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Thursday, 07 April 2011 09:17 |
 Superkarts! USA is excited to release news that the organization will partner with Honda Performance Development (HPD) to kick off the 2011 national karting season. HPD will become the title sponsor of the opening round of the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour, which will now been referred to as the Honda Racing/HPD SpringNationals. The event will take over the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona on the April 29 – May 1 weekend, bringing the sport’s top TaG and shifter kart drivers together to begin the second running of SKUSA’s national program. As part of their support of the event, HPD will be providing all of the podium finishers in the Stock Moto classes with special product awards, and they will also be offering a contingency program that will be in effect throughout the entire Pro Tour season.
“The entrance of Honda Racing/HPD into our sport last year was an exciting announcement for karting, but I think that their sponsorship of our upcoming SpringNationals is even bigger, because it shows that they’re here to actively support what we do,” comments Tom Kutscher, Superkarts! USA president. “We have an understandable connection with HPD – thanks to our structured ladder of Stock Moto categories – and having them as our title sponsor for the SpringNationals will only serve to strengthen this working partnership.”
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Thursday, 31 March 2011 12:29 |
 The growth of the new TaG Cadet category is taking the Superkarts! USA organization by storm and the support from engine manufacturer Vortex continues to pour in. The sanctioning body is proud to announce additional prizes and a new four race mini-series within the ProKart Challenge programs, beginning at next weekend’s event - round three of the PKC South series at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Southern California. The April 8-9 event will be the final ProKart Challenge race prior to the highly-anticipated SKUSA SpringNationals that will kick off this season’s Superkarts! USA Pro Tour. A strong number of drivers are expected to participate at the Buttonwillow event in preparation for the trip to Tucson, Arizona.
The final four races for each of the ProKart Challenge South and North programs will host the TaG Cadet Rok Cup International Final shoot-out, with the driver who scores the most points in each series earning an invitation to compete at the South Garda Karting facility in Lonato, Italy the October 16 weekend. In addition to the launch of the new mini-series, the event winner of the Buttonwillow event next weekend will be awarded a full entry to the SKUSA SuperNationals XV in Las Vegas, including a guaranteed starting position for the main event.
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Saturday, 26 March 2011 08:33 |
 Superkarts! USA is proud to announce the addition of karting legend Alan Rudolph to the management staff of its Pro Tour, which is set to kick off the 2011 season in Tucson, Arizona late April with the second annual SpringNationals. The veteran racer and karting instructor will act as the Director of Competition, managing the on-track staff of race directors and corner workers while overseeing the action from Race Control.
“I’m thrilled that we have been able to bring Alan into our program, and I know this will help take our Pro Tour up another notch,” commented Tom Kutscher, Superkarts! USA President. “Alan’s extensive experience as a driver and an educator will make him the perfect link to our drivers, as he knows what happens out on the track and how to communicate with the competitors in order to provide a best platform for racing. He’ll be going to bat for the drivers to make sure the program is providing them with the experience they are looking for. We’re also going to leverage Alan’s significant talents to help work with our Junior drivers, giving them some instruction, guidance and support throughout the year.
Rudolph is the Chief Instructor at the Bondurant Kart Racing School and has raced karts and cars for more than 20 years. His resume is stacked with wins in programs such as the Rock Island Grand Prix King of the Streets, SKUSA ProMoto Tour, World Superkart Challenge and the legendary Quincy in the Park events.
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Wednesday, 16 March 2011 08:20 |
 A number of drivers earned their first victories of the season at the second round of the Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge South series on March 12. The Willow Springs International Motorsports Park kart track was the location of the event, always a circuit known to produce great racing. Saturday’s racing did not disappoint – with eight of the 11 categories welcoming different winners from the opening event at Adams – further establishing the tough competition within the SKUSA organization. Those who repeated their triumphs were TaG Senior championship leader Travis Lowe, Howie Idelson (G1) and Micah Hendricks (S5).
Lowe was challenged on the day in the Tony Kart West-sponsored TaG Senior division by veteran karter and former two-time SKUSA SuperNationals TaG Master champion Billy Cleavelin. The elder statesman squeaked out the pole position by just 0.055-seconds with his 44.125-lap time. The two stood out from the rest of the pack, allowing for a one-on-one day through the heat races and the feature. Cleavelin led most of the heat race laps, taking both wins over Lowe. From the pole position, Cleavelin set the pace during the first half of the 20-lap main event. Lowe put on the pressure in the second half, stealing the top spot from Cleavelin on lap 16. The younger Lowe was able to put some distance over Cleavelin in the closing laps – to take the victory by half a second. Chris Cricca overcame a poor start to drive from sixth to win the battle for third.
The Extreme Karting-sponsored S1 Pro Stock Moto class was also a two-driver affair, with reigning champion Clinton Schoombee and last year’s TaG Senior champ Phil Giebler doing battle. Giebler had the edge in qualifying with a 42.665-lap time, 84-thousandths quicker than Schoombee. Grabbing the holeshot in the opening heat, Schoombee led all 12 laps of the first heat, and then repeated the feat in the second heat with Giebler in tow. Starting the feature race, Schoombee was great off the line once again, leaving Giebler to pick up the pieces. Schoombee kept up a consistent pace while recording the fast lap of the race to earn the victory by over one second ahead of Giebler. Peter Abba earned his second straight podium finish, out-running Ryon Beachner for the third spot while Adams winner Brad Dunford placed fifth.
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Friday, 04 March 2011 13:06 |
 Round two of the Superkarts! USA regional program ProKart Challenge South will travel to the Willow Springs International Motorsports Park kart track on March 11-12. Following a successful debut round and first visit to the Adams Motorsports Park last month, the upcoming event in Rosamond, CA is expected to top that in terms of entry numbers and racing excitement. The SKUSA and ProKart Challenge staff will continue to bring their professional and friendly atmosphere to the event, as they welcome new and loyal participants to the challenging 6/10-mile circuit.
A new regime is at the top of the early championship chase in the Extreme Karting-sponsored S1 Pro Stock Moto division. Brad Dunford earned his first ever PKC victory and leads over Peter Abba and 2010 S2 champion Ryon Beachner. Last year’s champion Clinton Schoombee, Ryan Phinny and Phil Giebler are looking to bounce back at Willow Springs to challenge the young blood. Race Liberante scored the 2 Wild Karting-sponsored S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto feature win at Adams; however, Nicky Freytag holds the point lead after round one – thanks to his pole award and two heat wins while placing second in the main event. The Select Shifter/DR Kart-sponsored S3 Novice Stock Moto class is expected to grow as the season moves along, currently showing Sebastian Scaglia and Jessica Sollberger knotted at the top of the point chase with Scaglia holding the advantage with his feature at round one.
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