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| SuperNats Entry List Tops 200 with Three Months to Green Flag |
| Tuesday, 10 August 2010 07:55 |
 Shifterkart racing is making a solid comeback this year under the focused efforts of Superkarts! USA, the racing organization that will once again bring the sport’s top drivers together in Las Vegas in November for the biggest race in the country – the SKUSA SuperNationals. There is a definite evolution underway in gearbox karting as the shift to the Stock Moto engine package continues, and SKUSA is excited about being able to bring this cost-effective powerplant to the forefront. In addition to featuring the Stock Moto program at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino during this year’s SuperNationals on November 17-21, SKUSA will continue offering a category for the European-built KZ2 powerplant (formerly SuperPro), which will be opened up to more racers this year. This season’s SuperNationals – the 14th running of the event – is shaping up to be the best in its history, as entries have already surpassed the 200-driver mark. One class has already reached capacity (S4 Stock Moto Master), and a few others are closing rapidly on the limit. As such, the SKUSA room block at the Rio –which features discounted rates – is also more than half full, so racers hoping to stay at the facility should act soon by citing the special discount code when booking their rooms, as they will most certainly sell out.The SuperNationals have been in a constant state of improvement since debuting at the Las Vegas Karting Center in 1997, and this year is no different. In an effort to maintain the organization’s focus on a clear progression through the Stock Moto classes, SKUSA will be dropping the ‘SuperPro’ name for the 2010 edition of the race, replacing it with its official CIK classification as ‘KZ2’. SKUSA has verbal confirmations from the top European manufacturers that will bring to the party drivers such as reigning SuperNats champion Bas Lammers, former winner Marco Ardigo, Intrepid hotshoes Norman Nato and Jeremy Iglesias, top Tony Kart talent Rick Dreezen and current CRG factory team driver Gary Carlton, making sure that the race is once again the largest KZ2 event of the year. “The U.S. schedule was very light on national racing opportunities for the owners of KZ2 engines this year, but SKUSA will once again feature the class at the SuperNationals,” confirmed Tom Kutscher, owner and president of the organization. “We’ve got a lot of big names coming from across the ocean again for this November, and I’m hoping to see all the American and Canadian KZ2 drivers on the entry list to challenge them this time around. This will easily be the biggest KZ2 field in North America in 2010. We’ve heard a few rumors of Formula 1 and IndyCar drivers who want to come out, but we’ll have to wait and see. I’m just pumped to see another full grid of KZ2s! Like last year, we’ll be capping the grid at 40 drivers.” In the past, the ‘SuperPro’ class was reserved for the top drivers in the sport, but in an effort to provide all KZ2 drivers with the opportunity to run at the SuperNationals, the KZ2 category will be opened to both ‘A’ and ‘B’ license holders, pending SKUSA approval. In addition, KZ2 powerplants remain eligible in the G1 Master (30+ years of age and older) class. As has been the case in the past, entries continue to arrive at SKUSA headquarters daily, and despite the fact that the race is still more than three months away, one class is already full – with a few additional classes nearing their capacity. As far as pre-entries are concerned, the S4 Stock Moto Master category has led the way, as the class hit its 40-driver limit just before the release of this communication. The growth of the S4 category has been impressive, and SKUSA President Tom Kutscher has confirmed that he will be adding any new names to a waiting list. If enough drivers commit to this list, Kutscher has said that he will most definitely consider opening the class to between 60-80 competitors by splitting them into two groups. If you’re an S4 driver who has not yet officially entered for the race, it would be wise to contact SKUSA immediately to state your intent on attending the SuperNats. The S1 Pro Stock Moto class is the headline gearbox category at the SuperNationals and on the new SKUSA Pro Tour, which features four of the five SKUSA Stock Moto classes (S1, S2, S4 and S5). After debuting at the beginning of the year when SKUSA rolled out its new class structure, the S1 grid has been developing steadily. The addition of former SKUSA star Alex Speed kicked things up a notch at the SummerNationals, where he joined a highly-skilled group of drivers including Fritz Leesmann, Jason Toft, and new eKartingNews.com #1 driver Clinton Schoombee. SKUSA expects 20+ drivers for the class’ re-introduction to the SuperNationals. Last year, these drivers were part of the S3 class, which was effectively split into S1 and S2 for 2010 based on experience and success levels. With a potential of almost two dozen of the best shifter pilots facing off in S1, SKUSA is also expecting to see a full field of 40 karts in the S2 Semi-Pro category, which will feature the future stars of the SKUSA program. Last but not least, the S5 Stock Moto Junior category has enjoyed steady growth throughout the year, and a field of more than 20 drivers is almost assured. The Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino is once again ready to open the doors to the karting community, but the discounted room block is going fast, so those who have not yet booked their rooms for this fall’s SuperNationals should do so as soon as possible. SKUSA has negotiated special discounted rates for the weekday and weekend stays, with the rate average coming in at $81 per night. The group discount code when booking a room is ‘SRNATS0’, but the easiest way to get set up is through the Superkarts! USA website - http://www.superkartsusa . Simply head to the SuperNationals section of the site and select the ‘Hotel and Accommodations’ option in the Menu. |