Round 6 of the Black River Kart Club delivered drama at every corner of the Lorain Ohio KartPlex, with razor-thin margins, a sibling rivalry for the ages, and the kind of first-lap chaos that makes race day worth the trip. Across six classes of competition, more than 40 drivers took to the circuit for three rounds of practice, qualifying, two heats, and championship finals.
Here’s how the day unfolded.
206/T4 Junior Finals — Race of the Day
The headline act belonged to the McCrone family. Kristopher McCrone launched from pole position and controlled the opening seven laps with the kind of metronomic consistency that usually seals victories—his first six flying laps ranged from 1:07.028 to 1:07.944, a spread of less than a second.
But younger sister Anna, who had quietly worked her way from third on the grid to second by the end of the opening lap, was never far behind. She sat within striking distance, waiting.
The turning point came on lap 7. Kristopher posted a 1:09.172—his slowest lap of the race by over a second—while Anna kept it clean with a 1:08.345. By the time they crossed the line to start lap 8, Anna had the lead and never looked back.
The final margin? Just 0.986 seconds after ten laps of wheel-to-wheel racing.
But the story didn’t end there. Ashlyn Taylor, who started second and spent the entire race in third, quietly set the fastest lap of the entire class—a 1:06.698 on lap 6—yet never found a way past the McCrones. Taylor crossed the line just 0.253 seconds behind Kristopher, finishing 1.239 seconds off the win with the quickest single lap of anyone in the field. Lucas Grucella rounded out a strong top four, 5.194 seconds back after gaining a position from his P5 grid slot.
Consistency Index: Anna McCrone’s winning lap time spread was just 1.594 seconds (1:06.751–1:08.345), compared to Kristopher’s 2.277-second spread (1:06.895–1:09.172). In racing, consistency wins championships.
| Pos | Driver | Class | Laps | Gap | Best Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anna McCrone | T4 Junior | 10 | — | 1:06.751 |
| 2 | Kristopher McCrone | T4 Junior | 10 | +0.986 | 1:06.895 |
| 3 | Ashlyn Taylor | T4 Junior | 10 | +1.239 | 1:06.698 |
| 4 | Lucas Grucella | T4 Junior | 10 | +5.194 | 1:07.418 |
| 5 | Foster Smith | T4 Junior | 10 | +31.952 | 1:10.161 |
| 6 | Gavin Patterson | 206 Junior | 10 | +33.681 | 1:09.661 |
| DNS | Liam Sellery | 206 Junior | — | — | — |
206/T4 Senior/Masters Final — A 0.198-Second Thriller
The closest finish of the day came in the Senior/Masters class, and it started with pandemonium. Blade Fountain led the field away from pole, but James Stropko IV fired from P3 on the grid to seize the lead at the end of the opening lap. Meanwhile, Scott Smith—who started P2—somehow fell all the way to P8 in the same chaotic opening sequence.
Fountain regrouped immediately, retaking the lead on lap 2 and holding it for the remaining eight laps. But Stropko never let him breathe. The two ran nose-to-tail for the entire race, their best laps separated by just 0.060 seconds (Fountain’s 1:07.818 versus Stropko’s 1:07.878). Every lap was a chess match—Fountain’s ten laps ranged from 1:07.818 to 1:08.289, a window of less than half a second.
At the checkered flag, Fountain crossed the line just 0.198 seconds ahead—roughly two kart lengths at racing speed.
Meanwhile, Scott Smith delivered the comeback drive of the day. After dropping six positions on the opening lap, Smith clawed his way back through the field lap after lap, eventually recovering to P3—a net loss of just one position from his P2 grid slot. His fastest lap (1:07.900) was just 0.082 seconds off the race-winning best, proof that the pace was always there.
The 206-390 sub-class saw Kyle Davis take the class win in fifth overall, leading a pack of six 390-class competitors.
| Pos | Driver | Class | Laps | Gap | Best Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blade Fountain | 206 Senior | 10 | — | 1:07.818 |
| 2 | James Stropko IV | 206 Senior | 10 | +0.198 | 1:07.878 |
| 3 | Scott Smith | T4-380 | 10 | +7.886 | 1:07.900 |
| 4 | Galvin Dovgan | 206 Senior | 10 | +20.053 | 1:09.614 |
| 5 | Kyle Davis | 206-390 | 10 | +29.459 | 1:10.567 |
| 6 | Alex Cullenen | 206-390 | 10 | +32.965 | 1:10.792 |
| 7 | Robert Cottell | 206-390 | 10 | +33.692 | 1:10.664 |
| 8 | Christopher Jones | 206 Senior | 10 | +44.262 | 1:11.125 |
| 9 | Rocker Smith | 206-390 | 10 | +52.950 | 1:12.488 |
| 10 | Chad Karnik | 206-390 | 10 | +53.363 | 1:12.719 |
| 11 | CJ Karnik | 206-390 | 10 | +1:10.206 | 1:14.522 |
| DNS | Brandon Bell | 206-390 | — | — | — |
| DNS | Cameron Dovgan | 206-390 | — | — | — |
2-Stroke Finals — Blackerby Sets the Pace for the Day
Giovanni Blackerby put on a masterclass in the 2-Stroke Finals, posting the fastest lap of the entire day—a blistering 1:01.195 on lap 7. To put that in context, Blackerby was lapping over six seconds faster per lap than the Senior/Masters field in entirely different machinery.
