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| EKN Editorial: Rob Howden’s The Bottom Line - Will We Start The New Year With Momentum? |
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As the publisher of this website and a number of others, I talk with members of our industry on a daily basis. My phone logs are extensive, but it’s how we stay connected with our partners when we’re not all at the racetrack. The overall tone of these conversations over the past 18 months has been one of underlying uncertainty, brought on and fueled by what is easily the worst economic climate that we’ve had to endure since we launched our first magazine back in 1998. Karting is a passion and a hobby for its participants, and many racers have been forced to cut back on the number of events that they can attend. We all know that times are tough, but we can also take comfort in the fact that by streamlining our businesses now, we’ll all be better positioned come back stronger when the economy recovers. That said, I feel that there is already a tangible feeling of positivity gaining traction in North America. I would pin much of this optimism on the excitement that surrounds the events that have become the foundation of our fall schedule, such as the recently-completed RoboPong 200 endurance event at New Castle, and of course, the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals. There will be over 450 drivers in Las Vegas in November, and that has to make everyone in this sport a little optimistic that karting has a brighter future. We certainly needed some feel-good stories, and thankfully, we’re getting them.
I believe that negativity feeds on itself, similar to the mob mentality. So much of the online forum banter this past year has been focused on the struggling economy and organization turmoil, but despite the doom and gloom, racing has continued, albeit with the different mindset. Amidst the recession, racers are heading back to their roots, staying closer to home by supporting their club and regional competition. By doing this, they’ve been able to keep their racing budgets in check by limiting travel costs. This is an excellent approach to continue racing, and truthfully, having recently run a big season-end local event myself, it felt good to get back to place where ‘fun’ is the primary goal. National traveling series have been affected by this trend of heading back to grassroots racing, but the overabundance of different series at this level plays a substantial role as well in the weaker numbers that they all endured this summer. On the other side of the coin, it appears that the racers who have returned to their roots are also ear-marking some of their restricted budgets for the big-ticket races, the ones they simply don’t want to miss regardless of the economy. And it is in the surprising strength of these events that I see as part of the subtle signal that karting may not be in the dire straights that the doomsayers will have you believe.
 | The RoboPong 200 at New Castle Motorsports Park continues to draw the best in karting and from the professional ranks of motorsports
(Photo: DavidLeePhoto.com) |
Over the final months of the season, it has been incredibly refreshing to sense a new wave of optimism and excitement. With a majority of the sport’s programs having wrapped up their seasons, the focus has now turned to the largest one-off events that annually dominate the capping of our calendar, and with this has come a new influx of excitement for the sport. In particular, the successful completion of yet another RoboPong 200 at New Castle Motorsports Park was cause for celebration and the remarkable story that is the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals simply continues to develop. Other smaller regional events are also enjoying big support, which is thrilling to see. The vast majority of the feedback that I received on the recent Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix in southern California (Oct. 8-10) pointed that it was a great event that has huge potential. Having the city behind the race with so much fervor will make future editions of the race all the better. The karting community is struggling in SoCal this year and the continuing improvement of this race could certainly help bring it back to its past levels of participation.
In my opinion, the positive atmosphere and excitement being fueled by these races is huge for the sport and is coming at an important time. It’s not just about the racers, but the industry as well, which relies on events to keep the revenue flowing. The regular usage of consumables, combined with spare part sales, is what makes the world go around for kart shops and teams, and this doesn’t happen when there are no races to attend.
The light action on the entry list heading towards this year’s RoboPong enduro classic was cause of early concern, but the drivers and teams rolled out in force once the event closed on its early October date. While not up to the team numbers as some of the earlier versions, the event attracted over 40 teams and the roster was bolstered by continued support of the Indy-based pro drivers, such as Will Power, Graham Rahal, Dan Wheldon, Simon Pagenaud, Ed Carpenter, Jay Howard and Alex Tagliani. EKN was there with coverage, as was RaceFanRadio, which again provided live streaming audio. NCMP stepped up with live timing and live video, helping to spread the word on this great event.
 | Record numbers will converge at this year's SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas
(Photo: Tony Leone - sixspeedphotos.com) |
If you step back and look at the race in terms of karting’s future, the success of this year’s event was extremely important. Over 100 drivers were part of the action and even in these tough times, they made the event a ‘must’ on their annual calendar. There were some newcomers as well, who have been vocal in their praise of the race, which will help it survive this trying economic time. The ’11 edition of the race should certainly see a return to the 80+ team entry count as the RoboPong is just not a race to miss.
