Archives - Norcal Karters

Every Year the Region 11 IKF series makes the long drive up north to visit the beautiful Medford Oregon Kart track. Located in the Jackson County Sports Park along with a drag strip and Dirt Track, the Kart Track recently received a face lift on one third of the track being repaved. This provided much difficulty for the pit area as crews were debating whether to setup for the new pavement, or the old pavement. Rain came early Friday which further complicated the matter. The headline for the weekend was Bryan Stephenson jumping into the Brady Halbasch Tony Kart as Brady has been sidelined for 4-6 weeks with a broken rib he received at the Stockton IKF event.

Competition got started Saturday with the Kid Karts taking to their fast modified track utilizing part of the front straight with some esses and the new pavement coming onto the straightaway again. Tornado's Chloe St George continued her dominance setting fast time with a 32.117. Chloe looked nearly unbeatable in the heat race, but on the start of the main Kartworld's Zach Corbitt got the jump and led the early going. Chloe eventually would make the winning pass on Corbitt for the Win. Zach was second and Enrique Jaime was third.

Next up was Jr Comer. Kartel's Luis Tyrrell lost his motor in Friday practice and borrowed an MMS Racing Engine from MMS Racing Engines Austin DeMent. DeMent got fast time with a 58.283. In the heat DeMent looked strong with Tyrrell on his bumper. When the main came the hardcore racing began. The top three of DeMent, Tyrrell, and Fastech racing's Ian Fryer with the help of Bordogna Racing Engines Chassis and Engine tuning, all began dicing at halfway swapping the lead. When Tyrrell took the lead for good Fryer and DeMent battled on their own. Tyrrell was the winner, DeMent got second and Fryer was third.

IKF TAG took to the track and Bryan Stephenson in his TAG debut set fast time with a 52.477 almost a half a second over teammate Cody Hodgson. Hodgson however got the lead on the start of the heat and the win to get pole position in the main. On the start of the Final Kartel's Chris Scribner got the jump from the second row and made the inside pass on Hodgson going into the sweeper to lead the first lap. Hodgson would suffer mechanical problems when his Reed cage fell off and would not finish. Lap 8 Stephenson made his move on Scribner for the lead and would walk away with a 9 second victory getting the win is his first TAG race. Scribner would block his way to second over MMS Racing Engines Mike Botelho who finished third.

Formula 80 Shifter was on track and Emmick Enterprises Colton Filkill grabbed pole with a 54.809. Colton looked strong in the heat getting a commanding win to start pole in the main. On the start of the Final Filkill got the jump and led the early going. But Fastech's Robert Towne would come on strong running down Filkill. Towne made the pass around halfway and cruised to a 3.4 second victory. Filkill finished second and Fastech's Sean Forbes came home third.

HPV-4 Jr was up next and Bordogna's Joey Teves took pole laying down a fast lap of 54.693. In the heat, MMS's Kelsey Nilsson looked strong as she came out and took a commanding victory by 4.4 seconds. Nilsson would do much of the same in the Final with a 3.4 second victory. Cambrians David Vasquez was second, and Bordogna's Troy Buckman came home third.

Jr Gazelle took to the track and Cambrian's Noah Hermansen got pole position with a 59.575. Noah looked to be the driver to beat with a heat race win. Halfway through the main rain started to fall at one point giving a downpour to the young Gazelle drivers. Hermansen continued to hold on for the victory. Trevor Listman was second and MMS Racing Engines Austin DeMent was third.

Last on the day was the four cycle crew. One of the best races of the day was in the Animal class. Trevor Agan opened up a big lead early, but around halfway Agan looped it in turn two. Agan regained the lead as Keith Foux kart was coming in. Foux made the pass by Wes Mathis for second, and then Trevor Agan for first. Last lap Agan was mounting a challenge but again looped it in turn two. A happy Foux got the win. Tom Agan won World Formula.

Saturday night rain showers rolled through washing the any sort of grip that was built from the day before off and some morning drizzles kept the track damp needing the first round of practice to dry the racing line. Talking to crews many were very intense Sunday as they were left winless after the first day.

First up Sunday was HPV-1 cadet. Kartel's Luis Tyrrell was looking for two wins on the weekend as he went out and set fast time with a 56.460 over a second faster then second fast qualifier. Tyrrell wasted no time in the heat race. Jumped to an early lead and cruised. The main event had the same result, as Tyrrell won by 9.5 seconds. The race was for second. Fastech's Ian Fryer pushed MMS Racing Engines Austin DeMent the full race. On the last lap Fryer made a diving pass on DeMent and made it stick. Fryer was second and DeMent settled for third.

TAG Masters took to the track and Bordogna's Wayne Lorenz got fast time in qualifying with a 53.963. In the Heat Lorenz led early but but Mat Kattanek took over the top spot late for the Main pole position. On the start of Final Kattanek got the lead. The top three all were involved in a heated battle for the top spot with MMI's Kevin Knight running second and Lorenz third. No moves were made and that's how they finished and Mat Kattanek got his third win on the season.

MMI's Kelsey Nilsson won TAG Jr as the second unbeaten driver thus far in 2008 Regional Competition (Kid Karts Chloe St George the other). Formula 80 Masters were on track and Emmick's Lance Grimm got pole with a 56.006. Grimm looked to be the man to beat as he walked away in the heat race with a 4.325 second victory. On the start of the Final MMI's Chuck Hastings got the lead and held it throughout the race with Lance Grimm on his tail. Hastings was your winner with Grimm second, and Jeff Jarvis third.

IAME Cup took to the track and MMS Racing Engines Mike Botelho got fast time with a 52.940. In the heat Bryan Stephenson got the early lead but Kartel's Chris Scribner got the lead with five to go to get the pole position in the final. On the start of the main Scribner got the lead and held it. Scribner was your winner with Stephenson second and Cody Hodgson third.

