Cruise America Grand Prix Racing’s Jason DiSalvo, 17, ended his 2001 European 250cc Championship season with a DNF due to brake problems with his A-kitted 2001 Honda RS250 at the final round October 7 at Cartagena, Spain.

DiSalvo’s weekend started out with a ninth-fastest qualifying position and a good start catapulted him to fourth on the first lap of the race, but the New York teenager’s well-used carbon-fiber brakes began to fade on lap three. Finally, a frustrated DiSalvo pulled in on the 10th lap.

“I tried to hang in there but the brakes were getting worse all the time and it was very frustrating. Everything was going good until then and I was confident of getting a good result,” said young DiSalvo.

Team owner Jim DiSalvo, Jason’s father, later admitted that they had tried to stretch an extra weekend out of the used carbon-fiber brake rotors, resulting in the problems.

Jason DiSalvo has returned to the United States and plans to take part in the CCS Race of Champions weekend October 17-21 at Daytona International Raceway and at the WERA Grand National Finals October 24-28 at Road Atlanta.