“Four podium weekend in Mini and Junior”
Jeremy Fletcher scored Team Benik the X30 Junior victory on Sunday in Homestead
(Photo: On Track Promotions)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida – It was a four podium and one win event for Team Benik this past weekend at the opening round of the Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) Winter Series at the AMR Motorplex in Homestead, Florida. While Jeremy Fletcher reigned supreme in Sunday’s X30 Junior main event scoring the win, Michael Costello and Enzo Vidmontiene added additional podium results to propel Team Benik to a solid start in 2021.
After a disappointing finish for Fletcher on Saturday, the Floridian returned on Sunday with a vengeance taking the prefinal win and accompanying pole position for the main event. After leading early and falling back to the second position midrace, the Team Benik driver dug down deep and moved back to the point to take his first checkered flag of the 2021 season. Fellow X30 Junior driver and Benik teammate Michael Costello had a great start to his 2021 campaign as he stood on the podium after Saturday’s main event with a third-place effort. Returning Sunday and looking for more, Costello came from outside the top-fifteen to score a tenth-place result and earn two top-ten finishes on the weekend.
Two more podium results and four additional top-ten finishes came from the Team Benik Mini Swift contingent of Enzo Vidmontiene and Asher Ochestein. Vidmontiene was at the pointy end of the grid all weekend long and secured a second-place finish on Saturday after challenging for the lead early. Looking to climb one step further up the podium on Sunday, Vidmontiene had to settle for another second-place result in his double podium weekend. A multi-time Micro Swift race winner and now Mini Swift rookie also found himself in the top ten of a talented group of drivers. Asher Ochstein proved that he has the pace and race craft to compete with the country’s best Mini drivers claiming a seventh-place result on Saturday and improved Sunday to cross the line in sixth.
“It was a great way to start 2021, and we look forward to continuing our momentum next weekend,” explained Team Benik’s Nick Mitchell. “We have worked very hard in our short off-season to make our program the best possible, and we know we have great equipment. Putting talented drivers behind the wheel of Benik Karts is the goal and with that, the wins and podiums will continue to come.”
A pair of drivers would enter the Micro Swift ranks with Sebastian Cortes and Royce Vega flying the Team Benik colors. Cortes claimed a pair of top-fifteen results while Vega was a victim of on track incidents that hindered his forward progress. Making the move from the KA100 Senior class to the toughest class in all of karting, X30 Senior, Logan Vajda completed the full race distance in both main events, including an eleven-position gain in Saturday’s final, claiming top-thirty finishes and gaining experience for future events.
With no time off, Team Benik will travel 100 miles north to the Isle Casino in Pompano Beach, Florida for the opening round of the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour. Trading in IAME powerplants for Vortex ROK engines, Team Benik will enter six drivers and vie for ROK glory at the start of the 23rd annual Florida Winter Tour.
ROK Cup USA Driver List
Jeremy Fletcher – Junior ROK
Michael Costello – Junior ROK
Logan Vajda – Senior ROK
Asher Ochstein – Mini ROK
Sarah Bradley – Mini ROK
Enzo Vidmontiene – Mini ROK
For more information on the BENIK Kart or Team BENIK, please contact Nick Mitchell via e-mail to Info@Benik-Kart.com or by phone at 561.348.4406. To keep up to date with news, photos, results and information on Team Benik, please follow them on social media by searching ‘Team Benik’.
