News...

Abreu 21st At Chili Bowl

PETERSEN MEDIA: January 16, 2012

In just his second attempt competing in the Chili Bowl, Rico Abreu successfully made the championship A-main on Saturday night as he raced his way out of one of the B-mains and scored a 21st place finish in the 55-lap finale.

Abreu’s week got off to a strong start during his Thursday night qualifying night, as he wheeled his Keith Kunz Motorsports/Abreu Vineyards entry to a third place finish during his heat, followed by a second place run in an A-qualifier to line him up 13th in the feature.

Starting in the middle of the pack, Abreu navigated the tight confines of the Tulsa QuickTrip Center as he worked his way up to a seventh place finish, putting him in contention for Saturday’s finale.

Saturday saw Abreu line up in the fourth row of a B-main...

Rico Teams WIth Keith Kunz For Chili Bowl

PETERSEN MEDIA: January 9, 2012

Just days after arriving back on American soil, Rico Abreu will go directly to Tulsa, Oklahoma as he is set to compete in the 26th Annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals kicking of on Tuesday, January 10th.

Abreu heads to the prestigious event fresh off of a fifth place finish against stars from both America and Australia in the Australian Open in Brisbane, AU.

He now turns his attention to taking on 260 of the best drivers in the world, all under the same roof.

Rico will race out of the potent Keith Kunz Motorsports stable who has fielded a car for one of the hottest drivers in the country all year, Kyle Larson. Joining Larson and Abreu will be NASCAR Nationwide driver, Jason Leffler, Bud Kaeding, and a late addition to the team and former World of Outlaw feature winner in 2011, David Gravel.

2012 Starts with Pair of Top 10’s for Abreu

PETERSEN MEDIA: January 7, 2012

While continuing his first stint down under, Rico Abreu has rang in the new year with a pair of top-10 finishes while competing at the Archerfield Speedway in Brisbane, AU.

The St. Helena, CA native’s 2012 got underway on New Years Day, and got off to a quick start as he timed in third fastest behind fellow Americans Shane Stewart, and Donny Schatz.

Abreu then proceeded to charge to a third place finish in his first heat, as he then worked his way up to a fifth place finish in his second heat, transferring his Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performance/Shaver powered No.89 machine into the dash.

Abreu scored a fourth place finish in the six car dash. Ordinarily that would of lined his Swift Finishing’s/SCI/Yak Graphics machine in the second row, but second place finisher, Donny Schatz, elected to take the challenge, which inverted the field and added five laps to the race and lined Abreu up in the 12th spot.

As the 35-lap feature got underway, Abreu searched around the track as he worked his way through traffic...

Rico 5th in Australian Debut

PETERSEN MEDIA: December 26, 2011

In his last race of the calendar year, Rico Abreu made his debut in Australia where he scored an impressive fifth place finish after falling as far back as the ninth spot early in the feature.

With 25 cars checked into the speedway for the Boxing Day event, Abreu timed in with the second fastest lap of the night, only behind fellow American, Donny Schatz.

The format down under features fully inverted dual heat races, with qualifying and heat race points making up the dash that sets the front of the feature event.

By way of his time, the St. Helena, CA youngster started seventh in his first heat race and proceeded to carve through the field and score a third place finish.

In his second heat race, Abreu again found his Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performance/Maxim lining up in the seventh spot, and this time he was only able to work his way up to a fifth place heat finish.

With qualifying and heat races completed, Abreu found himself top-six in points, and lining up fifth in the sixth car dash that would ultimately set the first three rows of the 30-lap feature event.

With the lightning fast track tough to pass on, Abreu, who turned the fastest lap in the event, wasn’t able to advance through the field and finished the sixth spot, where he would start the feature event at.

As the feature got underway, Rico held his spot through the early stages. As the youngster searched the speedway aboard his Stadlehofer Construction/Factory Kahne/Yak Graphics backed entry, the youngster began to lose several spots and found himself in the ninth spot at the halfway point.

Abreu then began wowing the crowd, as he impressed them during his maiden voyage at the speedway ...

Abreu Amped for Australian Adventure

PETERSEN MEDIA: December 16, 2011

On December 24th, most people will be eager for their Christmas celebration, but St. Helena, CA native, Rico Abreu, will be boarding a plane bound for Australia where the youngster will kick his 2012 campaign off with 7 shows.

Abreu burst onto the scene in California this year, and was a fan favorite instantly, as he made his debut against the World of Outlaws at the Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford, CA in March with a 360ci engine.

Though he was unable to find victory lane during his rookie campaign, which saw him compete regularly with the Taco Bravo Sprints at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, CA and with the Golden State King of the West Series on occasion, Abreu still tallied numerous top three finishes and gained respect amongst his competitors, as well as his Kaeding Performance crew.

With experience up and down the state of California, Abreu will now take another country by storm as his Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performance/Maxim will head down under to take on some of the best in Australia, as well as some of the best American's around...

Abreu Poised for First Trophy Cup

PETERSEN MEDIA: October 20, 2011

After a weekend of charging his way through two feature events, Rico Abreu hopes that experience will pay off as he heads for his first ever Trophy Cup in Tulare, CA. After a part failure, and a driver miscue early in both features last weekend, the rookie gasser will now compete in the biggest race in California, the Trophy Cup.

