|
2-3-12 Prokart
Challenge Set to Begin 2012 at Buttonwillow Next Weekend
California
Superkarts! USA regional program opens up new season on February
10-11
The popular ProKart Challenge will enter its eighth season when
they open the gates on February 10 at the Buttonwillow Raceway
Park. The two-day event will kick off the 2012 six-race
championship season for the Superkarts! USA California region.
The flagship program for the growing organization - which now
promotes a total of six regional series with the creation of the
Northwest Karting Challenge and Texas ProKart Challenge - will
set the bar for the upcoming season as over 100 karters from all
over California and the surrounding states are expected to take
on the 7/10-mile course. Many are gunning for a piece of the
over $65,000 prize package offered this year by SKUSA.
For the 2012 season, the ProKart Challenge will be awarding a
total of roughly $14,000 in prizes during the podium ceremonies,
thanks to the partnerships with MG Tires, VP Fuel, Mothers
Polish and Honda Performance Development (HPD). A contingency
program will also be available through HPD for the Stock Moto
categories on the season.
Full season participation is among the criteria for a number of
additional prizes to be awarded at the end of the season. Two
tickets to compete at the Granja Viana 500 karting event in
Brazil will be on the table for two lucky drivers who race at
all six events on the year in S4 Master Stock Moto and TaG
Master. Every driver who competes in all six ProKart Challenge
events will have the opportunity to be part of the SKUSA
Priority Entry Program to ensure a spot at the SKUSA
SuperNationals XVI in Las Vegas come November. For those who
excel on the season, champions in each SKUSA Pro Tour category
at the ProKart Challenge will be guaranteed a starting spot on
SuperSunday at the SuperNationals in their respective class. TaG
Junior and TaG Cadet champions will be awarded trips to two
separate international events, thanks to IAME and Vortex. A
prize package for the TaG Senior category is in the works.
A number of companies have stepped up to help support the 2012
season, including those sponsoring the classes for the ProKart
Challenge listed below:
S1 sponsored by Extreme Karting (www.extreme-karting.com)
S2 sponsored by Phil Giebler Racing (www.philgieblerracing.com)
S3 sponsored by Select Shifter/DR Racing
S4 sponsored by Pure Karting (www.purekarting.com)
TaG Senior sponsored by Leading Edge Motorsports (www.leadingedgemotorsports.com)
TaG Master sponsored by Buddy Rice Karting (www.buddyricekarting.com)
TaG Junior sponsored by Russell Karting Specialties (www.russellkarting.com)
TaG Cadet sponsored by Sunshine Daydream Creations
Local option classes for the ProKart Challenge in 2012 will
include S4 Magnum and G1. SKUSA is also hoping for a growth in
the S5 Junior Stock Moto class, which is also in the class
line-up for this first event.
The race weekend is set to begin next Friday, February 10 when
the track is open for practice beginning at 9:00 am and running
until 5:00 pm on the #1 layout (with the kink) in the
counter-clockwise direction, same as the ProKart Challenge West
Coast Shootout in August 2011. Race day is Saturday, February
11, and features practice, qualifying, two heat races and a main
event, challenging drivers and equipment while also providing
the most track time in the sport for a regional program. SKUSA
membership and licenses are required, along with all kart
specifications under the SKUSA rulebook. It is strongly
recommended that those wishing to purchase a reserved pit space
($30) do so now, as they are going fast. SKUSA is offering the
same great price to pre-enter ($295, tax included) by February 8
at midnight, and this rate includes your race entry and race
tires. This pre-entry price will be offered once again for 2012
at www.skusastore.com. All event details, including lodging,
camping and other information, can be found at the PKC Event
Page (http://www.superkartsusa.com/regional/prokart-challenge/round-1-2012.html)
While the 2012 schedule has been published and is in place for
the season, SKUSA and the PKC are currently researching the
possibility of moving the location of one of the late-season
events further north to accommodate the Northern California
competitors. Information on any changes to the season schedule
or anything else related to the ProKart Challenge can be found
at www.superkartsusa.com
|
