J3 Competition headed straight from the 2011 FWT into the new Pan American Challenge this past weekend in Homestead, FL. There were smaller grid sizes in Homestead, yet they were packed with high-level talent which provided for some exciting and eventful racing for the J3 Competition team.
2011 FWT MiniMax vice-champion Patricio O’Ward entered proved to be back in the mix as he put himself consistently in the top five group of drivers throughout the entire event. O’Ward would take his best finish home on Sunday with a solid fourth place finish coupled with a sixth place finish on Saturday. Alongside O’Ward as Ecuadorian Juan Manuel Correa who also proved good speed throughout the weekend. Correa was involved in a nasty flip in Saturdays action, but the young pilot bounced back on Sunday with a solid eighth place finish.
Junior pilot, Alex Guenette arrived in Homestead looking to take his speed from the FWT into a new series. Immediately, Guenette asserted himself as a contender as he grabbed fast time in Saturday’s qualifying, which he converted to a solid second place finish in the final. Sunday provided more intense racing as Guenette showed composure as he persistently worked his way to the final where he captured the victory with a last lap pass that sealed his first win with J3 Competition.
The duo of Alessandra Madrigal and Tristan DeGrand took to Homestead in the Senior Max category. After acclimating to the conditions and circuit, both drivers showed the speed to compete at the front. Sunday’s action witnessed Madrigal go in the sub-48 second bracket to take the top qualifying spot. Sunday’s pre-final start provided a glace of the competitions intentions as Madrigal was ran off track at the start line, thus forcing herself to battle with a damage chassis. To Madrigal’s credit she was able to maintain her position and take home a second place finish in the pre-final with DeGrand in eighth. In Sunday’s final Madrigal was again hit and forced to work her way form near last position to take home an impressive fourth place finish along with fastest lap honors. Teammate Tristan DeGrand took his best finish of the weekend home on Sunday as well with a fifth place finish.
Justin Stefani, Race Team Manager, J3 Competition commented: “The event in Homestead did not yield the final results we had worked toward. However, we are certain of what our drivers and material are capable of so, we now have our sights directed toward the next important events on our schedule. We would also like to thank the continued relations with our supply partners, Kosmic Kart, Supertune USA, and UNIPRO Laptimer.”
J3 Competition Race Department is exclusively utilizing the 2011 Kosmic Racing Kart line coupled with Unipro data logging systems. For further information regarding the J3 Competition Race Department 2011 schedule or availability, please email Technical@J3Competition .com.
About J3 Competition:
J3 Competition Inc. is an undisputed leader in Race Services since 2004, providing the necessary tooling and management to take drivers to the next level. Starting in 2015 through its COMPKART ™ brand, J3 Competition will provide a full line of high-quality chassis and products designed and engineered for the Karting industry alongside it potent Race Department. J3 Competition will aim to deliver the COMPKART ™ chassis line to the North American market as well as customers globally in 2015 and beyond with unprecedented performance and service. With its content, B2B, and B2C websites presently under construction, please visit http://www.j3competition.com along with all its social media outlets to stay up to date on the latest releases and happenings regarding the COMPKART brand.
