eKartingNews.com is proud to present our Preview Series for the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 27. Leading up to the on-track action of the 2024 edition of the marquee SKUSA event, EKN will preview each of the nine categories that will compete on the temporary circuit located outside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas from November 13-17.

Trackside coverage is set to begin on Tuesday, November 12 as the EKN crew sets up our SuperNationals 27 home, roaming the LVMS grounds with Paddock Insider and social media content. Coverage continues into Wednesday as karts hit the track for the first time. EKN Live begins on Thursday, November 14 as qualifying is conducted for both the morning classes and the afternoon divisions. Listen LIVE to the heat races throughout Friday, November 15 and into Situation Saturday, November 16, including the five Last Chance Qualifiers held on the day. That sets everything up for SuperSunday, with the main events for SuperNationals 27 audio streamed live on eKartingNews.com/live and eKartingNews.com/radio.

Complete coverage of the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 27 can be found at the EKN EVENT PAGE.

X30 Junior

Defending race winner Turner Brown attempts to become the first two-time victor (Photo: EKN)

For 15 straight editions of the SKUSA SuperNationals, there’s never been a two-time winner. It’s true, there have been 15 different winners in the X30 Junior / TaG Junior category. Dating back to the category’s debut year in 2008, there has been a unique driver at the top of the podium each SuperSunday. It is a historic list of former winners in the category, including three Formula One drivers – George Russell (2011), Lance Stroll (2012) and Logan Sargeant (2014) – along with two on the cusp of reaching the pinnacle of motorsports – Jak Crawford (2017) and James Wharton (2019).

Turner Brown (Rolison Performance Group) joined that list in 2023, claiming victory on SuperSunday. The two-time SuperNationals winner returns, having finished third in the SKUSA Pro Tour championship with two wins while also competing at the FIA Academy Trophy program overseas, where he placed fifth in the European championship. This year, the California driver has a chance to make history. First, becoming the only driver to win a second time in X30 Junior. Second, can win both Junior categories for a second straight time to become the only driver to do so. Third, if he does win both Junior main events this SuperNationals, he will join the coveted four-win club that includes Connor De Phillippi, Billy Musgrave, Kip Foster, and Danny Formal.

Among the favorites for SuperNationals 27 is Speed Concepts Racing driver Diego Ardiles, who finished third last year. The Costa Rican who calls Florida home swept the major championships in 2024 – including the SKUSA Winter Series, Florida Winter Tour, SKUSA Pro Tour, and United States Pro Kart Series – all despite moving from Rolison Performance Group to SCR in June. Last weekend, Ardiles added to his total with victory in the Junior ROK class at the ROK Vegas event.

SKUSA Pro Tour champion Diego Ardiles is among the favorites in X30 Junior (Photo: EKN)

The top eight from the SKUSA Pro Tour will be in the field at SuperNationals 27. Jackson Wolny (Speed Concepts Racing) grabbed two wins on the year to finish second to Ardiles in the championship, and he was runner-up as well in the USPKS title chase. He will make his third start in the class, finishing a best of eighth last year. Teammate Sarah Bradley (Speed Concepts Racing) is coming off her best season, placing fourth in the SKUSA championship with a best finish of third. She makes her second SuperNationals start, finishing 16th last year in Vegas.

Chace Gassiot-Lee (Nash Motorsportz), Canadian Ty Fisher (Racelab), Alexander Vanchev (Rolison Performance Group), and Max Weiland (Magik Kart USA) were all in the top eight of the SKUSA Pro Tour standings. All four are making their second start at the SuperNationals in the category, with finishes of 26th, 17th, 15th and 29th, respectively, for the four drivers.

Only four of the top 10 from last year’s SuperNats are returning. Joining Brown, Ardiles, and Wolny is Charlie Smith (Nash Motorsportz) After a ninth-place result in his second start in the category, Smith returns after running a limited schedule in 2024.

US Trophy Final winner Davin Roberts is among the first-time SuperNationals competitors in the field (Photo: EKN)

Brown is not the only former winner in the field as two others have found the top step of the podium on SuperSunday. Enzo Vidmontiene (Trinity Karting Group) won Mini Swift in 2021 and finished ninth the next year in X30 Junior. He was a contender last year until an off-track unsportsmanlike conduct disqualification took him off the grid. Vidmontiene finished third in the USPKS championship standings this year and was a top contender all season in KA100 Junior. Jackson Gibson (Ruthless Karting) is the third different SuperNationals winner in the field. The driver from Oregon won Micro Swift in 2022 and made the big jump to KA100 Junior last year. This will be his first start in X30 Junior while running double duty. In total, there are 30 drivers racing both KA100 Junior and X30 Junior.

A handful of drivers in X30 Junior will be making their first start at the SuperNationals. Among them is Gage Korn (MPG Academy). The driver from Colorado has spent the last four years representing Team USA at the Rotax Grand Finals. He is returning from Italy after placing a disappointing 23rd despite showing the pace to compete for the win all week. The same can be said for Davin Roberts (Ryan Perry Motorsport), who took his first trip outside the USA for the RMCGF. The North Carolina driver was a contender all week as well, ending up 19th in the Final. Roberts won the US Trophy Final for his ticket to Italy and finished fifth in the USPKS championship standings.

A small group are making the jump from Mini Swift to X30 Junior this year. Former SKUSA Winter Series champion Alessandro Truchot (Pole Position Motorsports) won in Europe this summer in Mini competition, and he is set for his Junior debut at the SuperNationals. Tristan Murphy (Supertune USA), Cameron Marsha (AKT Racing Team), and Luca Popescu (Formula Works / GFC) are among the top Junior rookies in the field.

SuperNats Stats

1 – X30 Junior SuperNationals winner in the field

3 – Former SuperNationals winners in the field

7 – Drivers graduating from racing Mini last year

13 – Different countries represented in the field

16 – Drivers from outside of the USA

30 – Double duty drivers

Provisional Entry List – X30 Junior

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