No stranger to the 0.8-mile course, Cook traveled to the event with high hopes of podium finishes. Partnered with veteran mechanic Kimball Williams and powered by a Tru Tech Racing Engines Rotax mounted to her 2012 CRG Blackstar, Cook was part of a 35 kart field to open up the series for 2012. Official practice on Friday saw Cook searching for speed for most of the day. It continued over into Saturday for the first round of action. Qualifying 26th, Sabré was uncharacteristically off the pace. After falling back to 30th in the opening lap of the Prefinal, Cook drove quickly up to the 22nd position until she was shuffled to the tail of the field once again. Able to make up from the lack of power with great maneuvers behind the wheel, she drove back to 23rd after 17 laps. The 25-lap main event was another battle for Sabré, involved in an opening lap melee that pushed her down the running order. Muscling her way forward, Cook finished the race in the 21st position.

Examining her kart and engine package, it was discovered that the carburetor was not in the proper settings. Once the action began on Sunday for round two of the weekend, Cook jumped inside the top-15 with a 14th in qualifying, gaining roughly four-tenths from the previous day. Contact, however, in the opening lap of the Prefinal took away any hope of improving on that position as another driver drove over top of her kart. Sabré would drop back to 30th as a result. Showing her talent behind the wheel, Cook advanced up the order to end up 19th after 17 laps. Putting in her best performance of the weekend, Cook was on the charge in the 25-lap main event. Up to 11th by the halfway point, she quickly cut into the gap the top-10 had on her. Taking over the 10th position with a pass into turn one, Sabré gained the ninth place spot in turn four. Working turn five, a competitor pushed her off track in retaliation, causing her to spin. Cook’s quick action to regain control and continue on, she lost only four positions during the sequence. With the drive to regain her spots back, Cook laid down lap times similar to the leaders to finish up in 12th.

“Reflecting back over the weekend, it was great getting back into a Rotax after focusing on Stock Moto so much in 2011. I feel it is important to do both because it will allow me to become a very diverse driver, and driving the Rotax will help improve my skills when piloting a shifterkart or a car,” stated Cook during a study break after returning home. “The carb issues that we experienced for the first part of the weekend were unfortunate but thanks to Kimball Williams, Alan Rudolph and the track-side support from CRG-USA and Tru Tech, we were able to get the problem solved for Sunday. While Sunday was an improvement, driver contact prevented better results. However, now we know we have the speed to compete so we will be making our best efforts and charging hard in the remaining rounds for the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas.”

Sabré will next compete at the second stop of the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas program on February 24-26 at the PKRA facility in Glendale, Arizona. Cook would like to thank her racing support program; CRG-USA, Grand Junction Motor Speedway, Zamp Helmets, Xtreme Colors Helmet Painting, KG Kart Racing Products, Alpine Bank, Palisade Construction, Inc., Gold’s Gym, Enstrom’s Candies. Visit www.sabrecook.com for more information and to follow her progress in 2012.

About Sabré Cook:

Grand Junction, Colorado’s Sabre’ Cook is a rising female motorsports star. Completing her tenth year in karting, the 17-year old is on the verge of breaking out. Growing up at the Grand Junction Motor Speedway, Cook has developed up the karting ranks and is nearing the top level. Over the course of her career, she has earned six Colorado State Championships, two TAG World Championships, a SKUSA Mountain Region title, represented USA at the Bruno Grana International Trophy event in France, and competed all across North America while maintaining a 4.1 GPA in school. She enjoys basketball, golf, acting, singing, volunteering and is a member of the National Honors Society and the Future Business Leaders of America. Her goal in 2012 will be to earn a Superkarts! USA Pro Tour title while advancing her way into open-wheel racing. Visit www.sabrecook.com to learn more about this promising driver.