Kartsport North America, based in Mooresville, North Carolina, has announced that NASCAR Cup star AJ Allmendinger and IndyCar stars Ryan Briscoe and Jay Howard will compete in the big race, driving Arrow Karts. 

KartSport is the North American distributor for the Australian made Arrow Racing Karts, and will be displaying their latest line of kart racing chassis in the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, the world's largest racing trade show.

After a successful 2011 IndyCar campaign where he finished 6th in the Championship, Ryan Briscoe will be running a kart manufactured in his native Australia. The Team Penske driver is returning to his roots as a former National karting Champion in Australia and later Italy as he progressed into becoming a test driver for the Toyota F1 team. He will be joined on KartSport Team Arrow Racing by fellow IndyCar driver Jay Howard, a native of the United Kingdom who is a former winner at the PRI kart race. Rounding out the all-star Arrow entries will be NASCAR star AJ Allmendinger, the Richard Petty Motorsports driver has enjoyed a solid year behind the wheel of the #43 Best Buy Ford Fusion, currently sitting 16th in the Sprint Cup standings.

In addition, KartSport is bringing major heat to the already hot Karters Division race with Sam Beasley and Jack West. With current #1 ranked EKN TAG driver Sam Beasley of Ohio, coming to Orlando fresh from the 2011 Rotax World Championship, with Team USA in the United Arab Emirates later this month. Hot shoe Jack West, from Sarasota Florida, will also race in the Karters Division for KartSport Team Arrow Racing.  West just got back from the Skip Barber Karting Shootout held at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway where he received a scholarship to run in the Skip Barber Race Series for 2012 by virtue of winning the Skip Barber Karting Shootout Race.

Formed in August 2010, KartSport is the exclusive North American importer of Arrow Racing Karts. It is owned and operated by professional karting and racing veterans Justin Marks and Eric Jones. In addition to Arrow Karts, KartSport is the exclusive North American importer of Kartech Products, SKF Bearings, ORG racewear, ORYX wheels and is a certified Rotax Service Center. KartSport also designs and manufacturers it’s own line of karting tools and components. 

KartSport North America’s headquarters in Mooresville’s Lakeside Park includes a retail store offering the entire line of Arrow Karts, Kartech products, SKF bearings, and original KartSport products, as well as a full line of general karting parts and accessories. For more information go to kartsportnorthamerica.com.

 
"When it comes to experiencing the remarkable skills of great drivers up close, the Red Bull Kart Fight is the place to be on the night of December 1, when stars like AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Briscoe and Jay Howard (who won the PRI kart race in 2008) are on the starting grid!" exclaimed said John Kilroy, editor of Performance Racing Industry magazine. "The KartSport team, and their Arrow Karts, will definitely be in the hunt for a win this year, in both the All-Star and Karters divisions."

The PRI Trade Show has evolved into a key annual gathering of karting businesspeople. Many of the top brand names in kart racing are among the 1000 exhibiting companies. Over 40,000 racing businesspeople from across the US, and 65 countries, attend the PRI Trade Show each year to shop the latest advances in racing components. It will be held December 1-3, in the North/South Building of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The exhibits take up 700,000 square feet.

The kart race will be held on Thursday night, December 1, in Orlando, in conjunction with the PRI Trade Show. The racing starts at 6:30 p.m. Stars from NASCAR, IndyCar, ALMS, NHRA, Grand-Am and more come to compete in the popular kart race. The race course is a tight, technical, purpose-built race track adjacent to the Orange County Convention Center, housing the PRI Trade Show. The Show is December 1 - 3, 2011.

November 18, 2011, is the deadline for team entries. Race teams can get a downloadable PDF of the entry form at the Red Bull Kart Fight Events Page on the PRI website. Or they can register online at motorsportsreg.com

The Red Bull Kart Fight at PRI, Powered by Rotax race will be televised later in the year.

To stay informed on the Red Bull Kart Fight at PRI, Powered by Rotax, visit the Red Bull Kart Fight Events Page at http://www.performanceracing.com.

Jack West Wins at Skip Barber Karting Shootout – November 6, 2011

Jack West just got back from the Skip Barber Karting Shootout held at Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway where he received a scholarship to run in the Skip Barber Race Series for 2012 by virtue of winning the Skip Barber Karting Shootout Race.

