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2005 Summary: Devin finished out the year having competed in 41 races. That
count is for the finals only, and does not include qualification rounds, pre-finals, and practice. Out of those
41 races, he won 30 races, placed second in 7races, did not finish 2 races, and finished outside
the top 5 in the other 2. He won 3 more K.A.R.T. National Championships this summer in Jr. 1
2-Cycle, set a new track record at North Texas Karters, won both the Saturday and Sunday South West
Regional Cup Regional Championships, won the only two K.A.R.T. Regional races he entered, and traveled as far away as New
Castle, Indiana for a STARS race where he finished 6th on the first day with an engine having electrical problems. He
qualified and raced in the rain, outpacing his competition by almost one and a half second a lap. While the start of
the year was not as strong as we would have liked, he came on strong and was almost unbeatable in Jr. 1 Yamaha after June.
We had a great time the past four years in Jr. 1, but now are looking forward to the challenges of moving up to the Rotax
Junior class.
Fall 4 Make-Up @ NTK, Dec 4, 2005 In what was probably Devin's final Jr. 1 2-Cycle race, he
continued to show the domination he has had in this class. He easily qualified on the pole, then walked away from the
field in the pre-final. In the final, Devin again demonstrated his dominance over the field, crossing the finish line
over 10 seconds ahead of second place, winning his 15th race out of 18 entered to take the 2005 NTK Championship in Jr. 1
Light 2-Cycle by 242 points over his closest competitor.
Fall 7 @ NTK, Nov 20, 2005 Devin was simply in a class of his own this race, with none of
the other 8 competitors even close. During qualifying, he took the pole by almost three quarters of a second.
He easily led every lap of the prefinal, pulling away from the pack. In the final, he walked away at almost a full second
a lap, and took the checkered flag over 11 seconds ahead of Connor Islei after 12 laps of racing.
Fall 6 @ NTK, Nov 13, 2005 Devin continued his winning ways this weekend, even with
Vic performing Race Director duties, and unable to devote time and energy to tuning. Despite this, Devin easily qualified
on the pole, then led flag-to-flag in both the prefinal and final. He crossed the finish line almost 5 seconds ahead
of the second place finisher, and also set fast lap of the race.
Fall 5 @ NTK, Oct 30, 2005 With only a few more races to go in Devin's Jr. 1 career, we went
into this race hoping to wrap up the 2005 NTK Jr. 1 2-Cycle Championship, and he did not disappoint. Devin easily
qualified on the pole for the pre-final race, and then led flag-to-flag. The final went just as well, with Devin leading
all twelve laps, setting fast lap for the heat, and crossing the finish line 3.8 seconds ahead of second place. With
the win, Devin now owns the 2005 Championship in his class, the third year in a row that he has captured
the title!
Fall 3 @ NTK, Oct 15, 2005 Today was a little bit of a struggle for us. Devin qualified
on the outside of the front row, complaining of a lack of pull by the motor. This put us in a not so great
position for the start of the prefinal, and, sure enough, when the green flag waved, Devin came out of the first turn in 3rd
behind Connor and Evan, and this is the way they finished. During the start of the final, Devin dropped back to 4th,
while Evan, starting 2nd, made a great start and came out of Turn 1 leading, with Connor right behind him. Joe Taylor
had slotted into 3rd. Devin got by Joe quickly, and caught up to the two leaders a couple of laps later. Evan,
Connor and Devin ran nose-to-tail for a couple laps, until Connor locked up his brakes going into Turn 7 and spun off, leaving
Evan and Devin to fight for the win. These two ran nose-to-tail the rest of the race, with Devin gaining on some sections
and loosing out on others, but always putting the pressure on Evan. Evan kept his cool, though, and never put a wheel
wrong to take a well deserved win with Devin coming across the line 0.319 seconds behind him. Congratulations Evan!
