The 2009 Tornado
Kid Kart is a new chassis design with adjustable caster and
camber, a combination of steel types. It has already proven
itself by leading Chloe St. George to 6 of 7 wins in IKF
R11, a IKF R4 win, a IKF R7 win, second at the Kid Kart Nationals in St.
Louis and third in the IKF Grand Nationals, Cruz Fiore won
the IKF R7 opener on the chassis' first test race in
February.
The biggest key is that our chassis lifts the inside rear
wheel in the corners much earlier than last years model to
allow the kart to run smoothly through the corner but not
bog the engine. If you would like to see what customers are
saying about the Tornado just ask us to send you a customer
testimonial DVD. It includes lighter weight components,
reduced rotational mass, chassis modifications, special
wheels, a floating sprocket and floating brake hubs on the
F4 and F5 models and can have a My-Chron 4 for tracking your
progress. It has a cool Formula One look and full front
bumper for safety and aerodynamics or you can go with the
smaller bodywork for weight and to meet IKF's rules. With
this hollow axle, flexible chassis and configurable front
spindle adjustments you will be able to tune the kart for
the most competitive races in the country. It uses a full
rear bumper to protect the wheels during a race. It meets
IKF, WKA and all the karting tech requirements for size. It
comes in almost any choice of colors. Rollers from $1785 to
$2675 plus shipping and handling. Allow up to three weeks
for delivery. We have a Venezuelan or Mexican version
available for an additional $200 for 25mm rear axle
components. Chassis ship with everything but a chain ,
engine, tires and a sprocket.
In the most
competitive area of the world to race these, in Los Angeles
where karting was invented, we swept the top 4 positions in
a 27 kart field at the Region 7 IKF race at Grange Motor
Circuit setting fast time in the heat and main in 2007. This chassis
is the choice of active and current race drivers for their
sons or daughters. In our customer list we have an Indy 500
champion, a Baja 1000 champion, and a Stock Car racing
family that have a combined 1300 wins, several famous Sprint
and Midget car drivers! People who know the value of a good
chassis are turning to the Tornado to win races.
Engineered to
twist better, specially selected parts are added to wind up
to speed faster. The Tornado hugs the ground, sounds like a
train going bye and usually scares people when they see it
for the first time. The Tornado is one of the nicest looking
karts on the market today. In it's first race weekend it won
from the outside pole, the back row and from the pole
position against a very talented set of experienced drivers
in a competitive kid kart class in California. During the
weekend it set an all time track record that has never been
beaten. In direct comparisons with it's earlier versions it
was 1.6 seconds faster a lap, on a 40 second lap time and
was much smoother through the corners.
Since the
additions to the kart took many years to accumulate we don't
spell out the specifications here but you will receive with
the kart a Chassis Setup DVD that includes tips about the
frame and how to use it correctly. You can see from the
pictures that the front bumper design is much safer because
it covers much of the front wheels. It comes with
Bridgestone YHC tires unless specified otherwise at time of
order. It has a special motor mount designed to pivot with
the chassis and not stress the case halves of the engine
(this is a major reason why so many people lose to our
chassis design - the engine can rev 400 to 700 more rpm
because of the way we mount the engine to the chassis). The
chassis will automatically lift the inside rear tire while
sitting flat on the ground, very few kid karts are designed
to do this and therefore end up dragging the inside rear
around the corner and bogging the C50 engine down. Order a
Tornado today and start destroying the competition like a
Kansas Twister.
Click below to see what customers
think of the New Tornado Chassis.
Tornado Chassis Comparison
Story
Some
people say that our chassis is too expensive compared to
other karts made in other countries. Recently a person that
had purchased another kart summarized it this way: I
purchased the first Italian made kart and had to replace the
big brake rotor, the oversize calipers, the heavy steel axle
and other parts made for an adult kart but put on mine as
standard equipment. By the time I got it all done the
chassis was starting to sag and bow in on the front because
it was made of mild steel. I purchased some adjusters to
correct it. When it was all done I was still losing to the
Tornado. The Tornado comes with the lighter axles, the
adjustable front, the lighter brake rotor and calipers. It
also comes with floating brake hub and sprocket. Because it
is chrome molly tubing it doesn't sag in five months and
lose its shape. If I was to add up all those things and add
it to the price of upgrading those on my original kart it
would have wiped out the difference and more. Instead of
buying two axles, rotors and such I should have just
purchase the Tornado and saved the money and time. The
Tornados come set up closely to my drivers size and fitted
to his or her measurements. Once I sold the old kart I took
a loss on it too. It is much better to invest in the best
and only cry once up front when paying the extra few hundred
dollars to get all the best components early.
