Chang moved back to the G2 division for this outing after opening the year in the G1 shifter category. A second in qualifying put him in a position to challenge for the class victory, but unfortunately in heat two, a DNF sent him to the back for the start of the main event. Chang would be up for the challenge during the 20-lap race, starting from the ninth position and advancing to sixth by the end of the opening circuit. Breaking into the top-five a few laps later, he would put down the fastest laps of the race in order to work up to third by lap 16. The gap, however, to second would be too much to cut into with the short amount of laps remaining and Chang would cross the line third, capping off a stellar weekend. It’s only a matter of time before he takes the top step of the podium.
Four drivers carried the Aluminos banner in the competitive S3 Light category. Brad Dunford led the way for the team in qualifying as he was the third quickest in the session, pacing teammates Kyle Hathcox, Marc Elliott, and Harley Owen in sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. Dunford and Elliott split the top finishing spot for Aluminos in the heat races, each finishing fourth in one of the motos. In the main event, however, Elliott would make it a third straight podium finish following the opening round of the PKC South at CalSpeed and his run at the PKC North race just weeks ago, crossing the line third. Running fourth for most of the race, Elliott sized up his competition and made the pass for the position with just a few laps remaining. Owen would save his best run for the final, jumping up to fourth while Dunford fell back to sixth as Hathcox crossed the line in seventh.
Harley Owen put in another solid run for Team Aluminos in ProKart Challenge action, taking fourth in the S3 Light class New Zealander Daniel Bray returned to the United States for the first time since competing at the SKUSA SuperNationals last fall with Team Aluminos. Bray adapted quickly to the Buttonwillow course with a third in S1 qualifying. A couple slip-ups in the heat races forced the talented Kiwi to come from the tail of the field in the main event. Charging hard each and every circuit of the 20-lap event, Bray managed to record a fifth place finish.
Lastly, Team Aluminos had a last-minute surprise presence in the TaG Senior group as Larry Fraser rented one of the team’s kart to compete on Saturday after suffering an engine failure that would have put him on the sidelines. Fraser would steer his Aluminos GP to fourth in qualifying and would advance to third in both heat races. In the main event, he would take second at the checker to salvage what could have been a disappointing day.
Up next for Team Aluminos will be the second round of the ProKart Challenge North program as the squad will return to the Jim Russell Karting Center at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California on May 9-10.
Anyone interested in learning more about this professional team are asked to contact Aluminos owner Rob Soares at 925.786.7865 or visit them online at http://www.aluminos.com . You can also e-mail Rob via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
About Aluminos:
Continuing to establish its position in the sport, Aluminos Inc. is a manufacturing and distribution company specializing in kart racing specific products, based out of San Ramon, CA. The nucleus of the company began as an asset purchase of a portion of Ron White’s Mirage Motorsports by Aluminos’ Rob Soares. A fixture in the US karting scene for the last five years, the former owner of GP kart importer KLS Racing has returned to the competition side of the sport, creating the Team Aluminos Trackside Support and Arrive & Drive programs while working with GP Karts and KLS Racing.
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