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| November 06, 2012 News |
| EKN Exclusive: MG Tires SKUSA SuperNationals XVI - Preview Program - TaG Junior |
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eKartingNews.com, the official online media partner of Superkarts! USA, is proud to present the SKUSA SuperNationals XVI Preview Program. Over the coming days leading up to the November 14-18 event, EKN will preview each of the nine categories that will compete for a share of the prize package worth roughly $100,000, and the completion of the 2012 SKUSA Pro Tour.
For complete coverage of the SKUSA SuperNationals XVI presented by MG Tires, visit the Official EKN Event Page
The TaG Junior category will make history this year in Vegas as a record-breaking 82 drivers are scheduled to compete for the 40 positions available in the SuperSunday main event. This year’s field highlights top talent from across North America and around the world, as nearly half the competitors are traveling in from outside the United States and Canada. Since the TaG Junior category was added to the SKUSA SuperNationals in 2008, the winner has been foreign driver. In addition, two of the previous winners will be returning for a run at a second title.
British star George Russell (OK1) is the two-time defending KF3 European Championships and 2011 SuperNationals winner in TaG Junior, overcoming an engine issue early in the week to work his forward in the heat races and into contention by SuperSunday. Joao Vieira (Tony Kart) scored the victory in Vegas just two years ago, and came away with a 10th place performance last year. The Brazilian will be one of four drivers making his third start in the TaG Junior category this year.
Unlike last year, the chase for the SKUSA Pro Tour TaG Junior title will down go to the final corner. Three drivers enter the week separated by just 65 points and will have to fight off the other 79 competitors for every point possible. Luke Selliken, Carter Williams and Brenden Baker have all enjoyed consistent performances on the Pro Tour and it will take a career performance from every one of them in Las Vegas to earn the SKUSA #1 plate.
Luke Selliken
 | Luke Selliken
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
One of the top Junior drivers in the country over the past season has been Luke Selliken. The Portland, Oregon pilot has made great strides in 2012 working with the Mike Rolison and his Rolison Performance Group, beginning the season by earning vice-champion honors at the Challenge of the Americas in Rotax Junior. He then began his SKUSA Pro Tour campaign with a double-win weekend at the SpringNationals in Phoenix, further cementing is position among the best in the nation. Selliken hung strong in Utah for the SummerNationals despite a qualifying issue on Saturday that left him 23rd. The Kosmic driver bounced back to a pair of top-fives. This performance has given him a chance to earn the title in his rookie season. This trip to the SuperNationals, however, will be his first, a daunting task for a young driver to enter the biggest race of his short career.
Pro Tour Results:
SKUSA SpringNationals #1 - 1st
SKUSA SpringNationals #2 - 1st
SKUSA SummerNationals #1 - 2nd
SKUSA SummerNationals #2 - 5th
Previous SuperNationals Finish: N/A
Carter Williams (-15 points)
 | Carter Williams
(Photo: dromophotos.com) |
To compliment the achievements of Selliken, you have Carter Williams, who has been getting it done in both TaG Junior and S5, on the regional and national level. Another rising star in the Junior ranks of karting, Carter is the ironman of the youth pool. The Northern California pilot races out of the Phil Giebler Racing tent and will do double duty in Vegas, in the hunt for each Pro Tour title. After an up-and-down SpringNats, Williams bounced back with impressive performances to sweep the feature races in Utah. The now two-time California ProKart Challenge champion finished 13th in the Pro Tour standings last year after a SuperNationals DNF, but with another year’s experience, he has become an incredible mature and calculating driver.
Pro Tour Results:
SKUSA SpringNationals #1 - 2nd
SKUSA SpringNationals #2 - 9th
SKUSA SummerNationals #1 - 1st
SKUSA SummerNationals #2 - 1st
Previous SuperNationals Finish: DNF (2011), 25th (2010)
Brenden Baker (-65 points)
 | Brenden Baker
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
The competition level of the TaG Junior class on the SKUSA Pro Tour increased drastically this year and Brenden Baker has been the most consistent driver of the bunch. A podium finish in four straight races matches the same result that 2010 champ Luis Tyrrell had going into the SuperNats. The only difference, however, is that Tyrrell won three times while Baker has yet to stand on the top step. Brenden’s road to the SuperNationals has been noted with a chassis change before each event. Beginning the year on CRG, he moved to the Formula K brand for the SummerNationals, recording similar results. Now back under the CRG-USA tent in Vegas, Baker hopes his fifth podium finish of the series leads to the SKUSA Pro Tour championship.
