The schedule for the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 23 outside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas welcomes a change in the qualifying format (Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca)
The 2019 racing season may soon be drawing to a close, and while the memories of the year are still fresh in our minds, many are now turning their attention to the grand finale of them all – SKUSA SuperNationals 23. With less than 100 days until haulers begin setting up outside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino for the November 20-24 event, Superkarts! USA is putting the final touches on the 23rd running of this historic event. Among the more crucial components of the SuperNationals experience is the event schedule, which will see a bit of change in the qualifying aspect for 2019.
The format from Wednesday through SuperSunday remains largely intact, with Wednesday providing four rounds of practice for both the morning and afternoon groups. Thursday has been modified to two rounds of practice ahead of a longer 12-minute qualifying session to be offered for all 10 race groups. Feedback from drivers in recent years included requests for a longer qualifying session to ensure the ability to get in a clean lap.
Superkarts! USA today confirmed that the IAME 175 SSE will be the headlining class at SuperNationals 23 in Las Vegas. The announcement comes on the heels of growing support for the 175 SSE class and increasing adoption rates by teams and drivers in North America.
To kick off the debut of the class format as a marquee addition to the SuperNationals, the 175 SSE will offer the same purse structure as the KZ format. If that weren’t enticing enough, SKUSA is also pleased to confirm a special $10,000 USD bonus purse, should any driver be able to win both the KZ and 175SSE finals on Super Sunday.
“It’s a little crazy,” admitted SKUSA president Tom Kutscher. “But crazy is kind of what we’re known for. We know there are a handful of drivers who may take on the challenge, and we’d like to reward them accordingly if they pull it off.”
Italian Paolo De Conto will be center stage in his bid for a fourth SuperNats victory (Photo: EKN)
Karting is ‘the purest form of motorsports’ – that was the phrase coined by the late Dan Wheldon. On SuperSunday, the Dan Wheldon Ambassador Award Presented by Bell Racing USA will be awarded to one member of the karting community who embodies the spirit of the sport, such as Dan did with karting and racing, in general. For karting, the elite form is the KZ category. It compares to that of Formula One, with the quickest, most powerful engines in sprint racing, featuring many of the best drivers from around the world.
The former SuperPro division really kicked up the international flavor in 2007 when world champion Marco Ardigo made the trek to America and stole the headline category. Since then, only one USA driver has won during that time when Gary Carlton earned his second triumph in 2015 in what is now called the KZ division. Prior to Carlton’s emotional victory, and in the last two years, one driver has stood on the podium and offered his race-winning helmet to SKUSA President Tom Kutscher. Italian Paolo de Conto dominated those three SuperSunday main events to claim three massive payday checks of $10,000 each. The factory CRG driver has a chance to make history at the SuperNationals with a fourth victory, which would tie him with Connor De Phillippi for the most wins ever. The odds are in his favor with a fairly ‘new’ field of drivers set to battle in KZ, with less than half the field having raced in Vegas before. Read full story on eKartingNews.com
Defending winner Billy Musgrave looks for a repeat in Pro Shifter (Photo: EKN)
Shifterkart racing has been the backbone of the Superkarts! USA organization since its inception. In fact, it was the entire reason for SKUSA’s formation. As such, it was not until the inaugural event at the Rio in 2003 that single-speed karts were part of the SuperNationals. As is the case in the cyclical nature of our sport, numbers seemed to be dropping in the headline S1 shifterkart category until the establishment of the SKUSA Pro Tour in 2010. This national series fueled a rejuvenation of shifterkart racing in North America. Numbers have dwindled at the national level again, however and now SKUSA is moving the organization into a new direction, offering the Pro Shifter division for the first time. A combination of S1 Pro and S2 Semi-Pro classes brings the two categories together, which have been competing separately since 2010. The positive of this melding is a sold out field, as SKUSA opened up the entry to welcome 50 drivers.
At the forefront is the defending SuperNationals S1 winner Billy Musgrave. It was 2012 when the young SoCal driver won in his event debut, besting a tough S2 field for the victory at the Rio. Fast forward to 2017, and Musgrave piloted his MRC / Aluminos to the top step of the S1 podium on SuperSunday. The five-time California ProKart Challenge champion came up short in his bid for the Pro Tour title this year, and will head into Vegas with a vengeance and the goal to repeat. The driver to beat out Musgrave for the SKUSA Pro Tour was Florida’s AJ Myers. The perennial contender secured his fate with a dominating victory at the SummerNationals finale aboard the TB Kart machine. Myers has made the move to the Mad Croc Karting USA operation, placing fourth in his debut at the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix. Myers now has more time on the chassis, and will be double dipping by running X30 Senior, as well. His best finish in S1 was in 2016, placing runner-up. Read full story on eKartingNews.com
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