Number of victories and podiums at two Northwest Gold Cup events during regional action
PORTLAND, OREGON (July 12, 2012) – Coming off what was a busy month of May, the five weekends that filled up the month of June was just as eventful with three straight weekends for the Rolison Performance Group at the track. Two rounds of the popular Northwest Gold Cup series were contested during the three week span with a 2,200-mile trip to South Bend, Indiana for testing sandwiched in-between. Focused on building the talent spectrum of each and every driver under the RPG banner, Mike Rolison continues to find a way to connect with pilots of all different experience and skill-level. The result equates to drivers reaching their maximum performance on the track.
The first stop was the third round of the Northwest Gold Cup series at the McMinnville kart track, just miles from the RPG home base. With nine drivers competing under the RPG banner, nine podium finishes were earned. Kyle Wick and Jake Preston led things for RPG in the Junior Max category. Preston won Final 1 as Wick scored the victory in Final 2. Each added a third place finish to compliment their weekend. McKay Snow and Laura Shearer joined them, with Snow placing sixth as his best result on the weekend while Shearer recorded an eighth on Sunday. RPG celebrated two team drivers on the podium both days in Senior Max. Kyle Byers drove to runner-up finishes each day with Geoffrey Roberti and Max Mulkey each placing third on separate days. Conner Wick gave RPG its third victory of the weekend as he stood P1 on the Micro Max podium. Cooper Becklin placed sixth in the same feature race.
That Monday, RPG loaded up and traveled to South Bend, Indiana for a testing session around the Michiana Raceway Park, site of the 2012 United States Rotax Grand Nationals on August 8-11. Senior Max driver Kyle Byers, Masters Max pilot Justin Peck from Utah, and Idaho’s Sting Ray Robb in Mini Max took part in the test session under the eyes of Rolison and staff. A top competitor at the 2005 event held on the same circuit, Rolison was able to get the three drivers up to speed quickly.
Rolison Performance Group swept the podium in Junior Max at the fourth round of the Northwest Gold Cup series with Jake Preston (c), Kyle Wick (l) and Davey Manthei Jr. (r)
After the testing was complete, the RPG crew loaded back up and headed home to prepare for the fourth round of the Northwest Gold Cup at the Puget Sound Go Kart Association facility in Tacoma, Washington on June 29-July 1. RPG drivers stood on the podium 11 times on the weekend. Jake Preston doubled up in the win column, pacing the field each day in Junior Max. Kyle Wick was the runner-up on Saturday to give RPG/Kosmic a 1-2 finish. Davie Manthei Jr. joined RPG on the weekend to gain some experience working with Rolison. The experience paid off with two third-place finishes. Kosmic driver Cole Franchini showed well in Junior Max as well, placing sixth Saturday and improving to second on Sunday. Laura Shearer ran to 11th both days in the class. A pair of drivers placed second in the Senior Max division. Geoffrey Roberti ran to a runner-up finish on Saturday while Joe Criscione placed there Sunday. Max Mulkey earned two top-five performances, placing fourth Saturday and standing on the podium in third on Sunday. Another driver to take advantage of the driver coaching service from RPG was Sting Ray Robb. After the successful test with RPG, he rejoined the team in Tacoma aboard his OTK chassis brand. Robb earned three victories overall. Robb swept the Junior 1 4-Cycle Light and Heavy divisions while scoring the win in Mini Max on Sunday. Conner Wick added another victory for RPG as he triumphed in the Micro Max division once again.
A big piece of the puzzle that is Rolison Performance Group this season has been lead driver coach Joey Wimsett. The 20-year old Oregon native has a number of years under his belt as a driver and is now transitioning his talent into teaching. With the number of drivers now under the RPG banner, Wimsett’s addition to the staff takes the operation to another level.
“Our race team’s progress this year has been substantial. We are working with multiple drivers transitioning from regional racing to national and international racing,” stated RPG owner Mike Rolison. “These drivers and families have put in a ton of work and particularly with the help of our lead driver coach Joey. His depth of experience and communication with the drivers has been a great key to RPG’s success and its future.”
Next on the calendar for the Rolison Performance Group is the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour SummerNationals, held at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah on July 20-22. Following that weekend, the RPG squad will prepare for the US Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals in northern Indiana. Arrive and drive spots are still available for the August 8-11 event and those interested are encourage to contact Mike Rolison as soon as possible. Spots are also available for the Pan American Challenge championship event as well later in the year. To learn how you can be part of this unique and professional race team, visit www.rolisonperformancegroup.com for more about their services and products available.
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About Rolison Performance Group:
Rolison Performance Group is a leading race team and prep shop in American karting, and is also a Rotax Service Center and a Kosmic chassis dealer. Owner Mike Rolison, known as “Roli” at the racetrack, has built a career coaching some of the best kart racers on the West Coast. Over the past decade, he has helped 100’s of drivers and mechanics improve their craft. Mike brings world class driving and coaching experience to every racer he works with. Whether you are competing on the local, regional, national or world stage Roli’s driving and tuning instruction will improve your abilities and results. RPG provides trackside support and arrive-and-drive programs for many series, including the Challenge of the Americas, US Rotax Grand Nationals, Pan-American Challenge, SKUSA Pro Tour, Northwest ProKart Challenge and the SKUSA SuperNationals. The team is a Kosmic chassis and product line dealer and is proud to campaign karts on the regional and national stage.