Team RPG competed in the growing I-5 Corridor Regional Series at the Pats Acres Racing Complex in Canby, Oregon. The eight race, four weekend series held races at two of the best kart tracks in the Northwest with some of the biggest names in karting competing in the Rotax classes.
Having moved into Rotax Junior recently, 12-year-old Luke Selliken continued his regional success by posting fast times and taking the top step of the podium on Sunday.
On Saturday, Selliken qualified 2nd in a very competitive field which saw series champion Parker McKean on pole. Selliken made a quick move to the front of the field early in the pre-final and didn’t look back. With McKean and Jake Delavergne finishing close to Selliken in the pre-final, the highly anticipated final was building up to be a great race. But from the drop of the green flag in the final it was all Selliken as he consistently pulled away from the field. Unfortunately with about two laps to go and a three-second lead on the field Selliken was collected in a freak accident with lap traffic. The nasty collision put Selliken, the lapper, and Delavergne out of the race. Fortunately, all drivers walked away. However, the high speed wreck totaled Selliken’s very fast Birel chassis. Working through the night under the flood lights, the RPG team went to work replacing the totaled chassis with the goal of winning by a large margin on Sunday.
Sunday morning brought blue skies and a taste of tension in the air with many championship titles to be determined in this final round of the I-5 Corridor Series. The team breathed a sigh of relief as Selliken took the pole over McKean in the qualifying session. Putting the disappointment of Saturday behind him, Selliken drove away from the field in the prefinal with Mckean holding second. In the final, Selliken jumped out front early and took advantage of a battle for 2nd place. As the dust settled, Selliken crossed the finish with a one-second lead over a charging Mckean. After conceding second place, Delavergne had a great drive to take the last spot on the podium.
The racing season continues with Team RPG competing in races across North America and Internationally. RPG is currently taking reservations for transportation and pit space at the 2010 SKUSA Super Nationals in Las Vegas.
Rolison Performance Group provides a range of services from complete race-weekend support to one-on-one driver development through instruction, on-track practice, testing, and training. Race weekend support packages and driver instruction days are available in 2010. For more information, please visit https://rolisonperformancegroup.com