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TornadoDriver.com is the new home of kart racing teams focused on moving to the front with American Made Innovation.. While the site is new, the karts and our history is not. We have been producing the Tornado chassis for eight years and our racing experience dates back to 1980 in the off road racing business.

Tornado - that strong undeniable force when the jet stream dips down to the earth. Our goal for our racing chassis and Engine process is to strive to be a strong undeniable force in racing. We accomplished this with our Kid Kart Tornado in 2007 winning all major races and series, we hope to repeat similar success in the Cadet class in three years. We also produce an Adult sized Chassis and a Rookie Chassis.

The engine design and development business is moving beyond the karting engines we started with eight years ago.   Our long term goal is to unite many different engine building disciplines under one roof and one company. This allows us to bring additional engineering principles to research and design. We have a goal to have  ten dynamometers running in separate climate controlled rooms running engines from tiny RC power plants turning 40,000 rpm’s to full size fuel injected V8’s.

Why would we do this, because we love engineering and we love racing of all types. Because the racing world is often ruled by machinist and hobbyist turned engine builders. While talented machinist are required to build engines they become very powerful when pared with inspired engineers.

We charge more than most, but we reinvest in new tools and technology. Our engineers approach building and testing as a scientific process. We continue to test and break things because racing is living on the edge of destruction of an engine. That’s what Tornado Engineers do best, find the edge of destruction and give that edge to our drivers. It’s not cheap, it’s not easy but it is what we believe is required to win. Our week includes the study of Tribology, Thermodynamics, Metallurgy, harmonics and then application of a testing process on the dyno.

To compete with those that have been in the industry for twenty years we have to utilize engineering advancements to move beyond the conventional wisdom. There are many great people in our sport and it is our honor to race with them and against their products. We are proud that our products and facilities are in the US.  We enjoy working with top teams that like to test and hunt for speed. If we can help you please give us a call (916)390-6474 or drop us a note at tornadodriver @gmail.com

 

New Chassis Updates:

2009 Cadets Announced

We started shipping the 2009 Tornado Cadet. It has been in testing since February. One of the first drivers to race it was Royal McKee of Las Vegas  and he stunned the Rotax crowd by taking the pole and winning both days of the Race of The Americas international race. He was only age qualified by two weeks and was the youngest driver in the field.

The Tornado Cadet has many wins this season. Kaleb Allison won the Route 66 Sprint Series with a Tornado Tag 60 engine and a Tornado Cadet. Sprinting to the front for 5 of the 6 races of the season he easily wrapped up the championship. In the SWRC in Texas Cole Glasson leads the points with just one race weekend to go as the youngest driver in the field, competing as a 7 year old on a Tornado chassis against 25 other drivers as old as 11. He and Hannah Williams (9 years old) have multiple wins in the series on their Tornado Cadet Chassis.

Michael Schneider also has been very successful in his Tornado Cadet and Rotax MiniMax. He was ranked 4th in the nation often qualifying on the front row and finishing on the podium in Texas.

 

Allison Wins Route 66 Regional Championship!

Kaleb Allison is one of the rising stars in karting. He's been in it less than two years but is a fearless fanatic on the track. We first saw Kaleb when he came to race the California State Championships last year finishing an impressive 7th on a tight chassis set up. Kaleb likes a loose kart. With over a 200 point lead in the points after Sunday's fourth win in the series Kaleb will drop the last race and attend the Tag USA Championships in Grand Junction Colorado next month instead. He finished 1st in 4 of the 5 races so far this season and does not need to attend the final race in Springfield.

Kaleb's father Keith picked up two chassis from us over the winter and entered Kaleb in our Factory Driver program. He showed great improvement in his first Cadet year and wins the championship on his first of three tries as the youngest competitor. He is currently in the top 10 in points in the Yamaha class and will be dialing in his new, thinner Tornado chassis that set fast time at Quincy last month. Our first design was a good qualifier but too tight on over stuck hot summer regional race day tracks. They stuck with us and helped us design a better looser kart for Kaleb and other young drivers.

Kaleb is one of the favorites for the Tag USA race next month and we hope many of the countries' best drivers will be there. Last year they had the best trophies I have ever seen in karting. While technical glitches got the best of us we promised to be back in force to take another shot this year.

2009 Hail Chassis Updated - Sets Fast Time!!

Kaleb Allison and Keith said the first version was just too tight for a rubbered up track. We put our thoughts together and designed a new chassis based on the current successful cadet but longer. We didn't even paint it and rushed it out the door. Keith said "the jig was spot on as the kart scaled within a half pound". Kaleb had to drive the kart with no practice on race weekend. He came in and said it's loose.

They were happy to hear that finally as Kaleb likes a loose kart. They tuned it up to qualify 4th and in the final they set fast time!!! They finished third but the first test of the new hail was wildly successful. For a new design to hit the track and set fast time with the youngest driver in the field was way more than we could hope for. This could be the hottest new full sized Yamaha chassis to hit the market in some time. Thank you Kaleb and Keith for working with us on the new design. Not every fast chassis comes from Italy and the Chromoly will last for years.

2009 Cadet Update

"He likes it! Hey Mikey!"

Over the weekend, Michael Schneider had his first opportunity to put the new 2009 Tornado Prototype to the test against some of the Nation’s top ranked Rotax MiniMax drivers.  Having just taken delivery of the chassis and with only 4 hours of testing, Schneider Racing headed for Norman Oklahoma for rounds 5 and 6 of the South West Regional Cup Series and the KAM Karting Rotax Challenge.