Skip Barber would use the first two and a half days of lapping as qualifying to set the starting grid for the Skip Barber Karting Shootout Race.  Competitors would line up for the Skip Barber Karting Shootout Race in order of combined average lap times to that point in the shootout.

 
The Skip Barber Shootout Competition Rules stated that the purpose of the Race was “to determine how a driver performs under pressure, their decision making skills and overall race craft.”  This would be the only racing module of the Skip Barber Karting Shootout and the only chance to demonstrate the racing skills sought-after by Skip Barber.

   

West would line up 4^th out of 21 participants, but he wouldn’t stay there for long.  Marching forward during the race, West was leading after 4 laps and would never relinquish the lead, despite a last lap battle for the win.  The top ten finishing order for the Race would be Jack West, Nick Neri, Leonardo Jafet, Adrian Sarrantino, Aidian Landauer, Marcus Brodie, Nicholas Silva, Aaron Teliz, Tristan DeGrand and Sabre Cook.

When congratulating Jack, one of the Skip Barber celebrity judges told him, “We are the Skip Barber Racing School, not the Skip Barber Test Driver School.”The final day of competition involved a final lapping session with West timing in third quickest out of 21 competitors.

The Shootout involved four days of intense training, seminars, on-track lapping sessions and the on-track race session with constant evaluations, and after almost three hours of deliberation by the expert panel of judges, West was chosen to receive a scholarship to run in the Skip Barber Race Series for 2012 – the youngest scholarship winner in this year’s competition.

In addition to expert coaching from staff, the participants of the 2011 Skip Barber Shootout were able to learn from esteemed motorsports figures including Bob Varsha and Jeremy Shaw, IZOD IndyCar Series driver Townsend Bell, Skip Barber Racing School alumni Gerardo Bonilla, MAZDASPEED Communications Officer Dean Case and former Formula One driver Derek Daly.

“Building a foundation for a motorsports career means more than just being fast”, said SPEED broadcaster Varsha. “The beauty of this program is that in addition to track time and instruction, young drivers get that ‘off track’ education about media, marketing, sponsorship, attitude and all the other things that go into being a successful professional. I’m happy to help in that process.”

After 36 years, Skip Barber Racing School remains dedicated to providing aspiring racers with the tools necessary to advance up the motorsports ladder and be successful.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for anybody at this stage in his or her career,” said Shaw. “The standard has been high as usual, and I’m delighted to be able to play a small part in the program.” Jack would like to thank his family, Jonatan Jorge and JJ Racing Development.  For more information regarding Jack West, please visit his website at www.jackwest.us

Jack West ready to participate in the Skip Barber Karting Shootout – October 3, 2011

Jack West is preparing for the upcoming 2011 annual Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shootout at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, November 3^rd through the 6^th.  Since its inception, the Skip Barber Karting Shootout that has awarded over 64 scholarships to help famous racers such as Ryan Hunter-Reay (IZOD IndyCar Series), Alexander Rossi (World Series by Renault), Spencer Pigot (USF2000) up the motorsports ladder.

The first day of activities will be dedicated to safety and survival modules provided by Skip Barber Racing School and sponsored by the FIA Motorsports Safety and Development Fund. Drills include skids, recoveries and car control in a Mazda RX8 on a wet skid pad, car handling on an autocross in Mazda MX5’s, and safety discussion with Skip Barber Racing School instructors.

Participants will also take part in mock interviews with SPEED broadcaster Bob Varsha and long-time auto racing writer and broadcaster Jeremy Shaw. Each racer will be judged on professionalism, ease of speaking, and overall presentation.

In motorsports, presentation and ability to promote one’s self are a necessity amongst professional race car drivers. The second day of training and evaluation will begin with several seminars to educate the drivers on skills needed to succeed in motorsports. Skip Barber Racing School alumnus and IZOD IndyCar Series driver Townsend Bell, arguably one of the most skilled racers in finding effective sponsorship, will be presenting on sponsorship in the sport. Dean Case, Communications Officer of MAZDASPEED Motorsports, will speak on media and sponsorship. Finally, Skip Barber Racing School alumnus and ALMS driver Gerardo Bonilla will present on the preparation of a race car driver.