The Trophy Cup is an un-sanctioned 360 race that utilizes a format that showcases driver talent and excites the fans, and its really quite simple; the more points you earn, the further back you start.
Two nights of action will lead to a 50-lap finale on Saturday with 24 of the best racers from around the country, completely inverted. Abreu has seen Tulare a few times this year, and most recently competed in the ASCS So Cal season finale where he rebounded from an early spin, only to get collected in a wreck on the final lap....

Rico Charges Forward in Both Features

PETERSEN MEDIA: October 16, 2011

In a tail of two different circumstances over the weekend, Rico Abreu overcame adversity, and a mistake to charge his way from the back of both packs to strong finishes last weekend against the King of the West Series and the Taco Bravo Series.

The weekend started off Friday night at the Ocean Speedway for the season finale.

With 22 cars on hand, Rico timed in his Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performance/Maxim in with the eighth fastest lap of the night.

The time put Rico on the front row of his heat, and he proceeded to check out from the field and win his heat, putting him directly in the feature, where he would line up in the third spot.

While running in the top five, trouble struck Rico as he lost steering in the third turn....

Two Season Finale’s On Tap for Abreu

PETERSEN MEDIA: October 11, 2011

After a rather rough weekend during two nights of action last week, Rico Abreu and his Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performance team will get back to action this weekend as they go to battle during the Taco Bravo Series finale on Friday at the Ocean Speedway before they head to Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford, CA on Saturday for the Cotton Classic, and the series finale for the King of the West Tour.

Last week at Ocean, Abreu got over zealous on the first lap of the feature as he hopped the turn three cushion on the first lap and backed his SCI/Factory Kahne Shocks/ButlerBuilt backed entry into the fence ending his night.

Though the damage kept him on the sidelines Friday, Abreu was still able to head to the Tulare Thunderbowl last Saturday to close out the ASCS So Cal inaugural season.

Abreu’s night ended on the white flag lap...

Rough Night for Rico

PETERSEN MEDIA: October 8, 2011

Saturday night in Tulare, CA, Rico Abreu overcame an early race spin to get back into the top-10 until contact on the last lap with a lapped car forced the rooked driver into the turn one wall, and he was scored 14th.

Lining up in the 9th spot, Abreu committed to the bottom of the track early. With two laps in the books, Abreu missed the bottom entering turn one, and spun his Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performance/Maxim through the infield bringing out the caution, and sending himself to the back of the line. In the 20th spot, Abreu kept is nose clean as he began to work his way up through the field.
The race got a long green run action and the youngster was able to feel out the tricky Thunderbowl and found himself back in the top ten with just four laps remaining. As he got passed Steven Tiner with just three to go, he moved into the ninth spot with his sites set on Mike Faria for the eight spot. As the white flag waved...

Early Night for Abreu

PETERSEN MEDIA: October 7, 2011

Friday night at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, CA, Rico Abreu’s night was cut short as the youngster got upside down of the first lap of the feature ending his night before it ever got started.
Lining up outside the third row for the feature, the St. Helena, CA driver went to the high-side of the hooked up 1/4 mile and got into the turn three cushion, upsetting his car and sending him into a spin causing damage to the rear of the car ending his night. “I just got a little impatient on the start tonight, and cost my guys,” explained Rico. “It’s a learning experience that I’ll grow from, and we’ll move on to Tulare tomorrow night and see what we an do there.”

Abreu Finishes 17th at Fall Nationals Finale

PETERSEN MEDIA: October 1, 2011

Saturday night at the Silver Dollar Speedway rookie driver, Rico Abreu, worked his way from the 20nd starting position to score a 17th place finish to close out the Fall Nationals.

With 57 cars on hand, Abreu timed in with the 26th fastest lap of the night, putting him in the third row of his heat race, with the top four finishers transferring directly into the feature.

Rico would be up to the challenger as he drove past Andy Forsberg on the second lap of his heat to grab the fourth spot, where he would hold off the 2011 Civil War Champion and transfer into the feature.

Rolling off in the 20nd spot, Abreu patiently felt out the speedway, as he felt out the patchy racing surface.

As Abreu scaled the top, and bottom he raced with the best in the business adapting himself to the slicked off racing surface....

Abreu Grabs 7th at Fall Nationals Opener

PETERSEN MEDIA: September 30, 2011

Friday night at the Fall Nationals, St. Helena, CA native, Rico Abreu scored a seventh place finish.

Starting on the front row, Abreu was one of the fastest cars on the track early in the 30 lap feature, as he hammered the cushion on the racy 1/4 mile oval.

On the seventh lap, Abreu and his Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performance/ButlerBuilt backed Maxim hounded second running Willie Croft.

The ninth circuit saw Abreu slide in front of Croft to take the second spot, but the caution flag waved negating the young racer’s pass.

After early leader, Andy Gregg, spun, Abreu assumed the second spot as he continued to hound Croft.

As the race wore on, Rico slowly faded as he track began to slick off...

Rico Ready For Fall Nationals

PETERSEN MEDIA: September 28, 2011

After an impressive weekend running against the Civil War Series, Rico Abreu will now test his talents against the best of the best in California as he is set for the Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals at the Silver Dollar Speedway this Friday and Saturday night.

After getting his wisdom teeth out early last week, Abreu rose to the occasion as he excited the fans at both the Ocean Speedway, and during his first start at the Placerville Speedway.

Saturday night the St. Helena youngster was charging his way through the field at Placerville, when a steering failure sent Abreu into a bizarre flip ending his run from 20th to fourth.

