SKUSA announces schedule

Now entering its third season of competition, the SKUSA Central States Challenge (SCSC) is proud to release its schedule for the 2010 campaign. The Superkarts! USA regional program has grown continually over the last two years and is expected to see more expansion in the coming year. Working around the new SKUSA Pro Tour schedule and making sure that competitors will have ample time between events, the SCSC has scheduled seven races over five weekends from May to September – counting the best five results toward each class championship. Three venues will return in 2010, while two new locations have been added to help expand the regions base.

The opening round of the 2010 season will be a double-header weekend at the New Castle Motorsports Park in Indiana on May 15-16. The SCSC made its first visit to the New Castle facility in 2009 with great success and looks to repeat that popular outing. The weekend will be the opening two rounds of the seven-race championship with a full slate of racing (Qualifying, Prefinal, and Final) to take place on both Saturday and Sunday.

This coming season will also mark the return to the Gateway International Raceway. The opening venue in ’09, a temporary sprint track constructed within the facility’s oval and road course will be host to the third round of the series on June 26-27. For the one-race weekends, such as this early summer trip to Gateway, practice and qualifying will take place on Saturday with the Prefinals and Finals commencing on Sunday. The series will break for the month of July as the series organizers will to turn their focus to helping host the second round of the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour – the SummerNationals – in the St. Louis area over the July 16-18 weekend (location to be announced).

The first of two new tracks on the SCSC 2010 schedule is the challenging USA International Raceway in Shawano, WI. The August 6-8 event at the northern Wisconsin facility will be the second doubleheader weekend of the season, bringing rounds four and five of the program to the undulating circuit. The addition of USAIR will help build northern support in the Central States area. The second new track to the series is the Precision Driving Center in Kansas City, MO. The new facility will host round six on August 21-22. The final round of the 2010 schedule will take the series back to the St. Louis area at the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, MO on September 11-12.

“The 2010 season is projected to be our best yet," stated SKUSA Central States Challenge Director Pam Freund. “Coming off the growth of our first two years and the addition of the SKUSA Pro Tour to our area, we should see the entry numbers and competition increase more than what we saw in 2009. Tom Kutscher and his SKUSA operation continues to be a great relationship for us and with the new Pro Tour, I see nothing but great things for the future."

With the creation of the SKUSA Pro Tour and the new class structure format for 2010, the SCSC will be revamping their class structure to mirror the organization’s changes, and they are also excited about the addition of the new national licensing system. The reorganized shifter classes will see unparalleled simplicity with the presentation of S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 and G1 categories. The Stock Moto categories, along with the Masters open division, offer plenty of options for drivers of any experience, including the popular S5 Junior Shifter category that has exploded in the area. The S1 category will be the ‘Expert’ division for the Stock Moto package for those holding the SKUSA ‘A’ license. The ‘Amateur’ level drivers will compete in the S2 class for those carrying a SKUSA ‘B’ license – where all current S3 competitors will be automatically placed. Those new to the SCSC and/or SKUSA program will need to apply for either the ‘B’ or ‘A’ license if they wish to compete in S2 or S1, respectively. The new class that is expected to see growth at the regional level is the new S3 category, reserved for ‘Novice’ drivers carrying the ‘C’ license. The S4 category will remain roughly the same as the Masters Stock Moto division.

The TaG Senior, TaG Masters and TaG Junior divisions return, adjusted to the technical regulations SKUSA has previously released for the ‘Touch and Go’ engines. Additional classes to run with the SCSC as Local Option will be the Yamaha Senior SuperCan, Yamaha Junior SuperCan, TaG Cadet, Yamaha Junior Sportsman, and Kid Kart.

The SKUSA Central States Challenge has already signed on a number of supporters as class sponsors for the 2010 season: Corrida Karting, Crockett Motorsports, Farmer Insurance – Rick Freund Agency, Unique Heating & Cooling, Ostrom Painting & Sandblasting Inc., Margay Racing, Desloge Foot & Ankle – Dr. Christopher Sloan, and Mates Concrete. To find out more about being part of the 2010 SKUSA Central States Challenge or if you questions on the new class structure and licensing system, visit www.centralstateschallenge.com or contact Pam Freund at 636-262-7678 or else email pamelafreund@att.net

2010 SKUSA Central States Challenge Schedule

Date Track Location

May 15-16 New Castle Motorsports Park New Castle, IN

June 26-27 Gateway International Raceway Granite City, IL

August 6-8 USA International Raceway Shawano, WI

August 21-22 Precision Driving Center Kansas City, MO

September 11-12 I-55 Raceway Pevely, MO
(press release)