Pro Tour Results:
SKUSA SpringNationals #1 - 3rd
SKUSA SpringNationals #2 - 2nd
SKUSA SummerNationals #1 - 3rd
SKUSA SummerNationals #2 - 2nd
Previous SuperNationals Finish: DNF (2011)
Only two drivers from last year’s top-10, other that winner Russell, will be returning this year - Bruna Tomaselli (Kosmic) and Lance Stroll (Zanardi). Tomaselli returns with J3 Competition after finishing third with the U.S.-based squad. The Brazilian is sure to be a contender once again. Stroll had a solid season in Europe, as the Canadian was racing for Chiesa Corse squad, returning to Vegas after finishing eighth a year ago.
More drivers from North America are gaining experience in Europe, and they are all hoping to bring back this valuable experience to cash in at the SuperNationals. Brothers Dalton and Logan Sargeant (Tony Kart) both had a great 2012 season in WSK Euro Series. They each have a Rotax Grand Nationals championship under their belts and Logan is the defending TaG Cadet champ from the SuperNationals. Canadians Zachary Claman-Demelo (CRG) and Gianfranco Mazzaferro (Zanardi) each took part in events in Europe, and have been very successful at the Canadian Nationals. Mazzaferro is the newly-crowned Canadian Mini Max champ, and will be making his first start in the Junior ranks.
 | Defending race winner George Russell
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
Looking at the rest of the field, there are a number of drivers making their first start in class and at the SuperNats, roughly 15 of whom raced TaG Cadet last year with many near the top of the SKUSA Pro Tour standings entering Vegas. 2011 Mini Max Rotax Grand Nationals champ Christian Brooks (Energy) is fourth in his rookie TaG Junior season. Utah driver Austin Versteeg (CRG) ran TaG Junior last year in Vegas, finishing an impressive 14th, and is currently fifth on the Pro Tour and locked in for a SuperSunday start thanks to his Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge championship. 2011 SKUSA Pro Tour TaG Cadet champion Colton Herta (DR Kart) will make his SuperNats debut in TaG Junior.
EKN Selections:
Rob Howden
When I look at the growth of SKUSA and the SuperNationals, the TaG Junior category is what strikes me first. The number of young Juniors, now being added to by graduating TaG Cadets, makes me excited about the future. As TaG Junior expands and develops, it’s only going to make the top levels that much more competitive. The SuperNationals’ position as the virtual ‘US Open of Karting’ takes the race to its own level, pitting the top SKUSA regulars against the best that the rest of the US, Canada and the World has to offer. And this year, everyone had stepped up their games. British pilot George Russell may be the best Junior in the world, so it’s almost impossible to bet against him, but the experience that Dalton Sargeant and Zachary Claman-Demelo have been logging should help them raise their game on this demanding stage. And with the Pro Tour title on the line, I also see Selliken, Williams and Baker being in the fight. With the battle for the win? I don’t know….but I like their chances of a top-five.
1. George Russell
2. Dalton Sargeant
3. Zachary Claman-Demelo
4. Luke Selliken
5. Carter Williams
David Cole
This year’s TaG Junior field is stacked with talent and a lot of unknowns. With nearly half the field international drivers, it makes it even more difficult to predict who will be in the hunt come SuperSunday. Going by previous results and this year’s performances, Russell has the advantage over everyone. I feel he controls his own destiny, entering the event with two Euro championships and coming in as the defending race winner. If he’s improved on the talent he showed last year, there may be no stopping him once they hit the track November 14. The Sargeant brother duo has climbed up the karting ladder in America and took it across the pond this year, with strong results. Dalton, the elder Sargeant, skipped last year’s SuperNats to compete at the Rotax Grand Finals, and his experience takes him to the podium. Vieira will improve on his result from last year, but will come up short of a second SuperNats title. My sleeper of the week is Juan Manuel Correa (Praga). An impressive run at the Rotax Grand Nationals put him on Team USA for the week after Vegas, and a runner-up at the Pan American Challenge event locked me in putting stock on his SuperNats results. Working with the new Praga USA and Jay Howard is another plus. Rounding out the podium will be Selliken, who should clinch the championship by just a few points when the final results are tallied.
