A new era begins this weekend as Superkarts! USA launches its new Winter Series. The two-weekend program will serve as the unofficial ‘spring training’ for the 2018 SKUSA Pro Tour and takes the organization back to Florida where its roots were formed back in the late 1990s. The opening event this weekend has brought competitors to the AMR Homestead-Miami Motorplex Presented by MG Tires, and almost 200 entries pre-registered for the race.

The AMR facility has been part of assorted winter series programs for the last two decades and, in 2017, the track became part of the Vantage Karting Group Entertainment – a company owned by Justin Marks and Eric Jones. Since taking over the facility this summer, VKG Entertainment has given the 7/10-mile course a new look, while also adding a 3/10-mile rental kart circuit to the south of the main layout. The facility’s location in South Florida provides constant action on the tracks, and the lead up to this weekend has been no different with many of the SKUSA Winter Series competitors taking to the circuit over the last month to prepare for the opener.

Two-time SKUSA champ Ryan Norberg is the bulls-eye once again to begin 2018 (Photo: EKN)

eKartingNews.com is going to be Trackside for both weekends of the SKUSA Winter Series. EKN’s own Rob Howden will be on the mic as the longtime SKUSA announcer, with all the sessions on Saturday and Sunday to be broadcasted at www.ekartingnews.com/live – presented by 3G Kart Racing, Rolison Performance Group, and the Mazda Road to Indy. Be sure to follow the EKN Social Media channels for images, videos and much more throughout the entire weekend in Homestead.

Many of the divisions at the SKUSA Winter Series will feature the same names seen on the SKUSA Pro Tour. The headline category for the weekend will be the X30 Senior division, as 36 drivers pre-entered and walk-up entries could take that number to 40. Of course, when looking at the entry list, you have to begin with two-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion Ryan Norberg (PSL / Birel ART). The EKN Driver Rankings Driver of the Year for 2017 enters the inaugural season with advantages left and right. Two years of championship performances make it a given that Norberg will be toward the front of the field all weekend, along with the fact that he has several laps in Homestead as a Florida native.

Back for redemption is Italian Lorenzo Travisanutto (Photo: EKN)

Returning for redemption in the X30 Senior category is provisional SuperNationals 21 winner Lorenzo Travisanutto. The Italian led the entire 20 laps on SuperSunday this past November in Las Vegas, only to have the win taken away for a start infraction. Lorenzo is back in the USA, vying to give Kart Republic its first major victory to kick off the 2018 season on a positive note. Norberg was on the podium in Las Vegas with Travisanutto, as was British driver Callum Bradshaw. CRG Nordam is going all-in heading into the 2018 season, looking to put CRG on top of the podium in multiple categories. Bradshaw finished third at the SuperNationals and is poised to steal more hardware this weekend. CRG Nordam has also recruited former front-running karter Christian Brooks. The California pilot, who contested the Red Bull Global Rallycross Lites program in 2017, is familiar with the CRG brand, earning a Challenge of the Americas title in 2016 on a CRG.

Many regular contenders are in Florida as well, beginning with SKUSA #3 plateholder Brandon Jarsocrak, who is looking to defend ‘home turf’ in his KartSport North America / Praga entry. Teammate Jacob Donald is also in Homestead for the home team, and will be running the Kart Republic chassis. Defending the state of Florida is SKUSA Pro Tour winner AJ Myers (TB Kart USA), second generation driver Eduardo Barrichello (Kosmic) and Dustin Stross (Energy), who returns to top-level karting action.

