Racing News Update:
RACING REPORT ~ December 4, 2010
"Talented junior gains experience for 2011 racing season"
Californian Austin Elliott made the long trek to Las Vegas, Nevada
for the 14th annual Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals. With the event taking place at the RIO All-Suites
Hotel and Casino, Elliott proved to have the speed to run at the front of the fifty-seven kart TaG Junior
field but ran into some tough racing luck when the wheel-to-wheel action took place.
Competing against some of the world’s best junior competitors, Elliott showed his speed right out of the
box during Wednesday’s official practice sessions. Utilizing P1 Engines power and a Wesley Boswell-tuned
Top Kart, Elliott circulated the temporary facility running times inside the top ten. With drivers from around
the world entered in the stout field, Elliott would look to turn his practice times into SuperNationals glory
come Super Sunday.
After a strong qualifying effort that saw the junior driver classified thirteenth overall, it was on to the
heat races to try and improve his starting spot for the main event. With the heat race flight format,
consistency would be the goal as three strong finishes would ensure a top ten starting position for the green
flag on Sunday.
Heat one did not start as planned for the Top Kart driver as a first corner incident saw him relegated down
the running order. After hopping out of his ride and fixing it the best he could, Elliott did not give up and
drove to a twentieth place result. Knowing that every position counted, the Californian pushed it to the very
last corner on the last lap to try and gain as many positions as possible.
Heat two would start out better than the first heat as Elliott quickly moved into the third position. Battling
hard with the best and most talented juniors at the front of the pack, the P1 Engines powered driver would
fall back to sixth before the checkered flag flew. Elliott came into his own in this heat race as he showed
that he has the skills and drive to compete with the upper echelon of karting competitors.
Looking to keep the momentum going into the third and final heat, Elliott managed a good start and was running
in the top ten for the majority of the race. Late race contact would see the 15-year-old spin sideways in the
middle of the track but regain control only losing a few positions. When the dust had settled, it was another
solid top fifteen result.
With the points calculated from the heat races, Elliott would line up on the inside of the twelfth row in the
23rd starting spot. Running inside the top ten all weekend, the young man was confident of moving forward and
challenging for a podium result. Disaster would strike on the opening lap as Elliott was caught up in a first
corner incident that took several drivers out of competition.
"I tried to avoid a driver who spun in front of me in the middle of turn 1, but my back wheel clipped his
kart resulting in a bent axle for me," explained Elliott. “With 40 karts all going in to turn 1, it
was impossible to avoid this and unfortunately I was forced to watch the rest of the main event from the
sidelines.”
Elliott continued, “I learned a lot this year and even more at this event. My tuner Wesley Boswell has
been a huge help to my racing success. I think my overall experiences will make me a better driver next
season. I look forward to continuing on.”
Austin would like to thank his sponsors and the support from his team, family and friends who have helped him
with his racing success so far: The Door & Window Stop, Fresno Tap Recyclers, RDS Race Cars & Chassis,
SNAP Fitness, STAT Medical Billing, CS Tactical, Fine Line CAD Services, Wesley Boswell, Grand Products,
Kartel Motorsports, P1 Engines, Race Karts, Inc. and Race Media Group (RMG).
RACING REPORT ~ November 10, 2010
AUSTIN ELLIOTT SECURES SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2010
"Youngster will now head to Las Vegas for the SKUSA SuperNationals"
This past weekend marked the NorCal Gold Rush season finale for
young Austin Elliott as the California native would look to secure his second championship of 2010. Competing
at the Dixon Karting Circuit in Northern California, Elliott went on to score the pole position, heat race win
and main event victory in a weekend sweep of the HPV 2 Junior class and, in the process, added another
championship to his already impressive resume.
Entering the weekend a mere five markers behind the championship leader, Elliott was in attack mode as four
drivers would look to secure the title. With a field of eighteen, the Top Kart pilot looked to get up to speed
early and be the leader of the pack and he did that with a perfect lap in qualifying to score the pole
position.
