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| April 15, 2008 News |
| ProKart Challenge North Debuts in Sonoma |
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 | Tom Dyer backed up his S3 win at the SKUSA SuperNationals with a victory in the opening round of the ProKart Challenge North series
(Photo: High Octane Images) |
It would be virtually impossible to argue against the fact that the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals is the single most prestigious sprint karting event of the year. The incredible season-ending race didn’t miss a beat when SKUSA changed ownership in 2006, changing hands to become the new focus of long-time shifterkart enthusiast Tom Kutscher. Rebuilding the SKUSA brand was Kutscher’s primary goal, and re-introducing regional programs such as his ultra-successful ProKart Challenge would be paramount in establishing new roots for the organization. The new ProKart Challenge North is a big part of this growth, and the program made its debut on April 11-12, running at the Jim Russell International Karting Center in Sonoma, CA. Situated in the hills surrounding the famous Infineon Raceway, the 3/4-mile circuit hosted some of the best shifter and TaG drivers in the Northern California area, all fighting for a piece of the more than $70,000 prize package offered by ProKart Challenge North and the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School. Seven drivers put in dominant performances on the day to start the championship chase on the right path.
Shifter kart veteran Tom Dyer was the man in the S3 category. The defending SuperNationals class champion was on his game in his Stock Moto machine, earning the pole by nearly four-tenths before taking the checkered flag in both heat races and the final by a comfortable margin. Running double duty in both S3 and TaG, Jason Toft edged Matthew Hauff for the second spot on the podium.
 | Nick Le Duc swept the TaG class in Sonoma
(Photo: High Octane Images) |
The S4 division also saw a dominant performance by the eventual winner, in this case by Matthew Alcorn, as he was up front in all four on-track sessions. Alcorn was on cruise control, taking both heat races and the main by a sizable margin. Behind him, Alexander Keith was his closest competition, but he retired early from the main event with a flat tire. That left Sergio Machado and George Tavares to battle for the runner-up position with Machado beating Tavares to the line.
Nearly 20 drivers fought in the TaG Senior division with tight competition upfront; however, it was Nic Le Duc who swept all on-track sessions. After edging Toft for the pole position in the qualifying run, Le Duc won both eight-lap heat races by a few seconds as the rest of the pack behind him shuffled around for position. The Final, however, saw Le Duc drop back to fourth at the start. He then challenged PKC South CalSpeed winner Will Martindale, Zach Dericco, and Toft for the lead. Martindale would leave the race early with overheating problems, leaving the remaining three drivers in the hunt for the opening PKC North TaG victory. At the white flag, Toft held the top spot with Le Duc and Dericco right on his bumper, setting up a thrilling completion to the dice. Entering the famous ‘Tic-Tac-Toe’ chicane section of the track, Le Duc made his move to claim the top spot. He was able to hold off Toft at the line by two-tenths, while Dericco was close behind, hoping for the leaders to tangle. It was a stellar start to the TaG program in SKUSA’s NorCal series, and bodes well for the excitement that will be generated during the remainder of the season.
Continuing to prepare for the upcoming national schedule, former SKUSA national champion Alex Speed felt right at home running up front at his home track, scoring the victory in S1. Running a fast lap of 47.301, Speed took the checkered flag in the main by seven seconds over Cody Hodgson while Jess Peterson stood third on the podium.
 | In G1, Craig Corwin was lightning quick, keeping pace with many in the S1 category
(Photo: High Octane Images) |
The G1 ‘Masters’ class ran with the S1 division throughout the weekend with the same pilot up front in every session. Craig Corwin put down vicious lap times all day long to lead the G1 category, running a pace that would have been competitive in the S1 class. Corwin took the victory in the 15-lap main event by seven seconds ahead of Ethan Wilson and Rocky Allen.
TaG Masters split into Light and Heavy categories for the weekend and featured close battles for the class wins. Herman Ip edged David Oroshnik for the overall win in the Light class, while Jim Ferguson took the Heavy win over Aluminos owner Rob Soares.
Round two of the PKC North series will take place on May 9-10, once again in Sonoma, as all six series events are set to take place at the Jim Russell International Karting Center. |
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