We have reached the halfway point of the 2024 season, now rolling through the month of July with several big events on the horizon. Championships are going to begin to be decided in the closing months at all levels of the sport. With the Olympics coming up, and the annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game having taken place yesterday, this gives us the opportunity to look at those drivers I feel would make up the roster for a Team USA karting team, or the ‘Karting All-Star Team’, thus far in 2024.

My approach to this concept is to select three drivers for each age group – Senior, Junior, Masters, and Cadet – along with two ‘bench’ drivers or ‘alternates’. A separate Shifter group has been selected as well with the Senior group focused around the single-speed divisions – including both 125cc and 100cc competitors. Each category considers all the events that have been run thus far in 2024, including the winter programs, the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour and United States Pro Kart Series races, and other events that have been contested at the national and regional level. The drivers are listed in alphabetical order.

Shifter

Matheus Morgatto
PSL Karting

Matheus Morgatto (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

It has been a successful first year of shifterkart racing in the USA for the 2022 FIA Karting World Champion. Dipping his toes into the six-speed category in Europe throughout last year, Morgatto made the full move in 2024 as the lead Birel ART shifterkart driver under the PSL Karting tent. That new effort delivered two wins and the championship at the SKUSA Winter Series, three wins and title at the Florida Winter Tour, and two wins in the first two rounds of the SKUSA Pro Tour. The SKUSA championship is up for grabs at the upcoming SummerNationals, along with a possible move to the top spot in the EKN Driver Rankings presented by the Skip Barber Racing School.

AJ Myers
Magik Kart USA

AJ Myers (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

Despite only five starts in the 2024 season, AJ Myers continues to be among the top shifterkart drivers in the USA. The three-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion overcame early troubles at the WinterNationals in his first start of 2024 to finish sixth, placing runner-up at the SpringNationals after leading most of the weekend. A win and a third opened his Stars Championship Series campaign with a sixth at this past weekend’s event in Ohio after issues in qualifying. That is his schedule thus far, however, each time the Magik Kart driver is in the grid, he has a chance to win.

Kyle Wick
GFC Karting

Kyle Wick (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

The current EKN Shifterkart Driver Rankings presented by the Skip Barber Racing School #1 driver has continued his winning ways in 2024. Wick won three of the four starts at Challenge of the Americas to open the season and was a contender at the WinterNationals before a mechanical issue took him out early in the Final. The GFC driver bounced back at the SpringNationals to finish on the podium in third. Even though he won the SKUSA Pro Tour championship in 2019, Wick has continued to get better on and off the track to make him a threat anytime he lines up.

ALT: Danny Formal (RPG / Sodi Racing USA), Billy Musgrave (Factory Karts)

Senior

Austin Garrison
Speed Concepts Racing

Austin Garrison (Photo: Studio52.us)

One driver who has been at the forefront in USA karting has been Austin Garrison. It was in the early 2010s that he moved up the ranks and eventually gained a SKUSA Pro Tour championship in the competitive S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto division for 2014. Since then, he’s won in both shifter and single-speed competition, finding a home with Speed Concepts Racing. They have been on the grind to solidify their X30 program and have done so. Garrison is now into the top-three of the EKN TaG Driver Rankings thanks to his win at the USPKS Wisconsin Grand Prix, leading the championship with two rounds remaining.

Ryan Norberg
Rolison Performance Group

Ryan Norberg (Photo: Studio52.us)

The constant since 2016 is Ryan Norberg always fighting for wins and championships. It was then when he won his first of five SKUSA Pro Tour championships in eight years before securing the last three titles in the United States Pro Kart Series. Wins at SKUSA Winter Series, and the SKUSA Pro Tour and USPKS openers keeps him at the top of the EKN TaG Driver Rankings at the halfway point of the season. Three straight DNF results in his last three finishes does not help him moving forward, however, the Rolison Performance Group driver is a threat each and every time he lines up on the grid.

Alessandro de Tullio
Inter MS

Alessandro de Tullio (Photo: Studio52.us)

Consistency is key to building success. ‘ADT’ did that in 2023 and has built upon that to be one of the top drivers in 2024. The SKUSA Winter Series champion hasn’t won since January, however, he continues to put in podium performances to keep himself within the top-three of the EKN TaG Driver Rankings. It was de Tullio who pressured Norberg in Orlando for the WinterNationals until the contact took him out. He was in contention for a third straight podium in USPKS competition until a mechanical on the last lap took him out of the race. The progression to cars is back on the travel schedule for de Tullio, as he is running the remaining USF Pro 2000 schedule after placing 10th in his series debut at Mid-Ohio.

ALT: Harley Keeble (Sodi Racing USA / Inter MS), Pauly Massimino (BJR / MDR)

Junior

Diego Ardiles
Rolison Performance Group / Speed Concepts Racing

Diego Ardiles (Photo: Studio52.us)

When you look at X30 Junior competition, Diego Ardiles is the leader in 2024. The SKUSA Winter Series champion has two wins in SKUSA Pro Tour and USPKS competition thus far into the season. Add in two big KA100 Junior victories, and Ardiles is the threat in both disciplines. He is the X30 Junior championship leader in USPKS while leading the SKUSA Pro Tour standings in KA100 Junior – with the ability to win all four championships in 2024. Ardiles started off the season with RPG and recently moved over to Speed Concepts Racing at the end of June.

