It was a successful weekend for the Team Aluminos squad at the recent National Guard Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XII. A large tent filled with Aluminos-prepped GP Kart machines did battle outside the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to earn victories and prizes at the biggest event of the year. With nearly 20 drivers running under the Aluminos banner - many for the first time at the SuperNats - the overall picture was a success for owner Rob Soares and his hard-working staff.The highlight of the event was the consistent weeklong run by New Zealander Daniel Bray. A second-time SuperNats driver, Bray returned this year determined to redeem himself from a DNF in the S1 main event last fall. With this unfinished business, Bray battled some of the top up-and-coming shifter kart drivers of North America and definitely held his own. Qualifying third, he would go on to finish third, fourth and fifth in the heat races to start outside row one for the main event on SuperSunday. Starting outside row one, Bray ran second for the majority of the 30-lap feature. Heavy pressure put the Kiwi back to fourth with five laps to go, but he battled back to cross the line in second, getting the chance to stand on the SuperNationals podium.
The S3 category looked poised to enjoy the second podium run for Aluminos with Steve Reasoner behind the wheel of one of team’s GP chassis. After strong runs in the heat races, Reasoner was able to start near the front for the main event. What some are calling the best shifter kart race in many years, Reasoner held the point for 11 laps during the middle section of the race. With eight to go, he fell back to fourth and looked to be ready to attack when contact with another driver forced Reasoner to check up and he subsequently stalled the engine, ending his chance to stand on the podium. Aluminos drivers Kyle Hathcox, Harley Owen and Brad Dunford would finish 13th, 14th and 16th, respectively, in their first SuperNats.
The S4 division proved to be one of the toughest classes at the event with six Aluminos drivers in competition. Ken Schilling led the way after tough opening days, as he was able to get on the right path forward and went from 17th to 12th in the feature. Sergio Machado also went forward in the main event as he started 26th and finished 19th. Jonathon Allen, Bill Cox, and Bradley Alexander would not finish the race, classified 24th, 26th, and 28th, respectively.
Luck was not on the side of Nicola Galloni, the sole Aluminos TaG Senior driver. A disappointing qualifying performance forced him to start at the back of each of the four heats. With almost 100 drivers in the field and the class split into four groups, Galloni was unsuccessful in avoiding the on-track trouble that can come with such a deep starting position. He was caught up in several incidents and did not record a finish and would miss the main event as a result.
Anyone interested parties wishing to learn more about this professional team are asked to contact Aluminos owner Rob Soares at 925.786.7865 . You can also e-mail Rob via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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