Archives - Norcal Karters

12-29-10 The Northern California Karters proudly announce the “Laguna Winter Classic” on Saturday January 29th

For the first time in 21 years NCK karts will be plunging down the “corkscrew” racing at the world famous Laguna Seca Raceway. Although the Superkarts have run there off and on over the years it’s been since 1989 that an open kart race has been held there.

With the way that Laguna awards dates, NCK had to go through a lengthy lottery process. NCK was low on the list so it severely limited the days available. By the time NCK was allowed to pick, very few days remained and all were very early in the year. Although the date is only a month away NCK was able to procure the only weekend date left available. By choosing a Saturday we believe it should allow more racers to run on the storied track than had it been a weekday. NCK has also chosen to remain in the lottery for dates in the second half of the year too.

Laguna Seca has a strict sound limit of 92 DB. NCK testing has shown that most water cooled karts can easily make the limit. Some need minor modifications such as silencers and air boxes. The always popular World Formula racers can usually make the limit. Most Yamahas can also make it with an air box and a special silencer placed over the outlet on the pipe. These silencers will be available at the track. More technical information will be made available on the NCK website so you can prepare your kart.

The race format will consist of four separate run groups. Each group will consist of a maximum of thirty karts. For public rentals like this, Laguna only allows thirty vehicles on track at any one time. Each group will get a minimum of three track sessions. Practice, Pre-Main and a Main event. Groupings and times are currently being analyzed. Every attempt is being made to group similar karts and speeds into each run group while also attempting to allow racers to enter a second class. As NCK is only allowed 30 karts per group that will cap the event at the first 120 paid entries. Entry will be on a first come first served basis. After that there will be a waiting list.

While realizing that this event is going to be run on short notice NCK is confident that with the racers help this will be one of the most talked about and exciting events of the year 2011.

Please check www.nckroadracing.com for entry information and continuing updates.

12-16-10 The Performance Racing Industry Trade Show

The performance Racing Industry Trade Show took place for the 23rd successful year this past week in Orlando Fl where the Motorsports worlds top manufacturers and distributors displayed their companies products and new innovations. A small part of the show is the Kart Racing section where a few of the Karting Industries major players displayed.

The impressive setup was by MRP and Gary Lobaugh displaying the Birel and Rotax Products. MRP recently became the American importer for all Rotax Karting Products as well as importer for Xeramic Products which recently partnered with Rotax to make lubrication products in conjunction with the Rotax Power Plant. New for 2011 was the Rotax Radiator. Rotax has developed a new radiator that is a dual core and is not only deeper, but wider and taller and comes with a swivel plastic shroud to reduce/improve cooling.

WKA was also on hand promoting their insurance programs and sanctioning. They will be hosting Kartweek at Daytona International Speedway in the coming weeks as they made preparations for the big race. Speaking to Buddy Long about the future of WKA sanctioning in Northern Ca he said, "Northern Ca is a new area of Karting for WKA. The Region is one of the Strongest in the Nation and we are excited to be part of it. We have some new announcements coming soon that will offer additional Perks to the Regional Programs that will benefit the racer directly.

K1 Race Gear was displaying their new Nomex two layer suit that weighed less than two pounds. Other developments in the works is a New Karting Suit that has not yet been announced yet, however K1 will be announcing a new advancement in Kart Suits taking the material used for the protective gear to an all new level.

12-13-10 Inaugural SuperKarts USA Pro Tour Champions Decided

Final point standings released by organization following record-breaking SuperNationals

With the running of the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XIV last month in Las Vegas, the inaugural season of the SKUSA Pro Tour came to a close in dramatic fashion. Outside the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, a record-breaking crowd of nearly 500 racers competed for five-days – with the nine championship categories closing out the final step in the chase for the title. The top-three drivers in the final standings -- including the champions – have won the rights to the coveted national number throughout the 2011 season. And for a select few, SKUSA and its series partners offered up a number of contingency programs to further add to the series prize purse.

