A second straight year for Senna Van Waltsijn setting fast time in Pro Shifter qualifying (Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca)

The grids are set for the three rounds of heat races at Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 28 following Thursday’s action of two rounds of practice and qualifying sessions for the nine categories outside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A perfect clear, sunny day in Las Vegas saw the 570 entries complete the preparation toward the racing action that begins on Friday. Each class has its heat race grids set with the top qualifiers decided in the timed session for the morning group and afternoon group of categories. 2025 FIA Karting KZ World Champion highlighted the day with his second straight honor at the SuperNationals.

The first class in the order was the KA100 Junior division, featuring 74 drivers competing for the top spot on the time sheet. Junior rookie Ashton Woon (SCR / CS55) was able to put together a 49.795 lap to claim the top spot in qualifying. He edged out last year’s top qualifier John Antoinio (MPG / Kart Republic) by only 37 thousandths. A close third was Dutch driver Dean Hoogendoorn (Prema-MPG / Kart Republic), making his SuperNationals debut. Canadian Cole Medeiros (REM / Kosmic) made it four drivers within 48 thousandths in the session. Capping off the fast five was former SuperNationals winner Michael McGaughy (RPM / Kart Republic).

Junior rookie Ashton Woon led qualifying in KA100 Junior (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

SuperNationals 27 KA100 Master winner Ben Cooper (RPG / Kosmic) began his defense with a second straight year as the top qualifier over the 48-driver field. His lap of 50.406 was better by 15 hundredths over John Bonanno (CompKart Factory Team). Ariel Castro (RPG / Exprit) was third with Chris Wehrheim (RPG / Kosmic) in fourth. The story, however, was the turnaround for David Goldman and his Magik Kart USA crew. At the end of Happy Hour, Goldman put his kart into the barriers hard, forcing the axle cassette to break apart and bending the axle vertically in the air. His crew did an amazing job to straighten the kart and complete the necessary repairs before Goldman went out and laid down the fifth quickest time of the session.

Track position was a common theme throughout the qualifying sessions, and no more than in the KA100 Senior division. A total of 94 drivers took to the track in four separate groups in the quick five-minute time period for each. The fast time came from the final group featuring the fast drivers in Happy Hour. On the final circuit, Italian driver Iacopo Martinese (MPG / Kart Republic) was able to put in a 49.285 lap to claim the top spot in the timed session. Defending race winner Joe Turney (MPG / Kart Republic) was on a flier, however, slight contact with the barriers in the penultimate corner slowed him enough to be unable to better his best time coming to the checkered flag. He ended up second with Jake Drew (FW / GFC) in third and Caleb Gafrarar (HDD / Tony Kart) in fourth. Rounding out the top five is former Mini Swift winner Enzo Vidmontiene (SLA / Kart Republic). Nico Sarphati (GFC Karting) was able to come from the second group to end up seventh overall while SKUSA Pro Tour champion Diego Ramos (PSL / Birelart) was ninth in the final order.

Iacopo Martinese earned fast time in KA100 Senior in his first SuperNationals start (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

A mix of USA and international drivers led the way in qualifying for the 42-driver Master Shifter field. 2002 SuperNationals 80cc Junior winner Alan Sciuto (GFC Karting) was able to record the quickest lap of the session, a 44.866 to edge out defending winner Billy Musgrave (Factory Karts) by a mere 77 thousandths of a second. Dutch driver Sam Claes (Velocity / Sodi Kart) – who finished fifth at the 2019 SuperNationals in Pro Shifter – was third in the order over multi-time world champion and 2023 winner Davide Fore (Goodwood / Praga) while Jonathan Vitolo (GFC Karting) capped off the fast five.

Zev Godschalk (Team Benik) jumped away from the rest of the 44-driver Micro Swift field to be able to lay down the quickest lap of the qualifying session. His 53.672 was quickest by only six hundredths of a second with French driver Amine Pantoli (Velocity / Sodi Kart) putting in the second quickest lap. Jack Kotowski (TKG Birelart USA) was only 74 thousandths off in third with two-time SKUSA Pro Tour winner Aidan Go (Parolin Motorsport USA) in fourth. SKUSA Pro Tour runner-up Lenox Lockhart (Velocity / Sodi Kart) rounded out the fast five, just ahead of SKUSA Pro Tour champion Brody Stoffle (RPM / Nitro Kart) in sixth.