“We had an awesome car last weekend, and it’s never fun to crash,” explained Rico. “My guys did an awesome job getting me set up in my first trip to Placerville, and they definitely deserved to have a top finish.”...

Rico Teams With 7 Industries

7 Industries is pleased to welcome rookie Sprint Car driver, Rico Abreu, to the 7 Industries team for the conclusion of the 2011 racing season and beyond.
“I am very excited and looking forward to working with the 7 Industries guys this year,” said Abreu. “They do an awesome job of promoting this sport, and I’m excited to team up with them.
7 Industries strives to team with competitors who are fresh in their respective sports, and excel in hopes of promoting the 7 Industries brand.

7 Industries is an online hangout that features behind the scenes content via video, photography, and written stories that highlight the behind the scenes action from various adrenaline based sports.
Abreu is the current driver of the Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performance #89 Maxim. He currently sits third in Taco Bravo Series points as he as racked up numerous podium finishes in what has been an impressive rookie campaign.

Stay tuned with news on Rico Abreu and other fresh 7 Industries content by visiting www.7industries.com.

Rico's Night Gets Turned Upside Down

PETERSEN MEDIA: September 24, 2011

During his first trip to the Placerville Speedway on Saturday night, Rico Abreu continued to do what he's done all year, impress. Though his night ended with a parts malfunction causing him to crash, Abreu simply put on a show for the packed grandstands during the Civil War Series finale.

The night started off with Rico timing in his Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Perfomance/Maxim with the 29th quickest lap of the 35 cars gathered in the pits.

The qualifying time put the rookie driver in the fourth row of the third heat. Rico's first race experience on the high banked ? mile oval was impressive as he quickly charged his way into the fourth and final transfer spot as he fended off Alissa Geving and Greg DeCaires to earn the transfer position into the feature event.

Rico lined his Stadlehofer Construction/Factory Kahne Shocks/Sprint Car Innovations entry up in the 20th position for the 30 lap feature event.

In what was a wild series of events, not a single lap was completed before officials opened a red flag up for crews to re fuel.

Once underway, Abreu quickly adapted to the tricky Placerville Speedway as he was able to run the cushion and the bottom to perfection as he weaved through traffic.

By the tenth circuit, Rico had worked his way up to the ninth position when the caution flew as he was in a heated battle with Sean Becker and Billy Butler.

Two laps later, the caution flew as the second and third place cars collided, and simultaneously a pair of other front runners pulled to the work area moving Abreu up to the fifth position.

As the race got back underway, the St. Helena native made quick work of Butler, and began to pressure Sean Becker for the third position.

Abreu Grabs 5th in Watsonville

PETERSEN MEDIA: September 23, 2011

After coming from the 'B'-Main Friday night during the Taco Bravo versus Civil War Series event at the Ocean Speedway, 19-year-old rookie, Rico Abreu, was one of the most exciting drivers on the track to watch as he scored a fifth place finish.

After timing in his Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performace/Shaver powered entry with the 11th fastest lap during qualifications, Abreu lined up in the third heat.

In heat race action, Rico slipped up a touch early, and his Stadlehofer Construction/Factory Kahne Shocks/Maxim fell back into the fifth spot, and Abreu missed a transfer and was relegated to the B.

In the loaded B, Abreu was able to work his way into the fourth spot early, and maintain the position through various caution flags. Abreu was able to hold the position and transfer into the feature.

Gridding the field from the eight spot, the St. Helena, CA native would waste no time putting his Swift Metal Finishing/Santomauro backed entry on the top of the race track as he rode the cushion and worked his way into the top five.

As Rico raced into the fifth spot by the ninth circuit, he began working on fourth running Ronnie Day, as sixth running, Tim Kaeding, began to show Abreu his nose.

No Worse For Wear, Rico's Ready to Rock

PETERSEN MEDIA: September 21, 2011

Despite having his wisdom teeth pulled earlier this week, rookie driver, Rico Abreu, will still get back to action this weekend as he is set to compete Friday night at the Ocean Speedway, and Saturday at the Placerville Speedway.

The St. Helena, CA driver has turned heads during his rookie campaign driving a winged sprint car, and as he inches closer to a win, Rico looks to break through this weekend.

Currently Abreu sits in the third spot in the championship standings for the highly competitive Taco Bravo 360 Sprint Car class at the Ocean Speedway, where he has several podiums to his credit.

This week to add to the challenge will be the highly touted California Civil War Series in a combined event pitting the Taco Bravo Series regulars against the traveling class, in what will be an exciting showdown.

Bright Start, Tough End For Abreu At Ocean Taco Bravo

Watsonville, California. June 3, 2011. With rain imminent, a hurried program was in effect for competitors in the Taco Bravo 360 Sprint Car Series at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway Friday night. For St. Helena, California’s Rico Abreu hurried would be a apt description for his performance in qualifying, his heat race, and into the early laps of the main event. However, his night ended on a disappointing note as brake issues sent him pitside and ended a solid streak of top ten finishes with the series.

Abreu began the night by setting the third fastest time in the group qualifying, topped only by Kaeding Performance teammates Brent Kaeding and Kyle Larson. In his heat race a jumped start by the original front row placed Abreu and two time defending Taco Bravo Series champion Tommy Tarlton at the front for the eight lap event. From his outside starting position the 19 year old rookie showed his continuing progression as he drove to a dominating win by over a straightaway.

