Ouellette and Thomas put CRG/PSL squad P1 on the Palm Beach podium

2010 February 26th

PSL KARTING BACK ON TOP AT FLORIDA WINTER TOUR

  Ouellette and Thomas put CRG squad P1 on the Palm Beach podium 

 JUPITER, FL (February 21, 2010) – Returning back to the sunshine state, away from the snow that surrounds their headquarters in Trios-Rivieres, Quebec, PSL Karting went back to work on the track for the second round of the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge program. The Palm Beach International Raceway was site of the double race weekend with PSL Karting familiar with the facility, having competed in years past at the very fast and technical circuit.

 Armed with 14 talented pilots aboard the familiar CRG chassis brand, lead Senior driver ‘PLO’ - Pier-Luc Ouellette - returned to the top of the podium with Micro Max driver Matthew Thomas scoring his first win for PSL Karting.  PLO started off his drive to victory by placing sixth in the Round 3 qualifying session, an amazing eight-hundredths off the pole time which showed just how taut the competition was at the event. A tough 15-lap Prefinal race saw Ouellette escape any issues through the opening corners to continue on in the lead group. Running as high as third, PLO ended up fifth at the checkered flag, recording the fast lap of the race. The lead group spaced itself out in the first few circuits of the Final with Pier-Luc up to third by lap four. The front three drew away from the rest of the field, running consistent lap times with not much jostling for position. When the signal for the final lap was given, the top two went side by side through the third corner. With slight contact, the two drifted wide through the exit, allowing room for PLO to slide inside and take over the point. From there, PLO went on to earn his first checkered flag of the year.  Riding off the momentum of the victory, PLO went into Round 4 with more confidence. Posting the third quickest lap time in qualifying, Ouellette was set for the inside row two starting position for the Prefinal. With the preferred inside line through the opening corner, PLO followed the polesitter through the corner and the two went on to pull away from the field with Pier-Luc placing second. Now outside the front row, Ouellette needed a perfect start to not get shuffled in the initial corners. Doing just that, PLO showed the way early on in the Final. On lap four, Ouellette would lose the lead. With no pressure behind him, he settled in behind the leader. Unable to capitalize on any mistakes, PLO crossed the line second to cap off a double podium weekend. 

 The new Big Al Micro Max CRG chassis package continues to shine thus far in 2010, scoring yet another victory this time with Thomas behind the wheel. Saturday’s action for PSL however was led by Round 2 winner Anthony Gangi Jr. Placing third in qualifying Gangi went on to score the win in the Prefinal. Slipping to seventh in the Final, Gangi climbed back to score a runner-up finish. Juan David Buitrago put two CRGs into the top 10 for Round 3. Qualifying fifth, Buitrago ran as high as fourth before settling into sixth in the Prefinal. From there, JDB climbed up to finish third provisionally until officials penalized him four positions, putting him seventh in the order. Thomas ran inside the top-10 but was caught up in an opening lap incident, as was fellow PSL driver James Dean Laderoute. While Laderoute was put on the sidelines, Thomas continued on however to place 16th.  Gangi matched his results on Sunday for Round 4, ending the timed qualifying session third and winning the Prefinal. Meanwhile, Thomas ran inside the top-five to solidify PSL’s chance at victory. Both battling inside the top-five, Gangi crossed the line second with Thomas on his bumper. Following officials placing penalties, the provisional winner and Gangi were penalized seven positions, handing the win to Thomas. Gangi would end up ninth in the order, moving Buitrago and Laderoute to fifth and seventh respectively, putting four PSL Karting drivers inside the top-10. For Buitrago, it was his fourth straight top-10 finish. 

 Kyle Herder was the lone DD2 driver for the PSL Karting squad. Coming off a rough Orlando weekend, Herder started the Palm Beach weekend with the fast lap in Round 3 qualifying. Pressured heavily in the 15-lap Prefinal, Herder escaped with the win by just 0.045-seconds. Herder’s hope for the feature win went away in the first turn when he was punted from behind as the field took the green flag. Herder’s kart was pushed up and over another competitor. Able to walk away from his second flip in four weeks, Herder would have to watch from the sidelines. Returning the next morning following some repairs to his CRG, Herder return to the course as if nothing had happened to earn his second straight pole in qualifying. Similar to Saturday’s Prefinal, Herder was engaged in a fierce battle for the win with four other drivers in the lead group. Able to earn his way back to the point with the white flag displayed, Herder made a slight error through the turn 1-2 combination, making slight contact with an inside barrier and went spinning around in front of the lead pack. Continuing on to the checkered, Herder crossed in 12th position. In the Final, Herder advanced up to fourth, just one spot shy of the podium. 

 In Junior, Jesus Rios Jr. came back from two tough qualifying results to score top-10 results. In Round 3, Rios came from 17th to seventh in the Prefinal. It would be all for not as he would get shuffled back to mid-pack in the opening circuit, however, he muscled his way forward again to finish sixth to cap off a solid day. Still not able to find the correct set-up on new tires for qualifying, Rios was 23rd after the timed session. Another stellar performance in the Prefinal set up Rios to start eighth in the Final. Able to avoid any damaging contact through the opening laps, Rios was as high as second in the 20-lap race, placing third to match his highest finish of the year thus far. Coming into Round 3 with a podium finish in his previous outing, Jesse Lazare was set to match that result until getting caught up in Prefinal wreck. Falling to the tail of the field, Lazare continued on to place 27th, leading to a 16th in the Final. Qualifying for Round 4 was Lazare’s break of the weekend as he posted the fifth fastest time in the session. Running fourth at the white flag signal, Lazare was shuffled back to sixth at the checkered flag. Once again, Lazare was unable to avoid the chaos of the opening lap and was shuffled back to 11th of the opening lap. Going to work, Lazare knifed his way forward to end up fifth at the checkered flag to help move himself up the point standings. 

 Other drivers under the PSL/CRG tent included Senior driver Gerald Caseley, who despite showing speed throughout the day to run times similar to PLO and the rest of the lead pack, would be caught up in the misfortune of contact cause by other drivers to not record strong finishes. Junior driver Marc-Antonie Cardin continues to learn under the guidance of the PSL staff and came away with a runner-up finish in the B-Main in Round 4 action. The Mini Max package for PSL Karting continues to develop, as does the four drivers running at the Palm Beach weekend - Jimmy Cabrera, Thomas Issa, Gavin Reichelt and Donovan Fenton.  

Next on the docket for PSL Karting will be a return to central Florida as the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge wraps up at the repaved Ocala Gran Prix facility in Ocala, Florida on March 19-21. Any drivers interested in piloting a PSL Karting Arrive and Drive package or for more information on the many products the Quebec company distributes, please contact Team Director Stephan St. Charles at 819.377.5566. You can also e-mail Stephan via Stephan@pslkarting.com   PSL Karting can be found on the Internet @ www.pslkarting.com ###   About PSL Karting:PSL Karting is one of the most respected shops and teams in the sport.  Located in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, they are a Canadian importer of CRG karts and Maxter engines, as well as a dealer and distributor for a long list of the best products in the sport such as Rotax, Arai, MG Tires, Vega, MIR Racewear and Tillett Seats. PSL Karting is a full service operation, offering karts and parts, arrive-and-drive programs on the WSK North American Series, Florida Winter Tour, Coupe de Quebec series and SKUSA SuperNationals, engine building and tuning, and an intensive driving school that features dynamic and experienced instructors.