The Karting Club

PLOW Champion wrote:

BrnoutJerzey wrote:

silencer s6 wrote:7hp thats it? My leopard is 23hp

uh oh, we got a show-off here!

My old one was 48 but restricted to 42 =)

Cars for me now though!

how did you get 42 hp? i think i might be wrong....im a check the IAME website....

i just checked there website....Champion there is no way in hell you could have got 42 hp when the max is 27.....and i just checked my engine and their is no restrictor, so that means that mine is 27.

Jesus if you had 42 you woulda been flying in the air lmao

silencer we didn't run the same engines.↲
I got it wrong it is 38 restricted to 36bhp

PLOW Champion wrote:
My old one was 48 but restricted to 42 =)

Cars for me now though!

you guys are so legit- I wish I got into karting (or someone got me into it)- seems like it must be so much fun

PLOW Champion wrote:silencer we didn't run the same engines.↲
I got it wrong it is 38 restricted to 36bhp

KF2 IAME's?

i have used...

IAME
TM
Vortex
Maxter

KF1 - 38bhp
KF2 - 36bhp
KF3 - 34bhp

PLOW Champion wrote:i have used...

IAME
TM
Vortex
Maxter

KF1 - 38bhp
KF2 - 36bhp
KF3 - 34bhp

that explains it....youve got to realize that the Leopard is a TaG engine not KF

silencer s6 wrote:

PLOW Champion wrote:i have used...

IAME
TM
Vortex
Maxter

KF1 - 38bhp
KF2 - 36bhp
KF3 - 34bhp

that explains it....youve got to realize that the Leopard is a TaG engine not KF

YH i know but it is more known by the CIK that it is a KF and reveryone relates it as that

hello again all, I have one more race left this season. I plan on running the 4 stroke for one more year or perhaps even half a year before i go to a 2 cycle class (either TaG, Rotax, or EasyKart) so if either of you have any old gear you want to sell me, i may make you an offer. as of now, i need everything, from a motor to a rolling chasis

i just sold the top halfs of both of my Easykart motors...and i cant sell the bottom halfs cause the parts can be switched off on the Leopard engine....as they both have the same bottom half. So i cant help you. But, my friend might have a rolling chassis you can buy. its a Birel and he has had it since the 3rd race of the season in march. So i will check to see if he still has it. If he does i will get a price for you.

SKUSA SuperNationals XIII - Preview




This is it…the week that karting has waited for, the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XIII. Following months of build-up and amazing announcements, the November 18-22 event is upon us as over 400 drivers have gathered at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to battle in nine different divisions around the temporary circuit looking over the Strip.

Hundreds of spectators, not the kind that come with family, but tons of karting and motorsports enthusiasts are expected to be in attendance for this year’s event. One of the key factors for the growth in spectators is the welcoming of seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher. Many F1 fans are flocking to Vegas for a glimpse at the renowned racing legend take to the track in the headline SuperPro category (preview here). Along with current Formula One stars Sebastian Buemi and Nelson Piquet Jr., the star-studded factor certainly is at its highest ever in the 13 year history of the event.

Not since the early days of the SuperNationals back at the X-Plex, south of the Strip, has the event seen such large fields. After nearly 100 drivers contested the TaG Senior category one year ago, SKUSA limited to just 80 able to attempt to make the 40-kart main event field this time around (preview here). The S3 category will attempt to match what many consider to be the best shifter kart race ever that took place outside the Rio last year. Looking at this year’s entry list, there are a number of drivers that will be battling it out. New to the SuperNationals is the KF2 division. Slowly gaining notoriety in the United States, a number of European will travel to Vegas to battle out the best from the country. The S4, G1, and TaG Masters fields reached the maximum of 40 entries with a number of talented drivers looking to contend for the victory this year. The TaG Junior division opened up to more than 40 in its second year at the SuperNationals with a number of young guns looking to enter the history books. The S5 category completes the class line-up with roughly 20 drivers building on the growing program.

The track is not the same as last year - which was previously thought to be. The layout is similar to the 2002 circuit with a few tweaks. The schedule for this year’s SuperNationals is a different format from years previous. Four categories will run in the first half of the day while the final five classes make up the afternoon portion of the schedule. Wednesday kicks off two days of practice for drivers to become accustom to the 6/10-mile circuit. Four rounds for all the divisions except the SuperPro category which will sit out the first day of action. On Thursday, each group will receive four more rounds - all seven minutes in length - with the SuperPro group running a SuperSession of 10-minutes at the end of the day. Following warm-ups, qualifying will take place with the first round of heat races (12 laps each) following to fill up Friday’s schedule. Saturday will be the completion of the two final heat rounds. The Last Chance Qualifiers for TaG Senior, TaG Junior and S3 will run after warm-ups, setting the stage for the nine main events to begin around 10:40am.

SKUSA SuperNationals XIII - Friday Report





It has begun…the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XIII has begun as the first official day of action completed outside the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Qualifying and the first round of the nine classes were contested with the Vegas Strip in the back drop. Many thought the ’08 edition was the best karting event ever in North America. This year’s event however is shaping up to the biggest and brightest karters and motorsports enthusiast have ever seen. With the grids full, emphasis was put on the qualifying session while the opening round of heat races mapped out the type of racing and passing zones we would see throughout the weekend.

TaG Junior
Official action got underway on Friday morning with the TaG Junior drivers taking to the temporary road course at the Rio Hotel and Casino. Broken into two groups, Michael Tejeda led the way early on in the opening slower group. As the 12-minute session progressed Felipe Fraga and Austin De Ment moved to the top of the charts. When the checkered flag waved, De Ment secured the provisional pole position with a lap of 44.507 in his Top Kart.

After a very brief break, the faster TaG Junior took to the track. As expected, it was not long before the overall order rotated, with the Group 1 drivers taking over the top of the charts. Jake Dennis quickly jumped to the P1 position, coming under constant attack from Yago Cesario and Tristan DeGrand. In the end, Dennis secured the pole position with a time of 44.349 in his Top Kart.

The order was further shuffled after technical inspection, with Austin De Ment, Micheal Tejeda, Joel Jens, Miguel Lopez and Adam Dowler all disqualified.

The first Heat race of the day featured the Group A and Group B drivers going head-to-head. Starting P1, Jake Dennis got away cleanly when the green flag, holding off early challenges from Kiel Spaulding, Raquel Martinez and Yago Cesario. As heat was built up in the tires, Spaulding began pressuring Dennis for the lead. Eventually finding a way past the Top Kart duo steadily established a gap on Cesario and Martinez battling for third. As the 12-lap race affair entered the closing stages, England’s Dennis retook the lead from California’s Spaulding, while Yago Cesario took over third place. When the checkered flag waved, Dennis had scored a 0.895-second win over Spaulding. Yago Cesario finished third, crossing the stripe ahead of Martinez and Yuri Cesario.

