eKartingNews.com is proud to present our Preview Series for the ROK Vegas 2025 presented by ROK Cup USA. Leading up to the on-track action scheduled for October 29-November 2 outside the Rio Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, EKN will preview each of the 11 categories with four articles, including the provisional entry list for each division.

Trackside coverage is set to begin on Tuesday, October 28 with Paddock Insider and social media content. Coverage continues into Wednesday as karts hit the track for the first time. EKN Live begins Thursday, October 30 with qualifying. Listen LIVE to the four rounds of heat races and LCQs throughout Friday and Saturday. That sets the stage for the action on Sunday with nine main events for the 11 divisions. Listen at eKartingNews.com/live and eKartingNews.com/radio

Complete coverage of the ROK Vegas 2025 can be found at the EKN EVENT PAGE.

ROK SV Pro

Florida Winter Tour ROK GP champion Blake Nash is among the 50 drivers in the debut of ROK SV Pro (Photo: ROK Cup USA)

ROK Vegas 2025 marks the debut of the new ROK SV Pro category. The category that replaces the ROK GP Senior division brings in a new engine – the ROK SV. The 125cc single-speed powerplant produces 34 HP with a maximum 15,000rpm utilizing a Tillotson butterfly carburetor. The category was opened to just 25 drivers, however, it was expanded to 50 based on the demand by teams and competitors.

The unique format of the ROK SV Pro division includes four raffles for engines, provided by Vortex. Similar to the FIA Academy Trophy program, drivers will draw for their engine to use during the seven rounds of practice and qualifying. They return that engine at the end of Thursday and receive a new engine in a second raffle for the opening two heat races. Competitors return that engine and draw for a third time Friday evening. That engine will be used in the final two heat races before racers return at the end of the day and draw for a fourth time to utilize that engine in the Sunday main events.

It is a star-studded field for the debut of ROK SV Pro. One of the biggest stories entering ROK Vegas is the GFC Karting debut of Ryan Norberg. The six-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion and four-time USPKS title winner comes in as one of the three ROK GP Senior winners at the event. Jake Drew will be competing alongside Norberg in the Formula Works / GFC tent, coming in as a 2020 winner. Diego Ramos (PSL / Birelart) won back in 2019 at ROK Vegas, but the 2025 season has been his best year since. All three are attempting to win for a second time.

Five other drivers have already won at ROK Vegas in other categories. Blake Nash (Nash / EOS) claimed the VLR Senior win in 2021 at Planet Hollywood. Nash – the 2025 Florida Winter Tour ROK GP Senior champion – is coming off a third place finish at the ROK Cup Superfinal in Italy competing in Super ROK category. Nash was fourth in last year’s ROK GP Senior main event. Stephen Eisert (SSM / Exprit) won two years ago in the VLR Senior category. The NorCal driver is returning back with the team he won with in 2023 – SpeedSense Motorsports. Alessandro de Tullio (RRC / LN Racing Kart) won the ROK GP Junior category in 2020. One of the top Senior drivers last year, de Tullio finished fourth in the USF Pro 2000 Championship in 2025, coming back to his roots of karting in Vegas. Other former Junior winners in the field include Jesus Vasquez Jr. (GFC Karting) and Alexander Vanchev (RPG / Kosmic). Vasquez is the only driver to win twice in the Junior categories at ROK Vegas, taking back to back wins in 2021 and 2022. Vanchev will make his Senior debut at ROK Vegas, recording a record setting season in his last Junior year, which started with a VLR Junior win in 2024. 2025 included Florida Winter Tour VLR Junior title, two SKUSA Winter Series titles, two SKUSA Pro Tour championships and a title at USPKS.

The list is long on the possible contenders in the category. Five of the top 10 in the EKN TaG Driver Rankings presented by Stilo USA are in the field. Norberg, Ramos, Nash are among them along with Pauly Massimino (BJR / LN Racing Kart) and Caden McQueen (Velocity / Sodi Kart). Massimino is coming off one of his best season in Senior level competition, including runner-up at the RMC US Trophy Final. McQueen is completing his first season racing in the USA, as the Brit moved over from Energy Corse Americas midway through the season.

Three drivers were in the top six of the ROK GP final last year at ROK Vegas. Canadian Olivier Mrak (REM / Kosmic) was runner-up a year ago. Gavin Wardle (Nash / EOS) was fifth with Frankie Mossman (SCR / CS55) placing sixth in 2024. Alan Isambard (RRC / LN Racing Kart), Chase Hand (GFC Karting) and Caleb Gafrarar (HDD / Tony Kart) are among the notables. Young guns in the field include Davin Roberts (RPM / Tony Kart) and Keagan Kaminski (FW / GFC). Drivers racing in Europe throughout the 2025 season in this field include Panama driver Gianmatteo Rousseau (AM / Exprit), USA drivers Dean Pedersen (Kart Republic) and Turner Brown (RPG / Kosmic) – who finished second in ROK GP Junior, and Canadian Jensen Burnett (REM / Kosmic).

