(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca)

eKartingNews.com, the Official Media Partner of Superkarts! USA, is proud to present the Preview Series for the SKUSA SuperNationals XIX. In the coming days, EKN will preview each of the nine categories that will compete outside the Las Vegas Convention Center and Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino from November 18-22.

For complete coverage of the SKUSA SuperNationals XIX, visit the EKN Event Page and head to eKartingNews.com/live for live audio and live timing throughout the five days of competition.

The Superkarts! USA ladder system established in 2010 for the Fikse Wheels Pro Tour has helped to create a pool of shifterkart drivers for today and into the future. The first step on the path is the S5 Junior Stock Moto category, created in 2007. While not enjoying the large fields like TaG Cadet or TaG Junior, each year develops the future and now current stars of the S2 and S1 categories in SKUSA competition. This year’s crop of young drivers are all coming in with the goal of gaining experience for their future, and if possible, enjoy the thrill of standing on the podium at the SuperNationals in Las Vegas.

2014 SuperNationals S5 winner Raul Guzman became the first Mexican driver to win in the category, and the eighth different winner in the eight years it has competed at the Las Vegas spectacular. Graduated to the S2 division in 2015, the top position of the SuperNationals podium is no vacant, waiting for the next young talent to take the position.

Championship Chase: Smith in Driver’s Seat for First Title

Callum Smith

The 2015 edition of the SuperNationals will welcome the ninth different driver to win in the S5 category, and it could very well be the Fikse Wheels Pro Tour champion. Aussie native Callum Smith (Praga North America) has not yet locked in the series championship going into the finale despite winning all four main events on the year thus far. Smith, who now resides in northern California, put in a perfect score at the SpringNationals, and missed out on just 35 points from having swept the SummerNationals. Mathematically, three pilots remain in the title contention with 18 drivers on the entry list – Canadian Evan White (Overdrive Motorsports / Kosmic), Hunter Kelly (Leading Edge Motorsports / Praga), and Ryan P. Lewis (Mad-Croc). One of the trio would have to stand at the top of the results sheet every session with Smith placing last in order to demote him from the top of the standings.

Who to Watch: Malukas Attempts Double, Texas Contingent Coming Strong into Vegas

Defending TaG Junior champion David Malukas is among the contenders in S5 Junior (Photo: EKN)

Last year’s double-duty star in the Junior ranks was Christian Brooks, finishing fourth in S5 and eighth in TaG Junior. This year, it is defending Fikse Wheels Pro Tour TaG Junior champion David Malukas doing the double. The SpringNationals was his first time in a shifterkart, with the SummerNationals his second outing. Malukas showed speed, however, getting off the starting line continued to plague his overall performance. With some more time under his belt heading into Vegas, the CompKart driver could be in contention on SuperSunday with four more days piloting the six-speed HPD powered machine.

Nearly half the entries are coming from the Texas ProKart Challenge program, including series champion Andrew Engberson. The Champion Racing / Intrepid driver ended up runner-up in the opening main event at the SpringNationals, but was unable to make the trek to the SummerNationals. In eight races at the Texas PKC, Andrew finished first or second in seven feature events. One of two drivers to beat him in 2015 is Lawson Nagel. The SodiKart driver won both feature races at the challenging Oklahoma Motorsports Complex in October.

Podium Predictions:

Hunter Kelly continues to improve with every session and every event (Photo: Oliver Calvo)

Rob Howden – EKN Editor-in-Chief
1. Callum Smith
2. David Malukas
3. Hunter Kelly
4. Ryan Lewis
5. Evan White

Despite a short grid this year in the S5 class, we’ve had another chance to look at the future stars of the S2 and S1 fields in SKUSA competition. This season on the Fikse Wheels Pro Tour, two drivers stood out for me. One pilot stepped up his game and the other arrived on the scene with lots of talent but a need for more track time.  Callum Smith comes into this year’s SuperNats as a sophomore in the category, and he is primed to win the national championship before heading to S2 in 2016, with the S5 points crown all but sewed up.  Smith won all four races this year, sweeping the SpringNationals and SummerNationals, but David Malukas is getting the hang of this new equation. The reigning TaG Junior champ added the Junior Stock Moto class to his SKUSA effort this year and has struggled getting off the start line, which hampered his finishing positions.  While I think he’ll have it dialed in by the SuperNats, Smith has the confidence to take the SuperSunday win.  Evan White and Ryan Lewis are getting better every time this hit the track, and I love how racy Hunter Kelly is becoming.  This should be a fun race to watch.

Andrew Engberson represents the large Texas contingent heading to Las Vegas (Photo: EKN)

David Cole – EKN Managing Editor
1. Callum Smith
2. David Malukas
3. Hunter Kelly
4. Andrew Engberson
5. Evan White

As he has done throughout 2015, Smith will be at the front throughout the SuperNationals. Should he post fast lap in qualifying and open up the heat races with a victory, that will lock up the championship, allowing him to just focus on winning. Malukas has improved and gotten some seat time in the shifterkart since the SummerNationals. He is quick in anything he pilots, so if he can get off the grid, it could be a battle for the win on SuperSunday. Kelly continues to improve and will be right there, battling with Champion Racing’s Engberson with White carrying the Canadian flag onto the podium.

S5 Junior Stock Moto Provisional Entry List

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