Race Reports

ProKart Challenge - Round 6 - Willow Springs Kart Track, Rosamond, CA - May 12, 2007

ProKart Challenge revists the famous Willow Springs Raceway

Round 6 of the ProKart Challenge returned to the traditional Karting track at Willow Springs Raceway, Rosamond California. Over 110 entries took the track, 4 of which under the FX Racing tent. Claiming wins in the last two rounds, FX Racing continued their winning ways posting the team's first 1-2 finish in PKC competition.

Cutler fill out the Second Step on the Podium for a 1-2 finish for FX Racing

Craig Cutler continued his championship effort posting a solid second place finish, in his enVista powered Trackmagic/Hi-Tech Honda. Qualifying forth in the twenty Kart field, Cutler looked to pick up his winning ways after coming off his first series victory at the previous round at Grange Motor Circuit. Cutler showed his pace on track all weekend finishing third and second in the two heat races. Cutler picked up the pace in the Main Event, charging into first place exiting Turn 1 and held the lead position for almost half the race, until FX Racing teammate Brad Dhesi put on a bold move to pass for the lead. With Cutler and Dhesi running nose-to-tail, things got a little crazy when another competitor lost power and left his Kart sitting in the racing line on the Pit Straight. Dhesi veered around the stalled Kart, but Cutler was unsighted until being right on top of the Kart, which led to an off-track excursion into the dirt to avoid the collision, which allowed third place runner at the time, Wally Wright to pass while Cutler was re-entering the track and trying to regain traction. After chasing down Wright, Cutler made the best out-braking pass of the race diving underneath Wright going into turn 9 to reclaim second place. Cutler nipped at Dhesi’s tail the remainder of the race, yet was unable to make a clean pass without risking taking himself and his teammate out of the race. Picking up 285 points on the weekend, Cutler firmly is positioned in second in the championship 153 points out of the lead.

ProKart Challenge - Round 5 - Grange Motor Circuit, Apple Valley, CA - April 21, 2007

ProKart Challenge makes annual trek to Grange

Wind, Sand Sun…It's always a difficult trip to Grange Motor Circuit, located 5 miles down a dirt road in the midst of Apple Valley's high desert. The FX Racing team set off to continue its strong results from the previous round to maintain its winning ways. Three entries in the G2 class, FX Racing clearly had its sites on the three podium positions.

Worst to First - Cutler comes from the back of the pack to take 1st Place!

Craig Cutler has consistently showed his speed, scoring several podium finishes since making the switch to the G2 class late last season. Putting in testing time at Grange on Easter Sunday, Cutler has been committed to his race program in 2007.

The enVista driver's weekend started off well, consistently near the top of the time charts through Friday practice. With Qualifying up, Cutler posted a strong time missing the pole, which was secured by Wally Wright. Maintaining a consistent pace, Cutler worked through Heat 1 on the tail of FX Racing teammate Brad Dhesi to finish third.

In Heat 2, Cutler kept pushing his Trackmagic/Hi-Tech Honda to cross the line in second place; however an inadvertent technical infraction and ensuing disqualification forced Cutler to start the Main event from the rear of the field. Starting in the last position, Cutler set his goals of having fun passing traffic and collecting points. The fun factor greatly increased as a turn 1 melee occurred, which Cutler managed to find his way around, posted Cutler into P6 as the race went on. Cutler put in a drive to remember as he passed by point's leader and Pole qualifier Wright, as well as several others.

Moving into the second spot, Cutler set sights on leader Harris Koenig, while lapping almost a full second faster. Koenig had a major cushion built up as he cleared the turn 1 accident early. Cutler tracked down the leader and made a bold pass on the inside of the fast sweeper at the end of the front straight to move into the lead. Cutler finished out the final few laps mistake free to claim his first win in ProKart Challenge. The win puts Cutler into second position in the championship standings.

ProKart Challenge - Round 4 - CalSpeedway, Fontana, CA - March 30, 2007

ProKart Challenge returns to CalSpeedway

FX Racing put five karts on track for the 4th Round of the ProKart Challenge at CalSpeed. As the series continues to grow, the competition gets tougher and tougher. Getting back to the California Speedway in Fontana, the team was looking to put an end to the challenges of the first part of the season. Monster Energy powered the team through the weekend, putting all 5 drivers in the top ten.

Craig Cutler put his enVista powered Trackmagic Honda in a strong position all weekend, scoring valuable points. Entering the CalSpeed event as the points leader in G2, Cutler kicked things off well qualifying 6th. Cutler raced his FX Racing teammate Jim Barnes through the first heat to finish 3rd. The FX crew was put to the test as a questionable axle was found while prepping for the second heat, which needed to be changed, with the job being completed just in the nick of time, arriving last at pre-grid. Unfortunately, Cutler however was forced to retire from the second heat due to a mechanical failure. With Cutler forced to start from the rear of the field in the Main he showed his performance scoring 9th out of the twenty kart field. Cutler now sits 3rd in championship points.

Getting back to their winning ways of last season, the FX Racing team will look to continue the preparation for the next round a Grange Motor Circuit.

ProKart Challenge - Round 3 - Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Buttonwillow, CA - March 3, 2007

ProKart Challenge makes the trek north to Buttonwillow for Round 3

Sunny skies and beautiful weather welcomed the third round of the ProKart Challenge to Buttonwillow, California. Located just off the I-5 halfway up the state, Buttonwillow is not exactly a tourist attraction; that's unless you're a hardcore racer. The 0.7 mile 10 turn kart track, with an almost 1000 foot straightaway where top speeds reached 90+ mph, is one of the most enjoyable on the schedule and it did prove for excellent racing. Stocked with Monster Energy Drinks, FX Racing's team of 6 drivers were in full form putting their stamp on the event.

Craig Cutler, had a solid weekend making steady progress to score valuable championship points. Strapped to the enVista powered Trackmagic FTR, Cutler qualified 7th in a red flagged shortened session. Cutler stayed steady in the first heat making progress to finish 5th. Another solid run in the second heat kept Cutler in contention as he held off pressure from FX Racing teammates finishing 3rd.

As the Main started, running at the full scheduled distance, Cutler needed to balance his equipment while holding off the pressure from behind. Cutler did just that in fact challenging Northern California driver Rocky Allen for the lead. Settling in to the race pace, Cutler finished 2nd out of the 25 kart field, for his best finish of the 2007 season. The podium finish has moved Cutler into the G2 Championship points lead.

ProKart Challenge - Round 2 - Moran Raceway, Beaumont, CA - February 3, 2007

ProKart Challenge returns to Moran Raceway for Round 2

With a late change to the schedule, PKC returned to race again at the famed Moran Raceway with a change, running the track backwards. Supporting no less than 7 drivers, the FX crew overcame the challenges of the first race to have decent results.

enVista powered driver Craig Cutler steered his new '07 Trackmagic FTR to a 7th place finish after overcoming a mechanical issue in the first heat. The new FTR showed promise leading into the second round as Cutler lapped over a full second quicker than previous best in testing.

Coming off a podium in Round 1, Cutler qualified 3rd besting the other FX Tean drivers. Pacing the first heat in third, Cutler lost time as a plug wire came off mid-race forcing him off the track and to the rear of the field. Repairing the power loss, Cutler salvaged a 23rd finishing position. Cutler was on the move in Heat 2, and aggressively raced up to a 9th place finish, passing 14 drivers in just 10 laps Heat 2. With a decent starting position for the Main, Cutler battled amongst the combined class move up to 7th place for day. The finish moves Cutler to 4th in G2 championship points.

ProKart Challenge - Round 1 - Moran Raceway, Beaumont, CA - January 6, 2007

ProKart Challenge Kicks Off 2007 Season at Moran Raceway

The first round of the 2007 karting season came early with the ProKart Challenge and 184 drivers kicking off their schedule at the southern California home of karting, Moran Raceway in Beaumont. With the support of Monster Energy, FX Racing had a full assault on hand with 6 drivers under the tent, four of which competing in the G2 class. The team was challenged, finishing the day with mixed results, 4 drivers scoring top ten results.

Returning FX driver Craig Cutler scored the team's best result of the weekend putting in consistent laps all day to sit second in the season championship points standings. After making only one start in the G2 class last year, Cutler got off to a decent start, qualifying 4th with the aide of new tuner Kyle Kuntze. A stalled kart on the grid cost Cutler a few spots in the first heat, but the Trackmagic/enVista driver made aggressive passes at speed to move up the field.

Due to delays throughout the day and ensuing darkness, the Main Event was shortened from the normal 15 laps to just 6 laps, which cost Cutler's chances at the race win, as he was rapidly catching the first and second place drivers, while turning the fastest lap of the race, but had to settle for a 3rd place finish out of the 27 G2 entries. Fast race lap in the main, along with solid points throughout the day in the Heat Races moved Cutler into 2nd place in the Championship Standings.

ProKart Challenge - Round 9 - Streets of Willow, Rosamond, CA - September 23, 2006

ProKart Challenge Season Finale at the Fast "Streets of Willow"!

The 2006 ProKart Challenge wrapped up its championship with the annual trek to the Streets of Willow, a 1.8 mile road course in Rosamond, California. Speeds soared to over 105 mph on the ultra-fast circuit. Winners were decided and champions were crowned at round 9, the finale of the 2006 championship.

Craig Cutler, making only his second start in the V2 class, scored his first podium of the season, but not with out a struggle!

Piloting his enVista powered Trackmagic FTR with the newly updated Hi-Tech Honda, Cutler was set to make a mark on the very fast, Streets circuit. The day started out rough with a clogged pilot jet causing a major engine failure forfeiting Cutler's practice period.

The FX crew worked diligently to restore the damage to operation form getting Cutler back ontrack for the qualifying session. With no practice, Cutler was able to qualify 4th in the 23 kart V2 field. Driving with caution, Cutler raced the first and second Heats to a 3rd and 2nd place finish respectively.

The 15 laps main proved to be a tough fight for Cutler as he exchanged positions with Richard George, Dick Herrara and Blair Chang however eventual race winner Wally Wright cleanly drove away from the fight. Cutler settled in to follow George across the line in third. George was later disqualified for a technical infraction promoting Cutler to a 2nd place finish - his first podium with FX Racing.

ProKart Challenge - Round 8 - Did not enter event

ProKart Challenge - Round 7 - Santa Maria Kart Track, Santa Maria, CA - July 8, 2006

ProKart Challenge Runs the Santa Maria Kart Track under cooler temperatures then previous races!

The FX Kart Racing Team made the trek up to beautiful Santa Maria for the seventh round of Southern California's ProKart Challenge Saturday.

FX Racing's Craig Cutler, who had been competing in the Spec class with his enVista powered Trackmagic, made the big decision to move up to V2 (Spec is a stock engine, where the V class allows modifications). Cutler competing with his virtually stock engine, made an impressive splash by finishing 6th overall. Much can be said for Cutler's competitiveness in the always challenging V2 field as he posted the 4th quickest time in qualifying. With an upgraded power plant, Cutler will be a top contender next year.

ProKart Challenge - Round 6 - CalSpeedway, Fontana, CA - June 3, 2006

ProKart Challenge Runs CalSpeedway with more 100+ Degree Temperatures

Extreme temperatures greeted the participants at this weekend's 6th stop of the Prokart Challenge; the second race at CalSpeed in Fontana, CA. Reaching temperatures of 106+ degrees in the shade the drivers had their work cut out for them on and off the track. As the competition heated up, staying properly hydrated became the story of the day.

Craig Cutler continues his fight to climb the point standings in the Spec 2 field driving his enVista/Trackmagic/Hi-Tech Honda kart to a 10th place finish in the 22 Kart field on Saturday. Cutler currently sits in 9th place in the points in his first full season of ProKart Challenge competition with FX Racing. Cutler overcame an electrical issue at practice's end to run both heats finishing as high as 7th in the heats. Currently behind Brad Dunford by 31 points, Cutler will be looking to continue his progress next month at Santa Maria where competition is sure to be as stiff, as usual.

ProKart Challenge - Round 5 - Grange Motor Circuit, Apple Valley, CA - May 13, 2006

ProKart Challenge Runs Grange in 100+ Degree Temperatures

The FX Kart Team took to the track at Grange Motor Circuit in the High Desert of Victorville, CA in what turned out to be a dry, hot days at the races. With temperatures reaching the 100-degree mark the FX Racing crew worked through the conditions to have a successful weekend.

"Setting up to handle the high grip conditions was a challenge. Getting the kart to a good balance, while making the front tires last was our biggest challenge of the year" explained FX Racing's Frank Bain. "Our pre-event testing really helped us make the right decisions for race day."

FX pilot Craig Cutler, coming off a flu-like illness, continued to improve ontrack in his enVista/Trackmagic/Hi-Tech Honda Kart. Starting in 7th position in the Main Event, Cutler was able to move up and contend for 4th before lapped traffic helped shuffle him back to a 6th place finish in the 22 Kart field, making it his best finish to date. Cutler has been able to steadily improve with consistent finishes continuing to climb in the overall points race where he currently sits in 9th place.

ProKart Challenge - Round 4 - Moran Raceway, Beaumont, CA - April 1, 2006

ProKart Challenge Runs Moran Backwards

The FX Kart Racing Team took to the fourth round of the ProKart Challenge in full force. The team of four drivers battled again through varying conditions which meant switching between rain and dry setups.

FX Racing's Craig Cutler worked hard through the packed Spec 2 class. Qualifying on rains tires on a drying track hurt the driver as half the field gambled and went out on slicks. Positioned at the rear of the field, Cutler wisely elected to sit out the first heat, which would have run in full wet conditions.

In the second heat, Cutler was able to prove his speed in dry conditions, quickly moving up through the field. His enVista/Trackmagic/Hi-Tech Honda motored him from the back of the 26 kart field to a 12th place finish. With a decent starting position for the main, Cutler's chances of moving to the front were very good, as he had the speed to do it.

In the Main Event, another driver in front of Cutler balked at the start, allowing several other karts to get past, causing the loss of several positions, making him fight his way back through the field. In all, the enVista supported driver managed to climb back to 9th place finish. Cutler is currently 11th in the Spec 2 championship points.

ProKart Challenge - Round 3 - Willow Springs Kart Track, Rosamond, CA - March 11, 2006

Snow Covers SoCal's ProKart Challenge

The Snow didn't stop the third round of ProKart Challenge at Willow Springs. The unusual weather striking southern California in March did little to slow down the ontrack action. The FX Racing boys took the weather in stride and made things work in the tricky track conditions.

With a weekend of preparation under their belts, drivers Philip Conte and Craig Cutler were set to take on the field in qualifying. Cutler had a strong performance scoring his best qualifying position of the season, a 3rd place start in the 18 kart Spec 2 field.

Starting on the second row for Heat 1, Cutler balked a bit on the start which forced him back in the field ending up in contact by the first turn. Cutler survived unscathed...however he was a lap down by the time he restarted. Heat 2 was an adventure in the wet, also Cutler first time in those conditions. Fighting the wet track, Cutler settled for a 14th place finish.

A drying track improved conditions for the Main, but Cutler still battled the difficult conditions. Finishing 10th, Cutler moves into 10th in the championship points.

ProKart Challenge - Round 2 - CalSpeedway, Fontana, CA - February 11, 2006