06-08-05
BIREL DRIVERS IMPRESS IN RENO
Team Speed / MRP Birel take major victories at STARS MINI Cooper GP of Reno
Reno, Nevada — Team Speed / MRP Birel led the way for the Birel marquee this past weekend, taking top honors in both ICC and Cadet at the STARS of Karting’s MINI Cooper Grand Prix of Reno. The team remained in the top three from Saturday’s qualifying sessions all the way into Sunday’s finals.
The team had both SuperKart Illustrated Magazine #1 ranked ICC driver, Alex Speed and his Team Speed / MRP Birel teammate, Ryan Phinny, entered in the weekend’s top category, ICC. Phinny got the team off with a great start in the first qualifying session by posting the 2nd fastest time to qualify second, followed closely by Speed in third. Speed went on to show why he is ranked #1 in the sport right now, moving up from his 2nd starting spot to take over a two-second victory for Saturday’s final. Phinny, running in 3rd with a one lap remaining, was putting in an impressive drive for the 2nd spot but had a last lap bobble and finished 6th, turning the fastest lap of the race in the process.
“This was a pretty solid run for us,” said Speed. “Both Ryan and I qualified well and stayed up front all day, so we are really satisfied. Reine at SwedeTech Racing Engines once again gave us a great TM engine package and the Birel chassis has proven that it works on any type of track, permanent or temporary. We can take this kart anywhere and be competitive.”
Sunday was more of the same for Speed, posting 4th fastest in qualifying before working his way up in each race to take another big Final win on Sunday. Speed wasn’t the lone Birel on the podium today though, as Phinny continues to impress the paddock with his abilities, posting the 3rd fastest in qualifying and finishing 3rd in both the pre-final and the final to stand on the podium with his Team Speed / MRP Birel teammate.
The Cadet class saw one young driver dominate all day on Saturday, taking the pole, pre-final and final in a heated battle with four other drivers. Under the tutelage of Joey Hand, Brendan Phinny was a rocket on his Birel/Fleming Racing Engines Comer machine and took top honors in the 25-kart Cadet field. On Sunday, Phinny once again came out on top in the final after qualifying and finishing 2nd in the pre-final. Taylor Miinch also put in an impressive performance taking 5th on Saturday and 4th on Sunday on his Birel chassis.
Team Speed would like to thank MRP/Birel, SwedeTech/TM, SHIFT, Anderson PitKarts, Speed Concepts, Arai, RLV, Pi Research, Fader Higher, Joey Hand Racing & Fleming Racing Engines for their support throughout the season. For more information regarding North America’s largest importer of Birel chassis and Freeline accessories, contact MRP Motorsport by phone (269-756-9133) or via the web at www.mrpmotorsport.com.
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