How I got started

My racing career began with time-distance road rallyes in stock sedans. Running in such varying terrains and weather conditions built up my confidence that I could compete in true wheel-to-wheel racing. After doing some research I found karting and more specifically the TaG class to be the best place to go. The TaG class provides a great learning experience because the high horsepower makes for good speed, but the single speed makes every mistake that much worse. The experience that I've earned in past three years has really developed my technique and race craft. In 2006 I took my biggest leaps, I won the Gatorz Eyewear Cup TaG Heavy championship and I raced through some bad luck at the SKUSA SuperNationals to run from 24th starting position to 11th in only sixteen laps.

Goals for the Future

This season we have returned to the ProKart Challenge running out of the Mike Manning Karting shop. As of May we sit 7th in points, with 4th in clear sight. Considering the position, the championship is unfortunately out of reach this year. The focus has shifted from the championship to SKUSA SuperNationals XI. The race is simply huge and offers a great deal of exposure for drivers and sponsors. Beyond this year my goal is to position myself to form longlasting and profitable partnerships with companies and to move my way up the professional levels of racing. My ultimate goal is to compete in NASCAR Nextel Cup or the Champ Car World Series, but that will take a lot of work and I will need to run hard every lap of every race.

What inspires you to compete?

I am by nature a competitive person and honestly the love of racing inspires me to compete. I love all of the experience from waking up before dawn to drive to the track, setting up my kart just right, and running hard for the entire race moving my way through the field, trying to get to the finish line first. That is what makes me get out of bed and what makes me keep running even when the chips are down and we've had hard luck all day.

Describe your style...

I used to be overly aggressive in my driving, but now I've become more refined. I may not always qualify the best, but I will race through the field and get to the front. I am smooth in steering and pedal movement, with a relaxed look while driving, but I never back off even if I have a major lead or an insurmountable deficit to make up. As for clothing, not really much of a style. I`m just a jeans and t-shirt kinda guy.

Why do you compete?

I compete for the thrill of competing. For me there is no better high than pushing to the limit and working my way through traffic to take the win. There is a quote from the great Sterling Moss that fits for me, "I like the competition better than the victory, the fighting better than the winning." But thats not to say that I don't love and appreciate winning.

How's Life Treating You?

Life is wonderful. I have a great family and group of friends supporting me. On the track our performance is getting better and better. We've been running a Motori 7, but a change to the Biland SA250 05 makes me even more hopeful for the future. I feel that running with MMK and the Biland I can win more races and show well for myself, MMK, my sponsors, and my team. So that just makes it all even better for me.

Do you like to travel? What's your best (clean) road trip story?

I like to travel a bit. Honestly though, I don't get enough chances to get out and just travel. The best road trip story I have was from when I came home from Las Vegas a little bit ago. I went to go spend time with my godparents and practice at the X-Plex. I drove two of the X-Plex's karts for a total of three hours and then started to drive home, still wearing my suit. People in passing cars gave me all sorts of looks. The fun part was that I stopped over at Irwindale Speedway to watch open practice. While I was there every driver that knew me and even some employees from the racing school on site asked me who I was driving for, to which I had to answer "no one...yet. But if you have a car I'd be more than happy." I made it from Vegas to Irwindale Speedway in less than three hours, averaged about 85 mph in my mom`s Camry.

In my first season of real racing, I`ve earned four wins, a second place, and a third place. These all led to third place in points in the TaG Heavy divisions of the WKA Man. Cup West and Gatorz seires and a tie for first in WKA West`s Easykart division.

For 2006 I won the Gatorz Eyewear Cup TaG Heavy championship, along with 4 indiviual races. In all honesty the best part of 2006 was the SKUSA SuperNationals. I had some hard luck in qualifying and the third heat race, but came from the back to the front in every session, including the main where I went from 24th to 11th. In every morning warmup I was in the top ten, so I have a lot of hope and high expectations for this year.