Tazio's Summer Race Recap

12 year old racer Tazio Torregiani has had a busy summer burning up the track in his race karts.


Tazio Torregiani on his way to 1st place in the Beaverun series.

He started his July by traveling to the fast kart track at Beaverun Motorsports complex in PA, for the Beaverun Championship Karting Series. It was Tazio's first time at the track, and It took him no time to learn it and go fast. It was a great turn out from the regulars. Tazio, running at the front in Junior Sportsman class, engaged in a nice last lap battle and won the race.
The following weekend at the same track, the WKA Man Cup National circus came, with some of the best drivers in North America. Tazio was very fast, but with his share of bad luck. In both Cadet races, Tazio was taken out by other drivers at the start of the pre finals which meant he had to start last in the finals, but still out of 30 National drivers he managed to finish 12th.


Tazio Torregiani after winning at OVRP in August

In early August,  after a few years, Tazio returned to the OVRP kart track up state NY, with the WKA Divisional NJ Sprint Series. This is the track where Tazio began racing in a kid kart when he was six. Tazio finished on the podium in nearly all the final races over the weekend, including one third place, three second places and one well deserved win in RP Junior Sportsman class, making his move from third to first with one turn to go. "I loved every second of it when I was catching them up, last turn I passed them..... I was so happy" Said Tazio after the race.
At Raceway Park, in Englishtown NJ, Tazio has been finishing every race on the podium. But the highlight has been on September 4th, when Tazio entered his first ever race in Junior class with the bigger and much faster kart. National Champion Mike Doty, from Mike Doty Racing gave Tazio the opportunity in a Haase Junior chassis. The Fairfield County driver made the best of it, scoring a great second place against regular Junior drivers. Tazio will move up into this Junior class in Regional and National competition next year.
The www.TazioRacing.com team would like to thank Mike Doty, and their sponsors; www.NewCountryPorsche.com, Leatt neck Brace, GoPro, Fuel Clothing and Steel MX/SMX Optics.

Tazio Torregiani Wins at NJF1 in 2nd Round of WKA NJ Sprint Series

On the first weekend of June 2011, the WKA Divisional New Jersey Sprint Series returned to the very fast and long kart track at NJ Motorsport Park in South Jersey.

12 year old Tazio Torregiani admits this is his favorite track. This is where Torregiani had his worst crash and his best wins, and he came back to win again, in Cadet class. The feature race 1 was very exciting with several lead changes. Bumpdrafting is a big factor here. Your drafting partner at the end also becomes your biggest rival. Tazio grabbed the lead from the pack with only a few turns to go and defended all the way to the finish in first place, with 3 karts right on his tail.
Tazio also did well in the Yamaha Sportsman Light class with a third place podium finish. This result, together with a win in the first round, puts the Fairfield County driver in the points lead in this class.
Tazio Torregiani would like to send special thanks to Frank Storino, Jeremy, and Mike "Chi Chi" Ramirez for their generous help in working on the Merlin karts.

The TazioTorregiani.com Racing Team is brought to you by www.NewCountryPorsche.com, Fuel Clothing, and SteelMX/SMX Optics.

Tazio Wins in First Round of 2011 WKA Regional NJ Sprint Series



photo Courtesy of www.JoaoCarlosPhoto.com

 The 2011 WKA NJ Sprint series kicked off at Raceway Park in Englishtown NJ on May 14th and 15th.

A very confident Tazio Torregiani arrived after his third top ten Man Cup National finish in Southbend IN, and a win on Mother's Day in the Raceway Park Karting Series.

Tazio was very fast out of the box. In cadet class, on Saturday"s Final 1 race, Tazio caught the leader on the last lap at the end of the back straight. It did not look as if he was close enough, but Tazio braked very late and dove in for the pass, he put his kart right alongside but the other driver didn't let him in and closed the door. The two karts made contact and spun off the track allowing a close third place driver to grab the win.

