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Thursday, 16 July 2020 17:02 |
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The 2020 season resumed for the California ProKart Challenge program with Rounds Four and Five contested at the Santa Maria Karting Association facility. Teams and competitors of the Superkarts! USA regional program ventured to the facility just outside the Santa Maria Airport and minutes from the Pacific coast over the July 10-12 weekend. The weather was perfect all weekend long and everyone within the paddock complied with the COVID-19 guidelines set out prior to the event. On-track, a number of drivers were able to come away with a double victory weekend as the championship chase becomes more defined heading toward the series finale.
Extending his win streak on the season to four is X30 Master driver Billy Cleavelin. The two-time SKUSA SuperNationals winner was perfect on the weekend, finishing every session in the top spot. Saturday was a wire-to-wire victory in the Final to an 11-second advantage over Jure Gaspar and Jeff Rice. Sunday was a similar performance, leading all 24 laps in the main event to a 14-second margin of victory. Alan Morte improved to second with Gaspar in third. The result is four straight perfect rounds for Cleavelin to maintain the championship lead.
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Wednesday, 15 July 2020 21:54 |
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With the entirety of the 2020 SKUSA ProTour now consolidated into back-to-back consecutive weekends, details are beginning to emerge for both the SKUSA ProTour and some of the supplemental events supporting the dual weekend format.
“With the sport and country on lockdown the last four months, we have received a ton of questions on what we’re going to do following the canceled event at NOLA,” said SKUSA president Tom Kutscher. “Needless to say, finding a solution that was both reasonable and equitable became our top priority as we began planning. Let me tell you this... We’re going to make the 2020 ProTour as kick ass as we possibly can, considering what a mess this year has been.”
As many now know, the format for the upcoming double-header is to consolidate six rounds of ProTour racing into two consecutive race weekends. Such a change requires rethinking everything from the pitting procedure to the purse payout. SKUSA is pleased to say they’ve risen to the challenge.
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Friday, 19 June 2020 14:13 |
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The ProKart Challenge returned trackside on June 12-14 with the second and third rounds contested on the kart track at the Willow Springs International Raceway. Racing for Superkarts! USA had been shut down since the March weekend of the SKUSA Pro Tour WinterNationals in New Orleans, but welcomed triple-digit numbers for each of the two rounds of regional racing program under almost-perfect weather conditions at in Rosamond, California. Attendees followed social distancing guidelines to help keep officials and competitors safe while enjoying the three-day event.
“Nothing can replace the feeling of being at the race track,” stated Superkarts! USA owner Tom Kutscher. “This was just what our staff and the competitors needed after three months of staying at home – or as front-line essential workers. I want to thank our entire crew and racing partners for laying the groundwork to bring us back to the track, providing the optimal guidelines for everyone to follow, as well as those racers and teams who followed them to a ‘T’.”
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Monday, 18 May 2020 06:00 |
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Beaux Barfield brings a stellar motorsports resume to the new Race Directing team.
On the heels of the open letter from SKUSA principal Tom Kutscher, Superkarts! USA is pleased to announce yet another small piece of a complicated 2020 puzzle by announcing the next chapter in series officiating with not one, but two new race directors for the 2020 SKUSA ProTour and SKUSA SuperNationals.
Effectively immediately, SKUSA is tremendously proud to confirm they have procured none other than veteran race directors Beaux Barfield and John Maesky. Both Barfield and Maesky have stellar resumes and long histories in motorsports, in addition to their current roles at the International Motor Sports Association — where the duo has worked together as a team for the better part of a decade.
Other major sanctioning bodies, such as IndyCar, are also familiar with the idea of having 1 or more advisors working with a Race Director to evaluate on-track conduct. The concept aims to provide consistency and an alternative viewpoint to look at all incidents.
“It’s no secret,” said an open and honest Tom Kutscher “the 2020 SKUSA season is unlike anything motorsport has ever seen before. We realize with an entire national season baked into two consecutive weekends; officiating will be of utmost importance. We are pleased to deliver not only one… but two of the best in North America.”
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Thursday, 07 May 2020 07:37 |
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In the midst of these unprecedented times, I wanted to take a moment and share my open and honest thoughts with you. Needless to say, this pandemic is something that turned not only karting on its head, but also every facet of our personal lives. For many in the sport, COVID-19 has disrupted not only the thing we love, but our livliehoods and ability to provide for our families. SKUSA has weathered recessionary conditions before, most recently the financial challenges our country faced during the mortgage crisis. While we always planned and strategized for financial downturns, nobody ever envisioned a situation like this.
This entire ordeal has left more questions than answers, and regrettably I am left with the same uncertainty as a promoter that you may feel as a team, shop, or participant. The future and our ability to host any future race is largely dictated by everchanging local, state, and federal guidelines. Like you, we have no income coming in. And we empathize with everyone facing the challenges of the current situation. SKUSA employs many people, including staffers, contractors, and local event workers. We are very proud to say we have worked incredibly hard to provide our full-time employees with uninterrupted income during this period. It has not been easy, and there was no stimulus check sent our way. That said, our philosophy has always been we are only as good as the team around us. We know motorsports as a whole will undoubtedly suffer some losses or businesses being forced to close. We feel it imperative to help out those who have been paramount to our success over the years.
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