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| March 10, 2010 News |
| WKA Gold Cup and Road Race Programs Gear Up for Kershaw |
| Article by: WKA PitBoard |
Kershaw Gold Cup preview
The Russell Karting Gold Cup Series will become the fourth WKA national series to begin its 2010 season this weekend at the Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, S.C., a new venue for the 4-cycle sprint series. Located an hour and a half south of Charlotte, Kershaw, as the track's popularly referred, built the new 17-turn, 0.700-mile sprint course last year. The Gold Cup's Michigan Kart Supply Nationals will mark the first national event at the new sprint course.
WKA has received nearly 150 pre-entries for the Gold Cup season opener. At-track entry gains usually average between 80 and 100 for Gold Cup, which would put the Kershaw national's entry count at approximately the same amount as last year's opener at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Keeping in mind a number of competitors will still enter at the track, the two top entered classes currently are Briggs Medium at 17 and Custom Trophy Briggs Heavy at 16. The popular Animal Heavy Money Race has 12 pre-entries, and a number of junior classes, including Digatron Briggs Jr Lite, Baker Racing Engines / Performance North Briggs Sportsman 1 Lite and the American Power Sports, Thor Oil-sponsored Briggs Sportsman 2 divisions, have over 10 pre-entries.
A nice surprise in entry counts is Briggs Masters Medium, which will run as the final race Saturday. The class has 11 pre-entries, which matches the number of Masters racers at the 2009 Charlotte opener. With the inclusion of some race-day entries, it looks like there'll be a solid group of Masters competitors at Kershaw.
A concern for some in the months leading up to the Michigan Kart Supply Nationals has been the weather, and specifically the temperature. While the Carolinas has not been exempt from the colder-than-normal temperatures this winter, it appears the weather has finally broken in the Southeast.
Temperatures are predicted to be in the mid- to high-60s all week. The current weekend forecast shows a Friday high of over 70 degrees and in the 60s Saturday and Sunday. Lows look to be in the mid- to low-40s.
Pit pass sales are available Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. Parking is open Thursday from noon to 6 p.m., however Kershaw will accommodate racers coming in between 6 and dark. Racers will be able to pick up their pre-entries from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday. Gates open at 7 a.m. Friday through Sunday. Registration is open from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday. Practice will run from 8:30 a.m. till 5 p.m. Friday. The Money Race will go off Friday evening after practice.
Eleven race group plus Performance North / Baker Racing Engines Kid Karts are slated for Saturday and Sunday. Qualifying will begin at 11:15 a.m. Saturday and noon Sunday following mornings of practice and a Sunday worship service.
For the full weekend schedule and other important information, click the following link for the Michigan Kart Supply entry blank.
http://www.worldkarting.com/downloads/eb-2010/0312_kershaw_gc.pdf
Kershaw Road Racing preview
The Dunlop Tire Road Racing Series driven by Mazda will hit the track this weekend at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, S.C., for their second event of the 2010 season. Many of the country's best road racers will look to tame the challenging 2.3-mile course, a venue the Road Racing Series has held a spring national every year since 2000.
For the season's second national event, road racers will switch gears from the high-speed, high-banked Daytona Int'l Speedway to a tighter, more technical road course in Kershaw. The Kershaw circuit is a favorite of many WKA road racers and has been for many years. The layout provides the best of all worlds in road racing, including ample passing opportunities, heavy braking zones, low-speed corners, fast, sweeping corners and a fairly long back straightaway that allows karts to near their top speeds. A number of outstanding races and finishes have occurred at Kershaw over the past 10 years and certainly a few more will be etched into the record books this weekend.
The pre-entry count of approximately 130 has exceeded that of last year's Kershaw national, which is always an encouraging sign. Based on pre-entries, the best fields appear to be the senior Briggs Animal divisions, Sleeper Racing Team 100cc Controlled Spec 1 and 2, Yamaha Sportsman Medium, TSRacing.com Yamaha Sportsman Heavy and the Chuck G Fabrication / D.R. Guilbeault Air Compressor / Checkeredflagdesign.com TaG and Spec TaG categories. Approximately 100 race-day entries will most likely be received, which is standard at most Road Racing nationals.
A concern for some racers in the months leading up to the Kershaw national has been the weather, and specifically the temperature. While the Carolinas has not been exempt from the colder-than-normal temperatures this winter, it appears the weather has finally broken in the Southeast.
Temperatures are predicted to be in the mid- to high-60s all week. The current weekend forecast shows a Friday high of over 70 degrees and in the 60s Saturday and Sunday. Lows look to be in the mid- to low-40s.
The Road Racing Series has welcomed the WKA Manufacturer's Cup Series at a growing number of doubleheader events over the past several seasons. Kershaw will mark another twin bill including the Road Racing Series, but for the first time ever the accompanying series is the Russell Karting Gold Cup Series, another sprint tour but one that only features karts powered by 4-cycle engines.
It will be a treat to see these two historic WKA national series meet at the same venue. Most racers are fans of the sport. And from a fan's standpoint, road racers and their teams may want to take some time after Friday's conclusion of practice to visit the new 0.700-mile Kershaw sprint track. The 30-lap Animal Heavy Money Race is slated to go off after practice Friday evening. The race was extremely popular in 2009 with a host of exciting, nail biting moments. Over 20 of the best 4-cycle sprint racers will start the Money Race and it's worth viewing even if you're not a big fan of sprint karting.
Pit pass sales and parking are available Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. Racers will be able to pick up their pre-entries from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday. Gates open at 7 a.m. Friday through Sunday. Registration is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Practice will run from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. Friday.
Thirteen race groups, seven Saturday and six Sunday, are on the card for the weekend. Click the following link to view the Kershaw entry blank and weekend schedule.
http://www.worldkarting.com/downloads/eb-2010/0312_kershaw_rr.pdf |
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