K.A.R.T. Regional #7 @ NTK, Oct 9, 2005 This was only Devin's second K.A.R.T. regional race
this year, because of schedule conflicts and other commitments. At his last K.A.R.T. regional, at McArther Park in Oklahoma
City, Devin dominated by taking pole and leading every lap. This weekend was much the same, with Devin again taking
pole and leading every lap. He qualified on the pole by over .4 seconds, and from there kept the lead through turn 1
of the prefinal and led all the way to the checkered flag. In the final, Devin led the entire race, and crossed the
finish line over 8 seconds ahead of 2nd place Erin Sims, who was in a fierce battle with Clint Korte, Evan Brown, and Clay
Settles.
This finished up Devin's K.A.R.T. Junior 1 career, with him winning all five K.A.R.T. races
he competed in this year (3 National races & titles, and 2 Regional races). This was in addition to the 2 K.A.R.T.
National titles he won last year, as well as his K.A.R.T. Regional Championship he won last year.
Fall 2 @ NTK, Oct 1 2005 There was a pretty good turn out of Jr. 1 racers for this event.
There were nine entries, making it the biggest class of the evening. Devin started off well, taking the pole by almost
a full half second. The prefinal was a little tougher, with Connor Iseli hounding Devin for almost the entire race.
Lapped traffic interfered with the race about a lap from the end, with Devin able to get around quickly, and Connor getting
stuck behind, giving Devin some breathing room until he took the checkered. In the prefinal it looked as though it was
going to be more of the same, but after a couple of laps Devin was able to open some space on Connor, and continued to outpace
him the entire race. Devin took the checkered flag for the win 5.647 seconds up on Connor, with Evan Brown coming home
third another 10.289 seconds behind.
Fall 1 @ NTK, Sept 24, 2005 There were 7 entries in the class this evening, and there
was the threat of weather caused by the spin off from Hurricane Rita in south-east Texas, but it stayed
dry all night, just a little windy. Also, the track was slower due to being resurfaced the prior week. During
practice, the left seat strut on Devin's kart failed. Luckily, Paul Tartaglia came to the resue with a bolt-on
strut that got us through the night. Devin took the pole during qualifying, and then went on to lead all laps of both the
pre-final and final to take the win for the evening. Alex Tartaglia finished second, followed by Clint Korte in third.
SWRC Cup @ OMC, Sept 17-18, 2005 This race was non-eventful, with a very low turn-out.
Devin qualified on the pole both days, and took first place for the weekend.
Summer 7 @ NTK, September 11, 2005 Devin qualified on the pole by about three-quarters of
a second, and then led every lap of the pre-final with a fast lap of 41.24 seconds, just .04 seconds off of his lap record.
In the final, Devin walked away from the field, finishing over 14 seconds ahead of 2nd place after 12 laps.
Summer 6 @ NTK, August 27, 2005 I had race director duties this race, so Devin was
more or less running on his own. He had a good night, though, qualifying on the pole, winning the pre-final and the
final to make it a clean sweep of the evening. Devin also won all 5 of the NTK Summer Series races he entered,
wrapping up the Summer Series Championship.
Summer 5 @ NTK, August 20, 2005 Devin notched up his 4th win of the NTK Summer Series in as
many races (we missed Summer 4, instead racing at the KART Regional race at MacArthur Park, OK). We started off with
Devin qualifying 2nd, .023 seconds slower than the pole sitter. During the pre-final, Devin dropped back to 3rd
on the start. He quickly moved around 2nd place Evan Brown, and took off chasing Connor Iseli, the leader. He
quickly caught Connor and made the pass for the lead. After that, Devin led all the way to the checkered, opening his
lead more every lap. In the final, Devin led flag to flag, never being seriously challenged. After 12 laps
he took the checkered flag 9.269 seconds ahead of Evan Brown, who was followed by Connon Iseli.
