San Diego, California
November 26, 2008

PHOTO GALLERY 1
PHOTO GALLERY 2
VIDEO from OAKLEY

The FX Racing crew was in Las Vegas this past weekend. Yes, Las Vegas, the land of wild bachelor party trips and wilder weddings, the land of Paris, New York and Egypt all on the same street. Vegas. But the team didn’t pack up and hit the road because we had an overwhelming urge to see some of our favorite impersonator acts or confirm if you really can get a steak at 2AM. No, we were lured not by showgirls but by some of the best kart racing to be found anywhere – but the SuperNats.
 
The annual extravaganza put on by the Superkarts USA! folks has been a highlight of the karting world for 12 years and counting. With the confirmation of CIK certification for the tracks the past two years, SuperNATS has gone global, bringing the best of Europe to come play with the home-grown stars. In another boost to an already great event, SuperNats XII brought the field of battle back to the Rio Hotel and Casino.
 
The FX Racing USA team fielded five drivers for this year’s event, ranging from team regulars to new hot shoes and even a new junior face in the lineup. The temporary track laid out at the Rio and a jam-packed schedule of on-track sessions provided a challenging environment for both the drivers and tuners. Sessions took place not only during the heat of day but also in the evening, and with the track rubbering in all through the event, the ideal setup was an elusive moving target.  
 
Conte Hammering Home a True Podium
FX Racing regular Philip Conte came into this year’s SuperNats with the 2008 ProKart South S4 Heavy Championship under his belt – his second PKC title in three years. Not one to play games with preparing for competition, Philip worked with mechanic Greg Marlow and the FX Racing team for six weeks on a SuperNats prep program for his ride and himself. Test days focused on finding ideal setups for the Monster Energy/Makita/Trackmagic/Mid-Cities Honda machine in low-grip situations and dialing in for long runs. On the physical side, Conte engaged in a targeted fitness program so he would be primed and ready to show the rest of the S4 class what winning big is all about.
 
The practice day saw Conte feeling good, starting with getting used to the track and moving into a qualifying simulation for session two. Trouble struck as being the first kart out, Conte met debris, which caused a flat. Session three brought more trouble as Conte was punted off course by another kart. After repairs, the remaining sessions went well, seeing Conte at the top side of the time sheets. Qualifying brought Conte take P6 on the grid, a good spot to help stay out of trouble in Turn One. The heat races saw the Lakewood, California driver staying in the top 5 and on course for a good starting spot for the Final.
 
Lining up in P3 on the grid, Conte went into the final aiming for the top spot. After flawless starts in the Heats, Conte had a small stumble when the green dropped, salvaging the launch, the FX Racing driver held on to P4 heading into turn one. After a few laps for the kart to come in, Conte set off after P3, closing the gap until taking a decisive pass into turn one. With P3 his, the next target was getting closer and closer with each lap. There were too few laps to finish the job though and Conte crossed the line a well-deserved P3.
 
Wiener Makes a Power Statement
In the popular and fiercely competitive TaG Master class, Steve Wiener was driving his Monster Energy/Makita/Trackmagic and looking to hit the jackpot. Steve has had his fair share of bad mechanical luck over the 2008 ProKart Challenge South season, so he was looking forward to the bad luck gremlins bothering someone at the craps tables and leaving his driving talent to shine through. Wiener brought along a lucky charm to help – new Swedetech power for his Parilla Leopard.
 
Practice sessions for the San Diego, California driver went smooth as he found his groove and mastered the track. Qualifying found the kart a little over-stuck for the conditions with Wiener working hard to take his Monster Energy/Makita/Trackmagic/Swedetech ride by the scruff of the neck and be at the sharp end of the grid. It turned out to be a bit too much as Wiener ended up in P33 for the start of Heat 1.
 
The Heat races provided a mixed bag of results, with the first race finding Wiener making up positions by the double handful as he made his way through carnage at turn one. The effort was for naught though as a whack in the rear from another kart sent Wiener wobbling off track with a bent axle. Heat 2 saw another good run through turn one with the checkered flag bringing a P20 finish. Starting in 33rd for Heat 3, the FX Racing drive made it to 23rd before his run was blunted by traffic.
 
The Final got off to a rocky start with a waved–off start and a red flag. Once things got rolling , Wiener was tagged in Turn 3, causing a spin which sent him to the back of the field. Undeterred, Wiener set about to work his way back up as far as he could. With Swedetech engine on song and all the bad luck of a season behind him, Wiener made passing every driver he could his to-do list. He did just that, ending the day in 18th.
 