Arriving on Friday for practice they started off with a neutral setting and a slightly rich jet – no need to blow an engine while learning the track.  Coming in from the first round of practice, Mike was very unhappy with the engine calling it “junk”.  He was unable to hold full throttle without the engine bogging and dying off.  You couldn’t tell by watching the kart from the bleachers as he was literally outdriving most of the field.  “I have to constantly play with the throttle and back off just to get it to run”.  Later this was finally traced to a battery that appeared to be charged but would lose volts quickly causing the full throttle ignition problem.  With that now fixed, Mike could concentrate on the track and not worry about the throttle.  Mike picked up another second, but came in and said the rear end was a bit too loose.  With only a slight adjustment to the rear track and a tire pressure modification, Mike came in from the next practice  session and said “don’t touch it, it’s perfect.”  He had picked up yet another second.

Saturday, Mike qualified the Tornado Prototype off pole, on the front row, right next to Alec Udell, currently in his final year with MiniMax, and the #1 ranked Rotax MiniMax driver in the Nation.  Udell is also currently running in the TAG Junior class driving a Leopard.  The outside of the track in Norman was not the place to be as there is a very long straight followed by a hard right – Mike was on the left (outside).  The only hope was to outrun Udell down the straight and get in front of him into turn 1, which is exactly what Mike did!  From that point on the 2 drivers left the field behind and eventually Udell got a great run down the straight and passed on the inside of turn one never to relinquish the lead again.  

It was a great run.  The 2009 F4 Tornado Cadet was amazingly easy to set up, very smooth, and incredibly fast and easy to drive.  

Round 6 was held that following day with Mike qualifying another ½ second faster.  Unfortunately, so did Udell and now Lopez and Clark were in the hunt.  Mike’s engine did not get the pull it needed at the start and through turn 1, Mike came out 4th behind Udell, Lopez and Clark.  With Clark slightly holding up Mike, Udell and Lopez started to pull away.  Mike finally got around Clark and began to reel in Lopez. Mike caught him a couple of laps later and made a pass around an inside corner surprising Lopez and taking over the 2nd spot.  It was short lived though as Lopez fired right back around the next turn and resumed 2nd place.  Meanwhile, Udell had checked out.  The battle would be between Mike and Lopez for the rest of the race with Mike right on Lopez’s rear bumper.  Lopez made no further mistakes so Mike ended up 3rd in a strong battle of Nationally ranked drivers.

With his performance last weekend, at 8 years old, Michael Schneider and the 2009 Tornado Cadet Prototype should now assume the #2 National ranking right behind Alec Udell in the Rotax Challenge driver rankings.  

Mike is getting faster and faster every week and while we have only been running Rotax for 4 months, we are starting to really understand the Rotax engine.  We look forward to seeing everyone in Wisconsin for the Grand Nationals.    
 from Jeff Schnieder

Braden Johnson On Pole at CSSS

Braden is getting the Tornado Cadet figured out and Michael Thompson, his crew chief is working hard on getting the right jetting and gear settings for the tracks they run. Braden set fast time in the heat race and took the pole for the final. He put the kart off the track but still made it back up to challenge for second. He finished in third and it was a good first race of the CSSS. Last year Braden took home the CSSS title in the Kid Kart class with four straight wins.

Kaleb Allison Wins Heat In Tornado Hail Rookie Chassis' First Race!!!

Kaleb tested only two days with the newly designed full size Tornado Hail Edition. Keith called and said we are too tight so we made some changes and dropped a couple seconds. Kaleb was the youngest driver and had never raced a Yamaha before. In the first race of the season and the first time out for the new Tornado in competition Kaleb and the Tornado won the heat race. He ended up third on the day in the final but it was a very successful first outing for Kaleb and the Tornado Hail.

"We are very happy with the first outing, we'll get quicker and we have four years left in this class" Keith Allison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Royal McKee Wins Gatorz Races at Xplex!!

 

 

 

 

Tornado Engines Updates:

Cruz Fiore Finally Breaks Winning Streak

Cruz had been undefeated in racing action at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this year until his carb clogged at the last race and he had to pull over. Chris Trickle and Chloe St. George duked it out in a massive struggle. Chloe was running a brand new engine we built and it was too tight on the top but had tons of yank. She would take Chris in the corners and first part of the straight and Chris would get it back at the end. At the final it was Chris prevailing on Mothers day. Bark Trickle is loved by all and we were so happy to hear that Chris won one for her.

 Chloe has consistently broken in and tested a number of experimental engines for us and hopefully all that hard work will pay off this summer at the big races. She'll do two three national races in one week and we hope to have enough engines for her to have a shot at each race.

Cruz has also tested chassis' and engines tirelessly and we appreciate all his hard work. Both lead the points with drops in IKF R7 and Region 11. Hard work pays off and we appreciate all that they do to keep us on the cutting edge. Several developments lately will start making their way to tracks for warm up races to the nationals, then we'll roll out the power for all to see. We have well qualified competitors in the market this year and it will be a fun battle for the titles, as it should be. Last year it was a waltz for our four at the Kid Kart Nationals and this year we expect it to be much tighter. Flinn Lazier, son of Indy 500 Champion, won the day after Chris Trickle had taken the pole for us the day before. 

