Ryan Norberg earned EKN Driver of the Year for a seventh time, while earning a sixth SKUSA Pro Tour championship (Photo: EKN - Nate Dean)

Another 12 months has passed, recording another season of karting here in the United States and around the world. It was non-stop excitement from January to December as we prepare for what will be the start of the 2025 in just a few days. The 2024 season was historic, setting several new records over the course of the year. Let’s dive into the stats.

Diego Ardiles earned both Junior championships in SKUSA and USPKS for 2024 (Photo: SCR)

The season began with a record setting of 285 entries at the Superkarts! USA Winter Series opener at the AMR Homestead-Miami Motorplex in January. SKUSA kept the numbers rolling, averaging 232 entries over their three Pro Tour events. The United States Pro Kart Series maintained their 200-plus average per event over the course of the five events in 2024. A new benchmark was set for the Cup Karts North America Grand Nationals as well. The eighth edition of the event welcomed 585 entries over the nine categories, including two in triple digits. SKUSA SuperNationals 27 wrapped up the year, the third highest total in the 27 editions. When looking at the event per class status, this year’s was the highest at nine classes, averaging 61 drivers per category.

These numbers show the powerful strength the of the sport here in the United States. We’re often asked our thoughts on karting’s health in the US and the numbers in the major national series and events are certainly a key part of the equation. We are currently collecting all the data from other series and events throughout the 2024 season to help set realistic numbers surrounding the sport of karting in America. That will be the focus of my next column.

A record-setting fifth SKUSA SuperNationals win for Billy Musgrave (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

Back to setting records, there is no one more decorated in today’s era than Ryan Norberg. This year’s SKUSA Pro Tour championship was much more unique than his previous six thanks to the new ‘Pro Show’ format which includes just three main events over the course of the three race weekends. Trailing by 97.5 points thanks to a DNF at the SpringNationals, a perfect weekend was needed at the SummerNationals for a chance at another title. Norberg did what he needed to do by sweeping the on-track action at New Castle, scoring his second victory of the season and then got the help he was hoping for to clinch his seventh championship since 2016. Add in the titles by Bryson Morris (2020) and Hannah Greenemeier (2021), and Rolison Performance Group has earned eight of the last nine X30 titles with Superkarts! USA.

In the 15 years of the SKUSA Pro Tour, only one driver has been able to win both Junior championships – Carson Morgan in both 2020 and 2021. In the 12-year history of the United States Pro Kart Series, three drivers accomplished the task of two titles in the same year at the Junior level – Brent Crews (2019), Jeremy Fletcher (2021) and Ernesto Rivera (2023). Impressive feats for certain, yet no driver had been able to sweep all four in the same season, that is, until Diego Ardiles in 2024. It was a unique and historic year for Ardiles, starting out the season with the Rolison Performance Group and earning the SKUSA Winter Series title in X30 Junior. After competing at the SKUSA WinterNationals and the opening two rounds of USPKS with RPG, Ardiles moved to Speed Concepts Racing. He finished off the season earning eight main event wins over eight race weekends, claiming the championship with both the USPKS and SKUSA Pro Tour in both KA100 and X30.

Sebastian Garzon became the fourth different driver to win both Junior classes at the SuperNationals (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

There now is one name that stand above the rest on the prestigious list of winners at the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals. Billy Musgrave established himself as the winningest driver of the annual SuperSunday spectacular, earning a fifth career victory at SuperNationals 27 in November. After beginning with his first win in his SuperNationals debut in 2012 in the S2 Semi-Pro category, three more were earned in the S1/Pro Shifter division from 2017-2019. The fifth victory came in his Master Shifter debut despite the 32-year-old competing in the Pro division throughout his career up to this year’s SuperNationals. The 2024 SKUSA SummerNationals winner battled former world champions in Bas Lammers and defending SuperNationals winner Davide Fore to secure the fifth victory. He now holds the one-win advantage over Daniel Formal, Kip Foster and Connor De Phillippi.

The Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 27 was full of historical moments on SuperSunday. Sebastian Garzon became the fourth different Junior driver to win two main events at the SuperNationals. The first was done in 2005 by Connor De Phillippi (K2 / JICA) before Jeremy Fletcher became the second driver to complete the double in 2021 with wins in X30 Junior and KA100 Junior. Turner Brown repeated the feat in 2023 and was looking for a repeat in 2024 but failed as Garzon added his name to the prestigious group. The Colombian driver made a last lap pass for the victory in the KA100 Junior and then again in X30 Junior, this time going from fifth to first on the final circuit to cap off an amazing SuperNationals 27, etching his name into the record books.

Zayne Burgess recorded multiple victories and championships in 2024 (Photo: Studio52.us)

The same can be said for British driver Joe Turney, who became the first Senior driver to win both KA100 Senior and Pro X30. The 2023 SKUSA Pro Tour X30 champion returned to the USA for his first-ever start at the SuperNationals, racing both Senior single-speed divisions. Throughout the week in Las Vegas, Turney kept himself in the hunt for both classes despite not winning a heat race. When the big show arrived on SuperSunday, Turney turned up the pace in both divisions. The Kart Republic driver ran away from the field in the second half of the KA100 Senior class, becoming the sixth different winner in the six editions of the class at the SuperNationals. In turn, he led the final 10 laps of the Pro X30 main event, securing his second victory of the event to become the first Senior driver to do so. His X30 victory put him as the 21st different driver to win the TaG Senior / X30 division at the SuperNationals in 21 editions.

One feat that no one has been able to do throughout any previous season is earn as many championships and victories as Micro driver Zayne Burgess. The Sodi Racing USA pilot opened the season with the championship at the SKUSA Winter Series and ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour. He went on to earn the title at the USPKS and SKUSA Pro Tour, while also taking top honors in the Stars Championship Series during the summer months. In addition to success in Canada and Mexico, Burgess wrapped up the year with his first triumph at the SKUSA SuperNationals. The eight-year-old has many more years to add to his historic 2024.

New marks have been set in 2024 across the board and a dozen months lay ahead in 2025. What records will we see fall or new ones established in the coming race season?

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