Eastern Long Island Racing Kick Off Their First Practice Session

The first practice session for the newly formed Eastern Long Island Racing go-karters got off to a slow start this Sunday, March 16 at Riverhead Raceway. Due to the chilly weather,  an unfortunate number of karters were present to kick off the season. However they still  took to Riverhead’s 1/4 of a mile oval to test out their karts in preparation for their first set of back-to-back races on Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13.

Two drivers who were in attendance, have decided not only to race regularly with the go-karts but to also take on the Saturday night events at Riverhead Raceway as well. George Tomko Jr. who races in the Senior Champ division got his feet wet during a few races throughout the 2013 season in the Legend division. However for the 2014 season, Tomko hopes to be able to split his focus evenly between the two.

“I do feel that I need more track time in the Legend in order to be more competitive,” said Tomko. “It’s a hard class to run in and you need to be on your game or you won’t be able to win.”

Another driver hoping to split his time is RJ Gage who competes in the Stock Medium division and also competed in the 4/6 Cylinder Truck Enduro and finished 9th in the 2013 point standings at Riverhead Raceway.

RJ expressed how nothing he has accomplished so far would not have been possible without the support of his grandfather, Neal Feola.

Also in attendance was a former go-kart driver, Enduro driver and a co-founder of the ‘Turn 1 Cowboys,’ James (Jawsy) Walsh. Walsh is currently mentoring his two young sons, Bryan and Liam into the Kid Champ Kart division in the hopes that someday they will race regularly at Riverhead Raceway.

The next Eastern Long Island Racing practice session will be Sunday, March 23 from 11am to 2pm. Gates will open at 9 am with a mandatory drivers meeting at 10:30. Anyone who was at the last practice, will be able to practice for free. Additional pit admission will be $10.00 per person. For further information please contact Linda Solomito via Facebook.

Photos available at: http://www.racerhub.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=2230