Abreu Wows In First 410 Run At Daunting Calistoga

Calistoga, California. May 29, 2011. Utilizing a 410 engine for the first time in his two month career, 19 year old Rico Abreu couldn’t have picked a more hair raising place to do it, as he took on the stars of the King of the West Sprints Sunday night at the big half mile of Calistoga Speedway, sometimes referred to as “The Lady in Black.” The resident of St Helena, just a few miles from the track, had what seemed to be the majority of the grandstand crowd cheering him on, and he did not disappoint.

In his maiden voyage on the clocks Abreu showed no fear as he blasted around the cushion like a seasoned veteran. Stopping the clocks seventh fast of the 28 cars pitted at the beautiful Napa Valley facility, Abreu bested many of the top drivers on hand, including Kaeding Performance teammates Kyle Larson and Brent Kaeding.

Abreu Scores Seventh In Ocean Taco Bravo Feature 15th With 360 In KWS Tulare Event

Watsonville and Tulare, CA – May 13 and 14th, 2011. Looking to continue his recent run of solid finishes in the Taco Bravo 360 Sprint Car Series, sprint car neophyte Rico Abreu did just that as he drove to his third top 10 in a row by finishing seventh Friday night at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway. Then, looking for additional seat time on Saturday night, Abreu took on the 410 stars of the King of the West Sprint Car Series with his 360 at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway and came home with a respectable 15th place finish in the 30 car field.

At Ocean’s scenic seaside facility Abreu timed in fifth quick of the 24 cars on hand, before starting third and finishing there in heat number two. With the heat race result Abreu transferred directly to the night’s 30 lap headliner.

When the zero inversion pill was drawn, Abreu, in the Abreu Vineyards/Stadelhofer Construction #89 prepared by Kaeding Performance, was placed fifth on the feature grid. Fast time qualifier Ronnie Day took the lead from the pole as Shane Golobic, Justin Sanders, Brent Kaeding, and Abreu – the top five qualifiers in order – fell in line on the rough, tricky surface. The lead group stayed in that sequence over the fist 12 laps, all the while dicing through lapped traffic.

On lap 13 Tim Kaeding finally broke the stranglehold on the top five as he drove by Abreu, who was also passed on the same lap by the third Kaeding in the field, Bud. A lap later Abreu returned the favor and retook sixth from the youngest Kaeding.

Tune in to www.KNRY.com on Wednesday May 11th and listen to Tony Karis interview Rico Abreu on the KNRY Motorsports Show. Rico is scheduled to be on live at 7:15 p.m.

Once you are on the website www.knry.com, click on LISTEN TO KNRY LIVE, then click on Live Streaming AM 1240 KNRY.

Abreu Scores First Podium Finish In Taco Bravo Ocean Feature - link to video interview

Watsonville, California. May 6, 2011. The rapid progression of rookie sprint car driver Rico Abreu continued last Friday night at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway as the 19 year old from St. Helena, California raced to his first podium appearance in only his fifth sprint car race ever. The little man with the big right foot did it in style as he chased two of the best veterans in West Coast sprint car racing, trailing only winner Bud Kaeding and runnerup Ronnie Day to the checkered flag.

Qualifying proved to be a glimpse of what was to come for Abreu as he stopped the clocks fourth fast of the 21 cars assembled, ahead of Kaeding and two time defending Taco Bravo Series champion Tommy Tarlton. A third place start in the first heat turned into a second place finish for Abreu, resulting in a ticket to the inversion draw for the front rows of the A-main event.

When the inversion came up four, thereby placing Abreu on the pole for the feature lineup, the good fortunes continued. The only misstep for the high school senior came on the opening lap as a huge wheelstand down the backstretch allowed outside front row starter Day and third starter Shane Golobic to scoot by. Soon after fast time qualifier Justin Sanders drove over Abreu’s right rear tire in turn two of lap two to bring out the red flag.

Abreu Scores First Top Ten In Tulare Taco Bravo - link to video

Tulare, CA – April 30, 2011. Running a sprint car for only the fourth time in his brief two month career, St. Helena, California’s Rico Abreu continues to display veteran skills as he drove to a ninth place feature finish in the Taco Bravo 360 Sprint Car Series Saturday night at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway. The series, based primarily at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway, made its only appearance of the season at the Thunberbowl, where Abreu ran competitively with the World of Outlaws last month, finishing one spot shy of a transfer to the main event.

On this occasion Abreu was right in the thick of things all night long as he first timed in 10th quick of the 19 cars pitted. A pole start in the first heat translated into a solid third place finish behind long time veterans Mike Faria and two time defending Taco Bravo champion Tommy Tarlton. The effort sent the 19 year old to the 10th starting slot in the night’s 30 lap headline event.

Newcomer Abreu Impresses In First Ocean Speedway Start

Watsonville, CA – April 15, 2011. After stepping onto the highest stage he could find when he made his sprint car racing debut last month with the World of Outlaws at Hanford and Tulare, Northern California Outlaw Sprint Kart Star Rico Abreu settled in to do battle with fellow 360 competitors this past Friday night in the opening round of action in the Taco Bravo 360 series at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway. The 19 year old from St. Helena, California wowed onlookers with his natural ability in heat race action before a myriad of issues hampered his first ever main event start.

The lid lifter at the scenic seaside raceway found 27 cars qualifying in small groups for the first time and Abreu stopped the clocks 20th quick in the order. The driver of the Abreu Vineyards/Kaeding Performance Maxim Shaver lined up seventh in the second heat and quickly displayed his potential to the rest of the field.

