Hamilton, Ontario – October 9, 2008 - The Ontario-based Cameron/CRG National team is headed to the Snap-on Stars of Karting National finals this weekend in Las Vegas with a multinational driver lineup racing three of five Stars classes. Miles Maroney, Jeffrey May and Chad Grunow will take to the track in JICA, Scott Saunders will contest TaG, and all eyes will be on ICC where Curtis Fox continues his comeback and Michael Vincec guns for the National Championship. Vincec heads to Vegas as both the Eastern and Western Division Champion after having posted consistent runs to the podium on both coasts during the seasonal campaign. He carries his points from the East to the finale after never missing the blocks. A win and a third at the Mazda Race of the Americas was perhaps the best run of three, but the star senior also took a pair of runs to second from the final round and a third-place finish from the season opener in tallying his 450 points. Impressive to be sure, but far from settling matters as fellow Canadian Jordy Vorrath enters with 430 points from the Western schedule, a total the matched Vincec for top spot. Though he has been held off the top step so far this season, Vorrath scored a pair of seconds, thirds, and a single fourth in reaching his total. Also in the hunt with a long shot is CRG driver Gary Carlton. A disastrous ROA derailed his season, but outside of Oklahoma the back-to-back National #1 produced four wins to reach 419 points. Second Cameron/CRG shifter driver Fox raced just once on each coast, but has a legitimate shot at the National top fifteen this weekend. With 140 points from the West coming from two starts where others have five, Fox is less than a hundred points from the top fifteen and a has an outside shot at the top ten. In JICA, Californian Maroney will lead a three kart Cameron/CRG effort at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After a troubled start to the season, the American teenager has high hopes for the final round and will enjoy racing closer to home than most. “I’m looking forward to going to the finals and getting the chance to revive my chase for the championship,” he said this week. “Going into this race in the 8th spot will definitely apply a bit more pressure and a top-five simply isn’t good enough. I need a win this weekend to be satisfied.” After starting the season elsewhere, Maroney is now back at home with CRG and enjoying the atmosphere immensely. “Working with Mike Roth and everyone else at Cameron/CRG has been such an awesome experience,” he said in summing his year to date. “Mike always knows what to do whenever I throw a situation at him and I’m confident we will have a great package at the finals.” Maroney enters carrying the National #4 from last season and will be looking to match or better it in a pair of finals. He will be joined by Ontario’s May at #26 and Saskatchewan’s Grunow who is coming from his best Stars weekend ever at the last round. Australian Scott Saunders completes the lineup in racing TaG, and he will be in an immense battle for third in the Championship. Though the lead pair have established some breathing room heading the last Stars race weekend, third through ninth are just 65 points apart, Saunders entering at the end of that list. After a huge weekend at the Race of the Americas where he recorded a win and a runner-up finish, the Stars rookie made his mark. He will carry his points from the Western Division, despite a mechanical DQ that cannot be dropped, and is looking for big things as he wraps his first Stars campaign. “I’m really excited about the finale,” he said this week. “It’s been my main focus all year long to be in a good top-ten finish from my first Stars Series. I’ll definitely be looking for strong top-five runs this weekend, and a top five overall in the points.” Back home in Australia after the Shawano round, Saunders raced in the Rotax/Mojo series and finished fourth. He was seventh in Seattle, and will be back with veteran tuner Brian Bettencourt in Vegas, his man on the wrenches from his winning weekend earlier this year. “I couldn’t ask for anyone else other than Brian,” he said in preparing for the weekend. “He has been the backbone to my racing this year and I’ve learned a lot from him, especially in understanding the kart and in giving feedback. I honestly don’t think I could be where I am today in the series without him.” On track action begins Friday from Las Vegas with teams beginning to arrive around the NASCAR garages today. In customary Stars fashion, the weekend schedule will work toward a pair of main events on Sunday that will determine the champions in five stars classes. |
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