Last weekend the NOLA Sprint Kart Championship wrapped up its 2015 season of 12 races in 10 months. The season finale had 67 entries across the two days of racing among 12 classes for Rotax, Briggs & Stratton, and Honda CR125 powered karts. Coming into this weekend some classes still had not decided a champion as of yet, with some of them being less that thirty points apart for the class crown. One of those classes was Rotax Junior Max, Logan McDonough (Tony Kart) and Bryce Boada (Kosmic) had a fight on their hands with their class title well within grasp of either driver. The weekend would not be made easy either with Iron Rock Motorsports from Houston, Texas bringing their fleet of five entries for the class making it the biggest field not only for the year but the weekend at twelve. McDonough started the competition on Saturday with fastest lap in qualifying to snag Pole Position for the Pre Final, followed behind Tyler Bruno (CRG) and Boada. McDonough held on for wins in both the Pre-Final and Final with his class rival Boada finishing the day in fifth place, but during post race tech Boada was found out of compliance, as well as four other drivers, resulting in a disqualification from the final. This would promote Jeremy Crowell (Sodi) to second, his best finish of the season to add to his fast lap of 45.77 setting a new course record for Track P, and Yusef Moola (Birel) of Houston, Texas to third and clinching the class championship for McDonough. Sunday's final race day of the year would see McDonough sweep the weekend winning the final for both days with Boada bouncing back from Saturday's disappointment to finish second, followed by Bruno in third for the day and the year. Fastest lap on the day was set by Maxwell Waithman (Tony Kart) of Katy, Texas with a 46.62, this is also a new course record for Sunday's Track J.

Ironically, the smallest field of the weekend was the class that provided the best race. Rotax Micro Max consisted of its normal five entries with the championship in a close fight between CRG drivers Cole Killian and Jesse Mitchell. Mitchell showed that he would not let the championship go down with out a fight by winning the Pre Final and Final for Saturday, followed closely by Killian ,who would claim bonus points for Fast laps in qualy and both races for the day. Noah Jourdan-Carollo (CRG) finished the day in third. Sunday's race day would be the one to remember for the weekend, if not the year. Iron Rock Motorsports driver Noah Baker (Tony Kart) of Pinehurst, Texas made leaps of improvement from the prior day coming from being a second and a half of the pace to winning pole position in qualifying. The twelve lap Pre Final would prove to be the race of the year with all five karts on track running nose to tail from flag to flag with the multiple lead changes between Baker and Killian with positions swapping consistently through out the pack. In the end Killian would take the Pre Final followed by Baker and Mitchell with a gap of 0.800 separating first to fifth at the line. Peyton McDonough (CRG) finishing in fifth would claim the fastest lap of the race with a 51.01. The final would continue the Baker and Killian battle, a mid race spin from McDonough separated the field leaving the front runners to battle it out to the checkered flag. In the end Baker would take the win over Killian in a close finish of 0.21, earning his first win outside of his home state in his first year of racing in the class, Mitchell would round out the poduim after a long race battle with Jourdan-Carollo. In the end Killian would hold on over Mitchell to win the Micro Max title by eighty points.

Adding to the exciting race weekend would be Rotax Senior Max. Everett Thomas (CompKart) being guaranteed the title by starting Saturday's Final would be gunning to add to his win tally for the year. The battle to watch would be for third in the championship among Jacob Crowell (Sodi), John Robicheaux (FA Kart) and Sebastian Guerra-Mondragon (Tony Kart). Saturday would start with Zach Rouse (Energy) setting fast lap for pole position followed by Thomas, Crowell, Robicheaux, and Joseph Hidalgo (BirelART). Guerra-Mondragon would suffer mechanical issues relegating a twelfth starting position. The start of the Pre Final was some of the most intense racing we have seen from this class all year with the top six jockeying for position in the first half of the race. In the end Thomas would take the Pre Final win followed by Crowell, Rouse and Guerra-Mondragon. The Final would see Crowell, Robicheaux and Hidalgo involved in a first turn skirmish leaving Thomas, Rouse and Guerra-Mondragon to battle for the lead to the finish. When the checkered flag dropped it was Guerra-Mondragon taking his first win of the year in his first season of kart racing against 2015 champion Thomas, Rouse would place third with Crowell rallying back to fourth. Sunday's race would bring more surprises by adding another player to the mix for a late season triumph. Travis Bennett (Kosmic) showed he had the pace to compete with Thomas by placing on the front row less than 0.023 from the pole time, and the top four qualfyed within a tenth of a second apart from each other. The Pre Final looked to be in the hands of Bennett for the majority of the race until Thomas completed a last lap pass to take the win. Hidalgo who ran strong in the race as well, and was as high as second, was shuffled back to forth behind Robicheax. The Final seen Thomas lead flag to flag to win the last race of the season, second looked to be in the hands of Crowell, who had set fastest lap in both races, but a late race incident with Robicheaux battling for position caused both to go off track and left Bennett to claim second and Hidalgo taking third, both scoring their best class finishes for the year. Guerra-Mondragon would go on to finish fifth in Sunday's final to claim third place in the championship. In this run group was also Rotax Masters Max which had it's biggest turn out for the season at five entries for both days. Saturday would see 2015 DD2 Masters champion Todd Meyer (CRG) take the Final win over 2015 Masters champion James Dix (Birel) and Brandon Abidin (Sodi). Sunday's Final would see Dix battle David Killian (CRG) to the last lap for the class win with Meyer overcoming Damon Cuccia (Kosmic) for the final podium spot.