As Kyle Larson sped to the lead Abreu jumped into third down the backstretch of the initial lap. A slight miscue by Nick Green in turn two of the second lap saw Abreu take advantage and motor into the runner up position. With Larson out front Abreu put down lap times within a half second of his much more experienced Keading Performance teammate as the duo pulled away from the field.

Get your 2011 T-Shirts! Available at both KWS & Brent Kaeding's trailers!

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January 6, 2011: Rico's upcoming trip to the Chili Bowl featured in the St. Helena Star... link to article

December 30, 2010: Rico is Chili Bowl Bound! Rico featured in the Napa Valley Register... link to article

Rico Wins the 250cc Intermediate Trophy Dash!

Rico Abreu scores 14th Outlaw Kart victory of 2010 Saturday night at Cycleland Speedway

By Gary Thomas

Chico, CA – August 3, 2010…Continuing his ultra strong season in the Outlaw Kart ranks this past weekend St. Helena, California’s Rico Abreu charged to his 14th overall win of the year on Saturday night at the Cycleland Speedway.

Abreu’s victory came in the open intermediate division after also setting fast time to begin the evening, during what was point race number 14 at Cycleland. It also marked his seventh straight win in the open intermediate class at the track.

“It feels good to be getting so many wins this year, but I know it’ll all mean nothing if I don’t stay on top of my game and keep doing the best I can each night,” said the 18-year-old. “Right now we’re in a heated championship race for the open intermediate title so if we continue putting the wins together hopefully the points will take care of themselves.”

A total of 18-karts were on hand in the open intermediate division last Saturday and Abreu kicked off the night by turning a quickest lap of 11.198 during qualifying to just beat out good buddy Kyle Larson for fast time. He then brought home a third place finish in the dash after trading slide job after slide job with Larson, before taking to his customary high-line when the green flag waved in the 20-lap main event.

Showing no intimidation whatsoever Abreu placed his Abreu Vineyards, Stadelhofer Construction No. 24 on the ragged edge of the Cycleland Speedway and quickly moved up to third by lap-three and then second on lap-seven. Pounding the cushion of the well prepared 1/8 mile clay oval the youngster proceeded to move his way to the lead with eight-circuits complete and sit out front the rest of the way to tally another feature victory on the season.

Also competing in the intermediate division Abreu clocked the second quickest lap out of 24-karts in qualifying and recorded a third place finish in the dash, which put him in the fifth row for the main event. The St. Helena throttle-masher methodically picked his way forward when the green lights came on and was able to crack the top-five within 10-laps, before fighting it out for position over the final couple laps to score fifth at the checkered flag.

“This definitely isn’t just a one man effort because I have a lot of great people that support me including my crew chief Karen Bloom and my uncle’s Jimmy and Greg who are always a big help,” commented Abreu. “Gonzalo and Chetto are also two others who come a long way to become great outlaw kart mechanics. There are also a lot of great sponsors that are supporting me like Abreu Vineyards, Stadelhofer Construction, Zumwalt Ford and George Becker Motors.”

Abreu will return to the Cycleland Speedway this Saturday night for point race number 15, with the track having just six more races left in the season. “I had a lot of fun last weekend getting to race with my good pal Kyle Larson on his birthday and it’s just been a great year overall so we couldn’t be happier,” he said. “We only have six races to go at Cycleland so hopefully we can come back this weekend and get back into victory lane to keep the momentum rolling.”

Later on this month Abreu will also be in action at the Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley for “Pistol Pete’s Gridley Fair Challenge.” The event takes place on Friday August 27 and features the Beginner Box, Box Stock, 250 Intermediate and Open Division on hand.

More info on “Pistol Pete’s Gridley Fair Challenge" can be found at http://www.rboutlaws.com/wp-content/uploads/GridleyFairRace.pdf

For more information on St. Helena's Rico Abreu visit http://www.ricoabreuracing.com/index.html and for info on the Cycleland Speedway log onto http://cyclelandspeedway.com/

07/17/2010 Rico Sweeps Both Divisions at Cycleland Speedway! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPsfXBkeh0Y

06/26-27/2010: Double Wins in the 500 Division for Rico!

06/12/2010: Yet another amazing weekend of racing for Rico!

06/04-05/2010:
First Annual Pistol Pete's Summer Challenge, Gridley - Friday June 4th and Cycleland Speedway Saturday June 5th~

Yet another fantastic weekend of racing for Rico! He wins the 250cc Main event at the First Annual Pistol Pete's Summer Challenge on Friday night and returns to Cycleland Speedway on Saturday to claim the Main event win in the Open Intermediate 500cc division! Congratulations Rico!

05/22-23/2010: Cycleland Speedway Points Race #6 on Saturday and Cora Speedway in Dixon on Sunday

Another great weekend of racing for Rico! He wins the 250cc Main event at Cycleland on Saturday and heads to Dixon to set fast time in the 250cc Intermediate and 500cc divisions and win both main events! Congratulations Rico!

05/15-16/2010: Cycleland Speedway Points Race #5 on Saturday and Delberts Memorial Raceway in Lakeport on Sunday

Rico sets fast time in the 250cc Intermediate division in Chico on Saturday, and again on Sunday in Lakeport, but in both the 250cc and 500cc divisions. Rico finishes the weekend by winning the 500cc Open Division Main Event in Lakeport! Congratulations Rico!

