Pro Karting - Giebler wins TaG Senior in SKUSA ProKart Challenge South

San Diego, June 22, 2011: Phil Giebler won the TaG Senior main event Saturday (June 18) in the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South on a .9-mile temporary course on San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium parking lot.

Giebler, of Huntington Beach, Calif., started fourth, passed three karts on the second lap to take the lead and finished .016-second in front of long-time rival Billy Cleavelin.

“Early in the race, I was running in fourth and went to first in a single corner,” Giebler said. “I had an amazing race and such a fun battle in the final, barely beating Billy Cleavelin.”

Giebler, driving an FA Kart/Iame Leopard built by Daniel Patino’s D-Power on MG Tires, was the fastest qualifier and finished third in the first heat and fourth in the second.

Phil Giebler Racing had five other entrants in the event.

Mason Daughters, of Polo, Mo., had an impressive day ruined by an engine failure with two laps remaining in the 15-lap TaG Junior feature. Daughters started on pole and led the opening 13 laps. He also was second in the first heat and first in the second.

“Mason had a great weekend,” Giebler said. “He led the entire final with intense

Pressure from behind. He learned the track very quickly and listened to advice very well. He is hungry for a win and all the training this year has gone a long way.

“Mason did extremely well against tough competition. He is progressing very well in a very short time.”

Steve Wiener, of Chula Vista, Calif., was third in the TaG Master main, third in the second heat and fourth in the first.

“Steve looked very good all weekend,” Giebler said. “He was held up by some lapped traffic that hurt his chances to move up into the top two in the main.”

Vatche Tatikian, of North Hollywood, Calif., finished second in the S3 main and third in both heats in an FA Kart-Honda built by Darcy DeCoste Racing on MG Tires.

“He had a great race and is continuing to improve,” Giebler said.

Noah Grey, of Dana Point, Calif., finished third in the TaG Cadet main and both heats. He had mechanical problems in the main.

Andrew Wiener, of Chula Vista, Calif., was eighth in the TaG Senior main. He qualified in seventh position, was fifth in the first heat and was knocked out of the second heat in a crash.

Phil Giebler Racing, owned by the 2007 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, is based in Orange, Calif., and competes in karting events coast-to-coast in the USA.