Last up for the weekend was Jr HPV-2 and Cambrians David Vasquez was determined on Sunday to come out on top. Vasquez grabbed pole with a 54.191. In the heat and the main Vasquez rolled to easy victories. David Vasquez claimed his first victory on the season and some much needed momentum. MMI's Kelsey Nilsson was second and Bordogna's Troy Buckman was third.

Next stop for the Region 11 series is Atwater kart club June 21-22.

Organization expands to the Hawaiian Islands with newest region

KAHULUI ,HAWAII (May 28, 2008) - It has been a busy few months at the home office of Superkarts! USA, with three regional programs currently in competition, one about to start its 2008 season, and now the announcement of the organization moving to the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Working with the Maui GoKart Association, the newest SKUSA region - SKUSA Hawaii - has been created to help build an already-growing sport on the island.

The Maui GoKart Association will now be known as the Maui Kart Challenge. They currently have over 50 members and they are constantly bringing on more. The club runs at the Maui Raceway Park karting circuit, a half-mile course with two long straights, boasting nine turns equipped with CIK-style curbing and a full lighting system for night racing during the warm summer months. They currently offer 2-cycle and 4-cycle classes for Junior and Senior classes, in addition to TaG and shifter classes.

“We are looking to help build our shifter and TaG divisions, and partnering with SKUSA is the key,” stated Art Gumpfer, president of the new Maui Kart Challenge and SKUSA Hawaii. “We feel a need to promote and move ahead with the TaG-style classes, and who better to help our shifter program as well than SKUSA? We have a strong contingent in the TaG division, so we are putting our efforts into building the shifter classes. There are quite a few shifter karts that have been sitting in garages and ready to come back with our partnership with SKUSA.”

“Maui has a really great regional program, and it was important we found a way to preserve that,” adds SKUSA President Tom Kutscher. “So together, we came up with a great way to have a SKUSA region in their neck of the woods while retaining their existing successful format in the process. Their TaG and Shifter classes will run under the SKUSA banner and rulebook, which is a fantastic introduction for the racers as to how SKUSA runs and operates.”

The Maui Kart Challenge will offer the basic SKUSA class structure for their shifters with S1, G1, S3, S4, S5 Jr, and K1 (for the 80cc Shifters), and then TaG Juniors, Seniors and Masters for the TaG racers.

The Maui Kart Challenge 2008 schedule is as follows:

June 7

July 12

August 9

September 13

October 11

November 8

December 5-6 - State Championships

A new website is currently in production, and when up-and -running will be positioned at www.mauikartingclub.com. For more information regarding the Maui Kart Challenge, contact Art Gumpfer at 808-216-3514 or the karting office at 808-873-8363.

About Superkarts! USA:

Established in 1995, Superkarts! USA is dedicated to shifterkart and TaG racing and is the leader in the field, currently promoting five regional racing series. Racing programs are currently running in Southern California, Northern California, Arizona, the Central States region, and now the Hawaiian Islands. These programs all lead to the annual SKUSA SuperNationals, the biggest shifter kart race in the world, held every November in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on SKUSA, please visit www.superkartsusa.com.

About the Maui GoKart Association:

The Maui GoKart Association was established in 1983, led by Enos Kailiehu. Beginning the organization’s first races at the Puunene drag strip, the Maui GoKart Association now calls the Maui Raceway Park karting center, a state of the art karting circuit, their home. For more information, please visit www.mauigokart.com.

5-26-08 PROKART CHALLENGE SOUTH HEADING TO WILLOW SPRINGS

Round #3 next up for the PKC South teams as championship battles begin to take shape

ROSAMOND, CA (May 22, 2008) – As the backbone program for the Superkarts! USA organization, the ProKart Challenge South series will head to Rosamond, CA for round three of the 2008 season, competing at the Willow Springs International Motorsports Park karting facility on May 31. The fast and technical 6/10-mile course is a popular destination for the Southern California competitors, and the PKC drivers are expected to put on an amazing show – especially as PKC has decided that the course will be run BACKWARDS for this event. This could put an interesting spin on things, as the series heads into the season’s third stop with the championship chases now just beginning to take shape.

The only driver with a near-perfect score thus far in ‘08 is S3 Light championship leader Bobby Legate. The FX Racing-Trackmagic pilot has certainly set the bar for the category, with one top qualifying honor, four heat races wins and two main event victories in the opening two events of the year - just 20 points short of a perfect score. Utah’s Patrick Cushenberry currently holds second ahead of Clinton Schoombee and Team Aluminos’ Marc Elliott – who are separated by just 23 points. Legate’s counterpart in the S4 Light category is Willy Musgrave. With two main event victories and three heat race wins to his credit, Musgrave holds the top spot in his division by 93 points over Bryce Miller, while Jimmy Barnes is a close third.

In the Stock Moto Heavy categories, one division is shaping up to be a good fight for the rest of the season, while the other has an outright leader. S3 Heavy has three drivers within 40 points as the program heads to Race #3. J&M Motorsports’ Marty Henderson and Grant Westmorland are battling FX Racing’s Phil Conte for the top spot, with Henderson holding the point ahead of Conte and Westmorland after two rounds. Henderson and Conte each have a victory to their credit, though Westmorland is more than capable of adding one himself at Willow Springs. In S4 Heavy, Ken Schilling also has a near perfect score with one pole position, three heat wins and two main event victories. Marc Segal and Jeff Krueger are in a tight fight for second, but they will have to steal some race wins from Schilling if they want to challenge for the championship. Corey Neveau scored maximum points in S5 Junior shifter in round two at Buttonwillow as the lone driver in the new class. More S5 drivers are expected to attend this weekend in Rosamond as interest in the class continues to grow – and sponsors are coming forward to offer extra incentives! PKC says watch their website for more details here soon.

