Racing News Update:
Austin Elliott Earns Two Championships in First Senior Year
November 9, 2011 -
Austin Elliott, at the age of 15, made a move mid season to the senior category and in doing so brought home two
championships making his senior debut. The first championship came in the SKUSA ProKart Challenge North series. Austin made a statement at
the season opener by doing the hat trick and sweeping the weekend. From there it was a solid string of top 3 and top five finishes that
enabled Elliott to come out on top with the championship.
The second championship for Elliott this year came from the Nor Cal Gold Rush series. Elliott would be faced with yet another challenge as
he was unable to make the first race of the series as Elliott made the journey to the East coast to participate in the WKA Manufactures Cup
event. “This was a great sacrifice we made” stated Elliott “I learned so much just by going to this race. It was a good
challenge and made me a better driver”. By missing the first race Elliott would be forced to use it as his throw away, which left no
room for error. That did not hinder Austin at all; as he would move on to bring home three race wins and two runner up finishes.
Austin will wrap up his 2011 season with a stop in Las Vegas, NV for the SKUSA SuperNationals XV later this month. Austin will be competing
in the TAG Sr. category looking for a finish good enough to stand atop the podium.
Elliott and Woolf Secure Titles at ProKart Challenge North Season Finale
September 14, 2011 - 
The Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge North program capped off the 2011 season this past weekend with its first ever
visit to the Tom Dash Memorial Speedway. The event was the sixth and final stop for the Northern California-Nevada traveling series that
began in February. The Atwater Kart Club welcomed racers from all across the region to the ½-mile circuit as the championships were
decided in the seven categories. Austin Elliott wrapped up his first season in TaG Senior with a championship while Jared Woolf secured the
S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto crown, both driving to runner-up finishes in their respective main events. Making history at the series finale was
Kathryn Cornell, as she became the first female driver to earn the main event victory in the TaG Senior category in the series’
four-year history.
Nevada’s Jess Peterson was at the top of the time sheets at the end of qualifying for the Peterson Wealth Management-sponsored TaG
Senior category. His 31.469-lap edged out Cornell’s best lap by just 54-thousandths of a second, with championship leader Elliott
slotted in the third spot. Cornell drove to the provisional win in heat one until she was penalized two positions for improper engine
declaration. That gave Peterson the win with Elliott up to second and Cornell back to third. Peterson and Elliott battled for the 12-lap
second heat race, with Peterson coming away with the win by two-tenths of a second and David Harwin up to third, thanks to Cornell pulling
off after three laps with a mechanical issue. Petersen led the way early on in the 20-lap main event, until Cornell advanced from her fifth
starting position. She took over the lead on lap three, with Elliott taking second from Peterson on lap seven. The next time around,
Peterson retired from the race. Cornell was able to stretch out to a comfortable advantage with quick laps mid-way through the race. At the
checkered flag, Cornell took her first regional victory by 1.2 seconds over Elliott, who clinched his first championship in his rookie
Senior season. Harwin posted the fastest lap in the closing stage chasing down Elliott, capping off the podium in third and ended the
season third in the standings behind TJ Fischer, absent at the finale.
Austin Elliott Earns Double Victories at NorCal Gold Rush Race
September 9, 2011 - Austin Elliott Racing traveled down south to the Stockton Motorplex Park in Stockton, CA this past weekend for the
fourth round of the NorCal Gold Rush series. Having come so close to victory at the last Gold Rush race, Austin and his #78 Top Kart
arrived prepared and gunning for gold.
Posting some of the fastest lap times in practice Sunday morning,
Austin was looking forward to the pole position going into qualifying, but a
late call gear change would hinder his chances as he would have to settle for the off-pole starting spot, 2½ tenths back from the
pole-setter.
The heat race would show Austin's true colors as a top competitor. Holding his position going down into the tight first turn he came
out in second. Patience would be his friend as he would take the time to allow his tires to get up to temperature before he began working
the driver at the helm. Waiting until he found a clean passing spot in turn three Austin would take over the top position on lap 4 and hold
it till the checkered.
