11-22-10 Skip Barber Racing School Announces 2011 Florida Winter Tour Awards Program

For thirty five years, Skip Barber Racing School has been instrumental in shaping professional racing careers. As one of the first steps in motorsports ladder systems, the company has seen many talented drivers rise up through karting to compete in Skip Barber Racing programs and then move on through the motorsports ranks. Today, Skip Barber Racing holds to the dedication of providing scholarships and race programs to young karters to pursue their dreams. This is why Skip Barber Racing School is proud to announce its continued relationship with Florida Winter Tour kart racing.

This new program will award over $49,000 in Skip Baber Racing Schools and Skip Barber Regional Race Series programs to Florida Winter Tour drivers in the 2011 FWT Rotax Max Challenge and 2011 FWT Formula Kart points championships.

Any driver who wins the 2011 FWT Points Championships in both Rotax and Tag Senior, or in both Rotax and Tag Junior, will receive a Skip Barber 3-day Racing School, a 2-day Advanced Racing School, and paid entry into up to eight official Skip Barber Summer Regional Racing series races*.

A driver does not win both, then the driver who accumulates the most combined points in Rotax and Tag Senior, and the driver who accumulates the most combined points in Rotax and Tag Junior, will each receive a Skip Barber 3-day Racing School, a 2-day Advanced Racing School and 50% of the entry costs for up to eight official Skip Barber Summer Regional series races*.

FKP’s Bill Wright; “This is the ninth anniversary of the start of the FWT/SBRS awards relationship, and I think the level of support provided by Skip Barber Racing Schools for the 2011 FWT is a testament to the level of talent seen at FWT. I’m grateful to Skip Barber Racing School for their continued support.”

For more information about Skip Barber Racing Schools and Regional Racing Series log on to their web site at www.skipbarber.com

For more information about the 13th Annual Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour kart racing series log on to their web site at www.floridawintertour.com .

*Regional Racing Series award will include Friday lapping days before each Regional Racing Series event weekend. The maximum combined retail value of the program is $49,380. Drivers must meet Skip Barber Racing School eligibility requirements to participate in the car racing programs.





 

11-16-10 Super Karts USA Release 2011 Pro Tour Venue Update

Tucson and Grand Junction facilities confirmed for SpringNats and SummerNats

The 14th annual Superkarts! USA SuperNationals may be just a day away, but this doesn’t mean that the growing organization isn’t still looking into the future and its 2011 Pro Tour. SKUSA released the schedule for the second edition of the program back in early September and can now confirm the venues that will play host to the SpringNationals and SummerNationals. The program’s top pilots will kick things off at the amazing P1 Kart Circuit in Tucson, Arizona in late April during the SpringNats and will then head to Grand Junction Motor Speedway for the SummerNats in mid-July. Of course, the Pro Tour will wrap up in Las Vegas, Nevada for the historic 15th running of the wildly-popular SuperNationals.

“We’ve been working on the 2011 schedule and the venues for a couple of months, and in the end, our focus centered on bringing our program to new regions of the country so that we could both grow the Superkarts! USA brand and support the racers who are part of the SKUSA community,” offers Tom Kutscher, the organization’s leader. “Last year, we were in Northern California and Wisconsin to support the Pro Kart Challenge North and Central States Challenge programs. This time around, I wanted to get into Colorado for the SummerNationals to show our appreciation to the racers who are part of our Mountain Region. Our decision to start the season in Tucson was helped by the fact that it’s centrally located to make the trip manageable for drivers from California, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah and Colorado. The fact that both venues are incredible tracks is the icing on the cake!”

Despite the fact that this week’s SuperNationals in Las Vegas has consumed much of SKUSA’s focus over the last few months, Kutscher has also been working to build the momentum for next April’s SpringNationals in Tucson. The P1 Kart Circuit is a stellar layout, the racing will be fierce and the racers will no doubt be raving about the track when they leave. Just as was the case with last year’s Pro Tour events, SKUSA is focused on making the SpringNationals an event that can stand alone as a great experience for series competitors and local racers alike. The race is scheduled for April 29 – May 1 and will include a Thursday Night Welcome Party, a mid-week Pro Tour golf outing, a Friday night BBQ and loads of track time. In addition, SKUSA has confirmed that eKarting news will also be streaming a live audio broadcast of the event, as it will for all three of the Pro Tour stops in 2011.