Robert Marks and Eric Ortega currently hold the top spots in the G-categories for shifter drivers over the age of 32. Marks has two main event wins on the year, including three heat wins in G1 that have helped him develop a sizeable lead over former class champion PP Mastro and Wally Wright. In G2, Ortega was victorious in the previous round at Buttonwillow and has three heat wins on the year thus far, leading Steve Donia and Darrell Tunnell in the standings.

TaG Senior has seen two different winners, although neither is currently leading the championship fight. Zach Dericco put in two stellar runs in the opening rounds to hold the top spot in the standings, using consistency to put his name at the top of the point list. Winning all four heat races thus far, Dericco hasn’t put that to his advantage to earn a main event win yet, with finishes of second and fourth. He does, however, hold a 90-point lead over round two feature winner Travis Whitehead, with Ryon Beachner sitting third. TaG Masters has been Billy Cleavelin’s domain, as he currently leads the standings with a near perfect score – including his two main event wins. Matt Kimball and Allan Svela currently sit second and third.

In S1, the top level shifter division of the ProKart Challenge, Jimmy McNeil advanced to the top of the standings following his victory at Buttonwillow. His lead is slim – just seven points separate him and longtime PKC competitor Slava Prikhodko, while Derek Tillett is just 45 markers back in third.

5-26-08 SSC Racing is proud to announce that Mazda USA has assumed the position of presenting sponsor for the Rotax Max Challenge.

Mazda's reputation in the motorsports community is well-known, with involvement in auto racing stretching from grassroots amateur racing in the SCCA and NASA, to series such as Formula Drift, Grand-Am, the American LeMans Series, and the Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda.

Mazda's involvement in the Rotax Max Challenge sponsorship is an extension of its 2007 karting initiative. In 2007, Mazda sponsored the America's Team at the Rotax Grand Finals in Dubai, and in addition to its new sponsorship with Rotax, will once again sponsor the America's Team. Additionally, the Rotax Max Challenge will have a presence at select events at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca throughout 2008.

"Needless to say, we couldn't be more thrilled about our expanded association with Mazda," said Joe Ramos, President of SSC Racing. "Mazda is a partner who is going to take an active roll in the promotion of the Rotax Max Challenge.

Along with the announcement, SSC Racing has unveiled the new Rotax Max Challenge logo, reflecting the series' expanded relationship with Mazda.

"Mazda's Motorsports strategy is built on grassroots racing and giving drivers of all ages the opportunity to grow their careers in the business of motorsports," said John Doonan, Manager, Motorsports Team Development, Mazda North American Operations. "With the transitions that started taking place with regard to open wheel reunification over the last several months, we did our utmost to make sure than any and all Mazda series that were impacted (whether it was losing entire race events, adjusting television packages, and compiling prizes and awards, etc.) would remain strong for participants.

"The Rotax Max Challenge was certainly one of those elements that was impacted by losing the Champ Car title sponsorship. Our experience with the Rotax community during our 2007 karting initiative was very positive. So, when we learned of the changes, we called Joe Ramos and his team and let them know we were behind them and wanted to increase our involvement. It was pretty simple to increase our involvement with Rotax for 2008, but over the long term, Mazda wants to provide ladder opportunities for those who wish to grow their careers in motorsports and continue to support those who wish to stay at the grassroots levels."

About the Rotax Max Challenge

Whether your goal is to compete at the highest level or enjoy a weekend of racing with friends, the Rotax Max Challenge powered by Mazda is for you. It all starts at the local level and through a feeder system of local, regional, national, and world championships participants get the opportunity to test their skills against the best pilots in the world.

The series is based around the ROTAX kart engine. There are 5 classes, satisfying ages 8 to 80 and 4 of the 5 classes utilize the same FR-125cc engine. The newest class uses the revolutionary 2-Speed DD2 engine and races in a class by itself. All engines racing in the series are sealed, allowing for no modifications. This keeps costs down and ensures a level playing field -- letting driver skill pave the way towards victory.

With demographics ranging three generations the series targets a wide array of people: young, old, families and individuals. The largest class in the series is the Master Class catering to those 32 years and older. The average Master class driver is in his 30's to 40's, middle to upper management, well educated, looking to suffice his need for speed but not wanting to invest a lot of time or money. Its ability to attract individuals from this wide base is the reason Champ Car Rotax has catapulted itself to one of the fastest growing and exciting events in motorsports. For more information, visit www.rmaxchallenge.com.

About Mazda

Mazda is the brand of choice for road-racers across North America . More than 9,000 grassroots racers compete in various classes with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). Racers who are years away from earning a driver's license can now begin their professional motorsports careers in the Mazda family. A driver can begin in karts and progress through the Skip Barber series, Club Racing Formula Mazda, professional Star Mazda and finally to Formula Atlantic, ALL with Mazda. No other car company has ever connected the dots this way.

On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you'll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA 3 , MAZDA 6 , RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the world is Spec Miata, with more than 1,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America 's racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda's involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world's premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.

5-16-08 Series News, May 16, 2008: Renowned bay area sports photographer Ed Broberg is the official photographer the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge for 2008.

The 2008 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge is very pleased to announce that Ed Broberg is the official photographer of the race series.

Broberg will attend three Norcal Rotax races at Infineon Raceway, May 31st, July 19th and October 25th.

“I wanted to support the local kart racing scene.” said Ed Broberg, “I saw the Norcal Rotax Challenge grow last year. It a great spec. TaG formula with a national and international racing program. I look forward to taking photos of all the exciting Rotax racing action on these race days.”