  
The rest of the event will feature the karters performing on track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Formula Skip Barber 2000 race cars. The judges will be looking at the best lap times while avoiding car contact and spin offs. On the final day, the panel of 12-13 judges. including Jeremy Shaw and Bob Varsha, will gather to deliberate on the winners of the 10 scholarships, including the grand prize of a full season in the Skip Barber Racing Series.  The MAZDASPEED Motorsports program is a ladder system that allows young racers to advance from Skip Barber Racing School to USF2000, the first step in the Mazda Road to Indy. The Mazda Road to Indy awards drivers scholarships to advance to Star Mazda, Firestone Indy Lights and ultimately the IZOD IndyCar Series.


Jack West Moves to KartSport North America – January 3, 2011 

Jack West is looking forward to the start of the 2011 race season, kicking off with the 2011 Florida Winter Tour. West recently moved to the Kart Sport North America Arrow team and is now under Ogden Racing Engines USA power with True North Carburetors.

Jack experienced some big wins in his 2010 freshman year of Rotax Junior, winning the last Florida Winter Tour Rotax Junior race he ran, winning the last PanAm Rotax Junior race he ran, and having won all of the Florida Karting Championship race events he entered in both Rotax Junior and TaG Junior.

As a final send off to his competitors and friends moving out of Rotax Junior, Jack beat Sebastian Ordonez, Nick Neri, Jesus Rios, Ethan Ringel and Shawn Sharkey in the last Rotax Junior race they will ever run against Jack.

Looking forward, Jack and his Kart Sport Arrow team, powered by Ogden Racing Engines, are excited to kick off the 2011 season with wins, hopefully leading to some championships.

Jack wants to thank his partners, without whom he could not compete: the Kart Sport North American team, Arrow Racing Karts, Ogden Racing Engines USA and PitFit Training.

Race Report: Rotax Pan American Challenge Series - Homestead Karting - August 26, 2010 

The third round of the inaugural Rotax Pan American Challenge Series took place at the Homestead Karting facility, outside the Homestead Miami Speedway, August 20-22.  Nineteen Juniors would hit the track Sunday, so we could expect some hard racing in the always competitive Junior class, with more countries represented with racers from Columbia, Ecuador, Brazil and Venezuela on hand.   Qualifying Chaponick was the top qualifier with his third lap turning a 48.689. After that he took one more lap and pulled it in. Ordonez, a perennial top qualifier missed something as he finished sixth in the time charts. Udell put his best time up at the 5:36 mark and West at 5:35. Just like Saturday the top 14 were within 1 second. A couple of more could have been in the mix but penalties for turn 1 situation dropped them down on the time sheet.
1. Dore Chaponick Jr. 48.689

2. Alec Udell 48.705

3. Jack West 48.744

Pre-Final: Turn 1 is always a trouble spot for classes and the Juniors took their turn. Several drivers were involved including Udell, who retired after 2 laps. Ordonez, Ringel, Low and Mehan all encountered incidents during the pre-final that resulted in an early end to their race. At the completion of lap 1, pole sitter Chaponick held the lead followed to the stripe by West, Daley, Myers and Cozzaglio. On lap 2, Daley moved past both West and Chaponick to lead the rest of the pre-final race. At the end of 5 laps, Daley lead West, Myers, Low and Cozzaglio across the line. On lap 8, Mehan fell out followed by Low on the next lap. In the end the results were Daley, West and then Myers.
1. Collin Daley

2. Jack West

3. AJ Myers

Final: Mother Nature would unleash on the track just at the end of the Senior Pre-Final and continue thru the lunch time.  During the lunch break it let loose with a couple of inches causing some serious flooding of the track. With no way to drain, the standing water becomes a problem. Once the rain stopped officials looked at the problem areas and after discussing what they saw it was determined only a section of the carrousel was an issue. Some cones were used to move the corner outside of the water changing the corner slightly but still race-able. The start of the Finals was delayed 45 minutes to allow for needed changes and to get some standing water in other areas swept. With the track still very wet, all the Juniors stayed with rain tires.   This would be a challenging race, as it was evident with the sun and heat the track would begin drying during this 23 lap final. Daley led the field to the first lap with Myers, West, Rupp and Perry as the top 5. On lap 2, Rupp went to second dropping Myers back with West staying in third. At the end of 5 laps, it was Daley, West, Rupp, Perry and Nunez with top qualifier Chaponick in 12th, and points leader Ordonez in seventh ahead of Udell. On lap 6, West got by Daley to take control of the race with everyone in pursuit. At the end of 10, it was West, Rupp and Udell in third. The rest of the top 10 was Daley, Ordonez, Nunez, Perry , Myers, Ringel and Rogero. On lap 17, Udell got by Rupp. At the 180 turn 7, Udell made his move on West dropping inside but suddenly went straight, not making the turn. At the finish, it was West, Ordonez, Daley, Ringel, Rupp, Nunez, Chaponick, Myers, Perry and Low.
Final Results