I hope new parents will consider all the investments when
ordering a chassis, it is actually cheaper to buy the better
chassis with the correct parts first.
F1 Chassis
The F1 is our
base level chassis with the same frame as our higher end
models. It comes with everything you need except a set of
tires, chain or sprocket. It has a grey cloth covered seat,
aluminum wheels and is designed for club and regional racing
where weight may not be as big of a factor. It is about four
pounds heavier that the F4 but still lighter than most other
kid karts. The steering wheel is a full circle covered in
suede. When you upgrade to the F4 you'll get a two tone
steering wheel with a flat portion and side grips for better
vision and grip. $1985
F4 Chassis
The
F4
is a high end
competition chassis with reduced rotational mass and nicer
looking components. It has a Sams seat, special aluminum
wheels built just for a kid kart and is designed for
national and regional racing where weight may be a big
factor. The seat is mounted with a swivel mount so that the
chassis flexes appropriately. The brake rotor is a special
light weight thin rotor to reduce rotating mass and it is
mounted on a patented floating rotor as is the sprocket. The
floating components keep the chassis flex from slowing the
kart in the corner by binding the calipers or the chain.
Even the caliper is a lighter weight component. The main
benefit of the Tornado line is how it handles in the
corners. While sitting still and turning the steering wheel
the inside rear wheel will lift off the ground. When going
through the corners this greatly reduces the drag because
the inside wheel on most kids karts acts as a brake. It
comes with everything you need just add the tires that fit
with your local rules, a chain and a sprocket. With our
Tornado your driver will sail through the corners.
$2375
Tornado F5
Chassis
Flinn Lazier
wins the Kid Kart Nationals in St. Louis in August with the
new 2008 Tornado Storm Edition. Braden wrapped up the
championship on the 2008 F5 and ran it all season. Royal
McKee won the IKF Grand Nationals in 2007 with the new 2008
Tornado F5. Owen Leatherberry won the 2008 Kid Kart
Nationals on his Tornado. Chris Trickle won two IKF Grand
National Screaming Eagles in 2008 on a Tornado Kart.
The
F5
is our high end
competition chassis with a MyChron 4 computer tracking
system, reduced rotational mass, front end adjustments for
caster and camber, single piece front rims and nicer looking
components. We've changed the balance on the back and the
way the brake mounts as well as a floating brake hub. F5
customers get access to the latest design changes on a
monthly basis if they are running our engine packages
exclusively. It has a Tillet seat for heavy drivers or a
more flexible padded seat for light weight drivers,
magnesium wheels or aluminum wheels. Look at the solid
engine mount and see why our RPM's stay higher in the
corners, we don't let the chassis flex transfer to the
engine case halves. It butterfly mounts to the chassis for
fast removal. This mount stops the chassis flex from
transferring to the case halves and slowing the top end
RPM's. Weighing in at around 86 lbs with an engine it is a
light weight, bullet of a kart designed to win big races.
Just ask RJ (pictured below with the big trophy) and Kurt
Lantz, they won the biggest race of the summer at California
Speedway, the King Taco Open. Investment for a F5
$2875.
F5
Storm
Edition
The chassis of
choice for real racing families. At the 2007 Kid Kart
Nationals in St. Louis Chris Trickle, nephew of great Dick
Trickle ran one and took the pole in 52.41 beating three
other Tornados by a few tenths, not bad for a six year old.
He was a second and a half quicker than other chassis in the
field made in Italy. Flinn Lazier, the son of Indy 500
winner Buddy Lazier ran a Storm Edition to the win (that's
him on the left above). The three Tornados in the lead
lapped 17 karts in the race, more than 2/3rds of the field.