With no bonus points at stake for the pole, Elliott would have to outright beat his competitors in the
wheel-to-wheel battle that would ensue when the green flag dropped at the start of the pre final. Taking the
green flag, Elliott ran into a little trouble early and was shuffled back to the second position. Showing his
composure and determination, the P1 Engines powered pilot stalked the leader for two laps and then made his
move to the point. Taking the lead, Elliott put his head down and hit all his marks stretching his lead to
three seconds by the time the checkered flag had flown. The heat race win would give the Californian the pole
position for the main event that would be run later that afternoon.
With the championship on the line, Elliott got a great start and held the lead through the opening set of
corners. With constant pressure from his rivals for the first half of the event, Elliott managed to keep his
competitors at bay and began to open a small gap on the rest of the field. As the gap increased to over a
second, the championship was now in Elliott’s hands as he drove to the race win.
"I was determined to win this championship," expressed Austin Elliott when the event was complete.
"I wanted to be a multi-championship winner in one season. This really means a lot to me and gives me a
lot of momentum heading into North America’s biggest event of the year. I can’t thank my team,
family, sponsors and supporters enough for what they have allowed me to accomplish this season."
Elliott will have little time to rest as he and his crew will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada early next week for
the fourteenth annual Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals. Held on the grounds of the RIO All-Suites Hotel
and Casino, Elliott will compete in the TaG Junior category against some of the world’s best as he looks
to hit the jackpot in 'Sin City.'
Austin would like to thank his sponsors and the support from his team and friends that has helped him with
this recent success. The Door & Window Stop, Fresno Tap Recyclers, RDS Race Cars & Chassis, SNAP
Fitness, STAT Medical Billing, CS Tactical, Fine Line CAD Services, Wesley Boswell, Kartel Motorsports, P1
Engines, Grand Products, Race Karts, Inc., Race Media Group (RMG) and all family and friends who help and
support his program.
RACING REPORT ~ September 5, 2010
Austin Elliott back on TOP leading the series following the Stockton Gold Rush race..
After a disappointing race at the Atwater Kart Club last month, where Austin was crashed off the track by
another driver on the white flag lap of the Main Event, knocking him out of the points lead and taking away a
Top 3 finish in that race, Austin makes a comeback, nearly sweeping the Gold Rush event at Stockton, CA.
Our race motor running strong, our set up good, our driver with the desire to win, he misses pole position by
5/100 of a second, putting him starting this Heat race in the off-pole position. All 19 karts in the HPV2 Jr.
class take the green flag and they head down into turn one.
The fear at Stockton is turn one on the start. The sharp 90° configuration gives way to plenty of crashes
and Austin is on the outside of the pack. My heart is pounding and all I could say over and over in my head is
"please Lord help him to make it through this first turn safely"… just then Austin comes out
in the lead, getting around that outside edge quickly. He’s got 3 other top racers to contend with in
the front but beats them all around the corner to take the lead.
This race was packed full of re-starts, crashes, red flags and ambulance rolls. This Jr. race at times looked
like the Sr. level racing. Several lead changes made this race very exciting for not only the racers but the
spectators standing at the fence. To quote one of Austin’s competitors after the race, Sonny Cervelli
says "woo hooo tied for second in points after a crazy race with austin at stockton...those first couple
laps before the red flag felt like a video game, we all made passes we didnt even think were possible:) that
was probonly one of the greatest races ive ever had, i would pay $500 to see a race like that one again."
As I stand on the sidelines watching this race, I find myself so anxious and excited that I can’t even
swallow because my throat is so dry!
Great racing by Austin gives him the win in the Heat race to start On-Pole for the Main Event. He now starts
in the number one spot, bringing the pack around to the starting line and the Race Director motions him to
slow it down, slow it down… One more lap he commands… The 19 kart field comes roaring past me as
I stand at the turn 3 sweeper… Austin still clipping along in the parade lap at a fast pace. I can
imagine his adrenaline is pumping at this point, I know he wants this win. I see the race director once again
giving Austin the "slow it down" sign… Austin not slowing the pack down enough on the 3rd
attempt, he gets reprimanded and along with the off-pole driver gets sent back one row bringing our biggest
competition to the front row. I’m not happy with Austin about this but can do nothing but watch…
This time around they get the green… Full speed into turn one and the leaders make it through, Austin
comes from 3rd into 2nd and begins to work on the lead guy. After one lap Austin coming down the straight,
pulls to the inside and races the leader down into the 90° right turn, side by side these two karts are at
full speed rounding this corner together. With clean racing by both, Austin pulls ahead making the pass and
taking the lead.
