Northern California Sprint Kart Series Established
The Northern California region of the United States has seen a long list of established karters groom themselves at the regional level before advancing to the national ranks or even further up the motorsport ladder. The threat of this storied area of regional racing being lost going into the 2023 season with the departure of a former program put things in motion, and the response has been led by karting veteran Donald Durbin Jr. Motivated by the need for this level of competition to connect the region’s individual clubs, the Northern California Sprint Kart Series was established for the upcoming karting season.
“I’m really excited about this new venture that we are about to begin,” stated Northern California Sprint Kart Series owner Donald Durbin Jr. “The owners of the KPX Karting Championship stated that their series and their involvement would be coming to a close at the end of 2022. When approached about promoting a regional series, it quickly grew my interest. My feeling was to start fresh with a new name and a new look but to also continue with a similar structure that has been done in recent years.”
The Northern California Sprint Kart Series will be an International Kart Federation sanctioned series, utilizing the organization’s rulebook along with Evinco tires for the 2-cycle and 4-cycle divisions. The series is a five-event schedule featuring five rounds of competition, utilizing a one-drop championship format that will travel to five unique facilities. The inaugural event will be held at the Prairie City Kart Track in April, followed by a trip to the Buttonwillow Raceway Park in May. June takes competitors north of the border into Oregon for with the Southern Oregon Karters Association facility. The Santa Maria Karting Association circuit is site of the July event, with the series finale to take place on a temporary circuit in Corning, California this September.
“The new temporary circuit event in Corning is going to be different, fun and provide a level playing field for everyone,” added Durbin. “It will also be the perfect time for racers to prepare for the major events at the end of the year that run on temporary circuits as well. We’ve been able to connect the other four tracks that have a lot of history and racers to bring them all together for the ability to travel around to different locations during the summer season. I’ve always enjoyed the opportunity of traveling to different tracks as a racer, and I’m hoping we are able to do that for those looking for a new challenge or something different. My goal is to be able to host competitive races in an environment that I would want my family in.”
The format for the Northern California Sprint Kart Series features a three-day, one round format. Friday is move-in day with scheduled practice offered in the afternoon. Official practice begins Saturday morning with two rounds, followed by qualifying and a heat race for each class. Sunday welcomes the Prefinal and Final events in hopes to wrap-up the day early to allow teams and families the ability to reach home at a decent hour. With five events, the 2023 championship will be a best four of five.
Classes offered for the NCSKS will be based around the KA100 and Briggs 206 platforms. Junior and Senior division for the IAME powerplant lead the way for 2-cycle divisions, along with a 125 Shifter Open class to welcome those shifterkart drivers in the region. Briggs 206 ranges from Junior 1, Junior 2, Senior, Masters and Legends for five different age groups.
Superkarts! USA is among the first to offer prizes for the 2023 championship, including entry to the SuperNationals 26 for all three 2-cycle classes (KA100 Junior, Senior, Shifter). Other prizes will be added leading up to and during the season, including entry to some of the larger 4-cycle events on the season.
To learn more about the Northern California Sprint Kart Series or to ask questions regarding the program, email info@norcalsks.com and be sure to watch for a new website – www.norcalsks.com.
2023 Northern California Sprint Kart Series Classes
Junior 1 206
Junior 2 206
Senior 206
Masters 206
Legends 206
KA100 Junior
KA100 Senior
125 Shifter Open
2023 Northern California Sprint Kart Series Schedule
April 21-23: Prairie City Kart Track – Rancho Cordova, California
May 26-28: Buttonwillow Raceway Park – Buttonwillow, California
June 23-25: Southern Oregon Karters Association – Medford, Oregon
July 14-16: Santa Maria Karting Association – Santa Maria, California
September 15-17: NorCal Sprint Kart Series Finale – Corning, California