The height of the summer season will see the Pro Tour make its debut in Colorado at the amazing Grand Junction Motor Speedway on July 15-17. Once again, the location is centrally located for a majority of SKUSA’s racers and the crew will roll of the same event package as Tucson, all focused on making the race a great experience for everyone involved.

The 15th annual SuperNationals will once again anchor the Pro Tour schedule next fall, bringing SKUSA’s finest racers to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for the biggest race in North American karting on November 16-20, 2011. This race has exploded over the past two years, and SKUSA’s constant focus on improvement has made each event a new benchmark for American kart racing competition. This year’s race features almost 500 entries and over $70,000 in purses and prizes, both numbers that SKUSA will be focused on increasing in 2011.

The following is the official schedule for the 2011 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour:

Date Event Track Location

April 29-May 1: SpringNationals P1 Kart Circuit Raceway Tucson, AZ

July 15-17: SummerNationals Grand Junction Motor Speedway Grand Junction, CO

Nov. 16-20: SuperNationals Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, NV


SKUSA is currently developing many marketing and sponsorship program centered on the 2011 Pro Tour, and any interested companies are asked to contact the SKUSA office directly. Team owners planning on being part of the Pro Tour are also asked to contact SKUSA as a new team support program is in the works to make the series a financial success for everyone.

 

11-15-10 Brett Felkins –Team Update “Gaining Momentum” for SKUSA SuperNats XIV

 NorCal “Young Gun” driver Brett Felkins coming off of three regional championships in 2010 with the IFK Region 11, the “Cross-over” and “Gold Rush” series, including two screaming eagles at the IKF Super nationals, is now targeting SuperNats XIV stepping into the KF2 ranks.

At SuperNats XIV Felkins will be piloting an Intrepid 2011 Chassis with Leading Edge Motorsports (LEM) and GFR engine power. This potent combination proved very successful in Vegas last month when testing out the Vegas Karting climate with two wins in the CKI Championship event at the Mandalay Bay in the KF2 class.

“For 2011 the team is poised to run selected Karting events and make the step into Whelan Late Model NASCAR sanctioned events as we pursue Brett’s climb up the motor racing ladder. But first things first – we need to concur SuperNats XIV and round out a successful year of hard fought racing and championship wins”, stated Team manager Kevin Felkins (a.k.a the Professor).

Kevin Felkins made his name not only as a skilled and disciplined boat racer/designer/builder of world record holding flat bottom boats and hydros with his company, Canyon Speed & Marine – but also a pragmatic Kart team manager with the inspiration, vision and determination to challenge, take on and beat, some of the best teams in karting.

At this time we would like to thank our feature sponsors, Canyon Speed & Marine, Diede Construction, Champion Racing, Leading Edge Motorsports (LEM), and Noesis-Factor.

For additional information on “Brett Felkins” visit our hosted website presence at www.brettfelkins.com for all the latest updates, partnerships, synergies, images and stories.

11-15-10 Phil Giebler Racing enters nine drivers in SKUSA SuperNationals

Owner/driver Phil Giebler leads a nine-driver Phil Giebler Racing entry this week (Nov. 17-21) in the prestigious Superkarts! USA SuperNationals on the temporary course at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

Giebler, of Huntington Beach, Calif., has a commanding lead in TaG Senior going into the third and final round of the inaugural SKUSA Pro Tour championship. The 2007 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year has three victories and a third place in the four main events this year.

Giebler will have three teammates TaG Senior in Lloyd Mack, of Beaumont, Calif., Shawn Cricca, of Simi Valley, Calif., and Jess Peterson, of Sparks, Nev. The class has 84 entries including 2005 Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon, Grand-Am Daytona Prototype sports car drivers Michael Valiante and Oswaldo Negri, Indy Lights driver Joel Miller and international karting stars Gustavo Menezes of California and Emanuele Pagani of Italy.

Mason Daughters, of Polo, Mo., and Juan Diego Maldonado, of Bogota, Colombia, are entered in TaG Junior, Noah Grey, of Dana Point, Calif., and Tate Holleran, of Denver, are in TaG Cadet and Steve Wiener, of Chula Vista, Calif., is in TaG Master.

