GARRETTSVILLE Ohio (images by Turn 13 Photo) — Dart Kart Club hosted the third round of 2022 AKRA / Hoosier Kartsport National Road Race Series July 22-24 at Nelson Ledges Road Course in Northeast Ohio, where over 100 racers were in attendance from all over the United States to total just shy of 300 race entries.
A full day of Friday practice opened the weekend with eight race groups racing both Saturday and Sunday. The event, the fourth consecutive DKC / AKRA road race at Nelson, was most importantly a very safe one as not a single red flag waved throughout the three days of on-track action.
Weather was also on racers’ side as only a brief rain slowed practice Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon thunderstorms somehow never hit the 2-mile Nelson Ledges course and racing continued without any slowdowns.
Yamaha Pipe for laydown enduros featured a very formidable field of approximately 20 racers taking the green flag each day, including many of the nation’s best enduro karters. Two Florida drivers — Nate Grindell and Chad Dokken — scored Yamaha Pipe final wins with Grindell edging Patrick Olsen in Saturday’s Final 1 and Dokken leading nearly every lap on his way to Sunday’s 45-minute Final 2 triumph.
Click here for Kart Lounge’s race recap of Yamaha Pipe competition at Nelson Ledges.
Yamaha enduro images from Turn 13 Photo —
CIK 125 TaG, CIK Shifter and Stock Honda divisions also featured some outstanding competition with tight racing and close finishes throughout Saturday and Sunday. Chad Donner, Khalil Elassi, Donald Jackson, Randy McDaniel, Craig Mortz, Mark Nagy, Alex Popusoi, Bill Pyles, Gary Sircy and Rod Williams all unofficially scored wins in those categories.
Otto Vollmerhausen and Ed Shampine split the six-kart Piston Port Sprint finals with Vollmerhausen winning Saturday and Shampine on Sunday.
Jeremy Baldi’s beautiful black and pink No. 8 was the fastest 250 super kart in attendance with fast laps in the 1:05 bracket and a Saturday win.
Wisconsin’s Regan Vehring won a couple Briggs Animal sprint-enduro finals.
Larry Dobbs won Unlimited both days.
Arthur McKenny was a Vintage Piston Port winner both days, while Ryan Miller won 100cc Air Cooled TaG Final 1 and CIK LO206 Heavy Final 1.
Bentley McClellan and Joshua Toth split the Junior Enduro finals with McClellan winning Saturday and Toth Sunday.
Other winners included Mallory D’Augustine (Yamaha Sprint), Shane Hayden (100cc Air Cooled TaG Enduro) Todd Hayden (Controlled), Kasey Davis (125 TaG Enduro), Scott Davis (Formula 125), Corey Fry (B Stock & Vintage Twin), Greg Hartley (Vintage Open), Caitlyn Ulm (Junior 100cc TaG), Eric King (CIK LO206 Heavy), Matthew Maguire (CIK LO206), Ryan Suralik (Junior CIK LO206), Jerry Revely (Open Sprint), Christina White (Yamaha Sportsman Medium), Jonathan Swartz (Yamaha Sportsman Heavy), Fred Stoll (Vintage Open), Henry Baker (4-Cycle Enduro) Andy Leighninger (Yamaha Sprint), Jesse Schwabe (4-Cycle Sprint), David Casaperalta (100cc TaG) and Timothy Koen (Formula 100).
MyLaps results and AKRA National Road Race point standings including Summit Point, Mid-Ohio and Nelson Ledges will be posted soon and shared on akraracing.com and the AKRA Facebook.
AKRA wishes to thank everyone who came out to attend this year’s Nelson Ledges Nationals and we look forward to seeing our racing family throughout the rest of the season at Summit Point, Gingerman and Pittsburgh.
Next up for the 2022 AKRA Road Race Series is an August 20-21 return to Summit Point, where Woodbridge Kart Club hosts a shared event with Formula Car Promotions.
Click here for the August Summit Point event schedule.
Click here for WKC’s August Summit Point online registration.