K.A.R.T. Regional @ MacArthur Park, Ok Aug 13-14, 2005 This was a fun, challenging weekend,
and Devin had to contend with changing weather conditions and a wet track. Our practice on Saturday did not start off
so good due to using very old tires, throwing off our set-up and causing us to be off the pace. Once I put fresh
tires on his kart, Devin immediately set the fastest pace in the class during practice. After our last practice, a heavy
downpour hit, and we knew we might be looking a wet conditions on Sunday. Sure enough, we woke up to rain and an extremely
wet track. When we realized that we were going to have to qualify and probably race in the wet, I put the "wets'' on
and sent Devin out. He had one harmless spin, then never put a wheel wrong for the rest of the session, as well as during
qualifying and the races. Out of ten entries in the class (the largest class of the day), Devin qualified on the pole
with a time almost a full 1.5 seconds faster than the second fastest qualifier. In the pre-final, Devin took command
early, never giving up the lead, and opened up a gap of about a second per lap. In the final, the track had dried out
and 9 out of 10 karts went out on slicks. Devin again led every lap, and after 12 laps had a lead of over 12 seconds
when he took the checkered flag for the win. He also set his fastest lap of the weekend during the final, eclipsing
his personal best time he had set a couple of years ago during his last visit to this track.
In the end Devin came home with a win from a track he considers one of his favorites, and
put on a simply dominating performance. The rain helped showcase his driving talents, and it was both great fun and
nerve racking to watch him drift his kart in the rain to the very edge of the track.
Click here to read more about the KART Regional Southern Sprint Series Round 5 on ekartingnews.com
SWRC @ NTK, Aug 6-7, 2005
Saturday: Using the back-up kart, motor, and tires, we qualified 3rd, then won the prefinal.
In the final, Devin and Tyler Thomas had a great race, swapping the lead several times with Tyler taking the win. The
second place finish secrured 1st place in the Saturday Series of the South West Regional Cup 2005 season.
Sunday: Back to our primary equipment, Devin took the pole position during qualifying with
a new track record for the class. In the pre-final, he was black-flagged before the race started due to a rear bar being
loose on his kart, creating a danger to the other karters. Because of this, we started the final 4th, and Devin made
a great move around the outside, taking it three wide going into Turn 1. He came out of Turn 1 in 2nd place, and passed
Tyler for the lead the same lap going into Turn 7. Tyler gave chase for a couple of laps, but was unable to maintain
Devin's pace. Devin was pounding out lap after lap of hot laps, and reset a new track record, even
faster than what he had done in qualifying. His first place finish wrapped up 1st place in the
Sunday Series of the South West Regional Cup 2005 season.
Summer 3 @ NTK, July 30, 2005 Another successful weekend for Devin as he continues to sweep
the Summer Series at NTK. Out of 10 entries for the night (the evening's largest class), Devin qualified on the pole.
During the prefinal he was chased by Connor Iseli, but maintained the lead the entire race, taking the checkered several kart
lengths ahead. During the final, Devin led every lap, opening a gap of almost 6 seconds over 2nd place over
the course of the 12 lap event, and again setting fast lap of the race on the very last lap.
Summer 2 @ NTK, July 23, 2005 Tonight was another great night for Devin. He started
the prefinal on the outside of the front row, missing the pole by .025 seconds. On the start, he fell in behind Connor
Iseli, and shadowed him for 4 laps before taking the lead going into turn 1. Devin led the remaining 4 laps, and this put
him on the pole in the final. In the final, Devin maintained P1 from his pole position start, and went on
to lead every lap of the entire race. He also set the fast lap of the race on his final lap, and took the checkered
flag with almost an 8 second gap back to 2nd place.
Summer 1 @ NTK, July 9,2005 Devin got off to a great start with the first race
of the summer series. Out of 14 entries for the evening, Devin won the pole, then led every lap of both the prefinal
and final to take the win for the evening.
K.A.R.T. Nationals @ NTK June 23-25, 2005
Thursday Night Results - Jr. 1 Light 2-Cycle
Friday Night Results - Jr. 1 Medium 2-Cycle
K.A.R.T. Nationals @ NTK, June 23-25, 2005
Day 1, June 23 (Thursday): Junior 1 Light 2-Cycle:
Devin started off the weekend by going out and taking the pole position in a field of 16 drivers. During the
pre-final race, Devin led every lap, and was increasing his lead with every lap. In the final, Tyler Thomas made a great
move and passed Devin on the first lap going into Turn 2. Devin passed Tyler the following lap, and they continued until
lap 4, when the race was red-flagged due to an incident in Turn 3 between some racers further back in the field. Once
the track was cleared, the race was restarted single file, and Devin led the remaining laps, taking the checkered flag with
a 5.4 second lead over Tyler. Devin also posted fast lap of the race, doing it on the final lap despite having a lead
of over 5 seconds.