Sebastian Montoya will try to make it two in a row after victory in Daytona (Photo: EKN)

Also from Florida is Mathias Ramirez, the 2017 SKUSA S1 #3 plate-holder, who is making a move to Parolin USA for 2018. Mathias is not alone among those moving from Stock Honda to IAME for the Winter Series. 2017 SKUSA Pro Tour champion and EKN Driver Rankings ‘Driver of the Year’ Jake French, along with Dallas Karting Complex / Sodikart teammate Austin Wilkins, will go with the single-speed engine package in Homestead, both aiming to show the capability of the Sodi Kart chassis. SKUSA Pro Tour regulars Dante Yu (CompKart), Jacob Gulick (RPG / Kosmic), and Canadian Ryan MacDermid (Birel ART) are in the paddock, alongside Senior rookies Dylan Gennaro (OGP / Tony Kart), Hannah Greenemeier (RPG / Kosmic), and Kart Republic teammates Filip Niemkiewicz and Nicholas d’Orlando.

The X30 Junior field has filled up to top the 40-driver mark, and it features a number of returning contenders from 2017. Tyler Gonzalez (SCR / Tony Kart) is the top driver from the 2017 SKUSA Pro Tour standings who is back, hungry for more. The 2017 SKUSA WinterNationals winner and 2016 SuperNationals champion is now likely among the top Junior drivers heading into the new season. Tyler’s new teammate Arias Deukmedjian stood on the SKUSA Pro Tour podium in 2017, finishing the season in the sixth position.

IAME International Final winner Brent Crews already has one win for the 2018 season (Photo: EKN)

Fresh off podiums at the SKUSA SuperNationals, Jeremy Fairbairn and Sebastian Montoya are primed to start the 2018 off with serious momentum. Both call Florida home and have plenty of laps around the Homestead circuit. Fairbairn is moving over to the new AM / Parolin Racing team, while Sebastian (Tony Kart), son of Juan Pablo Montoya, is coming off his first major victory in the Junior ranks with a win at the WKA Daytona KartWeek in late December. Oliver Calvo (Top Kart) and Tyler Maxson (CRG Nordam) finished inside the top-10 in Las Vegas, and both are among the more experienced Junior drivers in the field. Maxson also earned hardware in Daytona, beginning his second season in the Junior ranks. SuperNationals top qualifier Matheus Morgatto (Parolin USA) is also competing in Homestead. Zachary Hollingshead (OGP / Tony Kart) and second-generation racer Fernando Barrichello (Kosmic) should be ones to watch.

A number of drivers are making the jump from Cadet to Junior for the 2018 season. SKUSA Pro Tour race winners Luca Mars (Energy) and Reece Gold (Kosmic) are among the standout Junior rookies, as are Elio Giovane (CRG Nordam), Santiago Trisini (Parolin), and Team FMS drivers Nicholas Terlecki and Lucas Smalec. WKA champion Ashton Chilton is jumping on board with TB Kart to leap into X30 Junior as well.

Caleb Gafrarar is among the top Micro drivers returning for 2018 (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

The largest category at the inaugural SKUSA Winter Series event will be the Mini Swift division. 44 drivers are scheduled to compete in Homestead with the front of the field looking much like the SKUSA SuperNationals. The top three drivers in Las Vegas will go up against each other once again, including two world title holders. Connor Zilisch (Energy) came away with the victory on SuperSunday after a great on-track battle and tech implications that deleted provisional winner Carson Morgan (Benik) and Brent Crews (Nitro Kart) from the podium. Morgan, the 2017 SKUSA Pro Tour champion, is looking to bounce back, while Crews – the 2017 IAME International Final victor – is already on a winning streak, having won at the Daytona KartWeek. Jeremy Fletcher (OGP / Tony Kart) joins them as a top returning driver in the Mini Swift division. A number of others are moving up from Micro in 2018, including last year’s champion Elliot Cox (Energy). Pro Tour winner Sebastian Ng (Nitro Kart), SuperNats podium finisher Miguel Costa (Benik) and USPKS champion Mateo Rubio-Luengo (Benik) are advancing as well. Watch for drivers like Josh Pierson (RPG / Energy), Jace Park (Parolin), and James Egozi (Tony Kart) to make some noise in Homestead, having benefitted from another year of experience.

