|
 |
|
 |
| March 01, 2012 News |
| New WKA Gold Cup Era Starts This Weekend at Jacksonville |
| Article by: WKA PitBoard |
Officially, the 2012 World Karting Association racing season began in the final days of 2011 with Daytona KartWeek taking center stage at Daytona International Speedway.
The first WKA national in the current calendar year goes off this weekend with the RLV Tuned Exhaust Products Gold Cup Series opener at Jacksonville, Florida's 103rd Street Sports Complex, where teams from across the eastern half of the country will travel for the Barnes Paving Nationals to kick off the five-race tour.
The historic Gold Cup Series features a number new beginnings that will debut this weekend at Jacksonville, including new title sponsorship from the Santa Maria, Calif.-based RLV Tuned Exhaust Products, which WKA welcomes to the series with open arms.
2-cycle additions
For one of the first times in over a dozen years the throaty sound of 4-cycle kart engines won't be the only music to the ears in the Gold Cup pit area. Three 2-cycle divisions - Komet Sportsman and the TaG-powered X-30 Junior and X-30 Senior - join the Gold Cup slate this year as national classes.
WKA added a handful of junior 2-cycle local-option divisions to the Gold Cup last year with limited participation. This year's trio of 2-cycle classes already totals over 20 entries for this weekend's show and they should boost Gold Cup entry counts throughout the season while providing fans with some terrific racing action.
The three 2-cycle divisions will run the popular final one, final two format for a best seven out of 10 series championship.
A couple of new 4-cycle classes also join Gold Cup this year. Animal Amateur Medium, a senior class for drivers who have not won a national championship, will run Sunday. The Animal Amateur class mirrors the Restricted Junior division, which has been popular in Gold Cup among 12- to 15-year-old racers who have not won national titles.
LO206 Kid Kart is a national class and marks the first time WKA will run a kid kart division as a national competition class. The LO206 Kid Kart will run Saturday and Sunday with the final one, final two format.
A fifth national
One of the key changes to Gold Cup in 2012 is the addition of a fifth national race. For the first time in the series' history, Gold Cup is a five-race national tour instead of the traditional four. This year's national events comprise Jacksonville; a return to Barnesville, Ga., April 27-29; Michiana (Ind.) Raceway Park July 13-15; Pittsburgh (Pa.) Int'l Race Complex (formerly BeaveRun) Aug. 17-19; and the season closer at New Jersey Motorsports Park Sept. 21-23.
Jacksonville this weekend
This weekend's Barnes Paving Nationals marks the second consecutive year the Gold Cup is at Jacksonville, where the North Florida Kart Club has done a masterful job maintaining and adding improvements to their 103rd Street Sports Complex.
Jacksonville's gates open at noon Thursday for pit pass sales and parking. Registration runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday.
On-track action kicks off Friday with a full day of practice before the popular Animal Heavy Money Race hits the track around 5:30 p.m. The Money Race offers 75 percent payback from entry fees and also boasts a number of product awards and gift certificates for participants.
As always, Saturday and Sunday feature morning practice, qualifying, heats and main events. A full slate of 16 national classes is on tap for Saturday before 17 divisions take the green flag Sunday.
To view and print this weekend's schedule and other important information go here.
http://www.worldkarting.com/downloads/eb-2012/jax_gc.pdf
Live coverage of Jacksonville on WorldKarting.com
WKA Live is back in action this weekend with coverage of the Barnes Paving Nationals for the RLV Tuned Exhaust Products Gold Cup Series at Jacksonville, Fla.'s 103rd Street Sports Complex.
To view the WKA Live Jacksonville page go here.
http://www.worldkarting.com/pg/coverItLive/2012.jacksonville.live.coverage.gc.php
Live coverage on WorldKarting.com begins Friday with the Animal Heavy Money Race, which runs after practice. The Money Race usually begins around 5:30 p.m. Friday at Gold Cup nationals.
Saturday and Sunday feature full days of racing, including one round of morning practice, qualifying, heats and main events. A full slate of 16 national classes is on tap for Saturday before 17 divisions take the green flag Sunday.
Live coverage of this weekend's race will include video, Race Monitor live timing and Cover It Live chat.
Be sure to tune in to WKA Live Friday evening for the Animal Heavy Money Race and throughout the course of Saturday and Sunday for 4-cycle and 2-cycle national sprint racing.
To view the Barnes Paving Nationals Jacksonville weekend schedule go here.
http://www.worldkarting.com/downloads/eb-2012/jax_gc.pdf |
|
|
Go Top
|
|
|
|
|