“The first year of the SKUSA Pro Tour was a successful season,” commented Tom Kutscher of Superkarts! USA. “I can’t thank all of the drivers, teams and series supporters enough for making this inaugural season what it was.”

The two headline categories – S1 Pro Stock Moto and TaG Senior – offered up a total of $16,000 to split toward their championship prize fund. Thanks to a runner-up finish in Vegas, Fritz Leesmann took home the $5,000 championship check in S1 while Phil Giebler’s solid performances throughout the season helped him take home a similar payday in TaG Senior. Leesmann made his Stock Moto debut in 2010 after spending the last few years ranked as one of the top ICC drivers in North America. Scoring a victory in his first regional outing, Leesmann followed suit at the SKUSA SpringNationals taking the opening round win and leaving as the championship leader. Another victory at the SKUSA SummerNationals put Leesmann in the driver’s seat for the title, which he clinched with another solid performance in Vegas. Giebler – the 2007 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year – returned to the sport that helped build his racing resume for so many years. Like Fritz, Giebler was the top dog at the SpringNationals, scoring the main event victory both days. Another win and podium finish at the SummerNationals all but clinched the title – as he locked it up with a top 10 result last month.

Coming on mid-way through the season, former national champion Alex Speed also entered the Stock Moto program and came out successful. A win and runner-up at the SKUSA SummerNationals, Speed nearly pulled off an event sweep at the SKUSA SuperNats and earned his third victory – first headline win – at the event. His performance helped him leap up to the second spot in the title chase and a $2,000 paycheck. Completing the top three was championship contender Clinton Schoombee. A winner at the SpringNationals, Schoombee struggled to keep pace in the final two rounds of the tour, but managed to hold on to earn the #3 plate for 2011, along with $1,000 in cash.

Giebler’s chief rival on the year in TaG Senior was Larry Fraser. Despite not electing to compete in the category at the SuperNationals, the NorCal driver ended up second in the final standings – and collected $2,000 for his efforts. Though Travis Lowe lost a spot on the podium in the main event at the SuperNats, his performance over the three days of competition added to his SpringNationals points total to help him finish the year third in the standings. His Vegas run helped him score the #3 plate for 2011 and a $1,000 check.

The S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto championship chase came down to the final few laps of the season, with Derek Crockett coming through with the title – thanks to his victory at the SuperNats. Entering Vegas behind in the standings, Crockett needed to finish ahead of championship leader Matt Alcorn in every on-track session. The St. Louis driver did just that and defeated the rest of the class challengers as well –going on to sweep the category from qualifying to the main event for his first-ever win at the SuperNationals. The win locked up the title for Crockett, while Alcorn was forced to settle for second in final standings. Scoring the #3 national plate for 2011 is S2 rookie Lukas Johnson. A graduate of the S5 Junior Stock Moto program, Johnson was impressive throughout the year and should be a contender for the title next season.

Phil Conte battled until the end, and his effort paid off with a championship in the S4 Master Stock Moto division. Heading into Vegas with the point lead, the battle in the second largest class at the SuperNationals was a long and difficult fight for the SoCal driver. Heading into the main event sitting 15th overall, Conte was involved in an opening lap incident that left his machine wounded. Determined to make it to the end, Conte muscled on to finish 19th and earn enough points to hang on to the number one spot and the Pro Tour championship. Fellow SummerNationals winner Peter Workum ended up second, unable to close any ground on Conte over the course of the final event. The same went for third place standings finisher Jonathon Allen, who also encountered a difficult end result in Vegas – but managed to hold on to the third spot in the point chase.