Two of the top returning drivers in the Micro Swift for 2018 include Ben Maier and Caleb Gafrarar. Maier leads the Nitro Kart squad, coming off double win event at the WKA Daytona KartWeek. Gafrarar (Parolin) scored the 2017 championship in the WKA program, and is the only SKUSA Pro Tour winning driver returning for the Winter Series, having finished fourth in the standings last year. Danny Dyszelski (Energy) is among the more experienced in the field, along with Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix winner Parker DeLong (Benik), making the trek all the way from Arizona. Watch for Adam Brickley (Nitro), Logan Julien (Merlin), Graham Trammell (Energy) and Ethan Ayars (Parolin) to be in the hunt for podium finishes.

Derek Wang remains the driver to beat in X30 Master (Photo: EKN)

The X30 Master field features just 16 drivers, however, the field is stacked with talent and experience. At the top of the list are the leading two drivers from the SKUSA Pro Tour in 2017. Two-time defending champion Derek Wang (BBR / FA Kart) remains the driver to beat in the category. Wang scored only one win in 2017, as the championship went down to the wire. Laurentiu Mardan (KartCraft / Kosmic) made it interesting at the series finale, winning both main events at the SummerNationals to take the SKUSA #2 plate for 2018. A number of shifterkart drivers are jumping over to the category for the Winter Series. Newly-crowned S4 Super Master SuperNationals winner Mike Jones (DKC / Sodikart) is no stranger to the category, and is entered and is looking to battle the class regulars. Under his tent is engine builder Brian Fisher, who finished in the top-three in the S4 Master division on the SKUSA Pro Tour a few years back. Add in the Carapellatti brothers Scot (FK Kart) and Kim (CompKart), along with Jonathan Silva (CompKart) and Scott Roberts (SCR / Tony Kart), and the weekend should be exciting.

The numbers in the Stock Honda divisions for the inaugural SKUSA Winter Series are not as high as the organization hoped. A combined 11 drivers are entered S1/S2, while 10 make up the S4/S4SM. 2017 SKUSA Pro Tour S2 champion Riley Dickinson (DKC / Sodikart) and Robert Heck Jr. (CRG Nordam) are getting their first starts in the S1 division as the lone entries. Not on the entry list is Danny Formal, who will be making his AM / Parolin Racing debut. S2 should be a great battle with SKUSA Pro Tour front runners Collin Daley (DRT / DR Kart) and Rory van der Steur (FA Kart) in attendance, along with others looking to challenge for the podium.

Riley Dickinson – 2017 SKUSA Pro Tour champion – will make his S1 debut in Homestead (Photo: EKN)

The S4 category has just two drivers, including former SKUSA ProMoto Tour driver AJ Noud (GP), who is making a return to the seat, and will be looking to do battle with Jason Alden (Kosmic). The S4 Super Master division has SKUSA #3 plate holder Rod Clinard (CRG Nordam) focused on gianing momentum for the upcoming season, racing against those vying to put their name in the history books as first-time SKUSA Winter Series winners.

Coming off the success of giving the Briggs 206 class a position at the Streets of Lancaster Grand Prix in California last September, SKUSA has added the Briggs 206 Senior and Briggs 206 Master divisions to the Winter Series. This grassroots engine package continues to gain new and returning racers, thanks to the ‘out of the box’ format. The Senior division is bringing together some top 4-cycle drivers with a few 2-cycle competitors making the move over to turn up the heat. Brendan Baker will represent CRG Nordam aboard the CRG FS4 chassis that is gaining worldwide recognition. American manufacturers are getting the chance to perform on the SKUSA stage as MGM and VLR will be on the grid. Zachary Linsell and Michael Greiner are long-time 4-cycle racers, and will be wheeling theire MGM chassis to fight for the inaugural victory. Colin Warren is another experienced Briggs racer, driving a VLR. Canada is also represented with Alex Murphy (Birel ART) and Marc Stehle (Ricciardo), who have made the trek down from north of the border. The Master division is filled with Florida regulars and a Canadian-based chassis. Jacob Wright is representing the K&K brand that has been so successful in Canada.

2018 SKUSA Winter Series – AMR Motorplex – Provisional Entry List

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