The race continues with the top 4 fastest drivers making passes back and forth, at one point Austin makes a
risky move and gets pushed back 4 spots and on this 30 second track there isn’t a lot of time to get
back to the front, but in two laps he once again commands the lead and begins to pull away, little by little
growing a gap on his competitors until he's got a half second lead and then a one-second lead and then
comes the finish line and the WIN… Austin takes the Checkered Flag, taking the series lead back once
again and winning the #1 spot on the podium for the day.
We want to thank Ernie from The Door & Window Stop for
coming out to Stockton to watch this race. He came out to the race to support our driver and I'm happy to
say Austin did not disappoint.
We also want to thank Fresno Tap Recyclers, SNAP Fitness, RDS Race Cars & Chassis, STAT Medical Billing,
CS Tactical, Fine Line CAD Services, Wesley Boswell, Kartel Motorsports, P1 Engines, Grand Products, Race
Karts, Inc., RMG, and all family and friends who have helped Austin get to this point.
Our next stop is Davis, CA in two weeks on September 26th, where Austin will need to work hard to defend the
series lead, competing in Race #4 of this 5 race series.
Austin Elliott ~ Gold Rush Series ~ RACING REPORT ~ July 25, 2010
Ending the IKF Super Series on a high note was a positive way to go into the opening race of the Nor Cal Gold
Rush series. Race #1 of the 5 race series kicked off last weekend at Prairie City Kart Club in Rancho
Cordova.
This has always been a difficult track for us
to master. In the past we had trouble with lap time consistency, the kart set up and gearing for the best
power as this track has a long straight but several tight turns, hair pin turns, and hills to climb, not to
mention the track is narrow and clean passes are difficult.
Austin decided we should go and test prior to this race to see if we could get some of these issues worked out
before the weekend's race. We worked hard on Thursday and still found ourselves struggling to get the kart
free enough to run this track fast and smooth. The asphalt surface already had a ton of grip and our kart was
binding up...we knew our lap times weren't fast enough to run at the front.
We headed back to the track on Saturday of the race weekend to try it again. The weather nearing 100 degrees,
we were hot and frustrated. Applying everything we've learned from Wes Boswell in the past 2 months, we
kept moving forward, making the necessary changes that would free up the kart. Running practice on Saturday
6/10th a second off the leaders, our competitors were feeling positive that they would be able to beat Austin
the following day... It was the end of the day and we kept pushing on...
One more chance to find speed before the last session on Saturday, we make the only two changes that we had
left that we knew and out to the grid we go. I started him up and off he went. I waited at the fence line with
my timer, waiting for him to come around so I could see if the changes were better or if we'd have to
leave unsuccessful. Along side me on the fence were many other Jr.2 competitors, waiting with their timers.
Several of them had us beat by half a second. They were happy at this point, I'm sure they were thinking
"how could he find the needed speed at the last session of the day?"
So here he comes...he comes around, I click my timer and look down to see. Hallelujah!! we found it! We found
5/10, then 6/10th then 7/10th, with each lap came more and more speed. I just looked to the sky and thanked
God. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I couldn't believe it. The pressure left me like a
speeding bullet. We left the track knowing we had a chance to do well the next day at this race. We left our
competitors scratching their heads...
And Well he did!!! Out to qualify, Austin lays down a 3/10th lead over the field of 23 Jr. 2 karts... but then
comes a late qualifier getting Austin by 2/100th of a second, so we start off-pole...