Turner Brown
Speed Concepts Racing / Rolison Performance Group

Turner Brown (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

The 2024 season has been up and down for California driver Turner Brown. The year began with SCR and a win at the SKUSA Winter Series before beginning the core of the 2024 season moving over to Rolison Performance Group. A struggle in Orlando was followed by two wins in Ohio for the SKUSA Pro Tour. While he has gone winless in USPKS competition, Brown is second in the KA100 Junior standings even without a win. The California driver is competing on the international level as well in 2024, representing the USA at the FIA Karting Academy Trophy championship. After getting taken out at the opening round in France, Brown drove to a podium result in Slovakia.

Enzo Vidmontiene
Trinity Karting Group

Enzo Vidmontiene (Photo: Studio52.us)

One of the more experienced drivers in the Junior ranks is the Trinity Karting Group / Kart Republic driver. Vidmontiene went winless in the SKUSA Winter Series before grabbing a victory at the WinterNationals. That triggered two straight in USPKS competition in KA100 Junior division. He earned EKN Driver of the Month in May for his two-win performance at the USPKS Carolina Grand Prix, making him a threat in X30 and KA competition. The former SuperNationals winner in Mini Swift should see more victories before jumping up to Senior ranks.

ALT: Sebastian Orbezo (Orsolon Racing), Jackson Wolny (Speed Concepts Racing)

Cadet

Parker Ives
Ryan Perry Motorsport

Parker Ives (Photo: Studio52.us)

Carrying the Nitro Kart banner in 2024 is North Carolina driver Parker Ives. Jumping up from Micro Swift this season, Ives used the SKUSA Winter Series to get acclimated with the quicker speeds and older competitors. The first USPKS event in Texas was a weekend of recovery after qualifying issues, but he still pulled off a top-10 result. He then defended his home track at Trackhouse for his first USPKS victory in Mini before placing third in Wisconsin. Add to that winning twice in Stars Championship Series events to be the championship leader. Ives is among the top rookies in the Mini ranks.

Royce Vega
Team Benik

Royce Vega (Photo: Studio52.us)

The defending SKUSA SuperNationals Mini Swift winner continues to be a threat in the Cadet ranks. He began the year with the SKUSA Winter Series title and finished second in the Florida Winter Tour standings. Three podium finishes – including a victory at the WinterNationals – has Vega in contention for the SKUSA Pro Tour championship as well. Vega is third in the USPKS championship chase with two rounds remaining, and his resume features two podium finishes in the last two rounds.

Ashton Woon
Supertune USA

Ashton Woon (Photo: Studio52.us)

Leading the way in 2024 in the Cadet division is Ashton Woon. The Arizona native now residing in North Carolina is the current championship leader in both SKUSA Pro Tour and USPKS programs. Rebounding from a broken arm in late 2023, Woon opened the season with a fourth in the SKUSA Winter Series standings. The WinterNationals in Orlando was not ideal, however, he bounced back at the SpringNationals to grab his first two career Mini Swift wins to take over the championship lead. Two wins in the opening three rounds of the USPKS title chase puts him at the top of the standings, helping to earn him EKN Driver of the Month honors for June.

ALT: Zayne Burgess (Sodi Racing USA), Marco Sammut (BJR / MDR)

Masters

Scott Barnes
Maranello USA

Scott Barnes (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

Bermuda driver ‘Skitchy’ Barnes continues to be among the top Master Shifter drivers in the USA. Barnes began the year uncontested at the SKUSA Winter Series while earning two podium results – including a victory at the Florida Winter Tour. In the first four rounds of the SKUSA Pro Tour, Barnes has a first, second, and a third to lead the championship heading into the SummerNationals. Add in an overall victory with ROK power at the Stars Championship Series opener in Charlotte, and Barnes has been among the most consistent Master Shifter driver on the season.

Niki Coello
Franklin Motorsport

Niki Coello (Photo: Studio52.us)

Leading the single-speed side of the Masters All-Star Team is Niki Coello. The veteran from Wisconsin returned to the sport recently and has been putting in the work to become one of the top elder drivers in the country. Three straight podium results in USPKS competition have him leading the championship with two rounds remaining. An career first win at USPKS is on the horizon for the Merlin driver.

Joe Ruch
Maranello USA

Joe Ruch (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

Earning two wins at the SpringNationals, Joe Ruch put himself back into the championship chase for the SKUSA Pro Tour. After suffering a DQ on Saturday and having a win taken away for ‘cutting the track’ on Sunday at the WinterNationals, Ruch finally secured that first SKUSA Pro Tour victory in Ohio at the SpringNats, securing a second the next day. The recent win in Ohio at the Stars Championship Series could put the defending champion back into that title chase. First, he will seek to continue the SKUSA win streak in a title battle with Scott Barnes at the SummerNationals.

ALT: Mario Barrios (Rolison Performance Group), Martin Stone (RPM / RPG)

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