This year Chris will be racing against his old team for the Italians, they are working very hard to perfect a chassis for Italy. Unfortunately for us they are using much of what they learned from us in the engine and chassis areas, but that's racing and secrets don't always remain secrets. So it will be the Italians against the Americans this year. The Italians have been way behind in chassis development for Kid Karts and needed help. Our racing philosophies were too different for our teams to work together and Chris had to find a new approach. He's one of the greatest drivers around and he's got great help. It will challenge us like never before, but if we get the win it will be more sweet. If they win they will have bested the reigning championship team. It is what makes racing great. Our bet is on Chloe, Cruz, Dillon, Owen or Logan for the Kid Kart National Win. There will be many others running our chassis and our engines that can also win including Jaydon Biles, Shankleton, Mason Mitchell, among others. It should be fun.

 

Gazelle Tag 60

Our Gazelle's are doing very well with some young drivers. Cole Glasson and Hannah had a great weekend at the South West Regional Cup in Denton Texas. Hannah won day one and Cole took the pole in day two. An engine builder that claims to be the best Gazelle builder in the country was down there helping his clients tune but it was our young drivers that took the win and pole. We are hopeful that our continued focus on the bigger Tag engines will pay off for our Tornado Engines clients.

 

Johnson And Allison 1st & 2nd Wow!!

 April 20

Braden Johnson had so many months off he was about ready to go crazy. Then the first race was snowed out. He finally got to race today in Pevely Missouri and he won his first ever Cadet race in Pevely, Missouri. Braden had to fight with his fellow Tornado Factory Driver Kaleb Allison and it was a tough battle. It was Kaleb's first Cadet race too and he wanted to push the chassis to the limit. Both traded the lead in the heat race. In the final Kaleb was right there but put one wheel in the grass and that was all it took. Braden went on to win and Kaleb got second. 

"The two red Tornado's were like magnets on the track. They were all over each other and running away from the field. You would have been so proud if you could see them" said Michael Thompson. We are very proud of these two Tornado Factory drivers. Many people came over to see what new chassis these two were running because they were so fast and smooth through the corners. Congratulations Braden and Kaleb on the 1, 2 finish. Good luck next week at the Route 66 regional opener. We think these two will be wowing crowds for the next three years in this class.

The string of wins by young drivers on Cadet's for the first time continues. We are so pleased to be doing so good so early. These drivers are surpassing our expectations and making the Tornado Cadet chassis look so good. We are pleased to have such a talented teams represent our chassis and engines.

 

Cole Glasson Leads SWRC Points at age 7, Hannah 2nd

At only 7 years old, Cole Glasson is the youngest competitor in the hotly contested Southwest Regional Cup. 17 Drivers from Mexico and surrounding states have come to challenge the best Cadet racers in the South running Gazelle Engines. Cole just took delivery of a new Tornado Engines Gazelle and it did what they needed to take the lead in points. "It was fast on the straights, fast in the corners, it did everything we wanted. We were just up against the local track veteran, we ran him down, just couldn't get around him", said Tim Glasson. Cole turned the fastest time in the final race breaking the track record.

In Sunday's final Cole was up against the seasoned veteran Michael Illavia in the final and Pato O'Ward of Mexico as well as two time winner and teammate Hannah Williams. Pato had a bad start and got shuffled to the back, in the end it was a drag race between Illavia and Glasson. With the second place finish Cole takes over sole possession of first place in the series as the youngest driver in the field, with Hannah right behind in second.

It is a dream first season for our young Cadet drivers in Texas and Missouri. It's a validation for us that our Gazelles are built well and have plenty of power and the Tornado Cadet chassis is very competitive. Congratulations Cole and Hannah for a great race and for leading the points.

Kaleb Allison Leads 66

Kaleb Allison got second today at the Route 66 Regional race even though he set fast time in the race against an 11 year old. He has a solid points lead on his Tornado Cadet. Tornado Factory driver teammate Braden Johnson struggled with an engine issue but still finished fourth, pretty good for his first regional race in a cadet.

Kaleb and Keith have been working hard on their Yamaha program and were up to 5th fastest during the weekend at one point. He's got the chassis freed up a bit more and we need a little more chassis tuning and probably some more engine power. We're working on the perfect engine for Kaleb, such talent should not be wasted. He is doing so well in his first year in Cadets.

Tornado Cadet Video

The Tornado Cadet Factory Drivers have been doing so well that you should take a look at the wins they have been piling up. Most are in their first Cadet races. They are surpassing our expectations a year ahead of schedule. We believe they have verified that we have one of the fastest Cadet karts available on the US market today.

 

Driver of the Month Find It Here...

 How To Get Sponsors and Thank Them (click here to read more)

 
 
 

Mondays and Tuesdays are often our days off. If you call on those days leave a message or drop an e-mail so that we can get back to you when we get back in the office.

 

Special Notes:

 

Used Engines and Karts

Comer Tag 60 Flinn Lazier took pole with at Worlds $2175

Used 2009 Kid Kart F4 blue on blue $1985

Used 2008 Cadet F4 - $1775

Blueprinted Stealth Gazelle 60cc Tag $2585

Used Superstealth  C51 $2075

Used C50 Old Style Stealth Fast! $1675

Used Stealth K80 $1885

See the used section for these deals!