The X30 Junior field of 57 drivers led the afternoon group qualifying sessions. Dutch driver Dean Hoogendoorn (Prema-MPG / Kart Republic) made a statement with fast time in the session. A 48.408 was quickest, with John Antonino (MPG / Kart Republic) only 53 thousandths off in second. Ashton Woon (SCR / CS55) nearly pulled off the qualifying double, ending up third ahead of Junior rookie Royce Vega (RPG / Kosmic) and Travis Pettit (RPG / Kosmic).

Maxwell Macha cleared the field in Mini Swift (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

It was a monster lap that put Maxwell Macha (Parolin Motorsport USA) on top of the 45-driver Mini Swift field in qualifying. His lap of 52.879 was quicker by over two tenths with Jake Manalio (RPM / Nitro Kart) there in second, matching the same lap time of Santiago Orioli (Velocity / Sodi Kart). Mauro Nario (Team Benik) and Tanner Barsch (Kart CRG USA) were all within five hundredths of Manalio’s time to make it a very close fast five.

Much like KA100 Senior, track position was crucial in the Pro X30 qualifying sessions. The 90 driver field was broken up into four groups with the quickest drivers from Happy Hour not matching the same pace they had. Jake Drew (FW / GFC) was 16th in the Happy Hour session, but put in the best four lap plan, avoiding the bunched up formation up front. Drew came out with a final lap of 47.138 to claim the top spot in the session, beating out Blake Nash (Nash / EOS) by 67 thousandths. Alessandro de Tullio (RRC / LN Racing Kart) was third ahead of Aussie driver Mike Lemasurier (BJR / LN Racing Kart). Former SKUSA Pro Tour champion Hannah Greenemeier (RPG / Kosmic) put in a great session to round out the fast five in her return back to karting. Former SKUSA Pro Tour Junior champion Caleb Gafrarar (HDD / Tony Kart) was sixth ahead of ‘Fast’ Frankie Mossman (SCR / CS55). Ty Fisher (TB Kart) came from the second group to end up eighth overall while Iacopo Martinese (MPG / Kart Republic) was ninth in his first ever Pro X30 qualifying session. Senior rookie Alexander Vanchev (RPG / Kosmic) capped off the top 10. SKUSA Pro Tour champion Austin Garrison (SCR / CS55) was 15th in the crowd, while Ryan Norberg (GFC Karting) was caught up in contact on the out lap and ended up 48th overall with several other high profile names outside the top 20 going into the heat races.

Jake Drew landed a second career top qualifier honor in Pro X30 (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

2025 FIA Karting KZ World Champion Senna Van Walstijn (Velocity / Sodi Kart) began SuperNationals 28 where he started last year’s event – at the top of the qualifying time sheet. The Dutch driver put in a 44.185 to clear the 76-driver field by nearly two tenths. Markus Kajak (Goodwood / Formula K) begins his redemption quest starting the heat races from the outside of the front row. European champion Matteo Spirgel (Velocity / Sodi Kart) was third in his first ever SuperNationals qualifying session, ahead of fellow Frenchman Corentin Rousseau (Catalyst / Italkart) with Italian Cristian Bertuca (PSL / Birelart) making it an all international fast five. The top USA driver is current SKUSA Pro Tour champion Billy Musgrave (Factory Karts), sitting ninth in the session behind David Trefilov (Goodwood / Formula K), former world champions Giuseppe Palomba (Maranello USA) and Viktor Gustafsson (Kart CRG USA). Former world champion Matheus Morgatto was 10th in his first qualifying session aboard the Velocity Racing / Sodi machine.

Friday brings big changes with rain in the forecast over the next two days, as SuperNationals 28 heads into racing action.

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