At each of these races a name of a Rotax Member will be randomly selected for special photographic attention during the race day. Then, shortly after the race day, the lucky racer will receive a DVD of Broberg’s images that they can use for their personal use. This DVD will have race prep, racing, and crew group shots as well as a personal portrait, a $750 value. Broberg will also shoot general race photos that will be available for purchase.

“We are extremely grateful for generous support from a well known sports photographer.” said Adrian Szwarcburg, Norcal Rotax Series organizer. “Three very lucky Rotax members will get a day long montage of pictures they can share with their family and friends."

About Ed Broberg:

Ed Broberg is a San Francisco based Corporate Photographer whose motto is "have camera will travel". When not on corporate assignments, you will find him at many of the college and professional sporting events in the area.

His photography career started when he was 16 years of age selling his first picture to the local paper. Having a background in Photojournalism, he learned how to use his imagery to tell a story. It also taught him to anticipate and think on his feet.

Broberg is an active member of the America Society of Media Photographers, National Press Photographers Association, and Sportsshooter.com. He also a 3 time alumni of Rich Clarkson's workshops.

Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge gaining popularity again in 2008

With two races completed in the 2008 race season, the Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge has grown in participation in 2008 by 15% from 2007. This growth seems counter what is being reported by several other race series. Why does Rotax continue to grow in Norcal? Apart from a fun and well sponsored race environment, there are two main advantages to the Rotax program.

The first is the proven reliability of the engine over other TaG engines. Just ask Rotax owners their engine expense history, especially if they have owned other TaG engines. Fewer engine problems and less costly to maintain are the common answers. Some Junior Rotax owners only need to do one engine rebuild once per year, if that.

The second is the fair planning field that a sealed engine program provides. Only qualified service centers are allowed to work on the internals of a Rotax engine and these centers must rebuild engines only to Rotax specs, no modifications allowed. Rotax engine specs are strict and this is why Rotax engines are very close in their performance. Rotax racing is more about the driver and chassis and less about the engine.

But if the advantages of the Rotax engines is not enough to convince you to consider Rotax, then check out the Norcal Series. The 2008 Jim Russell Northern California Rotax Challenge is a 10 race series with 7 races at the Jim Russell Kart Track at Infineon Raceway and 3 Races at the Dixon Kart Track. The series is a best 8 of 10 races, so there is still time to get into the Championship hunt. For 2008, Jim Russell Racing Drivers School and many other sponsors have attached their name to the series. The series now boasts one of the largest if not "the" largest prize packages of any Rotax series in the country.

The 2008 Series offers some very competitive racing. The Senior Rotax class is now starting to draw some top TaG drivers, the Rotax Masters (405#) and Rotax Masters Light (365#) offers large fields for the over 32 year old driver, the DD2 2 speed class is the largest in the country and the Junior Rotax class is stacked with some top young driver talent.

Marin Karting in Novato has been the bay area’s authorized Rotax Dealer and Service Center since 2003 and has been the Norcal Rotax Challenge Series administrator for the last 5 years. If you would like to try a Rotax engine for a race and see the Series from the inside, Rotax engine rental packages are available at very reasonable prices. Complete CRG Junior Rotax or DD2 karts also available for rental. Call Kit or Kris at Marin Karting (415-898-0999) and check on availability and terms.

Next Rotax Challenges Races:
May 31 - Infineon
June 28 - Infineon
July 19 - Infineon
July 27 - Dixon
August 19 - Infineon
September 20 - Infineon
October 12 - Dixon
October 25 - Infineon

PORTLAND KARTING ASSOCIATION READIES FOR IKF ROAD RACE NATIONALS

Organization releases announcements regarding the July enduro event

PORTLAND, OR (May 14, 2008) - As the bulk of the ‘08 season gets underway, the Portland Karting Association remains hard at work as they have for the past few months, preparing for the upcoming International Kart Federation (IKF) Road Race Grand Nationals, set for the newly-repaved Portland International Raceway on July 15-18. The four-day event is filled with ample racing action as 28 classes ranging from 4-Cycle to Unlimited are on the docket.

To help bring in more competitors to this year’s race, the International Kart Federation has dropped their traditional three-punch rule, which allow anyone who has a qualified Road Race license to compete at the 2008 IKF Road Race Grand Nationals. The IKF will also accept qualified World Karting Association and K.A.R.T. Road Race licenses as qualified Road Racers, although the entrant still must be an IKF member to compete at the Grand Nationals.

One of the new options for the Grand Nationals is the ‘Thrifty Five-Fifty Racer’ deal. The PKA board, along with the Grand National Committee, have been working hard to insure that racing at the Grand Nationals is more affordable amongst the rising track rental fees and traveling costs. The plan is simple; a driver can race as many classes as they can for a flat fee of $550, excluding the two ‘Pro’ classes. The deal is truly a first in karting, but the offer is only good until the June 16 pre-entry cut off date.

Two ‘Pro’ classes will be offered on Tuesday, July 15 following the open practices. The United States Kart Grand Prix Pro Race will feature the Super Stock CR125 class. USKGP will provide $250 to the winner, along with trophies for the class. The PKA will add on top of that using 50% of the entry fee monies to pay first through 10^th. The Competition Motor Corporation Pro Race will feature the TaG Heavy competitors, running at the same time as the Super Stock CR125 pro race. CMC will award $250 to the class winner with PKA again providing 50% of the entry fee monies to pay first through 10^th.

Looking to give back to the racers, a couple of contingency sponsors will be offered throughout the event. Azusa Manufacturing is awarding $100 to the winner of each class if they are wearing an Azusa driver’s suit, pants, and or jacket. NGK will be awarding a box of sparkplugs to any driver making the podium using an NGK sparkplug in their engine while running an NGK sticker on their kart. Another award to be presented during the Road Race Grand Nationals will be the annual Troy Ruttman Jr. Memorial Award, given to the person/team with the most innovative and best appearing kart.

