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Friday, 03 December 2021 01:00 |
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Two wins in X30 Senior have Canadian Thomas Nepveu as the driver to beat (Photo: EKN)
Racing is underway for the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 24 at its fifth different location of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Following the qualifying sessions on Thursday, heat races began on Friday with the opening two rounds contested for both the morning and afternoon categories. The weather was perfect all day, with not much of a temperature drop when the sun set behind the Las Vegas mountains to the west. There were no major surprises in the heat races, as drivers finally tackled the temporary circuit with wheel-to-wheel racing.
KA100 Senior was all the Morgan brothers on track, taking three of the four heat races on the day. Both won the opening heat races with top qualifier Cole Morgan (RPM / Tony Kart) securing the win in AvsD by three seconds with Carson Morgan (RPM / Tony Kart) named winner in a red flag shortened BvsC. Carson was penalized three seconds for a pushback bumper penalty, giving the win to Thomas Annunziata (MDR / Kosmic). The second round was a Morgan sweep with Cole winning AvsC and Carson taking the checkered in BvsD. The two will face off in the their final heat Saturday to decide the pole position for SuperSunday. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Tuesday, 30 November 2021 11:26 |
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Defending KZ winner Danny Formal looking for a fourth SuperNationals victory (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)
The class that started it all at the SKUSA SuperNationals was the S1 division. The premier shifterkart category at the inaugural SuperNats in 1997 with the S1 division. That remained the headline division up until the SuperPro division was established. It was in that category the engine program shifted from moto engines to karting-specific powerplants, while also welcoming international drivers by the final year of the class in 2009. It was then when the division was split into two with the promotion of the Stock Moto category from the SKUSA Pro Tour to the S1 name and KZ class established. 2019 was the debut of the IAME SSE engine, adjusting the name to Pro Shifter. Now, for the 2021 edition of the SuperNationals, we are combining the KZ and Pro Shifter engines into one category, welcoming the largest class turnout in recent years.
The combination of the two categories into one welcome two defending winners looking to repeat in 2021. History can be made by Billy Musgrave (Factory Karts), the three-time defending winner in the Pro Shifter division. The 2012 S2 winner has four total SuperNationals victories, currently tied with Connor De Phillippi and Kip Foster with the most by one driver. With a win on SuperSunday, Musgrave can put himself alone at the top of the SuperNationals win list. Looking to join him at four total wins in Vegas is defending KZ winner Danny Formal (LEM / Formula K). It was an emotional victory for the Costa Rican in 2019, besting a talented field for his third SuperNationals win, joining his S1 victories from 2015 and 2016. Last year, the two did not run head-to-head. In the five times Formal and Musgrave have raced against one another at the SuperNationals, Formal has finished better in three of years (2014-2016). Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Tuesday, 30 November 2021 11:24 |
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2019 winner Zachary Claman-DeMelo returns to defend his crown (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)
The TaG (Touch and Go) concept was introduced in the early 2000s here in the United States, and brought into the SuperNationals in 2003. It wasn’t until the 2008 edition outside the RIO that the TaG Senior division really became a headline category, welcoming 95 entries. Since then, the class has been open up to the 88-max drivers and welcomed a number of experienced, successful pilots from all across the world. In fact, USA drivers have only won six of the last 17 main events on SuperSunday with eight different countries represented over that time. At 86 drivers, this year’s SuperNationals field is among the deepest in terms of talent, experience, and the among those who could be in contention.
In the 17-year history of the X30 Senior (TaG Senior) category at the SuperNationals, no driver has been able to repeat or win for a second time. There are three drivers who have that opportunity. Defending race winner Zachary Claman-Demelo comes in with a solid resume at the SuperNationals. A runner-up in 2016 and 11th in 2018, ZCD pulled off a third to first move on the final circuit to claim his first SuperNationals victory in 2019. The Canadian is coming in with a new team and different chassis, running under the history Genesis Racing name aboard their Atomica chassis brand. Jake Craig and Marco Maestranzi are the other two race winners in the field. Craig (RPM / Tony Kart) has not missed a SuperNationals since 2011 with five top-10 results, including a dramatic win in 2016 and ninth in 2019. In the last five SuperNats, the winner has come from starting inside the top-10. In 2014, Italian Maestranzi started 24th and knifed his way forward to a 3.2-second margin of victory. He has two other podium results, with his last race coming in 2018 with a 13th position. He now joins PSL Karting aboard the Birel ART chassis, different from the Top Kart colors we are used to seeing. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Tuesday, 30 November 2021 11:22 |
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2019 SuperNats winner Pauly Massimino back for another trip to the top of the podium (Photo: EKN)
The KA100 Senior category will boast a record turnout for its third year t the SuperNationals, welcoming 92 drivers. During the first two years of the category at the SuperNats, the class was sold out at the capped number of 44. For 2021, the class was opened to provide two time slots in the schedule and the KA100 driver community has not disappointed with the turnout. This year’s field is a great mix of talent, including 13 drivers returning from 2019, 20 drivers who ran Junior that year, six Pro Tour champions, and over half the field with zero SuperNationals starts.
Of course, defending race winner Pauly Massimino is the opening highlight of the class roster. The 2019 edition was decided after the final checkered flag. Brandon Lemke (FMS / Merlin) put on a show, after getting wrecked on the opening lap to drive forward and grab the checkered flag. A pushback bumper penalty dropped him down to fifth on the podium, moving Massimino up to the #1 spot. A lot has changed over the past two years. Massimino has matured even more as a driver, running now with Ryan Perry Motorsport, and he has become a consistent threat in both KA and X30 competition. Lemke is now among the older veteran drivers at 21, but is still showing like a championship driver. It was six years ago that he won the SKUSA Pro Tour TaG Junior crown at the SuperNationals. For both, it will be about earning what is theirs. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Tuesday, 30 November 2021 11:21 |
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SKUSA Pro Tour champion Mario Barrios is among the top contenders heading into SuperNats 24 (Photo: EKN)
The TaG Master class was introduced at the 2003 SuperNationals and remains one of the most competitive divisions at the Vegas event. Kip Foster, a four-time winner and 2019 top finisher, is unable to travel to the SuperNationals from Australia, opening the door for a different driver to step in. Among former winners in the class include veteran Billy Cleavelin (RPG / Kosmic), who doubled up in 2008 and 2009. Renato Jader David (Orsolon / Tony Kart) is the most recent winner in the field, having claimed the victory in 2016 outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. RJD remains one of the top Master drivers in North America and around the world, winning the ROK Cup Superfinal in 2020, and claiming two wins at the United States Pro Kart Series. He comes in with five straight top-10 finishes, including two third-place results in the last two.
The top driver on the SKUSA Pro Tour in 2021 was Mario Barrio (RPG / Kosmic). Two victories along with three additional podium finishes helped the driver from Peru to claim the crown. This is his first start at the SuperNationals since 2016, with a best finish of 10th in 2014. Another 2021 champion in the field is two-time USPKS title winner Scott Kopp (FMS / Exprit). Kopp made his first start in the category at the SuperNationals in 2019, showing speed but an issue in one heat race cost him an opportunity to be in contention. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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