2008 Stars of Karting Race of the Americas Report

(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca)

The Stars of Karting Race of the Americas in New Castle was the third racing weekend of the year for Canadian Stefan Rzadzinski. Following some technical problems at the Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, Rzadzinski was looking to rebound during his first Stars of Karting campaign. Friday kicked off with Rzadzinski learning the New Castle Motorsports Park circuit. Throughout the day, Rzadzinski was still slightly off the pace, but progress was shown.

Although the entire paddock was hit heavily and the event was delayed for two hours, Saturday kicked off well for Rzadzinski. He managed to lay down the second fastest time in his group during morning practice. Things were looking optimistic for qualifying but unfortunately, a small setup problem cost Rzadzinski mightily. After three hot laps Rzadzinski pulled into the pits to make the adjustment. Unfortunately the checkered flew on his out lap, and Rzadzinski’s single lap after the checkered flag was not counted. This placed Rzadzinski back in 37th of the 42 qualified. The qualifying result placed Rzadzinski 25th to start both of his heats. In the first heat a sticking throttle cable cost him valuable time and positions, but managed to move forward to 18th position. In the second heat Rzadzinski also moved forward through the rankings, but only finished in 19th. After all the heats were completed, Rzadzinski was placed 32nd on the grid for the final races.

Sunday brought many more positives than any other day throughout the weekend. As Rzadzinski was continuing to adjust to the CRG kart, an increase in consistency and speed was shown. During Final 1, Rzadzinski moved up from his 32nd starting grid and fought to 19th by the conclusion of the race. In Final 2, Rzadzinski had another strong run after an incident which brought out a red flag and delayed the race. Rzadzinski proceeded through the field and into 14th place at the checkers.

“I was definitely more satisfied with Sunday than any other day of the weekend. We were struggling a bit to get settled with the kart earlier on, but with help from my mechanic Ryan Perry a few problems were sorted out. I worked on the driving perspective which made the biggest overall difference. I had to adjust my style of driving to suit the chassis which is different compared to what I was familiar with in years past. I recognize there is a lot for me to learn and adjust to after this weekend. This is positive, because I know there is still quite a bit of time left in me. With continued testing, I am confident we will be able to find this speed and be ready to compete at the very front of the Stars field. I have to thank Ryan Perry for being my tuner and mechanic throughout this weekend, along with Pitts engines for providing me with a great engine package. I also thank Genesis Racing and Stratotech Park for supporting me throughout this 2008 season. Now I will be heading off to Regina, Saskatchewan to compete in the Canadian Rok Cup rounds #3 and #4.”