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PARTNERS
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News For September 26th, 2008
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Racing with Kauth & Mayeur for Junior Achievement |
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Peoria, IL – Co-op Racing reverted back to its karting roots when they competed in the 5th annual eServ ePrix.
eServ, a product engineering services provider headquartered in Peoria, raised $32,000 for Junior Achievement through its eServ
ePrix, Go-Kart Race. And for the second time in a row, driver Andy Berberich took the overall win above 216 drivers and this time set the lap record. Consistent with his 2006 win,
Berberich drove for local team sponsor Kauth & Mayeur.
In the spirit of Junior Achievement, eServ structured the event in order to attract |
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corporate and individual contributions. Michael Benèt, owner of Kauth & Mayeur, took advantage
of the corporate sponsorship package. In addition to other amenities, the corporate sponsorship entitled the K&M team to eight seats in the first heat race. K&M drivers consisted
of five of the shop technicians, a colleague, and Co-op Racing driver Andy Berberich.
Heat race starting position and kart selection was from a random draw. Each heat group would race 6 laps and then reverse the field. The average finish of the two races would send the top two drivers onto a semi final race. For the first heat race, Berberich drew six, which started him second to last. After the six lap race, Berberich had worked his way up to second place behind Tim Johnson. After the field was reversed, Berberich started second and finished in second behind John Sidwell who got an excellent run out of the last turn on the last lap to cross the finish line first. The two-second place finishes ensured Berberich’s transition to the semi final race. Sidwell was to proceed as well, but had a scheduling conflict and was replaced by Johnson. The top two from each heat race moved onto the semi final round. In order to advance onto the final race, drivers had to win the semi final race. The ten lap semi final starting positions were again from a random draw. This put quite a bit more pressure on the drivers because they had to perform flawlessly if they wanted a chance at the overall win. Out of the seven drivers, Johnson drew to start second and Berberich drew to start third. “It was nice to start so close to Tim” Berberich commented “In a race of mostly amateurs, it is nice to race close to someone who you know understands racing and racing etiquette. I was able to get a little better start than Tim and was comfortable with him right behind me. I knew that he wouldn’t make any bonehead moves and take us both out.” A couple laps into the semi final, Berberich advanced into first and held it until the end. The seven best drivers of the ePrix comprised the starting grid for the final race. The format was similar to the first heat race with two six lap qualifying races. The average of these two races determined the starting order for the ten lap feature. For the first qualifying race, Berberich started second to last. “I was happy with this starting position” Berberich commented. “This meant that I would start on the front row for the next race. All I had to do was finish well in the first race and stay out of trouble in the second.” On the race start, Berberich made up a few spots. Working his way through traffic, he was hit from behind which resulted in a spin. Short races do not leave a lot of time to make up ground in these situations. Fortunately, two karts spun on the second to last lap and one kart spun on the final lap. This allowed Berberich to finish fourth in the first race. The second qualifying race started with Berberich in the front row. On the start, Berberich tucked into second position as turn one is primarily a single file turn. Quickly into the race, Berberich passed for first and maintained the position until the end. The average of the two races resulted in a front row starting position for the feature race. The ten lap feature started with Berberich in the front row left hand starting position. After the green flag rolling start, he settled into second place in order to make it through the first turn. Patience paid off as Berberich setup the pass for the lead on the second lap coming out of turn two. In the lead, focus was shifted to turning laps and increasing the gap on the field. “Why aren’t they catching him?” Shawn Berberich, then fiancé of driver Andy Berberich overheard “Some of the people around me couldn’t understand why the rest of the drivers weren’t catching Andy. They said it looked like he wasn’t driving hard. I don’t think they understood that smooth is fast, but doesn’t look it”. Clean laps and smooth driving resulted in Berberich turning the fastest lap of the day at 17:24. Steve Hamlin turned the second fasted lap earlier in the day at 17:31 followed by Alexis Khazzam in the feature race with a 17:58. Winning the eServ ePrix for the second time was a surprise and racing for Kauth & Mayeur was a lot of fun too. With a smile and a wink, owner Michael Benèt had this to say. “… Andy had a real handle on the Benèt Enterprises Kauth & Mayeur kart that day. I think with a little tuning we can win Daytona on our way to Indianapolis…” The spirit of the day was to have fun and to “race” money for Junior Achievement. Those in attendance are a testament to the fun and the $32,000 raised is a testament to a job well done by eServ. Proceeds from the event will be used to bring Junior Achievement classroom experience to over 500 classrooms and 12,500 students in Central Illinois. |
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR RACING PARTNERSEurosport Racing is a premiere Midwest Porsche street and race specialist. They specialize in Porsche service, track support and transport, engine design and rebuilding, dyno tuning, and suspension setup and alignment. They also offer a full line of OEM, aftermarket, and high performance parts and accessories. More information on Eurosport Racing can be found at www.midwesteurosport.comKauth and Mayeur provides the finest import services in Peoria, IL. They offer a wide range of maintenance and repair services for import cars. Specializing in high performance streetcars. Kauth and Mayeur can be reached at (309) 673-1412 or http://www.kauthmayeur.com. |
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