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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, 19 February 2025 14:47 |
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Fresh off a record setting campaign in Florida, the Superkarts! USA organization is turning its focus on the 2025 SKUSA Pro Tour. Set for its 16th straight season, the championship will again be comprised of three events to crown this year’s title winners. The highest entry numbers ever at the 2025 SKUSA Winter Series could forecast a big year for the SKUSA Pro Tour.
The class structure for the 2025 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour remains unchanged, including the two Pro classes of Pro Shifter and Pro X30. The change from last year will be the return of Pro X30 to contest two rounds of racing each weekend alongside the Semi-Pro classes. Drivers competing in Pro X30 will also be allowed to compete in the KA100 Senior class, as there are no longer any restrictions placed on Senior drivers competing in both divisions on the same weekend. Pro Shifter will continue with one round per weekend, including qualifying, two heats on Saturday, and now with a Prefinal and Final on Sunday.
The largest prize package ever for the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour was introduced in 2024 and will continue for the upcoming 2025 season, reaching a total of $310,000. The Pro Shifter podium on Sunday each weekend totals $8,500 – with $5,000 to the winner. The top three in Pro X30 for all six main events in 2025 will be racing for $4,250 in total, with the winner earning $2,500 for each victory. The overall total for the 2025 weekend payout for the Pro categories is $51,000.
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Sunday, 28 July 2024 00:00 |
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SummerNationals sweep earns Ryan Norberg a sixth SKUSA Pro Tour title (Photo: EKN)
The 2024 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour SummerNationals ended on Sunday with the final day of action at the New Castle Motorsports Park. Rain threaten the New Castle, Indiana area all day, with only a brief sprinkle of rain coming down during one of the main events. It was not enough to force rain tires and it never returned, allowing for the other races to be completed without interruption. The on track action was exciting all day as the final laps decided this year’s champions in the eight categories.
Coming into the weekend, Ryan Norberg (RPG / Kosmic) trailed in the Speed Concepts Racing Pro X30 championship, sitting fifth and needing to sweep the weekend for a chance at a sixth SKUSA Pro Tour championship. After earning fast time in Super Pole and winning both heat races on Saturday. Starting on the pole position, Norberg led the opening lap before Austin Garrison (SCR / CS55) took over the lead. Norberg reclaimed the top spot on lap five and was able to gap Garrison a few kart lengths as the two pulled away from the rest of the field. In the closing laps, Garrison inched closer and was able to reach Norberg’s bumper by the final lap. Norberg kept him at bay, reaching the line first to claim his second victory of the season. The victory was enough to secure the sixth championship since 2016. Fast Friday driver Jonathon Portz (RPG / Kosmic) was able to fight off Harley Keeble (Inter MS / Kart Republic) for the third step on the podium. Championship contender Hayden Jones (RPG / Kosmic) – who started second, was shuffled off at the opening corner and fell to 15th. He drove his way back up to the fifth position, needing to finish second to claim the title. Jones ended up 18.5 points short in the final standings. Championship leader heading into the Diego Ramos (PSL / Birel ART) recovered from a DNF in the heat race, climbing 10 spots to seventh in the Final to finish the championship in third place.
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