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| Features |
| EKN One-on-One: WKA’s Randy Kugler |
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With the recent rumors and forum talk on the future of the World Karting Association’s Daytona KartWeek, EKN decided to get the facts straight. News Desk Manager was able to steal WKA President and Chairman Randy Kugler for this exclusive interview, asking questions on the future of the Daytona KartWeek and karting, in general, at the famed Daytona International Speedway.
EKN: First off, the EKN readership is obviously all over the rumor that there will not be a Daytona KartWeek event this year. Let’s start with something that is 100% a done deal, the WKA Dirt World Championships event has been officially moved from the Daytona Municipal Stadium to the Volusia Speedway Park, 15 minutes west of Daytona. Is this true, and can you please comment on the move?
RK: This past February, I began meeting with the promoters of Volusia Speedway Park. It was their vision was to host the WKA Dirt World Championships. I explained to them that, at that time, we were loyal to our partners at Daytona International Speedway. There was no way I would jeopardize that relationship with anybody. Not long after that, I began our talks with the Speedway regarding our upcoming December events. We reviewed our event from the prior December at the Stadium. All of us agreed that, because the stadium was not a dedicated karting track, there was a tremendous expense in getting it ready for racing. I was asked by the DIS rep if there were other options for WKA to hold the event and still keep it in the Volusia County area. I stated that there was and I explained to them the discussions I had with the promoters at Volusia. At that point, in time, the Speedway gave us their blessing to move the event to Volusia. The rest is history. We are very excited about the potential this event has for WKA. We truly look forward to working Mike Hunter and the rest of the staff at Volusia Speedway Park.
EKN: With the moving of the dirt event confirmed, what is the official status of KartWeek, as we know it? Are the road race and spring events at Daytona Int’l officially cancelled for the 2007 season? And if so, did the move of the dirt event play a role in the scuttling of the races at the DIS facility?
RK: The traditional KartWeek has changed, but not gone away. Daytona International Speedway takes a lot of pride in the history of KartWeek. Included in this event is the annual induction of karts into Daytona USA. This will now take place in March of '07. Although nothing is official, we are currently working with the Speedway to kick off our Horstman Gold Cup Series on the sprint track at Daytona in March as well. Following the lead of our Manufacturer's Cup Competition Committee, we supported a year off from that series racing over Christmas in Florida. The March Gold Cup event, along with the Daytona USA induction, will serve as KartWeek for the '07 season. The hope of WKA and the Daytona International Speedway is to bring the Manufacturer's Cup back to Daytona in December of '07 to kick off that series in conjunction with the World Dirt Track Championships, as well as the Daytona USA induction. Please understand that this is all in the planning stages, but we are very optimistic about preserving the KartWeek tradition amidst dealing with some changes. Certainly, the biggest change is the absence of the Road Race this December at Daytona. After many meetings and discussions with the Speedway, it was agreed by all that a Road Race at the Speedway in December of '06 was no longer a viable option for either party. We look forward to kicking off our '07 Road Racing Season in February at Roebling Road.
EKN: So to confirm, the Gold Cup will kick off the 2007 season on the Daytona sprint track in March as the new KartWeek. When and where will be Manufacturer's Cup season opener be held?
RK: Neither schedule is official. Plans are in the works to kick off the Gold Cup at Daytona and the Manufacturer's Cup at Jacksonville in March as well. We will be announcing all schedules this week.
EKN: Moving to the Road Racing program, an EKN viewer posted a Daytona Beach News-Journal published article online in our forum and created a stir. Were you misquoted in stating the “road racing” had been unofficially moved to the spring date as many road racers or enduro drivers assumed their race was just moved and not cancelled?
RK: The phrase "road racers" was used to refer to sprint racers. That was a miscommunication from the paper. Actually, I never interviewed with the paper. I did, however, agree to the nature of the announcement made by the Speedway. We went over it together. I don't recall the "road racing" reference or I would have corrected it. The "road racer" reference was just an honest mistake made by the paper. Obviously, I would not have led anyone to believe that there would be road racing at Daytona in March if I had no way to back it up.
EKN: What was the primary reason for the cancellation of the Road Race event? Was it simply a question of being able to afford the event and the venue?
RK: The cancellation of the Road Race event was mutual with WKA and the Speedway. I have an obligation to base my decisions in the best interest of the WKA and its membership. There was no viable option for us to conduct the Road Race at Daytona for this upcoming December. In summary, I must do what I feel is best for the organization and its future. Re-directing our focus on future events at the Daytona sprint track was clearly the best option at this time and certainly the most cost effective.
EKN: Is there an open door for the Road Racing group to return back to the big
track?
RK: I feel confident that our relationship with the Speedway is as strong as ever. They feel committed to supporting karting as the grassroots of motorsports. Just visit Daytona USA and view the WKA karting display and see for yourself. If the opportunity presents itself in the future, I am confident the Speedway would welcome us back for a Road Race with open arms. Obviously, for that to occur, the event must be cost effective for all parties involved.
EKN: What were some of the reasons for such a late announcement on the Road Race event and the unofficial sprint track events?
RK: Internally, we wanted to make sure we had some type of a tentative plan in place to proceed. One of my biggest obligations is to make the WKA Board of Trustees aware of what is going on. The Board meeting was late July. As I stated earlier, we are still working on the details for the March sprint race. We have been in constant communication with the Speedway on all of this for over three months. Because so much has changed, it affects how we do business with the Speedway. Contracts, obligations and expectations are all affected by this. We are actually on our normal timeline for announcing national race schedules. Obviously, this year is looked at much differently because of the exclusion of the Daytona Road Race.
EKN: Randy, we appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. Is there anything else that you feel our readership needs to know about Daytona and the 2007 WKA season?
RK: I appreciate you taking the time, David. This is a very sensitive issue for everyone involved. We have great expectations for our Dirt World Championships at Volusia this December. It should kick off a great 2007 racing season in all divisions. WKA looks forward to a closer relationship with EKN and a safe and successful year for our customers.
For the latest information on the 2007 Road Racing Series, visit HERE
For the latest information on the 2007 Manufacturer's Cup Series, visit HERE |
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