Grey and Holleran are in contention for the TaG Cadet championship. They each have a main event win this season and are in a close battle with leader Colton Herta, son of former IndyCar driver Bryan Herta.

There are 57 entries in TaG Junior, 45 in TaG Master and 41 in TaG Cadet.

 All of our drivers will be facing the deepest and fastest competition of the season,  Giebler said.  We re up to the challenge. Qualifying will be very important because it establishes your starting position for the heat races and points accumulated in the heat races will determine where you start in the main.

 We only have one main event in the SuperNationals and with 40 karts in them, you need a decent starting position to do well. We have a strong team and great equipment and we expect to have good results. It would be a tremendous accomplishment for any of our drivers to stand on the podium in a field that is virtually a  who s who  of American karting.

Phil Giebler Racing, based in Orange, Calif., uses FA Karts powered by 125cc water-cooled Vortex Racing engines built by Daniel Patino s D-Power Engines, of Huntington Beach, Calif., in TaG Senior, TaG Junior and TaG Master.

Grey and Holleran also have FA Karts and are powered by 60cc Vortex MiniRok engines. The entire PGR team will race on MG Tires.

The SuperNationals begins with practice on Wednesday and Thursday, with qualifying and heat races on Friday, heat races on Saturday and last-chance qualifying heats and main events on Sunday. There are a record 485 entries in the 11 classes.

11-15-10 Italian Motors and SwedeTech Racing Engines Support Racers with Valuable Prizes

Many great prizes were given away at the Red Line Oil Karting Championship year end banquet last Sunday. One of the coveted awards of the evening was from Italian Motors to 2010 IAME TaG Champion Michael Torrano. Michael received a 2009 Parilla engine for his efforts this season in the IAME Parilla class. The class was designed to allow racers like Michael to run competitively in a series that keeps the costs down by allowing only Parilla engines and specifying the gear for each track.

A gift certificate from SwedeTech Racing Engines went to Senior Rotax racer Amber Friedberg. The certificate is good for a one-time 100% discount for labor services, applicable to standard rebuild service. Amber was a standout driver in RLOKC this year and the prize from SwedeTech will go along way in helping her challenge for the Senior Rotax Championship in 2011.

A big thank you to Italian Motors and SwedeTech for their support of the Red Line Oil Karting Championship competitors.

 

11-11-10 Red Line Oil Karting Championship Enjoys a Great Year End Banquet

The Red Line Oil Karting Championship held its year end awards banquet to hand out the hardwareand end of year prizes to the top drivers in the series. After his first year as series promoter, Steve Cameron hosted a wonderful sit-down dinner with over eighty quests attending the event at the Homeward Bound facility in Novato. Cameron Evans from Red Line Oil spoke to the crowd, thanking the racers for a great year and vowing to return next year. Guest speaker Memo Gidley, Northern California race car driver and outstanding karter, spoke to the drivers about the value of developing connections and good relationships as a key to progressing up the karting and race car ladder. Master of ceremonies Ric Shaw shared great stories about the drivers and raffled off forty prizes during the dinner portion of the program which included Red Line Oil, Molecule suit cleaner kits, Sanzaru Games video games, Trapeze Arts gift certificates and much more.

After the class awards were handed out, the focus of the evening shifted to the last five awards, three Driver of the Year awards, the Rising Star award and the raffle for the MOBILE-Shop Engineering Cart, worth over $3000. Michael Avansino is the 2010 Junior Driver of the Year, Carlos Calderon the Senior Driver of the Year, Andre Eriksen the Masters Driver of the Year and Sean McDonald won the Rising Star Award. Annie Breidinger won the MOBILE-Shop Engineering Cart.

The evening ended with an announcement about plans for additional classes in 2011 including KPV1, KPV2, a multi-motor TaG class and an expanded 125 Stock Moto class. The first prize to be announced for 2011 is a test day in the Molecule Pro-Star Mazda which will be awarded to one of the 2011 class champions.