TaG Junior drivers returned to the track in Heat two, with the Group C and D drivers doing battle. While Tristan DeGrand started P1, his run at the front was short lived however, as Luis Tyrell soon worked his way into the lead. By lap three the order had further shuffled, with Austin Self becoming the new leader, ahead of Tyrell, Pierre Gasly, Luca Caspari and Jesse Lazare. By the halfway point of the 12-lap race, Self had a half second lead over Tyrell, who was coming under increased pressure from Gasly. Just as the white flag waved for the final lap, Gasly found a way past Tyrrell for second place. The excitement was not over however, as Gasly immediately challenged Self for the lead. While able to briefly get alongside the leader, it ultimately cost him a position, as Lazare executed a dynamite inside move to steal second place just prior to the checkered flag. Out front, Self captured the win in his Birel chassis. Behind the front trio at the stripe were a recovering DeGrand and Marco Tulio.

G1
Next up was the G1 karts. Jason Campbell led the way early on, before Kelly Baker, having sat in the pits in the opening laps, took over the top. With the battle for the pole position going down to the final few laps, Antonio Dettori earned the provisional pole position on his 11th lap, turning a fast time of 42.452 in his Energy chassis.

After two extra warm-up laps due to problems with the grid, the first standing start of the day featured Kelly Baker getting away cleanly to take the lead over Doug Cox and Fernando Diaz. Attacking the temporary road course, Baker quickly established a one second lead over second place. Behind the Italkart driver, Diaz and Cox battled for P2, with Diaz taking the position on lap four. Cox fell a further position a few corners later, as Antonio Dettori found a way past into third place. As the race progressed, Baker further expanded his lead over second place to more than two seconds. In the end, Baker ran uncontested to the victory ahead of Diaz, Dettori, Cox and Andre Martins.

KF2
When the KF2 karts rolled on-course, it quickly became apparent that multiple drivers would be in contention for the pole. Maxime Bornert, Alex Barron, Nicolaj Moller-Madsen battled for the top spot early, with Alex Speed, Jake Lloyd and Brandon Masiano joining the fray. In the end, CRG’s Maisano captured the pole position with a time of 42.736, holding off a late challenge from Senior rookie Gustavo Menezes.

Following a brief break, the KF2 pilots were behind the wheels and on track for their opening 12-lap Heat race. Utilizing a rolling start, the initial attempt was waved off with cars not properly aligned. Nicolaj Moller-Madsen enjoyed the best launch of the leaders, taking the top spot at the end of lap one, ahead off Alex Barron, Neil Alberico. The order further shuffled by the completion of lap two, as Alberico found a way past Barron. As second through fourth battled for position, Moller-Madsen established a three second lead. As the race progressed, Maisano, having started P1 and being involved in some first turn contact, slotted into third just ahead of the hard charging KF2 rookie Taylor Miinch. Top-three changed once again on lap six, as Miinch passed Barron for third place. While the final stages of the Heat race featured plenty of action in the back half of the top-10, no one was going to catch Moller-Madsen’s Energy chassis. Maisano and Miinch completed the top-three, leading Baron and Alex Speed to the checkered flag.

S3
The opening of two S3 groups featured Jason Toft quickly working his way to the top of the speedcharts in his GP chassis, turning a fast lap of 42.355. While Tommy Thompson got within striking distance, he was unable to knock Toft from the P1 spot when the checkered flag waved.

Almost immediately after the karts rolled off track, the second batch of S3 drivers rolled out of the pitlane. As expected the faster group was almost immediately up to speed. Early on Memo Gidley led the way, before the current EKN Driver Rankings No. 1 Stock Moto driver Tyler Bennett jumped to the top-one spot via a lap of 42.286. Just as numerous drivers started pitting to save their tires for the Heat races, Tom Dyer took over the P1 spot with a time of 42.194 on lap seven. The GP race pilot held the position until the checkered flag, holding off Bennett.

Ending the morning activities, the opening S3 Heat race featured the Group A and B drivers going head-to-head. Tom Dyer, starting P1, got away cleaning from the standing start, holding off the challenges Tyler Bennett, Eddie Olpin and Jason Toft. As the tires got up to temperature, Dyer and Bennett began establishing a multi-kart advantage over Olpin and the rest of the top-10. As the race progressed, GP’s Dyer utilized repeated fastest race laps, to slowly but steadily get away from Bennett. Behind the lead duo, Toft improved one place on lap seven, taking over third place. The order remained unchanged until the checkered flag waved, with Dyer taking the victory over Bennett and Toft, while Olpin and Brad Dunford, having recovered from a poor start, completed the top-five.

Almost immediately after the karts were off track, the Group C and D S3 drivers lined up for their 12-lap Heat race. Former Champ Car driver Memo Gidley got a good launch when the lights went out, holding the P1 position over Jacob Neal, Keenan Schmitke, Kyle Wiegand and Christopher Barkley. With Gidley and Neal running in close formation, the duo pulled out a two second gap over new third place driver Wiegand in the opening three laps. After several laps of no change among the top-five, the order suddenly shuffled on lap seven, Barkley took over third place in front of Wiegand and Schmitke. On lap later, Neal decided he wanted to lead the way, finding a way past Gidley. From that point forward, the CRG driver never relinquished the lead, taking a 0.347s win over Gidley. Barkley completed the top-three, leading Wiegand and Schmitke to the stripe.

SuperPro
After a brief lunch break and warm-up for the afternoon groups, the action resumed with the SuperPro Group B karts on-track for their lone qualifying session. After the tires warmed-up, the battle for the top-spot heated up, with Mathew Mair and recent Formula One driver Nelson Piquet Jr. swapping the top spot, just ahead of Seppo Monkkonen and Alan Sciuto. As the 12-minute session passed the halfway mark, Jeremy Iglesias took over the top spot ahead of former EKN Driver of the Year Sciuto. Marco Ardigo joined the fight for the provisional pole, moving into the P2 place. In the Intrepid’s Iglesias ended the session on the provisional pole position with a time 41.371.

Next on track was SuperPro Group A, the faster group, for their 12-minute session. With many of the drivers electing to wait before going out for a fast lap, IndyCar Rookie of the Year Raphael Matos led the way early on, just ahead of Daniel Bray, Phil Giebler and seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher. By lap four the order among the top-five had shuffled, with Matt Jaskol taking over the P1 spot. His run heading the timing sheets was short lived however, as Davide Fore, Norman Nato and Sebastian Buemi all taking turns in the P1 position. The next driver to take over the provisional pole position was Jonathan Thonon, edging the best time from Group B. As the 12-minute session came to a close, it was anyone’s guess who would secure the pole. Bas Lammers, having taking over the top spot on lap eight in his Intrepid, in the end held the place all the way to the checkered flag.