The start of the Main event was a bit hectic as Austin and his P1 powered Top Kart got pounded from behind causing his kart to go into a 4
wheel slide, but this young driver was able to control his kart and come out of the turn one mess to continue leading the Yamahas behind
him. Every lap the Top Kart driver would extend the gap pulling further and further ahead until crossing the stripe unchallenged for the
win.
Trying to fill in some down time between races that day, Austin and his Mom thought it would be a good idea to race the Clone Sr. class
using her Top kart. Qualifying went adequate as Austin posted a time that put him in the 6th position in a 20 kart field.
The heat race showed improvement as Austin got a clean start and raced his way up to finish in the third position. The Main event, however,
proved to be more challenging as Austin got shuffled back to fifth on the start. Putting his head down and focusing on the prize, the
Shingle Springs resident started racing his way back up towards the front. With 5 laps to go, Austin would find himself running third right
behind the leaders. Making several passes back and forth during the last couple laps Austin would prove himself once again making the pass
into the lead and holding it to the stripe.
"This race was amazing for me, winning Sr. Super Sportsman and Sr. Clone felt really good. I knew I was fast and capable of winning in
Sr. Super Sportsman but I never expected to get the win in St. Clone too as this was only the second time I've raced it. The local
competition in Sr. Clone is tough and they've been racing the entire series to this point. The last few weeks I've had a couple of
racing ups and downs but I've learned a lot of information and used it here in this race and also".
Austin Elliott Pulls a Strong Double Duty Weekend
August 22, 2011 - 
Austin Elliott pulled double duty over the August 12-14 weekend, first making the trek to Buttonwillow in
Central California to compete in the SKUSA ProKart Challenge West Coast Shootout. Then he would head back north to Davis, CA Saturday night
to compete in the Gold Rush series on Sunday at the Blue Max Kart Club.
The Prokart Challenge West Coast Shootout at Buttonwillow Raceway Park would be race number 5 in the 6 race series for the Nor Cal SKUSA
program. Austin was coming into this race leading by a marginal 30 points so he would be looking for a good strong finish to maintain his
point lead. On Friday, he showed everyone that he was ready to do so by posting some of the fastest times of the day.
Qualifying for this young driver went well but not good enough for pole position. Austin’s time of 48.87 was good enough for the
fourth starting position of Heat one. Starting on the outside of the second row Austin would get pushed back in the battle at turn one to
the seventh position. Quickly making his way back to the front he would run out of time on lap ten and find himself back where he started
in the fourth position, where he would start heat two from.
By the time the second heat came, Austin was ready to make a change to get a result better than the previous heat race and qualifying.
Getting pushed back again on the start he would come out of turn one in seventh. Making some of the best passes of the day he would make
his way up into the second position while running lap times good enough to contend with the leader. Coming off a strong heat, Austin and
his 78y Top Kart Speedy were ready for a win and could smell victory. Starting on the front row for the Main event, that sensation would
quickly fade after the first lap as an electrical problem would cause a loss of power and a struggle getting down the straight. It was a
hard fought battle but he ran strong enough to hold off his competitors and would finish in fourth.
"I really thought we had something for the win" stated Austin. "I think this goes to show that I can run up front with the
fast drivers, also that preparation is a key factor in racing and to always double/triple check things". Austin will be going into the
final race with a 40 point lead over second. The final race for the Prokart Challenge North series will be held at Atwater Kart Club in
Atwater, CA September 9th-10th.
It's Sunday, Austin is now at a different track 250 miles away from Buttonwillow, competing in a different series, and driving in a
different kart. This will be race three of the six race Gold Rush series. Sunday morning practice went well as Austin posted some of the
fastest times, going up against drivers that had practiced on this track all day Saturday. Qualifying would go even better as Austin would
put his P1 powered Top Kart Flash at the top of the charts posting a time that was 3/10ths faster than second.
The pre-final would go just as well as qualifying did as Austin got the hole shot and never looked back pulling over a two second lead on
second. The main event brought similar luck to Austin as did the main on Saturday in Buttonwillow. After a bad call on the start of the
race, the outside row got a big jumped and Austin was shuffled back to fourth position by the exit of turn one. Frustrated but still
focused, he rapidly got to work picking off third and two laps later would do the same to the driver in second. By this time the gap to
first was too big to close in the laps remaining and Austin would have to settle for the 2nd place finish.