Day 2, June 24 (Friday): Junior 1 Medium 2-Cycle: We
only got the second position in qualifying, with Connor Iseli taking the pole. On the start, Devin dropped to third
behind Tyler Thomas. Devin got back around Tyler a couple of laps latter, and took off in pursuit of Connor, who was
a few seconds ahead. During the last four laps, Devin was gaining on Connor, and had cut most of his lead by the time
the checkered fell on lap 8. During the prefinal, Devin again got hung out on the outside and dropped back behind the
leaders. Tyler again made a great move on the inside of Turn 2 on Connor and took the lead. Connor got back around
a couple of laps later. These three were running nose-to-tail when, on about lap 5 there was contact between Connor
and Tyler. Both went off, with Connor coming back on well back in the field, and Tyler having to retire with a mechanical.
Devin avoid the incident, diving to the inside of the track, and continued on for the win, taking the checkered flage over
8 seconds ahead of second place. Devin again posted fast lap of the race.
Day 3, June 25 (Saturday): Junior 1 Heavy 2-Cycle:
Devin again qualified second, and as we were walking back to the trailer he noticed that his right rear wheel was loose.
So, despite this he still qualified less than .2sec off the pole. During the prefinal, it was a repeat of Friday with
him dropping to 3rd on the start, getting back around second, and taking off after the leader and running out of laps.
During the final, Devin knew that starting on the outside of the front row had hindered him several times all weekend.
When the flag fell, Devin got a good start and him and Connor went into turn 1 side by side, neither letting up. They
each held their line and gave each other racing room, and Devin was able to come out in the lead going into Turn 2.
Over the next couple laps, Devin would open up a couple kart lengths, and then Connor would take them back. Around lap
4, on the exit to Turn 3, Connor went wide and into the grass, and came back on in 3rd behind Tyler Thomas. These two
ran nose-to-tail the rest of the race, with Tyler maintaining his position to take 2nd. Devin continued on in the
lead, opened a little more of a gap each lap, and again posted fastest lap of the race.
K.A.R.T. Nationals Overview: Overall it was a great
weekend. Devin drove fast and smart, and never put a wheel wrong. He used his head and speed to take home three
K.A.R.T. Triads for three trips to the top step of the podium. They will proudly be displayed next to the two Triads
he has from 2004.
SWRC Round 4 @ OMC, Norman, OK, June 4-5, 2005 There was a light turnout at this race,
and on Saturday Devin gave Vic a birthday present of qualifying over a second faster than anybody else, and leading all
laps of the prefinal and final. On Sunday, qualifying on a wet track, I had the kart too low and the seat was scraping
on the track, ruining his qualifying. After adjustments and a fiberglass patch to the hole that was created, Devin took
the lead going into turn 1, and led all laps of the prefinal as well as the final. This was also somewhat of a milestone
race, being Devin's 100th Jr. 1 race of his career.
Stars of Karting Round 2 @ New Castle Raceway, New Castle, Indiana, May 21 - 22, 2005
During the Friday practice, we were stuck mid-pack, due to learning the track (our first visit), and tuning the Comer
K-80. On Saturday, Devin qualified 8th out of 19. During the prefinal, he avoided an incident that took out 5
karts, and ran a strong race to finish 4th. During the final, he dropped to 6th position, and ran a strong race to finish
in that position. He ran his best time yet, and his best lap was 6th fastest among the 19 entries. He was gaining
on 5th, but ran out of time. Devin finished about 3.6 sec behind the leader, and less than 1 sec behind second place.
Day 2 was not a good day for us. The track conditions had changed due to rain that previous night, and we struggle to
find grip and speed. During the prefinal, Devin had contact on the first lap that took him out, launching him over the
kart in front of him. During the final, he was struggling with a kart that was grossly misaligned, and was trading positions
with another kart numerous times during the race until the other kart simply moved over on Devin on the straight, knocking
Devin off the course and out of the race. Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. Sunday, he
got us.