1. George Russell
2. Dalton Sargeant
3. Joao Vieira
4. Juan Manuel Correa
5. Luke Selliken
TaG Junior Entry List
| No. | Driver | Team | Chassis | City | State | Country| 65 | Enaam Ahmed | Forza Racing | OK1 | Cambridgeshire | | GBR | | 105 | Julien Andlauer | IPK North America | Praga | Uxbridge | ON | FRA | | 46 | Mauro Auricchio | Grand Products / Top Kart USA | Top Kart | Bensalem | PA | BRA | | 09c | Brenden Baker | CRG-USA | CRG | Palmdale | CA | USA | | 23 | Gustavo Bandeira | PSL Karting | CRG | Brasilia | DF | BRA | | 120 | Vitor Batista | Energy Corse SRL / Buddy Rice Karting | Energy | Fontana | CA | BRA | | 9 | Dorian Boccolacci | Energy Corse SRL / Buddy Rice Karting | Energy | Callian | VAR | FRA | | 111x | Thomas Boost | Energy Corse SRL / Buddy Rice Karting | Energy | Fontana | CA | USA | | 141 | Diego Borrelli | ART Grand Prix America | ART GP | Miami | FL | VEN | | 85 | Enzo Bortoleto | PSL Karting | CRG | Sao Paulo | SP | BRA | | 555 | Luiz Felipe Branquinho | Legree Motorsports | Tony Kart | Goiania | GO | BRA | | 34c | Christian Brooks | Energy Corse SRL / Buddy Rice Karting | Energy | Santa Clarita | CA | USA | | 70y | Grayson Browne | Energy Corse America | Energy | San Jose | CA | USA | | 43 | Pedro Tavares Cardoso | PSL Karting | CRG | Brasilia | DF | BRA | | 95 | Yurik Carvahlo | Italian Motors | Italkart | Sumas | WA | BRA | | 008 | Sam Cate | | Tony Kart | Richmond | IN | USA | | 30 | Luis Angel Ramirez Cedeno | Grand Products / Top Kart USA | Top Kart | Bensalem | PA | PAN | | 78y | Sonny Cervelli | PSL Karting | CRG | Benicia | CA | USA | | 213 | Zachary Claman - Demelo | PSL Karting / ZCD Autosport | CRG | Westmount | QC | CAN | | 68 | Juan Manuel Correa | Praga USA / Team MDD | Praga | Carmel | IN | ECU | | 134 | Sebastian Coulson | DeFrancesco Racing (DFR) | FA Kart | Aventura | FL | USA | | 7y | Zack Dante | Leading Edge Motorsports | Intrepid | Davis | CA | USA | | 100 | Devlin DeFrancesco | DeFrancesco Racing (DFR) | CRG | Fort Lauderdale | FL | USA | | 147 | Marcu Dionisios | Grand Products / Top Kart USA | Top Kart | Bensalem | PA | GRC | | 94y | Garrett Dixon | Energy Corse SRL / Buddy Rice Karting | Energy | Tahoe City | CA | USA | | 218z | Marco Eakins | Energy Corse SRL / Buddy Rice Karting | Energy | Beaverton | OR | USA | | 41j | Braden Eves | GT Karting | PCR | Gahanna | OH | USA | | 52 | Fabrizzio Famularo | AM Engines | Tony Kart | Doral | FL | VEN | | 077 | Sergio Santos Sette Camara Filho | ART Grand Prix America | ART GP | Belo Horizonte | MG | BRA | | 05 | Sofia Floersch | Grand Products / Top Kart USA | Top Kart | Bensalem | PA | DEU | | 53 | Pedro Fonseca | IPK North America | Intrepid | Rio Grande do Norte | Natal | BRA | | 324x | Noah Grey | Phil Giebler Racing | FA Kart | Dana Point | CA | USA | | 888c | Hannah Grisham | Full Throttle Karting | Arrow | Glendora | CA | USA | | 26c | Colton Herta | Pitts Performance | DR | Valencia | CA | USA | | 13b | Dallas Hollins | Phil Giebler Racing | FA Kart | Fontana | CA | USA | | 4a | Thomas Howe | J3 Competition | Kosmic | Ballajura | WA | AUS | | 188 | Juan Manuel Jimenez | ART Grand Prix America | ART GP | Santa Ana | CA | COL | | 151 | Darren Keane | Keane Racing | Tony Kart | Deerfield Beach | FL | USA | | 69y | Alex Keyes | | CRG | Folsom | CA | USA | | 28 | Kyle Kirkwood | Kartsport