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California ProKart Challenge
| Kal-Gard Grand Prix to Launch New ProKart Challenge South Season |
| Friday, 15 January 2010 12:41 |
 Now entering its sixth season, the ProKart Challenge South program will kick off the 2010 Superkarts! USA regional racing schedule at the end of the month with the running of the inaugural ‘Kal-Gard Grand Prix of Fontana’ at the CalSpeed Karting facility, located on the grounds of the Auto Club Speedway. The series will utilize the 3/4-mile Nuovo course at CalSpeed when the flagship regional program of the SKUSA organization visits the Fontana, California facility on January 29-30, beginning this year’s six-round calendar. This will be an important and exciting event, as the PKC crew pulls the cover off of SKUSA’s off-season updates, including a new spec oil supplier in Kal-Gard Lubricants.This opening event will represent a re-launch of sorts for the Superkarts! USA program, as they will debut the new class structure that was developed during the off-season. With a focus on streamlining their Stock Moto program, SKUSA adjusted the name of its headline S3 class to S1 - Pro Stock Moto, which will now top a new lineup that includes five national Stock Moto categories running from the Junior Stock Moto class of S5 up through Master Stock Moto (S4), Rookie Stock Moto (S3) and Semi-Pro Stock Moto (S2). For the first time in recent years, there is a set road of progression within the Stock Moto ranks, which will be put on display at CalSpeed. Also offered for the second year in a row will be the local-option S4-Magnum Stock Moto class. The SKUSA staff is anticipating a strong turnout across the board, as the PKC faithful are ready to get back on-track for the first time since the SuperNationals. “Our new Stock Moto class structure will make it much easier to understand for the potential racer, as it’s all about the progression through the classes,” offers Tom Kutscher, SKUSA president and PKC promoter. “I’m particularly excited about our new licensing program. We’ve had many drivers apply for the ‘A’ License that is necessary for the S1 class, but we’re going to stay true to our mandate to allow only the best and most experienced competitors into the category. Drivers will need to earn their A License through on-track performance, which will help develop a strong group of competitors in S2 as well. That said, I’m super excited about the S4 Master Stock Moto class, which I think will be huge, and I’m totally committed to developing the S5 Junior Stock Moto division, which is the key to our program.” To put his money where his mouth is in regards to the S5 class, PKC will provide free entry into the opening round of the series to get the Southwest’s young drivers into the exciting gearbox class. Kutscher has also put together an attractive prize package for the stars of this year’s PKC South season. Provided that they run at least five of the six events, the top three drivers in the final S5 standings will receive a free entry into the SuperNationals, which will certainly be the largest event in the class’ short history. “The S5 class will be on the SuperNationals schedule, there’s no doubt about it; it’s our future, and I hope that we see drivers working their way into the program to get experience for that race,” Kutscher continues. “The absolute beauty of the Stock Moto program is that a family can invest in a motor for their junior-aged driver and then keep that motor right through to when he or she graduates through to S1. The operating costs are lower than ever, thanks to our recent rules updates, and when amortized over a driver’s career with us, the engine package is an incredible value!” In addition to the new incentive to build the S5 class, the prize packages for this year’s champions will be bolstered by SKUSA’s new association with Kal-Gard Lubricants, which will supply the new spec oil for all of the organization’s regional series. The storied company will be front-and-center at CalSpeed as the title sponsor of the series opener, which has been dubbed the ‘Kal-Gard Grand Prix of Fontana’. Watch for future announcements and updates regarding the championship prize packages to be given out at the ProKart Challenge season-ending banquet in September. Despite the fact that there has been no on-track action since the SuperNationals in November, the SKUSA staff has been hard at work, making some minor but important adjustments to both the Stock Moto and TaG category rules packages in an effort to both maintain a level playing field and further cut operating costs. In the Stock Moto classes, adjustments to the induction system rules were made, while the specific engine weights for the TaG line-up were also adjusted based on feedback from various PKC and SKUSA supporters. These rules adjustments will all be in effect at the ProKart Challenge opener, and will surely increase the competition, especially for the three TaG classes offered: TaG Junior, TaG Senior and TaG Master. PKC is also allowing the local-option class KF2 to run in this season’s championship starting with the first race. “The entire ProKart Challenge staff is excited about the upcoming sixth season, and we’re looking forward to seeing our off-season work put into play,” Kutscher commented. The opening round of the six-race championship will begin on January 29 with practice day at the CalSpeed facility from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. PKC South will offer a complimentary Friday night BBQ dinner following the practice day, hosted by event sponsor Kal-Gard. Pre-registration and pit reservations are currently being accepted, with racers able to save $35 on their race entry by submitting them prior to midnight, January 27. SKUSA memberships will be mandatory for the event, and forms are available on the SKUSA or ProKart Challenge websites. Camping will be permitted on Friday night for a $50 charge, and the host hotel – the Doubletree Ontario Airport - has rooms for $89 plus tax when registering as part of the ProKart Challenge group. A live scoring feed as well as blogging will be available Saturday during the racing action. For more information on the CalSpeed event or anything related to SKUSA and the ProKart Challenge, visit http://www.superkartsusa.com and http://www.prokartchallenge.com or phone the SKUSA head office at 951-491-0808. |