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| PKC South to Award TaG Cadet Prizes at Buttonwillow |
| 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. “We are fired up about the support and excitement surrounding our TaG Cadet program,” stated Superkarts! USA President Tom Kutscher. “Our partnership with Vortex has been outstanding, and their Mini Rok engine is receiving exceptional reviews throughout the paddock. This four race mini-series will only further support the class and provide another driver the opportunity to race in Italy. The Buttonwillow event is the last chance for drivers to warm up for the SpringNationals coming at the end of April, so we thought an added bonus of a SuperNats entry would be great incentive for others to come. We will award the prize to the driver who scores the most points on the day to further encourage fair and competitive racing.”  The event next weekend – on Buttonwillow’s 7/10-mile track #2 with no kink and a nearly 1000 foot long straightaway – will mark the end of the first half of the season for ProKart Challenge South and will further establish the championship chases. The Extreme Karting-sponsored S1 Pro Stock Moto division is currently led by defending class champion Clinton Schoombee, as he holds a small 10 point advantage over Adams winner Brad Dunford. Ryon Beachner and Peter Abba are not far off and could be major threats with a solid round three performance. The most consistent driver in the 2 Wild Karting-sponsored S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto class to this point has been Nicky Freytag. The Arizona driver was runner-up in the first two events while also taking home bonus points for the quick lap in qualifying and in both features. Willow Springs' winner Vivek Tandon sits second in the early chase standings with Michael Leib holding the third spot.Travis Lowe is the driver to beat in the Tony Kart West-sponsored TaG Senior category, having earned the feature win in the first two events of the season. Veteran Billy Cleavelin – who sits second in the point standings – challenged Lowe at Willow Springs, but was unsuccessful. The two will battle in Buttonwillow, with Cleavelin looking to cut into Lowe’s strong point advantage. The TaG Master class, sponsored by Leading Edge Motorsports, is currently led by 2009 series champion Steve Wiener, as he holds a 58-point advantage over Kim Ryan – with Allan Svela in third. The G-Phactory-sponsored S4 Master Stock Moto category has been the largest thus far in the season, with another large field expected in Buttonwillow. Many will be chasing point leader Jimmy McNeil, who is coming off an event sweep in round two. Adams winner Robert Marks holds the second spot in the title chase with Randy McKee, defending class champion Wayne Mello and Doug Hayashi completing the top-five. The two winners of the opening rounds in the Select Shifter/DR Kart-sponsored S3 Novice Stock Moto class currently sit 1-2 in the standings. Round two winner Jessica Sollberger holds the top spot by 56-points over opening round winner Sebastian Scaglia. The rest of the top-five - which includes Kellen Guthrie, Vatche Tatikian and Allan James - sit within 155 points of Sollberger with plenty of racing left to cut into that advantage. Marc Lewis has a 40-point advantage over Robert Morales in S4 Magnum, with each holding onto one feature win so far this season.  The top three in the TaG Junior division are only separated by 30 points. Willy Axton is coming off the feature win at Willow Springs, leading the points over Carter Williams and round one winner Austin Dement. The Phil Giebler Racing-sponsored TaG Cadet category, as mentioned above, is expected to see large numbers with the new mini-series program and SuperNationals entry announcement. Championship chase wise, round one winner Jacob Drew holds the top spot over round two victor and defending SKUSA Pro Tour champion Colton Herta. Two-time podium finisher Noah Grey is keeping both drivers honest and within striking distance.Micah Hendricks has a hold on the E.U.S.I.-sponsored S5 Junior Stock Moto division, claiming both feature wins this season – with Augie Lerch keeping the pressure on. Howie Idelson is the lone driver to compete in both rounds in the G1 category; however, Peter Workum jumped on board at Willow Springs and is sure to challenge Idelson the rest of the season. ProKart Challenge South will continue to offer a free Friday practice day to anyone who has not run a PKC or SKUSA race in the past two years (a savings of $60) when registering for their first event of 2011. In addition, the discounted price structure – which lowers the package price for an entry and race tires down to just $295 if the racer registers online – is also still available. Pre-registration pricing applies if completed before the midnight deadline on Wednesday, April 6 at http://www.skusastore.com. The specially-branded MG ‘SKUSA’ tire – the new official tire for all Superkarts! USA events – will continue to be utilized following rave reviews and a number of drivers using the Buttonwillow event to get one final race on the tire before the SKUSA SpringNationals. More information regarding round three of ProKart Challenge South at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park circuit can be found at the following link (http://www.superkartsusa.com/regional/pkc-south/round-3-2011.html). Pit spot reservations are currently being accepted for $30 each and SKUSA membership, specific colored number panels and rear bumpers will be mandatory. For more information on anything related to the ProKart Challenge or Superkarts! USA, visit their website – http://www.superkartsusa.com – or call the SKUSA head office at 951-491-0808. |