eKartingNews.com is proud to present our Preview Series for the SKUSA SuperNationals 26. Leading up to the on-track action of the 2023 edition of the marquee SKUSA event, EKN will preview each of the nine categories that will compete on the temporary circuit located outside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas from November 8-12.

Trackside coverage is set to begin on Tuesday, November 7 as the EKN crew sets up our SuperNationals 26 home, roaming the LVMS grounds with Paddock Insider and social media content. Coverage continues into Wednesday as karts hit the track for the first time. EKN Live begins on Thursday, November 9 as qualifying is conducted for both the morning classes and the afternoon divisions. Listen LIVE to the heat races throughout Friday, November 10 and into Situation Saturday, November 11, including the five Last Chance Qualifiers held on the day. That sets everything up for SuperSunday, with the main events for SuperNationals 26 audio streamed live on eKartingNews.com/live and eKartingNews.com/radio.

Complete coverage of the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 26 can be found at the EKN EVENT PAGE.

X30 Junior

Enzo Vidmontiene is the only driver from last year’s top-10 in the field (Photo: EKN)

14 races…14 different winners. TaG competition for the Junior level began back in 2008 and has been among the most dramatic categories each year. The list of former winners over the last 14 SuperNationals includes names that have continued up the motorsports ranks – including three current Formula One drivers – George Russell (2011), Lance Stroll (2012) and Logan Sargeant (2014).

The defending race winner Ernesto Rivera has been on fire since his triumph last year, going on to win multiple races along with the SKUSA Pro Tour title and other championships on the season. The driver from Mexico has elected to move up to the Senior ranks, and thus opening the door for a 15th different winner to join the prestigious list.

In fact, only one of the top-10 drivers from last year’s main event are returning for SuperNationals 26. 2021 SuperNationals Mini Swift winner Enzo Vidmontiene (MottazSport / Kart Republic) put in a great rookie performance a year ago to finish ninth. While he did not contest the category on the SKUSA Pro Tour, he finished third in the USPKS final standings for 2023.

Turner Brown won in his class debut this year at the SummerNationals (Photo: EKN)

Ten in total for this year’s field were in the main event last year, making this a very inexperienced class for X30 Junior compared to years past. Of the 46 drivers, 30 are also racing in the KA100 Junior division.

Vidmontiene and Steven Miller are the only two former SuperNationals winners in the field. Miller (Nash Motorsportz / EOS) won KA100 Junior last year, recording a DNF in X30. The Florida driver finished fourth in the SKUSA Pro Tour standings, along with the USPKS championship chase. Both he and Vidmontiene are among the many racing both categories at SuperNationals 26.

Jackson Wolny (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) was among the top contenders throughout the 2023 season, placing third in the SKUSA standings and runner-up in the USPKS championship. He has yet to finish on the top step of the podium in 2023, looking to improve on a 27th at last year’s event. Turner Brown (Speed Concepts Racing / Redspeed) is the only driver to win on the SKUSA Pro Tour that will be in the field. Making his class debut at the SummerNationals with a victory, the California driver also won in one of his two USPKS starts to earn EKN Driver of the Month for August. Brown was the provisional winner in Mini Swift last year until a penalty took the win away. Diego Ardiles (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) is the only other winner from USPKS in the field. This will be his first X30 start at the SuperNationals after placing sixth last year in KA100 Junior.

Diego Ardiles is among the RPG contingent to defend the team’s win last year (Photo: EKN)

Other notables include Sarah Bradley (Speed Concepts Racing / Redspeed), Alex Mercado (Speed Concepts Racing / Redspeed) – who finished 15th last year, and Payton Westcott (Nash Motorsportz / EOS) – making her first X30 start at SuperNationals. Several drivers are making their first class starts, including Canadian Ty Fisher (Racelab / TB Kart) and Panama driver Gianmatteo Rousseau (Trinity Karting Group / Kart Republic). Rousseau has two top-10 finishes the last two years – seventh in Micro and third last year in Mini.

He is among the 16 drivers from outside the United States, which includes Brazilian Augustus Toniolo (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) along with Canadians Jensen Burnett (Speed Concepts Racing / Redspeed) and Nathan Dupuis (Speed Concepts Racing / Redspeed). Toniolo finished fifth in KA100 Junior last year, making his X30 debut coming off a ROK Junior win at ROK Vegas. Burnett has been racing in Europe over the last two seasons, which included a win at last year SKUSA SpringNationals in Utah. Dupuis is among those on the rise, improving every weekend out and finished fifth in the USPKS standings.

SuperNats Stats

0 – X30 Junior SuperNationals winners in the field

2 – Former SuperNationals winners in the field

6 – Drivers graduating from racing Mini last year

11 – Different countries represented in the field

16 – Drivers from outside of the USA

30 – Double duty drivers

Provisional Entry List – X30 Junior

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