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PRE-ENTRY OPENS IN MID JULY |
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California ProKart Challenge
| California ProKart Challenge Hits Willow Springs This Weekend |
| Tuesday, 20 March 2012 09:14 |
 The 2012 season is shaping up to be another exciting year for Superkarts! USA, and its flagship regional program is helping to build the momentum. The California ProKart Challenge returns to the track for its second round of the season, traveling to the Willow Springs Kart Track in Rosamond on March 23-24. The excitement from the opening event in Buttonwillow is sure to carry over to this weekend’s action when the eight divisions continue their battle for a piece of the $65,000 prize package offered this year by SKUSA.The championship fight for the Extreme Karting S1 Pro Stock Moto division should be a close affair throughout the season. Defending champion Brad Dunford left Buttonwillow with the feature win. Jimmy McNeil was in command through much of the day, before he and 2010 champ Clinton Schoombee made contact battling for the main event victory. Their dismay allowed Dunford to slide through and start his title defense with the point lead. Schoombee finished third behind Colorado driver Cory Milne, and sits second in the chase just 20 points back -- with McNeil in third, back just six. Competition should be even stronger this weekend, as Daniel Langon will be joining the field for his debut run in S1. After getting shut out in qualifying, veteran Matt Johnson led the way at round one for the Leading Edge Motorsports TaG Senior class. The #3 SKUSA plate holder scored both heat wins and the feature checkered flag to start the year on top. Young gun Camden Geise was the top qualifier and finished second behind Johnson to now sit second in the points chase ahead of defending champ Travis Lowe. The next rising star in the SKUSA shifterkart ranks will likely come from the S2 Semi-Pro division as it has in previous years. After the opening round for the Phil Giebler Racing-sponsored class, Matias Podboj is leading that charge. An event sweep at Buttonwillow has Matias earning a perfect score to start the season on top. With five events still on the docket, a lot can happen with the likes of Jamie Wilson, Michael Leib, Vivek Tandon and the Diede brothers Cody and Troy in contention. Alec Gumpfer from Hawaii will likely be a contender in the series, as well, starting with his first start this weekend. With the departure of McNeil to S1, the Pure Karting-sponsored S4 Master Stock Moto category will see a new champion in 2012 with the leading contender branded to Robert Marks after the opening round. Sweeping the event in Buttonwillow, Marks is a marked-man heading into Willow Springs, with PP Mastro and Doug Hayashi in the challenger position thus far. The TaG Master division - sponsored by Buddy Rice Karting - should come down to the wire with a number of contenders vying for the championship. 2010 SKUSA Pro Tour champion Ethan Wilson left round one with the main event victory and leads the championship. Glenn McKinnon scored the win in the heat races, while Randy Froom was the top qualifier. Paul Hohlbein and Paul Bonilla were in the mix as well - and will remain so throughout the year. Both the TaG Junior and TaG Cadet classes saw event sweeps at Buttonwillow. Curtis Paul scored his first series victory in stunning fashion, sweeping the Russell Karting Specialties-sponsored Junior category. His perfect event in round one has him leading the title chase over defending champ Carter Williams, with NorCal champion Blaine Rocha in third. Jake Drew was equally impressive in the Sunshine Daydream Creations Cadet division with a perfect score at Buttonwillow. Jack von Quilich and Hunter Kelly trail in the standings heading to round two. The Select Shifter/DR Racing S3 Novice Stock Moto saw three drivers battle at the opener, with Steve Ryckebosch taking the feature victory and point lead over John Morgan and Todd Wilson. The local option classes for the California ProKart Challenge, including S4 Magnum and G1, are still struggling but will again be offered at this event, in addition to the S5 Junior Stock Moto class. Round two is set to begin Friday, March 23 with a full day of practice beginning at 9:00 am and running until 5:00 pm in the counter-clockwise direction. Race day is Saturday, March 24, and features the challenging format of practice, qualifying, two heat races and a main event. SKUSA membership and licenses are required, along with all kart specifications under the SKUSA rulebook. SKUSA is offering the same great price to pre-enter ($295, tax included) by March 21 at midnight, and this rate includes your race entry and race tires. This pre-entry price will be offered once again for 2012 at http://www.skusastore.com. All event details, including lodging, camping and other information, can be found at the PKC Event Page (http://www.superkartsusa.com/regional/prokart-challenge/round-2-2012.html). |