With qualifying completed the headline SuperPro drivers returned to their seats for their opening Heat race. After multiple attempts to get the grid in the right order, the race eventually got underway, with Jonathan Thonon getting the best launch of the front-runners, leading the opening lap ahead of Jeremy Iglesias, polesitter Bas Lammers, Anthony Abase and David Fore. Then suddenly the order changed up front at the start of lap three when Thonon suddenly slowed, giving Lammers the lead over Iglesias. Thonon would eventually pull off with a broken exhaust. One lap later, Iglesias was out front of Lammers, Abbasse, Fore and Kozlinski. Behind the lead pack, seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher was on the move advancing from deep in the field to 13th place. Out-front, Iglesias was steadily pulling away from Lammers, who in turn was edging away from Fore who was forced to defend his position from the reigning world champion Kozlinski. Just the field got set to get the checkered flag, the top-five shuffled a final time, as Kozlinski slotted into third, before Anthony Abbasse and Gary Carlton came together sending the duo to the rear of the field. Iglesias in the end proved unbeatable in his Intrepid, scoring a commanding 0.618s win over Lammers and Kozlinski. Completing the top-five were Norman Nato and Fore.

TaG Master
The TaG Master drivers got behind the wheel next, taking part in a 12-minute qualifying run. Upon the tires getting up to ideal operating temperature, Larry Fraser led the way ahead of Billy Cleavelin, Kip Foster and JP Cadoux. As the 12-minute session passed the halfway mark, the battle for the pole position heated up, with Fraser and Cleavelin separated by less than a tenth of a second. With the vast majority of the front-runners pulling in early to save their tires for the Heat races, the GP race pilot secured the pole position with a lap 45.002 at the waving of the checkered flag.

The TaG Master drivers were next on-course for their Heat One rolling start. Timing the green flag to perfection, Larry Fraser and Kip Foster held their P1 and P2 position into turn one. Unfortunately the rest of the field was less fortunate, with a multi-car collision in the hairpin bringing out the red flag. Upon clearing the incident, a full restart was performed, with Fraser and Foster again getting a good launch to hold the top-two spots ahead of Billy Cleavelin, Eric Jones and JP Cadoux. Fraser, having held off some early pressure from Foster, soon had a half second lead. That advantage however vanished as the field reached the midway point of the 12-lap race, when Foster passed Fraser for the lead. That proved just the start of the battle for the win, as Fraser retook the top spot one lap later. The battle for third was just as heated, as Jones found a way past Cleavelin. Battling all the way to the checkered flag, GP’s Fraser scored the win over Foster and Cleavelin. Jones and Chadoux ended the 12-lap affair in fourth and fifth.

S5
Up next at was the youngest shifter kart pilots via the S5 class. With the pole for the Heat races up for grabs, Lukas Johnson took the early lead, ahead of Reid Arnold, Dylan Kwasniewski, Austin Schimmel and Tyler Kingston. Just before the five-minute mark, Corey Neveau and Kiel Spaulding took over the top two positions. While second and third place changed hands on the final lap between Johnson and Neveau, Spaulding earned the pole via a lap of 43.807 in his Top Kart entry.

As the lights came on, the S5 drivers took to the track for their Heat One race. Kiel Spaulding, getting what appeared to be a jumped start, led the way into and exiting turn one. Behind the early race leader, Lukas Johnson quickly slotted into second place, ahead of Dylan Kwasniewski, Corey Neveau and Reid Arnold. Over the course of the opening three laps, Spaulding rapidly established a nearly two second advantage. Just as it appeared the top-five would run unchanged to the checkered flag, Kwasniewski fell to sixth, while Arnold and AJ Myers repeatedly swapped third place. Spaulding, never coming under any pressure of note, scored the win over Johnson, Arnold, Myers and Neveau.

S4
Under continued bright and sunny conditions, the S4 drivers rolled on-course for their lone qualifying session. Taking the early advantage was Mike Jones, topping the speed charts ahead of Kyle Hathcox, Paul Russell, Todd Edgington, and Jason Campbell. Just as the 12-minute session approached the halfway mark, the red flag was shown for contact between P2 driver Edgington and other drivers on the back straight. With no apparent injuries, the session resumed a short time later. While all the drivers were able to quickly get back up to speed, no one was able to better the 43.383 posted by Zanardi’s Jones.

The last shifter kart race of day one featured the 12-lap Heat One race for the S4 class. In what was a clean start, Mike Jones led the field into turn one, with Todd Edgington, Paul Russell, Kyle Hathcox and Jeff Littrell in hot pursuit. Showing good speed on cold tires, Jones quickly had a multi-kart advantage. That order soon shuffled, as Russell spun and had to wait for an opening before resuming his race. Just as it appeared Jones was on his way to a comfortable win, he slowed on the back straight with the carburetor falling off, giving Edgington the lead over Hathcox, Littrell, Jared Woolf and Steve Perdue. The order was not finalized, as Hathcox not only challenged Edgington for the lead, but found a way past. When the checkered flag waved the GP of Hathcox had scored the win over Edgington, Littrell, Woolf and late race charger Craig Sender.

TaG Senior
The final qualifying sessions of the event featured the TaG Senior group taking to the track. Broken into two groups, Group One was first on-track. Upon the drivers building heat into their tires, former Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon was the early driver to beat, in front of Justin Copelin, Brendan Phinny, Matt France and Chris Scribner on the timing monitors. As the six-minute mark of the 12-minute qualifying session was reached, Hugo Ouellette joined the fray slotting into P3. No-one could match Wheldon’s 43.935, giving the Top Kart driver the provisional pole position.

Immediately upon the track becoming clear, the faster Group 1 TaG Senior pack was on-track. Upon getting the tires up to temperature, Bobby Kelley became the early leader, just ahead of Taylor Miinch, David Sera and Miles Maroney. Sera became the provisional polesitter on lap three, bettering the fast time from Group Two as he moved to the top of the charts in the 12-minute session. Upon the five minute mark being broken, things really heated up as Michael Valiante, Andre Nicastro, Gustavo Menezes and Stepanova Nekeel trading places among the top-five. Only decided in the closing stages, Nicastro secured the pole with a lap of 43.666 in his Italkart entry.

The final races of the day featured the large TaG Senior fields rolling on-course. First up was Group A vs. Group B. Going two and three wide into the first turn hairpin, David Sera emerged with lead at the end of lap one ahead of Andre Nicastro and Justin Coplen. Nicastro, having started P1, quickly responded by retaking the top-spot by lap three. With Sera right on his rear bumper, the duo steadily pulled away from Coplen, Taylor Miinch, Brett Buckwalter and Gustavo Menezes battling for the remainder of the top-five. Fighting for position all the way to the checkered flag, Nicastro held off Sera for a narrow win. Coplen, having fallen back to fourth, crossed the stripe, after contact with Buckwalter. Completing the top-five were Miinch and Menezes.