The Tornado is simply the pinnacle of the Kid Kart Chassis
market today. The Tornado also won the IKF Grand National in
2007 as Royal McKee became the youngest driver ever to win a
IKF Sprint Grand National. It won the Central States Super
Series and the IKF R7 series. So far in 2008 it holds the
lead in points in IKF R7 with drops and Chloe St. George has
won all of the races in IKF R11 so far this season.
Dillon
Schwanbeck (#27 pictured above) has been hard to beat so far
this season in his 2009 Tornado Storm. He recently went to
New Castle, Indiana and ran away from the pack of regular
racers on his first trip there.
The Storm
Edition is the F5 Tornado with some changes to the bearings
and sprocket. We have ceramic bearings in the wheels and
axle as well as a floating sprocket. We add some very high
end components for better roll and application of power to
the wheels. We remove the My-Chron from this chassis and
give you just the chassis with the higher end components.
You mount your own engine, sprocket, chain and tires.
$2765
<---Double Click the picture to see
the paint detail. Pearls are added to the F4 and F5 chassis.
<--thumbnail pictures to see larger
view of our engine mount. It is much easier to get the
engine on and off and it helps hold RPM's higher because it
does not stress the engine case halves.
Special
Notes:
Mitchell
and Leatherberry Kid Kart Nationals 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!
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!
IKF
Points Leads for Cruz, Conner and Chloe
Cruz
Fiore, Conner Hanson and Chloe St. George hold the points
leads with and without drops at the three IKF Regional race
series currently as we reach the halfway point in the
season. We congratulate Chloe on her four straight wins and
Cruz for making it onto the podium in all but one of his
races so far. Conner has a string of seconds place finishes.
The kart that he had been losing to recently took a DQ for
tires that had been on the kart in other races this season.
We are proud to see our Tornado Drivers doing so well this
season. We hope that hard work, preparation and a bit of
luck will allow them to finish the season in the same
positions.
Brandon
Weaver sat on the front row with Chloe. He's got a new
generation of engines that we have been producing and boy
was it fast. He ran Chloe down in the final and lead part of
the race before Chloe took it back. Brandon stayed right
behind Chloe and drafted her down the straights but couldn't
get by for the win. Chloe and Brandon had their work cut out
for them racing against top drivers on their home track.
They finished 5 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor.
Jerett
Tachovsky drove excellent all weekend but was nursing
Frankenstein back to health. That's the engine we put back
together Thursday from all the parts left over after his
flywheel exploded at the last race and ruined his engine.
Jerett is testing some new engines for us and watch for him
to be back strong at the next IKF race.
Conner
Spencer On Podium at LVMS
We
are pleased to announce that Conner Spencer has joined the
Tornado Factory Team of drivers. Conner is the son of famed
Fast Freddie Spencer. At 21, Freddie Spencer had become the
youngest World Grand Prix Champion in history. Conner is
development nicely and got third this weekend at the Las
Vegas Motorspeedway. Cruz Fiore won the race and Donny
Williams son got second, all were racing Tornado Chassis.
Conner
just took delivery of a new 2009 Tornado Kid Kart. Here is
what Freddie had to say about the kart:
Connor really
is liking the new chassis. He ran in qualifying 2 seconds
faster then in the other kart!!! and in both the pre-main
and main his lap times only varied about 3 to 4 tenths
over the race distance. His improvement was in carrying
more corner speed and keeping the revs up!! You could see
that he was more comfortable and that he could use more of
the track! Freddie Spencer - Las Vegas Nevada.
Jared
Mitchell recently tested the new 2009 Tornado against the
2008 and found similar results. He reported that they gained
4 tenths on a 40 second lap time. The 2009 is easier to
drive then the 2008 and a bit looser. We should see the
benefits of the 2009 chassis as the summer months wear on
and the tracks get sticky. Thanks for all the positive
feedback Factory Drivers!
Schwanbeck
Sweeps
Dillon
Schwanbeck swept both days of the Midwest Sprint Series at
New Castle this weekend in his new 2009 Tornado Prototype
Kid Kart. "It handled so well in the high speed corner,
he was actually taking it faster than I thought it
could be taken. While others slid out Dillon stuck the
corner perfectly" said Paul Schwanbeck. "We were
successful both days and won convincingly. People were
looking at the chassis to see what it was."