North America | Arrow | Cornelius | NC | USA | | 156 | Jake Kostecki | J3 Competition | Kosmic | Malaga | WA | AUS | | 155 | Kurt Kostecki | J3 Competition | Kosmic | Malaga | WA | AUS | | 80d | Flinn Lazier | | | Vail | CO | USA | | 81c | Justice Lepe | Energy Corse SRL / Buddy Rice Karting | Energy | San Diego | CA | USA | | 14o | Wyatt Maness | | Birel | Tulsa | OK | USA | | 42z | Davey Manthei Jr. | Rolison Performance Group | Kosmic | Pasco | WA | USA | | 11y | Maxx Marian | Zanardi America | Zanardi | Penngrove | CA | USA | | 19c | Wyatt May | PKS Kart Supplies | Top Kart | Corona | CA | USA | | 114 | Gianfranco Mazzaferro | Ferrolati Corse | Zanardi | Montreal | QC | CAN | | 06 | Austin McCusker | Mike Doty Racing | Haase | Glen Head | NY | USA | | 93r | Ethan McDade | Italian Motors | Italkart | Calgary | AB | CAN | | 88c | Chase McDaniel | CRG-USA | CRG | Torrance | CA | USA | | 98 | Matthew Moniz | Team Vemme / Checkered Flag Racing | Vemme | Surrey | BC | CAN | | 92a | Christian Munoz | ART Grand Prix America | ART GP | Bogota | Cundinamarca | COL | | 35 | Felipe Ortiz | PSL Karting | CRG | Santana de Parnaiba | SP | BRA | | 21 | Austin Osborne | MRP Motorsport | Birel | Houston | TX | USA | | 118 | Vinicius Marques Papareli | PSL Karting | CRG | Santo Andre | SP | BRA | | 51z | Jake Preston | Rolison Performance Group | Kosmic | Renton | WA | USA | | 83 | Nick Ramirez | Grand Products / Top Kart USA / Empire Karts | Top Kart | Riverside | CA | USA | | 90r | Jordan Redlin | True North | Zanardi | Aldergrove | BC | CAN | | 211 | Tyler Ripani | Karts & Parts | LH | Burlington | ON | CAN | | 1y | Blaine Rocha | Rolison Performance Group | Kosmic | Oakdale | CA | USA | | 63 | George Russell | Forza Racing | OK1 | Wisbech | | GBR | | 314 | Dalton Sargeant | Sargeant Motorsports | Tony Kart | Loxahatchee | FL | USA | | 524 | Logan Sargeant | Sargeant Motorsports | Tony Kart | Loxahatchee | FL | USA | | 24 | Marino Sato | Phil Giebler Racing | FA Kart | Anaheim | CA | JPN | | 5a | Thomas Schou | J3 Competition | Kosmic | Parkerville | WA | AUS | | 12c | Nathan Seegrist | Energy Corse SRL / Buddy Rice Karting | Energy | Corona | CA | USA | | 33z | Luke Selliken | Rolison Performance Group | Kosmic | Portland | OR | USA | | 3y | Nick Sommers | Team Nitro | CRG | Nevada City | CA | USA | | 86 | Lance Stroll | Chiesa Corse | Zanardi | Geneva | Geneve | CAN | | 71 | Dustin Stross | TS Racing | DR | N. Fort Myers | FL | USA | | 007 | Kayla Stuart | Sargeant Motorsports | Tony Kart | Pompano Beach | FL | USA | | 29 | Dominic Tesoro | Southern Karting Specialists (SKS) | Kosmic | Hockley | TX | USA | | 80 | Parker Thompson | Energy Corse SRL / Buddy Rice Karting | Energy | Red Deer | AB | CAN | | 197 | Bruna Tomaselli | J3 Competition / JZ Racing | Kosmic | Florianopolis | SC | BRA | | 7 | Tazio Torregiani | Mike Doty Racing | Haase | Stamford | CT | USA | | 77u | Austin Versteeg | PSL Karting / CRG USA | CRG | Sandy | UT | USA | | 119 | Joao Vieira | Tony Kart USA / Orlando Kart Center | Tony Kart | Orlando | FL | BRA | | 55c | Carter Williams | Phil Giebler Racing | FA Kart | Clovis | CA | USA | | 58 | Yifan Xia | ART Grand Prix America | ART GP | Cremona | CR | CHN | | 00y | Justin Yanez | Cambrian Go Karts | Birel | San Jose | CA | USA | |
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