Upon gathering all the stranded cars from the track, the Group C and D race pilots were set to get the green flag for the final race of the day. Unfortunately the initial start was waved off when the starter did not like how the field was not lined up. In what was an exiting launch, Michael Valiante passed Bobby Kelley for the lead. Behind the duo, John Zartarian took over third place in front of Dan Wheldon and Remo Ruscitti. The order changed after just three laps, as Wheldon worked his way into third place. Out front, Valiante and Kelley were on a charge, building full second advantage on the chasing pack. As the 12-lap race passed the halfway mark, Kelley began applying increased pressure on the more experienced Valiante. With the increasing dicing, Wheldon closed right up on the duo. Over the course of the final four laps, the trio traded the lead multiple times, with all three front-runners taking a turn out front. Wheldon, holding off a last lap charge from Kelley, emerged with a 0.087 win in his Top Kart entry. Valiante completed the top-three, leading Ruscitti and Wimsett to the checkered flag.

SKUSA SuperNationals XIII - Saturday Report





The intensity picked up on day two of official action at the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XIII. The parking lot outside the Rio Hotel and Casino was jammed pack full of spectators on hand to watch the action around the temporary circuit. Many karting enthusiasts, both past and present, were seen throughout the paddock. On track, the racing was more intense as drivers looked to hold their spots near the front while others were looking to make up for any early mistakes.

TaG Junior
Day two got underway with the TaG Junior Group A and C drivers taking to the track for their second Heat race of the event. After the initial start was waved off, Jake Dennis got a good launch when the green flag waved leading Luis Tyrrell, Yuri Cesario and Shawn Sharkley through the opening sequence of turns. Dennis quickly established himself as the man to beat, building a one second advantage by lap three. As the 12-lap affair progressed, gaps steadily grew among the top five. The order however shuffled, when Tyrell suddenly fell back to sixth, promoting Yuri Cesario, Pierre Gasly, Sharkey and Tristian DeGrand into the top-five. The order further shuffled in the final few laps, as Gasly moved up to P2 and DeGrand found a way past Sharkey. When the checkered flag waved, Top Kart’s Dennis had scored his second win by 3.215s over Gasly. Yuri Cesario completed the top-three ahead of DeGrand and Sharkey.

Almost immediately upon the track becoming clear the TaG Junior Group B and D race pilots rolled on-course. Things did not start as planned, as a kart impacted a techpro barrier on the warm-up lap. When the green flag did wave, Yago Cesario got the best jump taking the lead over Kiel Spaulding, Felipe Fraga, Phillip Orcic and Luca Caspari. The battled for the win took another turn on lap two, when Spaulding took over the top spot. Once out front, Spaulding began building a multi-kart advantage as Yago Cesario and Fraga diced for second place. As the race passed the halfway mark, Spaulding’s lead vanished, with Fraga eventually finding a way past into the lead. With the lead duo running bumper-to-bumper corner after corner, it appeared the win would only be decided at the checkered flag. That changed however, when Fraga fell back in the last lap with an ill handling kart. In the end, Spaulding scored 1+ second win over Caspari. Fraga crossed the stripe in third, ahead of Yago Cesario and Orcic.

Only a short time after taking to the Rio Hotel and Casino temporary road course for Heat Two, the Group A and D drivers got back behind the wheel for their final Heat race. Dennis once again got away cleanly when the green flag waved, leading Yuri Cesario, Sharkey, Martinez and Caspari into and exiting the turn one hairpin. As Dennis slowly established a multi-kart advantage, the race order right behind changed with Martinez passing Sharkey for third place. She continued her charge to the front, finding a way past Yuri Cesario as the 12-lap race passed the halfway mark. While Top Kart’s Dennis ran unchallenged out-front, the battle for second raged all the way to the checkered flag, with Yuri Cesario and Martinez swapping places more than once. Ending his Heat races in perfect fashion, Dennis crossed the stripe ahead of Yuri Cesario, Martinez, Caspari and Shawn Sharkey.

Next on-track was the Group B and C TaG Junior drivers for their third and final Heat race. After the initial two starts were waved off, the action finally got underway with Yago Cesario holding the P1 spot. Right behind, fellow front runners Spaulding and DeGrand went spinning in turn two as they fell to the rear of the field. With further contact, shuffling the order throughout the field, Yago Cesario took full advantage to build a 1+ second lead over Mason Chelootz, James Michael Sullivan, Alec Udell and Will Choice. As Yago Cesario continued to extend his lead, the to-five ran in close formation, but unchanged for several laps. That was not to last though, as entering the final stages of the 12-lap affair, Kathryn Cornell and Marco Tulio worked their way into the top-five, while Spaulding charged his way all the way up to the top-10. In the end, Italkart’s Yago Cesario scored a commanding win over Chelootz. Sullivan, Cornell and Tulio.

G1
Under bright and sunny skies the G1 drivers commenced their Saturday race action with Heat Two. Unlike day one which featured multiple aborted starts, the field got away cleanly on the first try, with Antonio Dettori taking the lead over Kelly Baker, Fernando Diaz, Doug Cox and Robert Marks. Early on, the lead duo battled for position, another good dice for position only a few karts back. While plenty drivers among the top-five were in position to make a pass for position, the top-five remained unchanged throughout the second half of the 12-lap race. Dettori scored a narrow 0.129s win over Baker, Diaz, Cox and Marks.

As the morning Heat races continued, the G1 drivers once gain got behind the wheel for their final Heat race in Las Vegas. Launching from the traditional standing start, Dettori and Baker once again led the field around the track for the opening lap. Behind the duo, Cox held third initially, before relinquishing the position to Diaz. In a repeat of the earlier Saturday Heat race, Dettori and Baker soon had a sizeable advantage over the chasing pack of Diaz, Cox and Robert Marks. With Dettori and Baker running nose-to-tail lap after lap, the win was up for grabs until the final corner. Dettori never relinquishing the lead in his Energy kart, taking the win ahead of Baker and Diaz. Completing the top-five in the 12-lap race were Cox and Marks.

KF2
As expected, the start of the KF2 Heat Two race featured plenty of action. Brandon Maisano got the best run early on, taking the lead over Nicolaj Moler-Madsen, who was coming under attack from Yu Kanamaru, Joel Johansson and Felice Tiene. By lap three, the order had shuffled, with Kanamaru taking over the top spot. Kanamaru’s charge continued a few laps later, passing Maisano for the lead. Behind the new leader, the order further changed in the final stages of the 12-lap race, as Johansson moved into P2 and Moller-Madsen found a way past Maisano into third. While Johansson closed the gap to Kanamaru, the Tony Kart held the top spot to the checkered flag. Moller-Madsen completed the top-three ahead of Maisano and Tiene.