1. Jack West

2. Sebastian Ordonez

3. Collin Daley

Jack West visits PitFit for personal training sessions – July 22, 2010 

Jack West just competed in the U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals held at New Castle Motorsports Park, just outside Indianapolis, Indiana.  West elected to stay in Indianapolis a few extra days to get some individual physical training from Jim Leo, at the PitFit training facility.  PitFit provides advanced motorsports fitness training.  In his two days of intense training, Jim Leo coached Jack in swimming, driver targeted circuit training, heart rate testing, hot yoga, Robo Pong hand-eye coordination drills, boxing and driving simulator drills.  Jack said, “Jim really put me through a workout.  He also identified areas I need to focus on that will help me to improve my driving.  I want to thank all of the PitFit staff that worked with me and especially thank Jim, Mark, Heather and Amanda.” Jack was named as a winner of the PitFit Training Tony Renna Scholarship in December 2009.  The Scholarship included 20 training sessions at PitFit, a seat kit from Bald Spot Sports, FatHeadz sunglasses, a Shock Doctor workout bag, training apparel from PitFit Training, and unlimited access to PitFit Training’s online training programs.  PitFit Training is recognized as the leader in developing driver-specific fitness, nutrition and human-performance programs to expressly address the physical and mental demands of the motorsports industry.  For more information on PitFit, please see their website at: www.pitfit.com 

Jack West U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals Report - July 19, 2010 

Coming into his first U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals as a Junior Rotax driver, Jack West had high hopes, having recently won a Rotax Junior race in the Florida Winter Tour. Everything was shaping up nicely for Jack West, and in official timed pre-qualifying, West timed in third quickest out of fifty-five Rotax Juniors.  Qualifying proved challenging, as many of the other competitors chose to ignore the race director’s order, and were bump drafting in packs, only allowing West to qualify 18^th.  West would show how he actually stacked up against his competition, when he would finish second in his first heat race.  He was knocked off track in the final heat race by an overzealous competitor, leaving him with a bent chassis.  West would be allowed to change to a new Tony Kart chassis for the pre-final and final.  Following the heat races, West would start the pre-final in eighth position. In the Pre-final, his luck would take a turn for the worse, when he was hit and spun from behind in the first corner at the start.  West was left pointing in the wrong direction, with another kart driving over top of him and with the entire field driving away.  Undeterred to now be sitting in thirty-ninth position, he kept his head down and made an inspired drive, passing twenty-one karts in only fifteen laps, and finishing the pre-final in eighteenth position. He would have a solid race in the final and would race past twelve more competitors to end up finishing in the sixth place.  Even though West had to make his way through traffic the entire race, he turned quicker lap times than several karts that finished in front of him, including some drivers who ended up on the podium, but being shuffled back to thirty-ninth in the pre-final was just too big a hurtle to overcome. Jack wants to thank his sponsors for the U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals: Ocala Grand Prix, S.S.C. East, The Florida Winter Tour and PitFit Training.

