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Sunday, 03 March 2019 01:00 |
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AJ Myers claimed his fourth SKUSA Pro Tour victory (Photo: EKN)
The third edition of the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour WinterNationals came to a close on Sunday, thankfully ending under much better weather conditions. While Saturday was filled with on-and-off rain, the precipitation ended on Sunday during qualifying with the skies above the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana, California clearing up enough to welcome the sun for periods of time, at least until the podium ceremonies were completed. The 12 divisions in competition closed out Round Two of the SKUSA Pro Tour championship chase, welcoming another group of new winners into the history books.
Winning at the SKUSA Pro Tour level, or in 2019 for that matter, is nothing new to AJ Myers. The Mad Old Nut Racing / Croc Promotion USA driver shined in the Pro Shifter 1/2 25-lap Final to grab his fourth career Pro Tour victory. The day did not begin at the top however, as Myers finished ninth in the qualifying session. The track was not completely dry from overnight rain, yet the quickest option was still the dry Evinco tires. Alex Keyes (PSL / Birel ART) came out of the session with fast time, but it was CRG Nordam’s Kyle Wick who drove away in the Prefinal. Wick led the first lap of the Final until an issue on lap two dropped him out of the top-five. This gave Pro 2 driver Race Liberante (J3 / CompKart) the lead, where he stayed until Myers and Saturday winner Andrew Bujdoso (MONR / Croc) ran him down. The two drove away to score another 1-2 finish, this time with Myers on top. Liberante was run down by a charging Wick and, when making a pass in turn four, Wick slide wide into Liberante, who made contact with the barriers on the outside of turn four. That ended his race and a chance at the win in class. Wick would go on to place third, with Keawn Tandon (DRT / DR Kart) in fourth and Prescott Campbell (MRC / Aluminos) in fifth. Max Hewitt (CRG) scored the victory in Pro 2, his second career win on the Pro Tour, with Michael Ilavia (Crosslink / Exprit) and Blair Hosie (MRC / Aluminos) joining him on the podium. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Saturday, 02 March 2019 01:00 |
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Andrew Bujdoso put on a dominant performance to claim the inaugural Pro Shifter 1 victory (Photo: EKN)
The opening round of the 2019 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour was completed in 100% wet conditions at the CalSpeed Karting facility. Rain was on and off all day in Fontana, California for the first day of action at the third edition of the WinterNationals with only a few glimpses of the sun breaking through the heavy clouds that surround the area and block off the mountain view. The 12 categories on hand battled the conditions and each other throughout the day to claim the steps on the podium to begin the chase for the championships on the right path.
The IAME SSE 175cc powerplant made its debut on the SKUSA Pro Tour with Pro Shifter 1 and Pro Shifter 2. A 24-driver field made up the inaugural event with Mathias Ramirez (PSL / Birel ART) setting fast time in qualifying. Jumping up to second on the final lap was Pro 2 driver Race Liberante (J3 / CompKart), making his first start with SKUSA since 2009. Liberante was able to grab the holeshot in the Prefinal, leading all 10 laps for the overall win and Pro 2 victory with Ramirez top driver in Pro 1. The opening lap was wild, including Liberante not able to get off the line clean. As they came around on the opening circuit, Mad Old Nut Racing’s Andrew Bujdoso (Croc Promotion) was into the lead. Bujdoso never put a wheel wrong throughout the 21 laps, scoring his first SKUSA Pro Tour victory. 2018 SKUSA Pro Tour champion AJ Myers (MONR / Croc) suffered issues in the Prefinal, driving his way from 17th on the grid to the second spot. Rory van der Steur (MRC / Tony Kart) completed the podium. Liberante fought back to fourth overall, winning the Pro 2 division with Max Hewitt (CRG Nordam) and Calvin Ming (MRC / Aluminos) joining him on the podium. Billy Musgrave (MRC / Aluminos) suffered a flat tire early in the Prefinal, driving his way from 20th to fourth in class, working past Kyle Wick (CRG Nordam) late in the race. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Thursday, 28 February 2019 09:12 |
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Ryan Norberg begins his quest for a fourth straight X30 Senior title (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)
eKartingNews.com remains the official online partner for the SKUSA Pro Tour, having broadcast every race since its inception. Those karting enthusiasts not in attendance can listen from home or on the road to the EKN Live broadcast page at www.ekartingnews.com/live with EKN’s own Rob Howden providing the play-by-play call. This weekend’s broadcast is brought to you by Mad Old Nut Racing, Alan Rudolph Racing Academy and Courtney Concepts. Daily reports and updates on the EKN Social Media network will fill up your timeline throughout the weekend. Read full story on eKartingNews |
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Thursday, 28 February 2019 09:06 |
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2018 SKUSA Pro Tour champion AJ Myers looks to retain the #1 plate this season in the new Pro Shifter (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)
The 2019 season marks the 10th year of the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour. It all began in California with a trip to Sonoma for the inaugural event in 2010. Everything comes full circle as the Pro Tour kicks off the 10th season in the Golden State, making its first ever visit to the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana. The third edition of the WinterNationals moves cross-country from NOLA to outside the Auto Club Speedway, with 200 pre-registered drivers set to do battle on the newly revised ‘Grande’ circuit. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Tuesday, 12 February 2019 12:07 |
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Croc Promotion USA's AJ Myers stormed back on Sunday after his Saturday issues to score his third win of the Winter Series
(Photo: OnTrack Promotions)
The final round of the Superkarts! USA Winter Series provided the intensity expected with championships on the line. The drivers had all put in a full day of wheel-to-wheel competition on Saturday running in the clockwise direction around the 12-turn AMR Homestead-Miami Motorplex Presented by MG Tires, and that experience brought more drivers into the mix on Sunday. The racing in X30 Senior boiled over during the final laps, and after the dust cleared and the penalties had been assessed, Rolison Performance Group’s Ryan Norberg emerged with his third win of the year and the Winter Series title. Rain tires were the right call for the Pro Shifter main and, in the tough conditions, Croc Promotion USA’s AJ Myers again emerged as the star, matching Norberg’s total of three wins to earn the title. Luca Mars was a front runner all weekend in X30 Junior and was in the fight for the Sunday victory, which came his way after the on-track winner was assessed a jump start penalty. All in all, the racing was very good to cap off the Winter Series and bodes well for what we’ll see on the 2019 SKUSA Pro Tour, which opens with the WinterNationals at CalSpeed Karting during the first weekend of March.
Weather played a role in Sunday’s storyline as a short burst of hard rain arrived just as the Briggs 206 driver hit the track for their main event. The rain would return later in the day, but it was not near as aggressive and lasted only long enough for National Director of Competition Joe Janowski to kept tires as ‘racers choice’. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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