"This was a frustrating main event for me because I knew I had the equipment, the focus and the speed to win. But sometimes the race
just doesn’t go your way and that’s racing" stated Austin. Bringing home the silver wasn't what he was looking for but
is still good for keeping top points. Austin is now looking forward to the fourth round of the Gold Rush series, scheduled to take place at
Stockton Motorplex Park on September 3rd – 4th.
Austin Elliott Brings Home Win in Gold Rush Series
August 1, 2011 - Coming off his first Senior Super Sportsman win last month at Atwater, CA and just returning from a National WKA race at
BeaveRun, PA, Austin Elliott was ready to race with the drivers of Nor cal once again. Headed to his home track at Prairie City Kart Club
in Rancho Cordova, CA for the next round of the Gold Rush Series. This will be the second race of the five race Gold Rush Series and Austin
was looking to take advantage of his home track to bring home a strong result.
Going into qualifying, Austin wasted no time showing everyone that he was the one to beat. Putting his P1 powered Top Kart on top of the
board with a time of 44.86, only one of two drivers to hit the 44 second mark. The Pre-Final was the same as qualifying; grabbing the hole
shot into turn one, Austin would pull away to a 1.5 second lead.
The start of the main event would be the only race day challenge for Austin. Falling into second at the drop of the green flag, Austin
would show patience for two laps before taking over the top spot with a daring pass on the top of the hill at turn 8. From there he would
cruise to a one second victory claiming his second Sr. Super Sportsman win.
"This was a great weekend for me despite the problems we had on practice day. I would like to send a special thanks to Les Hand, Greg
Bell, Matt Chase and Daniel for helping us through our mechanical issues on Saturday."
Austin's next race will be a double header weekend. Saturday August 13th he will be attending the SKUSA Pro Kart shootout at
Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, CA. Then he will make his way to Blue Max Kart Club on Sunday August 14th for the third round of
the Gold Rush series in Davis, CA.
AUSTIN ELLIOTT COMPETES IN WKA MANUFACTURER'S CUP ACTION
"Across the United States to the East Coast"
July 17, 2011 - Traveling to the World Karting Association (WKA) George Kugler/Bridgestone Manufacturer's Cup event at the BeaveRun
Motorsports Complex in Wampum, Pennsylvania, Californian driver Austin Elliott was excited to get a look at his competition. Having
competed in the International Karting Federation (IKF) and Superkarts!
USA (SKUSA) action on the West Coast, this would be the Top Kart driver's
first visit to the WKA karting scene and to the challenging and technical circuit against drivers on the East Coast.
"I knew there would be some great drivers competing at this race and high numbers of drivers so I was excited to get to the track and
start testing" expressed Elliott. "There were thirty-three drivers in the Parilla Leopard class on Saturday and forty drivers in
TaG Senior on Sunday. More than half the field could win one of these races on any given weekend."
Rain, thunder and lightening would delay official practice on Friday morning. After many hours of solid downpours, the sun eventually came
out and the track dried up to allow for a few test sessions that afternoon. Having only minimal time to learn the track, Elliott started
Saturday morning strong, qualifying in a solid seventh position just two tenths off the leader in the stout Parilla Leopard field. In the
eight-lap prefinal, the P1 Engines powered Top Kart driver would battle with the lead group to cross the stripe in eighth. Knowing that
work was needed to stay inside the top ten, Elliott and his Top Kart crew went to work to make the necessary changes for the main
event.
At the drop of the green flag, the Californian went on the offensive gaining several positions in the opening laps. Keeping pace with the
lead quartet was tough but Elliott was up for the challenge. When the dust had finally settled, an impressive sixth place result was in
store for Austin and his Team Top Kart.
Sunday would see the same kind of start as Saturday when Elliott would qualify just inside the top ten in the TaG Senior class. Utilizing a
Parilla Leopard motor in a class that allows multiple engine brands and models was a slight disadvantage at the long BeaveRun track, but
Elliott had a good kart and setup and was up for the challenge. Racing up to sixth in the pre-final had Austin feeling a podium result for
the Main event. Starting in the sixth position and after two restarts, the green flag was granted for the forty hungry drivers and Austin
quickly moved into the fifth spot. By turn two, disaster would strike as the Top Kart driver would suffer a mechanical issue and be forced
to pull into the pits.
