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Monday, 29 November 2010 17:31 |
 SKUSA released the schedule for the second edition of the program back in early September and can now confirm the venues that will play host to the SpringNationals and SummerNationals. The program’s top pilots will kick things off at the amazing P1 Kart Circuit in Tucson, Arizona in late April during the SpringNats and will then head to Grand Junction Motor Speedway for the SummerNats in mid-July. Of course, the Pro Tour will wrap up in Las Vegas, Nevada for the historic 15th running of the wildly-popular SuperNationals.
“We’ve been working on the 2011 schedule and the venues for a couple of months, and in the end, our focus centered on bringing our program to new regions of the country so that we could both grow the Superkarts! USA brand and support the racers who are part of the SKUSA community,” offers Tom Kutscher, the organization’s leader. “Last year, we were in Northern California and Wisconsin to support the Pro Kart Challenge North and Central States Challenge programs. This time around, I wanted to get into Colorado for the SummerNationals to show our appreciation to the racers who are part of our Mountain Region. Our decision to start the season in Tucson was helped by the fact that it’s centrally located to make the trip manageable for drivers from California, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah and Colorado. The fact that both venues are incredible tracks is the icing on the cake!” |
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Friday, 10 September 2010 10:15 |
On all accounts, the inaugural Superkarts! USA Pro Tour is being considering a great success by the organization, thanks to solid participation and incredibly exciting competition. SKUSA’s return to national series competition in 2010 materialized thanks to the passionate requests by many of their racers for more ‘big races’ – which fueled the development of the SpringNationals and SummerNationals. These two new events were then partnered with the famed SuperNationals to present a three-weekend (five-race) Pro Tour circuit for this year. With a limited number of classes, loads of track time and a focus on family fun and enjoyment, the inaugural Pro Tour has been extremely well received. Fast-forwarding to 2011, discussion regarding next year’s program began earlier in the season using feedback from racers, and SKUSA expects a significant increase in participation next year if the recent confirmations by new drivers, shops and teams are any indication. As a result, it is with excitement and high expectations that Superkarts! USA releases their schedule for the 2011 Pro Tour.
The season will begin with the second annual SpringNationals, set for the April 29 – May 1 weekend, which will be held once again at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway. The wine country region’s location just north of the beautiful city of San Francisco makes it a popular destination for racers and their families alike, and the facility is one of the most picturesque in the country. The fact that it’s simply one of the finest racetracks in the country makes it the perfect choice for the Pro Tour opener. |
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Thursday, 29 July 2010 09:50 |
Just in case you missed 'em, we have 2 new t-shirts available thru the SKUSA online store, including the commemorative Pro Tour t-shirt. All sizes are available -- small thru XXXL, and available for just $15 plus tax and shipping. Click HERE to order now.
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Thursday, 22 July 2010 12:11 |
 For any competitive kart racer, USA International Raceway in Shawano, Wisconsin is an absolute ‘must’ on any ‘bucket list’ of race tracks. A combination of high-speed corners, tight hairpins, undulations and wild elevation changes makes the track one of the best in the country – and the structural facilities at the venue only help to further complete the package. This past weekend, the Superkarts! USA organization brought its top drivers to the track for the inaugural SummerNationals, and with blue skies and warm temperatures being the order of the weekend, the racers were treated to a special experience. There was a little rain on Sunday morning that turned the qualifying rounds into a wet weather circus, but things eventually cleared and the afternoon was perfect. A total of 85 competitors hit the track over the weekend as SKUSA continued its new national Pro Tour program, and when the dust had settled, the big winners in the two headline classes were veterans Alex Speed (S1) and Phil Giebler (TaG Senior). Each driver raced hard in both the Saturday and Sunday events, taking a win a piece and podiums in both mains, earning themselves their respective $1000 first place check in the process. The addition of NASCAR stars AJ Allmendinger and Jamie McMurray brought the event to a new level, and both drivers showed well in their return to their karting roots.
 Speed (GP) was certainly the man to beat in S1 Pro Stock Moto on Saturday, dominating the main event to post a 5.054-second win over his STA Racing teammate Jason Toft (GP). Allmendinger (Kosmic) rebounded after a tough day of practice on Friday when nothing seemed to work, settling in with long-time tuner Tim Pappas to find the sweet spot of his chassis. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver battled into the top-five in the heats and eventually slipped through for an impressive podium run into third in the main. Absent from the head of the class was S1 stud Fritz Leesmann, who struggled all day Saturday in his Aluminos CRG. The veteran shifter pilot exploded back on the scene on Sunday and dominated the proceedings, out-running Speed in the 20-lap main to take the win and second overall for the weekend, although Speed’s pair of podium finishes gave him the crown and the money. Allmendinger capped a great weekend with another third place finish, taking third overall in the tally. To his credit, McMurray drove his butt off all weekend, taking fifth on Saturday and fourth on Sunday. With his Sunday win, Leesmann now takes control of the points heading into the SKUSA Pro Tour finale – the SuperNationals in November. The Californian leads SpringNationals race winner Clinton Schoombee by 283 points in the chase for the #1 plate. |
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Tuesday, 20 July 2010 13:57 |
 After enjoying three days of beautiful sunny skies and mid-80s temperatures, Shawano, WI’s USA International Raceway was hit with rain and wind on Saturday evening, and this precipitation continued into the Sunday morning qualifying sessions for the inaugural Superkarts! USA SummerNationals. The morning rains did not dampen the enthusiasm of the participants, as once the storm cell cleared the area, the MG slicks were back on and the hard racing continued. A pair of new weekend winners was crowned at the end of the day, as Fritz Leesmann recovered from a tough Saturday to outrun Alex Speed for the S1 win, while TJ Koyen was masterful in his Sunday performance as he topped a strong TaG Senior grid to score the victory.
The S1 Pro Stock Moto class took center stage on Sunday as the feature race of the day, and being positioned as the final class in the rotation presented them with a drying track during qualifying. The racing surface was starting to clear up, but wet weather rubber was still necessary. Aluminos’ Fritz Leesmann (CRG) struggled on Saturday, but regrouped overnight and came out swinging, laying down the fastest lap of the wet session with a 1:21.477. NASCAR star and Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray impressed in the tough conditions by posting the second quickest lap, out-pacing Syar Motorsports’ Nick LeDuc (Energy) and the STA Racing duo of Alex Speed (GP) and Jason Toft (GP). Richard Petty Motorsports driver AJ Allmendinger qualified eighth, but he knew that he had competitive pace in the dry thanks to his solid third place finish on Saturday.
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