With the pole in Sunday main event up for grabs, the KF2 drivers immediately attacked the temporary road course at the Rio Hotel and Casino upon getting the green flag. Maisano, having lined up P1, retained the top spot over Moller-Madsen, Gustavo Menezes, Kanamaru and Tiene throughout the opening lap. That changed on lap two, as Moller-Madsen found a way into the lead. One lap later, Maisano was a further spot down the order, with Kanamaru taking over third place. The order continue shuffle, as Menezes took over third place on lap six. Continuing to fight for position, the final five laps featured plenty of side-by-side racing and passing. Among those making a move were Guilherme Silva and Johansson joining the top-five. As expected the race win came down to the final lap, with Tony Kart’s Kanamaru edging Moller-Madsen and Menezes at the stripe. Tiene and Johansson completed the top-five.

S3
The large S3 field was the final karts on track in the opening portion of the Saturday morning Heat Two races. The first of two races for the class featured the Group A and C pilots going head-to-head. Starting P1, Tom Dyer got an excellent launch, holding off the turn one advances of Memo Gidley and Jason Toft. The duo were not to be denied however, finding a way past the race leader on lap two. Behind the lead trio, Kyle Wiegand and Eddie Olpin diced for fifth place. With the lead trio swapping fastest laps, the order was up for grabs lap after lap. Dyer, seeking a second Heat race win, retook the lead on lap 10 with a superb double pass under braking at the end of the straight. One lap later, the top-five shuffled again, as Wiegand worked his way past Toft for third. Dyer retained the lead aboard his GP machine over the final few laps, scoring a 0.375s win over Gidley, while Toft completed top-three ahead of Wiegand and Barkley.

The Group B and D drivers were next on-course, with the EKN Stock Moto No. 1 ranked driver Tyler Bennett leading EKN No. 2 Jacob Neal through the opening sequence of turns. Behind the duo, Keenan Schmitke, Bonnier Moulton and Clinton Schoombee battled for third through fifth. As the duo battled for the lead, the order behind shuffled when Moulton was involved in an incident with Brad Dunford. As a result, Mike Beeny moved up to fifth place. Things continued to heat up as Schoombee worked his way into third and Jordan Musser took over the fifth place. The win was decided by a slight margin at the checkered flag with Bennett scoring a narrow 0.359s in his PTK entry over Neal and Schoombee. Schmitke and Musser crossed the stripe in fourth and fifth.

Ending the morning session of day two at the SuperNationals, the first of two S3 Heat Three races featured Group A vs. Group D. Neal was the driver that got the best launch when the action got underway, holding off the early pressure from Dyer, Toft, Colby Yardley and Olpin. With the drivers battling for position behind, Neal was able to pull out a half second advantage during the first half of the 12-lap race. As the laps ticked off, the best battle among the leaders, featured Beeny, Yardley and Olpin fighting four fourth through sixth. Out front, Neal proved unbeatable in his CRG entry, taking the Heat Three win over Dyer and Toft. Beeny emerged from a multi-car fight in fourth, followed by Yardley in fifth.

The second S3 Heat Three race witnessed the group B and C race pilots going head-to-head. After the initial attempt to get underway was waved off, the large field got down to racing, with P1 and P2 starters Bennett and Gidley holding the top spot through he first few turns. The former Champ Car race pilot however wanted the lead and took it on turn two. Behind the lead duo, Wiegand quickly slotted himself into third, ahead of Dunford and Barkley. The order was not destined to stay constant, as the lead pack featured multiple cars running nose-to-tail. Greatly entertaining those on hand in Las Vegas, Bennett and Gidley traded the lead more than once a lap on multiple occasions. Adding to the excitement, Barkley and Wiegand were right behind trading places themselves. Battling all the way to the stripe, TrackMagic standout Gidley edged Benett by a slim 0.037s, while Barkley completed the top-five just ahead of Wiegand and Dunford.

SuperPro
Getting underway right after the lunch break, the start to Heat Two of the feature SuperPro class witnessed a clean launch with Jeremy Igelsias jumping into the lead, ahead Bas Lammers, Jonathan Thonon and Arnaud Kozlinski. As the MG Tires warmed up to ideal temperatures, front-runners wasted little time looking for a way past one another. Despite coming under constant pressure, Iglesias held the P1 position lap after lap, just of Lammers and Thonon, who were in heated fight for position. Never relinquishing the top spot, the Intrepid race pilot scored a narrow win over Thonon and Lammers. Reigning World Champion Arnaud Kozlinski finished fourth in front of Norman Nato, while seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher once again impressed advancing more than 10 positions from his 27th place starting position.

Only a few hours after opening the Saturday afternoon action with Heat Two, the SuperPro drivers back on track for their third and final Heat race. Timing the lights to perfection, the polesitter Lammers led the field into the often treacherous first turn. Davide Fore also enjoyed a great getaway, moving up to P2, ahead of Nato, Iglesias and Kozlinski. The order changed a lap later, with Nato finding a way around Fore. This proved just the start of a quick descent for Fore, as Iglesias, Kozlinski and Thonon all advanced a position. Entertaining the fans lining the fences, Nato took over the lead on lap five. Pushing their MG tires to the limit, Nato and Lammers began pulling away from Kozlinski, who was being chased hard by Iglesias and Thonon. As the 12-lap race entered the final third, the order among the top-five continued to rotate, with Thonon falling back several places and Lavanant slotting into fifth place. Intrepid’s Nato, holding off the challenges of Lammers, scored a narrow 0.101s win. Iglesias crossed the stripe in third, leading Kozlinski and Lavanant to the checkered flag.

TaG Master
The TaG Master field, utilizing a rolling start, witnessed a clean opening stint to its Saturday race action with P1 starter Larry Fraser holding the Heat two top spot into and exciting the first turn hairpin. Kip Foster was not willing to give up the chase, holding the P2 spot and challenging for the lead. Not far behind the duo, Billy Cleavelin, JP Cadoux and Eric Jones were engaged in a heated battle for position. As the 12-lap race entered the closing stages, the action heated up with both Cleavelin and Jones advancing up the charts into second and fourth respectively. No one was able to catch Fraser however, with the GP driver scoring the win over Cleavelin, Foster, Jones and Cadoux.

With the final order for Sunday’s main event up for grabs, the final TaG Master Heat race got underway with Fraser maintaining his P1 starting position advantage over Foster. Attacking the temporary road course right from the get go, the duo soon had a multi-kart gap on second place. The gaps among the leaders soon shuffled, as Fraser steadily pulled away from Foster, who was coming under increased pressure from Cleavelin. With Jones and Crow completing the top-five, the order remained unchanged until the checkered flag. Fraser completed the Heat race sweep, leading Foster to the checkered flag by a half second. Cleavelin was third, ahead of Jones and Crow.

