EKN’s Paddock Insider brings you notes, updates and breaking news as it happens. The article will be a timeline of events as they happen during the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XVII in Las Vegas, Nevada. The information will not be seen anywhere else, including notes, interviews and photos. For complete coverage of the SKUSA SuperNationals XVII, visit the EKN Event Page. Please feel free to comment and discuss our coverage and today’s action in the EKN Global Members Discussion area below:

The Right Path to the Front
Rain has been the story all day, however it finally stopped around the 3pm mark of the day. The temperature has remained cold with the sunset and the bright lights shinning on the Vegas Strip in the background outside the Rio. As qualifying was closing for the afternoon groups, the track began to form a dry line. TaG Senior was the last class to hit the track, with KZ2 just before. One driver took on slick tires – Aussie Jason Faint – and climbed up to the top-five. That left the TaG Senior drivers scrambling for MG slick tires in the first group as the second group was ready.

EKN Swag Hits Vegas
You need to roll in Vegas with style, and what better way then some new EKN Gear. We have two new design shirts and a new longsleeve shirt for sale here and on the EKN Store webpage. The ‘Pinup’ and ‘Fix’ shirts fit the Vegas style atmosphere, and will be great to wear when the weather warms up. And to keep warm, we also have a limited supply of black longsleeve shirts with the ‘Skyline’ graphics. We are guessing they will sell out tonight or tomorrow morning.

Rain Delay Sets Back Morning Groups
With a heavy rainfall, and two red flags, the morning groups are still on track at 3:15pm. Flooding in the northeast area of the track forced a delay in the action for about an hour, pushing the schedule back over two hours. SKUSA elected to cut laps on the heat races as well as time in the warm-up and qualifying sessions for the afternoon group.

Piquet Involved in DD2 Wreck
The start to the DD2 heat race saw a few drivers collected in a wreck on the straightaway. NASCAR driver Nelson Piquet Jr. was among those involved, bringing out a red flag after officials reached him. The Brazilian was alert and walking, complaining of pain in his arm. His team picked him up and took the former Formula One driver to be checked out at the hospital. Daniel Formal may replace Piquet in the KZ2 category.

Still Wet
Friday morning at the SKUSA SuperNationals can be a stressful day. Qualifying and the opening round of heat races determine where you stand after the first official day of competition. The stress level is higher now, with the weather factor as rain continues to swirl around the Las Vegas area. The MG Tire situation continues as competitors are still searching for rain tires, unprepared by not having some in their hauler or at their disposal. The race however continues on, and the morning group will set the stage for the day’s action.

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