 

Call today (916)390-6474 before they are gone! First to pay gets them, we do not reserve engines for people. Great engines only come by every once in a while.

 Lead Stories:

Super Star Wins R7 Too!

Chloe St. George of Las Vegas called from Grange Race Circuit near Apple Valley California to let me know she completed her goal of winning each of IKF's regions. She asked me, "who's your super star"? I had to answer you are today. It was her day and she raced Chris Trickle and Jake Drew for the win, trading the lead with them five times. In the end she was first on the podium and Drew was second.

When we met Chloe in Las Vegas she was driving a beat up old Italian kart but she was solid as the older kids kept hitting her. She showed determination and we decided to invest in her because we wanted more females in the sport. She's given back more than we could have ever hoped. She won IKF R11's title, she won the only regional race she ran in IKF R4, took the pole at Kid Kart Nationals and now she adds a IKF R7 to her list of accomplishments.

Keith St. George still has hoses coming out of his back. He's been patching himself together to keep her on the track. He was upset because Chloe got 4th on Saturday. When she finished the race he saw that her accelerator cable was set wrong and she wasn't racing with full throttle. Once he got that fixed she did the rest. She was a kart length behind at the line but the Pitt's engine failed tech and was disqualified giving Chloe the win. Thank you Chloe and SGF Racing for a spectacular season.

Clash Of Kid Kart Titans At I70

Mason Mitchell of Palmyra Missouri won the restricted class at the Kid Kart Nationals and Ower Leatherberry won the Unristricted Class at the KKN. Both are  our factory drivers and both love to win setting up for a real battle in Missouri. This weekend they did battle at the I70 speedway just outside of Kansas City for the Central States Super Series. Mason Mitchell duked it out with Owen and came up the victor.

This is the part of the season when the younger drivers start maturing and have the weight advantage over the older drivers with experience. Both the Mitchell's and the Leatherberry's are focused race teams with a depth of great equipment in their pits. We've trained both teams and it must have been a race to behold. We love all our Tornado Factory Drivers. Congratulations Mason, we can almost see that big grin from here. Thanks for taking us to victory lane in your first big regional win!

Chloe St. George Wins IKF R11

Chloe St. George wins the final at Reno Nevada. It was not easy because she did not get to practice on Friday and they drove all night long. With only a couple hours sleep and two morning practice sessions she stuck with it and worked her way to the front. Two competitors failed on a cc check showing that the most common mistake at this level can end your season. Keith St. George checked his during the day and finished at exactly 7.3cc securing the season title for Chloe and the 2009 Tornado chassis. And yes her engine is for sale right now.

Jerett Tachovsky was wrecked twice  by other drivers but still put down fast time in his 2009 Tornado while trying to make it back to the front of the pack. He received second place after tech finished up. Jerett was caught off guard by the use of lights to start the race. He went from pole to last and had to work his way back up to third in the heat. In the final he was hit twice but never gave up and kept going. Jerett almost completely wraps up second place in the R11 series, a great accomplishment for someone that started the season as a five year old.

Chloe can chose to continue racing the series or drop both last races and accept the championship. She actually has enough points to suffer a DQ and still win the championship. She has not missed a race yet and has won 6 of the 7 races so far. This was the first race in her home state of Nevada but she still had a 7 hour drive to attend the race. Congratulations Chloe on becoming the most dominant Kid Kart Driver in recent history with 8 regional IKF wins in one season, a second at KKN and a 3rd at IKF Grand Nationals.

Jerett Tachovsky Takes Pole At Reno IKF R11 Race

Jerett Tachovsky stunned the crowd at the first race of the IKF R11 season by taking the pole as a five year old. Now he's six and he placed third at the IKF Sprint Grand Nationals. No longer are people surprised by this young driver, they are just watching intently to see how far he will progress. Rob Tachovsky called me the other night and said, "We are going for the win in Reno". That's a big statement when you know that you'll be racing Chloe St. George his other Tornado Factory Driver and arguably the best overall kid kart racer in the country. She has won all but one race of the R11 season and that was the one where her engine failed under the heat.

Keith St. George made it up in time to race Saturday only and Chloe qualified 2 seconds off Jerett's pole time in fourth place. She will have to learn the track while racing. Keith had snuck out of the hospital bedroom and drove seven hours through the desert to make this race. "Chloe's picking up 2 seconds a session but she just hasn't figure the track out yet like Jerett has at this point. Maybe we'll be there with something for him in the final", explained Keith. Zenny St. Georges was happy to explain that Keith had an accident in the car on the way up. One of the tubes from his kidneys came undone. Oh my, I guess it could have been another kind of accident.

Wilson Skjerven has one of our engines and qualified off pole for the R11 race. Everyone will be trying to figure out how to tune at altitude. Keith St. George probably has an advantage her as he won R4a in Colorado when tuning above 5000 feet a couple months ago. Right now we are proud to have three of the top five engines in qualifying and to have the pole with the youngest driver. Keith and I agreed that Jerett has a great touch on the steering wheel and he's coming into his own right now. Congratulations Jerett Tachman Tachovsky on the pole!

Kaleb Allison Last To 1st Run

2nd and 3rd at TAG USA Worlds!