Similarly, the continuing improvement of the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals has helped make it the single biggest event in American sprint karting. The paddock will included over 450 drivers, not entries, but individual drivers for a five-day festival of the sport. The grids are full in five of the 11 classes, including KZ2, S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto, TaG Senior, TaG Master and, amazingly, the new TaG Cadet class. S4 Master Stock Moto and TaG Junior already hit their initial limits, but the massive interest prompted SKUSA to open their entry to 80. After a season that saw many programs tighten their belts to endure lower entry counts, the support, participation and excitement surround the Superkarts! USA race could certainly be considered as the highlight of the year and an excellent springboard for 2011.
The increasing interest in SKUSA’s Stock Moto categories bodes well for their 2011 Pro Tour, as their separate of the former S3 class back into the S1 and S2 program is now paying dividends. At the SuperNationals, they will have 24+ in the S1 class and a full field of 40 in the S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto offering. And from there, you must expect that several S2 drivers will apply to receive the A License they’ll need to run S1 in 2011. Along the same line, SKUSA launched its new TaG Cadet class early in the year and a total of 12 drivers sampled the Mini Rok engine package on the Pro Tour. To now have a full grid of 40 for the SuperNats and 10 more sitting on the waiting list has to make SKUSA’s Tom Kutscher believe that he made the right decision in going with the Vortex powerplant.
 | The MJDrive Karting Super Prix will take place under the lights at North Texas Kartway in Denton, Texas
(Photo: Scott and Tem Photography) |
SKUSA is certainly building momentum with their Stock Moto program, but this category is also finding traction on the local level. The club excitement is continuing in Texas, where a grassroots movement by Michael Johnson and his MJDrive program is lighting the fire for shifter racing once again. Johnson has done it the old-fashioned way; he’s gotten on the phone and convinced guys to get out to the track. Working with the North Texas Karters club in Denton, Texas, Johnson decided to get everyone together for a Stock Moto race earlier in the year. For that first event, he got 10 racers to come out and face off in the biggest Stock Moto grid of the season. Everyone knows that racers like to run against big fields, and this was the start of something great for the sport. As is commonly the case, this initial event caused a little stir and when Johnson decided to put on another race with the NTK, a total of 20 gearbox pilots showed up, wanting a piece of the action. Fast-forward to this coming weekend, and you’ll realize why I’m tagging this event in a column along with the RoboPong 200 and the SKUSA SuperNationals. Sure, it’s on a different scale, but Johnson has kept up his charge and this Sunday’s MJ Drive Super Prix already has a confirmed entry list of over 40 gearbox drivers. Young or old, light or heavy, if you’ve got a shifter, you’re invited to come and play. Simply put, it will be a celebration for karting and for the power of numbers. There’s nothing like racing against a huge field.
The group at North Texas Karters knows how to put on an event, and I’m on my way there right now to be part of the action. This is going to be an old-school shifter race mirroring the absolute roots of SKUSA, when ‘founder’ Don Janowski would bring his 125cc outlaws to a club race to put on a show. I can’t wait to get to Denton, it’s going to be awesome. I think I need a race like this as much as the sport does.
So what does all this mean; the late influx of teams for the RoboPong 200, the excitement surrounding the Streets of Lancaster GP, a growing Stock Moto movement in Texas or the massive spectacle of the virtually sold-out SuperNationals? I would hope that it is a signal that we have brighter days ahead of us and that all levels of karting will see the support they need in 2011. Karting can be extremely strong if we have solid and well-supported club, regional and national levels, and should the momentum turn in a positive direction, next year could certainly be the season that we bounce back. For now, let’s all enjoy the amazing races that are set to cap the 2010 calendar.
Race safe,
Rob Howden
Editor-in-Chief / Publisher
eKartingNews.com |
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