|
Defending series champion Ryan Norberg begins training for his ‘drive for five’ in 2020 (Photo: EKN)
The first major event of the 2020 season is set for this weekend in the sunshine state. The Superkarts! USA will welcome racers to the AMR Motorplex in Homestead, Florida for the opening weekend of the 2020 SKUSA Winter Series. A pre-entry total of 229 drivers in 13 categories are set to tackle the 7/10-mile course outside the Homestead-Miami Speedway for two rounds of competition on the weekend.
Wednesday and Thursday were unofficial practice with Friday hosting five official sessions for testing. Round 1 is set for Saturday, including qualifying, Prefinal and Final. Round 2 is a repeat format on Sunday.
The largest category entering the weekend is the X30 Senior class at 50 drivers. It was a year ago that Ryan Norberg was making his debut with the Rolison Performance Group operation aboard a Kosmic. It eventually led to a SKUSA Winter Series championship off three wins and a fourth-straight SKUSA Pro Tour title with three wins in six rounds. The effort to put ‘one on the thumb’ and complete a five-year streak of Pro Tour titles begins this weekend. The bulls eye has grown even larger on the back of Norberg with 49 others in the field. There are numerous drivers that will be in the hunt. Notable international stars include Brits Taylor Barnard (KSNA / Kart Republic) and Louie Westover (Solo Kart USA). Defending SuperNationals winner Zachary Claman-Demelo (REM / Kosmic) is set to compete. He will not be the only driver with IndyCar experience, as 2019 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Santino Ferrucci is set to make his return to SKUSA competition. Ferrucci (CRM / Swiss Hutless) raced at the recent WKA Daytona KartWeek and was upfront all weekend. One of the stories to watch is the graduation of Junior drivers making their Senior debuts. Four of the top-six from last year’s SKUSA Winter Series are in the field; Luca Mars (SCR / Redspeed), Diego Contecha (Orsolon / Tony Kart), Luke Lange (SCR / Redspeed), and Branyon Tiner (RPG / Kosmic). Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
|
|
The California ProKart Challenge travels to the Santa Maria Karting Association facility on the July 17-18 weekend (Photo: DromoPhotos.com)
The second half of the 2021 California ProKart Challenge is on the horizon, beginning on the July 17-18 weekend at the Santa Maria Karting Association facility amidst an attractive west coast, cool and breezy weather forecast. Round Four of the 2021 championship chase will take place at the Santa Maria, California circuit with the new standard two-day race format for the Superkarts! USA regional program. Two events and three rounds of racing have been completed thus far into the season, with an exciting weekend planned at the SMKA ‘K’ layout to further shape those title chases.
It all began in April, with the opening round contested at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park before the series hosted its double-header weekend at CalSpeed Karting during the month of June. The lucrative $70,000 purse – including 2021 SKUSA SuperNationals 24 tickets, entries to the 2022 California ProKart Challenge program and year-end prizes provided by IAME USA West and Evinco/MG Tires – await those who continue to battle for supremacy at the California ProKart Challenge.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Pedro Hiltbrand became the first Spanish driver to win the Pro Shifter category at the SKUSA SuperNationals (Photo: EKN)
It was a historic day in Las Vegas with the final chapter completed at Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 25. The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino provided the stage for a 12th time in the 25-year history of the event. The weather was perfect for the 10 main events on SuperSunday following four days of practice, qualifying, three rounds of heat races and the Last Chance Qualifiers. Drivers from all over the world took on the final laps of the event to crown this year’s winners. PSL Karting / Birel ART defending their win from a year ago, this time with Spaniard Pedro Hiltbrand taking the $15,000 top prize in Pro Shifter while Frenchman Evan Giltaire gave both Kart Republic and Trinity Karting Group its first SuperNationals victory in X30 Senior.
Pro Shifter was the final race of the SKUSA SuperNationals 25 event and made history. Pole sitter Pedro Hiltbrand grabbed the initial holeshot and led the field around the opening circuit. The race was stopped after an incident on the long straight, bringing out a red flag. The field regrouped to restart single file and continue the event. Hiltbrand got away clean and put down consistent laps to maintain a lead on Estonian Markus Kajak (RPM / Tony Kart) throughout the 25-lap event. Fabian Federer (Magik Kart) advanced four spots up to third. Three-time SuperNationals runner-up Marijn Kremers (PSL / Birel ART) was fourth across the line but was handed a penalty for contact, dropping him to sixth, advancing Riccardo Longhi (PSL / Birel ART) to fourth and moving former SKUSA Pro Tour champion Jake French (PSL / Birel ART) to fifth.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Former SKUSA Pro Tour champion Jake French landed on top of the podium in Pro Shifter (Photo: EKN)
The fifth round of the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour at New Castle Motorsports Park was highlighted by some incredible racing action and more than one drag race out of the I-70 hairpin to the checkered flag. The 11th running of the SummerNationals will provide the cap to the 2021 national championship, and Saturday’s racing only served to set the stage for Sunday’s finale and the crowning of this year’s national champions. In the Pro Shifter class, which boasted a stunning grid of 30 karts including 16 of the top-20 from the EKN Driver Rankings, PSL Karting’s Jake French renewed his title hopes after holding back Andrew Bujdoso for the victory. An uncharacteristic mechanical DNF put point leader AJ Myers on the sidelines during the opening lap, which has blown the championship wide open. The X30 Senior title fight remains in the hands of the Rolison Performance Group, and while the team has three drivers vying for the championship, it was one of their drivers not in the title chase Nate Cicero who pulled steadily away from the stacked field to score his first SKUSA Pro Tour victory. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
|
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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page 46 of 110 |