North Florida Rotax Max Challenge Championships - June 10, 2010The North Florida Rotax Max Challenge finals were held on June 5th and 6th at the Ocala Gran Prix facility in Ocala, Florida. With free entry awarded to each of the series champions to the US Rotax Grand Nationals held in Indiana in July, a lot was on the line as series competitors fought wheel-to-wheel for valuable championship points…The 2010 North Florida Rotax Junior Champion is Jack West.  Rotax Junior was the largest Rotax class in the North Florida Rotax Max Series and the most hotly contested, with seventeen competitors vying for the championship title.  West completed his championship run with a second place finish on Saturday, capped off with a win on Sunday.  West came into the weekend with the points lead, and would end 97 points clear of second place, clinching the championship and the paid entry to the US Rotax Grand Nationals.  West had to beat out national champions A.J. Myers, Pietro Fittipaldi, Ethan Low and Ashley Rogero... “We have had nothing but great success in these events,” expressed North Florida Rotax Max Challenge President Jorge Arellano. “The racing action has been great and the atmosphere in the paddock has been second to none.”The North Florida Rotax Max Challenge is becoming the premiere Rotax series in the sunshine state in the summer months and attracts some of the best teams and competitors.  The US Rotax Grand National Champions came from the North Florida Rotax Max Challenge series in the Junior class last year, and in Mini-Max the last two years...

Florida Karting Championship Series – Homestead KartingApril 20, 2010 

Drivers swarmed the Homestead Karting facility by showing up in record numbers for the second stop of the 2010 Florida Karting Championship Series.

Saturday Review: TaG Junior continues to build ranks with a solid field of 14 drivers taking to the track. With many of last years’ top ranked junior drivers moving into the senior class, new contenders emerged in this hotly contested field. The battle spilled over from the heat into the final with Jack West, Oliver Askew, and stand-out Colin Warren in a 3-way fight for the top of the podium. West made his way to the front late in the race and put together a brilliant defense, allowing him to open up a 4s gap to take the win. Warren and Askew diced it up lap after lap with Warren hanging on to a hard fought 2nd place and Askew following directly for 3rd… 

Sunday Review: Rotax Junior turned out to be yet another race of champions with the likes of Jack West, A.J. Myers, Ethan Low, Oliver Askew, Colin Warren, and other top competitors that make up this class, and with Jack West opting to skip qualifying and starting the feature last; you knew we were in for a good one.  At the start of the final, these drivers would not give an inch and diced it up for the 1st half of the race. With half the laps remaining, Warren mixed it up with Askew and opened the door for West to pull away with a small lead. The action behind him, West was able to maintain his distance, and take the checkered for his last to first place win…   

Florida Winter Tour Ocala Report - April 1, 2010 

Sarasota, FL – Jack West reunited with the Ocala Gran Prix racing team for the final round of the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge held at the Ocala Gran Prix during the March 18-22 weekend. Still aboard his Supertune powered FA Kart, West entered the weekend in the 42-kart Rotax Junior class as one of the youngest competitors. West and the OGP crew worked hard to keep up with the freshly paved track and it paid off with a victory and a stunning sweep of the Saturday events. In the opening two rounds of the Florida Winter Tour, the twelve-year-old West struggled as he worked out the bugs of his rookie campaign. However, entering the events at Ocala, the look and feel of Jack showed no signs of any pre-race jitters, instead, he looked focused on the task at hand, and that was victory.  Under the sunny Florida sky, West put down his flyer on lap twelve in his qualifying session, and as the session completed, it stood as the fastest time by just over a tenth of a second. Jumping out to the early lead in the pre-final, West would endure in a 16-lap battle with one of the championship contenders. Making his move for the lead with three laps remaining, he held on for the heat win and the important pole position for the final.  An exciting start resulted in West settling for second as he completed the opening lap. As per usual in a junior race, the opening laps are very exciting, and rounding lap two, Jack found himself down in fourth place. Working back to third on lap six, he made a great move on lap eight to steal second place and chase the leader. Setting his sights on the lead early, he dove to the inside of the leader in turn eight, and took the lead on lap ten. Following it up with his fastest lap of the race, he cruised to victory and became one of the youngest drivers to win in the Rotax Junior class at the FWT.  Following the race, Jack commented on his achievement, “it feels great to stand on top of the podium again. I knew this year was going to be tough as it is my first year in Rotax Junior, but everything just went so well, my kart was setup perfectly. I also want to thank the OGP guys for all their support.” With the victory, Jack vaulted up the points standings to finish eleventh overall. From here, he will compete in events such as the Rotax Pan American Challenge, Mont-Tremblant F1 Karting Shootout, several W.K.A. National events and the US Rotax Max Grand Nationals. Jack was the 2009 Florida Winter Tour Rotax Mini-Max Champion.

