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Wednesday, 02 April 2025 08:34 |
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Gavin Bayliff used a last lap pass to secure victory in Pro Shifter (Photo: EKN)
The final day of action at the 2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour WinterNationals was contested on Sunday at the Speedsportz Racing Park. A humid and hot day at the New Caney, Texas facility, welcoming the largest event in the 16 year history of the series, closed out the first event to the Lone Star State since 2014. Round Two of this year’s championship was held on the day for seven categories while the Pro Shifter division capped off its weekend with a Prefinal and Final.
The Pro Shifter presented by PSL Karting featured a duel between a new name to the front of the field and a veteran. Gavin Bayliff (TKG / Birelart) came through the heat races on Saturday with a win and the pole position after the points were tabulated. Five-time SKUSA SuperNationals winner Billy Musgrave (Factory Karts) matched his total but started the Prefinal from the outside of the front row. Bayliff led early before Musgrave took over the lead on lap three. Shortly after, a red flag came out for a flip in the second half of the 43 driver field. All drivers walked away. Musgrave handled the restart, fending off the early pressure and drove away to a 1.4 second advantage to claim the pole position for the Final. Bayliff was able to secure the holeshot to begin the 25-lap main event with Musgrave slotting into second. The two pushed away from the rest of the field over the opening laps. On lap eight, Musgrave moved to the lead and led until lap 14. Musgrave retook the top spot on lap 19 and they ran that way until the final lap. Musgrave went defensive with Bayliff waiting until turn 14. A center punch bump and run pushed Musgrave wide enough for Bayliff to slip underneath, getting to the apex at turn 15 first and going on to cross the line for his first SKUSA Pro Tour victory. Musgrave settled for second with defending champion Matheus Morgatto (PSL / Birelart) holding off Kiwi Jay Urwin (PSL / Birelart) with top qualifier Charlie Stines (Fury / GP Kart) right there in fifth to cap off an amazing weekend for the Indiana driver.
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Sunday, 30 March 2025 05:29 |
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Ryan Norberg fought off Austin Garrison to claim the Round One victory (Photo: EKN)
The first day of racing at the 2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour WinterNationals was completed on Saturday at the Speedsportz Racing Park. Weather improved at the New Caney, Texas facility following the heavy rains to end the final practice sessions on Friday. A drying track with clouds in the area was the start to day. Eventually, the clouds broke and the sun came out, with conditions on the track improving each session. Qualifying, Prefinal and Final were contested for the seven categories running the two Final format while qualifying, Super Pole and two heat races were held for the Pro Shifter division. The day went further than scheduled with multiple red flags, along with multiple winners decided after the checkered flag had waved.
There was no question about six-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion Ryan Norberg (RPG / Kosmic) earning his victory in the Pro X30 division presented by Kart CRG USA. It was not an easy path to the top of the podium for only his third WinterNationals triumph. Norberg claimed fast time in qualifying with a 52.585 lap to edge out British driver Caden McQueen (Energy Corse Americas) by 61 thousandths while Austin Garrison (SCR / CS55) was off a bit in third. Garrison was able to charge up to Norberg in the Prefinal, stealing the win in the closing laps. Starting on the pole position, Garrison held off Norberg’s early attempts as the 20-lap Final began. The two were able to pull away early after McQueen fought off challengers for the third spot over the opening circuits. Eventually Jesus Vasquez Jr. (GFC Karting) slotted into the position, however the top two were able to get away. Despite their gap, the two leaders exchanged the top spot five times over the 20 laps. It was coming to the white flag that Norberg was able to slip by Garrison in turn 14. Garrison slotted right behind on the rear bumper of Norberg, but a small slipup in turn four and five gave Norberg enough breathing room to the checkered flag. At the line, Norberg claimed the victory by nearly two tenths. Vasquez drove to his first Pro X30 podium in third. Senior rookie Ty Fisher (Racelab / TB Kart) had an impressive debut, advancing up to fourth over McQueen.
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Friday, 28 March 2025 07:36 |
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Speedsportz Racing Park in New Caney, Texas
The 2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour WinterNationals kicks off the 16th season for the championship, visiting the Speedsportz Racing Park for the first time ever. The New Caney, Texas facility is welcoming the largest event in SKUSA Pro Tour history, with 306 pre-entries for the March 28-30 event.
Momentum is on the side of Superkarts! USA, welcoming record turnouts of at the SKUSA Winter Series in Orlando with totals of 316 and 288 – the two largest events ever outside the SKUSA SuperNationals. The total of 306 heading into the WinterNationals surpasses the previous SKUSA Pro Tour series record of 261 from the SKUSA SummerNationals in 2017 from New Castle.
The SKUSA Pro Tour WinterNationals is making its first visit to the Speedsportz. The facility is the creation of karting Hall of Famer Alan Rudolph, with the main karting circuit at 8/10-mile long with 15 turns in the clockwise direction. He and his wife Jessica have built a premier motorsports facility featuring a performance kart track and rental track, while being the official home of the Alan Rudolph Racing Academy. Construction began in 2015 and wrapped up in 2016, hosting several regional and national events since. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Wednesday, 26 March 2025 13:01 |
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Spring Mountain Karting will host the third round of the 2025 ProKart Challenge on April 12-13 (Photo: springmountainkarting.com)
The 2025 season for the ProKart Challenge is ushering in a resurgence for the Superkarts! USA regional program. Following the double-round weekend that opened the season at the new K1 Circuit, the championship program is now set to venture to another new facility, this time in Nevada. The third round of the 2025 ProKart Challenge is scheduled for April 12-13 at the Spring Mountain Karting facility. The Pahrump, NV circuit finished paving in 2024 and will welcome Superkarts! USA for its inaugural race weekend.
Spring Mountain Karting circuit is part of the Spring Mountain Motor Resort & Country Club facility that features over six miles of racetrack with resort-style amenities. The karting course broke ground in April 2024 on a 45-acre plot on the southeastern portion of the facility. The Spring Mountain Karting facility includes a 1.13-mile full course, a 28’ wide surface, and a 7.3 acre paddock area. Future development on the site includes a kart shop and storage, private garages, a control tower and viewing area, member’s lounge and more.
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Written by Lynn Haddock - National Tech Director
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Monday, 17 March 2025 08:30 |
Any alteration to the factory intended operation of the reed cage system may be deemed non-compliant. The original statement of the reed screws being a non-tech item was intended to mean the type (straight, Phillips, Allen or Torx, etc) of screw, not to mean an alteration to the size or design could be made. Further, the sizing of the holes in the reed petal hold down plate may be compared to a known stock part to determine legality.
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