The 2017 outlaw kart race season is well underway at the Cycleland Speedway. With one of the Points Race's rained out early in the season, track promoter Lowell Moural has scheduled a double header race to make up for the rain-out. This event will take place Friday, July 7th and Saturday, July 8th.
In an effort to sweeten the pot even more, the track has elected to put up some extra money for the Open Class for both nights of the double-header. The Open Class will pay $500 to win each night. That means that if one driver could win both nights they would head home with an extra $1000 in their pocket. The rest of the classes will have their normal payout. Both night’s will utilize our normal Saturday night schedule with Hot Laps starting at 5:30PM and Qualifying to follow.
Another exciting change that will go into effect that weekend will be the increase of the minimum weight rule for all classes. The changes are as follows: Box Stock's will go from 270 lbs to 285 lbs. Intermediate's will go from 350 lbs to 385 lbs. Open Intermediate's will go from 400 lbs to 420 lbs. Open's will go from 420 lbs to 450 lbs. Sportsman's will go from 450 lbs to 475 lbs.
I spoke with Michael Helwig, Points Leader in the Sportsman Class and driver of the Ed Brown Trucking #28M kart on the weight rule change and he had this to say. “I think it’s a good change for the Open Class, 450 seems to be the target weight for open classes across the country, and for Lowell to make that mandated at his track, I think is for the better. Making a kart heavier or lighter in any case won't make a driver better or worse, but can definitely even out the playing field a bit for a heavier driver versus some of the smaller drivers in the class.” Stated Helwig
This is a change that the drivers have been lobbying for for quite some time now, and after much consideration Lowell has decided to go forward with these new increased weights. As stated above, the first races with the new weight rule will be held July 7th and 8th during the double-header. Many of the drivers are very excited about this change, and are really looking forward to seeing how the new weight rule plays out.
Helwig went on to say, “I'm really excited about the two-day show coming up. Who wouldn't be? Lowell has given us a good amount of time this year to prepare for it. I'm hoping we can fill the grandstands for this event as well. Cycleland puts on some of the best racing in Northern California, and I don't say that being bias. I say that because the facts don't lie, the quality of drivers and what they have accomplished from the beginning proves it is some of the best racing in NorCal.”
With Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico having that Friday night off for racing, we hope to see some of you make the short drive out to the Cycleland Speedway to catch some of the action we have out there every Saturday night. For ticket/entry information, and/or directions to the racetrack you can visit www.cyclelandspeedway.com or call the track phone at 530-342-0063. We hope to see all of you out at the track in the coming weeks. Be sure to share this post to spread the word about our big race weekend coming up.