In the Cadet Final 2 race on Sunday, Tazio was even faster on a drying track. He passed for the lead early on and opened a nice gap to the second and third karts who were battling for position.

photo Courtesy of www.JoaoCarlosPhoto.com

On the last lap as Torregiani entered the straight, he took a more defensive middle line and hit a puddle of water half way down the straight which caused him to slide off the track as he braked for the turn, giving away another win to the driver behind.

It would be in Yamaha Sportsman Light class that everything would go Tazio's way. It seemed as every race was his to win or loose. During the final Race he charged from third and passed for second, and than passed for the lead with his Merlin kart. He opened up a sizable gap which allowed him to finish first and grab his first Regional win of the year.



Mike Doty with Tazio Torregiani



The second round of the WKA NJ Sprint Series is at NJ Motorsports Park in Melville NJ on the first weekend of June.
12 year old Tazio Torregiani would like to thank Mike Doty, Mike Ramirez, John Baio and Chris Perez for all their help during the weekend. Tazio would also like to thank his new Sponsors Fuel Clothing and SteelMX / SMX Optics.

To sponsor Tazio or for more info you can go to http://www.hookit.com/members/taziotorregiani.

The TazioTorregiani.com Racing Team is brought to you by NewCountryPorsche.com

Tazio Torregiani Wins at Englishtown NJ



Torregiani Leads in turn one



Fresh off his second WKA National top ten finish, in South Carolina, CT race driver Tazio Torregiani arrived at Englishtown NJ on April 3rd for his first race in the 2011 Raceway Park Kart Championship, in Junior Sportsman class. Very quickly the 12 year old driver came to grips with the .5 mile track during practice, and after the first two heat races he was able to qualify second in the front row. At the start of the final race Tazio got the jump and slipped in front of the field. His lead only came to threat on the first lap when the pole winner was right behind his bumper going down the main straight. With a very smooth drive, Torregiani was able to open up his lead with one fast lap after another. At the end he was untouchable and crossed the line with his Merlin/Fleming kart in first place. Click here to watch the video of this race. Tazio is getting ready for the third round of the 2011 WKA Man Cup National in Southbend IN, on the last weekend of April. 

1st Place

The TazioTorregiani.com Racing Team is brought to you by www.NewCountryPorsche.com



Another Top Ten National Finish for Tazio with 8th place in Kershaw SC

The weekend of March 12th, marked the second round of the 2011 WKA Man Cup National Championship at Carolina Motorsports Park, in Kershaw SC.

CT race driver Tazio Torregiani arrived at the new track with his team confident, after a top ten finish in December at Daytona. The very fast .7 mile circuit was not easy to figure out. To make it even more challenging, WKA introduced a new Bridgestone tire for this round, to replace the very different and more familiar MG tires. Torregiani was one of the few drivers not to have driven this track or the new tires before. It was a struggle for the TazioTorregiani.com Racing Team to find the right set up. Quick learning and good feedback, together with a great drive still helped Tazio finish 12th in the first cadet final from a 19th qualifying position.

In the 2nd Cadet Final on Sunday Tazio was faster. After moving up through the field, on the last lap he made a wonderful pass for 11th place, just to be taken out by the same driver in the following turn. He was hit on the right rear tire and spun off the track into retirement with two corners to go. The 12 year old driver was not very happy.

He did manage to save his best result for the last race of the weekend in Yamaha Sportsman light class. A driver flipped her kart on front him in the pre final, but no one was injured. In the final Tazio drove his best, making several passes and finishing 8th from 14th to another top ten finish.

The TazioTorregiani.com Racing Team next stop is at the MRP circuit in Southbend IN, last weekend of April, for the third round of the WKA Man Cup Sprint series.

Fairfield County driver Tazio Torregiani and his team would like to thank Engine Wizard Doug Fleming, and Coach/Tuner Mike Doty for their great help and support at the track.

The TazioTorregiani.com Racing Team is brought to you by www.NewCountryPorsche.com.