S5
The youngest shifter kart racers, the S5 were next on track. When the cars launched from the standing start, it was Corey Neveau who set the early pace, building one second advantage over Lukas Johnson and AJ Myers. The order soon changed however, as first Myers worked his way into second, then Johnson suddenly fell to the rear of the field, promoting Kiel Spaulding into the top-three. Thanks to Myers being forced to defend his place from Spaulding, Neveau steadily extended his advantage. Just as it appeared Neveau was headed towards an easy win, Myers rapidly closed the gap, with Spaulding in tow. With the lead trio running nose-to-tail, Neveau having briefly relinquished the top-spot, scored a 0.173s win over Myers. Spaulding crossed the stripe in third, leading Dylan Kwasniewski and Emmanuel Mestrer to the checkered flag.

Returning to the seats of their shifter karts, the start of the S5 Heat Three featured Johnson getting a great launch from the line, with Spaulding slotting into second. Continuing their duel for class honors, Spaulding took over the top spot on lap two, but was immediately forced to defend his position. Behind the duo, Neveau ran in third place several kart lengths in front of both Kwasniewski and Myers. As the 12-lap race entered the closing stages, several drivers began making their move, including Reid Arnold racking the top-five. Further changes occurred when Johnson and Kwasniewski came together while battling position, sending both drivers to the rear of the field. Benefitting from the incident, Arnold took over third place ahead of Myers and Austin Schimmel. Spaulding, running unchallenged at the checkered flag, captured yet another Heat race win over Neveau, Arnold, Myers and Schimmel.

S4
When the lights went out for the S4 Heat Two race, it was Mike Jones who got the hole shot, leading Todd Edgington, Paul Russell, Kyle Hathcox and Jason Campbell around the road course on lap one. While Edgington stayed within striking distance over the course of the next several laps, no change for position occurred up-front. Just behind the trio, things were not constant however, as Hathcox found away past into Russell for third place. Things continued to go down hill for Russell, as the second half of the 12-lap race featured him dropping to sixth place. As result, Campbell took over fourth place, ahead of Craig Sender. That proved the final change among the top-five as Zanardi’s Jones taking the 0.20s win over Edgington, Hathcox, Campbell and Sender.

With the sun beginning to fall on the horizon, Heat Three for the S4 class got underway with Jones once again leading Edgington into and out of the first corner. Campbell slotted in right behind the duo in third place, while Russell and Hathcox held fourth and fifth place early on. While the lead trio ran in close formation over the course of the next several laps, the only change for position among the top-five featured Hathcox and Jeff Littrell advancing up to fourth and fifth. The fight for the win heated up in the final four laps, as Edgington managed to work his way past Jones into first place. That proved to be the decisive move, as the Arrow race pilot scored the win over Jones and Campbell. Littrell and Pool, having made the pass for position late, completed the top-five.

TaG Senior
The large TaG Senior field started their Saturday campaign with Group A going up against Group C in Heat Two. Andre Nicastro getting a solid start when the green flag waved, held the advantage over IndyCar’s Dan Wheldon, David Sera and Taylor Miinch at the end of lap one. While Nicastro retained the P1 position over the course of the next several laps, the order behind changed multiple times, with Sera and Miinch both finding a way past Wheldon. The battle for all top-five places continued to be a heated affair in the closing stages of the 12-lap race, with Michael Politis joining the fray. Taking full advantage of Nicastro and Sera getting together late in the going, Wheldon scored his second win of the weekend, ahead Politis. Sera completed the top-three in front of Michele Bumgarner and Miinch.

Immediately upon clearing the track, the TaG senior Group B and D drivers got behind wheel for their heat Two race. Gustavo Menezes, having lined up P1, retained the top spot on lap one, holding off challenges of Michael Valiante, Brett Buckwalter, John Zartarian and Hugo Ouellette. Thanks in part to a battle for third, the lead duo of Menezes and Valiante quickly established a multi-kart gap. With both drivers having previously won SuperNationals titles, the fight for the win as expected featured several passes for position. Just as Justin Coplen took over fifth place, Buckwalter began closing on P1 and P2. Only decided by the waving of the checkered flag, Tony Kart’s Menezes scored the win over Buckwalter, having found a way past Valiante on the final lap. Zartarian and Coplen completed the top-five.

Bringing day two of the 13th SuperNationals to a close, Group A and D went head-to-head in their third Heat races. After the initial stat was waved off, Nicastro held the lead through the opening sequence of corners, just ahead of Valiante and Sera. With the lead pack running nose-to-tail, every corner featured one or more drivers looking for a way past. As result, the order soon shuffled, with Sera taking over the top spot in front of Nicastro, Valiante, Miinch and Bumgarner. Battling for every inch on track, all of the top-five were in contention for the win entering the final few laps, with Valiante and Nicastro each having led multiple times. Only decided via a sprint to the checkered flag, Nicastro scored a slim 0.160s win over his Italkart teammate Valiante. Sera completed the top-three ahead of Bumgarner and Wimsett.

Upon clearing any karts stranded on-course, the Group B and C race pilots were behind the wheel for their final Heat race. In a repeat of the previous Heat race, the first attempted state was waved off. Going three and four wide, Menezes managed to avoid the ensuing carnage, holding the top-spot ahead of Buckwalter and Wes Phillips. That order almost immediately changed, as Buckwalter took over the lead and Wheldon moved into third place. Behind the trio, Phillips came under attack from Nic LeDuc. Out front, Buckwalter was using the clear track to full advantage, building more than a half second lead over Menezes, who in turn was several kart lengths ahead of Wheldon. That being said, the fight for the win began to heat up in the last few laps, Menezes utilized multiple fast laps to challenge for the position. Only corners from the start/finish, Menezes passed for the lead. That was not the end of the fight though, as Buckwalter got a good launch out of the final turn allowing him to go side-by-side across the stripe. In the end, Menezes scored dramatic 0.002s win over Buckwalter. Indy 500 race winner Wheldon finished third, ahead of Phillips and LeDuc.

SKUSA SuperNationals XIII - Sunday Report





An amazing week along the Vegas Strip completed with SuperSunday at the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XIII outside the Rio Hotel and Casino. Those who were actually on hand could feel the vibe throughout the paddock, in the full grandstands, and along the fence line surrounding the temporary circuit that saw nine divisions do battle around the 6/10-mile course. Certainly what can be considered the greatest and largest karting event in the over 50 years of karting in North America, the SuperNats saw great battles throughout the day with a number of great stories that will go into the history books. Aside from seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher being in the SuperPro field along with current F1 drivers Sebastien Buemi and Nelson Piquet Jr., the best karters from around the world showed their talent in the headline division with Bas Lammers scoring the victory and the $10,000 payday.

