"pro" karting

Tim Reed · Joined: 30 Jul 2002 Posts: 93 Location: Cincinnati

What is everyone's take on all the new "pro" karting series and classes? You've got Coats' new series, WKA's Komet pro, and the Gold Cup Gas Pro... seems like a big push to make everything "pro" now.

Are there similar "pro" series over in Europe? I've only been around for 7 or 8 years in karting, so this seems "new" to me. Is this the way karting was "back in the day"? or is this a new trend in US karting? What's driving it? Are folks coming "back" to karting because of this? Are we losing focus on the roots of karting?

I don't have any bias, I'm truly just curious what's driving this change and what folks feel about it. It's just an interesting development to me.

jim rogero · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:50 am Post subject: Re: "pro" karting

David Cole · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 10:13 am Post subject:

'Pro' is just a name. In the past few decades, there were 'pro' series both in sprint and road racing, which paid out money.

Can you really call an 8 year old a Pro in karting? No. Using the 'Pro' name is just a word, mostly used to indicate a money race.

In Europe, the real 'Pro' series is the WSK and CIK events. It's the best of the best, and everyone knows where to go.
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JIM SILVERHEELS · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:03 am Post subject: TIM

Tim, when we were in hockey the term pro meant revenue for the promoters. They attracted people who were zealous about the sport and weren't worried about the cost. The parents bragged our son is on the Pro Elite Travel Team. The teams were good, not great, but took the suckers money. IMHO it's a marketing game.
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Jim McMahon · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:15 am Post subject:

My take is that, along with "National" it's overused to the point that it's lost any meaning where events are concerned. In my view it doesn't add anything to the prestige of an event or series. If anything it takes away from it.

I haven't seen the term "pro" used a whole lot in Europe, but often the competitive stuff would be referred to as "professional level karting" to differentiate it from the stuff you find as amusement parks.
I think part of this is the involvement of CIK and FIA with kart racing. Along with the licencing structure there's an inferred skill level and respect.
When I raced Karts in Ireland I had an FIA licence that covered me for most car racing categories. With something like that it's pretty easy to dismiss accusations that karts are toys. Especially when certain car licences were not eligible for racing shifter karts!
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Walt Gifford · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:40 am Post subject:

Pro means they don't have 360 bumper at the local track.

mike clements · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:39 pm Post subject:

Back in the late 70's through the 80's we had the PKA. The Pro Karting Assoc was as close to real Pro class kart racing as there has ever been in the USA. The group travelled around the country and every one who was anyone was there. They ran only 3 classes: Piston Port stock, Super Stock ( 100cc Reeds and Rotaries) and 100cc Open. No kids, no rookies, no amateurs. Just the best racing in the country, on Open tires. There was no "spec" anything. Gus and Terry Treader ran the organization and it was awesome. When you went to a race you knew going in you would have to defeat Lynn Haddock, Mark Dismore, Scott Pruett, Kyle Adkins, etc. It was the best kart racing I ever saw. The sport could use this series again in my opinion.
I still remember my favorite part of the pre race driver's meeting here in Phoenix. Gus Treader stated, loudly, "There will be NO protests today. If you have a problem with another competitor, figure it out between yourselves". The racing was clean, extremely competitive and I never heard one complaint.
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Greg Welch · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:44 pm Post subject:

"pro" should refer to getting paid to race. In that case there are only a handful of "pro" karters in the US.
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Tim Koyen · Advertiser Joined: 26 Nov 2002 Posts: 1556

In the discussions surrounding the planning of the USPKS, the old PKA series came up repeatedly from some of the guys who had been around in its heyday. I'm told by the "more experienced" USPKS guys that the PKA was a pretty cool deal and that we're loosely basing the USPKS on the PKA.

I think the aim with this "Pro" series to bring a high level of officiating, administration, and competition to folks at a reasonable cost. Yeah, Pro really is just a term, but it takes you back to the days when karting was a long term sport and not just an in-out-stepladder to more expensive racing. We want this series to be an end in itself to folks who want to kart for fun, not just to get noticed by Nascar.
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Greg Wright · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:05 pm Post subject:

Tom Varner · Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 3:31 pm Post subject:

I like the idea of a cash payout - to help cover expenses -

Back in the day (early 70"s) I raced short track late models - we showed up Friday night at 5pm - did hot laps- qualifed - raced - got paid - I think it was $600 to win the feature - $40 to win a heat - didn't make any money but helped to defray expenses - and no entry fee - $10 pit pass -

Instead of all the money a series generates from sponsors going to year end prizes I would like to see a payout at each race - loved the Robo Pong Yahama Sportsman money race - even thought we finised just out of the money - made the trip easier to justify to the wife - "Honey it's $5000 to win "
I heard a lot of people saying that a money race would be a wreck fest -
Actually the Robo Pong Sortsman race was the cleanest race we went to all year -

I also like the Route 66 schedule - no Friday practice - again cuts costs -

Gary Osterholt · Site Admin Joined: 18 Jul 2001 Posts: 2769

Wow Tim...You are ahead of the game. Another "Pro" Tour announced.
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patrick slattery · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:49 am Post subject:

Tom, we race some SCCA, doesn't pay big money but they do have contingencys, and it helps like you said to cover some of the cost. How to attract paying spectator to our form of racing is the key. Seems like 90% of the onlookers are relatives and crew at most kart races. Our racing format probably needs to change if we want to attract paying spectators though.

Mark Dismore Jr · Advertiser Joined: 21 Jul 2001 Posts: 1096

I wonder if anyone would want to run the United States Amateur Karting Series?

jim rogero · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:18 am Post subject: