Phil Giebler Racing Puts Four Drivers In Four Classes On Podium At SKUSA

ROSAMOND, March 14, 2011: Phil Giebler Racing had drivers deliver podium finishes in four classes Saturday in the second round of the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park kart track.

Giebler, of Huntington Beach, Calif., finished second in the Extreme Karting S1 Pro Stock Moto division. Cricca, of Simi Valley, Calif., was third in TaG Senior, Noah Grey, of Dana Point, Calif., was third in Phil Giebler Racing-sponsored TaG Cadet and Bryce Watson, of Australia, was third in TaG Master.

PGR entered eight drivers in the event. Steve Wiener, of Chula Vista, Calif., was fourth and Kent Simon, of Australia, was sixth in TaG Master, Vatche Tartikian, of North Hollywood, Calif., was fifth in S3, Andrew Wiener, of Chula Vista, was sixth in TaG Senior. Watson and Simon were late additions to the team.

“We had a pretty good day,” Giebler said. “Noah Grey qualified in second position. He was losing ground on the straights and had a power issue, but he fought hard all day. Chris Cricca drove well to bring it home third in TaG Senior. Steve Wiener had a close battle all day and was a solid fourth. It was Vatche Tartikian’s second race in a kart ever and he did well to finish fifth in the novice shifter class (S3).

“Bryce Watson and Kent Simon joined us at the last minute and it was a thrash to get their karts ready.”

Giebler finished 1.362 seconds behind Clinton Schoombee in the 20-lap main on the .6-mile track in the pro shifter class. Giebler, the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year in 2007, also finished second in both heat races after qualifying on pole.

“I had problems on the starts because I was running a radical gear setup compared to the other competitors,” Giebler said. “In the final, I dropped back to fourth and fought back to second. I managed to get behind the leader (Schoombee) after two laps, but the gap never changed much. I did everything I could and used up every bit of my tires to put some pressure on him, but could not get close enough.”

Grey qualified in second position and was fourth in both his heats. Cricca qualified in seventh, was fourth in heat 1 and fifth in heat two. Andrew Wiener qualified in eighth and was ninth in both his heats. Watson qualified in third and was third in both his heats. Steve Wiener qualified fourth and was fourth in both his heats. Simon qualified in eighth and was seventh in both his heats. Tatikian qualified fourth and was fifth in both his heats.

Phil Giebler Racing, based in Orange, Calif., uses FA Karts powered by 125cc water-cooled Vortex Racing engines built by Daniel Patino’s D-Power Engines, of Huntington Beach, Calif., in TaG Senior, TaG Junior, TaG Master and S3. Grey also has a FA Kart and is powered by 60cc Vortex MiniRok engine. The entire PGR team will race on MG Tires.