Onto the heat race and the battle is in turn one... Austin makes it through but has trouble getting a fast
pass on the karts that got in front of him, so while the leader was quickly pulling away, Austin was stuck
back behind "the girl"...she holds him up for a short while then Austin won't take it anymore
and makes a risky pass... ½ track back from the leader, he starts pushin, and pushin, head down and
driving intently... I could hear the music from Jaws playing in my head as I watch him gaining ground on the
leader with each lap... In my mind I say he doesn't have enough time to catch him, it's only a 10 lap
heat race but each lap he is gaining on the leader... I hear this voice behind me, one of Austin's
competitors from last season telling me "he's gonna catch him, Sandra he's gonna pass for the
win"... I say no way there isn't enough time. Lap 5, lap 6, lap 7, lap 8 (the Jaws music is playing
in my head), all of a sudden Austin is 5 kart lengths away then 4, then right on the leaders bumper and
it's the white flag lap. My mouth is completely dry and my heart is pounding out of my chest! The
announcer is yelling into the mic., all I could hear is Austin Elliott this and Austin Elliott that! The two
racers go around the corner and down into the "snake pit" where I could not see that part of the
track. All I could do is rely on the announcers calls, he says "Elliott makes the attempt but didn't
get it!", next corner "Elliott making another attempt... and he makes it stick!!!", he yells
out loudly. He makes the pass and right then I see him going up the hill and he's in the lead, racing
around the next few turns and crosses the finish line :) I can't believe it but it's true. We pass
tech and with smiles on our faces we head back to our pit to wait for the Main Event.
The announcer calls the Jr. 2 class up to the grid for the 16 lap Main Event. This time Austin starts on Pole,
he gets a great start and comes out in 1st. The off-pole driver pressures him for several laps and then Austin
starts to pull away, each lap he is gaining 1/10, 2/10, 3/10, until he has a 5/10th of a second lead and he
cruises to Victory He wins the first race of the Gold Rush Series AND the streak continues...
Dixon, California ~ March 7, 2010 - 14 Kart Field in the HPV2 class
Three weeks ago while testing on the Prairie City kart
track, Austin was working with his teammate on getting through some of the corners more quickly for the
upcoming race in May. They both made the final turn and onto the straightaway at full speed, Austin sticks his
left arm out of the kart to point his teammate by to take the lead. A second later the exposed tire grabs his
glove and then his racing suit and sucks his hand and forearm down in between his tire and bodywork,
unfortunately there is only about a one inch or so gap in that area... His body violently jerked up out of his
seat and his arm looking like rubber, it was pulled down toward the asphalt but he was able to pull his hand
out before it went completely under his rear wheel...
An Emergency Room visit and x-rays showed a crack at the tip of the humorous bone at the growth plate, they
cast him from shoulder to hand. IKF race # 2 is in 3 weeks but the doctor tells me the cast must be on for 4
weeks and that he will have to miss the race... I tell the doc that Austin is leading in the points towards
the Championship but the only thing I received back was a blank stare and some words about his arm being more
important than a race!! (Obviously this guy isn't a racing fan)
Just inside of three weeks Austin is referred to a sports doctor in San Francisco by Lisa Caceres. The doctor
is Kevin Stone of the Stone Clinic located in the Marina District. Okay this guy is good!! He’s a bone
doctor/surgeon and takes care of the treatment for many athletes from casual to Olympic level. He agrees to
see Austin as a favor to Lisa.
The day before the IKF event we make the drive to San Francisco. The cast is removed and x-rays taken and
reviewed by Dr. Stone, physical therapy given and an alternative bracing is prescribed for the arm and we head
to the race in Dixon, CA.
Unsure of how he will handle his kart, Austin goes out for practice Saturday morning. Being the jokester
Austin is (he likes to scare his Mom...) I watch as his kart is slipping all over the track the first couple
of laps, it looks like it's on marbles and I can clearly see he can not drive smoothly in the turns.. My
heart is pounding and I realize this wasn’t a good idea. He can’t drive his kart with his injured
arm, so I wave him in. He pulls off the track and up next to me, not even turning his engine off, he asks me
what I need... I tell him he must come off the track as he clearly can’t handle his kart but he assures
me he’s just "warming up." And he takes off, back out onto the track.