Keith Allison was fighting the altitude tuning on Saturday. I talked to him late after they had stuck an engine. He wanted to pack up and be done with it, but Keith knows that Kaleb will drive the wheels off of it if he gives it to him. Kaleb did just that in the IAME challenge taking second. Kaleb started in the back of the biggest race pack in the IAME challenge. He had to change engines after sticking one on Saturday. He passed everyone and led the race for two laps with a very old back up engine. "We had the chassis and the driver, it just was up to me on getting the engine figured out", said Keith.

Kaleb also got third in the Cadet 2 race. He can come back two more times if he wants. We found out yesterday that the Marriott did not give Keith the good Gazelle we had sent, they only gave him the back up parts engine. He fought with it but could not get it to run. The Gazelles seemed to be the fast way to go. "If we had a Gazelle or had not stuck the Miniswift I think we could have won this thing with the Tornado Chassis", explained Keith. After leading the race for two laps after starting in the back, we think that is proof enough.

Flinn Lazier took second in the Cadet 2 class in a very tight race between the two Comer Tag 60 entries. He was only a fraction of a second behind too. We wanted to get our drivers on the podium and take a shot at winning. We were very close and maybe next year will be the charm. This was a very tight race. Cole Glasson ended up 4th in the Iame challenge race and the Cadet 1 race. He'll be back again several more times and has tremendous talent.

Chloe St. George Wins LAKC California Speedway

Keith was on life support with tubes hanging out of him but he wanted to be at the race. I had talked to him the night before when I heard a girl scream. He said I have to go and dropped the phone. With four kids I'd been in this situation many times and only hoped that Chloe was going to be okay. Zeny called later to say that Keith had pulled out one of the tubes in his kidney while talking to me and apologized for screaming like a girl.

After the emergency room patched him up they went to the track. After the engines with port timing set incorrectly and other no stock parts were eliminated from the field Chloe ended up taking the pole, heat win and final. She was over a second faster a lap than the second place kart. "The kart had to be perfect because of new sealing. I was slippery out there and Chloe drove so smooth. If you breathed the kart in the corner at all you went way back. She just stayed hooked up and smooth and walked away with it." Chloe was 8 seconds ahead of second and 21 seconds ahead of 3rd place.

She is solidly in second in the points behind RJ Stearns. The two will duke it out one last time next month to determine the championship for the coveted LAKC title. Can a female driver from out of state take home the big title against all the local boys? She'll need help, she has to be four positions ahead in the last race.

 

Congratulations Flinn Lazier on Pole At TAGUSA Championships, Glasson Too

Flinn took the pole at the TagUSA nationals in Colorado Saturday in Cadet 1. "Your engine was amazing Michael, we took the pole, later we found a foreign material in our airbox and had to switch engines", Buddy Lazier. Flinn won the Kid Kart Nationals for us last year and we've been happy to work with the Laziers many times since then. Some people say it's because he's famous, those that know us know we share a passion for research and development of new ideas in racing. The Laziers are also one of the nicest families in racing. In the end you chose to spend more time with people that are nice and that appreciate hard work.

 Cole Glasson showed his driving prowess by taking over once Flinn changed engines. Cole has two Gazelles from Tornado Engines but could drive a lawn mower engine to the front, he's simply a phenomenal driver. Flinn made it from the back up to third and will attempt to challenge on Sunday.

The Lazier's don't run our equipment exclusively and try to pick the best parts for the best days.  We had supplied him with a Gazelle and a Tag 60 Comer. He took the pole in the Gazelle class and qualified second in the Cadet 2 class with the Comer. Flinn's team worked through carb mounting issues and put the Lazier's on pole with our Tornado Engines Tag60 Comer.  Kaleb Allison of  Illinois is among other talented drivers but has been fighting carb issues, "We are fast on the track in the corners and Kaleb is ready to lead but we've been fighting with the carb, we went the wrong way on the Minswift and stuck the engine" said Keith Allison. Kaleb did qualify third for the Iame Challenge. The altitude tuning gives the advantage to the local Colorado teams that could test and tune at 5000 feet.

TagUSA is a tough race because of the open tires and big selection of engines available to racers. This years race was moved up a month causing many drivers to drop out of contention because of the date change. Gazelles way outnumber Cadet 2 engines and have been faster again on the big tracks of Colorado.

No New Changes to Cadet or Kid Kart Planned Until 2010

I have talked to several parents that are holding off ordering because they thought we may change the kart design. Our design cycle is December to June every other year. This year we had great success in both the Kid Kart and Cadet that we don't see a need for a change to either chassis design. We did an extra change this year because we saw some unique gains on a test of metal types. We may continue to refine this but no major change to design is expected until 2010.

We will focus on our full size line of chassis starting in December to make them a bit faster and more forgiving as we have done in the junior classes. We might as well take it to the Italians at the bigger races with the bigger names. It won't be easy to unseat them but hey we did it before and we'll do it again.

Cadet Upgrade Month

As we wind down the Kid Kart races for the season more and more drivers are getting ready for next year with Cadets. We have had a great season with our Cadet's as they lead or have already won the two series they ran in. Kaleb Allison won the Route 66 series. Cole Glasson leads the SWRC series in points as the youngest driver. Royal McKee won two Rotax races in Race of The Americas.

The Chromoly chassis lasts longer and stays more stable than any of the Italian chassis on the market. Tornados are fast, responsive and easy to tune. Get one on order this week and we'll give you $100 off the shipping!