Elliott commented, "The mechanical issue in the start of the main event on Sunday was disheartening because I really felt I would see
a finish worthy of a podium result. I enjoyed this race as it was both exhilarating and challenging. I learned a lot about driving and
tuning. You really need to stay on top of your game in these classes both with your driving and tuning skills. I have to thank my Top Kart
team and my competitors for helping me get things together so quickly on Friday. I hope to get the opportunity to race this level of
competition again soon.
Austin would like to thank his Mom for working along side him at this race and for her support of reaching his racing goals. Mike Tetreault
and Grand Products Inc., Wesley Boswell, Bridgestone Tires, Jesus of P1 Engines, Ron Winter of Avery Dennison, STAT Medical, Fresno Tap
Recycling Auto Dismantler, Sons of Stafford Plumbing and RDS Race Cars & Chassis of Elk Grove.
June 27, 2011 - Another weekend of racing and another podium result for California's Austin Elliott as this time, he claimed the win
in the NorCal Outlaw Series Final event in the Yamaha Senior category. Competing in his first ever Sr. Yamaha race, Elliott steadily
improved throughout the day to take the main event victory and add another race win to his resume.
With the event taking place at Atwater Kart Club in Atwater, California, the P1 Engines powered Top Kart
driver turned his fourth place qualifying effort and third place result in the heat race into a main event victory against a very talent
filled Senior class.
"This was a fun race for me and my first time running the Sr. Yamaha engine. I had a good time with my competitors and I'm happy
to have gotten this win," expressed Elliott.
Elliott will look to have the same sort of result at the next round of the Superkarts USA Pro Kart Challenge series as he tries to defend
his current points lead in the TaG Senior class. Following that, Elliott will make the cross country trek to BeaveRun for the fourth round
of the World Karting Association Manufacturers Cup program, his first attempt at the series.
Austin would like to thank his Mom for her support & dedication to helping him climb the racing ladder, Wesley Boswell for his tuning
and driver coaching, Mike Tetreault and Grand Products, P1 Engines, Fresno Tap Recycling Auto Dismantler, RDS Race Cars & Chassis of
Elk Grove, Sons of Stafford Plumbing, The Door & Window Stop, SNAP Fitness of Shingle Springs, STAT Medical, Race Karts! Inc., Kartel
Motorsports and RMG. Special thanks to Ron at Avery Dennison and Kwasi at Custom Vehicle Wraps for the awesome new vinyl trailer wrap.
May 31, 2011 - Having just completed his final junior competition in the karting ranks, Californian Austin Elliott would move up to the
ultra competitive senior categories and look to continue his string of recent success. Competing aboard a P1 Engines powered, Wesley
Boswell tuned Top Kart, Elliott is turning heads in the western half of the United States as he continues to out run national level
front-runners in regional competition.
With his
final junior event taking place in Stockton, California at the NorCal Outlaw Series, Elliott garnered a strong third place result after
qualifying on the front row. Excited to move up in classes, Elliott would be back on track the following weekend at the Superkarts! USA
(SKUSA) ProKart Challenge North event in Reno, Nevada for round three of the program in the TaG Senior division.
This wouldn't be Elliott's first attack on the senior field but the front running Californian was able to compete in select events
earlier in the 2011 season that would not jeopardize his status as a junior. Now, with a full-fledged commitment to the senior ranks,
Elliott would join seventeen other hungry competitors in the hunt for the race win.
Looking to get up to speed during Friday's test sessions, Elliott would struggle slightly with the ever-changing track conditions and
sorted TAG engine packages competitors were allowed to run, finishing the day nearly .700 from the quickest competitor. With wholesale
changes Friday evening, Elliott was back on pace on Saturday morning claiming the fifth quickest time in his qualifying run as the top five
drivers were separated by a scant tenth of a second.