Florida Winter Tour Ocala Rotax Race Report - March 23, 2010

In what’s been a record-breaking season for the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge, over 200 drivers arrived at the magnificently repaved Ocala Gran Prix for Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2010 series. This year’s FWT RMC has grown by 15% since 2009, and the series has maintained its three-year reign as the world’s largest Rotax Max Challenge…

Rotax Junior:  While Nick Neri was collecting his points title and RMCGF transfer spot during a Saturday cruise, his OGP/Tony Kart teammate Jack West took complete control of the day’s proceedings. West took the pole, won the pre-final, and then ran a mature race en route to a win in the final. He missed out on fast race lap by just two thousandths of a second, that honor going to third place finisher Jesus Rios Jr. RDD Motorsports/Kart Mini ace Sebastian Ordonez finished second...

FWT Live!The Florida Winter Tour’s groundbreaking media coverage, FWT Live! powered by Supertune USA and DeFrancesco Racing, bowled its way through Rounds 5/6 and continued to set single season benchmarks for viewership. Over 70,000 audience members have now been a part of the broadcasts which include live streaming video, live timing and scoring, and interactive blog. 

FWT – Palm Beach Rotax Max Challenge Preview - Palm Beach, Florida  – February 17, 2010 

The Formula Kart Racing Florida Winter Tour keeps on rolling through its 12^th season this weekend, February 20-21, at the revamped Palm Beach International Raceway karting facility. Almost 200 drivers have arrived at the 7/10 mile PBIR complex, where they'll compete in Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2010 FWT RMC season. With such impressive numbers, the Florida Winter Tour continues to retain its two-year crown as the largest Rotax Max Challenge in the world... The headlines just keep coming in RDD Motorsport Rotax Junior. 53 drivers. Neri, Madrigal, Fittipaldi, Self, Lazare, Palmer, Rios Jr., Sharkey, Myers, Nunez, and West, joined by British Formula Kart Stars champions, Matthew Parry and Jack Barlow. It's likely the greatest collection of junior talent in North America.

Presentation of 2009 US Rotax Max Challenge National Points Champions - Junior - January 20, 2010 

In cooperation with the US Rotax Max Challenge program, eKartingNews.com will be presenting the champions and top-10 of the six Rotax categories that make up the National Points Standings. We will examine one class per week to highlight those who were able to score highest in the points standings in 2009. This system ranks every US Rotax Max Challenge member that competes in any official Rotax program throughout the United States. The points system was developed in 2007 by National Race Director Marshall Martin, using a weight factor based on the number of registered members in each class in a series. Bonus points were available for each competitor, if a minimum number of racers competed for the event and if two or more series raced together. While only head to head competition can determine true champions, and that is what is done at the US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals each year, you will see that the many of the top-10 drivers in each class were also found at the top of the charts at the 2009 US Grand Nationals.

Class number three of the 2009 US Rotax Max Challenge National Points Standings Championship is the Junior Max. Anytime you place a group of 12-15 year-old talented, fearless young men on the track it will be exciting. In this group, we count six former Mini Max champions from previous US Grand Nationals or other major Rotax competitions. Three of the top-10 drivers finished in the top positions at the 2009 US Grand Nationals and represented the US at the Rotax Grand Finals in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt. First and fifth drivers are from the state of Texas while second and third place drivers are from the MRP Rotax Max Challenge Series. The rest of the top 10 was represented by drivers from North and South Florida and California. This is another class that shows the competition in the Rotax series stretches from coast to coast. Each year, the talent pool in the Junior class keeps getting stronger and it will happen again in 2010. A number of Junior drivers are advancing to Seniors, being replaced by a very talented group of 2009 Mini Max drivers. It will be interesting to watch as the 2010 season develops to see what new faces will be on the list of 2010 USRMC

National Points Standings… 10. Jack West

Hometown: Sarasota, Florida

Series: South Florida Rotax Max Challenge

Points 1051

Rounding out the top-10 of the US Rotax Max Challenge National Points Standings is Floridian Jack West. The DeFrancesco Racing/Alonso Kart USA driver began his karting career in 2002, moving to Rotax in 2004 in the Mini Max division as one of the original member of the Florida Club Mini Max group. West earned Mini Max regional championships three straight years from 2004 to 2006. In ’08, West was the runner-up at the US Grand Nationals in Wisconsin. At the start of 2009, West continued in the Mini Max category, earning the Florida Winter Tour class championship. Moving up to Juniors for the remainder of the year, West finished third in the South Florida Rotax Max Challenge standings behind Ordonez and Rios.