Tazio Torregiani Featured on the Online Newspaper The Daily

'Tween Kart-Racer Speeds Through the Fast Lanes
by Julie Curtis Today


Tazio and Patrizio Torregiani



Do not confuse go-karts with those Little Rascals-esque plywood toys on wheels. Tazio Torregiani, an unassuming 12 year-old with race cars in his blood, is way beyond such child's play.

Tazio's professionally manufactured if diminutive racecars, known in racing circles as "karts," are the real thing. Which means they go very fast, something eminently appealing to him. "What I like most about racing," says Tazio, "Is the thrill you get going 60 miles per hour."

His father Patrizio himself has a thirst for speed. Once a racecar driver, he is now a sales specialist and Internet manager at New Country Porsche in Greenwich. Patrizio was captivated at an early age by his father's Porsche 911 in Rome, Italy, where he grew up.

The Torregiani family lives a traditional life in Stamford -- but for the driveway's permanently residing trailer that houses Tazio's two racing karts. Tazio, who has a 10 year-old brother, Dario, plays soccer and does his homework just like any other pre-teen boy. The difference, however, is in his far-from-regular weekends. Tazio trains and races year-round both regionally and nationally on tracks as near as Englishtown, NJ and Mount Kisco, NY, and as far away as Daytona Beach, Fla. But he manages to keep focused on the track while staying ahead of his schoolwork. "Karting is hard physically and mentally," he says.

Tazio began racing at the age of six. His family was vacationing in Portugal (where Tazio's mother grew up) and the family visited an outdoor kart track. Tazio's talent was soon realized. "He just stepped on the gas and took off," Patrizio recalls. "He was a natural. As we were watching him lap the track the owner asked me how long Tazio had been driving. I told him it was his first time, and he told me I should get him a kart."

When they returned home, Patrizio did just that, and Tazio began racing -- and winning -- soon after. He's been successfully doing so ever since, flying along in races with up to 34 other karts, on tracks at upwards of 60 miles per hour. And if that doesn't exactly evoke Formula 1, G-force-pulling speed, remember the open vehicle is just one inch off the ground and only five feet long. But that doesn't seem to bother Tazio. "The most challenging aspect of racing is when you are on the track, thinking of what your next move is and how you are going to execute it," he says. Tazio intends to race at Grand Prix New York this winter at select races on Sundays.

Patrizio says Tazio "doesn't just race casually, he takes it very seriously. He's very fast and very determined." And Tazio is resolute about steering his driving into professional echelons. "I want to be a Formula 1 driver," he states matter of factly.

"It was my wife's idea to name him after the great Tazio Nuvolari," says Patrizio, referring to Italy's "Flying Mantuan," among the greatest Grand Prix drivers of all time.

Tazio has certainly gotten a head start in his race toward racing greatness. But for now, he looks forward to getting his learner's permit in a few years, just like any other 12 year-old kid.

Tazio Wins Indoor at Grand Prix New York

12 Year old Tazio Torregiani will race at Grand Prix New York this winter at select races on Sundays. Tazio is an outdoor sprint kart National racer, but racing at the local indoor track in Mount Kisco NY gives the CT karter a convenient opportunity to stay active and sharp as he prepares for his next big WKA race in South Carolina in March.

the karts here are different. They are bigger and heavier and are powered by a four stroke engine versus the lighter two stroke power Merlin karts he drives outdoor. The racing here however is no walk in the park for Tazio. Passing is very difficult in the very tight indoor tracks, and he races against the strongest group where the fastest are 15 to 16 year old. To make the racing fair Tazio has to add 50 lbs ballast weight to his kart to match the weight of the heaviest drivers in his group.

The first race of the Junior winter series was Sunday January 9th. In the closing lap of qualifying Tazio secured Pole Position, and in the third and final race Tazio made his move with a last lap pass and won the race.

In the second round on 1/23/11, Tazio went for a difficult pass that didn't work which kept him from winning. He did however secure fastest lap of the race which awards bonus points.

Tazio is currently leading the indoor points standings and will be back at GPNY on 2/6/11.