New Vista Cut Short
Making his SuperNats debut was FX Racing USA regular Jim Barnes. Jim took a hard-fought fourth place in the 2008 ProKart South S4 championship and was looking to use his Monster Energy/Makita/ Trackmagic/EnVista ride to jump up a couple spots and land on the top step of the podium.
 
Barnes got off to a good start, keeping his kart on pace with teammate Conte through the practice sessions. In qualifying Barnes left a little on the table and found that 2/10ths of a second meant the difference between P7 and P16, where he ended the session.
 
Barnes took some of that gap back with a smooth Heat 1, finishing 13th after dealing with tough traffic. Heat 2 brought more of the same as the San Francisco, California driver moved up to P8. Barnes took Heat 3 with a conservative focus on maintaining a good starting spot for the Final, finishing 11th.
 
Barnes was ready to go for the Final, ending the morning warm-up in the top 3. At the green flag Barnes set off after the leader, only to be tagged from behind in Turn 1, damaging the pipe whle another kart decided to drive over him, bending the steering wheel. A DNF was poor payback for a SuperNats debut weekend in which Barnes showed a lot of speed and skill.
 
Junior on the Run
Also joining the team for their first time at SuperNats was junior driver Devin Lindsey running in HPV-2. Junior only applies to age for this experienced racer from Highland, California who is a regular front runner with SoCal clubs—notably in the highly competitive IKF Region 7 series. The weekend had many firsts for Devin – not only his first SuperNats but also new to the FX Racing team and his first race on the supremely capable Trackmagic chassis.
 
In the practice sessions young Lindsey ran well, running in the top 6/7 all day. The Highland, CA driver got a rough SuperNats lesson in Qualifying though as 2/10ths separated P1 through P16 and Lindsey came up on the low end of that scale, taking P15 heading into the Heat races. In Heat 1, Lindsey moved up the field, crossing the line in P6. The new FX Racing driver got a little roughed up in Heat 2 as another kart hit him from behind while running in 8th. The SKUSA officials took note however, relegating the offending driver to the back of the field and reinstating Lindsey, thankfully leading to a another P7 finish in Heat 3.
 
Raring to go for the Final, Lindsey set out on a brand-spanking new set of tires. Vegas luck struck hard though as a flat in Turn 1 ended his run. At SuperNats, Lindsey showed the determination, focus and speed that have served him so well in IKF Region 7, serving notice that he will be a force at future events.
 
Sore Shoulder and Out
Roy Montgomery is another new face in the FX Racing colors making his SuperNats debut. An experienced motorsports veteran, Roy joined the team for the last round of the PKC South championship, with his Monster Energy/Makita/O’Connell Racing ride aimed squarely at the famed Vegas event. Although a relative rookie behind the wheel, Montgomery is moonlighting from his regular track position as Technical Director for Grand-Am and NASCAR team O’Connell Racing.
 
Montgomery put in huge effort preparing for the event, following a similar program to Philip Conte, the rookie driver came a long way in a short time. He carried that same determination into the practice sessions, ending the day in the top 15, a respectable goal for a new driver at his first SuperNats.
 
In the morning warm-up before Qualifying, Montgomery was settling in, running with a pack of four karts. They came up on a slower driver who checked up down the straightaway – Montgomery was the last to reach the wayward driver and made contact, launching him out of the kart and onto the track hard. Montgomery came away from the incident with a broken shoulder and sprained ankle while his kart was trashed. The incident did little to dim his spirits though as he is already looking forward to running the ProKart Challenge next year. We wish him a speedy recovery.
 
FX Racing would like to thank our partners for this event, Monster Energy Drink, Makita Industrial Power Tools, K&N Filters and Bain’s Hardware. All the FX Racing drivers were well served by the stellar Trackmagic chassis line-up. We have had a chance to run a good range of the new models now – from Shifter to TaG to Junior and have seen how well they perform. Makita tools were definitely one of the stars of the event – both in the FX Racing pits and for the many people who stopped by to see the demonstrations put on by the Makita folks.
 
FX Racing USA, LLC is a professional motorsports and marketing organization with headquarters in San Diego, CA offering programs ranging from auto and kart racing to corporate team building and training. The kart racing efforts are supported by Monster Energy, Makita Industrial Power Tools, K&N, Bell Racing, Trackmagic Racing Karts and Swedetech Racing Engines. For more information, visit www.fxracingusa.com.