Class Champions / Prizes

Rotax Micro Max Annie Breidinger Four free race entries in 2011 from Cameron Karting

Rotax Mini Max Michael Avansino $300 cash & PS3 player from Sanzaru Games

Rotax Mini Max

Rookie of the Year Michael Michoff PS3 player from Sanzaru Games

Junior Rotax Brody Zink Engine Upgrade from Cambrian

Go-Karts, Helmet from Wine County Motorsports, Helmet painting from Savage Designs

Senior Rotax Carlos Calderon Driving Suit from SSC Racing

Rotax Masters Light Mary Beth Wilson Four free race entries in 2011 from Cameron Karting

Rotax Masters Andre Eriksen Set of MOJO tires from SSC Racing

Rotax DD2 January Grove GroPro Hero mini-camera

80 Masters Tom Nelson Four free race entries in 2011  from Cameron Karting

Formula 80 Justin Gald

125 Stock Moto Masters Steve Cameron

Junior Driver of the Year Michael Avansino Twenty punch practice card and Karting DDC course from Jim Russell Racing Drivers School

Senior Driver of the Year Carlos Calderon Twenty punch practice card and Lancer Evolution Experience from Jim Russell Racing Drivers School

Masters Driver of the Year Andre Eriksen Four free race entries in 2011 from

Cameron Karting and one week free condo or time share usage in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico from Sierra Race Promotions

Rising Star Award Sean McDonald Twenty punch practice pass and Highway
Survival Course from Jim Russell

Racing Drivers School plus a driver management program from Finlay
Motorsports
 

11-12-10 Dec 11th: Final Team Endurance Race of the Decade!

Assemble your Team and Register Today!
Friends, Family, and Co-Workers gather to run the CalSpeed 4-Hour Team Enduro on Dec 11th!

CalSpeed's endurance events have seen a steady jump in participation this calendar year as up to 16 teams have been spotted on the grid for any given event! As we head into the holiday season, this is the perfect opportunity to get the office together for a fun year-end outting, get the family gathered for some fun, or simply to corral your buddies for a fast and affordable day at the race track!

December 11th will mark the final team endurance race of the season, and another full field is expected to be in attendance. CalSpeed's top-notch kart racing program includes all of the following:

• Professional Pre-Race Driver's Meeting
• All Necessary Safety Equipment Provided
• Weight-Ballasted Competition
• Optional Morning Practice for All Teams
• Pre-Race Qualifying Session
• 4 Hour Team Endurance Race
• Fuel Management & Driver Changes
• Podium & Trohpy Celebration for the Top 3 Teams!
• Up to 6 Drivers Can Compete on Each Team!
At just $599 per team of up to six drivers, CalSpeed Karting provides the most affordable race-day experience around! Gather your group and secure your spot on the grid for a full day of wheel-to-wheel racing action! Contact Brad Packard at 951.241.3872 or via email at brad@calspeedkarting.com for more information!
 

11-10-10 Recovery of Kart Stolen April 2010 at Stockton Motorplex

From Darrel Dean – 11-3-10
Fellow Karters,

You might be interested in the recovery story for one of my stolen karts. The 80 shifter Italkart was recovered November 2^nd, in large part due to Robbie Abrams (Fastech Racing) forwarding a suspicious Craigslist ad he spotted to me (see attached Craigslist ad). I immediately recognized my Italkart 80 shifter and notified the Stockton P.D. but they could not trace the thief from the ad. Scotty at MMI and I tried to get a phone response from the ad without success so I popped for some expensive People Searches and followed up on nine people with the same name as my reverse cell phone check provided in the ad until the person advertising the kart was located. After setting up a meeting to look at the kart as a buyer and providing the Stockton P.D. with name and address, they recovered the kart but would not arrest the person who had it although he is an ex-felon just off parole. The kart is missing its nerf bars and pods but I am very happy to get it back. I sent a $500 reward to Robbie although he didn’t want to take it.

The Trackmagic 125 shifter is still out there, probably still in Stockton. Another $500 reward is offered for information leading to its recovery. A picture and description of the kart follows. 

$500 REWARD

FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO RECOVERY OF RACING KART AND KART STAND STOLEN IN THE EARLY MORNING OF APRIL 2 FROM GROUNDS OF THE STOCKTON MOTORPLEX (FAIRGROUNDS). CALL DARREL AT 775-771-2806 OR E-MAIL dadeangeo@aol.com.