 

EVENT NEWS: Florida Winter Tour – Orlando Kart Center Rotax Weekend Preview - January 14, 2010

The Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour continues its 12th season this weekend, January 15-17, at the brand new Orlando Kart Center in Orlando, Florida. A record number of drivers are expected to compete in this, the first FWT Rotax Max Challenge event of the New Year.

For 2008 and 2009, the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge was the largest official RMC in the world. In 2009, the FWT averaged 578 entries per month, including drivers from 28 countries, 28 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces. That sets the stage for 2010, in which a record number of pre-registrations have already been logged for this upcoming season…

A record number of young drivers will compete in RDD Motorsports-sponsored Rotax Junior. And the talent defies description, as there are many returning drivers being joined by some of the aces graduating from the Mini Max ranks. Reigning FWT Mini Max Champion Jack West makes his Junior debut. FWT / Ferrari Scholarship winners Jesus Rio’s Junior and Marc-Antoine Cardin, reigning FWT TaG Junior Champion Alessandra Madrigal and former U.S. Champion AJ Myers head an all-star cast that promises to provide one of the most-fiercely contested championships in tour history…

 Event News: Florida Winter Tour - Orlando Kart Center Preview January 6, 2010

 The Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour kicks off its 12th season this weekend at the brand new Orlando Kart Center track in Orlando, Florida. For 2010, the FWT Formula Kart Championship Series begins on January 8-10, and then on January 14-17, the FWT Rotax Max Challenge series will stage its first event of the new decade.
This year marks the 12th season for the Florida Winter Tour, and it comes on the heels of an eleventh consecutive record-breaking year for the series. In 2009, the FWT averaged 578 entries per month, including drivers from 28 countries, 28 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces. For the second straight year, the FWT Rotax Max Challenge was the largest official Rotax program in the world. That’s a trend that looks likely to continue in 2010 as the series has again broken previous records for pre-registration.
No shortage of storylines in the Rotax Max classes, as series champions Fabio Orsolon and Darren White return to defend their titles in Senior and DD2, respectively. Also, former world champion Pier-Luc Ouellette is back for yet another season of FWT Rotax Senior competition, joined by former Canadian champion Michael Vincec. And spectators will line the fences to watch the much-anticipated senior debuts of former junior champions Nick Neri and Danny Formal, and the Junior class debut of reigning FWT Mini Max Champion Jack West.  To top it off, Max Papis is competing in the entire 2010 series as he seeks to become the first professional race car driver to earn a FWT points championship...  

Jack West wins the PitFit Training Tony Renna Scholarship - December 21, 2009 

Announced on December 11, 2009 at the PRI show in Orlando Florida, Jack West was named as a winner of the PitFit Training Tony Renna Scholarship. PitFit Training (PitFit) is recognized as the leader in developing driver-specific fitness, nutrition and human-performance programs to expressly address the physical and mental demands of the motorsports industry.   “Sadly, in the sport of auto racing, death is a constant reminder that drivers are risking their lives every time they strap into the racecar,” noted Jim Leo, President and fonder of PitFit Training. “Tony Renna was my closest friend and embodied the drive, character, and spirit all up and coming drivers should possess.”

The Scholarship Program was developed and introduced in 2005 as a way of giving deserving young drivers the opportunity to bring their racing fitness to optimal levels. Past winners include Alexander Rossi, Joel Miller, Jeff Oleen, Miranda Throckmorton, and dozens more.  The selection criterion was stringent with a varied focus on race performance, community service, academics, and ability to maintain a focus on fitness.  Jack will receive 20 training sessions ($1000 value) throughout the length of the scholarship (January 1 – October 31) at PitFit headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. He also receive a seat kit from Bald Spot Sports ($325 value), FatHeadz sunglasses ( $150 value), Shock Doctor workout bags, helmet bags, and blowers ($250 value), and training apparel from PitFit Training ( $100 value ). Jack will also receive unlimited access to PitFit Training’s online training programs at http://www.ePitFit.com

 2009 ASN CANADIAN KARTING CHAMPIONSIPS - August 22, 2009  The historical track of Goodwood Kartways hosted the 2009 ASN Canada FIA National Karting Championships over a five day period from August 5^th to the 9^th.  OK, now with the races, class by class… Rotax Minimax.  Seeing the minimax closing the event was odd as usually the seniors end it.  But looking at the names was enough to understand why it was the top class of 2009.  The best driver in his age group in North America was there…Jack West from the USA… 3^rd place, Jack West.

