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Monday, 09 June 2014 09:41 |
Today is the last day for racers who competed at the 2014 SKUSA SpringNationals in Dallas to reserve their spot to race in Modesto for the Summernats – ahead of the general population of competitors that want to be included in this SURE-TO-BE-SOLD-OUT event! Specifically, this opportunity disappears at 9m PST tonight – Monday, June 9th. Details are posted here, including the link for ‘qualified’ drivers to reserve their spot: Then they will have until midnight on Monday, June 23rd to use their special online link to complete registration with payment.
Online registration opens to the general public for the SummerNationals in Modesto Thursday night, June 26 at the stroke of midnight PST (leading into Friday morning)! A preliminary track map, pricing, and an overview of the event schedule has been posted on the Event Pages.
Host Hotels will open later this week. Watch for it!
Superkarts! USA
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Friday, 20 December 2013 11:13 |
 The 2013 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour came to a close following the action at this year’s record-breaking SuperNationals XVII. It was a historic year for the fourth season of the Pro Tour, seeing an increase in numbers across the board for both the SpringNationals in Tucson and the SummerNationals in Colorado. Each of the eight categories in this year’s championship chases saw new drivers claim the SKUSA #1 plate for the 2014 season, following a dramatic three weekend series.
Over $45,000 in cash and prizes were handed out following the activities in Las Vegas, with the podium ceremonies held inside the Rio Sunday evening. The headline S1 and TaG Senior divisions split a $12,000 cash purse, while Honda Racing/HPD provided over $6,000 in contingency awards to the Stock Moto drivers. Vortex once again awarded the TaG Cadet champion with an entry to the Rok Cup International Final in Italy, while all 2013 title winners will be included in the 2014 SKUSA Circle of Champions, receiving free entry into the entire SKUSA Pro Tour next season. Nearly all eight of the championships came down to the wire, some even on the final lap of the feature races at the SuperNationals.
That was not more evident than with the opening race of SuperSunday: the headline S1 Pro Stock Moto class, presented by SwedeTech Racing Engines. Two-time Pro Tour champion Fritz Leesmann entered the SuperNationals leading the championship by what was considered to be a comfortable margin. Last year’s runner-up Joey Wimsett, however, had other ideas as the Oregon driver scored the fast time in qualifying then earned top five finishes in the three heat races. Leesmann struggled and went scoreless, closing the gap heading into the main event on SuperSunday. Wimsett went green-to-checkered for the victory, and would earn enough points to surpass Leesmann for the title. 2011 champion Daniel Bray would come just 19 points away from the top spot, ending up second with Leesmann back to third.
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Wednesday, 27 November 2013 11:27 |
 After three straight days of cold temperatures and rain in Las Vegas, the sun that arrived on the scene for SuperSunday put some much-needed positive buzz in the SuperNationals paddock. With 11 races on the docket for the day, the karting enthusiasts in attendance were treated to an incredible display of competition. The glory of a race win was not the only honor up for grabs, as the SKUSA Pro Tour championships were also on the line. These titles feature point fund payouts in S1 and TaG Senior, and entrance into the SKUSA Circle of Champions for all classes, which includes all entries, fuel, oil and tires for the 2014 Pro Tour, a prize valued at $3000 for each driver. Three classes would run for big dollars on SuperSunday, with $10,000 available to the winners in S1, TaG Senior and KZ.
KZ2 – presented by Praga
The sun had just set behind the Rio when the KZ field fired their engines on the hot grid, flipping the switch for the day’s third $10,000 battle, and last event on the schedule. The grandstands filled quickly and the fences were lined as the field headed to the start-line with Anthony Abbasse (Sodikart) alongside Davide Fore (CRG) on the front row. At the green light, Abbasse dropped the holeshot and bolted away as the rest of the field had their elbows up coming through turn one. Abbasse emerged with a lead of over a second, and despite early attacks from Fore, he was never headed. Abbasse pulled away consistently and crossed the line with a 2.4-second triumph. It was his second SuperNationals victory, having won in 2011.
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Saturday, 23 November 2013 00:00 |
 The ‘challenge’ that is this year’s Superkarts! USA SuperNationals continued again on Saturday as extreme weather pushed everyone in the paddock to rise above…adapt…overcome. Uncharacteristic rain and cold temperatures made things tremendously difficult for everyone in the paddock, and on the track as well, but there was a job to be done. The focus of the day was to complete the heat races and set the grids for the SuperSunday main events. As expected, the strategy was different for everyone, and the assorted approaches were dependent on each driver’s individual results from Friday’s opening heat race. If you finished well, you had option….if you had recorded a DNF, and it was time to attack.
Saturday’s schedule featured the second and third heat races, and for those who would struggle with issues throughout the day, a date with their category’s ‘all or nothing’ Last Chance Qualifier. All in all, this was likely the most intense days of the entire week.
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Friday, 22 November 2013 00:00 |
In the 16-year history of the SKUSA SuperNationals, we’ve not had a week with this kind of ridiculous weather. Rain, wind and cold temperatures have ravaged this year’s event, straining everyone involved, from the racers and the vendors to the SKUSA staff and, most aggressively, the dedicated corners workers who spent over 14 hours at their posts on Friday. But even with the weather, the event must go on and those who can dig deep and find both strength and focus will rise to the top. Wet weather racing is an art form, and is truly ‘the great equalizer’, to use the common phrase. Horsepower becomes a non-factor and driver talent shines through. The conditions made for great racing, and the excitement level was high.
The SKUSA crew needed to battle through the conditions just as the drivers did, and the consistent barrage of rain in this normally dry desert oasis brought with it the expected flooding and track issues. Certain areas of the Rio parking lot held more water than others, as the drainage design of the lot flows water to the northeast corner of the track. SKUSA eventually need to block off a certain part of the backstraight that was flooded with standing water, and they also went for double-yellows in the two corners leading onto the straight in an effort to minimize speed to eliminate aqua-planing. This approach was only needed for a few races, and the rain eventually subsided and the track dried consistently throughout the evening. While the day’s schedule pushed through into the late evening, the quality of the racing helped soften the pain of the cold night.
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