GLOVER BROTHERS RACING SOLID IN GATORZ OPENER

Western Canadian karting team take Lewis Hamilton Kart to Gatorz for another successful weekend of winter racing

Chilliwack, BC - GBR Karting, the exclusive North American importer of the Lewis Hamilton Kart, headed to the opening round of the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas held in Tucson, Arizona on January 28-30. Overall it was a very successful weekend for the GBR crew, who entered three drivers in three classes. This included Jeff Fulham in Mini-Max, Zachary Scalzo in Junior Max and Daniel Burkett in DD2. All drivers ran on a GBR powered LH Kart including Scalzo who ran the new LH3, the latest in chassis technology designed to perform better on modern tires. The LH3 is a combination of 28mm and 30mm tubing to create a very tunable and drivable platform.

In preparation for the opener, the team attended the local club event that was held at the same track the weekend prior to Gatorz in order to shake off the Canadian winter rust. As the Gatorz weekend got underway, all three drivers were running in the top five of their respective groups by the end of Friday practice. Zachary Scalzo was especially impressive on the new LH3 and by the end of practice it was looking like he and his LH3 were going to be the kart to beat in Rotax Junior Max.

"We've been attending the Gatorz series for a few years now and really enjoy it every year. Last year saw us debut the LH Kart at the first round so it was nice to know our equipment a little better this year," says Kevin Glover, GBR Team Principal. "In Junior Max we debuted a new 2012 chassis, the LH3. We hadn't run the LH3 prior to this event, so we didn't know what to expect or how to tune it. I have to say though, the chassis has potential."

Saturday morning qualifying saw good performances from all three drivers with Burkett taking a second in DD2, Scalzo fourth in Junior and Fulham sixth in the extremely tight Mini Max field. All three drivers performed well in their respective prefinals with Burkett holding station in second, Scalzo improving to one spot for third and Fulham improving two spots for fourth. As is tradition with the Gatorz Series, the finals would be a grueling test of driver stamina and chassis setup with the premier classes running 25 laps. Ultimately, the team's success continued with Burkett and Scalzo taking podium positions and Fulham fighting a great race for an eventual sixth.

"Mini Max was just incredible all weekend long. It actually reminded me of the old school Junior Sportsman days where there would be a train of 15 karts. It was awesome," smiles Kevin Glover. "We love these long races because it really makes you have to think to achieve a setup that's not only capable of a quick lap, but where you can run those times for the entire event. We had a really good day on Saturday and we were close to taking victories, so we made a few changes for Sunday looking for just a little bit here and there."

And the hard work paid off with all three drivers landing in the top three after qualifying. Fulham was especially impressive as he just nailed it on Sunday and put the kart off pole. This was Jeff's first front row starting position at this level and the GBR Team was really excited about the result. The prefinals were full of intense racing but overall were uneventful for the GBR drivers as Burkett and Scalzo held onto their third place running positions. Fulham fell to fifth but was in the battle for second the entire race, eventually crossing less than two seconds back.

Moving onto the finals, the GBR Team was looking for just a little more speed in all three categories. Starting with DD2, the team was hopeful for a win, as Burkett had been gunning for it all weekend. Unfortunately, as can be the case in racing, he had some unfortunate incidents, which resulted in him falling down the order to sixth. In Junior Max, Scalzo had a great run to second place in the closing stages and nearly took the win, crossing side-by-side and just 0.048 seconds behind the leader.

"I feel for Daniel. He had the speed all weekend, but these things happen in racing. Sometimes you can be on the other side of it and pick up a few spots so it is what it is," states Chris Glover, GBR Karting lead driver. "I'm extremely happy with Zac's performance and the performance of the LH3 chassis. So far Zac is the only one running it, but with these results I'm confident we can roll it out to the entire team."

In Mini Max, Jeff Fulham proved he has what it takes to be a champion. In what was probably the best race of the weekend in any class, second through sixth battled all 18 grueling laps to finally finish a mere 0.9 seconds apart. The top five positions were separated by less than a second. In the end, Jeff ended up fifth in the group but not for a lack of speed or skill.

"I haven't seen a race that good in a Junior category in years," continues Chris Glover. "I'm extremely proud of Jeff. His driving was fantastic and he could have easily ended the race in second. It just didn't end up that way. One thing I am definitely happy with is the LH cadet chassis. It's proving to be really, really good and I'm confident that with that and Jeff's ability we'll be winning Mini Max soon."

The GBR Karting Team return to action for the second weekend of Gatorz Challenge of the Americas action taking place on February 24-26 at the PKRA Circuit in Phoenix, Arizona.

To learn more about GBR, the Lewis Hamilton line of karts and their complete line of products and services please email at kevin@gbrkarting.com or call during business hours at 604.724.0078. Be sure to check out the GBR Karting race schedule at www.gbrkarting.com. On non-race weekends GBR can usually be found testing at Greg Moore Raceway in Chilliwack, BC.