The 2 day Jim Russell Series focuses on 3 groups of karters in 2008: All the Rotax classes, 80 Grand Masters, and lots of Junior Classes. A total of 8 Junior classes are part of the Jim Russell Series this year. And the added focus; 'Lots of Track Time'.

The Saturday Raceday runs Junior Rotax and two Russell Arrive and Drive classes for Cadets and Junior level drivers.

The Junior Rotax class is in its 3rd year at the Infineon track and 2008 is the largest group of Jr Rotaxs yet with at least 12 drivers expected to turn out this year. Junior Rotax and the Star's JICA class are the two top Junior classes in the country with the only difference is Junior Rotax is run competitively on the regional level, national level and World Championship level. Not other Junior class in the USA can make this claim.

The Jim Russell Cadet and Junior Arrive and Drive classes offer the new to karting drivers the ability to run in a karting series without the need to buy a kart. The A&D format is a true Arrive and Drive, the kart, mechanics, suits, helmets, next collar, gloves and instructors come with the cost of the series.

The Sunday Raceday features only four race groups, of which three are for Junior classes. The key to the Sunday format is it starts at 9:00 and ands at 3:30 and each class gets 75 minutes of total track during the day. And we run Kid Karts during the lunch break too. Yes, 75 minutes of track time.

Junior HPV2 and Junior Puma combine in one race group. With 7 HPV2 drivers at Race #1 and 2 more drivers expected to join the series, HPV2 is the fastest growing class in the Russell Series. Junior 1-Comer and HPV1 run together in the second race group. The Comer class has drawn well for the last 6 years and has a solid following of 6 to 8 drivers. HPV1 is new this year and should slowly build in numbers during 2008. The top Junior 1 class for the past 3 years has been the Junior 1-Gazelle class. This 60cc IAME TaG engine class has been popular with the Jim Russell crowd and appeals to the TaG crowd with its on-board starter.

Yes, entry fee is $100, but here is what you get: free transponder, free entry for all crew and family and friends (Yes, not pit pass cost), 75 minutes of track time (three 15 minute practice sessiosns, 5 lap Qualify, 10 lap Prefinal and 15 lap Main)for all the classes except the Arrive and Drive classes. No where no you get this much track time at a local race event. Then add in the air conditioned bathrooms, great Infineon weather in the summer, great race organization and race directing from veteran organizer Ric Shaw and the best race surface in Norcal. You can not find a better value in Junior karting anywhere.

With only one race into the 2008 and the series being a best 6 of 7 race series, one still has a chance get into the championship hunt. Or just come out and try the Jim Russell Series a couple of times for a change of scenery.

Veteran Buckwalter puts on a show in TaG Senior, while Alcorn and Toft sweep Stock Moto divisions

SONOMA, CA (May 10, 2008) - The new ProKart Challenge North series returned to the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway on May 10 for the second round of the six-race series. The word is spreading throughout the Northern California area as to the professionalism and positive atmosphere that the Superkarts! USA and the ProKart Challenge staff are bringing to the region. As the season goes on, numbers are expected to grow, as well as the quality of racer who comes out to compete. The racing this past weekend was even more impressive than Round One, with tight finishes and dominating performances by the early championship contenders.

TaG Senior was a tight-knit group all day long, with the top four drivers in qualifying separated by just five-hundredths of a second – led by Craig Digrazia, Brett Buckwalter, Will Martindale and Cameron Pringle. DiGrazia would get shuffled back in the first heat race with Buckwalter advancing to the point, followed by Martindale and Pringle. Jason Toft would slide into fourth ahead of DiGrazia. Buckwalter would get the short end of the stick in heat two, as he was taken out and was forced to start in the back of the main. This development allowed Martindale to take the win ahead of Toft in heat two. Colin Katzakian moved into third ahead of Pringle, with Alex Speed - making his TaG debut - charging to fifth after starting last in the opening race.

The results from the second heat set the field for the main event, meaning that Buckwalter would come from the 12^th spot on the grid as Martindale and Toft led the field to the green flag. Martindale held the point at the start with Toft in tow, as the rest of the field shuffled around behind them. Buckwalter was quick to get toward the front, getting up to fifth by the halfway mark behind Toft, Speed, and Pringle. On lap 10, Toft would get pushed back to fifth as the rest of the top-five moved up, including Buckwalter to third. Looking for a way past Speed, the former SKUSA SuperNationals winner completed the pass as they received the white flag, immediately setting his sights on Martindale, who had led all the laps to this point. As they made their way around for the final circuit, Buckwalter made his move in the final left hand corner, getting inside of Martindale with an incredible pass to take over the point. At the line, it was Buckwalter by 0.181-seconds over Martindale, who has returned to form after an early-season rib injury in 2007. Speed was a half-second back for third, edging Pringle by just five-hundredths of a second.

Toft redeemed himself in his second class on the day, by sweeping all the on-track S3 sessions, including the main event victory. Leading green-to-checkered, Toft drove to a four-second victory over Marc Elliott, as the duo now sits 1-2 in the championship with Toft holding the advantage. Matt Hauff was able to get by Jason Berry for the final podium spot. Matt Alcorn joined Toft in the ‘Spring Cleaning’ effort as he swept the other Stock Moto division, S4. Alcorn defeated nine other drivers, putting in some fast laps throughout the day for his second main event win of the year. This victory has put him in the driver’s seat for the championship chase. Sergio Machado ran to a solid runner-up finish, while Mark Drennan completed the podium in third.

Craig Corwin earned maximum points in the G1 category for the second straight weekend, besting his eight competitors in qualifying, the two heat races and the 15-lap main event with the fastest lap of the class. JP Cadoux and Ethan Wilson had a good battle early on for the second spot with Cadoux eventually pulling out to a comfortable gap to claim the position when the checkered flag fell.