Spring 5 @ NTK, May 14, 2005 I had to do race director duties during this race,
so I was unable to do much tuning to Devin's kart. We missed the pole by .002 seconds. During the prefinal,
Devin passed the leader on the last lap. During the prefinal, I was informed by the grid stewart that some weights had
falled off of Devin's clutch as he left the grid. During the start, Devin lost the lead as his clutch engaged at a higher
than planned speed. Once he adapted to the problem, he was slowly gaining on the leader. However, on lap 7, going
into turn 3, he had a brake failure and lost fluid to the brakes. He managed to hold on to second position, driving
the remaining laps with little to no brakes. A special thanks to Garrett Napier for performing crew
chief duties for Devin, taking care of fuel, tire pressures, and getting him to the grid for the start.
SWRC @ Iron Rock Raceway, Austin, TX, May 7-8, 2005 This was our first visit to IRR.
On day one (Saturday) Devin captured the pole with a track record 57:69 lap. He then led all laps of the prefinal.
He also led all laps of the final, running 1 second a lap faster than anyone else, and resetting the track record with a lap
of 57:50 sec. On day two (Sunday), there was rain in the morning, and due to set-up errors by Vic, he was only able
to qualify 3rd. During the race, which started with a light rain, he moved up to the lead position on lap two and proceeded
to open a gap. The rain got heavier as the race went on, and Devin took the checkered flag for the win one lap early
due to lightening in the area.
Spring 4 @ NTK, May 1, 2005 Devin again won the pole, finished first in the prefinal, and
finished 2nd in the final after mutiple position swaps with the eventual winner.
Spring 3 @ NTK, April 24, 2005 Devin won the pole, the prefinal, and the final. He ran
a 41:47sec lap during the final, while 2nd place drafted him to get a 41.40, besting Devin's previous lap record.
Spring 2 @ NTK, April 10, 2005 Devin won pole, won the pre-final and the final to take the
win.
SWRC 3, Saturday, April 3, 2005 @ NTK We started out the day during practice with engine problems,
and Devin was unable to complete one full lap during practice. Vic changed the engine prior to qualifying, and Devin
proceeded to go out and qualify on the pole out of 8 entries, and led every lap during the pre-final and final.
SWRC 4, Sunday, April 4, 2005 @ NTK Devin again qualified on the pole, and led all
laps of the pre-final. During the final, he was leading, opening up a gap each lap, when his kart died coming out of
Turn 1 on the eight lap. Devin reached down to check his TCI Module, and then saw the sparkplug cap had come off.
Despite getting shocked, he tried to put it back on, but it was too late and the engine was already dead. He could do
nothing but coast to a stop on the outside of Turn 3 and watch the field go by. We went home and burned the shirt Vic
was wearing, which was the same one from when our TCI Module came off last year. We both watched as
our bad luck symbolically (hopefully) went up in smoke.
Spring 1 @ NTK, March 30, 2004 Our first race back with the Yamaha, and at our home track,
went well. Devin qualified on the pole out of 10 entries, then led every lap of the pre-final and the final. In
the process, Devin set a new track record in his class with a lap of 41.65 seconds on his next to last lap.
That topped the previous track record (which he owned) by .05 seconds. As a note, on Devin's last 8 laps of the 12 lap
final, every lap fell within a less than .10 second range, showing not only his speed, but his consistency.
Snap-On Stars of Karting Race of the America's, Oklahoma Motorsports Complex, Norman Ok, March 10 - 13, 2005
Friday Practice: While most of our racing with a Yamaha KT-100 engine,
we showed up at Norman to race a Comer 80 in the Stars of Karting Event. While we are not as familiar with the Comer,
we were up for the challenge of getting it up to speed. A last minute brake master-cylinder change put us a little
behind during the first practice, but after sorting that out, Devin was in the top-ten out of 38 entries.
Saturday Practice: Devin was in the top-five in the practice session,
and we were looking pretty good going into the Qualifying.
