IUPUI Motorsports Team Wins Purdue Grand Prix, Laski's No. 25 in Winner's Circle
The two IUPUI Motorsports Club entries stunned the 31West Lafayette campus entries in the 51st running of the Purdue Grand Prix on April 19, 2008.
Jon Laski, an IUPUI Mechanical Engineering Technology major, led much of the race on his way to winning the race in the No. 25 IUPUI kart.
Laski, who started in eighth position, assumed the lead a few laps after the start and then traded the top spot with the pole-sitting Hillenbrand Hall kart for much of the race. When the Hillenbrand kart was black-flagged as a result of a rollcage that had come loose late in the race, Laski assumed a dominant lead in the event. He maintained a steady pace, giving IUPUI its first ever win in the Purdue Grand Prix.
The second IUPUI driver, Lynsey Tilton, also a MET major, was running a solid third until a serious crash on the next to last lap. Tilton encountered a spinning kart on lap 158 of 160, crashing into the other kart while traveling at full speed. The race was red flagged so that medical personnel could get to Tilton, who was transported to Lafayette's St. Elizabeth Hospital, before being released Saturday night.
Tilton had to start a distant 22nd after a poor qualifying time, attributed to the fact that she qualified nearly last, drawing a qualification position that forced her to run in the cold and darkness of last Monday evening. Turning race laps equal to Laski's times, she charged through the field and had joined the top five by the half-way point. She was briefly as high as second during pit stops, and for the final portion of the race was a solid third.
The crash required 15 minutes to remove Tilton from her kart and secure her to a back-board for transport to the hospital. Fortunately no serious injuries were detected.
The IUPUI Motorsports Club entered both Laski's and Tilton's karts. All crew members were IUPUI students, most of them pursuing either the IUPUI Motorsports Technology Certificate or the new Motorsports Engineering bachelor's degree. Team members included the two crew chiefs, Herb Payton and Todd Wilson; and crew members Chris Proctor, Justin Penix, Casey Andis, Edgar Torres, Caitlin Siem, Brandon Hess, Kyle Doran, Eric Shirar, Brittney Redleman, and Nick Hawes.
To view video of the race, go to: http://news.uns.purdue.edu/mov/2008/080420M-LaskiGrandprix.wmv .
For additional information on the IUPUI Motorsports program, contact IUPUI Motorsports Director Pete Hylton, 317-274-7192, or phylton@iupui.edu.
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