Get Well Keith St. George

Keith is out of the hospital and trying to make it to the race at LAKC this weekend. He was asked by the doctors what was more important, his life or racing. "that's a silly question", Keith stated, "racing of course". He'll have to undergo many more tests and a couple more painful procedures to fix his body. We'll see if he clears tech this weekend with all those special tubes and devices on him. Hopefully he'll get it all sorted out and be back to full speed soon.

St.George Cleans Up At Dixon IKF  R11, Wilson 2nd, Jerett 5th

Chloe St. George showed the crowd why she is so revered in the younger ranks of the kart racing world. Fresh off her IKF Region 4A win she left everyone behind taking the pole, heat and final.  Wilson Skjerven was running our engine and was a strong player running in second all day. Jerett Tachovsky was doing the best he could after skipping Friday practice. He got a fifth place finish coming across the line only six hundreds out of fourth.

Looking For Factory Drivers 2009

We are starting to look for our team for next season. You would be joining a talented network of testers and tuners with the same focus as you - winning. Please submit your driving record and details about your team to be considered to tornadodriver @gmail.com

Updated Videos on KKN!

Chloe St. George To Colorado

The St. George family is headed to Colorado to try another region. They have tried to race all over the country and see all the competition. She's won in R11 several times and if she can get a win in the Colorado region then she'll only need to come back and win one of the final four races in region seven to complete the trifecta.

Chloe's best engine is for sale and will be available after the California State Championships. If you want to reserve it for yourself contact us soon. This engine ran second at KKN and probably would have won if we had put the right jet in it. It also ran third at the Grand Nationals, pretty good for an engine on its second and third races.

Kid Kart Nationals Review

Mitchell and Leatherberry KKN Champions!

 So many great drivers from all across the country came to St. Louis to test the best. They were local champs, hot shoes that looked like they couldn't be bested but this race would but them, their equipment, their crew chief and luck to the test. It was all Chloe St. George early in the unrestricted class as she took the pole for the Tornado Factory Team. She had only had two weekends off since January often racing two days in cities separated by ten hour drives.  They continually sought to toughest tracks and competitors.

 

Mason Mitchell took the pole for the Tornado Factory team in the restricted class, Dalton Adkins of West Virginia would assume the pole after the heat race. Mason too had raced the US from East to West already this year and was ready. Thaye, Brady, Branden... I can't name them all but they were fast and brought their A game. The heat races were exciting with no one sure whom would take the win. Trickle and Leatherberry put on the best show of the weekend in the second heat of the day. The two karts ended touching coming to the flag with Owen edging Trickle after Chris passed for the lead in the final corner.

 

 In the other heat race Owen Leatherberry bested Chloe St. George for the pole in the final as Tornado Factory Team drivers locked up the front row but the talented Chris Trickle was in a Tornado with someone else's engine in P3 for the final.

Chris got the lead with a great set of moves early to lead the 28 talented karters across the stripe for the first time. Owen and Chloe were close behind and it didn't take long for Owen to put the move on Chris for the lead. Chloe then took over the lead a lap later as Chris' engine was ailing and he slipped back.  Chloe would put a 10 kart length gap on Owen in the middle of the final but Owen wouldn't give up and he could see Chloe. Lapped traffic slowed Chloe in a couple key areas and Owen's engine came in perfectly to set the track record. He hunted Chloe down and with two turns remaining he put a clean move on her for the win. Owen came across the start finish with both fists in the air  in jubilant fashion and Chloe on his back bumper.

Mason Mitchell had a pretty easy run in the restricted class as he was running Alabama, one of the fastest Kid Kart engine ever. Young mister Turpin came in second in his Tornado. Dalton Adkins looked good early as he turned the fastest time of the day while winning the heat race (see below) and was a possible winning driver but the carb clogged and he had to retire his kart.

 

Young Mr. Shankleton got his Tornado on Thursday and dad got it together in time for the race to come in fourth after an early morning heat win. It was only his sixth race so keep an eye on this young man!  That gave us 3 of the top 4 in Restricted as well. Look at Mason's eyes when he figures out that the podium finishers get more than a participation trophy. The look is priceless.

 

Jaydon Biles put on a great show to finish 4th in unrestricted in his Tornado. As a six year old he'll be the force to recon with in years to come, but Owen has the right to run KKN one more time next year if he doesn't move up. There were so many talented drivers at the race. We were all impressed. As it is each year, the technical nature of keeping the little engines in their sweet spot and keeping the chassis' stuck to the pavement proved to be too much. National championships leave little room for error as many hungry competitors are ready to eat your lunch. Dillon Schwanbeck got caught up in a turn one wreck but came back to win the last chance qualifier.  Eagan Shankleton made it from 20th to 9th after an air cleaner came off. He ran the 3rd fastest time in the final followed by Dillon's 4th fastest time. Tornado Kart Drivers ran top 5 of the six fastest lap times in the final!

Thank you Tornado drivers for giving us 3 of the top 4 spots in unrestricted and 2 of the top 4 in restricted. A sweep of the top podiums is more than we had expected. By luck and hard work by talented teams Tornado drivers won ever pole, heat and final with the exception of one heat - there were no Tornado Karts in that heat by the luck of the timing gods. As one parent said it "this ends the question about what kid kart chassis is the fastest in the world right now". We want to thank all the talented drivers that made the Tornado look so good. Thanks for taking us to victory lane with you.