Starting the first of two heat races from inside the third row, disaster would strike on the opening lap as Elliott would be involved in a
first corner incident that relegated him to the tail of the field. Never giving up, Elliott would drive forward again only to be caught up
in an unavoidable incident on lap six before claiming the tenth position.
Looking for redemption in heat two, Elliott would be forced to start in his first heat finishing position on the difficult outside fifth
row. Looking to survive the first lap against the other aggressive senior drivers, Elliott quickly moved through the field crossing the
stripe in the sixth position.
Even though it is May, racing in California can be affected by weather and the main events were shortened to fifteen laps from the
scheduled twenty due to the snow that was on its way in the mountainous region. Anxious to get to the front, Elliott quickly charged
forward through the field putting on a passing clinic as he continually out broke and drafted past his competition. Running the second
fastest lap time of the race, the Top Kart driver moved into the second position and chased down the leader toward the win but ran out of
laps when the checkered flag was flown. Finishing in the second position, Elliott will retain his overall points lead heading into the
remaining three events in the Pro Kart Challenge North program.
"I had a lot of fun competing in this Pro Kart Challenge event even though the weather wasn't what we had expected. I also gained
a lot of knowledge that I'll be taking to my next race," explained Austin Elliott. "I really enjoy running the Reno track
because it is fun but challenging. I was happy to be able to compete against some top drivers and come out close to the front."
Austin would like to thank the people who are making it possible for him to compete in this race series including his Mom for her support
and dedication to helping him climb the motorsports ladder, his tuner Wesley Boswell for his chassis set up, and driver coaching, Mike
Tetreault from Grand Products, Jesus @ P1 Engines, The Door & Window Stop, Fresno Tap Recycling, SNAP Fitness of Shingle Springs, Sons
of Stafford Plumbing, STAT Medical, RDS Race Cars & Chassis, Lisa @ Race Karts! Inc., Kartel Motorsports and RMG. Special thanks to Ron
from Avery Dennison and Kwasi at Custom Vehicle Wraps for the awesome new vinyl wrap graphics on the trailer. Also, a big thanks to Tom
& Patti Kutscher of the Superkarts! USA program for putting on the NorCal Race Series.
AUSTIN ELLIOTT SCORES A PAIR OF PODIUMS IN WET WEATHER ACTION
April 5, 2011 - Californian pilot Austin Elliott was back on track the past two weekends and was back to his winning ways scoring a pair of
podium results including a main event victory in California karting action. Though the weather was not up to most racers' standards,
Elliott took advantage of the constant rain to hone his skills and run at the front of the pack.
The first event would take place at the All Star Karting track in Prairie City, CA as the NorCal Outlaw
Race #2 was on the docket. With heavy downpours and consistent rain throughout the race weekend, Elliott and his crew used the Saturday
test sessions to get up to speed. Struggling slightly, the Top Kart pilot would be off the pace in the morning sessions but as the track
continued to deteriorate, Elliott stepped up his game to run some of the quickest times of the day.
"Saturday was a bit of a struggle for us," expressed Elliott. "It was cold and windy and the rain didn't stop which made
it challenging, but we managed to tough through everything and turn some very competitive lap times."
After a strong morning warm up session clocking fast times, Elliott would see himself positioned in the front of the grid for qualifying.
Knowing what was needed for the pole position, the P1 Engines powered Top Kart driver turned only two timed laps in his run to take the
pole position by nearly a second.
While pole position is one thing, Elliott would have to survive a heat race and main event with fifteen other hungry drivers. Making it
look easy in the pre-final, Elliott steered his Top Kart to a five second victory and claimed the pole position for the main event later
that day.
With the main event now upon them and the rain all but stopped, the track would begin to dry as the KPV2 drivers hit the racing surface.
Understanding the importance of his rain tires, Elliott took the lead at the drop of the green flag and instantly started to conserve his
tires. Looking for puddles on the drying track to keep his treads cool, Elliott continued to pull away from the field taking a commanding
eight-second victory to stand atop the #1 spot on the Podium.
Next on the schedule for Austin Elliott was the Pro Kart Challenge North Race #2 in Prairie City, California. Having dominated the weekend
prior, Elliott was looking for the same sort of results in his second ever Senior event. Just like the previous weekend, rain would fall
throughout the weekend competition providing Elliott with a sense of confidence as they worked on refining their race winning setup.
