August - Go Racing Magazine

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Past Karters Show the way @ San Jose The 2007 CART series found itself on the west coast for the second time this year. The 3rd Annual San Jose Grand Prix presented by Toyota and the Canary Foundation at the Redback Raceway Park came upon the nations 10th largest city to host another event on the streets of a major metropolitan area. The west coast undoubtedly is known for its open wheel roots as the east is known for its solid roots of NASCAR Fans. CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) began setting up their efforts to showcase this event months in advance. When I arrived in San Jose on Wednesday afternoon to pick up credentials. I could not help but notice that the streets were not blocked off and the course was not set up yet. Within 48 hours some of the nation’s best open wheel drivers will navigate this 1.5-mile road course through the heart of downtown San Jose at speeds approaching 200 mph. I said to myself it would take an army to get ready for racing in such a short amount of time. It reminded me of some of the efforts our local and national promoters must endure to host a major regional or national event in karting, whether it is IKF, Stars or SuperNats. There are logistics that must be planned and executed to present a race for the fans and racers alike. My primary focus was to get information on karting’s most recent drivers that have crossed over into the upper levels of open wheel racing. Drivers like Adrian Carrio, (Atlantics) Jonathan Bomarito, (Atlantics) James Hinchcliffe, (Atlantics) Alan Sciuto, (Atlantics) Graham Rahal, (Champ Car) Alexander Rossi, (Formula BMW) Billy Goshen (Formula BMW). I have personally seen Rossi, Sciuto, Goshen and Carrio in their early days of karting and all were impressive to watch and even more impressive to see how they conduct themselves at the various karting events in which we attended. Witnessing first hand the team effort that has been assembled for each of these drivers instilled in me the fact that karting is a major source that the major leagues of open wheel racing depend on to guarantee longevity for its teams, sponsors, and the overall future growth of open wheel racing. As I mingled amongst the other photographers, simple conversation began as I spoke of the above-mentioned drivers. I was surprised and concerned that many of these “Motorsports” photographers never heard of karting and its organizations. I made small talk about my son beating Goshen at a national karting event and also losing to him in the same day in another class. The question came-up…why isn’t your son racing here? I laughed inside and almost engaged this photographer in our story but spared him the details. Photos by Jose Sanchez As I entered the pit areas of the drivers I noticed first hand some of the parallels in karting. The haulers were of a grand scale, the tuners were abundant, and the pits were spotless. If you look around at your next karting event, whether local, regional or national you will notice that many of the successful teams in karting have adopted this physical presence. The appearance of professionalism is often the key to getting noticed. This simple attention to detail attracts sponsors. I can say that our professional levels of open wheel racing are struggling for entries not as much for talent. With the IRL Series in direct competition with CART and vice versa I also see many parallels that we as karters struggle with. The IKF, WKA, Stars, etc are all competing for the same racers on different levels yes but nonetheless still competing. Perhaps we as karters can take from what our upper levels of racing are using as a recipe for success in that they present an image of professionalism, commitment, and desire to win races. I know many of the karters share the same values, however we don’t always practice these disciplines consistently. As with the hundreds of volunteers it took for David Rahn the director of marketing for the San Jose Grand Prix to pull off this event we too must ask that out supporters find a way to support our local drivers and their aspiring teams get noticed, maintain professionalism and win races. Jonathan Bomarito Page 44 Go Racing Magazine
The Rock Island Grand Prix has been a huge success in years past as an epic event that attracts drivers from Canada, Europe, and South America. The Rock Island Entertainment group has supported this event hosting over 400 drivers for many years. Sponsors like AT&T and Mazda have supported this event since its outset. Mazda is a big supporter of the CART series as is Snap-on Stars of Karting supported by Bryan Herta with ties to IRL. The SuperNats also attract some of the best karting talent and has also become a draw for both of the above-mentioned promoters, sponsors and drivers. At this year’s San Jose Grand Prix, local driver, Jonathan Bomarito (#23 Miracle Sealants, Konica Minolta, Dynacor) picked up his first Atlantic series win. With Adrian “Ace” Carrio (#17 Carrio Cabling) besting his best efforts to date in his rookie season with a sixth place finish. Alan Sciuto also (#20 WS Deans, The Room Source) earned his sixth top seven result of the season. Our local karters are doing well. A quote from race Atlantic race winner Bomarito: JONATHAN BOMARITO (#23 Miracle Sealants/Konica Minolta/Dynacor) of PR1 Motorsports: “It just feels incredible. Being here in San Jose, I have so many friends and family here, and just the season we’ve had, up to this point, it’s just a remarkable feeling. It’s been a tremendous weekend from the second we put the car on the track. It’s been really good. I can’t thank the team and the guys enough. When you have such an up-and-down season, to stay positive week-in and week-out and keep working as hard as they have is very difficult to do. My hat’s off to the whole Miracle Sealants/PR1 team. It’s great to be back up here. What a great feeling.” Bomarito’s team celebrated in San Jose. Their win was a result of a well-balanced recipe of skill, luck, and determination. This win came to the team collectively as they overcame issues that others may use as an excuse or a reason as to why they didn’t win. The next time you are at a karting event, pay special attention to the teams that are winning. Most likely they are representing a professional, polished appearance and they most likely have a team. We call them a family! Words by John Valerio Photos by Jose Sanchez & John Valerio Adrian Carrio 6th place Atlantics Rafael Matos clinched the championship with a nice championship pay check! Billy Goshen, Formula BMW Hearn Motorsports Go Racing Magazine Page 45 Photos by Jose Sanchez Photos by John Valerio Photos by John Valerio
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August - Go Racing Magazine

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