Jacob Neal was the only driver to break the 47-second mark in S1 qualifying, earning him the pole position for the first heat. Neal would cruise to the win in the eight-lap race, but he was assessed a two-position penalty for jumping the start, handing Cody Hodgson the victory. Starting on pole for heat two, Hodgson would take the win with Neal advancing to second, setting up a two-man battle in the main event. Hodgson led the field early on with Neal in tow, until lap six when he made his move to the top spot. Holding Hodgson back, Neal looked to have the victory sealed until lap 14 when Neal’s engine let go, setting up Hodgson to score his first PKC North win. Gregory Liefooghe came from dead last to nip Jess Peterson for the runner-up spot during the final few laps.

In TaG Masters action, Herman Ip swept the Light division, edging Jim Zootis by just half a second in the final, with David Oroshnik earning third place and fast lap honors. Aluminos owner Rob Soares took the victory in the Heavy category, winning over Jeremy Hillhouse and Steve Elo.

The PKC North program will return to the Sonoma facility on June 13-14 for the third round of the 2008 season, and this race day is expected to be the biggest draw and most exciting yet, as the National track configuration will be run backwards – for the first time ever. For more information about this event and to check out the line-up of year-end prizes available to ProKart Challenge competitors, go to www.prokartchallenge.com .

About Superkarts! USA:

Established in 1995, Superkarts! USA is dedicated to shifterkart racing and is the leader in the field, currently promoting three regional racing series located on the West Coast, with challenging racing program running in Southern California, Northern California and Arizona. These programs all lead to the annual SKUSA SuperNationals, the biggest shifter kart race in the world, held every November in Las Vegas, NV. For more information on SKUSA, please visit www.superkartsusa.com

During the driver meeting of Sunday Morning, everyone in the pits knew the drama that had surrounded the pits. Crashing, stealing, talking, Stockton Motorplex had once again proven itself as the most fierce Kart Track in Norcal.

First up on the day was HPV-1 and Kartel's Luis Tyrell picked up right where he left of from Saturday and grabbed the pole with a 33.878. In the heat Tyrell walked to a 7.577 second victory. On the start of the Main Tyrell got the lead and looked to walk again, but on lap seven the motor expired on Tyrell's Top-Kart. Bordogna's Jonny Norris was right there to capitalize and Norris cruised to a 2.902 second victory over Fastech's Ian Fryer. Kartworlds Cole Davis came home third.

IAME Cup Masters took to the track and the hometown kid MMI's Kevin Knight got fast time with a 32.025. In the heat Knight got the victory for pole position. On the start of the Final Knight got the lead and cruised to a 7.085 second victory. Darren Leipelt got second over Mat Kattanek. MMS Racing Engines Chelsi Wagner got pole in TAG Jr with a 31.922. Wagner won the heat, but Sandbagger Kelsey Nilsson sponsored by MMI waited for the Final to run the class. With brand new tires Nilsson got the lead early, spun out, and then drove to victory. Wagner was second and Ryan Garcia third.

Shifter 80 Masters was on track and MMS Racing Engines Cody McKinney got fast time with a 32.439. McKinney got the heat race win for pole in the Main. In the Final McKinney got out front early, but was later DQ'd for a seperated Silencer. Emmick's Chuck Hastings got the victory. Emmick's Tony Rodriguez was second and Emmick's Lance Grimm third.

Next up was the highly contested IAME Cup and Brady Halbasch got pole with a 30.850. In the heat Halbasch got the lead early but Ram Mechanical's Cody Hodgson picked up where he left the day before and got the victory for the Main Pole position. On the start of the Final, Kartel's Chris Scribner made a daring move to the inside to put a slide job on the front row. Scribner led early but Hodgson was coming. Hodgson made the move entering the Bus Stop chicane but clipped tires with Scribner. This put Cody out for the race and Kartel's Neil Alberico out front. Scribner passed Alberico for the lead with 5 to go giving Kartel Motorsports the top two on the podium. Brady Halbasch fell to tenth on the start but battled back to 3rd.

Last up for the day was HPV-2 Jr and Kartel's Brendan Phinny got pole with a 31.899. Outside row got duped on the start of the final and this gave both MMI's Kelsey Nilsson and Leading Edge's Brett Felkins at the back for the Final. Phinny started pole in the main and cruised to a 2.848 second victory. Felkins came from the 16th starting position to finish second and Bordogna's Joey Teves third.

Next race is at the newly repaved Medford track as racers will deal with a much longer straightaway into a fast sweeper. NorcalKarters.com will be on hand for results and up to date action.

The IKF Region 11 Series Bounced through Stockton for round 3 of the nine race series. A cool breeze throughout the weekend softened the hot sun shining down and the intense on-track action. The racing is heating up as the series is well into points battles and the start of the 2008 driver rankings.

First up was NorcalKarters.com Kid Karts and the driver to beat thus far is Tornado's Chloe St George. St. George has won the first two races of the season. In qualifying she picked up where she left off and grabbed the pole with a 42.710 only .007 over Jarrett Gilmer. In the heat Tornado Driver Brandon Weaver showed his strength but St. Chloe got the win for pole in the Main. Great racing in the main with a full field of 12 karts but Chloe St George was the eventual winner. Weaver came home second and Gilmer third.

Next up was Jr Comer and Kartel's Luis Tyrell got pole with a 34.762. Tyrell was on a fast pace all day with Bordogna's Kyle Kaiser in tow. Tyrell won the Heat Race, and eventually got the victory in the Main with Kaiser on his tail. MMS Racing Engines Austin DeMent came home third.

IKF TAG Sr took to the track and Brady Halbasch got pole with a 31.058. In the Heat Ram Mechanicals Cody Hodgson wasted no time in taking the lead and got the win for the pole position. Hodgson got the lead on the start of the main, and cruised to a 4.695 victory. Halbasch was second and Kartel's Chris Scribner was third.