Saturday Qualifying: This is were things took a turn for the worst,
all due to a mistake by Vic. Devin was in the top-three of his group of 19 karts, but when he went over the scales,
he was light. This was an error on Vic's part that resulted after a seat change earlier. This cost Devin dearly,
as he now had to start his prefinal event 19 out of 19, rather than towards the front.
Saturday Pre-Final: Devin had eleven laps to try to correct Vic's
error, and he gave it his best shot. After starting 19th of 19th, he was up to 8th spot by lap 4. Then, while
on the outside of another kart who apparently did not see him and came over, there was a "racing incident" that resulted in
the front of Devin's kart getting a little flight time. Devin came down in the middle of the track, facing the wrong
direction, and had to watch a bunch of karts that he had already passed go back by. He kept the engine running, though,
and continued on to finish the pre-final in the 12th spot.
Sunday Final: Devin started the final 23rd of 38, which does not
reflect where he should have been had it not been for the weight error by Vic. He charged on, though, and worked his
way up the field, catching and passing one or two karts at a time. There was a scary moment when a kart in front of
him got loose then came back on in front of him, sending Devin's Invader's nose up in the air. Devin kept on it, though,
and continued working his way through the field until he was up to 10th. Then, on the the final lap, he was caught out
going into turn one by some karts he had already passed, and dropped back to 13th and took the checkered flag in that
position.
Summary: Devin exhibited a lot of skill and heart this weekend.
He was only eight and a half seconds behind the winner after 17 laps, and his fast lap was less than 0.05 seconds slower than
the second place kart who finished 0.031 seconds behind the leader. Devin drove an aggressive, mature race, and would
have been up with the front pack had Vic not screwed up the weight during qualification. Devin was the top finisher from
the Texas/Oklahoma region in the Cadet Class.
SWRC 1 @ OMC, March 5, 2005 Devin qualified on the pole by about three-quarters of a second,
then led all laps of both the pre-final and final, easily taking the win.
SWRC 2 @ OMC, March 6, 2005 Again, Devin qualified on the pole, then dropped to 2nd on the
prefinal, took the lead later that lap, and won both it and the final.
Polar Bear 4 @ NTK, Feb 27, 2005 Vic had Race Director duties this race, so we were
not able to tune as best as we could. The day started off bad when Devin went out and was unable to post a time since
I had forgot to put his transponder on. As a result, Devin started the pre-final in the back, but was able to work his
way up to 3rd by the end. In the final, Devin started third, and took the second spot a couple of laps later, which
is where he finished.
Polar Bear 3 @ NTK, Feb 13, 2005 One of the most exciting races in months for Devin, as he
and Connor Iseli had an epic battle for the win in the final. Devin qualified 2nd, behind Connor, and took the prefinal.
It was the final though that was the race of the day of any of the classes racing at NTK. Devin and Connor took turns
drafting each other down the main straight, and swapped positions at least once a lap. They passed each other going
into Turn 1, as well as numerous other sections of the track. Connor's dad, Jerry, counted four changes of position
on one lap alone when he reviewed video of the race. The two boys both drove an outstanding race, racing hard but
giving each other room when called for, pushing each other for the entire 13 laps. Connor took a well deserved
win, with Devin crossing the finish line right on his bumper.
Polar Bear 2 @ NTK, January 23, 2005 Devin had to work, and work hard for this one.
Qualifying went well with Devin up about half a second on the field. During the prefinal, he found another four tenths
of a second. Connor Iseli, however, had found a full second, so they ran nose to tail the entire heat with Devin taking
the checkered. The final was even more exciting. On about lap two, Connor got a good run on Devin on the main
straight, and took the lead. Devin regained the lead a few laps later between turns 8 & 7 (the track was run backwards
this event). Connor again got a run on Devin on the straight going into 9. Devin took an inside line, and they
went side-by-side through 9 and 8, with Devin on the outside of 8 putting him on the inside for 7. Devin maintained
his lead the rest of the race, but Connor was right there if he hiccuped. They crossed the finish line with less
than a couple of lengths between them. It was an outstanding race, with both drivers racing clean and repecting each
other. It was an exciting night, with Devin taking his second Polar Bear win in as many races.
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