After claiming a win in their opening event of the 2022 season, TB Kart USA continued the trend this past weekend on the temporary circuit adjacent to the Isle Casino in Pompano Beach, Florida. Taking on the first event weekend in the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour, Scott Presti scored the ROK Shifter Master victory as Farshad Bagheri rebounded from a difficult qualifying session to put a pair of TB Karts on the weekend podium.
“We had a great weekend overall,” explained TB Kart USA Owner Farshad Bagheri. “Some of our drivers had misfortunes but that opened the door for others. Our 2022 chassis are proving their race pace with the success we are having. It is a great way to start off the season and, as always, we will continue to push hard to carry that momentum into February, and beyond.”
Scott Presti was the most consistent of the TB Kart contingent as a second-place qualifying effort yielded second place finishes in heats one and two. Returning to the track on Saturday for the prefinal and main event in the condensed weekend due to weather, Presti rose to the occasion and was classified as the winner of the prefinal. He managed to continue that success into the day’s final to take the first Florida Winter Tour win of the season.
Rene Martinelli progressed through the heats with seventh and sixth place results after being disqualified for a technical infraction in qualifying. Continuing his march forward, Martinelli put his TB Kart in the fourth position in the prefinal before rocketing off the line in the main event to run third. With his teammate having issues two laps from the end, Martinelli advanced forward to finish second on track, only to be pushed to the bottom of the results sheet after post-race technical inspection and penalties.
With Martinelli removed from the results, it was Bagheri who crossed the line in the fourth position and was elevated to the third, and final step of the podium. After spending most of the weekend mired towards the tail of the field due to mechanical issue in qualifying, Bagheri took advantage of his new tires in the main event as his TB Kart came to life and he drove through the field to earn his first podium of the 2022 season.
Morne Van Taak qualified sixth and finished fifth in the second heat after a DNF in heat one. A ninth-place result in the prefinal but with speed to run in the front five, Van Taak failed to complete full race distance in the main event and will shift his focus to the next round in February.
With only a few weeks off, TB Kart USA will now prepare for back-to-back event weekends in South Florida in less than thirty days.
For more information on TB Kart USA, please contact Farshad Bagheri at 727.204.7633 or via email to FBagheri@TBKartUSA.com. TB Kart USA can also be reached online at www.TBKartUSA.com or by searching TB Kart USA on the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter social media platforms. If messaging is your preferred method of communication, please log on to Facebook and message the TB Kart USA page for a quick response.
Photos: Canadian Karting News