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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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Tuesday, 30 November 2021 11:18 |
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Five-time Pro Tour champion Jordon Musser looking for that first SuperNats win (Photo: EKN)
Shifterkart racing is the foundation of Superkarts! USA, and of course the SuperNationals. It was in 2000 that Master Shifter made its debut at the SuperNats with the G1 category, running until 2011. Stock Moto made its way into the SuperNats in 2006 with the S4 division, reserved for the Heavy drivers and then Master only later. That ran until 2019 when G1 returned with the IAME powerplant. Now, Master Shifter has opened up to both KZ and IAME SSE 175 powerplants, welcoming 17 drivers.
What is notable about this year’s field is the battle that has raged on over the last seven seasons. Jordon Musser (PSL / Birel ART) has the honor of the only driver with five SKUSA Pro Tour championships. His first came back in 2013 before going three-straight from 2016 to 2019. He returned to the Semi-Pro category for half of the SummerFestival before coming back to Master Shifter in 2021. He won three of the six main events for a fifth career title. One name that has been his lead rival is Ryan Kinnear (PGR / Ricciardo). Kinnear is the 2016 Pro Tour champ, who kept Musser from winning that year. Kinnear is also the only driver in the field to win at the SuperNationals in the Master Shifter category, something Musser has not been able to do. In fact, he has been on the podium the last four SuperNationals, as has Musser. Kinnear stole the show at the SummerNationals in August, winning both main events. Yet, this October, it was Musser who came through for a second ROK Vegas victory in the last four years. The other winner, Kinnear in 2019 and 2020. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Tuesday, 30 November 2021 11:16 |
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Kai Sorensen to make his X30 Junior debut at the SuperNats, having won Mini in 2019 (Photo: K. Sorensen)
The list of former winners in the X30 Junior (formerly TaG Junior) division is very much like an all-star roster in motorsports. It includes two current Formula One drivers (George Russell-2011, Lance Stroll-2012), F3 drivers Logan Sargeant (2014) and Jak Crawford (2017), Brazilian stars Felipe Fraga (2008), Joao Vieira (2010) and Arthur Leist (2015), and more. Over the 12 years of the category, a new driver has emerged as victor on SuperSunday, with a 13th name set to be added to those historic names on December 5 with no former winner in the 48-driver field. Defending winner James Wharton is set to be racing Italian F4 in 2022 under the eyes of the Ferrari Driver Academy.
While there may be no former Junior winners in the field for X30 Junior, there are two former SuperNationals winners competing in the class. SuperNationals 23 Mini Swift winner Kai Sorensen (Supertune / Exprit) returns to the USA after competing all season long in Europe. His 2021 began with a championship at the SKUSA Winter Series program to open up his first season in the Junior ranks. The other is British driver Vinnie Phillips (Tony Kart), set to make his fourth start at the SuperNationals. His debut in 2017 ended with victory in the Micro Swift class, before moving to Mini the last two SuperNationals with a best finish of fourth in 2019. Both drivers have been busy competing throughout Europe in 2021. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Tuesday, 30 November 2021 11:14 |
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Noah Baker comes in as the top driver from the SKUSA Pro Tour in 2021 (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)
The KA100 Junior class was introduced at the SuperNationals in 2018, producing two amazing races on SuperSunday. The previous winners include Ferrari Driver Academy pilot James Wharton from Australia who will be racing Italian F4 in 2022, and 2019 victor Brent Crews – already moved to Senior level racing this season. This makes the 2021 field unique with no former SuperNationals winner in the field, including the lower levels, for the sold-out 46-driver field.
Three different drivers won in 2021 at the SKUSA Pro Tour, including series champion Carson Morgan three times in six rounds, who is moving up to the Senior level ranks at SuperNationals 24. Noah Baker (Supertune / Tony Kart) doubled up at the WinterNationals in the win column, however, ended up as vice-champion despite never returning to the podium. Austin Jurs (FMS / Redspeed) is the other winner on the season, taking his first SKUSA Pro Tour triumph at the SpringNationals. Jurs ended up P3 in the final standings, adding a Route 66 Sprint Series title to his 2021 CV. The Illinois driver finished on the podium at the SuperNationals in 2019, placing third in Mini. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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