05/08/2010: Cycleland Speedway Points Race #4

Rico sets fast time in the 500cc Open Intermediate division and wins the 250cc Intermediate Divsion Trophy Dash! Congratulations Rico!

04/17/2010: Cycleland Speedway Points Race #1 April 17th!

RAINED OUT

Cycleland Speedway 2010 Season to Begin April 3rd!

Cycleland Speedway in Chico, California is a 1/8 mile clay oval track that features racing nearly every Saturday night beginning in April.

Rico will be racing in both the 250cc Intermediate Division and the 500cc Open Intermediate Division.

For more information regarding Cycleland Speedway, visit their website at: www.cyclelandspeedway.com

West Coast Nationals 2010 News Blog Post:
Track Newbies Give Locals a Run for Their Money

As the sport grows and spreads across the country the skills of the drivers outside of California grows. Many tracks have sprung up in the past few years, many with some very challenging track conditions. Many tracks are nearly completely flat, some have thick gumbo clay, others have an abundance of tire-eating sand and gravel. As competition increases at all the national tracks many drivers are in the same league as those who grew up on the native tracks in California. It was exciting to watch drivers who have never raced at Red Bluff swoop in and set fast times, win Dash for Cash races, and Qualifying Main Events.

These include Open Division driver Kevin Hartnell who nabbed the Low Trophy Dash win in his first excursion to Red Bluff. Also finishing very well in that race were out-of-towners, Ryan Newman, Mitchell Wilcox, Chris Ratteree and Nate Lynch. The Top Trophy Dash was packed with local Red Bluff Outlaws and saw long-time racer Michael Tarter wheel to the victory over Ryan Foster and Kyle Larson. The race was interrupted with a red flag stop after Rico Abreu, Keith Bloom and Zach West executed a brutal 3-way kart flip. Bloom came out the worse for wear, but was able to walk himself away from the wreckage.

Five packed Qualifying Main Events were slated out to accommodate the 70+ karts. In the E Main Event Todd Bosshart in the 7R kart led the pack to the win over Matt Hein, James Edens (running a 500cc kart at the bullring for the first time) and Cory Lockwood. These drivers plus Kyle Hossfeld and Cody Braund transferred up to the D Main. Brent Hamiliton- a returning long-time Outlaw – took the win for this second main event, edging out Randy Phillips and veteran Beau Perkins. Jason Mittry, Daniel Thorson and Shawn Fogarty would fill out the rest of the transfers to the C Main.

Dean Bare who has run with the Outlaws for a very long time took home the win in the highly competitive C Main. Jacob Pochop, and Seth Nunes rounded out the top three as they stayed well ahead of the mayhem that raged behind them. As the penultimate race for the division started, it was clear that the competitors in this B Main Event were all on a mission – they had to get to those top six spots to earn a transfer to the A Main, and a chance to win a Golden Eagle trophy. Tyler Harris, whose kart was simply a rocket on rails, kept a good distance from Pistol Pete Johnston and Zach West who finished 2nd and 3rd. Daniel ‘Buckwheat’ Becker and Dean Bare, who started mired in the back of the pack, but drove hard and smooth thru the traffic to join Seth Nunes and the leaders as emissaries to the A Main Event.

But the Ultimate Race in the sport was all about Steven Gannon. This talented driver began racing at the 8 at the Red Bluff track and Cycleland. His father, Roger Gannon raced with the Red Bluff Outlaws in its early years while he was earning his title as ‘most championed driver’ at Shasta Speedway. Following in his father’s footsteps, Steven began racing asphalt stock cars in his early teens in addition to championship career in dirt karts. He nabbed a Mini Stock Championship and transferred quickly into Late Models and soon to Super Late Models. He proved to be as much a natural on asphalt as on dirt with continuous stream of track championships, Open Show wins and dozens of prestigious wins.

With the drop of the green flag Gannon pulled out to the lead. The track, which had held moisture better than expected over the long race weekend, had dried on the surface creating a cyclone of thick dust and a challenging track for the powerful 500cc karts. Kenny McArthur, who has only raced a handful of races this past season due to his continuing college education at CalPoly, dogged his longtime competitor from the secondspot for most of the race. While working every angle, he was just not able to get the strong starts which Steven used to his advantage during the many yellow flag restarts, nor get to the spot in the track where the wily Gannon wasn’t running so as to get the top spot. Behind McArthur was the young phenom Cameron Bartlett driving a hard-charging battle. This youngster picked up the “Rookie of the Year” title for this season effort as a 13 year old (breaking the age barrier by virtue of his 250cc Division championship last season) against drivers who were winning championships before he was even born. When the checkered flag dropped it was 1-2-3, Steven Gannon, McArthur and Bartlett. After the dust settled and the drivers were all brought to the infield to receive their coveted eagle trophies, Pete Johnston doused the unsuspecting Gannon with a spray of fine champaign. It was one of those special moments in racing where to longtime friends, competitors and rivals share a memory that will last forever.

The next day, at the 30thannual Awards Ceremony for the Outlaws, Steven would be awarded the Sportsman of the Year award, and Johnston would recieve his Points Championship eagle for his 2010 season. These two drivers epitomized the sport that day: both fierce competitors with extrodinary skills, - both driven to push the limits of their karts, and both outstanding ambassadors for the sport we all love.

