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!
In the first Tag Masters heat race Jim Russell Jr. (Parolin) took the holeshot into one and he would be followed by third place starter Nelson Canache (GP Kart), who recently won the Rolex 24HR race in the GX division. Canache would stay close behind Russell for the lead at the opening to laps but would then lose ground to the leader as the laps ticked away. Russell would win the heat ahead of Canache, Juan Font (Kosmic), Christian Calvo (Kali Kart), and Brent Lyman (Parolin).
In the Second heat, the grid would be inverted giving George Moss the pole position. However, he would be overtaken before corner one with Lyman exiting with the lead. As the race went along Javier Gonzalez took the lead with Calvo in second and Russell in third as the three karts gaped the field. with two laps to go Calvo tried to make a pass for the lead on Gonzalez but contact between the two drivers led to Calvo’s chain popping off. Two corners later Russell made a pass for the lead and the heat win.
The Russell Karting teammates of Russell and Lyman led the way as the Final began, with Russell exiting with the lead. However his lead would be short lived as Font and Canache would pass Russell on lap two. Three laps later, Russell would get back by Canache and catch up to Font for the lead of the race. The two leaders would battle closely throughout the race often trading the fastest lap of the race. Russell would finally make his move for the lead with three to go, and it would be enough to take the win, just ahead of Font, with Canashe, Cakvo and Lyman rounding the top five.
