The second round of the 2013 Florida Winter Tour hit the track today for race #3 of the 6 race winter campaign. While this weekend see’s the Formula Kart classes hit the track, many are using the opportunity to prepare for next weekends FWT Rotax rounds.
After a mixture of weather that included, sun, rain, heat and cold this week for official practice, Saturday kicked off under wet conditions, but by the time qualifying came around the track was dry and the action hot!
After qualifying on the pole-position, Daniel Formal (TonyKart) waged an incredible battle with Venezuela’s Jose Zanella (AM Kart) in heat one. The traded plenty of rubber and racing room as lap after lap, the two exchanged the lead. However, with two laps to go, Zanella would end up on the sidelines, while Formal cruised to the heat win. Gaining on the leaders in the final stages, Roger Ralston (TonyKart) would end up second in the heat, with Christopher Morrison (Righetti Kart) rounded the top-three.
With the starting lineup inverted for heat two, Michael Melancon (Birel) led early on, while Zanella and Formal worked their way forward from the rear of the 21-kart field. Taking only three laps to return to the front, Formal took the lead overtaking Kevin Barbesino (TonyKart) in corner four. On lap five, Zanella moved into second and it appeared the battle would continue, but a mechanical issue forced him to the sidelines again. While Formal was in cruise control, Dominic Tesoro (AM Kart) was on the move to the front, as he slid into third after starting sixteenth, and on the final lap Tesoro was able to overtake Melancon and finish second.
Looking to sweep the days events, Formal took control right from the start of the Final, holding off Barbesino, while Zanella was hoping to luck would change this time around. After starting eighteenth, Zanella found his was into the top-five as the first lap was complete, but by the time he overtook Ralston, Tesoro and Barbesino, Formal had checked out and was out of reach, cruising to victory. Zanella would hold on to take second, while Ralson, Tesoro and Barbesino completed the top-five.
