Aluminos, Inc.

The 2010 season got underway for Team Aluminos as the Northern California-based operation headed south to Fontana for the opening round of the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South at the CalSpeed Karting facility. Eight drivers piloted Aluminos-prepped machines in five categories ranging from Stock Moto to TaG. Ending the 2009 season with Team Aluminos driver coach Tom Dyer on top of the S3 podium at the SKUSA SuperNationals XIII, Team Aluminos began the 2010 season in the same fashion as Fernando Diaz put in a stellar performance in G1 for the victory to jump-start 2010.

A contender at the SKUSA SuperNationals XIII until a mechanical issue put him on the sidelines, Diaz returned behind the wheel for redemption. Diaz set the tone for the event as he posted the fast lap in the qualifying session - 45.569, quicker by nearly two tenths over his next competitor. In the 10-lap heat races, Diaz would walk the field to wins by three-seconds and five-seconds to secure the pole for the main event. At the start of the final, Diaz was relegated to second behind the defending class champion. After just two laps, Diaz regained the top spot and immediately stretched out to strong advantage, going on to take the victory by just under two seconds.

“It feels great to start the season with a win,” commented Diaz following the event. “We tested here two weeks prior and I feel it helped me a lot in order to find the right setup. Working with Fritz Leesmann and Tom Dyer under the Aluminos tent certainly helped with making the right decisions on the set up as the event went on to help secure the victory. I can’t thank them enough.”

The past two seasons has been a successful beginning in what promises to be a long future for Team Aluminos. The Danville, California-based operation, which came to life in late 2007 and splashed onto the karting scene with their debut at the 2007 SKUSA SuperNationals with excellent results and happy customers. From there, a great foundation was created to help produce consistent and solid results for the last two years in their Arrive and Drive program. Aside from the results, the crew at Aluminos has the received the respect and admiration from its customers - who continue to return each weekend to gain that extra edge in pursuit of their own personal goals.

“The past two years have been great for Aluminos,” stated owner Rob Soares. “Being a driver myself, I knew the concept I wanted for our Arrive and Driver program is what customers and drivers needed in order to provide a solid service that they would be able to gain individually from. I’ve surrounded myself with and hand selected top notch people I trust and respect to help out our customers. Each person at Aluminos is a key asset for their unique abilities to give our drivers that little something extra in only a manner in which their talents allow for. They are all very experienced racers and mechanics, which are invaluable in this racing environment.”

Aluminos has what can be considered a ‘Dream Team’ of instructors/tuners working with him throughout the season. Soares is by no means just an observer as he is a key component to what happens for each of his customers under the tent. As the one-time owner of KLS Racing - the former importer for the GP Kart brand - Soares knows the technical side of the race craft as well as a solid CV behind the wheel as a driver since 2000. His right-hand man and technical guru is George Tavares. Coming from a long background of motorsports, including rally cars to dirt bikes, Tavares has a vast knowledge of the technical side of racing. Soares and Tavares have been working together since 2002 and proven to be a potent duo.

In a continued effort to highlight the many outstanding performances by drivers around the country, eKartingNews.com is proud to introduce the ‘Driver of the Month’ program. Each month, the staff at EKN will determine the one driver who stood out above the rest and give the viewers a chance to know exactly what they accomplished and who they are. Before you even think it, yes…we are well past November and already into 2010. A busy December with PRI Trade Show, the Holiday season, and Daytona KartWeek kept us from releasing the driver awarded the honor, and thus, here is the announcement.

The ‘crown jewel’ for North American karting has grown to become the SKUSA SuperNationals. When you win at the SuperNats, you’ve accomplished something. Not many can say they have won multiple times at the yearly event held in Las Vegas - this year held at the Rio Hotel and Casino, however, Tom Dyer can add that to his growing resume. The NorCal driver put in a solid performance over the four day-event to secure his second S3 title in three years, also earning him the title of the EKN Driver of the Month for November 2009.

The veteran entered the 13th running of the SKUSA SuperNationals as one of the favorites in the competitive S3 category. Some of the top shifter pilots contested the event and starting with the first official session, Dyer led them all as he scored the pole position.

Beginning the heat races with a flag-to-flag win in his opening heat race, Dyer would be challenged in the second round. Sitting third, Dyer performed an amazing double pass on Grand-Am driver Memo Gidley and former PKC champion Jason Toft to go on to take the win. The third heat, Dyer was challenged once again, this time however getting beat to the line as he settled for the second position.

Getting a clean launch from the pole position for the 40-car main event, Dyer held the lead through the often treacherous first turn hairpin. With the top few drivers running nose-to-tail, Dyer and Gidley swapped the lead on back-to-back laps. Entertaining the fans on hand, Dyer and Gidley continued their dice for the win lap after lap. Following contact between Gidley and Kyle Wiegand, Dyer was able to break away from the battle for second to extend his lead to roughly three-seconds. Unchallenged, the Aluminos driver took the checkered flag for his second career SuperNationals win.

Dyer’s accomplishments in karting and racing in general are no surprise as the second-generation racer has tons of natural talent. Beginning with a successful beginning in karting, Dyer moved to car - both open-wheel and stock cars where he has also earned more accomplishments. When not looking to progress his own driving career, Dyer works as the lead driver coach for Team Aluminos. Dyer’s expertise has been a solid addition to the Northern California operation, helping drivers reach their own personal goals whether it’s becoming just a better driver or earn more victories.  Read Full Story with Interview on eKartingNews.com