The Year-End Banquet
Besides racing, another PKC calling card has been the season-ending championship awards banquet. Held for the SoCal series for the first two years at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin and last year at the Astor Classics Museum in Anaheim, the PKC banquet is a celebrated part of the overall program, and has cemented series legend amongst participants by giving away countless prizes -- including three grand prize trips to Brazil over the last three years. This year, Tom Kutscher is excited to announce that all of the great prizes offered to the SoCal series will be available to the NorCal racers as well. These will include: One grand prize trip for one lucky racer to the Granza Viana 500 in Brazil this coming November, Free Rides and Free Entries to the SKUSA Supernationals in November, lucrative merchandise prizes like GP chassis and driving suits, and much more. See What about the Prizes section for more info about this year’s banquet, along with the championship & raffle prizes planned.The PKC Team
The series principle and driving force behind ProKart Challenge is Tom Kutscher. Kutscher, a kart racer and previous owner of the Anaheim, CA-based Extreme Karting, brings enthusiasm and commitment to the series he founded. Kutscher has been known for his passion for the sport as a driver and his close relationships with his customers over the years that he was a shop owner. In 2004, Kutscher was craving something more from the sport. Knowing that kart racing in Southern California was facing an uncertain future, he decided to do something about it. Realizing a healthy sport requires a constant flow of new participants, and with no local series giving the karter the right combination of excitement, classes that fit their abilities and plenty of seat time, Kutscher saw shifter kart ranks shrinking.As a business owner and driver, Kutscher knew that had to change. He understood that while some kart purchases were made for strictly recreational driving, deep down the majority of karters wanted to race, they just didn’t know where, how, or were in fact intimidated. Enter the idea for ProKart Challenge. No longer will aspiring racers or seasoned veterans have to face the quagmire of shoddy choices. There is now one clear choice, and it’s PKC. Says Kutscher about the series, "ProKart Challenge is frankly the realization of a dream, and I’m in it for the long haul. It’s an extension of my experiences in karting, which will translate into a challenging and enjoyable experience for the racer."
The national race director for both ProKart Challenge and Superkarts! USA is Steve Buckner. Steve is proud to share that he was the 2001 and 2002 125 shifter champion for LAKC. Besides seven years of his own kart racing experience and his avid love of racing in general, he is completely devoted to PKC and SKUSA. Steve also has thorough knowledge of our rules and an ideal temperament to balance out all on-track calls. He is a key player on the PKC team.
John Motley is the National Tech Director for PKC and SKUSA. Having driven his first kart in 1959 in Batavia, NY, John has more than 30 years of experience in the karting industry. In addition to being our national tech director for the past 3 years, he is on the tech committees of both the IKF and WKA. He also owns Race Kart Engineering in Paso Robles. He’s even done consulting for Yamaha’s kart program, rounding out his background and experience and making him the best Tech Director in the U.S.!
Chris Ortenburger of Eyenovation Multimedia LLC creates and maintains visual marketing solutions for ProKart Challenge and SKUSA, as well as a variety of clients worldwide. It’s Eyenovation that is responsible for the visual flair that some deem PKC’s strongest asset off track. See the PKC logo, website imagery and advertising campaigns for proof. In addition to maximizing the visual effect, it was Eyenovation’s key marketing strategies that helped launch the series in late 2004. For additional information regarding Eyenovation see: www.eyenovation.com
The unsung hero award goes to Patti Kutscher, Tom’s wife, and the entire Kutscher family. Patti and her crew are responsible for making each PKC event run smoothly and most efficiently. Their team is an administrative powerhouse that contributes plenty of time and energy not only behind the scenes, but at the track as well. Look for the entire PKC staff list, contributors and volunteer list online soon.