125 Shifter Description

 Black 2005 Trackmagic Diablo chassis; black Unico bodywork with black-yellow-orange MG and 61 numbers; aluminum floor pan; Tillet seat with yellow G-Force ribbed pads on back side of seat; black vented magnesium wheels and YHC practice tires; long aluminum rear hubs; white gas tank; 6 speed CR-125R Stock Moto Honda engine with "JE01E" inscribed on case; pump-around fuel supply system with green-blue fuel line, Keihin PWK carburetor, red K&N air filter; RLV pipe with uninscribed 10" aluminum silencer; stock Honda ignition box mounted to back of seat, and Michron Gold data acquisition gage on steering wheel with data box under driver's faring.  

Kart Stand Description

Aluminum folding and rolling kart stand with four black 3/4" diameter pistons to lower and raise kart. Measures approximately 2 1/2' wide x 3 1/2' long x 3' high. Yellow "Kartlift" label on rear left of 1" diameter tubular frame. Yellow plastic number plate on stand with number 61. Four wheels are black plastic tires and white plastic rims.

RECOVERED ITALKART 80 SHIFTER

11-1-10 RLOKC Season Finale is a Wet Affair

For the first time in the nine year history of kart racing at the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway, the final race of the year was held on a rainy day which proved to be a challenge for the competitors. Only the serious racers came out to take on the challenge of the steady rain with two class championships still to be settled. At the end of the race day, a raffle was held to give out three great prizes: Jojo Bayabo won a free set of tires and Michael Torrano and Greg Richter won "free entry fees" for the entire 2011 Red Line Oil Karting Championship season.

Rotax Masters & Masters Light
One of the two classes with a champion still yet to be determined was the Rotax Masters Light class. Two Masters and nine Light drivers took the green in the largest class of the day. Mary Beth Wilson came into the race with a slim seventy point lead over Mert Solis. In Qualifying, Solis puts his Light kart on pole ahead of Masters Champ Andre Eriksen followed by Jojo Bayabo (Light) and Stephan Gaudreau (Light). In the first heat race, Solis took control of the race and came home first, followed by Eriksen, Bayabo and John Breidinger (Masters) with Wilson coming home sixth in class. Wilson's lead was now down to forty-five points. In the second heat, John Breidinger took advantage of the slipping and sliding by most everyone else to come home first followed by Eriksen, Jerry Pretti (Light) and Gaudreau. Solis had problems and finished sixth in class with Wilson fourth in class. Wilson's lead was now up to fifty-five points. In the Main, Eriksen put it all together to take the lead at the green and motor onto a twenty-five second win. Solis was second for first fourteen laps and with his class lead had the championship well within his sights, but on lap fifteen, he slid off turn one and gave up the class lead to Bayabo, returning to the track in third place in class. Following Eriksen across the line were Bayabo in second, Breidinger in third, Gaudreau fourth and Solis in fifth. Wilson finished seventh overall and fifth in class and with it took the Light class championship, just thirty points ahead of Solis.

Sanzaru Games Rotax Mini Max
The Mini Max class proved again to be the most competitive class of the day. Six drivers took the green with class champ Michael Avansino taking the pole ahead of Scott Huffaker and Annie Breidinger. In the first heat, Avansino and Huffaker lead the field at the start, but both spun coming out of turn two with Michael Michoff taking over the lead, one he would not give up for the eight lap race. Huffaker came back to take second with Wilson Skjerven taking third. In the second heat, Michoff again came from his fifth place starting position and cut his way through the field to take the win ahead of Avansino and Huffaker. The fifteen lap Main proved to be a race that no one wanted to lead. Five different drivers lead at various points in the race, but in the end, Scott Huffaker recovered the best to drive on to a ten second win ahead of the consistent Skjerven and a hard charging Michoff. This was Huffaker's first feature win in the RLOKC and with it he won the fifty dollar cash prize for his efforts. Skjerven's second place was his best finish in the series this year.

