LARSON WINS NINTH CHAMPIONSHIP AS OUTLAW KART
ALL STAR TOUR CONCLUDES

Red Bluff, California – By transferring from his heat to the A-Main event ParkerStore Outlaw Sprint Kart driver Kyle Larson locked up the prestigious season long All Star Tour Championship for the Intermediate 125/250 division as the final race was run December 10th inside the Pauline Davis Pavilion at the Tehama County Fairgrounds. Not all ended well, though, as Larson appeared to be on his way to a clean sweep of the division but was contacted on the last lap by Colby Copeland and finished the race in the backstretch wall. Larson did also complete a successful season in the 500cc Open Division as he raced to an eighth place finish in the main event to finish fourth in points behind champion Pistol Pete Johnston.

Larson led 27 qualifiers in the125/250 division with an 8.829 lap and won the first heat from the pole to lock up the championship. The four heat winners competed in the trophy dash and polesitter Larson had a classic battle with Chase Hill as Hill got the jump at the start. Larson applied heavy pressure, and as Hill slid wide exiting turn four of lap four Larson got underneath and led to the checkered.

Larson started his ParkerStore/Team FBR Motors/QRC Factory Kart on the pole of the main but once again Hill got the advantage when the green appeared. Hill continued to lead until lap 13, when Larson repeated his move in the dash and beat Hill to the starting line as the yellow appeared. As the race resumed Larson seemed to be headed to his fourth win of the six All Star Tour races, but the yellow came out a final time setting up a last lap dash to the finish. As the green came out Copeland who had moved into second on lap 18, swept across Larson’s rear bumper just past the flagstand and knocked Larson off his normal entry line into turn one. As Larson tried to gain control of his kart Copeland dove underneath Larson in turn two. Larson came high out of turn two and tried to repel Copeland’s move but wheel to wheel contact resulted and Larson bounced off into the backstretch wall, ending his race. Copeland went on to win with Alissa Geving second and Shane Graham third.

Larson qualified sixteenth of the 46 karts in the Open Division and finished third in the fourth heat, relegating him to the B-Main event. Larson started fourth in the B-Main and raced his way into the A-Main by finishing second to last year’s All Star Tour 500cc Open Division champion Tyler McCain.

Larson started his ParkerStore/Grandpa George Motors/QRC Factory Kart fourteenth in the feature race and jumped to 10th by lap two. McCain got by on lap three as Larson dropped to 11th. As Michael Hubert led from the start Larson fought his way past Copeland into 10th and got by Johnston on lap 6 for ninth. On lap eight Johnston got back by Larson as both went by Dillon Silverman. Larson maintained the eighth position in the order to the checkered flag at lap 30 as BCRA/USAC Midget driver Hubert went on to win over Super Late Model Driver Ryan Foster and Golden State Challenge and Silver Dollar Sprint Car Champion Sean Becker.

After the races Larson commented “I’m real happy to win the All Star Tour championship again (his third) but I don’t like to lose a race that way. I don’t race like that but I guess you can’t expect others to do the same. As for the opens I’m pretty satisfied with fourth in the points because that division is so competitive with all the top experienced drivers there. I’m really proud that I was the only driver to make all the A-Main on the Tour. In the main event I had a really fast kart but when Pistol Pete got ahead of me I didn’t want to race him hard. I felt I could get back by him but I knew he was the point leader in a really tight battle and I didn’t want to be responsible for him losing the championship. I really respect Pete and I’m real glad to see him get his first Open Division Championship.”

Race: December 10, 2005
Photos Courtesy of Jack Waterman
www.kylelarsonracing.com