Fernando Diaz also held on through the SuperNationals to earn the title in the G1 category. In the open shifterkart division for drivers over the age of 30, Diaz was among the contenders at the SuperNationals and clinched the championship with a seventh place finish in Vegas. Eduardo Martins was able to gain points on Diaz, driving to a podium finish at the SuperNats, but could not overcome the difference to take over the top spot. Roy Montgomery ended the year third in the final tally, completing the season with a 14th place run at the SuperNationals. The TaG Master title went to Ethan Wilson. The event winner at the SpringNationals, Wilson was able to hold off a late-season charge by SummerNationals event winner Steve Wiener. Brian McHattie drove to a third place finish at the SuperNationals, helping him move up in the order to third in the final point standings.

One of the closet point battles of the season took place in the S5 Junior Stock Moto division. Four drivers entered the SuperNationals with a chance at the title, leaving it to the best driver in Vegas a shoe-in for the championship. Daniel Langon ended up being that driver. A main event winner at the SpringNationals, Langon nearly swept the category at the SuperNats, taking the victory and securing the title by 27 points over previous point leader Austin Schimmel. The Colorado driver kept pace with Langon, but the NorCal driver escaped all challengers in the feature race. Texas driver Alex Tartaglia was consistent on the season and was the only driver in the top four not to score a main event victory. His effort earned him the third position in the standings over two-time series winner Christian Schureman. Luis Tyrrell scored the TaG Junior championship title, as he outlasted Enzo Mestre over the course of the season – while Emily Maddison edged out Austin Thomas for the third spot in the standings.

Colton Herta – son of IndyCar driver Bryan Herta – put in an amazing drive at the SuperNationals to stamp an exclamation point on his TaG Cadet championship. Entering the event as the point leader, Herta was forced to drive from the tail of the field in each heat race after a technical mishap in qualifying. Starting 21st in the main event, Herta drove a calculated 15-lap race to end up on the third step of the podium and score the title by just 20 points over second place finisher Parker Thompson. SpringNationals event winner Noah Grey finished fourth in Vegas, helping him to finish the year third in the final point standings. A new class for SKUSA – and thanks to the partnership with Vortex Engines – Herta also earns a trip to the 2011 Rok Cup International Final in Italy as an added reward for the series champion.

In addition to the championships earned by the nine #1 drivers, those same stars are recognized in the inaugural ‘Circle of Champions’ and will receive complimentary entries for the 2011 Pro Tour – valued at more than $1,100 each. This prize package is designed by SKUSA, with the goal to keep its best drivers in the sport and to support its racers as they continue developing as karters.

“The nine drivers earning the #1 plate warrant the credit for their efforts and our ‘Circle of Champions’ program helps promote that,” continued Kutscher. “These individuals are the stars of the sport as of today, and you will know every time you race against them next season. Our hope is to see each of the champions return and defend their crowns in 2011, and help to increase that feeling of stardom within the sport felt in the early days of the SKUSA era. I want to congratulate each driver for their award, and I’m looking forward to seeing them next season.”

The 2011 Superkarts! USA North American Pro Tour is set to begin the weekend of April 29-May 1, with the SpringNationals scheduled to be contested at the P1 Kart Circuit in Tucson, Arizona. This event will be followed by the SummerNationals at the Grand Junction Motor Speedway in Colorado – July 15-17. The season will then come to a close in Vegas once again for the SKUSA SuperNationals XV at the Rio November 16-20.

For more information on anything related to SKUSA, visit the www.superkartsusa.com website or call the SKUSA head office at 951-491-0808.

12-7-10 TJ Fischer Joins Cambrian Go-Kart's Stellar 2011 Driver List

With only only a few weeks since the end of the 2010 Racing season Cambrian Go Karts is already hard at work developing a game plan for 2011. With a lot of exciting new changes and additions to the popular racing team, one of the most recent is the signing of young TJ Fischer. TJ will pilot the 2011 Robert Kubica signature chassis put out by the 29 Time world Champion Birel brand.

