Team PSL Karting completed an impressive US Grand National week on Saturday as the CRG squad and Rotax engine provider claimed six fastest laps, seven heat wins, two National Championships and added to its list of drivers headed to the 2010 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals at La Conca, Italy!

"Everyone at the shop is really happy with the week," said Team PSL President Dominic Labrecque. "All our engines ran great and we were part of two National Championships. I would have much preferred to finish 1-2-3 in Micro-Max, but that's racing!"

Indeed, if there was a class where PSL was looking to make major waves, it was certainly Rotax Micro-Max where Anthony Gangi Jr. and Matthew Thomas qualified third and fourth for Team PSL while Justin and Josh Sirgany qualified sixth and seventh with PSL Engines. Gangi then proceeded to win heat one with Josh Sirgany winning heats two and three. Both recorded a fastest lap, and so did Justin Sirgany in the third and final heat before the field of 24 headed to the National prefinal.

Gangi worked his way from fifth to the front in that one with fastest lap in the field as well, and PSL looked good for the final as Josh Sirgany was off-pole, Justin was fifth and Thomas was all the way back to sixth after making up for two rough heat races. In the final, the drivers shuffled at the front before running 1-2-3 under the white flag with Gangi leading Josh Sirgany and Thomas. The final turn came off like bumper cars though, yet Gangi hung on and recorded a National Championship! Justin Sirgany was on the podium in third, while Josh recovered fifth. While it didn't go exactly according to plan, PSL had its first Champion from the first race, and two podiums in the books.

Mini-Max was the second class up in New Castle and from the second race PSL had its second National Champion after Jordan Perry won with PSL Power. In a dominating week, Perry won all three of his heats, two with fastest lap, and was on pole for the Saturday prefinal. The lead switched hands repeatedly in that one before Perry qualified on the front row, and after falling to fifth early in the National final, the Florida driver steadily picked his way to the lead, and held off all comers over the final four laps to take the National crown, the second of the event with a PSL connection!

Nathan Mauel was the Team PSL driver to earn a trip to the Rotax Grand Finals, and he did so in DD2 after joining the team in the weeks leading up to the event. "Yes, the ride was put together in a week and a half," he said following the event. "Working with PSL was amazing! They helped me out in every way possible. They were very professional and taught me a lot. I would definitely work with PSL again and continue doing business with them. They have top of the line stuff that would keep anyone up front."

The combination certainly worked for the Oklahoma native. After qualifying fourth and coming through the heats 3-2-3, Mauel had his weekend running according to plan. "As I progressed through the heat races all I knew is I needed to finish every heat, not get in a collision and stay out of harm's way," he said. "I started the prefinal in second place and knew I needed to get through the first turn and work with the leaders to pull away from the field. Then we could fight it out at the end of the prefinal. Then the final wasn't the best race I have done, but I got the job done!"

Mauel finished third to earn a trip to World Finals, the same spot Jesus Rios Jr. qualified in as he looked to join Mauel on the flight to Italy. Rios then won his first heat race, but contact in heat two began to change the face of his weekend and a massive collection of karts in turn one of the prefinal made it even worse. The Team PSL driver had started on the outside of row six, but quickly found himself at the back of the back with a number of other contenders!

"When I saw I was behind basically the whole field of seniors after the pile up I just had to push as hard as I could to make up what I had lost," he said of the prefinal, and he did just that as he carved his way from P34 to P13 in fifteen laps. Then he continued the charge in the final.

"The kart was just hooked up right off the bat and in two laps I went from 13th to 3rd," he said of the National Final. "I definitely thought that I had the race in the bag, but just a few laps later the motor just didn't pull as good as it did in the beginning and the kart just had slight problems. After getting taken out in heat two I just didn't think that the kart felt like it used to. I just went backwards and finished fifth."

PSL now has little time to rest on its championship laurels, as it is just days away from one of its biggest races of the season - the Monaco de Trois-Rivires in its hometown in Quebec. Team PSL will have one of its largest lineups of the year in action, joined for this race by drivers from PSL Quebec, PSL Atlantic and PSL Ontario. Some American stars are also joining the fray, as factory driver Gary Carlton will be on hand, along with new US National Champion Anthony Gangi Jr. Practice begins Friday with qualifying Saturday and Finals on Sunday. For more information, visit pslkarting.com or eckc.ca.

* denotes drivers with PSL Power only

1. Anthony Gangi Jr. - National Champion

3. Justin Sirgany*

5. Josh Sirgany*

20. Matthew Thomas

1. Jordan Perry* - National Champion

8. Thomas Issa

11. Gavin Reichelt

28. William Myers*

12. Collin Daley*

52. Melanie Giessen*

5. Jesus Rios Jr.

13. Sabre Cook

3. Nathan Mauel - Team USA