 Florida Winter Tour Final Report - Rotax Mini-Max - sponsored by GoRotax.com / MRP Motorsport - March 2009

Beginning just as tight as the rest of the fields in Ocala, the Rotax Mini-Max class had three drivers time in at 38.8 seconds during qualifying with Dalton Sargeant taking pole from Dore Chaponick Jr. and point leader Jack West. At the start of the prefinal, West jumped to the point in what became an eight-kart lead train and a crazy heat race. The lead changed hands five consecutive laps heading to half distance and Derek Sobel joined the lead pair in slipping off the front. They continued to swap the spot in the second half and produced an incredible final act. First, West slid wide allowing Sargeant through to the lead, then Sobel took second from West racing through turn one just after taking the two-to-go. One lap later he took the lead in the same spot, and the order looked set with Sargeant second and West third - cue the madness! Sargeant spun off the straightaway in strange circumstances allowing West by, and when Sobel failed technical inspection West was on pole for the main event! Title contender Jesse Lazare was up to second, and reigning champion Chaponick was up to third. Sargeant was scored fourth, crossing on the grass and Pietro Fittipaldi was fifth. The Saturday final began with an even longer train extending beyond the top ten and the field having serious hops - literally! A majority of the leaders had taken to hopping from the seat at the end of the straightaway to find an extra bit of speed and in a case of monkey-see, monkey-do, the class was hopping into turn one. West, Chaponick and Lazare each led in the first half of sixteen laps with the TonyKart of Lazare leading the way into the closing stages. The crucial moment came working lap thirteen at the first hairpin. West dove inside Sargeant for third but his nose touched the rear of Chaponick’s Birel at the apex and it led to a spin. Sargeant recovered third and Chaponick held second, but the momentary delay allowed Lazare to get some breathing room and take it to the checker. Sargeant moved to second in the carousel before taking the white flag, and Chaponick took third. West recovered to tenth, and when a drop was figured into the point tally he then trailed Lazare by five points with one race to run. Sunday qualifying saw six karts time within two-tenths of a second led by Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi da Cruz. Sobel was second, Sargeant third, West fourth, Lazare fifth and Kyle Kirkwood sixth. In the prefinal there were only three changes to the lap-one order the entire race distance: Lazare took fourth on lap two, and both Sargeant and West worked past Fittipaldi. The prefinal points also put West back in front, and headed to the final he was five up on Lazare with sixteen laps to the championship. West held at the start before Sargeant took over in turn one. Initially five karts strung together at the front, but Sargeant and West worked clear and the barring catastrophe the title was going to the Juncos driver. Not content to stay in second, West took the lead with a surprise move at the Tree turn on the last lap - the only change in the field after the white flag waved! West crossed first, but Officials deemed that the great start he had produced was a little too great, and after a one-position penalty he was back to second. It mattered not for the Juncos driver as the championship and it’s paid entry to the U.S. Grand Nationals was his. Fittipaldi was third on the track, Lazare fourth and Sobel fifth. In the Championship West topped out at 1080, Lazare at 1055 and Sargeant at 965, just four ticks ahead of Jordan Perry.

ROTAX GRAND NATIONALS REVIEW - September 16, 2008

"OGP scores victory and podium in Shawano, Wisconsin" Florida based Ocala Gran Prix (OGP) had a very successful event this past weekend at the Rotax Max Challenge USA Grand Nationals. With six drivers under the team tent, OGP claimed a one-two finish in the Rotax Mini Max class and had some very OGP's best weekend results came from the Rotax Mini Max class as AJ Myers and Jack West claimed the top two podium positions. The OGP duo battled wheel to wheel throughout the 12 lap race showing tremendous rain racing ability as they drew away from the rest of the field to score the solid results. On route to the win, Myers scored the quickest lap time of the event while West was the third quickest driver around the USA International Raceway (USAIR).