"I am so excited to have TJ join forces with us, he did such a fantastic job last year and I know that if we surround him with all the right tools he will be a threat to win every where we go and would be a natural fit into out program. " said Team owner Donald Durbin Jr. We really want to hit the ground running and our first mission is the Rotax Challenge of the Americas in Phoenix.

When we did the chassis test with TJ he adapted so well, he immediately knew what he wanted, made a few chassis request and when they were met, he was even faster. I brought another young star of ours Yamaha stand out and Duffy winner Bronson Eggert to join us so that we could observe how they would work together on and off the track and Im sure we will all see in no time that they will be each others biggest asset during the races they compete in together which will be a lot due to the fact that they both have busy seasons upon them with rotax, tag, and yamaha in their sights.

Look for CGK and their elite group of drivers to contend every weekend in the Challenge of the Americas, IKF regional races, Rotax Grand Nationals, RLOK, IKF Gand Nationals, the Gold Rush, Pro Kart North, Kinsmen Kart Club and much more. Remember, we are their to support you..........the racer.

For more info about TJ Fischer visit TJ's website www.TJFischerRacing.com

12-7-10 Sean Rayhall Debuts NASA 8-Hour Enduro Report
“No luck needed as team Lucky Dog speeds into victory”

This past weekend Sean Rayhall made his premier entrance in the NASA 8-hour Enduro race with a pretty big bang, and by big bang, he and his team in the Lucky Dog Porsche Cup car took first. This was also Rayhall’s first race in a Porsche Cup car.

Sean was accompanied by driver/team owner Jerry Peters as well as legendary pro-driver and multi-championship winner Jack Baldwin. Sean and the Lucky Dog team managed to lead all the laps in the Enduro, dominating the 8-hour event that took place at Road Atlanta.

Team Lucky Dog began the race in 11th place, but Baldwin quickly made his way through the field into first. Holding the position for Rayhall, who’s entry stint in the Cup car was for one and ½ hours. Rayhall fended off the position during his duration before turning the car over to Jerry Peters. Their third driver kept up the pace that the team’s predecessors had set for him, continuing to keep them in first position.

Entering the halfway point of the endurance race, Rayhall returned to the cockpit manning the Lucky Dog car even further from the rest of the field. The Porsche-Cup rookie held the car in first position for the duration of three hours in a double stint. Afterwards, turning the car back to Baldwin who drove flawlessly until finally handing the wheel off to Peters during a lightning fast pit stop and splash of fuel, who would finish out the final 35 minutes of the race. Peters continued the consistency of the team he had strategized so well in the past seven and ½ hours and drove the Lucky Dog car into victory lane, first place.

This is the first of hopefully many victorious finishes for team Lucky Dog, as Sean commented after the race, “I’m so proud and ecstatic that my first appearance in a Porsche Cup car has been so successful and with a team that is so outstanding. I’d like to thank my co-drivers, Jack Baldwin and of course Jerry Peters and congratulate them on this victory.”

Follow Sean Rayhall’s progression in Legends as well as all of his other testing and racing in oval and differing sport cars at seanrayhall.com.

12-4-10 Austin Elliott Shows Speed and Progress at Skusa Super Nationals

“Talented junior gains experience for 2011 racing season”

Californian Austin Elliott made the long trek to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 14th annual Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals. With the event taking place at the RIO All-Suites Hotel and Casino, Elliott proved to have the speed to run at the front of the fifty-seven kart TaG Junior field but ran into some tough racing luck when the wheel-to-wheel action took place.

Competing against some of the world’s best junior competitors, Elliott showed his speed right out of the box during Wednesday’s official practice sessions. Utilizing P1 Engines power and a Wesley Boswell-tuned Top Kart, Elliott circulated the temporary facility running times inside the top ten. With drivers from around the world entered in the stout field, Elliott would look to turn his practice times into SuperNationals glory come Super Sunday.

After a strong qualifying effort that saw the junior driver classified thirteenth overall, it was on to the heat races to try and improve his starting spot for the main event. With the heat race flight format, consistency would be the goal as three strong finishes would ensure a top ten starting position for the green flag on Sunday.

