Green Speed Karting

GreenSpeed Karting Florida Winter Tour PBIR Review

Canadian TonyKart team earns two podiums in Florida

Four members of the GreenSpeed karting team returned to the sunshine state for round two of the 2010 Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge. Held at the renewed Palm Beach International Raceway, just north of West Palm Beach, the team earned two podiums and continued to gain momentum towards the final event in late March.

Rotax DD2 Report:

In the Rotax Max DD2 category, 2008 Canadian National Champion and reigning Florida Winter Tour Champion Darren White was again joined by 2005 Canadian National Champion Eric Gerrits. After posting the fourth quickest time in qualifying, White was forced to change motors before the pre-final, but was plagued on the opening lap with shifting issues and was forced to withdraw before the heat even started. In the prefinal White would move quickly through the field and up to eighth place, until contact with another driver on lap nine ended his race prematurely. On the flipside, Gerrits continued to gain speed throughout the day and after a mediocre qualifying and pre-final effort, powered through the field in the final crossing the finish line in third place.

The start of the pre-final was a complete role reversal for the two Ontario pilots. Milwain was the victim in a turn one incident that saw a kart drive over top of him, damaging his radiator and his rear bumper. Morrison on the other hand fought his way through from his 29th starting position and was into the top twenty rounding lap one. Milwain hung on for as long as he could with the leaders, but with his engine over heating due the damaged radiator and his bumper eventually falling off he was forced to retire early. With the drive of the race Morrison continued his way forward picking off a total of sixteen karts in the fifteen-lap heat and finished thirteenth. In the 20-lap final, Milwain fought for some redemption and drove his way through the field to an impressive tenth-place finish. Showing he had the pace to run with the best of them Morrison held onto his position, kept his nose clean and battled throughout the entire race, crossing the finish line in fifteenth place.

The two returned on Sunday with the goal of putting GreenSpeed on the podium again. Out of the box, White posted the second fastest time in qualifying and lined up on the front row for the pre-final. Backing it up in the pre-final, White cruised to victory. However in the final, the Port Hope native battled all race long for the lead but had to settle for second at the finish line. Gerrits continued to struggle in the sessions leading up the final, and again delivered a strong result in the final after starting at the back of the grid crossing the line in seventh.

"I am very happy to have earned two podiums in DD2," comments team owner Mike Morrison. "Both Eric and Darren have had some ups and downs during this years FWT, but could definitely be the ones to beat in Canada this year."

Rotax Junior Report:

Two Junior pilots proudly sported the GreenSpeed colours and although didn’t quite match their DD2 teammates results, they proved their competitiveness and never let up the entire weekend. In qualifying, Austin Milwain powered into the top-ten with an eighth place effort, while Cameron Morrison also took the direct route to the “A” Main, lining up nineteenth in the 51 kart class. After holding onto their positions in the pre-final, the two Canadians looked to advance in the final. Morrison was on the charge early and knocking on the door of the top-ten. However contact exiting corner three spun his TonyKart machine, and when he resumed he found himself outside the top-30. Showing his usual determination, he drove his way forward to finish twenty-first. Milwain maintained his top-ten position but couldn’t advance past eighth place, crossing the finish line on the bumper of the kart ahead of him.

Milwain again qualified inside the top-ten on Sunday, but an opening lap traffic-jam almost forced his retirement. A restart allowed him to race his beat-up go-kart to an eleventh place finish. Less than a tenth of a second forced Morrison into the LCQ, but he maintained his composure and cruised to victory and a spot in the pre-final. Keeping it cool in the pre-final, Morrison avoided all the action and advanced to nineteenth at the stripe. After the GreenSpeed crew repaired the kart of Milwain, he immediately charged forward and looked to podium. However, possible damages from the pre-final incident may have caused him to slowly lose pace as the race went on. Battling as hard as he could, he finished in sixth place. In the final, Morrison was caught up in an opening lap incident, which sent him down the order, eventually finishing twenty-fifth.

Following the event, team manager Mike Roth went on to say, "after the first two rounds both Austin and Cameron are showing well and are excited for the final round of the FWT and especially to return home. The bugs are slowly getting worked out and it seems like they are going to be battling for race wins and the championship back home in Ontario and Canada. They both are looking like the ones to beat in 2010 in Ontario."

The team now prepares for the final round of the Florida Winter Tour, being held at the freshly paved Ocala Gran Prix in Ocala, Florida. Following round two White and Gerrits find themselves in sixth and tenth in the overall points standings. In Junior, Milwain holds onto the number five position as Morrison still holds in the top-twenty in nineteenth.

The GreenSpeed Karting team will be competing in the Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship, the Eastern Canadian Rotax Max Challenge as well as select special events including the Canadian Nationals and Rotax Pan-American Challenge. For more information about GreenSpeed Karting and their racing program, please visit http://www.greenspeedkarting.com or contact Mike Morrison at mike.morrison@rogers.com.