 

A big thank you to Michael Thompson for helping out tuning and for bringing the special Hoosiers. Thanks to Keith Allison for coming all the way down to help tune, your eyes and ears are very tuned to karting and we couldn't do it without you. The team stuck together and worked to create a successful winning effort. Thank you to the sponsors, officials and all the workers that gave up their weekends so the kids could race the best. There were many tears during the weekend. Owen's little sister cried twice because Owen beat Chloe and the last tear shed was the entire Leatherberry family as they hugged and held each other tightly, there dreams realized. Only a week earlier their best engine's flywheel blew up destroying most of the engine. They faught back against the odds and won. They'll remember it for years!

 

Thank You Hoosier Tire

We want to thank Hoosier tire for working so hard to help us out for Kid Kart Nationals. Over 40 drivers traveled from coast to coast and it was an open tire race. We saw Bridgestone, Hoosier, MG, Dunlap and other tires. Hoosier ran a special batch of matched tires for our factory drivers on short notice and it paid off.

With very little testing we could see the value of their tire. Michael's father went in the hospital and we had to wait till Saturday to test.  The tire was harder than what we normally ran so people would normally think it wouldn't be faster. Actually we want to unhook the kart so it is fast. If the drivers could handle it we thought we'd run it. Each driver came in and said the same thing, "I like them".

Chloe St. George ran very consistent times and saw no fade. We jetted her fat for the final and it cost her the race but otherwise the Hoosiers would have won both classes. Mason Mitchell ran Hoosiers in the restricted class and lead the race by a significant margin.

Allison and Shankleton Win R66

Eagan Shankleton won the Kid Kart class on his Tornado Kid Kart and Kaleb Allison won the Tag 60 class again in his Tornado Cadet at the Route 66 Regional race in Pevely Missouri. Congratulations to both drivers! Both drivers have younger brothers coming up the ranks. Eagan's younger brother is already in a Tornado and finished 9th. He was 4th in the restricted class at the Kid Kart Nationals last weekend. Kaleb has a younger brother that has been practicing already and hopefully soon we'll get him into a Tornado too.

Brett gave us an update from the inside of the track as parents can stand there to watch and coach, "On Sunday, I think we missed the jetting in both the Pre-Final and Feature, but we ended up with the win. We are able to stand in the infield with this series, so I was able to watch that kart go through the corners. The lift on the inside rear wheel going through the tight off-camber left had turn was single handedly what won us the race. We’d open 2-3 kart lengths through that corner." Thanks for the update Brett and congratulations on the win. Thank you Brett and Egan for taking us to victory lane with you.
Customer Testimonials

Engines

Gazelle Engine

"the new engine was really fast in the first race, we beat the regional champion going away, we had 4 tenths on the second place kart."

The new motor you sold me definitely has a lot more top end I was worried the dads were going to start protesting!!!l LOL  that thing was a freight train down the front straight! they ran track backwards on us unexpectedly ... in the final we won! so first race of the Oregon state championship we won the final. (legally!)

Chassis

"We couldn't have asked for a better result to win as the youngest driver in an international race. Wow, it feels like a dream."

"The Cadet was so hooked up on the road course he never had to lift as some of the other karts did. We walked away from the field easily"

 

 

2008 Points Leads in Series

Tornado Cadet

Cole Glasson - 1st Southwest Regional Cup

Kaleb Allison - Tag 60 Route 66 Champion with 4 of 5 wins!

Cole Glasson - 2nd KART Regional Series

Michael Schneider - 2nd SWRC MiniMax

Tornado Kid Kart

Chloe St. George - 1st International Kart Federation R11

Jerett Tachovsky - 2nd IKF R11

Cruz Fiore -2nd  in IKF R7

Conner Hanson - 2nd IKF R7 Heavy


 
 

Wins of our Drivers

2008 Kid Kart National Champion - Mason Mitchell (restricted)

2008 Kid Kart National Champion - Owen Leatherberry (unrestricted)

2008 IKF R11 Reno - Chloe St. George

2008 SWRC Race 8 Win - Cole Glasson

2008 Route 66 New Castle - Kaleb Allison

2008 Route 66 Series - Iowa Kaleb Allison

2008 Kart National Win Tag 60 C. Glasson

2008 Tag Shoot Out Iowa - Kaleb Allison

2008 Route 66 Tag 60 Cadet - Kaleb Allison

2008 Route 66 Tag 60 Iowa - Kaleb Allison

2008 Southwest Regional Cup Cadet Wins - Saturday and Sunday -Hannah Williams, Cole Glasson Pole Sun, 2nd, Sat 3rd

2008 IKF Region 11 Redding (Chloe St.George)

2008 Gatorz Race of the Americas Royal McKee Saturday and Sunday Races MiniMax Cadet

Xplex Las Vegas, Nevada in Tornado Cadet

2008 IKF Region 11 Davis, CA (Chloe St.George)

2008 IKF Region 7 California Speedway (Cruz Fiore) Final Video 

2007 WKA Man Cup Daytona International Speedway (Logan Mitchell of Missouri)

2007 Cal State Championships (Cruz Fiore of Las Vegas) Videos: Heat     Final

2007 IKF Region 7 Champion (Braden Johnson of Illinois)

2007 IKF Sprint Grand National Champion(Royal McKee of Vegas) Video: Final

SLKA Kid Kart Nationals Champion 2005 and 2007 (Flinn Lazier of Vail, CO) Video: Final