The Briggs & Stratton LO206 powered class of Junior 1 and Junior 2 had tight battles going in, but the championship elects to be proved that they are the best in their class. Macon Moore (Ionic Edge) swept the weekend for all sessions for both days as well as taking maximum bonus points to claim the class title. Ayden Guilbeau (Coyote) followed finishing a consistent second on both days and showed great pace all weekend. Rymi Gonsoulin (Expirt) and Camryn Reed (Ionic Edge) rounded out the podium spots on Saturday and Sunday. Michael Causey (Coyote) clinched his second Junior 2 title by by sweeping the weekend over Seth Corbin (Margay). The grown up Briggs class of Senior 4-cycle had an interesting story line for Saturday, 2015 champion Greg Lacoste Jr. traded in his 15 year old championship Margay Brava 4 kart for a current model year Brava 4.11 chassis with CIK bodywork for the day. It proved to be a challenge with him, being in an unfamiliar second place behind Scott Griffin (Razor) in qualifying and the Pre Final. Lacoste Jr. put it together in the Final in the end, he found the speed to keep pace with Griffin and made the pass for the lead with two laps from the end to take his tenth win of the season. His younger brother Jace Lacoste on the Greg's championship winning Margay placed in third. For Sunday, Lacoste Jr. switched back to his familiar 15 year old stead and dominated the day from start to finish. Anthony Harwin (K&K) battling adversity from the prior day and in Sunday's qualifying, worked his way from tenth to third in the Pre Final, to battling Griffin for the runner-up place in the Final, Griffin would eventually take second over Harwin who rounded out the podium for the day as well as in the season standings.

Rotax DD2 Max was the final race for both days as well as the class with the tightest battle for the championship. 2015 US Open champion Luis Zervigon (CRG) looked to wrap up the title in class over Chad Clark (CRG) and Al Hassenboehler (CRG). The Saturday race seen Zervigon walk away with the top spot in all session as well as maximum bonus points to pull further ahead in points. Hassenboehler placed second ahead of Clark who suffered a mechanical. The Sunday race proved to be more exciting with Clark and Hassenboehler battling for second on track and in points then turned into a battle for the race lead when Zervigon tangled with lap traffic causing an an off and ending his race. Hassenboehler in an attempt at a late race pass on Clark made contact causing him to go off track ending his race as well, giving Clark his first win in the class and securing second in the championship behind Zervigon. Chris Clemant (CRG) swept the weekend in Rotax DD2 Masters over Robbie Poupart (CRG) with Ronnie Coste (CRG) and George Zarragoitia (CRG) rounding out the poduim on Saturday and Sunday. Dallas Lassalle (CRG) and Blaine Cavin (Sodi) would take wins in Shifter Open and Shifter Semi Pro-S2 with Anthony Harwin (CRG) and Joseph Bernos (Birel) taking a win a piece for the weekend in Shifter Masters-S4.

The 2015 season for NOLA Sprint Kart Championship closed out with two days of some of the most exciting and close racing of the year. The NOLA Motorsports Park Karting staff would like to thank the long list of 91 drivers not only from the state of Louisiana, but from Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and even as far away as Canada, as well as the families that have supported and participated in the program all season. 2016 will be the fifth year for kart racing at what is considered to be the best motorsports facility in North America, and we look forward to your program to become even bigger next year from both the operations and competition side as well as the addition of hosting the opening round of Maxspeed Entertainment's US Open on April 21 - 24. We look forward to seeing everybody at our end of the season awards party on December 5^th. As well as our 2016 season opener, which may come around sooner than you think.

For more information about NOLA Motorsports Park please visit our website at www.nolamotor.com to keep up to date with the NOLA Sprint Kart Championship as well as other programs and events at the park, or you can email [email protected] for specific information about the Series as well as services from our onsite Kart Shop.