(Photo: EKN)

EKN’s Paddock Insider is part of our Trackside coverage, bringing you notes, updates and breaking news as it happens. The article will feature notes from trackside at the 2024 United States Pro Kart Series at the Carolina Grand Prix held at the Trackhouse Motorplex in Mooresville, North Carolina.

The Return of Turney

Joe Turney returns to the USA (Photo: EKN)

The story coming into the weekend is the return of Joe Turney to the USA. The British driver claimed the 2023 SKUSA Pro Tour championship in X30 last year and won the USPKS Texas Grand Prix as well in his three series starts. After suffering a leg injury during the FIA Karting World Championships in October 2023, Turney has returned to his solid form behind the wheel. He’s currently leading the FIA Karting European Championship after two rounds, and this weekend marks his return to the USA for the first time since his incident. He told EKN the recovery has gone great, and feels nearly 100% from where he was before the incident. This time, he’s running under the Trinity Karting Group – still aboard the Kart Republic brand. He’s now teammates with fellow British driver Brandon Carr – who he coached years ago in the UK. Making it a British trio is former world champion Colin Brown joining the TKG staff.

New CS55 Debuts with Speed Concepts Racing

CS55 from OTK is making its USPKS debut with Speed Concepts Racing (Photo: EKN)

A new chassis is making its debut at the USPKS program as Speed Concepts Racing is among the first teams to carry the new CS55 Racing Kart. Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz has collaborated with OTK Kart Group to represent his first kart model – available in Junior/Senior single speed and shifter versions. OTK USA received the first shipment of the in early April with the karts now hitting the track. Junior drivers Jackson Wolny and Cash Perkins – a new addition to the team – are onboard the new CS55 featuring the new custom SCR graphic packages, with frames and rollers available for purchase through Speed Concepts Racing.

Second Weekend for New MG Tires at USPKS

The MG SM2 tire is making its second appearance at USPKS (Photo: EKN)

The 2024 season is a new homologation for MG Tires – the spec brand for the USPKS and other programs throughout the country. As we have outlined thus far throughout the year, the new MG SH2 Red compound has produced quicker lap times in its respective categories with overall more grip from the tire. The new MG SM2 Yellow after the Speedsportz did not equate to quicker times than the 2023 event at the same facility. With 12 years of racing on MG Tires for USPKS at Trackhouse Motorplex, a lot of data is available to pull and compare to the times turned on the weekend. In the seven categories on the weekend, six are recording faster lap times than last year’s qualifying sessions with Micro the only division to not be quicker. The MG Red tire is performing extremely well in the X30 Junior division with times almost a full second quicker compared to last year’s qualifying time. The last time USPKS was in Mooresville during the month of May was in 2022. Following the weekend, we’ll have a breakdown of times compared from all three years – 2022, 2023, and 2024.

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