Qualifies for Open Class Main in tough All Star field

Red Bluff, CA – Kyle Larson won the 125cc division championship of the prestigious QRC All Star Tour Saturday night at the Pauline Davis Pavilion in Red Bluff after garnering a third place finish in the A-Main event. He also finished eleventh with his Open 500cc kart in that division and just by qualifying for the A-Main event scored a major accomplishment against one of the toughest fields ever assembled for an All Star Tour race.

In the 125cc division Larson again set fast time in the ParkerStore QRC Factory Sprint Kart over a 32 kart field. This gave Larson the fourth starting spot in the first heat. By lap three he moved into the runner-up position behind leader Andrew Cumpton. Larson tried many times to pass Cumpton on the bottom of the rough and tacky track only to be denied each time. Finally, on the last lap Larson decided to try the outside line into turn three and powered around Cumpton to win the ten lap race by just a wheel length.

The trophy dash saw Larson start last in the six-kart six-lapper. On lap one he moved into fourth and then battled Mason Moore the entire distance of the race. Coming out of turn two of the last lap Larson dove underneath Moore and took the third spot behind winner Mackena Bell and runner-up Dillon Silverman.

Larson started his ParkerStore Banke powered mount outside of the third row in the Main event. Just by starting the race the resident of Elk Grove, California won his second QRC All Star Tour Championship in three years. The other championship came in the Box Stocks in 2002. Once the race was underway Larson settled into fifth place. On lap five he moved into fourth with a pass of Moore in turn four. He held fourth through lap 18 when he made a pass low in turn one on Bell. Silverman had moved from fifth starting to take the lead at lap 15 from pole starter Jonny Lentz. Silverman opened a small lead as Larson closed on Lentz. At the lap 25 checkered Silverman took the win while Larson got underneath Lentz in the final turn and drag raced to the checkered. The effort saw Larson come up a bit short as Lentz edged the Parker pilot by just twenty-two thousandths of a second. Silverman’s finish allowed him to preserve his second place QRC All Star Tour standing after a tight season long battle with Bell and Moore.

In the Open Division Larson attempted to make his second QRC All Star Tour main event in as many tries. In his first attempt in September at Carson City, Nevada he dropped out while running third. On this day Larson qualified 18th out of the 61 karts assembled. He lined his ParkerStore Grandpa George powered ride outside the front row of heat three. At the green he powered around pole sitter Brent Hamilton to lead into turn one. Larson carried his kart to the ten lap victory, finishing ahead of defending track champion Brian McCain, in the QRC house kart.

Twelve year old Larson started seventh in the veteran laden field of top open drivers in the last race of the 2004 QRC All Star Tour. At the start Larson moved by Reyna Krueger in turn one to take over sixth. On lap three, late model veteran Steven Gannon went below Larson in turn three and dropped him back to seventh. On lap five the same move was used by eventual open division All Star Tour Champion Tyler McCain. Larson held the eight spot until he was spun from behind by Brandon Aldred on lap 14. Larson continued on without causing a yellow until Aldred brought out a red when he flipped in turn one of lap 20. When the race restarted Larson found himself getting passed by his right rear tire and wheel entering turn three as it exited and got punted down to turn one. He was towed from the track and credited with an eleventh place finish. Brian McCain went on to capture the victory.

After the race the little ParkerStore chauffeur said “It feels good to get the QRC All Star Tour Championship in the 125’s. The competition is really tough and you have to be good on all kinds of tracks. In the Opens I was just glad to get to the A-Main. The kart has a miss in the engine and was way loose in the first round of qualifying but my dad and Sean Sheppard fixed the problems and the kart was fast after that. The race didn’t end the way I wanted it to but it still feels good to race with all those top drivers.”

Race: December 11, 2004
Photos courtesy of Jack Waterman