The Grid.co.uk    the national & club motor racing website - est1998          

  ^News

 E mail the editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk for details

TEAM ALUMINOS AIMING FOR PODIUMS AT WILLOW 

Six drivers to fly Aluminos / GP colors at third ProKart Challenge South event  

Team Aluminos will journey down the California coast this weekend to Willow Springs International Raceway Park for round three of the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South program, as the squad is set to compete on the challenging 6/10-mile karting course. The knowledgeable Aluminos staff – which includes owner Rob Soares and in-house engine builder George Tavares – will be joined by ‘05 SKUSA SuperNationals SuperPro winner Lorenzo Mandarino for this event, as Canadian will be on-hand providing driver coaching while turning a few wrenches. Mandarino is a former factory GP Kart pilot and will be providing help to the six Aluminos drivers that will be at Willow this weekend. 

Brad Dunford (pictured)will help carry the Aluminos name to the podium in S3 this weekend at Willow Springs

The core of the Team Aluminos program, the S3 formula, will see three drivers battling at Willow Springs aboard the GP Stock Moto package. Marc Elliott, who has two podium finishes on the year in the PKC South program, will miss this round, leaving Kyle Hathcox, Brad Dunford, and Harley Owen to fly the Aluminos colors in their attempts at the podium as each will be looking to earn their first win of the year. Hathcox sits fifth in the series standings with a best result of fifth thus far. Dunford and Owen are right behind in sixth and seventh, both looking to stand on the podium come Saturday afternoon. 

Blair Chang and Kurt Brunner will represent Team Aluminos in the G2 category. Chang missed the opening weekend of the ProKart Challenge South series but was third at the Buttonwillow round last month. Brunner is slowly getting up to speed and will look to earn his best finish of the year at the Willow Springs event. 

New to Team Aluminos is Nicola Galloni. The Italian will compete in the competitive TaG Senior division for Aluminos, which is a category that the team is looking to build on. Galloni has a vast experience in karting, racing in Italy among other countries, and he is looking forward to getting behind the wheel of an Aluminos-prepped GP Kart.