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Monday, 12 November 2018 01:00 |
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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 |
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Sunday, 11 November 2018 01:00 |
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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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Saturday, 10 November 2018 16:57 |
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Joshua Car won in 2017, moving from CompKart to Tony Kart for 2018 (Photo: EKN)
The first of three headline categories at the SKUSA SuperNationals 22 is the X30 Senior class. This year, it was one of two categories to sell out, reaching the cap for entries prior to heading into Las Vegas. While it may not be the over 100 drivers we had in 2008, the roster for the 2018 edition is stacked with talent. Reviewing the list, nearly half the field is a contender for the victory on SuperSunday.
You have to start with the former winners in the field. There are four previous winners in the category who have a chance to become the first-ever repeat winner in the class. Defending victor Joshua Car has landed on the podium both times he’s competed at the SuperNationals. The Aussie was third in 2017 before earning the top step last year. Car currently resides in Texas, having competed in the US F4 Championship with Crosslink Competition, the team he will race with at the SuperNationals. This new association has him moving from the CompKart to the Exprit for the 2018 edition of the race. Prior to Car winning on SuperSunday last year it was Jake Craig in 2016. A thrilling victory put the American at the top of the world that year, following an incredible last lap battle. The 2014 SKUSA Pro Tour champion has also gone the open wheel route, racing in F1600 in Canada all season, which helped earn him a spot on the coveted Team USA Scholarship to compete in the UK. Craig (RPM / Tony Kart) opened the season with victory at the WinterNationals on New Orleans and he was leading the SKUSA Pro Tour points heading into the SummerNationals. He was forced to miss the event with a scheduling conflict with his F1600 program. Craig is on his game and will be tough. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Friday, 09 November 2018 14:33 |
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USPKS champion Zachary Hollingshead is pulling double duty in the Senior ranks (Photo: EKN)
There has never been a 100cc category for Senior drivers in the 21-year history of the SKUSA SuperNationals. When the KA100 Senior class hits the track on Wednesday, it will be the first. The Senior category joins the Junior KA100 division in making its SuperNats debut this season, and there is a great deal of excitement surrounding the opportunity and the driver line-ups. Each division has a solid roster of drivers, however, it looks as if the Senior will be a heated battle all week long. Reviewing the entry list, there’s a great mixture of veterans and young guns all looking to add a SuperNationals win to their trophy case. Only 30% of the drivers competed in a X30 class last year – Senior or Junior – helping to build the total entry count overall.
First, let’s look at drivers who were successful in KA100 racing this season. The USPKS program was the first to welcome in the KA100 category last year, and was one of the most competitive divisions over the last two seasons. Florida driver Zachary Hollingshead (OGP / FA Kart) secured the championship in 2018, while pulling double duty on the year racing X30 Senior. He is scheduled to race both KA100 and X30 in Vegas as well, among the seven to do so in Senior. Blake Hunt won three times on the season in WKA Manufacturers Cup Series competition, earning the championship. Hunt (Kart Republic) is under the KartSport North America tent in his first SuperNats start. On the west coast, a number of top drivers from the IKF Grand Nationals in California should be watched. Nick Ramirez (Yesnick / Fullerton), Tomas Mejia (PKS / Tony Kart), and Jason Pettit (MRC / OTK) stood on the podium at the event. Pettit was the provisional winner in the S2 main event on SuperSunday last year, only to have the victory taken away by a jump start. Jason will pull the double duty, making his Pro Shifter debut as well at the SuperNationals. Edward Portz (Nash / FA Kart) pulled off the victory at the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix, while Jenson Altzman (Ruthless / FA Kart) claimed the win at ROK the Rio. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Friday, 09 November 2018 11:40 |
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Jak Crawford won in his Junior debut at the SuperNats in 2017 (Photo: EKN)
Junior-level racing has been part of the SuperNationals from its very beginning, back when the organization featured a heavy emphasis on 80cc shifterkart competition. Then, in 2006, Tom Kutscher took over ownership of SKUSA and focused on the adult classes only for the 10th running of the event. At the 2007 SuperNationals, SKUSA added the S5 Junior Stock Honda class, and then in 2008, TaG Junior made its debut. Every year since, a new driver has stood on top of the podium, representing four different countries. Among those to earn victory on SuperSunday are two current Formula 1 drivers – British talent George Russell in 2011 and the impressive Canadian Lance Stroll the following year.
During the first eight years of the TaG Junior category, which is now the X30 Junior class, no driver has repeated to log that second victory. In 2018, there are two drivers who have a chance to etch their name in the history books as the first two-time winner in the division. The first is 2016 victor Tyler Gonzalez. The Florida driver won in his SuperNationals debut, however, he was unable to compete for victory the following year, placing 15th. That checkered flag went to Texan Jak Crawford. The 13-year-old started on pole and duplicated Gonzalez’ feat of winning in his Junior debut at the SuperNationals. Both have even more experience under their belts this time around, with Gonzalez leaving his spot at CRG Nordam to run under the Team Benik program in Vegas. Crawford joins the same Nash Motorsportz operation that he has been winning with since his Cadet days. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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