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After a hectic 2020, SKUSA is getting ready to start another ProTour season this month at NOLA Motorsports Park. One topic of major speculation has been the future of the IAME 175 SSE shifter program and where shifter kart racing as a whole is headed within the SKUSA organization.
“It’s no secret the 175 had a difficult launch and underwent challenges in becoming the stable and driver-friendly engine it is today,” remarked SKUSA’s Tom Kutscher. “We don’t want to dwell on the past, we’re always trying to look forward. Rather than blame anyone, we’re doubling down on our commitment to see it work. We owe that to the racers who have purchased these engines and we truly believe that we have perfected this format now. The engine of 2021 is not the same one that had unforeseen issues at launch. We are prepared to show it, and our commitment to the program, in a very significant way.”
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The California ProKart Challenge returns to the CalSpeed Karting facility on June 18-20 for a double-header weekend to continue the 2021 season (Photo: DromoPhotos.com)
The 2021 California ProKart Challenge program returns trackside next weekend at the CalSpeed Karting facility. The Fontana, California circuit was left off the 2020 schedule due to COVID-19 restrictions, and comes back this season with the only double-header weekend for the year. Superkarts! USA regional competitors will be on-track for three days, including a full day of practice on Friday, June 18 and two separate rounds of racing on Saturday, June 19 and Sunday, June 20.
The season began back in April with the opening round held at the Buttonwillow Raceway Park, as 13 classes were offered in the title chase for a 2021 championship. This year’s series format will again be a ‘Best 5 of 6 races’, with competitors having the ability to drop one round towards their year-end points total. This means drivers who were not able to race at the series opener can still compete for a spot on the year-end championship podium, or if facing other challenges can still be in the title hunt even if they cannot race both days at CalSpeed.
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(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca)
The 2019 karting season officially gets underway this weekend as the first event of the new year calendar is set to take place. Superkarts! USA has taken that honor for the last two years, as the second edition of the SKUSA Winter Series opens on January 11-13 at the AMR Homestead-Miami Motorplex Presented by MG Tires in South Florida. The popular track will welcome over 230 entries in 11 categories to tackle the 12-turn, 7/10-mile course located in the shadows of Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The EKN Trackside Live coverage during the weekend will hit all of our platforms, including our EKN Social Media pages, as well as our live broadcast which will be available at www.ekartingnews.com/live. Those not in attendance can listen to the race call while viewing the live timing as the event unfolds. The EKN Live program is possible thanks to our broadcast partners Courtney Concepts, Rolison Performance Group and Alan Rudolph Racing Academy.
The big story of the event is the competition debut of the new IAME SSE engine through Superkarts! USA in the Pro Shifter and Master Shifter divisions. The 175cc, six-speed engine has been in development for over two years as SKUSA looks to provide the shifterkart engine of the future. Teams and drivers have been grabbing up engines and testing aggressively since they hit the market in late 2018, all in preparation for this season. 2018 SKUSA Pro Tour champion AJ Myers begins the 2019 season carrying the prestigious #1 SKUSA plate aboard his Mad Old Nut / Mad Croc machine. Myers has the home track advantage and will be tough to beat. Top contenders include Florida driver Mathias Ramirez, who is making his return to PSL / Birel ART for 2019. \ 2018 SKUSA Winter Series S2 Semi-Pro Stock Honda champion Rory van der Steur (CPI / Tony Kart), SKUSA #2 plate holder Kyle Wick (CRG Nordam) and Texas ProKart Challenge champion Max Hewitt (CRG Nordam) are among the young guns taking part in the IAME SSE debut. IndyCar and IMSA driver Sage Karam showed well in his return to karting at the SuperNationals last November, and he is back with iKart in his SKUSA Winter Series debut. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Pedro Hiltbrand won both his heat races in Pro Shifter (Photo: EKN)
Racing action kicked off on Friday at the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 25 outside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. Two rounds of heat races for both the morning categories and afternoon group were completed to set the opening act toward victory on SuperSunday in Las Vegas. The weather was overcast, as temps remained in the lower 60s with a stronger wind once the sun set, bringing a cool crisp air into the area for the final few heat races on the day. Spanish driver Pedro Hiltbrand (PSL / Birel ART) and Ryan Norberg (RPG / Kosmic) set the tone in the headline divisions with two heat race wins each while Junior driver Caleb Gafrarar (RPG / Kosmic) won four on the day.
Gafrarar was able to win the opening heat race on the day, starting the KA100 Junior AvsD race from sixth. Gafrarar knifed his way to the front, taking the win by 1.7 seconds over Rolison Performance Group teammates Max Taylor and Ernesto Rivera. Junior rookie and last year’s Mini Swift winner Enzo Vidmontiene (MottazSport / Kart Republic) won the BvsC race, climbing up five positions and bringing Oliver Wheldon (JC / LN Racing Kart) with him to second. USPKS champion Helio Meza (IRM / Tony Kart) improved six spots on the AvsC heat with top qualifier Steven Miller (CDR / Alonso Kart) in second. Gafrarar closed out the day for the class with a win ahead of SKUSA Pro Tour champion Jesus Vasquez Jr. (Nash / EOS) and Max Garcia (MPG / Kart Republic). Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
Due to extremely congested shipping ports and COVID-19 logistics, IAME USA have experienced unforeseen delays in shipments. This in turn means the inability to procure new engines and exhaust systems in a timely fashion, as outlined in the previous update memorandum. SuperKarts! USA have confirmed they will delay the introduction of new systems in their events until the SKUSA ProTour SpringNationals in Utah.
While incoming shipments are expected in the next couple of weeks, the best laid plans cannot overcome the chaos caused by this ongoing pandemic. In order for teams and customers to have sufficient time for preparation, SKUSA have opted to delay the introduction in their sanctioned competition. The new roller-type main bearings will still be approved for use at the first SKUSA event in New Orleans. Teams and drivers who are preparing their current equipment early will not have to re-do them. We thank our racers for their ongoing patience and understanding during these extremely difficult times.
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