2009-10 Round 8

Walczak Birthday Classic - Walczy World

Round 8 of 14

January 21, 2010

FAST FACTS

Walczak Birthday Classic

WHAT: Walczak Birthday Classic

WHERE: West Allis, Wisconsin, Walczy World

WHEN: Thursday, January 21, 2010 7pm

U.S. TELEVISION SCHEDULE: Time Warner Cable Channel 1111, Check Listings, Google Video

September 2009 CHAMPION: Mark Walczak

September 2009 POLESITTER: Ev Kamikawa

TRACK LAYOUT: Road course

RACE LENGTH: 20 minutes

TRACK RECORDS: Qualifying – Jim Iverson, 59.984, 2008

Race –Mark Walczak, 226 Laps, 2009

Fast Lap – Mark Walczak, 4.664, 2008

RACE ROUND: 9 of 15 in the 2009-2010 HO Indy Slot Car Series

INSTANT REPLAY:

Entering the fifth round of the 2008-09 season we had three winners. Tom Spehert had won the opener, Mike Fitzlaff won round two, and Mark Walczak had won rounds three and four. Walczak entered his home event with a chance to tie a record for most consecutive wins held by Phil Cianciola and Ev Kamikawa at three. Ev Kamikawa would start the event from the pole trying to keep Walczak from joining the club.

The first heat of the night was a tag team event as Vista Racing teammates Mike Kristof and Matt Hayek took on the NHLHO team of rookies John Wiedemann and Mike Lack. The event was close as all four drivers would lead during the event. In the end it was Mike Lack taking the win by four laps over Matt Hayek. Hayek was left to watch and see if his lap total would be enough to advance to the finals via the transfer spot.

Heat two would feature three drivers from Spehert-Foyt, Mike Fitzlaff, Tom Spehert, and Chris Spehert, and RS Racing Techs Larry Rotter. The race would be between Fitzlaff and Rotter, as both Tom and Chris would struggle on the fast twisty course. Rotter would keep it close but as the event rolled on Fitzlaff would start to pull away. The only question would be can Rotter surpass the lap total of Matt Hayek? The faster pace of the second heat would push Rotter ten laps further than Hayek went, leaving Rotter to watch and wait the final heat race.

The final heat had defending race winner Dean Strom, pole sitter Ev Kamikawa, and teammates Amy Butler and Mark Walczak. Kamikawa, Butler and Walczak would all take turns out front, as the pace of the final heat would start out fast. Ev Kamikawa would go on and take the win by three laps, but eyes were on Walczak as he tried to pass Rotter’s lap total. Mark used the home track knowledge to clip Larry by two laps and advance to the finals.

In the finals, Walczak would jump out to an early lead and try to put some distance between himself and the field. With Mark out front the battle for second heated up between Fitzlaff and Kamikawa. Mike and Ev would push each other, but in doing so neither driver was able to make up the distance on Walczak who would collect his third consecutive win, and extend his points lead. Fitzlaff would finish second with Kamikawa third, and Lack rounding out the final four.

THE KRISPY KREME KLASSIC HISTORY (15 events, 1994 - Present)

Year Race Winner

1994 John Shea

1995 Dave Austin

1996 Jim Kaehny

1997 Phil Cianciola

1998 Jim Kaehny

1999 Phil Cianciola

2000 John Shea

2001 Dan Margetta

2002 Jim Kaehny

2003 Phil Cianciola

Feb 2005 Larry Rotter

Sept 2005 Tom Spehert

2006 Dan Margetta

Feb 2008 Dean Strom Walczy World

Nov 2008 Mark Walczak

2010 Mark Walczak