SuperPro
After a brief break for driver introductions it was time for the feature race of the event, the SuperPro class. Starting from the pole position Bas Lammers led the 44-car field to the traditional standing start. Upon the lights going out, Lammers and Jeremy Iglesias led the way into and out of turn one. The order changed before the completion of lap one as Norman Nato took over second place ahead of Iglesias and Davide Fore. Iglesias lost a further place a lap later, as Fore took over third place. Not far behind, current World Champion Arnaud Kozlinski held fifth place, right in front of defending race winner Jonathan Thonon. The order continued change throughout the opening stages, with Kozlinski and Thonon making their way up to fourth and fifth. Out-front Lammers was able to build a multi-kart gap by lap five, as Nato and Fore diced for the runner-up position. Behind the lead pack, lots of attention was focused on seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher battling for a place inside the top-10 with shifter kart standout and former winner at the Rio Ron White. Thonon and Fore’s chances at the win vanished when the duo got together while battling for position. With 10 laps to go, it was becoming more apparent that Lammers was the driver to beat, establishing a full second advantage over Nato, who in turn was a second ahead of Igelsias. As the 25-lap race entered the closing stages, the best battle in the front of the field featured Iglesias, Kozlinski and ’07 winner Marco Ardigo fighting for third through fifth. Intrepid’s Lammers was not to be denied in the end, converting his pole position into a first-ever $10,000 SuperPro SuperNationals win. Nato and Iglesias joined in the podium celebrations to complete the 1-2-3 for Intrepid, leading Kozlinski and Ardigo to the checkered flag to complete the podium.

TaG Senior
SuperSunday at the 13th Superkarts USA! SuperNationals got underway with a large group of TaG Senior race pilots taking to the track for the Last Chance Qualifier. With the top-six advancing to the final, Kyle Shriver got the jump from the pole when the green flag waved. While several karts at the back encountered problems, the lead group got through the opening turn hairpin unscathed. Shriver quickly established a gap on Neil McCoy and AJ Whistler. Attention was however focused on the fight for the final transfer place in sixth. Early on Daniel Morad held the position, but he was able to work his way forward, leading to a last gasp battle between Matt France, Justin Miller and Troy Dede. Fighting for the position throughout the final lap, contact between Miller and Dede led to France securing sixth place. Out front, Shriver scored an easy one and half second win in his Tony Kart chassis over Pier-Luc Ouellette, Morad, Whistler, McCoy and France.

The TaG Senior class rolled out for its 25-lap race, with former Indy 500 and IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon leading the 40-car field to the green flag. The order however immediately shuffled, with first Gustavo Menezes, then Andre Nicastro running out front. Behind the duo, Wheldon ran in third place in the opening two laps, ahead of Taylor Miinch. The order continued to shuffle from corner to corner, with Wheldon moving up to P1 by lap five. With the top-four of Wheldon, Nicastro, Miinch and Menezes running nose-to-tail, the fans on hand in Las Vegas witnessed multiple passes for the lead in the opening 10 laps. Behind the fight for the lead, Wes Phillips battled Justin Coplen for fifth place. As the halfway mark passed Nicastro, Miinch and Menezes - each having shared the lead - were able t pull out a small gap on Wheldon. With the lead being swapped several times in the closing stages, the fight for the win came down to the final few corners. Nicastro, having given Menezes a push through the final corners to take over the point was first to the stripe, taking the provisional win via the black and checker flags ahead of Taylor Miinch and Menezes. That was quickly altered, as the Race Director gave Nicastro a two place penalty, giving Top Kart’s Miinch his first SuperNats win in his Senior debut over fellow Senior rookie Menezes. Completing the top-five behind Nicastro were Wheldon and Phillips. During the podium celebrations, Menezes was further awarded the Jim Russell Championship Series Future Driver Selection scholarship, earning a free entry into the shoot-out for the Future Driver with Allan McNish ride in the 2010 Jim Russell Championship Series.

S3
The S3 Last Chance Qualifier witnessed 18 drivers battling for the six final places in the main event. Jack Bradley, making the most of clean track ahead, held the lead throughout the opening few laps with Bryce Miller and Alec Gumpfer in hot pursuit. Behind the lead trio, the fans on hand were busy keeping an eye on Chris Jennings, Ryan O’Connell and Eduardo Pena fight for the final transfer place in sixth. Gumpfer, following a late race charge scored the win over Bradley and Miller. Adolfo Anquiano finished fourth in front over Jennings, while O'Connell secured his place in the finals with a sixth place result.

Bringing yet another highly-successful SuperNationals at the Rio to a close as the final main event of the day, Tom Dyer and Jacob Neal led the 40-car S3 field to the standing start. Getting a clean launch, Dyer held the lead through the often treacherous first turn hairpin. Behind the leader Neal, Memo Gidley, Tyler Bennett and Kyle Wiegand slotted into the top-five. As expected, the opening laps featured the top few drivers running virtually nose-to-tail. Former Champ Car driver Gidley was the first to make a move, passing Neal for second place. The fight for position continued to heat up as Dyer and Gidley swapped the lead on back-to-back laps, while Bennett worked his way into third. Bennett was unable to hold the position, following some contact with Wiegand. Benefitting from the incident, Christopher Barkley took over fourth place. Greatly entertaining the fans on hand in Las Vegas, Dyer and Gidley continued their dice for the win lap after lap. That all changed just past the halfway mark when Gidley’s chances ended when he and Wiegand connected while fighting for position. Keenan Schimtke, having avoided the incident, took over second place ahead of Neal, Brian Keck and Clinton Schoombee. The driver on the move in the final few laps was however Bennett, having recovered from his early race incident to move up to fourth. Out front it was all Dyer, however, entering the closing stages with a three second lead. The GP race pilot, running unchallenged at the checkered flag, scored his second career SuperNationals win. Schmitke and Bennett joined in the podium celebrations, finishing second and third in front of Brian Keck and Jacob Neal. Capping of a great charge back up the charts, Bennett was named the Jim Russell Championship Series Future Driver Selection scholarship winner for his drive in the main event, earning a free entry into the shoot-out for the Future Driver with Allan McNish ride in the 2010 Jim Russell Championship Series.

KF2
The exciting KF2 class was up next with numerous drivers from overseas going head-to-head for their SuperNationals title. After the first start was waved off, Nicolaj Moller-Madsen got the hole shot, retaining P1 ahead of Joel Johansson. Behind the duo, Yu Kanamaru was third early on, before multiple SuperNats winner Alex Speed took over the position. With the lead trio, just ahead of Guilherme Silva and Brandon Maisano, the top-five ran unchanged for all of one lap, before Speed slowed with a mechanical issue. Silva moved up to P3, who quickly moved another position, passing Johansson for second place. With Moller-Madsen steadily pulling away, the fight for third through fifth heated up as Maisano, Johansson and Kanamaru were regularly getting alongside one another. That trio was soon joined by a hard charging Gustavo Menezes. As the 25-lap entered the second half, Silva and Maisano began trading places, just ahead of Kanamaru. The order among the trio continued to shuffle with all three drivers taking turns out front of the fight for position. Denmark’s Moller-Madsen running a nearly perfect race in his Energy chassis, scored a comfortable victory over Kanamaru and Maisano. Completing the top-five in the first KF2 race at the SuperNationals were Menezes and Johansson.