80 Shifter was on track and Fastech Racing's Defending Champion Robert Towne got pole with a 31.819. In the heat Emmick Enterprises Colton Filkill grabbed the lead and the win for the pole in the Final. On the Start Filkill got the lead and drove to a 3.812 second victory giving Emmick there second win in a row in the highly contested Shifter class. Robert Towne was second, and Fastech Racing's Sean Forbes third.

HPV-4 Jr took to the track and Kartel's Brendan Phinny grabbed pole without practicing Friday with a 31.643. In the Heat Leading Edge's Brett Felkins wasted no time and got an easy victory for the pole position. In the Main, Felkins got the lead early. Phinny ran him down to put a slide job on Felkins in trurn one to take over the top spot. Felkins stayed close to Phinny and with a few laps to go contact entering the back hairpin put Phinny out and Felkins with a DQ. MMI's Kelsey Nilsson running third got the victory. Kartworld's Kiel Spaulding was second and Bordogna's Troy Buckman third.

Jr Gazelle was up next. Cambrian's Noah Hermansen qualified pole with a 35.009. In the Heat Hermansen got the victory for pole position. On the start of the main, Hermansen got the top spot early but MMI's Curtis Paul who missed qualifying for school, brought the race to Hermansen. Paul made the pass for the lead and the victory. Hermansen was second and MMS Racing Engines Austin DeMent was third.

The 4-cycle crew was in full force at Stockton Motorplex. Tom Agan was the fastest 4-cycle in qualifying running a 35.301. Many battles throughout the day as the 4-cycles were putting on a show. CJ Mooneyham got the win in the Sr Animal, Mike DeVera got the win in World Formula, and Tyler Agan was the winner in Jr 2 Animal.

Last up on the day was HPV-3 Sr and Fastech's Bryan Stephenson got pole with a 32.667. In the Heat Kartel's Neil Alberico got the point and held it for pole position. In the Final, Neil got the lead on the start and cruised to a 5.598 second victory for his third in a row. Stephenson was second and Anthony Snow third.

PKC Nor Cal 2008 – Round 2

Jim Russell Int'l Karting Center – May9th-10th

Round #2 of the 6-race ProKart Challenge Nor Cal kart racing series will be held at the Jim Russell Int't Karting Center at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on Saturday, May 10th. A practice day will be held on Friday, May 9th from 9am to 5pm, with a complimentary tri-tip BBQ hosted by PKC and Maaco-Santa Rosa afterwards. Complete details are available at www.prokartchallenge.com, including an online store where you can pre-enter the event as well as purchase your SKUSA membership, spec tires, spec fuel/oil, transponder rentals, etc.

Event Entry: Pre-entry cutoff for this event is midnight this coming Wednesday, May 7th. Enter before the cutoff and save $26 on your entry fees -- PLUS save yourself from standing in long registration lines at the track! Enter the event and purchase the other race products that you will need through the ONLINE store or call 951-491-0808. You can also download, fill out and fax your entry/order to 951-491-0809. CLICK here for that form. If you do not receive an email confirmation of your entry within 24 hours, please call the office: 951-491-0808.

Class Line-Up: The following classes are being run in the PKC North series for 2008: S1, G1, S3 (Light), S4 (Heavy), S5-Jr, 80cc Shifter, TaG Senior, TaG Master, TaG Master Light. See the PKC website under CLASSES for additional details and requirements: www.prokartchallenge.com. NOTE: If there are not enough participants at this Round 2 event in these 3 classes -- S5-Jr, 80cc Shifter, and TaG Master Light -- they risk being eliminated from the program for 2008. Please help us recruit drivers to make these classes a viable part of PKC North!

Other Important Race Event Info:

· Practice Day: Gates and Registration open on Friday, May 9th at 7:00am. Track is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Fuel and tire desks will be open starting at 7:30am. Practice fees are $50. SKUSA membership is not required to practice on Friday.

· Friday Night Dinner: A Complimentary PKC BBQ at 5:30pm at the track will be offered to registered drivers and guests who have paid for Friday practice or a pit pass for the day. Bring your own drinks.

· Race Day: Gates and Registration open on Saturday, May 10th at 6:30am. Tire & fuel desks will be open 7am-Noon. Track is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm, with podium awards and raffle prizes following the final tech inspection. See the PKC website for a full race day schedule. Any changes will be announced and/or distributed on site.

· Track Layout: The track configuration to be run at this event is the same as Round 1. PKC has received approval to run this configuration backwards at the Round 3 event in June.

· Overnight Camping & Trailer Parking: Overnight camping for this event, as well as trailer parking overnight, will be available Friday night only, at no charge. Pit spots are first come, first serve starting Friday morning. Some up front spots can be reserved for kart shops, teams and PKC sponsors by calling 951-491-0808.

· Membership: ProKart Challenge requires a current SKUSA membership to race, starting with this 2nd round. Purchase or renew your membership thru the PKC ONLINE store, or sign up at registration on Friday or Saturday. Memberships are $75/year, offer many great benefits, and are good for 12 months from the date of purchase. See the PKC website for more details.

· Rules: See the PKC/SKUSA rulebook, as well as rules specific to this event/venue, on the PKC website under the RULES section and in the INFO SHEET that will be included in your driver registration packet.

· Spec Tires: All classes must run PKC's MG Yellow tires, type "MZ". Race tires must be purchased from PKC and have the special PKC '08 stamp. Practice tires are open spec.

Tire Availability: You may order PKC practice/race tires to be shipped or for pickup at the track. See the online store at www.prokartchallenge.com to order or call PKC at 951-491-0808.