Too
bad you can't see all the changes we made to the kart for
2009. Thanks to people like Paul that stepped up early and
tested the prototype they have a slight advantage. We are
switching production to the new chassis this month ahead of
schedule.
St. George Wins IKF R11
Opener
Jerett
is only 5 years old but he thought he'd take a shot at the
IKF Region 11 opening race at the Davis California Blue Max
Kart Club. He was driving a new Storm Edition 2009 prototype
Tornado. We loaned him a top engine along with his team mate
Brandon Weaver. They both quickly learned the track
and started to sling the karts around the track. In the
morning Jerett was clean and we kept asking him to keep on
the gas through turn 1. In the qualifying run he trusted us
and kept on the gas setting fast time and taking the pole
for the morning stunning the experienced local drivers that
had be practicing the track. The crowd was amazed that a 5
year old that had never been to Davis took the pole.
Unfortunately
the scales moved a couple pounds from morning practice and
Brandon weaver was a half pound light, he'd have to start in
the back at a tough to pass track. Jerett and Chloe noticed
the weight difference but squeaked by.
In
the heat race the experienced drives slowly moved past
Jerett and Chloe moved to the front row. She had to race
Jeremy Kay of Reno, Jeremy had been fast all Friday in
practice. In the final it was Chloe St. George of the
Tornado Factory Drivers team that jumped off to a great
lead. She was caught with three corners to go by another
driver that had built their own engine that would later fail
tech. Michael drove a great race but was assisted in running
to the front by a powerful engine that didn't meet spec.
Chloe assumes the points lead for R11.
Chloe
loaded up quickly for the 8 hour drive to Los Angeles and
the California Speedway. She would test some things for us
in the morning that did not work and had to start tenth on
Sunday. She made it up to 3rd in the final to get her second
podium of the month. Chloe is racing somewhere almost every
weekend so her testing is done on race weekend. This makes
it more difficult for her to learn the track at the limits
of the chassis, but she adapts quickly and gives us good
feedback. Congratulations Chloe on your first IKF regional
win. Keep an eye on young Jerett Tachovsky (pronounced
tahavsky) he has real talent and a great touch on the
steering wheel. Thanks for taking us to victory lane with
you and making our engines/chassis look so good.
5 Year Old Takes Pole in
2009 Prototype Tornado at IKF R11
Jerett Tachovsky has had his new prototype Tornado Storm
Edition for only a month or so. He decided to change plans
to race at Santa Maria and come take a shot at the big time
regional racing of Region 11. He received his new kart and
put it on the track for the first time at the R7 opener.
He's one of the most gifted drivers we have seen in a long
time. When he came down the sweeper at Davis and entered the
hairpin in a controlled drift I was impressed. When he came
around again and attempted a pass at the same time when the
door opened with a mistake from the kart in front I was in
awe. Most kids would lock it up and try to avoid the
kart, but he steered around it and tried to stick it in for
a pass.
Jarett practiced on Friday and
had much of the track handled. The only thing left was the
reducing radius turn one at the end of the front stretch. We
explained that most kids take months to get that corner down
and hold it wide open. He explained that it was a challenge
he wanted to master. Before he went out I explained that the
kart would handle better if he stayed full on the gas and
didn't lift in the reducing radius. The kart would hold him
if he drove steady. He looked at me with a long gaze deep
into my eyes. Neither of us blinked and we both knew it was
possible. I felt like telling him that we had a set of
specially matched tires like Harry Hog did in Days of
Thunder, but then I'd be telling a lie and he'd know it.
Jerett decided to trust in the advice.
Jerett talked it over with his
Dad before he went out for the green, white, checkered. They
agreed that if it felt good to go for it on the final lap
and if the kart spun then they'd accept their first lap
time. Jerett did it and held it down, showing the poise of a
seven year old with months of practice on the track. As I
announced the race from the booth Jerett's name popped to
the top of the list of qualifiers on the computer. I looked
up and the checkered was flying. Jerett would hold on to the
pole position in an upset of momentous proportions. My voice
must have cracked with pride when I figured out that Jerett
had placed his trust in the chassis to hold him and floored
it through the corner.