Heat one did not start as planned for the Top Kart driver as a first corner incident saw him relegated down the running order. After hopping out of his ride and fixing it the best he could, Elliott did not give up and drove to a twentieth place result. Knowing that every position counted, the Californian pushed it to the very last corner on the last lap to try and gain as many positions as possible.

Heat two would start out better than the first heat as Elliott quickly moved into the third position. Battling hard with the best and most talented juniors at the front of the pack, the P1 Engines powered driver would fall back to sixth before the checkered flag flew. Elliott came into his own in this heat race as he showed that he has the skills and drive to compete with the upper echelon of karting competitors.

Looking to keep the momentum going into the third and final heat, Elliott managed a good start and was running in the top ten for the majority of the race. Late race contact would see the 15-year-old spin sideways in the middle of the track but regain control only losing a few positions. When the dust had settled, it was another solid top fifteen result.

With the points calculated from the heat races, Elliott would line up on the inside of the twelfth row in the 23rd starting spot. Running inside the top ten all weekend, the young man was confident of moving forward and challenging for a podium result. Disaster would strike on the opening lap as Elliott was caught up in a first corner incident that took several drivers out of competition.

“I tried to avoid a driver who spun in front of me in the middle of turn 1, but my back wheel clipped his kart resulting in a bent axle for me,” explained Elliott. “With 40 karts all going in to turn 1, it was impossible to avoid this and unfortunately I was forced to watch the rest of the main event from the sidelines.”

Elliott continued, “I learned a lot this year and even more at this event. My tuner Wesley Boswell has been a huge help to my racing success. I think my overall experiences will make me a better driver next season. I look forward to continuing on.”

Austin would like to thank his sponsors and the support from his team, family and friends who have helped him with his racing success so far: The Door & Window Stop, Fresno Tap Recyclers, RDS Race Cars & Chassis, SNAP Fitness, STAT Medical Billing, CS Tactical, Fine Line CAD Services, Wesley Boswell, Grand Products, Kartel Motorsports, P1 Engines, Race Karts, Inc. and Race Media Group (RMG).

For more information on Austin Elliott and Austin Elliott Racing, please visit them online at www.AustinElliottRacing.com or contact Sandra Booher at 916.716.3721 or via e-mail at slbooher@comcast.net.

12-1-10 Superkarts USA Confirms 2011 Pro Kart Challenge Schedules

North and South programs complimented by popular Pro Tour calendar

When the dust finally settled at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino after the record-breaking Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XIV, completing the organization’s 2010 season, the focus immediately turned to the upcoming 2011 calendar year. Prior to the Las Vegas event, the locations for next year’s SKUSA Pro Tour were released to the public, throwing fuel on the fire of excitement that blazed throughout SuperNats week. And now, the dates and facilities for the flagship regional programs for California are ready for release as well. The ProKart Challenge South is entering season #7 while the ProKart Challenge North is now into its fourth round – with both programs making notable changes for the upcoming year.

The two programs will feature similar formats – six races within the championship – counting the best five results. PKC South will return to the Willow Springs Kart Track, Streets of Willow road course, and Buttonwillow circuits, and will also bring back the temporary circuit outside Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego to the schedule. New for 2011 will be the running of the season opener at the historic Adams Motorsports Park in Riverside. The PKC North schedule will venture outside its former home facility in Sonoma to now feature five new tracks on the circuit. The famed facilities in Dixon, Prairie City, Monterey, Atwater and Reno, Nevada will join the PKC North program this year. For a third straight year, the two series will meet at the growing PKC West Coast Shootout to match South vs. North in Santa Maria, the same facility that hosted the 2010 event.

