the KoS event as he was out on lap 28. Malacarne finished fifth in the 2006 125cc Moto class. (KoS & ICC entry)

Jonathan Koorsen of Marshalltown, IA is no stranger to the Rock, a loyal attendee who has raced both 80cc and 125cc gearbox karts through the downtown street circuit. (KoS & ICC entry)

Nick Johnson of Maple Grove, Minnesota has been racing at the Rock since 2004. The University of Minnesota engineering student has never had much success at the Grand Prix but has shown his speed on several occasions… Most recently by completing a top 10 finish in the Stars of Karting ICC race at Shawano, WI. (KoS & ICC entry)

Derek Crockett of Cahokia, Illinois has a decent resume, but has failed to finish in his last two attempts at the KoS Crown. If the PG Racing driver can put together a solid qualifying run and stay out of trouble during the race, he should place well. (KoS & ICC entry)

Justin de Sa of Edwards, Ontario, Canada will be making his first Rock Island appearance. The now 22 year old, focused his efforts on the K1 80cc kart prior to making the jump to the 125cc ICC class. The Canadian recently swept the WKA 125 Shifter class at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (KoS & ICC entry)

Alex Conlin of Indianapolis, In. has been focusing on seat time this season, running uncontested (due to a lack of entries) for the most part in the Great Lakes Pro 125 shifter category. He could be sharp this year if he manages to stay out of trouble. He participated in Rock Island last year, driving in the ICC class, unfortunately his weekend came to an early conclusion on lap one. (KoS & ICC entry)

Kyle Wiegand, another Indiana native, is the clear favorite this weekend based on past results. Enough said.
2007- 2nd (KoS), 1st (ICC)
2006- 1st (ICC)
2005- 1st (KoS), 1st (ICC)
2004- 1st (KoS)
2003- 2nd (KoS)
2002- 1st (ICC)
2001- 2nd (K1-80cc)
(KoS & ICC)

Alex Speed of Manteca, California is the younger brother of Scott Speed (ex-Formula One driver) and the two have grown up dominating the U.S. shifter kart scene. Alex took nearly a two year hiatus from the seat, but has come back right where he left off. He is one of the smoothest drivers I have ever watched, making him another clear favorite for a win this weekend. (KoS & ICC entry)

Cole Mathewson of Indianapolis, In., will be making his second King of the Streets start driving for Evolution karting. This kid could make a splash, should he find the right set-up and put in a solid qualifying effort. Michael Crawford of Michael Crawford Motorsports is a believer. (KoS & ICC entry)

Kevin Broderick of Plattsburgh, New York has been around the 125cc scene for awhile now and will be trying his hand at the ICC category. Broderick has been running select road racing events this year, competing alongside Justin de Sa. (ICC only)

>John Meier: Local racer from Bellevue, Iowa will try his hand at the Rock this year after finishing second in the Sprint Kart Speedway Sr. Briggs category in 2007. (ICC only)

Don’t forget that the driver with the best combined results for the KoS and ICC events will receive an Indy Lights test with SWE Racing. Kyle Wiegand took advantage of the opportunity last year and has been working on putting together the funding for a ride with SWE this season.

In an effort to make the greatest karting event even more attractive; the RIGP has announced a $4000 purse to the Super Pro “King of the Streets” winner and a free entry into this years Las Vegas Supernationals. Hands down, this is my favorite karting event in North America and I would strongly recommend everyone put this on their “must do” list.

Take an incredibly accurate virtual lap of the track here. For a real “on board” lap, follow Tag Masters driver Brian Wake around the track here. Hope to see you all there this Labor Day weekend.