J3 Competition Inc. put a firm stamp on the 2009 Florida Winter Tour at the final round in Ocala, FL. With three viable championships up for grabs (KF3, TaG Jr. and TaG Sr.) the team pushed hard all week and executed the main objectives.
The KF3 proved to be arguably the most competitive all year with several top drivers entered in the category. After two days of testing the team was prepared to chase for the championship with Tristan DeGrand and Alessandra Madrigal. After an exciting pre-final on Saturday where Madrigal and DeGrand finished 2nd and 3rd the final proved to be even better. Early-on in the final DeGrand and Madrigal took a dominating 1st and 2nd as the final progressed Rios would make a charge on Madrigal for 2nd while DeGrand went on to win with without a challenge with Madrigal finishing in 3rd thus keeping himself in the hunt for the championship going into Sunday. In order for DeGrand to capture the championship on Sunday he would have to battle his teammate and win-out the pre-final and final. With a strong effort in qualifying, DeGrand would take the pole position and never turned back through the pre-final and final as he became the first KF3 champion in North America. Teammate Alessandra Madrigal drove a great race as well taking 5th place in the final tally and 2nd in the championship.
The junior drivers at J3 Competition continued their impressive runs in the TaG Jr. category. With Madrigal securely in the championship lead heading into the weekend a flawless effort would still be required by the team to take home the championship. Coming off a strong SOK event in Ocala, Tristan DeGrand was vying for the top spot in TaG Jr. as well. After a strong pre-final on Saturday, the final was the Tristan and Alessandra show. The two teammates broke away from the competition and proceeded to swap the lead nearly every lap until the checkered flag fell with DeGrand taking the win and Madrigal in 2nd. Sunday’s final was shortened due to a late race red flag, however the story was the same as Saturday except the victor was Alessandra Madrigal, which in turn gave her the championship. DeGrand’s second place effort on Sunday awarded him with third place in the championship.
The final championship up for grabs was TaG Sr. as Richard Benitez was in contention to take his first FWT title. After a hard fought day on Saturday Benitez kept himself in contention, however, he would need a few things to go his way on Sunday in order to take the overall championship. At the end, everything played out for the young Puerto Rican. After a few technical infractions on the competition, Benitez would finish second in Sunday’s final behind Kosmic pilot Sean Meir. This finish would award Benitez the championship and a trip to the Granja 500 as part of team FWT. This marks the second year in a row which J3 Competition/Kosmic/ROK TT have captured the FWT TaG Sr. championship.
Rounding out the weekend was the KF2 category. Benitez would be paired once again with Japanese driver Shin Iguchi. Benetiz and Iguchi were setting competitive speeds all weekend, however the finals would be decided on tires. A shaky and accident prone Saturday sidelined Iguchi’s run toward the front as Benitez would finish in fifth. Sunday proved to be more competitive for the team. Benitez would drive a hard final and captured the final podium spot as he finished the best of the used tires. Early in Sunday’s final the mark was Shin Iguchi as he moved into third place early on and made a nice move or second before contact during the pass for second. Iguchi would drop back as a result and finish outside the top five while turning the fastest lap of the final.
The team at J3 Competition will be taking part in several events over the next couple months with the highlight being the SOK Race of America’s.
For further information regarding J3 Competition’s Race Department or the 2009 Kosmic Racing Kart line, Vortex Engines, ROK Series Engines, IBEA, JHC, OTK Kart Parts, and Tranzformer please contact our sales department at; Sales@J3Competition.com or 814-864-1846.