· Spec Fuel/Oil: All classes must run the PKC spec fuel/oil during all competition sessions: Motul Kart Grand Prix 2T oil + either VP MS98 or VP C12 (built motos only). Practice fuel/oil is open spec.

Fuel Availability: Because it is unsafe for the PKC crew to transport large amounts of excess fuel, only enough spec fuel will be brought to the track to satisfy pre-event orders and projected race entries. Pre-ordering race/practice fuel/oil will guarantee your products will be on site.

· Air Boxes and Mufflers: Air boxes are required for all engines -- 80's to have 2 23mm tubes; 125 motos to have up to 4 29mm tubes. All moto motors (125 and 80) must have a 14-inch RLV or M4 muffler.

· Weather: The 10-day weather forecast predicts mostly sunshine and temps in the mid-70’s, making it perfect weather for racing!

· Press Coverage: Media releases will be distributed to the major karting publications and websites, giving everyone a chance to become a local hero to their family and friends.

· Series Prizes: See the PKC website for details about the 2008 championship series prizes -- including the unprecedented prize package offered by the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School totalling more than $50,000! NOTE: The Championship points system is based on your best 5 of the 6 races for this season, so if you missed Round 1, you’re still in!

· Podium Prizes: Post-podium raffle prizes include tires, fuel, free entries, car care products, and more! All drivers in attendance are eligible.

Here are the dates for the last 4 rounds of the PKC North 2008:

Round #3 -- June 13th-14th

Round #4 -- July 11th-12th

Round #5 -- August 8th-9th

Round #6 -- September 12th-13th

Jim Russell Racing Drivers School (JRRDS) has added to their Outstanding Prize Package for the 2008 PKC-Nor Cal Series --

A 2-day JRRDS class for the 80cc Shifter 1^st Place Overall Champ:

ProKart Class	1st Place Overall	2nd Place Overall	3rd Place Overall
TaG Senior	2-day JRRDS class	Grand Prix class	1-day Foundations class
TaG Master	Grand Prix class	Yokohama Street Tires	$200 Pass
S1	3-day class	2-day class	1-day Foundations class
G1	Grand Prix class	Tires	Bell Helmet
S3	3-day class	2-day class	1-day Foundations class
S4	Grand Prix class	Tires	Helmet
Sprint A&D “A”	3-day class	2-day class	Grand Prix class

80cc Shifter* 2-day JRRDS class*
*Added as a prize offering 5/2/08.

CALLING ALL 80CC/85CC SHIFTER KART DRIVERS!
NOTE: ProKart Challenge officials would also like to send a ‘last call’ notice to the TaG Masters Light, 80cc Shifter, and S5 Jr. competitors. Officials were asked to include these divisions to the 2008 lineup with little or none partaking in the opening round in April. PKC North will rule on whether or not these classes will be eliminated from the program based on the participation at round two.

SONOMA, CA (May 2, 2008) - The new ProKart Challenge North series made its debut on April 11^th-12^th at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA to great feedback from a solid line-up of the area’s top drivers. The series returns to the same facility for the second edition of the 2008 season on May 9^th-10^th -- and more drivers are expected after the huge success of the opening round.

Nearly 20 drivers took the green flag in the TaG Senior class during round one, and numbers are predicted to be even higher for the second installment of the program. Nic LeDuc swept the class during the debut weekend, taking all of the on-track sessions. LeDuc was hounded by Jason Toft and Zach Dericco throughout the race day, and they are primed to re-fire this battle. Behind this trio, a stellar group of NorCal hotshoes will look to improve from the first weekend.

Also putting in a dominating performance in round one was shifter kart veteran Tom Dyer. The defending SKUSA SuperNationals S3 class winner was at the front in all of the on-track sessions, but he is expected to see more of a challenge from the rest of the S3 field in round two. Matt Alcorn swept the S4 division as well, holding off Sergio Machado and George Tavares with the same battle forecasted for Sonoma once again.

Two-time national champion Alex Speed showed why he is considered one of the best shifter kart drivers in the history of the sport with his performance in S1. Warming up for the start of the national schedule, Speed used the opening round of the ProKart Challenge North series to prepare and test, leading the new factory Trackmagic effort. Behind him, Cody Hodgson ran a strong second in his first PKC S1 start, battling Jess Peterson throughout the day. Speed is expected to return for this event, giving the S1 field a mark to chase all weekend long.

‘Sweep’ was the word of the day in round one, as Craig Corwin continued this trend in G1. He was able to outrun Ethan Wilson and JP Cadoux at the series debut, and the trio is expected to face off again in round two. TaG Masters was split into Light and Heavy, with Herman Ip and Jim Ferguson taking the top honors back in April.

Drivers in all divisions will be racing throughout the year for a piece of the more than $70,000 championship prize package. The unprecedented purse is provided by ProKart Challenge and the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School. PKC is offering up free entries to the 2008 SKUSA SuperNationals, a free GP shifter chassis courtesy of KLS Racing, and a chance to be part of the MG Tires North American Granja 500 team in Sao Paulo, Brazil. JRRDS is posting up more than $50k in prizes, including introductory courses in their esteemed racing car programs, performance tires, helmets and more.

For those competitors and crew members coming out on Friday to practice and prepare for Saturday’s race, gates will open at 7am and on-track practice will run from 9am to 5pm. A complimentary BBQ will once again be offered by PKC around 5:30pm. Long time friend and sponsor Scott Jeffrey, owner of Maaco – Santa Rosa, will be hosting the tri-tip BBQ and cooking for the group.

ProKart Challenge officials would also like to send a ‘last call’ notice to the TaG Masters Light, 80cc Shifter, and S5 Jr. competitors. Officials were asked to include these divisions to the 2008 lineup with little or none partaking in the opening round in April. PKC North will rule on whether or not these classes will be eliminated from the program based on the participation at round two.