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OctoberFAST
As we approach the Fall season racing winds down as if to divide the
very reason to begin the season all over again and crown a champion
anew.
Some of the best racing comes in October mostly in Vegas.
Also in October, perhaps the best kept secret in kart racing is the World Superkart Challenge at Laguna Seca, October 13-17. This is the exclusive 250CC shindig that brings top 250 teams from around the globe, paired up with the the best GP Motorcycle racing on the planet. The Rotax Grand Nationals will feature around 150 entries from across the country. Two-time winner Jordan Musser plans to be there aiming for yet another trip abroad, this time to the Cayman Islands. Rock Island Grand Prix winner Jim Cassi plans to be running somewhere up front as Jim proved he has the talent to win. 2003 Rotax Jr winner Justin Melton plans to be in the front row for the Senior field this year although Justin has moved up to sprint cars through 2004. 28HP might feel a bit anemic to Justin after wielding the 650 HP ride he's been driving. David Holland is looking for a top finish this year in the Rotax Junior class. As the 2003 runner-up David holds the best chances for a trip to the Caymans this year. Word is there may be a video coming from the Rotax Nationals. Hmmmm. SKUSA is again holding the SuperNationals in Vegas, but this time at a stadium as the RIO Hotel no longer has the perfect space for a temp track. Joe Janowski seems to be keeping the press on this race a secret. With the Stars version of the World Finals postponed until November 11, it puts a strain on some ICC teams to compete in both events. Adding to the fold is SKUSA typically runs the Supernats to the next calendar year rules. While some 72 entries came last year in the headline class of SuperPro, the silly season factor really opens up the possibilities..... With all ICC entries now moving to SuperPro, that forces the ICC powered S1's to move up to the top class. Several teams that have defected to Stars may not opt for the SuperNationals, particularly those east of the Mississippi. Some of the faster G1's that run an ICC may decide to run SuperPro, or may choose to stay home. Best guess is about 50 SuperPro entries this year. Alex Speed, Alan Sciuto, Alan Rudolph, and if he makes a guest appearance (you can bet he will) Bobby Wilson will be on the hunt for top spot. With S1 now being a moto only class its anyone's guess who will come out on top. With Motos being reduced in power by a 10.5cc Lad tool limit (most top motos produced about 41 HP with 8.5 cc's) it means a dyno race is on to see who will find a way to extract just a little more power. From the builder standpoint we may see Banke make a comeback to karting this year. Having developed his own new mass produced pipe that takes a little less compression to work, he may have an edge. Not to count out Hi-Tech, DeCoste or Swedetech, but it's a new generation this year. G1 is likely to see a smaller group of entries this year. World Finals winner Jeff Carter plans to be there with a moto, as does Howie Idelson. Howie has probably one of the nest Motos ever built and still has SuperPro level reflexes and talent. Expect Howie to run away from the pack this year. 80Jr should be the best racing overall. OK so it usually is. Look for 40 entries with the diminutive Cole Whitt making up for the last lap where he gave away the World Finals this year. Cole is an incredible talent, but don't for a second think he's alone in this crowd. Too many top 80Jr drivers to mention. SKUSA has added the Formula S3 class, AKA 125 Stock. Expect a strong draw from California this year where the class first took root. TAG drivers have been questioning the layout with some feed back they don't like the layout. The long back straight will take a king-kong speed gear while some of the slower hairpin turns will put a tall geared TAG in the clutch-slip zone. Might not be a problem for Yamaha's, but the TAG clutches were never designed for slippage. More to follow. That's the preview of
OctoberFAST. |
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