{"id":16936,"date":"2026-03-05T03:51:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/?p=16936"},"modified":"2026-03-05T03:56:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T03:56:21","slug":"fdm-debuts-new-pantano-chassis-at-cota-and-cotf-events-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/05\/fdm-debuts-new-pantano-chassis-at-cota-and-cotf-events-in-california\/","title":{"rendered":"FDM Debuts New Pantano Chassis at COTA and COTF Events in California"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Forward Direction Motorsports Debuts New Pantano Chassis Through Technical Partnership with Pantano Team Italy<\/span><\/font><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/article>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/article>

WINCHESTER, CA<\/strong> \u2014 Forward Direction Motorsports (FDM Karting) proudly announced the competition debut of its newest chassis developed in partnership with the renowned Pantano Team<\/span><\/span> of Italy at the opening rounds of the Challenge of the Americas<\/span><\/span>, held February 20\u201322 at K1 Circuit<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>

The Italian-built Pantano chassis features a new-for-2026 30mm tubing configuration, delivering enhanced balance, feel, and adaptability across changing track conditions. The updated platform represents the latest evolution from Pantano Team Italy and was immediately validated on track with race-winning performance in its U.S. debut.<\/p>

FDM team owner and driver Greg Welch delivered a commanding performance in the 100cc Masters category, sweeping Round 1 and Round 2 victories aboard the Pantano chassis.<\/p>

\u201cFrom the first laps, we knew we had something special,\u201d said Welch. \u201cThe chassis has an incredible combination of grip and release that allows us to stay aggressive while maintaining consistency. I\u2019m extremely proud of the effort from our entire team and excited about what\u2019s ahead.\u201d<\/p>

In addition to Welch\u2019s dominant showing in 100cc Masters, Forward Direction Motorsports demonstrated strong performances in both the 100cc Senior and 100cc Junior categories, further showcasing the depth and versatility of the Pantano platform across multiple classes.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/article>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Welch Doubles up on Wins at Challenge of the Americas<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Spencer Smith Earns a Hard Fought 2nd Place at Champions of the Future Americas<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Momentum Continues at Champions of the Future Americas<\/h3>

The success continued at Round 2 of the inaugural Champions of the Future Americas<\/span>, held February 28 \u2013 March 1, 2026, where FDM driver Spencer Smith delivered an outstanding second-place finish in the highly competitive KA100 Senior category.<\/p>

Smith\u2019s runner-up result further validated the speed and consistency of the new Pantano platform, marking back-to-back national podium performances for Forward Direction Motorsports across two major events. The team now turns its focus to the upcoming Superkarts! USA Pro Tour<\/span> event in Tucson, Arizona, where FDM looks to continue its early-season momentum against the nation\u2019s top competition.<\/p>

With immediate wins and strong category performances in California, the partnership between Forward Direction Motorsports and Pantano Team Italy has firmly established itself as a front-running force in North American competition. FDM now looks ahead to the remainder of the season with confidence and growing momentum.<\/p>

Contact Information:<\/strong>
Forward Direction Motorsports
Phone: 720-940-0708
Email: info@fdmkarting.com<\/a><\/p>

Dealer Inquiries:<\/strong>
Race teams looking to elevate their program with Pantano chassis should contact FDM for more information and support.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forward Direction Motorsports Debuts New Pantano Chassis Through Technical Partnership with Pantano Team Italy \u00a0 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WINCHESTER, CA \u2014 Forward Direction Motorsports (FDM Karting) proudly announced the competition debut of its newest chassis developed in partnership with the renowned Pantano Team of Italy at the opening rounds of the Challenge of the Americas, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[320,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-race-reports","category-uncategorized","zita-woo-hover-zoom","zita-shadow-0","zita-shadow-hover-3","zita-single-product-content-left","zita-single-product-tab-"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fdmkarting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/26-COTA1-CKN-8807-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16936"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16945,"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16936\/revisions\/16945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fdmkarting.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}