SKUSA Pro Kart Challenge – Round 3 : May 21 – 24 : Sonoma CA
After a challenging start to the season, Ben headed to Sonoma focused on one thing — maximizing points and closing the gap in the championship standings.
From the start of the weekend, the speed was there to compete for a podium. However, taking the top step would not come easy with a very strong NorCal field.
Ben qualified P3 on Saturday, a solid starting position considering the challenges of Turn 1 when lining up on the outside row.
In the heat race, Ben quickly moved forward from third place and settled in behind the leader while managing the pace. On the final lap, he made a decisive pass for the lead and captured the heat race win.
Starting on pole for the main event gave Ben the opportunity to control the race early and put himself in position for a strong points weekend. He led the opening laps before briefly dropping to second place. A few laps later, Ben fought back to retake the lead and went on to hold the top spot for the next twelve laps, securing an important victory at Sonoma.
The win was a huge step forward in the championship battle and a strong rebound performance for the team.
CCKRA – Round 2 : May 16-17 : Buttonwillow, CA
We made a last-minute decision to head north to Buttonwillow to get some extra track time and preparation ahead of next week’s big race weekend.
The competition was strong all day, and we found ourselves in several close battles throughout the event. We qualified P2, which put us in a good position heading into the heat races.
In Heat Race 1, I stayed patient and made a last-lap pass to take the win. Going into the pre-main, the goal was to maintain position and put ourselves in control for the main event. Unfortunately, we came up just short and finished P2.
For the main race, the strategy was simple: survive the opening corner, settle into position, and wait for the right moment to make a move for the lead. That plan worked perfectly. I worked together with the leader to create a gap to the rest of the field, then with two laps remaining, I made the winning pass and secured the Mini Swift victory for the weekend.
It was a great weekend of racing and valuable preparation heading into next week’s big event.
SKUSA Pro Kart Round 2 : April 26 : Winchester CA
SKUSA Pro Kart Round 1 : April 25 : Winchester CA
SKUSA Winter Nationals Round 2 : March 27-29 : Tucson AZ
SKUSA Winter Nationals Round 1 : March 27-29 : Tucson AZ
