 Barker Lounge Wins 2011 24 Hours of Charlotte
New Team Wins By Small Margin at Victory Lane Karting
The Barker Lounge team took the lead for good with twelve hours remaining in the fourth annual 24 Hours of Charlotte presented by NOS Energy Drinks at Victory Lane Karting in Charlotte, NC, but it was anything but a runaway victory as they topped the second place team, Endurance Karting, by less than a lap at the finish. The 26.22-second margin of victory on the twisting, 2/3-mile indoor circuit represented a per-lap advantage of only seven-thousandths (.007) of a second after a total of 2,123 laps. Third-place went to defending race winners Carolina Car Care, who trailed the winners by only five laps.
The 24 Hours began with fifteen teams taking the LeMans start, then setting a frantic pace that continued to the finish despite very hot and humid conditions. Carolina Car Care’s Robbie Freeman took the lead less than 15 minutes into the race, and after an hour, the top six teams were still on the lead lap. The top four teams (Barker Lounge, Endurance Karting, Carolina Car Care and Bracket Busters) established themselves at the front of the field during the third hour.
The Barker Lounge team, sponsored by the Charlotte-area canine day-care center, comprised two of the quickest local racers, Dan Kraus, Jeff Hasenmeyer and Cody Robnett, along with two drivers from the Portland, Ore. area; Adam Kellerman and Steve Pepka.
“Putting the team together was a combination of previous teammates and mutual friends,” explained Chris Evans, team manager. “Kraus and Robnett were critical local ringers, and the guys from Portland ran an excellent race. We look forward to having them back on the east coast again next year.”
At the sixth hour, Carolina Car Care led, despite racing without their team captain Hans Soneson, who was with his wife as she gave birth to their daughter, Zoe. Dan Burke of Endurance Karting (winners of the 2009 24 Hours and the 12 Hours of Victory Lane in 2010) passed Freeman to take the lead at 2:10 a.m., slightly more than seven hours into the race.
Barker Lounge took the lead just before 3:30 a.m., with Kellerman driving smooth, consistently quick laps. Endurance Karting grabbed the lead again at the ten-hour mark, before Barker Lounge re-established first place as sunrise began to illuminate the track at 6:15 a.m., still less than halfway through the 24 hour race, run in the reverse (counter-clockwise) direction on the Victory Lane course.
Though their lead would never grow larger than a two-lap margin, Barker Lounge held the point to the finish, holding off Endurance Karting, who regained the lead lap with less than 30 minutes remaining in the race.
“The goal was to minimize errors and time on pit road,” said Evans. “The team ran a clean race and committed few mistakes, which allowed us to be in contention in the final hours. We gambled on fuel near the end, and with 30 minutes left, we had to swap a fast kart for a slower one, and Kraus did a great job of holding off Burke to seal the win.”
The race featured more than 60 drivers from 10 states; California, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.
The fourth annual running of the 12 Hours of Victory Lane is the next major endurance race scheduled at Victory Lane Karting. It is slated to run Sunday, December 4. For more information on Victory Lane, go to www.VictoryLaneKarting.com.
24 Hours of Charlotte presented by NOS Energy Drinks / 2011 Race Results
Fin (Start) Team Laps Behind Leader
1.) (7) Barker Lounge 1 2123 --
Dan Kraus, Adam Kellerman, Cody Robnett, Steve Pepka, Jeff Hasenmayer
2.) (8) Endurance Karting.com 2123 -26.22 seconds
Dan Burke, Kevin Bligan, Carl Bligan, Mike Bednar
3.) (6) Carolina Car Care 2118 -5 laps
Robbie Freeman, Mike Ibach, Walt Sova, Bryan Coe
4.) (4) Bracket Busters 2114 -9 laps
Andrew Hopwood, Ryan Curtain, Truman Godfrey, Brad Nickleston
5.) (11) Havoline Xpress Lube 2107 -16 laps
Jamil Nassar, Andrew Von Fange, Evan York
6.) (1) NorCal 1 2100 -23 laps
Jerott King, TA La, Michael Shawhan, Ken Visbeck
7.) (2) fingerprint inc. 2094 -29 laps
Jade Gurss, James Kirkham, Kevin York, John Luzzi, Josh Jeffrey, Nate Lewis
8.) (3) Xpress Lube Carolina 2090 -33 laps
Mohamed Nassar, Coty Hartson, DJ Osmond, Paul Shelton, Fred Ogrim,
9.) (10) Barker Lounge 2 2089 -34 laps
Chris Evans, Brian Zeiss, Joe Filipanko, Steve Pepka
10.) (5) Andretti Karting 2080 -43 laps
Patrick Shores, Ryan Glisson, Chris McCoy, Dalibor Baltic
11.) (9) Conway Autosports 2020 -103 laps
Daniel Conway, Frank Conway, Mary Shuffleton, Jarrett Overstreet, Mike Birkle
12.) (15) Wheel to Wheel Karting 2004 -119 laps
Bill Judy, Jose Estay, Matt Williams, Fred Beaman
13.) (14) Clemson Sports Car Club 1958 -165 laps
Z. Gobeille, Rick Gobeille, Kellen Heatley, Tom Heatle, Nate Wimbrow, Kathryn Karns, Chris Mixon, Zack Livinston
14.) (12) HSR 1779 -344 laps
Derrick Anderson, Tim Valadez, Brandon Valadez, Allen Miller, Kyle Pelton, Bill Capogeannis
15.) (13) Ogrim’s Heroes (Withdrawn) 1017 -1106 laps
Rob Holubar, Chad Ardnt, Mike Grimm
Pole Position Winner: Jerrott King (aka “I Like Cake”), Norcal 1
39.695 seconds / Kart #19
-- winner of an Apple iPod
Fastest Race Lap: Truman Godfrey, Bracket Busters
38.087 seconds
|