It was a pleasure tuning for
Jerett. Rob had ordered a new top end carb from us. We
bolted it on and dropped two seconds a lap on Friday.
Sorting of carbs does make a difference. We want to thank
Rob, Tracie and the whole Tachovsky for great wine, food and
hospitality. We also want to thank Dan Weaver for offering
us a place to warm up and eat dinner. It was a great
weekend. We are looking forward to watching The Javelin
(Jerett) slice through the wind again soon.
IKF
R7 - Cruz Fiore Wins At
California Speedway Opener!!
3
Tornados on the Podium, Mitchell and Hanson Take 4th and 5th
As The 2009 Prototype Tornado Wins It's First Race. Wow!!
It
was the start of the most coveted series in the world for
Kid Kart racers, the International Kart Federation's Region
7 Southwestern Super Series at the California Speedway in
Fontana outside Los Angeles. Competitors from East to West
coast were in attendance. Cruz Fiore put his trust in the
Tornado engineers and took a new 2009 Tornado prototype
chassis version 1.1 out for the first time in a race and had
a great result. Last year we had a prototype in the field
and it took 6th, the driver Braden Johnson went on to win
the championship. "It was perfect", said Cruz
after the race. Eddie and Anthony put the chassis together
just the day before the IKF race and shook it down at Apex
in the afternoon. "This was our weakest track and we
are very pleased to win our first IKF R7 race here at the
California Speedway". The Las Vegas native had not made
the club race two weeks earlier because of the Las Vegas
Kart Club banquet and had not raced this configuration in
over a year. Cruz was fast all day timing in on the front
row and winning the final. Chloe St. George set fast time on
her Tornado in the heat and let the boys know they could not
count her out this season, but got caught up in the big
crash in turn two in the final. Logan Mitchell finishes 4th
after starting in the back and Conner Hanson finishes 5th as
the only in state local driver in the top 5, making it a
three Tornado sweep of the top 5. Again, chromoly tubing
chassis' dominated the top positions.
Logan
Mitchell was our standout in the final. He had a crew chief
that had forgotten to get painted after qualifying and had
to start the heat in the back. He made it up to 10th after
the DQ of the heat winner he would start the final in 9th.
In the final he got the hole shot and slid through the field
moving up 5 spots hitting turn two at full speed.
Unfortunately a kart ahead of him slowed and he touched his
bumper while trying to tuck underneath and avoid the slowing
kart. In IKF racing you can't lift or you'll get hit from
behind. The ensuing wreck took out several top competitors
including Chloe St. George, Sebastian Elizondo and Jacob
Drew. Logan steered into the slide and saved it to tuck into
6th. He then worked the pack and made it up to 4th. The 5th
place finisher failed in tech and Conner Hanson then moved
his Tornado into a 5th place podium finish. Conner was in
third at one point of the final and drove a great race.
While the tech officials reviewed the unmarked engine
closely of the Florida entry that has taken technical DQ's
all over the country they ended up allowing him to pass but
did not cc or take the head or clutch off - many listening
felt this entry was illegal by watching and listening to it.
Several
drivers showed themselves to be practiced and ready
including Sebastian Elizondo, RJ Stearns and Jacob Drew.
Sebastian was involved in a wreck in the heat when he and
Chris Trickle
got together in turn 5. Drew was driven off the track in the
heat race and did not finish the final race as he was caught
up in the wreck. They'll use this race as their drop and be
back up front again. Stearns had issues in tech and was sent
to the back of the field. Eyes were on former Tornado driver
Chris Trickle as many expected a win from him after his fast
times at the prior club race. Chris had full free factory
support of a local kart shop and Italian kart maker.
