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Written by Matthew Fink - Hagerty Media
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Friday, 11 March 2022 10:16 |
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Late race drama: on the last lap of the K100 senior race, the top five contenders crashed, handing Brandon Lemke the win. (Matthew Fink)
Which race do you consider to be the greatest motorsports event in the world? Is it the 24 Hours of Le Mans? Perhaps, the Indy 500? Or, maybe you favor something more extreme, like the Isle of Man TT bike race or Pikes Peak Hillclimb? I would like to add a lesser-known event to the list of title contenders: The Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals.
This karting event in Las Vegas, Nevada annually provides high speed and high stakes. It is a collection of the world’s top motorsports drivers with varying agendas and equipment. These aren’t your local family fun center five-horsepower karts. No, these are lethal machines that pull big g-force numbers in the corners and high digits down the straights. Speed, history, prestige, and close competition–this race, like its well-known crown jewels counterparts, has it all, and I’ve know this for a while.
Fresh out of college, in the early 2000s, I worked for SKUSA and helped conduct some of the largest events in karting history. SuperNationals is widely regarded as the most prestigious karting event in the world. The race–and SKUSA, in general– have helped evolve karting into the professional motorsport that it is today. I hold them in such high regard but haven’t attended a SuperNat race since 2003. To see if it could still be consider one of the greatest motorsport events in the world, I attended the 24th running of the great kart race in the desert. Read full story on Hagarty.com |
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Sunday, 05 December 2021 01:00 |
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Italian Matteo Vigano added his name to the list of winners at the SuperNationals, taking $10,000 home with victory in Pro Shifter (Photo: EKN)
It took 746 days before SuperSunday returned as the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 24 was completed on Sunday, December 5 outside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With the COVID-19 pandemic postponing the event in 2020, the ‘Mission Possible’ continued with the venue change just days before the December 1 opening day of on track session. SKUSA pulled off the 20-mile move to the LVMS property and enjoyed the new host hotel of Resorts World Las Vegas, welcoming 483 entries over the nine categories competing for the record books.
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Saturday, 04 December 2021 01:00 |
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Italian Matteo Vigano will start the main event from P1 in the Pro Shifter division (Photo: EKN)
One of the more important days of the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals is Saturday. The term ‘Situation Saturday’ was coined by guest announcer Chris Wheeler during one of the previous SuperNats, and continues on with the 24th edition of the event in Las Vegas. The final round of heat races were conducted outside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway along with the Last Chance Qualifiers for the final few spots of the grid on SuperSunday to crown this year’s winners.
The morning categories began with the KA100 Senior division and a third straight win by Cole Morgan (RPM / Tony Kart). The top qualifier was able to hold off brother Carson Morgan (RPM / Tony Kart) for the win in AvsB heat race to secure the pole position for the final. The CvsD heat was won by former SKUSA Pro Tour champion Brandon Lemke (FMS / Merlin) who beat out Blake Nash (Nash / EOS). Thomas Annunziata (MDR / Kosmic) finished third, and will start the main event from outside the front row. Carson Morgan and Lemke fill out the second row. Max Opalski (RPM / Tony Kart) won the LCQ with Pro Tour vice-champion Jace Park (TKG / Kart Republic) and Nolan Allison (RPG / Kosmic) needing to use their provisional spots for the main event. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Friday, 03 December 2021 01:00 |
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Two wins in X30 Senior have Canadian Thomas Nepveu as the driver to beat (Photo: EKN)
Racing is underway for the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 24 at its fifth different location of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Following the qualifying sessions on Thursday, heat races began on Friday with the opening two rounds contested for both the morning and afternoon categories. The weather was perfect all day, with not much of a temperature drop when the sun set behind the Las Vegas mountains to the west. There were no major surprises in the heat races, as drivers finally tackled the temporary circuit with wheel-to-wheel racing.
KA100 Senior was all the Morgan brothers on track, taking three of the four heat races on the day. Both won the opening heat races with top qualifier Cole Morgan (RPM / Tony Kart) securing the win in AvsD by three seconds with Carson Morgan (RPM / Tony Kart) named winner in a red flag shortened BvsC. Carson was penalized three seconds for a pushback bumper penalty, giving the win to Thomas Annunziata (MDR / Kosmic). The second round was a Morgan sweep with Cole winning AvsC and Carson taking the checkered in BvsD. The two will face off in the their final heat Saturday to decide the pole position for SuperSunday. Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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Tuesday, 30 November 2021 11:26 |
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Defending KZ winner Danny Formal looking for a fourth SuperNationals victory (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)
The class that started it all at the SKUSA SuperNationals was the S1 division. The premier shifterkart category at the inaugural SuperNats in 1997 with the S1 division. That remained the headline division up until the SuperPro division was established. It was in that category the engine program shifted from moto engines to karting-specific powerplants, while also welcoming international drivers by the final year of the class in 2009. It was then when the division was split into two with the promotion of the Stock Moto category from the SKUSA Pro Tour to the S1 name and KZ class established. 2019 was the debut of the IAME SSE engine, adjusting the name to Pro Shifter. Now, for the 2021 edition of the SuperNationals, we are combining the KZ and Pro Shifter engines into one category, welcoming the largest class turnout in recent years.
The combination of the two categories into one welcome two defending winners looking to repeat in 2021. History can be made by Billy Musgrave (Factory Karts), the three-time defending winner in the Pro Shifter division. The 2012 S2 winner has four total SuperNationals victories, currently tied with Connor De Phillippi and Kip Foster with the most by one driver. With a win on SuperSunday, Musgrave can put himself alone at the top of the SuperNationals win list. Looking to join him at four total wins in Vegas is defending KZ winner Danny Formal (LEM / Formula K). It was an emotional victory for the Costa Rican in 2019, besting a talented field for his third SuperNationals win, joining his S1 victories from 2015 and 2016. Last year, the two did not run head-to-head. In the five times Formal and Musgrave have raced against one another at the SuperNationals, Formal has finished better in three of years (2014-2016). Read full story on eKartingNews.com |
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