80 Masters, Rotax DD2 &125 Stock Moto
The other class with a championship on the line was the 80 Masters class with Tom Nelson leading Greg Richter. Nelson took the 80 Masters pole ahead of Richter with Andre Eriksen taking the DD2 pole ahead of Dave Moody. Using a split start, the four shifters started just ahead of the four DD2 karts using a rolling start. Nelson lead most of the race with Eriksen having to make passes to work his way through the shifter kart field. In the end, Erikesen's DD2 got by to take the overall win with Nelson second and Moody third. In the second heat, again Eriksen worked his way through the field to get by Nelson at the end to take a two second win, Nelson came home second, with Richter in third. In the Main, Nelson took the lead at the green but Steve Cameron worked out some bugs in his 125 kart to work his way through the field to take the lead and the win by twelve seconds over Eriksen (DD2) with Nelson in third (80 shifter) January Grove (DD2) fourth, and Dave Moody (DD2) fifth. With the class win, Tom Nelson wrapped up the 80 Masters title for the third year in a row.

Senior Rotax, Italian Motors USA / GoPro IAME TaG & Cambrian Go-Karts Junior Rotax
Raymund Bustamante, Jr. qualified on pole ahead of the seven Rotax karts and one TaG . Josh Feiber jumped up to Senior Rotax for this last race of the year and took second with Matt Weiss in third and the TaG of Michael Torrano in fourth. In the first heat, Bustamante was clearly the rain master taking a nineteen second win over the Junior Rotax of Brody Zink, Weiss in third and Torrano in fourth. In the second heat, Bustamante controlled the race from the green, but the field was getting better in the rain with Weiss and Feiber staying within six seconds of the leader. In the Main, again Bustamante took the lead at the green with Weiss and Feiber close behind. Weiss then spun which left the young Feiber as the sole challenger to Bustamante. At race end, Feiber could never get close enough to actually challenge Bustamante, but he came home only two seconds back, which was a great drive in his first Senior Rotax race. Bustamante took the win, Feiber second, Weiss third, Zink fourth and the Junior win. Torrano was sixth overall and the TaG winner. With the class win Torrano took home the GoPro Hero Camera.

With the final checkered flag, the 2010 Red Line Oil Karting Championship came to an end. This season proved to be a strong year for the Rotax classes, especially for the Mini Max and Masters/Master Light classes. The 2011 RLOKC season is already in the works. The schedule has been set and there are plans for expanded class offerings. Stay tuned for additional announcements. To follow the plans for the 2011 RLOKC season, go to www.cameronkarting.com or www.norcalrotax.com.

For more information about the Red Line Oil Karting Championship and the Northern California Rotax Challenge, go to www.cameronkarting.com  or www.norcalrotax.com

The Red Line Oil Karting Championship is supported with over $20,000 of prizes and awards from the following sponsors:
 

11-1-10 Raquel Martinez WSK North America Final Report
“Martinez wins fifth straight race in route to KF3 title”

Heading into the final round of the WSK North America series, Raquel Martinez was brimming with confidence. The stage was set for championship battles in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Mandalay Bay Casino for the first ever karting race on the strip.

Saturday’s action started off with Raquel qualifying in the second position in KF3 and third in Leopard Junior. Just as she has done all year Raquel and the team made changes and moved to the front of the pack in KF3 taking home her fifth straight victory in KF3.
After winning the prefinal in Leopard Junior Raquel took the earlier in the final, but after a long twenty-four lap race would end up third at the checkered.

On Sunday Raquel started where she finished on Saturday by taking pole position in KF3. In Leopard Junior she ended the session in third. In the final of KF3 Raquel and teammate Mason Chelootz put on a great battle for the win with Mason eventually beating out Raquel. With the second place finish Raquel secured the 2010 WSK North America KF3 title. In Leopard Junior Raquel once again fought hard and finished third in the final moving her up to second in the overall championship standings.

“This is an amazing accomplishment and I couldn’t be happier,” commented Raquel. “The team has put in so much hard work this season and I am so proud and thankful for it. I am now looking forward to my last race of the season in Italy and achieving my best result yet in Europe.”

For more information please visit www.raquelmartinez.com. Next up for the team is the WSK Nations Cup at La Conca in Italy. Raquel would also like to thank her sponsors King Taco, Pepsi, P1 Engines, Grand Products, Top Kart, RLV, Bridgestone, DWT, Alpinestars, MLP Imaging, Troy Lee Designs, Bell Helmets, Graphix Plus and PKS Kart Supplies for all of their support this year.