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Wednesday, 07 November 2018 15:14 |
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Aussie Kris Walton comes in as the defending winner (Photo: EKN)
You can forget about odds when looking at the stellar entry list for the X30 Master field. This is the 16th year for the Master category, dating back to the second year that the SuperNationals were held at the Rio in 2003. Each and every year, the category grows larger, more talented, and increasingly more international. This year is no different with half the drivers coming in from outside the United States.
Four specific drivers from outside the USA have combined to win seven of the last eight SuperSunday main events. The last is Kris Walton (CompKart), who won in his second Master start at the SuperNationals in 2017. The race last year was called early after contact with a barrier soaked the race track in turn four. A lengthy clean-up was needed to dry the area, and as a result, Walton was named the victor after just 13 laps were completed. The Aussie is back to defend his crown, and is aiming to be the one taking the checkered flag after a full length run in 2018. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Tuesday, 06 November 2018 18:48 |
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Bonnier Moulton will make his 22nd start at the SuperNationals (Photo: EKN)
In the year 2000, the Master category made its debut at the SuperNationals as the G1 division. The category branched off with the addition of the S4 Master class in parallel with the introduction of the Stock Honda package. The evolution continued in 2016, when the S4 Super Master category was brought onto the national scene to provide drivers 45-years-of-age and older a chance to compete against one another. Current participation numbers have motivated Superkarts! USA to move into a new era for shifterkart racing, combining the Master age groups into one division once again. History from the SuperNationals will be made once karts hit the track on Wednesday in the category, and even more depending on who takes the checkered flag on SuperSunday.
The Master Shifter division has among the most experienced SKUSA racers at the event. Many competitors have been part of SKUSA and the SuperNationals since the beginning. One driver in particular will make his 22nd start at the SuperNats – the only driver to do so – Bonnier Moulton. The ‘ageless one’ stood on the podium at the first SuperNationals in 1997 alongside inaugural winner Alex Barron and the talented Bobby Oergel. Moulton (Tony Kart) remains a fixture in the sport, working with Rolison Performance Group throughout the season when not providing his talents to racers at the grassroots level with MSquared Karting in Utah. Bonnier is not only a co-designer of the circuit for SuperNationals 22, he is also a three-time winner at the event. Moulton’s first victory came in 2004 in the G1 division at the inaugural event at Sam Boyd Stadium. He then went back-to-back in 2011 and 2012 in S4. Moulton has the chance to tie Connor DePhillippi at the top of the SuperNationals winner list with four victories at the Vegas spectacular. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Monday, 05 November 2018 01:00 |
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Jacob Graham is the USPKS KA100 Junior champion (Photo: EKN)
The SKUSA SuperNationals 22 is not the first to welcome 100cc engines to the Vegas spectacular. The first came in 2005 at Sam Boyd Stadium, when the Junior Intercontinental A (JICA) class was offered, won that year by all-time SuperNats victory leader Connor DePhillippi. The second came in 2008 at the Rio with the HPV 2 Junior class, which was won by Merlin driver Tommy Andersen. Ironically, the KA100 engine is a branch off the KPV engine platform from IAME, which was a piston-port based powerplant. The KA100, developed for the Australian market, has made its way to the United States and has been taking the American karting scene by storm throughout the 2018 season.
The first program to welcome the engine full-time in 2018 was the United States Pro Kart Series. Jet X The inaugural championship went to Jacob Graham (Nitro / Exprit). Graham won twice during the six rounds, and is among the most experienced KA100 racer in the field. Donald Whorton II (FA Kart) finished second to Graham, picking up his first victory in the category during the recent WKA Grand Nationals in in Mooresville. Also winning that weekend to take home a WKA Eagle was Tyler Wettengel (KSNA / FA Kart). The North Carolina driver came back to win after breaking his arm in a crash this summer. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Sunday, 04 November 2018 01:00 |
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Carson Morgan heads into Vegas as the two-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)
Cadet racing has been a part of the SKUSA SuperNationals program since 1998 when the Kawasaki 60cc powered K3 Novice shifterkart class ran out at the X-Plex. The gearbox category was part of the famed event until 2005, and it helped to shape many future stars in the sport. Twenty years later, the Mini Swift division has picked up the sword and will be hosting a number of worldwide talents, including world title winners and repeat national champions.
Last year’s SuperSunday Final has an obvious cloud hanging over it, as the top two finishers were removed from the official results following an in-depth engine inspection. One of the drivers removed from the results for an incompliant engine was provisional winner Carson Morgan. The Californian went into the event as the newly-crowned SKUSA Pro Tour champion and came out on top of a great battle on the racetrack. His engine, along with that of runner-up Brent Crews, were deemed to be outside of the Superkarts! USA rule set. Morgan struck back during in the 2018 season, winning his opening race at the SKUSA Winter Series to again prove his considerable abilities behind the wheel. By the end of the season, Morgan (RPM / Kart Republic) had secured his second straight Pro Tour title thanks to winning one of the Finals at all three doubleheader events on the schedule. Additional redemption lies in front of Morgan, who carries the SKUSA #1 plate into Las Vegas once again. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Saturday, 03 November 2018 01:00 |
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SKUSA Pro Tour champion Max Garcia is set to make his SuperNats debut (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)
The Micro Swift category made its debut on the SKUSA Pro Tour in 2016 and at the SuperNationals, as well. International drivers won the first two editions, with Brazilian Vinicius Tessaro and Great Britain’s Vinnie Phillips taking the victories. Both are moving up the Mini Swift ranks for 2018, which sets up the storyline for a third straight new driver to take the top step of the Micro Swift podium on SuperSunday.
You don’t have to look far to find contenders right away, beginning with the top-three from the SKUSA Pro Tour – Max Garcia (KSNA / Kart Republic), Caleb Gafrarar (Parolin), and Ben Maier (Nitro Kart). The trio combined for the six victories, with Gafrarar holding the advantage with three, Maier earning two and Garcia with one. Garcia’s victory was the biggest, as his Sunday win at the SummerNationals clinched the Pro Tour championship for the young Florida driver. Gafrarar also holds the advantage in the experience category, having competed in the two previous editions, placing fourth a year ago. Maier ended up 15th last November, while this year’s event will be the first SuperNationals for Garcia. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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