S4
Just as some clouds rolled over the Las Vegas area, the S4 cars lined up for their standing start. Todd Edgington, starting P1, held his advantage through the opening sequence of turns. Behind the leader Ryan Pool was the driver on the move, taking over second place ahead of Kyle Hathcox, Jared Woolf and Jamie Wilson. By lap three, the order among the lead pack had already changed, with Hatchcox finding a way past Pool into second place. The fight was not over though as Pool reclaimed the position a few laps later. Behind the top-five, Mike Jones was the driver on the move, working his way from deeper in the field up to sixth place. The charge came to a premature end however, as prior to the halfway mark of the 25-lap race he suddenly slowed as the carburetor again fell off his Honda powerplant, giving Jeff Littrell the opportunity to crack the top-five. Within another lap or two, the order up front further shuffled, as Pool spun and Littrell found a way past Both Wolf and Wilson took over third place. Upon taking over second place, Littrell rapidly closed the gap to Hathcox. As the duo battled for the win, the order behind the top-two changed on more than one occasion, with Craig Sender joining the top-five. Greatly entertaining those on hand, the fight for the win went all the way to the checkered flag. Tony Kart’s Littrell in the end captured his third SuperNationals title by 0.171s over Hathcox. Woolf joined the top-two on the podium with a third place finish, while Edgington and Pool completed the top-five. Jim Inglerbright took home the Bondurant Breakthrough Award with the 11th place result.

G1
The penultimate race of the 2009 edition of the SuperNationals featured the G1 karts taking to the track. With Kelly Baker and Antonio Dettori starting from the front-row, it the duo holding the advantage through the opening sequence of turns. Not far behind, Doug Cox, Fernando Diaz and Robert Marks slotted into the rest of the top-five. Pushing their MG Tires hard over the first few laps, Baker and Dettori were able to establish a one plus second gap on third place. Thanks in part to Cox and Diaz dicing for position, that gap steadily expanded throughout the first half of the 25-lap race. Following some sustained pressure, Dettori passed for the lead on lap 10. The next change among the top-five took place, when Andre Martins took over fifth place from Marks. The order further shuffled when Diaz suddenly fell down the charts. Out front, the fight for the win once again came down to the final lap, with Baker closing on Dettori. The Energy chassis race pilot met the challenge, scoring his first SuperNationals title by 0.255s over Baker. Cox completed the top-three, leading Martins and Marks to the checkered flag.

TaG Master
Utilizing the rolling start procedure, it was Larry Fraser and Kip Foster lined-up P1 and P2 for the 25-lap race. After the initial start was waved off, the action immediately heated up when the green flag finally did wave. While Fraser held the his P1 starting position, he was quickly under pressure from Billy Cleavelin, Kipp Foster, JP Chadoux, Eric Jones and John Crow. The order did not remain constant however, as Cleavelin took over the lead by lap five. Despite battling for position, Cleavelin and Fraser steadily pulled away from Chadoux in third place as the race progressed. The start of lap eight witnessed another change up front, as Fraser got to the inside of Cleavelin for the lead. Behind the duo, the second half of the race featured plenty of movement among the top-five, with Chadoux, Jones, Ty Matta, Foster and Ethan Wilson all running in close formation. The race took a dramatic turn on lap 17, when Fraser he suddenly retired when his chain fell off. As a result, Cleavelin took over a commanding lead over Matta and Jones. The fight for the final two podium positions continued, with Matta, Foster, Chadoux dicing for position. When the checkered flag waved, CRG’s Cleavelin had scored his second consecutive TaG Master Supernationals title. Foster and Chadoux joined in the podium celebrations, crossing the Strip in second and third, ahead of Matta and Jones. Ethan Wilson took home the Bondurant Breakthrough Award with his 11th place finish.

TaG Junior
The second group of drivers looking for a place in their final were the TaG Junior Last Chance Qualifier race pilots. Getting a good launch, Frederico Paoloni moved to the point on the opening lap, his run was short lived though, as Reid Arnold over first place. While the battle for the win was proving entertaining, many were busy watching the multi-kart dice for the sixth and the final transfer spot. Nicolas Silva, Scott Hargrove, Emily Maddison and Austin DeMent went head-to-head lap after lap, with the order coming down to the 12 and final lap. Behind the race winner Udell, Arnold, Tejeda and Harrgrove, Roman Lagudi crossed the stripe in sixth.

After two aborted attempts, the TaG Junior main race at the SuperNats got underway with the polesitter Jake Dennis retaining the to spot ahead of Kiel Spaulding, Pierre Gasly, Yago Cesario and Yuri Cesario. Attacking the temporary road course at the Rio Hotel & casino, Dennis and Spaulding began slowly pulling away from the fight for third place man Gasly. That was short lived however, as Gasly not only responded, but found a way past Spaulding into second place. Behind the lead trio, Yago Cesario and Marcus Brodie began working together, making it a five-car battle for the win as the 20-lap race passed the halfway mark. With Gasly, Dennis and Spaulding all having taking a turn in the lead, and Brodie part of the mix as well, the win was not decided until the checkered flag waved. In the end, Vemme’s Brodie scored his first SuperNationals tirle via a .0113s win. Dennis and Spaulding took home second and third place, crossing the stripe in front of Gasly and the hard charging Austin Self. Following tech, Brodie was removed from the results with an engine infraction, giving Dennis the victory.

S5
The first main race of the 13th SuperNationals witnessed the S5 group taking to the temporary road course at the Rio Hotel & Casino. Corey Neveau and Kiel Spaulding started on the front-row, and following a clean launch from the standing start, led the field into and exiting the first turn. While Neveau retained the top-spot for the first two laps, Spaulding worked his way into the lead on lap three. Behind the duo, the early stages of the 20-lap race featured Dylan Kwasniewski, Lukas Johnson and Reid Arnold completing the top-five. As the field passed the halfway mark, the best battle for position among the lead pack, featured AJ Myers, Arnold and Johnson fighting for fourth, fifth and sixth. As the laps ticked off, Spaulding steadily increased his advantage over Neveau. That advantage increased, when Kwasniewski found a way past Neveau, taking over the runner-up spot. Spaulding in the end was unbeatable in his Tony Kart, capturing his first-ever SuperNationals win. Kwasniewski and Neveau completed the top-three, leading Myers and Johnson to the stripe. Kaylee Granberg earned the Bondurant Breakthrough Award with her 11th place finish.

SKUSA Supernats XIII Coverage pt. 2 Videos

Friday highlights