PSL KARTING BATTLES HARD AT OPENING ROUND OF FLORIDA WINTER TOUR

25 janvier 2010

PSL KARTING BATTLES HARD AT OPENING ROUND OF FLORIDA WINTER TOUR 

Seven podiums in total for 2010 opening weekend for Canadian CRG importer

ORLANDO, FL (January 17, 2010) – The 2010 season is underway for the PSL Karting operation as it made the long journey from its base in Quebec, Canada to Orlando, Florida for the opening round of the Florida Winter Tour. Set at the new Orlando Kart Center facility, a squad of 20 drivers aboard CRG machines battled around the 7/10-mile circuit in six different categories, all looking to claim a Rotax Max Challenge International title. In its 12th year, the competition at the Florida Winter Tour is at its toughest level yet with PSL drivers in the mix all weekend, walking away with seven podiums total and claiming the first win of 2010.

 On track, the Micro Max contingent for PSL Karting recorded the best results from the weekend with a victory and four podiums. American Anthony Gangi Jr. scored the feature win Sunday following a third place run on Saturday. Columbian native Juan David Buitrago joined him on the podium on day two with a second place run following a strong fourth place the previous day. Florida’s Matthew Thomas score the lone pole position for PSL Karting on the weekend with the fast lap on Saturday, en route to a runner-up finish in the feature. On Sunday, Thomas improved from a tough qualifying session of 26th to end up seventh at the end of the day. Canadian James Dean Laderoute recovered from no completed laps in qualifying on Saturday to drive forward for a eighth place finish in the Prefinal, en route to seventh in the Final. Laderoute would remain in the top-10 Sunday, running ninth in the final. Mexican Donovan Fenton was 15th and 11th on the weekend, nearly putting four drivers in the top-10 on day two.

PSL Junior drivers added two podiums in the opening weekend, thanks to Jesus Rios Jr. and Jesse Lazare. On day one, Rios had to overcome a poor qualifying effort (17th) to place fourth in the Prefinal. After leading the first seven laps of the final, Rios settled into third to end up on the podium. Rios was primed for a run at the podium on Sunday until contact put him on the sidelines after just one lap in the feature. Lazare was in the top-10 on day one, crossing the line fourth in the feature behind Rios however was penalized for a driver infraction to put him at the tail of the finishing order. Making up for it the next day, Lazare came from 14th to the third spot on the podium in Sunday’s Final. Tommy Beshro needed to prevail over tough qualifying performances outside the top-20 to run to 12th and ninth in the finals to help put himself in the hunt for the championship. PSL Atlantic driver Alex VanSnick stepped up on day two after missing out on the A Main the previous day.

The lone DD2 driver for PSL - Kyle Herder - overcame a hard flip on Saturday’s action to score the runner-up podium position on Sunday. The Masters duo for PSL came just short of podiums finishes both days, led by Dany St-Hilaire. The FWT rookie was consistent on Saturday, placing fifth in all on-track sessions. Qualifying second on Sunday, St. Hilaire ran third in the Prefinal and fell back one more spot to fourth in the Final. Michel Legrand was quick early on Saturday, moving up from ninth to sixth in the Prefinal, however, falling to eleventh in the Final. After posting the seventh quickest lap in Qualifying on Sunday, Legrand was involved in an opening lap crash that put him on the sidelines. Starting 22nd, Legrand muscled up to eighth for a solid top-10 finish.

 Despite having the speed to battle for the win, the Senior contingent left Orlando with mostly unfavorable results. Lead driver Pier-Luc Ouellette was to contend for the win Saturday starting third, however, the traitorous turn one collected ‘PLO’ in the opening corner pile up which dropped him to 25th in the order. Ouellette put in an amazing drive in to claim the ninth position after the 20-lap Final. The next day, Ouellette continued his pace within the top-five up through the Final until near the halfway mark when the rear bumper came loose, thus receiving the black flag to be removed from race recording a tough DNF. Massimo Scotti had solid end results on the weekend following unfavorable qualifying efforts. The driver from Quebec advanced 15 positions on Saturday to finish 13th while moving forward 11 spots on Sunday to cross the line 12th. PSL Atlantic driver Gerald Caseley showed strong speed both days but was victim to contact on track after running within the top-10 early on.

The three drivers flying PSL Karting colors in the Mini Max division put in solid efforts with Jamaican Thomas Issa showing the way in his FWT debut with the squad. Issa recorded 12th and 15th place finishes in the feature races. Dominican Diego Barkhausen was 14th and 22nd on the weekend while American newcomer Gavin Reichelt made the show both days to earn the 18th and 25th positions. Other Junior drivers under the PSL tent included Alex VanSnick, Mikel Pelletier, and Marc-Antoine Cardin, who all fought valiantly on the weekend and will look to improve their results at the next round. 

The month of February will take the PSL Karting operation further south in the state of Florida as the Florida Winter Tour program will travel to the Palm Beach International Raceway (formerly known as Moroso Motorsports Park). The ‘Formula Kart’ weekend will take place on February 12-14 with the Rotax drivers returning on February 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.