Red Bluff Outlaws - Racey #12 Wrap Up - News Blog Post:

Here we go, better late than never. It’s been a week since the last race, but the excitement that was in the air is still palpable. Tonight, we start with the Intermediate Division. Charging out to qualifying early in the day, the Intermediate drivers were met with a super green track with a lot of slick mud down in the apex of turn 3-4. But, one quick run thru and they all discovered where to put their karts to make the most of their horsepower while sticking in the good dirt. And it was Miss Morgan Sandhagen that found the best line out of the 20 drivers that clocked in. Checking in with a very fast 8.535 second lap Morgan was on a roll which started last week with her awesome win in the A Main Event. Three heat races were lined up to accommodate the field. Mason Millard, who suffered from some tough mechanicals last week came back strong to take the win in the Heat One. Mallorie “The Bombshell” McGahan held off Casey McClain to win Heat #2 and James Edens won the third round ahead of Brenna Johnson.

An eight kart B Main was headed up by Rico Abreu over Logan Seavey and Wesley Dougherty. James Edens won a great Trophy Dash. The A Main was simply one of those races where things go bad for a number of drivers, but turned out to be a showcase race for Tony Rossi. Rossi had a tough row to hoe as he had to make an exorbitant number of restarts as the yell0w-flag plagued race drew on and on. One tachometer/laps meter put the race at over 100 laps including the interminable yellows. Each restart was a test of Rossi’s skill, patience and kart setup as he held off Tyler Seavey and Jeremy Doss to win.

Always a great class at Red Bluff, the Box Stock Division remained strong with 27 drivers timing in and presenting some of the cleanest, hardest racing of the night. Jesse Colwell hit the green track for his qualifying efforts and was rewarded with a 9.640 second time which plunked him in to first place ahead of Michael Kofoid and Ryan Robinson in qualifying. Four heat races saw Tyler Brown take the win in #1, Hollis Shane Thackeray started out his excellent night with a win in Heat #2, Colby Cate nabbed Heat #3 victory over Michael Mischoff and Derek Stone won his top-spot race with Trenton LaChance to the honors in Heat #4. Michael Kofoid was the winner of the stacked B-Main which Brian McGahan Jr. tagging in second ahead of Michael Ing. Tanner Carrick, who made the trek to Tulsa earlier in the year to be a contender in the Tulsa Shootout won the Trophy Dash for the class. Right from the flagdrop of the A Main Hollis Shane Thackeray powered to the lead and held off Tyler Brown and Emily Williams to take the win.

Every week the young Beginner Box Stock Division just gets better and better ! it is so much fun to watch these drivers gain the confidence and skills that can take them to the top of any type of racing. Still going strong with 26 kart pack even with a single race left, the karts hit the track early in the day to run their qualifying laps. Kyle Pendergrass in the #66JR kart pulled the fastest lap of the group with a 10.730 second run. Ryan “The Rhino” Williams took second spot ahead of Angelo Cornet. Again, four heat races were lined up from the qualifying results. Erik Nelson, who has simply come-alive this year, took the win in Heat #1 over hard-charging Jacob Wilson. Dawson Hammes, sporting a new graphics package this week held off the super-smooth Jayden Bartlett to win Heat #2. Gavin Cate, another stand-out drivers this season, held off “The Rhino” Williams to win Heat #3 and David Stroud in the #88 Hanson Glass sponsored kart won over Brad Dolin in the final heat of the day. A ten kart C Main saw Colton Raudman hold off Madison Mittry and Tyler Burke to grab the win. Bailey Martin charged to a win in the exciting B Main over Tyler Rodgers and Lexi Raudman. Jayden Bartlett would later share the victory circle with his big brother Cameron for his win in the Trophy Dash over Tyler Rodgers. Colton Raudman, who was destined to climb the alphabet soup of Mains, started off by winning the C Main, then in the B Main he grabbed the last transfer spot into the A, and in the A he made a spectacular run from near the back of the pack to take the win in what was one of the hottest races of the night.

Which brings us to the Open Division. Thirty-six drivers signed-in to run this next to the last race of the points season. Rowdy McClenon in his “HotRodstoHell.net” sponsored #13 kart rocketed out of the corners in his final lap of qualifying to take fast time of the group with an 8.376 second run. On a commentarial note, for those fans who don’t come earlier enough to watch the qualifying laps of these karts, you simply can’t believe what looks like when a kart simply hooks up and goes. Last race it was Kyle Larson who nailed his lap, and this week with McClenon’s perfect run, it is remarkable how graceful, and elegant these karts can really be.

And Rowdy continued his strong night by taking the win in Heat #1 over Camron Millard. Heat #2 posted Andrew Cumpton as victor over Tyler Wolf. Rudger Worley sitting in for John Michael Bunch won Heat #3 head of Pistol Pete and Michael Tarter. Jake Park pulled Kyle Larson who was subbing for Ryan Foster, to take the win in Heat #4 and in the final heat of the night Keith Bloom flew across the line just ahead of Cody Lamar and Cody Braund.

Stand-out rookie Cameron Bartlett ran a super C Main just head of Justin Burton whose kart was well-tuned to the track conditions and was a contender for the lead a number of times. In the super-stacked B Main Michael Tarter held off NASCAR racers Steven Gannon and Sprint Champion Sean Becker to win the top spot. Cameron Bartlett made it look easy in the Trophy Dash as he wheeled his kart to the win over Andrew Cumpton. That was a two-fer night for the Bartlett clan as Mom and Dad joined their boys in the Victory Circle for Trophy Dash presentations. The A Main featured a front-pack battle between Keith Bloom Jr, Pete Johnston and Sean Becker. While some of the best Outlaw Kart drivers in the world sliced and diced mid to back pack the battle up-front raged. When a last lap pass by Johnston was foiled by a tangle with Bloom Sean Becker needled thru to take the win.

