Team Sahlen, presented by Optima Batteries, returns to compete in the 2nd Annual K1Speed 12 Hours of Canton. Just like 2023, the event will be held on St. Patrick’s Day. But, whereas last year’s event was on Friday, this year’s race will be on Sunday. The full 12 hours of race will be on televised live www.competitionkarting.com.
During the 2023 event, Team Sahlen had the unique distinction of being the only entry with only 2 drivers. All other entries had 3-5 drivers. Just surviving the race was an accomplishment to be achieved. Many fellow competitors and fans at the race came by to share their astonishment of the duo’s perseverance and endurance in driving 6 hours each. Not only did the duo complete the event, but fought all race long for the final podium spot. In the end, a slow last pit stop dropped the team out of the running, but just barely, missing out by a mere 22 seconds from 3rd place.
Wayne Nonnamaker reflects on last year’s race – “That was an incredibly tiring event. I have driven some long endurance races before in cars, but let me just say that 6 hours behind the wheel in an electric kart turning left and right nonstop is quite the workout. Hopefully we can do one better than last year and grab that final podium slot for Team Sahlen and Optima Batteries.”
For 2024, the driver lineup will see the addition of Ian Giebler to the line up with brothers Wayne & Will Nonnamaker. Wayne shared his excitement of adding Ian to the line up. – “We have known Ian for over a decade and we all get along very well which is important in this type of long event. Additionally, Ian is a very very good Electric Kart racer, having won the High Voltage Challenge League. This should give us a 3 strong drivers that can stay fresh for each stint all race long.”
Additionally, Joe Nonnamaker be chief strategist. Joe shared his thoughts about leading up to the race – “The strategy for knowing when to pit with an electric kart is different than any other type of endurance racing I have experienced in my 50 years of racing. K1Speed has a unique online portal that allows you to monitor your particular kart’s battery life left and core temp readings. These readings guide the decision making process of when to come in and change Karts and Drivers.”
Getting practice laps at K1Speed Canton has been crucial for Will Nonnamaker in preparation for the event. Will has been competing in the K1 Speed Canton Endurance Kart Race Series. In Season 1 last year, Will secured a podium and finished 5th in the Championship. This season’s series will conclude with the 12 Hours of Canton being the final event in the schedule. Will is hoping for a strong finish in the 12 Hours to secure yet another Top 5 finish in the standings. Will shares his thoughts on the Endurance Kart Race Series – “This series has really taken off. The races are all televised live. Hitting your marks in qualifying can really make a difference in the enduro. The strategy of having to figure out when to pit is very challenging. And the competition just keeps getting better and better each event.”
The 12 Hours of Canton will start at 10 am on March 17th and run all the way up till 10 pm that day.
2024 Team Sahlen Campaign Partners
honeybeeBase.com,
Porsche Beachwood, Malco Automotive, ECS Tuning, Tarett Engineering, Guard
Transmission, HubstandsPRO, Maxima Racing Oil, Pagid Brakes, NGK Spark Plugs,
CM Racing Products, Grassroots Motorsports Magazine, Design Engineering Inc.,
Hard Brakes, Forgeline Wheels, Optima Batteries, All-Fit Automotive, Winding
Road Racing, & Capri Tools.
