ROBSTOWN, Texas (Feb. 11, 2023) — Red-hot Karting pilots Darren Dornak, Jaden Edmond and Dayton Laboeuf all won features in their respective divisions, as officials hosted the inaugural Brandon Anderson Memorial for STARS teams on Saturday at the South Texas Racing Arena.
Dornak powered to victory in the highly-popular and ultra-competitive L87 Predator division; Edmond prevailed in a $500-to-win tilt for Outlaw 500cc Karts; while Laboeuf was triumphant in a hotly-contested L87 Junior feature. Dornak also claimed the feature in Heavy Predator with a blazing run.
Noah Van Blarcum (Open Predator); Nathan Titzman (L87 Spec Cage); Hunter Porter (L87 Senior); Tony Rolando (L87 Open); Easton Jackson (Jr. 1 Clone); Beau Jackson (Jr. 2 Clone); Tripp Whitmire (Jr. 3 Clone); Landon Budnik (Youth Pro); and Dane Williams (RWYB) also won features on Saturday.
Dornak, of Conroe, started third on the 20-Kart grid, quickly jumped into the lead and held off a hard-charging Vince Louden for top honors. Andy Van Blarcum drove up from eighth on the grid to finish third, while Chase Louden (Vince’s son, of Shiner, TX) and Kiehl Van Blarcum completed the top five.
Finishing sixth through 10th in the L87 Predator 20-lap feature were Dylan Brown, polesitter Tracer Judd, Greg Carlucci Jr., Justin Hoffstadt and Eric Salles. Two cautions slowed the pace (laps 7, 9), both for minor incidents. One, however, did result in the removal of Brian Marquard from the arena.
Edmond, of Corpus Christi, powered by early leader Gilbert Perez III after just one lap of that Outlaw 500 tilt and rolled on home to a $500 payday. Perez, who’s busy these days preparing for a brand new season of Limited Modified action, settled for second, while Marcus Mikulencak filled out the podium.
Only one quick caution flew early on when Mikulencak spun in Turn 2, yet he recovered very nicely.
Laboeuf, of El Campo, started third on the 15-Kart grid, powered past early leader Trinity Tesch at lap eight and survived a pair of restarts to earn top honors. Sawyer Herring finished right where he started in second, while Woody Powell filled out the podium with a rock-solid performance.
Colt Stafford (Mathis) and Jace Whiteaker (Corpus Christi) rounded out the top five with strong runs.
Finishing sixth through 10th in the L87 Junior feature were Kaden Pacheco, Tesch, Preston Salles, Cheston Markgraf and Wyatt Schul. Four cautions slowed the pace (laps 0, 2, 12, 15) for minor spins.
The second week of Owen Pittman’s South Texas Arena Racing Series (STARS) program, presented by Shiner Bock, was a huge success from all angles. With 144 entries on hand spread across 16 classes (34 Predators this week), the action kept folks entertained all afternoon and well into the evening.
There are two more weeks on the schedule for STARS teams, filling the void for racers until tracks begin to open around the state. Participation among young first-timers is strong, helping secure the future of short track racing with fresh new faces. Karting sure is in good hands once again for 2023.
You can replay all of the action from Saturday’s second STARS event of 2023 atthe Borchard Fairgrounds and enjoy tons of great racing with a subscription at RaceOnTexas.com. With over 250 events on the Live schedule this year, it’s home to some of the best short track content online. Click here to replay!
When you sign up today, select one of two options (OnDemand or All Access), choose your favorite or hometown track and start enjoying great content while supporting your local track even when you can’t attend in person.
By Phil Whipple, RaceOnTexas.com Staff Writer
The post Day Motor Sports Race Recap: Dornak, Edmond, Laboeuf win at Brandon Anderson Memorial appeared first on Race On Texas.