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| May 06, 2011 News |
| EKN Paddock Pass: SKUSA Pro Tour SpringNationals |
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During the years that the Howden Media Group produced Super Kart Illustrated Magazine, the publication’s staff often reserved a page or two when laying out the race reports to reflect back on the weekend. This space was dubbed the ‘Paddock Pass’ and used this space to detail some of the highlights that helped make the event so interesting. Here on eKartingNews.com, we already provide unmatched session-by-session updates and daily race coverage from big events throughout the year. The one thing that has been missing in these timely reports is some of the behind-the-scenes information. Moving forward, EKN will now bring added coverage of every Trackside Live event with the new ‘EKN Paddock Pass’, which will help fill in our readers on our thoughts of what happened on-track and what was being talked about off the racing surface.
Excitement and Enthusiasm
The opening round of the 2011 Superkarts! USA brought something back that has been lacking in the national karting ranks for a couple of years - excitement and enthusiasm. The stiff competition and large fields in Tucson provided excitement during every lap of the weekend. Despite a few walk-away victories, the fight for each and every heat and main event win was thrilling and breathtaking. TaG Senior, S2, S4, TaG Master and TaG Junior had some of the best racing. The S1 drivers showed why they are considered the elite level in the organization, with some clean and tight competition. The S5 and TaG Cadet fields saw great battles throughout the field all weekend long. The enthusiasm in the scale line following each and every race was something that has also been missing. As the fields came to the scales, you could see and hear the thrill of the win or the pride of making that pass for the podium. Hopefully we will see more of this as the season goes on as apposed to the bland and non-emotional ‘Kimi Raikkonen-style’ responses that have become commonplace during the past national podium celebrations.
 | TaG Senior provide plenty of excitement throughout the weekend
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Musselman Honda Circuit
The ‘Suzuka’ replica built outside Tucson, AZ received rave reviews. The design of the circuit contributed greatly to the excitement that we saw throughout the weekend. There were at least five passing zones around the nearly 8/10-mile course and the final few corners offered some thrilling finishes. The one issue with the course is that it’s built in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by desert. If you have never been to Tucson and are not familiar with area, dust and dirt are your neighbor, everyday. Strong winds on Friday and Saturday brought some serious dirt devils, claiming a few EZ-ups. If you went off-track, you were going to be spending the next hour cleaning your kart. The shaded pit lane sections were certainly the mechanics’ favorite part of the facility, adding a break from the sun for those turning the wrenches during the weekend.
Host Hotel?
Driving up to the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa, you wouldn’t think it to be a host hotel for a kart race. The SKUSA management certainly worked its magic when they were able to book this five-star destination for a reduced price of $99 per night compared to the regular price of $250. This was the ideal opportunity to bring the family or significant other to a kart race. The view was spectacular, the pool and children play area were eventful, and just being in the resort made sure that you couldn’t help but feel relaxed. It made everyone feel like they were on a little vacation rather than just another kart race hotel.
One thing that we were not able to find was ample restaurants away from the hotel. Nothing can beat breakfast at Waffle House, so that was on the way to the track and got us going. While the track does not have a permanent concession stand, a couple establishments sent out their ‘meat wagons’ to provide the needed calories to continue on through the day. While the restaurants at the resort were fair (Signature Grill had a killer Angus Burger), the prices were on the high side and it’s always nice to hit some local establishments.
 | A view of the paddock area at the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, AZ
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
With the help of the Yelp iPhone app, we were in the mode for pizza and came across BZ’s Pizza (www.bzpizza.com). The drive was about 30 minutes away from the hotel as there was no easy highway access, so our trek was just straight across the city where we hit every street light possible. Once we got there, the first impression reminded us of a local sports bar rather than a chain restaurant. Having just missed the dinner rush, we sat down to some amazing pizza with fresh ingredients, a bottle of wine, and were greeted with complimentary canolis for dessert thanks to our 30-minute drive. If you ever find yourself back in Tucson, make sure to check it out.
Tire Performance
Superkarts! USA brought in the new MG Tire SKUSA compound for 2011, the MG-SK. The ‘MG White’ tire has received rave reviews throughout the regional programs thus far this season and went through its first Pro Tour test this weekend in Tucson. While we did not see many drivers improve their times during qualifying once past their first few laps, the times during the races did not fall off that much. In fact, many drivers were able to set their fastest laps of the mains at the end of the 20-lap finals, which is a testament to the quality of the product. The track took the rubber and drivers certainly were not looking for more grip, but instead needed to judge just how much there would be when they hit the track. The track record was broken, first by Brad Dunford on Saturday and then Daniel Bray on Sunday during qualifying with a 48.237-lap.
TaG Engines
The formula that the Superkarts! USA Technical Committee has established for the TaG Senior category certainly shows that any engine can win. Throughout the weekend, we had many engines battling for the wins, including the Parilla Leopard, Vortex Rok TT and Rotax. A Leopard won Saturday, followed by a Vortex Rok TT on Sunday. The Rotax of Dakota Dickerson was a challenger all weekend and took two podiums. TaG Master, the Motori 7 powerplant looked to have the advantage with Billy Cleavelin behind the wheel, but Vortex took both victories when Cleavelin encountered electrical issues. The Leopard and Rotax each showed it can run with them, with the advantage going to who has the best working chassis and driver behind the wheel.
 | A view from the room at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort
(Photo: EKN) |
Rookies Shine at Opener
Two performances in the headline categories - S1 and TaG Senior - stood out on the weekend. Rookies Lukas Johnson and Dakota Dickerson stood on the podium both days, each taking home the $500 paycheck for second place in their respective categories. Johnson is a product of the SKUSA ladder system, earning a regional championship in the S5 Junior Stock Moto category back in 2009 before jumping to S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto last year. Putting in some impressive performances, Johnson earned the #3 plate last year, but passed on that honor to graduate to the S1 Pro Stock Moto division. Having just turn 17 a few weeks ago, Johnson challenged and triumphed over defending champion Fritz Leesmann, veteran Tom Dyer and others, losing on the weekend to teammate Daniel Bray. Johnson received plenty of compliments, but none stood out like those offered by his competition as they commented on how he raced well above his age.
The same can be said for 14 year-old Dickerson. Making the decision just one week before the event to compete in his first-ever Senior level race, Dakota showed he had the maturity and respect of his fellow racers as well. A product of the Rotax ladder system, Dickerson has grown into an established Junior racer. Using the event to gain some experience to better his development, Dickerson raced in the lead group throughout the weekend and posted some of the fastest laps in the main events. Finishing third and second in the feature races, Dickerson finished the weekend second in the standings and is now planning out the details to compete at the SKUSA SummerNationals in July.
Up Next
EKN will take the month of May off to regroup and charge up for a busy summer traveling all across the country. Up next for the EKN Trackside Live program is the IKF Road Race Grand Nationals - hosted by Southwest Roadrace Association - at the Eagles Canyon Raceway in Decatur, Texas on June 15-18. |
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