After qualifying in the third position, the Pro Kart Challenge would see a pair of heat races to set up the grid order for the main event.
Having several setbacks in the heat races, Elliott would suffer a puncture in his right front tire but managed to hold onto the third
position. In heat two, Elliott would come home in P2 with a clutch that had exploded on the final circuit due to a part failure earlier in
the race.
Hoping that everything would stay together for the main event, Elliott would run in the front half of the field as he looked to score his
second race win in as many weekends. Battling hard, Elliott would eventually run out of laps and be the bridesmaid on this weekend as he
claimed the second step on the podium. With his solid results in Pro Kart action, Elliott remains on top of the point standings as they
head to the third round of the program.
Elliott will waste no time heading back out to the track to begin testing for the upcoming race event in Arizona at the Superkarts! USA
(SKUSA) Pro Tour in the ultra competitive TaG Senior category later this month.
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. Special thank you to: The Sons of Stafford Plumbing, The Door & Window Stop, Fresno Tap Recyclers, Wesley Boswell, Grand Products,
P1 Engines, Kartel Motorsports, SNAP Fitness, STAT Medical Billing, RDS Race Cars & Chassis, Race Karts! Inc., Fine Line CAD Services,
and Race Media Group (RMG).
ON-POLE TAG Sr. Rookie AUSTIN ELLIOTT
Opening round of the SKUSA Prokart Challenge North series @ Dixon, CA. on Saturday proved to be a highlight day for our team...
Putting his Top Kart machine On-pole in front of 15 Senior competitors, Austin proved he has what he needs to start his move up to the
Senior ranks.
Running fast times all day, setting fast laps, Austin would see the pole position 4 times throughout the day.
Going into his first senior race, my plan for Austin was to just make it through the race and gain experience, I was hoping for a decent
finish but with the level of talent competing at ProKart Challenge, I figured he would get some schooling into the senior ranks.
OK well this kid surprises everyone, putting his kart On-pole by 6/100ths of a second. Going into Heat #1, he gets a great start coming
around in first place. With the tire pressures a little high he gets some pressure from the 2nd place kart. Austin is determined to win and
does just that, winning the 12 lap heat. On-pole once again for Heat #2 Austin shows strength through out, and will pull away from the pack
to take another winning heat.
Pushing the kart up to the grid for the 20 lap main event, Austin was confident and had a good race attitude. All the fastest guys are now
at the front of the grid, the pressure is on! The Grid master finally sends the signal to enter the track after what seemed like hours of
anticipation. Austin lead the pack to a good slow start. GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! The flag flys and Austin keeps the front spot with everyone
behind into turn one...right away he starts to pull a gap from the karts behind him. Continuing his aggressive drive making every lap
consistent and fast, Austin shows what he is capable of, and walks away with a 3 second lead to the checkered for his first senior
race.
What a great day and a good race put on by Tom & Patti Kutscher! We're thankful to have help from our team and family members.
Austin couldn't do this alone and he depends on the people around him that support him in many ways from hands-on help to financial
support. Thank you to Uncle Ron for assisting us with the kart prep. Les, Erik and Sam at Kartel Motorsports. Thank you Fresno Tap, STAT
Medical and Cacto Bob for your financial sponsorship again this year!! Ron @ Avery Dennison and Kwasi @ Custom Vehicle Wraps for the new
trailer wrap to be installed soon!! Thank you Race Karts! Inc. and The Door & Window Stop for coming out to watch the race and also
your financial sponsorship. Wesley Boswell for preparing Austin for this race and Mike @ Grand products for his support. RMG you rock with
pictures & media !!!! and Jesus @ P1 engines, we love that P1 Power!! We also want to thank Austin's 2010 sponsors who we hope will
once again join the Austin Elliott Racing team for this 2011 season: RDS Race Cars & Chassis, SNAP fitness and CS Tactical.
Austin will be back on track at the Prairie City Outlaw Race March 20.
Enjoy the race picture taken by U.S. Karting News....Cheers!