The Koene USA team is ready to kick off their March madness, as they prepare for multiple weeks of racing at three of the biggest series in karting. The Tony Kart team will start their twenty-one day stint at the inaugural SuperKarts! USA (SKUSA) WinterNationals, serving as rounds one and two of the SKUSA Pro Tour taking place at NOLA Motorsports Park March 2-5. They will then travel to Ocala, Florida for the final rounds of the Florida Winter Tour ROK Cup USA and Rotax MAX Challenge programs, March 9-12, and March 16-19, both taking place at Ocala Gran Prix.
“March is a very busy month for Team Koene USA as we travel to two different states to compete in three different series with three different engine platforms,” explained Team Principal Mike Maurini. “At the end of the day, the goal is the same at each and every race and we will be looking for podium results, race wins and potential championships as we end the first quarter of the 2017 racing season.”
There will be seven drivers flying the Koene USA flag at the SKUSA WinterNationals. Dale Curran and James Egozi will battle it out in the Mini Swift category as both drivers have earned wins and podiums in their early season events, and are expected to put on a great showing. Zoey Edenholm will return to Koene USA and compete in the X30 Junior category. She had an impressive 2016 Pro Tour season, earning the pole at SummerNationals and lead the championship point standings heading into the annual SKUSA SuperNationals. Jeremy Fairbairn and Alejandro Jaramillo will be joining their teammate in X30 Junior. Fairbairn has been in the hunt for victories in Rotax competition early in 2017 while Jaramillo claimed a top-five result at the Texas Pro Kart Challenge this past weekend. Nathan Ratton, who showed aggressive improvement throughout 2016, and Zach Holden will be throwing their hats in the mix in the highly-competitive X30 Senior division, both hoping for strong runs to kick off their season.
The team will then head east for the final round of the Florida Winter Tour ROK Cup USA program. Egozi and Curran will compete in the Mini ROK category. Egozi currently sits third in the championship point standings, aiming to stand on the championship podium at the end of the weekend. Matthew Barry will race in ROK Shifter, along with Jack Hawksworth, former Indy Car driver and current IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driver for 3GT Racing and Lexus. Jeremy Fairbairn will join his Team Koene USA and battle in the ROK Junior division.
A similar line-up of drivers will represent the team for the last event of the stint, the final round of the Florida Winter Tour Rotax MAX Challenge at Ocala Gran Prix. Egozi will be battling in the Micro MAX category, coming in as the championship points leader with two race wins in the previous two rounds. Curran enters the race sitting second in the Mini MAX championship points on the strength of one win and two podiums in the first two event weekends and has the hopes of a strong finish for a shot at securing the title. Fairbairn will do battle in the Junior MAX division, also sitting second in the championship standings. With one win on the books from round one at Homestead, he will be working hard for a shot at the championship. Thomas Simard will also be joining the line-up, running in Junior MAX. Simard has made huge improvements over the first two rounds and has a new set of goals for Ocala.
To keep up with all of Koene USA’s racing action, make sure to follow them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KoeneUSA, Twitter: @KoeneUSA, and Instagram: koeneusa.
Koene USA’s karting program is an elite level program for drivers looking to excel on the national karting scene. There are multiple programs offered, including arrive and drive as well as tent and transport. There are driver coaches and engine builders on site to ensure drivers receive the help they need at all times during the event. Koene USA will be attending the remaining rounds of the Florida Winter Tour, Superkarts! USA Pro Tour, US Open, United States Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Nationals and the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals. Interested in the services of Team Koene USA, please contact Mike Maurini at 317.270.8723 or via e-mail to Info@KoeneUSA.com.