His dominance was total: pole position, led every lap, and won by 14.011 seconds. But behind him, Colin Schreiber and William Richard staged a race-long battle that delivered one final twist.
Richard, who had run third for the majority of the race after losing a position on the opening lap, made a move on lap 9 to take second. But Schreiber answered immediately, reclaiming the position on the final lap to seal P2 by just 0.545 seconds. Their best laps were separated by a mere 0.079 seconds—Schreiber’s 1:02.448 to Richard’s 1:02.369.
Curtis Ziegler, competing solo in the KA-385 class, finished one lap down but posted a strong best of 1:07.541.
| Pos | Driver | Class | Laps | Gap | Best Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giovanni Blackerby | Rotax Jr Max | 10 | — | 1:01.195 |
| 2 | Colin Schreiber | Rotax Jr Max | 10 | +14.011 | 1:02.448 |
| 3 | William Richard | KA Junior | 10 | +14.556 | 1:02.369 |
| 4 | Curtis Ziegler | KA-385 | 9 | 1 Lap | 1:07.541 |
206 Mini/Cadet Finals — Ciofani Controls from the Front
Anthony Ciofani delivered a textbook pole-to-flag victory in the Mini/Cadet class, leading all eight laps and crossing the line 3.558 seconds clear. What made Ciofani’s drive stand out was his remarkable consistency: his six flying laps ranged from 1:10.416 to 1:10.697, a window of just 0.281 seconds. That kind of precision is unusual in any class of racing, let alone among the sport’s youngest competitors.
Behind him, Harrison Bell and Logan Pollack staged an eight-lap duel for second. Pollack started from P2 but lost the position to Bell on the opening lap and spent the rest of the race trying to find a way back. Despite posting the fastest lap of the race—a 1:10.247, just 0.018 seconds quicker than Bell’s best—Pollack could never quite complete the pass and finished third, 0.118 seconds behind Bell.
Mason Maki gained a position from the grid to finish a solid fourth, while Ashlyn Taylor—in the first of her two finals of the day—climbed two positions from P7 to finish fifth.
| Pos | Driver | Laps | Gap | Best Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Ciofani | 8 | — | 1:10.416 |
| 2 | Harrison Bell | 8 | +3.558 | 1:10.265 |
| 3 | Logan Pollack | 8 | +3.676 | 1:10.247 |
| 4 | Mason Maki | 8 | +14.930 | 1:11.729 |
| 5 | Ashlyn Taylor | 8 | +15.353 | 1:11.785 |
| 6 | Aiden Harbaugh | 8 | +15.716 | 1:11.949 |
| 7 | Weston Davis | 8 | +56.900 | 1:15.433 |
| 8 | Grayson Miller | 8 | +57.747 | 1:15.929 |
| DNS | Remy Boss | — | — | — |
T4/Swift Mini Finals — Boss Dominates
Remy Boss was virtually untouchable in the T4/Swift Mini class, winning by a commanding 48.649 seconds over Dominic Borelli. Boss’s best lap of 1:07.816 was remarkably close to Blade Fountain’s Senior/Masters best of 1:07.818—a difference of just 0.002 seconds, despite competing in entirely different machinery across different classes. Borelli held off Austin Harbaugh, who finished one lap down, to secure second.
| Pos | Driver | Class | Laps | Gap | Best Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remy Boss | IAME Swift | 8 | — | 1:07.816 |
| 2 | Dominic Borelli | T4 Mini | 8 | +48.649 | 1:13.285 |
| 3 | Austin Harbaugh | T4 Mini | 7 | 1 Lap | 1:17.639 |
Kid Kart — Boss Double-Dips
Remy Boss capped a busy day at the KartPlex by also competing in the Kid Kart heats, winning both over Gunner Surace. In Heat 1, Boss took the victory by 7.972 seconds over five laps with a best of 1:27.620. Heat 2 saw a larger margin, with Boss posting a quicker 1:27.013 and Surace finishing two laps down.
Round 6 by the Numbers
| Fastest Lap of the Day | 1:01.195 — Giovanni Blackerby (2-Stroke) |
| Closest Finish | 0.198 sec — Blade Fountain over James Stropko IV (Senior/Masters) |
| Comeback of the Day | Scott Smith: P2 → P8 (Lap 1) → P3 (Finish) |
| Most Consistent Driver | Anthony Ciofani — 0.281-sec spread across 6 flying laps |
| Double-Duty Award | Ashlyn Taylor — P5 in Mini/Cadet, P3 in Junior (+ fastest lap of the class) |
| Sibling Rivalry | Anna McCrone beat brother Kristopher by 0.986 sec after a Lap 8 pass for the lead |
| Busiest Driver | Remy Boss — Kid Kart Heats + T4/Swift Mini Finals |
| Cross-Class Coincidence | Remy Boss (1:07.816) vs. Blade Fountain (1:07.818) — 0.002 sec apart in different classes |
| Last-Lap Drama | Colin Schreiber reclaimed P2 from William Richard on the final lap of the 2-Stroke Finals |
Full results and lap-by-lap timing data are available on Alpha Timing.