returned from the eastern swing of the International Series of
Champions (ISOC) National Tour with more confidence and
speed as they prepare for a year-end points championship
push with two races remaining. First year Pro Paul
Bauerly looked like a different rider from his early season
performances, riding to impressive front row starts in both
Pro classes as he continues to gain confidence and speed.
Not to be outdone, National Sport rider Andrew Carlson
jumped to the Semi-Pro ranks and sharpened his racing
skills as he kept pace with some of the fastest Semi-Pro
racers on the planet.

The east coast swing started with a stop in New
York and then moved on to New Hampshire before going
north of the border for an international event in Sarnia,
Ontario. Andrew Carlson earned impressive finishes at all
the events and a 5th place finish in Semi-Pro Open in Sarnia
capped it. Starting from the back row, Carlson put on a
charge for the front, clicking off lap times equal to the best
riders in the class. Faced with a 15-lap final on a challenging
track, Andrew secured his 5th place finish with consistently
fast lap times, especially in the closing laps, where he
passed two additional racers to gain the top-5 finish. Only
the Semi-Pro year-end point leaders remained in front of him
at the checkered.

Carlson gained invaluable experience by mixing
it up in the Semi-Pro ranks and that experience should pay
dividends when he returns to the National Sport ranks in a
few weeks where he is in contention in both classes for yearend
titles. “I’m excited to get back to racing in the Sport
Class at the two remaining ISOC nationals,” said Carlson.
“I’ve got a shot at a couple of points titles, and I’m looking
forward to applying a few things that I’ve learned over the
past few weeks.”

For first year pro Paul Bauerly, the east coast
swing was equally beneficial. He executed some impressive
qualifying runs, including first place finishes in both New
Hampshire and Sarnia. In the Sarnia, Ontario National,
Bauerly qualified for the front row in both Pro Super Stock
and Pro Open coming into the finals with qualifying results of
6th and 5th respectively.

“I feel better on the sled each week, and I think
the past three races have really proven to me that I’m
capable of running with the top athletes in the pro class,”
said Bauerly. “I think I’ve turned the corner. All I need is a
little luck to go with it and I’ll be on the podium.”

While Paul ran into some tough luck in the finals,
his dramatic improvement over the course of the season has
Team Sportech owner, Chris Carlson optimistic. “Paul really
rocked it out east,” said Carlson. “He continues to show
improvement every race and I’m sure there is a podium finish
in him at one of the next two events.”

Team Sportech has returned home to the Midwest and will
battle in Hayward, Wisconsin, March 6-7 and then finish
the season at the famed Grand Finale in Lake Geneva,