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Friday, 31 July 2009 08:58 |
 Only a month has passed since Superkarts! USA leader Tom Kutscher opened the doors on registration for this year’s SuperNationals, but the grids for the Las Vegas event are already filling up fast. Set for the week of November 18-22, this year’s karting festival will be packed wall-to-wall as has been confirmed by the number of entries already received at the SKUSA offices and the number of rooms reserved at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.
“The numbers we have seen pile in over the last few weeks is simple amazing – we had over 100 entries the very first day!” stated SKUSA owner and president Kutscher. “Between the entry totals we are seeing already and the number of rooms booked at the Rio, there is no doubt this event will be huge. With last year’s event as a measuring stick, we are already past last year’s hotel books by over 40% and that says a lot about our program, our staff and the whole package that we present for our customers and karting friends. This year’s event will truly be one you don’t want to miss.” |
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Friday, 24 July 2009 12:06 |
From the first day that Tom Kutscher sat at the Superkarts! USA helm following his purchase of the shifterkart organization, the karting enthusiast had one underlying goal – return the program to its glory days. The popular SKUSA ProMoto Tour vaulted gearbox racing to the forefront in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, making famous the names of top drivers like Darren Elliott, Jason LaPoint, Bobby Wilson, Scott Speed and Ron White. Kutscher was a top competitor in the series’ Formula G1 category for Masters drivers, spending considerable time on the podium himself. During this stretch, he reveled in the electricity of the trackside atmosphere, the paddock camaraderie and the quality of the racing. After watching the series fall from grace, Kutscher eventually assumed control of SKUSA and has been systematically putting it back together by developing regional programs and re-stoking the magic in its annual SuperNationals. Looking into the future, the Californian will now take the next logical step in bringing back a national series in the promotion of a three-race Pro Tour for 2010, which will expand the popularity of the SuperNats with the running of a SpringNationals in April and a SummerNationals in July. As customary, the SuperNationals will once again cap off the year of competition in Las Vegas in November. |
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Wednesday, 22 July 2009 11:41 |
 Karting Ventures Inc. has recently announced the sophomore edition of the wildly popular ‘Machismo 500’, an overnight endurance event held in conjunction with the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XIII in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 500 lap team endurance race will run Saturday, November 21 through the morning hours of Sunday, November 22 on a 3/4-mile temporary circuit just outside the Rio Hotel and Casino doors.
The inaugural 2008 edition of the Machismo 500 saw competitors such as Alex Tagliani, Boris Said, Joey Hand and many others go wheel to wheel as the sun came up over the famed ‘Vegas Strip’ in the background. Following seven hours of racing, Team Sonoma Valley Racing with Robby Mott, Renn Ortenburger, and Raymond Zanotto behind the wheel go from the pole position to the top step of the podium.
This year’s event is sure to see even more top-level talent, as well as a new multi-class structure inspired by Le Mans sports car racing. Teams will have the option to compete in the ‘Sport Class’ featuring full-bodied karts powered by 270cc Honda engines (as featured in the 2008 edition of the Machismo 500), or they may opt to compete in the all-new ‘Pro Class’ which will feature the higher horsepower 390cc Honda Engine on an open-wheel chassis. |
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Wednesday, 15 July 2009 10:55 |
 The Superkarts! USA ProKart Challenge North wrapped up the fifth round of the seven event championship program on July 11 at the Jim Russell International Karting Center inside the Infineon Raceway facility. The event was contested on the 0.68-mile ‘Sprint’ configuration at the Sonoma, California circuit, with a number of drivers offering dominating performances to sweep the day’s action.
Brett Buckwalter put himself back into the TaG Senior championship chase with a weekend sweep – to a near perfect score in the points on the day. A 48.524 lap time in qualifying gave Buckwalter a two-tenths advantage over championship leader Will Martindale for the pole position. A bad opening lap by Martindale – which dropped him to eighth in the order – allowed Buckwalter to cruise to the first heat win over Larry Fraser. Despite his bad luck, Martindale powered through to regain most of the spots to end up third after the eight-lap sprint. Buckwalter went flag to flag in the second heat, as Martindale assumed the runner-up spot – Fraser retired after taking the green with a broken chain. Brett Felkins – struggling in qualifying and the opening heat – found the right changes to come up from 13th to third. |
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Friday, 03 July 2009 16:09 |
 The one thing that the Superkarts! USA organization and the ProKart Challenge North program have done in its short two year history is keep the competitors entertained and on their toes each month. Round five of the 2009 seven race championship – set for July 11 at the Jim Russell International Karting Center in Sonoma, California – will see a new track configuration for the event. Contesting on the ‘Sprint’ configuration, the 0.68-mile course is sure to challenge those who will be competing.
Aside from the new track layout, the big question heading into the race will be if anyone can stop Jacob Neal. With three straight wins in the PKC North S3 competition, including four more wins in the PKC South program, Neal has been nearly unstoppable. And as he leads with a nearly 200 point advantage in the standings, Tommy Thompson will need some help in the next two rounds in order to challenge Neal for the title. Neal also has a firm hold on the S1 championship, with two feature wins to his credit. Counting a drop, however, brings Cody Hodgson right into the chase with Neal – as the two will go head to head next weekend. Word has it that a few surprise competitors, wanting to get track time in preparation for the upcoming SuperNats in the SuperPro division, may show up to challenge the S1 contenders for podium bragging rights. |
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