ROK Vegas Stats

4 – Number of times they raffle for an engine

8 – Former ROK Vegas event winners in field

9 – Different countries represented

11 – Canadian drivers in the field

50 – Drivers entered

ROK Vegas ROK Shifter Pro Winners

ROK Vegas ROK GP Pro Winners

Ryan MacDermid (2018)
Diego Ramos (2019)
Jake Drew (2020)
Nate Cicero (2021)
Ryan Norberg (2022)
Matheus Morgatto (2023),
Steven Miller (2024)

ROK Shifter Pro

Hunter Pickett is among the top returning drivers in ROK Shifter Pro (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

One of the headline categories is the ROK Shifter Pro division. The numbers are not what they have been in the past, but the class will be the quickest category around the temporary circuit. The field does not include any former ROK Vegas winners, thus opening the door for a driver to claim his first outside the Rio Hotel & Casino Las Vegas.

Three drivers were in last year’s field with Hunter Pickett (GFC Karting) as the top returning driver. The NorCal driver was runner-up a year ago, with teammate Jacob Gulick placing seventh last year. Canadian Massimo Valiante (IM / Italkart) was 10th, aboard the winning combination that driven by Daniel Vasile of Romania.

With five different countries represented, no driver has more world championships than Davide Fore (Orsolon / Birelart). The Italian did not compete at ROK Vegas last year. Frenchman Adrien Renaudin (Velocity / Sodi Kart) has been racing in the USA throughout 2025 season. Carlos Maldonado (Orsolon / OTK) from Guatemala rounds out the international drivers.

Cooper Becklin (NRC / LN Racing Kart), Scott Hargrove (IM / Italkart) and Matteo Papis (PSL / Birleart) are those who will be in contention.

ROK Vegas Stats

0 – Former ROK Vegas event winners in the field

5 – Different countries represented

8 – Different chassis in field represented

ROK Vegas ROK Shifter Pro Winners

Mathias Ramirez (2018)
Daniel Formal (2019, 2021)
Oliver Askew (2020)
Marijn Kremers (2022)
Kyle Wick (2023)
Daniel Vasile (2024)

ROK VLR Senior

Florida Winter Tour VLR Junior champion Alexander Vanchev will make his Senior debut at ROK Vegas (Photo: ROK Cup USA)

The largest category of the event is ROK VLR Senior. At 67 drivers, they will be fighting for the 40 spots available for the main event on Sunday with three rounds of heat races, Prefinal / LCQ sessions to determine who will compete in the Final. 2024 race winner Josh Campbell (BJR / LN Racing Kart) will not be able to defend his victory, having knee surgery recently to keep him out of the seat.

No former ROK VLR Senior winners are in the field, however, there are four former ROK Vegas winners. Jake Drew (FW / GFC) won the ROK GP Senior class in 2020. Alexander Vanchev (RPG / Kosmic) and Jesus Vasquez Jr. (GFC Karting) both won VLR Junior. Vanchev won in 2024 while Vasquez went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022. All three are among the 12 drivers racing both ROK SV and ROK VLR. Sebastian Garzon (Orsolon / Tony Kart) is the other former winner in the field having won ROK Mini in 2020. Garzon, who finished seventh in Junior last year, spent the 2025 season in the USF 2000 Championship, placing eighth in the standings.

While the field is stacked, there are only 13 drivers that will return from last year, however, none of them finished inside the top 10. The top finisher from 2024 is Jameson Gwinup (GFC Karting), who placed 13th.

Looking at the entry list, James Overbeck (BJR / LN Racing Kart) is among the top contenders in the field, making his ROK Vegas debut. Alan Isambard (RRC / LN Racing Kart), Chase Hand (GFC Karting), and Canadian Jensen Burnett (REM / Kosmic) are among the list doing both Senior categories. Zachary Claman DeMelo (MMK / CS55) is coming off victory at the USPKS finale. Archer Eversman (Axis / Redspeed) and Flavio Aquini (Italcorse America) are top drivers at Challenge of the Americas in the field. Theo Kekati (MMK / CS55) is a former Rotax Grand Finals competitor for Team UAE. Among the top Juniors in the field are Dean Pedersen (Soren / Kart Republic) – who has been racing in Europe all season – placed ninth last year while Johnie Stamps (FW / GFC) finished third at Challenge of the Americas in his rookie Senior season.

ROK Vegas Stats

4 – Former ROK Vegas event winners

5 – Different countries represented

5 – Driver moving up from Junior ranks at last year’s event

13 – Drivers racing both ROK SV and ROK VLR

ROK Vegas ROK VLR Senior Winners

Jenson Altzman (2018-2019)
Nick Ramirez (2020)
Blake Nash (2021)
Chase Jones (2022)
Stephen Eisert (2023)
Josh Campbell (2024)

Provisional ROK SV Pro Entry List

Provisional ROK Shifter Pro Entry List

Provisional ROK VLR Senior Entry List

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