It just doesn’t get any closer than the points battle in the Sportsman Division. The Cumpton Trucking karts, the #11 of Todd Boyd and the the #11X of Andy Cumpton are dead-tied going into the final race of the year. And it was a one-two qualifying effort for the duo too, with Boyd setting an 8.701 second lap to edge out Cumpton for the fastest qualifying lap. Three heat races were lined out with Donny Ritcheson taking the win in #1, Andy Cumpton the win in #2 and Brian Sperry in #3. Boyd came back in the B Main to take the win over Evan Johnson and Scotty Morton. Todd Boyd, who had an epic battle with Pettinger last week for the lead and the win in the A Main, this week was bested by Pettinger for the Trophy Dash win – and in the exciting A Main in which Pettinger successfully held off hard-charging Demo Mittry to take the win.

Red Bluff Outlaws - Racey #11 Wrap Up - News Blog Post:

Starting the day the Beginner Box Division hit a very green track track to qualify. Out of the twenty-four young superstars Colton Raudman set the fastest lap at 10.656 seconds. Continuing his night Raudman took the win in Heat #1. Jayden Bartlett won the second heat, Ryan Williams; Heat #3, and Blake Carrick took the win in the final heat over a hard-charging Lexi Raudman. C Main action was topped with a win by Erik Nelson. A 12 car B Main Event saw Bailey Martin power thru to take the win over current points leader Angelo Cornet. But by the end of the night it was all about Brad Dolin in his beautiful newly painted kart. But it was not to be an easy win for the “Pepper Jack Kennels” sponsored kart. In fact, an absolute photo-finish ensued with Jayden Bartlett as they crossed the line – but Dolin’s kart was barely 3 inches ahead of Barlett as he won the A Main Event.

Twenty-five Box Stock racers clocked in for the 11th round of racing this season. Despite the still-green track the qualifying times were very fast with Michael Kofoid setting quick lap at 9.685 seconds. Last week’s Perpetual Trophy winner Jesse Colwell took second spot in the qualifying. Four great heat races ensued with Dakota Cardenas nabbing the win in #1, and Jesse James Colwell winning the second one. Brandon LaChance edged out Ren Eberhart in Heat 3 and brother Trenton LaChance held off Derek Stone for the win in the 4th round. Brian McGahan Jr., fresh off his Perpetual Trophy win at Lakeport during the break from Red Bluff tagged in first in the B Main ahead of Tanner Carrick and Michael Ing. Current points leader, Colby Cate, who clocked in 4th fastest during qualifying kept up his momentum by winning a second-in-a-row Trophy Dash, this week over “Lil’ Feed” Ryan Robinson. Cate went on to also win the A Main Event, again with Robinson laying in second spot.

Still eighteen strong even this late in the season, the Intermediate 250cc division presented some of the very best racing of the year. Jeremy Doss started the action by setting fast time with a run around the track at a mere 8.487 seconds. Tony Rossi had one of his best qualifying efforts this year by taking the second spot. Three great heat races were lined out from the results of qualifying. Tanner Thorson who tows in from the great state of Nevada each week took the win in Heat One over top competitor Jake Morgan. Heat #2 saw Brenna Johnson having a great run as she out-ran Casey McClain and Rico Abreu to take the flag first. Logan Seavey edged out Wesley Dougherty for the win in Heat #3. A short-stack B Main saw Rossi continue his late season charge as he held off Chase Majdic who is sporting a new look and sponsor this week. His traditionally blue and white kart has been surplanted by the trademark bright red of the Glen Haven Beach Resort sponsorship. Rico Abreu flew to a great Trophy Dash win beating Tyler Seavey and Morgan Sandhagen. But, it was the A Main action that left spectators slack-jaw in awe. One of the hottest battles of the year saw a front-running pack of drivers working every line of the now seasoned and smoothtrack. With just a few laps to go, Morgan Sandhagen made a breath-taking move from the 4th spot to pass two karts in a swoosh which pushed her to the lead where she held off the racing karts behind her to take an awesome A Main win. Jake Morgan and Tyler Seavey finished second and third.

But one of the best battles of the night came in the last race of the day as the Sportsmen ran their A Main Event. Earlier in the day twenty-two Sportsmen clocked in with long-time Red Bluff Outlaw Donny Ritcheson hitting fast time at 8.603 seconds. Three heat races were run with Eric Pettinger taking the win in #1, Demo Mittry in #2 and Evan Johnson winning the third. Brandon Mansfield took his #89 kart to the win in the B Main race. Points leader Andy Cumpton added another Trophy Dash win to his record as he triumphed over Brian Sperry. Yet, despite being the last race of the night the A Main event featured an epic battle between Eric Pettinger and Todd Boyd. It started as Todd had to skillfully work every angle of the track so he could get a clean run at the lead kart of Pettinger. But it didn’t end with his eventual pass, the two seasoned drivers ran side-by-side, nerf-to-nerf lap after lap, pretty much defying logic as they managed not to tangle and wreck. The crowd watched wide-eyed and probably just as white-knuckled as the drivers must have been as Boyd finally gained a safe distance which he held to take the win.

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