Chris' times were off three seconds a lap from the times he
turned in the club race and two seconds off from the year
before when he had set fast time for us on a Tornado at the
season opener. Chloe's time's were off a second from the
club race so the track was obviously slower. Chris was in
tenth at the time of the wreck and came out 4th so it really
helped him get to the podium. Why the other drivers were so
much slower on IKF race weekend than at the club race is a
mystery. In Chloe's case she had a brand new engine at the
club race that was too tight to win, it was much looser for
the IKF race and was very fast as we found something that
was slowing here down ever as she set fast time. She had a
real chance to win this race but in the final it didn't
matter as she was driven hard into the turn 2 barriers by
the wrecked karts. Cruz Fiore drove a flawless day. A test
on our part probably cost him the pole but he recovered
nicely in the heat and the engine was mostly back in the
final. The engine named Killer Queen sounded almost back to
full health in the final and bested the field.
We
are so please with our Tornado drivers. With the stiff
competition and the gamble on a new chassis design with
almost no testing we had anticipated having only one driver
on the podium. To have three drivers up there was a great
victory. Congratulations to Mason Mitchell and Jerett
Tachovsky as they finished mid pack, pretty good for 5 and 6
year olds in their first big IKF R7 race. We believe had
Chloe made it through turn 2 she would have been right up
along side the leaders racing for the podium. She was in
fifth at the time of the wreck and had been .3 seconds
faster than Cruz in the heat with her fast new Stealth
engine. We'll see all the great drivers back in four weeks
near Las Vegas for the Buffalo Bill's race where no one will
have the advantage of track time and practice. Luck will
play a part again, a wreck will almost for certain cripple
someone's run for the championship and there will probably
be a DQ for something. That's racing and if you navigate all
the issues you can have a chance to be the champion.
Congratulations Cruz, Eddie and Anthony... you worked hard,
put your trust and faith in ComerJet and the Tornado Team
and came away with the win. Thank you for taking us to
victory lane with you!
We
were missing a Factory Driver at the race. Click here to see
the video of the race and a hint of why Tanner McKee wasn't
there...
-
"Just wanted to call and let you know we
won our first race ever in Kid Karts with your Tornado
Chassis. We are thrilled, I knew it was the right investment
to make. He sailed smoothly through the corners while others
hopped and skidded through." East Coast
"The Tornado chassis handled perfectly, it
was really smooth in the corners, I could pass anyone at
will." Flinn Lazier
"Look at him the harder he drives it the
better the chassis performs, he is carries the wheel speed
out of the corner and rockets past the other karts as he
exits the corner"
"We
ran the kart and were fast out of the box on the dirt oval.
It was so wild to watch the inside front lift up in the
corners like a dirt modified car. The kart just handled so
smooth that no one could catch us.
East Coast
"When we got the chassis we were running
at 1:14, within a week or so we were down to 1:10 a lap. It
is a rocket in the corners and really fast. The others were
having trouble catching us. We collected two karts and the
nose did its job by holding the other kart down and
dissipating the energy of the crash" West Coast
"The chassis arrived late
yesterday and we only had time to put a stock engine on it
after testing all day with the old chassis and our
blueprinted engine. The day before we were running 1.16.5
and 1.17. We dropped 4.5 seconds with your chassis and our
slow stock engine. Our driver is so pleased to be running
with the leader. On Sunday he qualified on .3 of a second
off the pole in his first race with the Tornado F4. Thank
you, this chassis is really fast! Build us a second so we
have a spare ready to go in the trailer"
"Look at it go through the corners, it is
so fast and smooth!" Western US
"My son said it was much quicker and felt
so much better to drive" Central US
"We love the kart!"
Southern USA
"My
son and I are very impressed!" Southern USA
"We love the
front end design and handling" West USA
"Just wanted you to know
we love the chassis. It was a bullet in the corners. We took
second in a National race with it and were very happy with
its performance." Central USA customer
What is a My-Chron? Check them out - they
are invaluable.
Race chassis do not have warranties. Once you place the
order and pay for the chassis it is your property and can't
be canceled or returned for a refund. We ship when they are
done - once ordered you can't get a refund. If you refuse
shipment we'll hold the engine or chassis 3 weeks, if you
don't take shipment or redirect it to a new owner it will be
donated to a charitable organization that helps young racers
get a start in your name and you may take the tax write off.
Please make sure you are prepared to accept these conditions
before you purchase.