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| Superkarts! USA Announces 2012 Pro Tour Schedule |
| Friday, 09 September 2011 16:33 |
 In an effort to continue the incredible momentum that the organization has been enjoying this season, Superkarts! USA is thrilled to be able to officially announce the dates for their 2012 Pro Tour. The second edition of SKUSA’s West Coast circuit enjoyed significant growth this past season, and more is expected in 2012 when the series travels to Phoenix, AZ for the SpringNationals in April. The traditional July scheduling of the SummerNationals is set -- with the actual venue to be announced soon. As has been the case for the last 15 years, Las Vegas will play host to the SuperNationals in November.For 2012, the Pro Tour will kick off with the third annual SpringNationals on April 20-22 at the Phoenix Kart Racing Association facility in Glendale, AZ. The venue for the SummerNationals is currently in the works, pending final discussions and a pair of site inspections on two potential locations. The date has been confirmed for the July 20-22 weekend. The traditional cap to the season will be the SuperNationals at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino on November 14-18, 2012 -- dates that have been contracted through 2013. “I would have liked to have been able to officially announce both venues at this time, but we need to do a little more work before this can happen,” offers Tom Kutscher, Superkarts! USA President. “That said, I feel that it is important to our drivers and teams to get our dates out as soon as possible, so that they can begin assembling their 2012 travel schedules. We’re very close to a decision on the SummerNationals location, and I expect that it will be confirmed before we head to Las Vegas.” “I raced at Phoenix back in the days of the ProMoto Tour, and it’s a great layout,” Kutscher continued. “It was repaved at the start of 2010, and the surface is in great shape. The track is going to give us some incredible racing. We haven’t been there yet with this version of the SKUSA program, so I’m fired up about showing people what we can do!” Aside from confirming high-quality venues, avoiding conflict with other national events was a key part in the calendar placement of the 2012 Pro Tour races, as there has been disappointing overlap in the past that is simply not good for the sport. “We have been in touch with a number of key people to determine potential dates of the other organizations, at least the best we can with the current state of our relationships within the sport, and we’ve done our research as well, based on past schedules and information we’ve received from trusted sources,” confirmed Kutscher. “Conflicts only hurt the industry, because when shops and teams have to miss events due to poor scheduling, it’s a loss of income that cannot be recovered. Our goal was to steer clear of the other national events, and I feel good that we appear to be on open weekends.” There will be a great deal up for grabs for the drivers running the 2012 SKUSA Pro Tour, as the prize money for S1 and TaG Senior is expected to remain the same. The guaranteed SuperSunday starting positions for the top-three drivers heading to the SuperNationals will definitely gain value next year, and the SKUSA Circle of Champions support program is unrivaled in American karting. The graduation of a stellar crop of young shifter drivers from the S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto class will surely make S1 the class to watch, and TaG Senior is definitely on the upswing, thanks to large fields at both the SpringNats and SummerNats this past season. With over 80 drivers already confirmed in TaG Senior, Junior and Cadet for the SuperNationals, and over 40 in TaG Master, the Pro Tour will have an incredible pool of competitors from which to draw. In an effort to provide clear benefits for drivers supporting the Pro Tour in 2012, SKUSA is also busy finalizing a new tiered-entry schedule for the SuperNationals that will put Pro Tour drivers at the head of the registration line. There is only so much room on the schedule in Las Vegas, and the current maximum entries are very likely to remain the same for 2012. There are over two dozen drivers on the waiting lists for the TaG Senior and Master classes, and both S2 and S4 as well, so for next year, participation in one or more of the Pro Tour races will be one of the only ways to reserve a spot in the SuperNationals paddock. SKUSA will release more information on this tiered-entry program before the end of the year. “The SuperNationals have risen to the next level, and we’re getting entries from all over North America and the world,” Kutscher explained. “But we want to support the people who support us, and it’s important to me that we take care of the drivers who run the Pro Tour so they are ensured of being in the show at the SuperNationals. This new program we’re working on will make sure of this.” 2012 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour April 20-22: SpringNationals - Phoenix, AZ July 20-22: SummerNationals - TBA November 14-18: SuperNationals - Las Vegas, NV SKUSA NOTEBOOK: SuperNationals Hotel Rooms Block – SKUSA’s room block at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino is dangerously close to capacity. The hotel has told us that only 500 room-nights remain, which equates to 100 rooms for a five-night stay. Event attendees may book their reservations online at the following link, or they can call in toll free at 1- 866-746-7671 and refer to group code ‘SRSNA11’. (www.harrahs.com) Streets of Lancaster GP Local Option Classes – SKUSA has room for two local option classes on the schedule for this year’s Lancaster event and is asking for input from the California karting community. If you wish to have a class included in the line-up, please email the SKUSA head office at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . SuperNats Practice Tires – Shops, teams and drivers are all requested to pre-order practice tires from SKUSA if you wish to have them made available to you at the event. SKUSA will only be transporting enough tires to Las Vegas to cover the official race tires and pre-ordered sets. In addition, as an official confirmation, SKUSA will be mandating the use of the MG-SK ‘white’ tire for all sessions – both practice and competition – at this year’s SuperNationals. The TaG Cadet class must use the MG-HZ ‘red’ tire for all on-track activities. It has been brought to our attention that some drivers have run different MG compounds during practice sessions this year, and this will not be allowed at the SuperNationals. |