“The 2011 schedules for our ProKart Challenge programs are solid,” remarked Tom Kutscher of Superkarts! USA. “The mix of facilities we have mapped out for SoCal will challenge the competitors every weekend. The North program will become a similar traveling series after three years at one circuit. I’m excited to hit the road with our NorCal program, as this will bring a more diverse regional experience to our competitors and take the difficulty level up a few bars. We also hope to bring in more competitors as we travel across Northern California and now into Nevada for the first time.”

After a successful debut of a new SKUSA class structure in 2010, the core categories are set to return in 2011. For the Stock Moto engine categories, the line-up of S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5 will return to offer the organization’s internal ladder system. For the Touch and Go competitors, TaG Cadet will be added for the upcoming season, along with the return of TaG Junior, TaG Senior and TaG Master for the regional programs. For the PKC South program, G1 and S4 Magnum are under consideration for continuing in 2011 – SKUSA is suggesting these competitors email the home office with their commitment for the upcoming season.

The SKUSA Pro Tour class structure will be virtually the same as 2010 with S1, S2, S4 and S5 representing the shifter line-up and TaG Senior, TaG Junior and TaG Cadet setting up the single-speed progression. The G1 and TaG Master classes are in consideration to continue as well in 2011; however, due to low kart counts in the inaugural season, SKUSA will be requiring a minimum number of pre-season commitments to officially re-instate these classes. Interested drivers should contact the SKUSA head office via e-mail immediately.

“These classes represent the immediate future of Superkarts! USA, and we are committed to supporting their growth,” Kutscher confirmed. “The debut of our structure in 2010 showed that we have built a strong foundation, and the numbers at the SuperNationals have only confirmed this fact. I believe in the importance of the TaG Cadet and S5 classes in building a platform of growth and steady driver graduation, and we’ll be running both of these classes in our flagship ProKart Challenge North and South series in 2011. These classes are here to stay. I am looking forward to seeing them grow over the coming years.”

The title sponsorship of the 2011 Pro Tour is still available, as is support for both ProKart Challenge programs; any interested parties are asked to contact the SKUSA head office. For more information, visit www.superkartsusa.com, contact SKUSA via email at info@superkartsusa.com or phone at 951-491-0808.

PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH (Six races / one drop)
CLASSES TO BE RUN: S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, TAG CADET, TAG JR, TAG SR, and TAG MASTER
Round 1: February 4-5 – Adams Motorsports Park - Riverside, CA
Round 2: March 11-12 – Willow Springs Kart Track - Rosamond, CA
Round 3: April 8-9 – Buttonwillow Raceway Kart Track - Buttonwillow, CA
Round 4: May 13-14 – Streets of Willow - Rosamond, CA (w/Gatorz)
Round 5: June 17-18 – Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA (w/ SDKA)
Round 6: August 19-20 – West Coast Shootout (South vs. North) – Santa Maria, CA

PROKART CHALLENGE NORTH (Six races / one drop)
CLASSES TO BE RUN: S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, TAG CADET, TAG JR, TAG SR, TAG MASTER
Round 1: February 25-26 – Kinsmen Kart Club Track - Dixon, CA
Round 2: March 25-26 – All Star Karting - Prairie City, CA
Round 3: May 27-28 – Desert Park Raceway - Reno, NV
Round 4: July 1-2 – Monterey Bay Karters Track - Monterey, CA
Round 5: August 19-20 – West Coast Shootout (North vs. South) – Santa Maria, CA
Round 6: September 9-10 – Tom Dash Memorial Speedway - Atwater, CA

SKUSA NORTH AMERICAN PRO TOUR (Five races / one drop)
CLASSES: S1, S2, S4, S5, TAG CADET, TAG JR, TAG SR
SpringNationals - Round 1&2: April 29-May 1 – P1 Race Circuit - Tucson, AZ
SummerNationals - Round 3&4: July 15-17 – Grand Junction Motor Speedway - Grand Junction, CO
SuperNationals* - Round 5: November 16-20 – Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, NV