2007 Central States Super Series(Braden Johnson, Illinois)

Colorado State Championship Series 2007 3 of 4 wins (Flinn Lazier)

Stars of Tomorrow National Championship Elkhart Lake, WI - (Thomas May)

Colorado State Champion

Stars Sears Point Regional Champion - Thomas May

WKA Grand Nationals Dirt Track

Venezuelan National Champion  Video: Final

Mexican AKN Champion - Patricio O'Ward

Mexican DIPSA MOTORSPORTS Champion - Patricio O'Ward

KART Nationals Kid Kart Champion - Michael Schnieder

Route 66 Championship Champion

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Champion 2006 Cruz Fiore 2007 Royal McKee

St. Louis Kart Club Track Champion and runner up

King Taco Open Champion - RJ Lantz

Many, many other track championships around the country and the world. Wins on four continents!

 

 

 

 

 

SWRC Winner Hannah Williams Race #2

 

Tornado Kid Karts 1st & 2nd At Route 66

Two Tornado Kid Karts took home the top two spots in the Route 66 Kid Kart Class. Logan Mitchell was leading the race but got spun out in the final moments of the race otherwise it would have been a 1,2,3 finish. Younger brother Mitchell got second and Jaydon  Biles won the race. Logan set fast time with a 43.401. Egan Shankleton ran a new 2009 Tornado into 4th in the heat race even with engine troubles. "The new Tornado kept us up front in the heat race even though our engine was having issues", said Bret Shankleton.

Their is such a talented group of teams running this series. They did full tech and pulled engines down to the crank so the series is serious about competition. 

 

 

Factory Girls Rule Regional Races

Hannah Williams and Chloe St. George  (pictured at right) took home big regional wins today. Chloe took the pole, heat and final at the IKF R11 race in Redding California with her new 2009 Tornado Prototype. Hannah took home  the heat win and final with her Tornado Cadet in a big regional race in Texas.  We are so proud of our two factory drivers for bringing home the gold.

Hannah Williams got the lead in the heat after qualifying second. She never relinquished the lead. In the final heat she took the pole position into turn 1 and never gave it up . She left the field behind, way behind. She was so far ahead that when she caught a lap kart and caught a bumper on the kart it sent her off the track. She came to a stop in the grass got going again and still won the race! Watch the race below.

 

Cole Glasson was second at the end of the heat race making it an all Tornado front  row for the final. He got caught outside on the start and finished in 3rd. In the MiniMax Class their teammate on the Tornado Factory team, Michael Schneider took 2nd in a talent filled class.

Jerett Tachovsky moved into second in IKF R11 points with a second place finish behind Chloe St. George.

Hannah Wins Again, Cole 2nd At Southwest Regional Cup

Hannah had more competition today from her team mate Cole Glasson, Cole took the pole and Hannah qualified off pole. In a photo finish Cole took the win over Hannah in the heat race in Denton Texas at the Southwest Regional Cup series. Hannah ran a 41.86 while trying to win the heat race and that is a new track record. In the final it was all Cole until the last lap when Hannah slid by for the win at the right moment. That makes back to back wins for Hannah Williams. So young, that is just amazing. 

 Michael Schneider qualified on the front row as well in MiniMax. That means every Tornado Cadet driver in the field put their kart on the front row at the regional race.  Congratulations Factory Drivers, thanks for showing the public the value of our Tornado Chassis and Tornado Engines!

 

Tornado Kid Karts Lead All IKF Regional Series

Tornado Kid Kart drivers now lead all the IKF Regional series as Cruz Fiore leads Saturdays large class of R7 points, Conner Hanson leads the Sunday Kid Kart Heavy class and Chloe St. George leads the R11 series with four straight wins. We are so proud of these young drivers and their consistent successes in the toughest racing competition in the country.

Thank you for taking us to victory lane with you Chloe, Cruz and Conner!  

 

 

Kaleb Wins Wii !!

Kaleb Allison went down to Iowa to deliver on a promise he made at the Kart Expo over the winter. They had showed off the Wii that the winner would get if he won the Tag 60 race at the Tag Shootout. Kaleb said, "I'm coming down to your race to get that Wii". As a first time Cadet racer I don't think they thought he had a chance. Little did they know he had a Chromoly chassis made in America on order.

Kaleb took the pole by seven tenths. He went on to win the heat. He finished ahead of the second place kart by five seconds and third by 45 seconds!

We want to thank Recker Racing, PG Racing and all the sponsors for supplying the nice prizes.  It is almost impossible to get a Wii but it really wasn't that hard because Kaleb has one of the best support teams, pictured above. That little guy on the left can really wrench, wait till you see him drive too! Congratulation Kaleb on the win.

 

Chloe Wins IKF R11 Medford Oregon

It must have seemed like a million miles for Chloe as she and Keith drove from Los Angeles to Medford Oregon. She had an undefeated season going and wanted to keep it going. The only driver that was going to stand in her way was Zach Corbit. Zach is getting better and the Corbits have been at this a while with Hunter. Chloe took her time and brought home the win.

She's keeping her hopes alive for a perfect season. It will get tougher and tougher as the younger drivers improve and new tracks challenge Keith's set up expertise. "Chloe learns tracks very fast and she amazes me", said Keith.