Well the kid proves me wrong and goes out to be the fastest in practice and he is awarded to go first out to
qualify... qualifying off-pole missing the pole position by 2/1000ths of a second he starts the Heat race in
the front row. Winning the Heat race showing fastest lap time of the race and pulling the 2nd and 3rd place
positions by 4 seconds, I realize that nothing is going to keep him from this race.
Unfortunately there’s a bobble in the start of the Main event and he is passed by two racers and then
half way through the 20th lap main he rubs wheels in turn one with his teammate and loses two more positions.
Able to catch and pass those two drivers back, he is too far away from the leaders to catch them in the
remaining time and takes TOP 3, third place for race #2.
Better than I expected, we leave the race with a smile. Initially, I told him to just race in the back and get
the points to stay in the hunt for the Championship and we’d try to make it up at the next races but our
driver goes out and runs in the front clocking fast times!! This keeps him in the lead toward the
Championship.
Our next stop is Stockton, California next month for race #3 of the International Karting Federation Region 11
Super Series.
Austin would like to thank his Sponsors, Lisa Caceres of Race Karts Inc. and Kevin Stone of The Stone Clinic,
Ernie Fletcher of The Door & Window Stop, Todd Jones of Fresno Tap Recyclers, his team Kartel Motorsports
and Magnum Racing engines, Stat Medical Billing, Grandpa Bob and Uncle Ron, all for the funds and help to race
this series.
We will be testing and practicing at the Stockton karting track soon and also at the Willow Springs karting
track to get ready for the upcoming IKF Grand Nationals race in June.
Davis, California ~ February 7, 2010 - HPV2 class, 15 Kart Field
The excitement mounted as we pulled into the track with the race trailer in tow. We’re at Davis,
California for the opener of the International Karting Federations Region 11 Northern California Super series
race. This is our first stop of six races reaching tracks from Reno, Nevada to Atwater, California.
Austin is competing for the Northern California Championship… And he would not disappoint!!
Rain poured down on our Saturday practice making testing difficult. Sunday morning would show no rain and the
promise of sunshine started to appear.
Austin heads out for his 5 minute warm up and practice laps… His lap times are fastest and he’s
given the go ahead to go out first to qualify. A little mishap in the hairpin turn puts him qualifying in 3rd
place position for the Heat race.
Getting a great start, Austin makes a move past the pole setter and into the lead… he would be joined
by Campbell, putting heat on Austin for the twelve laps, however maintaining his point position, Austin would
win the Heat.
Onto the Main Event, Austin on pole position… we get the "start em up" sign from the grid but
our engine won’t stay running… four attempts and still nothing… the rest of the karts are
out on track already gridding up and we’re still working on getting our engine started… I see
Austin’s eyes looking at me through his helmet visor… they are enlarged and showing some
concern… I think to myself, this can’t be happening, he needs to do well at this race to move
forward toward the Championship. Just then the engine fires and Austin speeds away… I breathe a huge
sigh of relief.
Speeding around the track and up to the pack, Austin takes his point position in front of Tyrell… as he
goes by Tyrell puts a "high five" hand out to Austin and gives him the head nod. He then takes the
pack around the hair pin and onto the straight… accelerating toward the starting line, it’s a
beautiful start and the Green flag is waved… The Race is On!! 
Into turn one Austin is smooth and keeps on the throttle, up
the hill he immediately starts pulling away from the pack… this would continue for several laps until
he has a nice 2 second lead on the rest of the karts who are still battling for their positions. Our engine is
running strong, it’s showing a nice mid-range to top-end pull and Austin is cruising. Eighteen lap Main
Event and we’re about 11 laps into it when Cervelli sneaks up on Austin and begins to pressure him for
the lead… Austin would deny the attempt and gains a one second lead on Cervelli, only to have it close
up on the white flag lap and around the last turn the two would battle to the finish, Austin would have this
one… Winning the opening IKF Race.
The team is happy and looking forward to competing at race #2 in Dixon, CA on March 7.