KARTWEB SPECIAL REPORT: KARTING'S TOP TEN FOR 2006
Each year we give a rundown on the best and worst of karting based on what the events of the previous year;  What worked and what didn't and why.  Based on the racer's perceptions of value from any given event, organization and racing class provides a pretty clear snapshot of where the best racing of 2006 will take place.  Without further adieu, we proudly present the Top Ten events with a summary of why.
1) Rock Island Grand Prix Sept 2-3 Taking top slot for the third year in a row, we have to admit to being a bit partial to the Black & Gold color scheme for the logo.  Over the last few years Rock Island has grown in stature while most other top events have seen a decline in entries.  What sets Rock Island apart from all other events is that isn't just another event, its a celebration of karting.
Held in the downtown city streets of Rock Island Illinois on Labor Day weekend racers of all types come to claim a piece of the Rock;  From the "Pros" in ICC, to the dirt oval racers who make their once-a-year appearance on asphalt in the Briggs classes Rock Island has something for everyone.  fairly central in location, racers from across the country and indeed from other countries come to this extraordinary karting celebration. As the city streets shut down on Friday evening the carnival begins with an intense and well organized effort to convert the city streets into the fast and challenging track.  Thousands of spectators line the fence come rain or shine;  Every major media comes in for coverage;  And for four years now, Rock Island has enjoyed the benefit of being the only form of motorsports on earth to be videotaped and replayed to an international audience via high quality streaming video.  To date, over 1,000,000 downloads of the 50 races we've filmed have been requested from fans from around the world. At the center of success behind the Rock Island Grand Prix is a genuine commitment to customer satisfaction.  Lacking the ego-pumping budget busting politics of most other major events Rock Island stands far above all others as the ideal role model of karting. For many classes Rock Island has become the ultimate prize;  King of the Streets may be the top billed event, but the TAG and Yamaha Sportsman classes draw the largest share of entries followed by the 125cc Motos.  Motos have made Rock Island their national event of choice. Each year classes that have lower attendance are subject to being rotated out with new classes to taking their place.  Series promoter Roger Ruthhart will be announcing the classes this year at the Kart Expo later this month, and there are some changes coming.  We've heard rumors speculating that two of the new classes may be JICA, and Stock Moto but don't hold us to that - the class of 2006 is kept under loc & key at this moment.

2) KART Enduro Nationals July 28-30

For many years The Road America SuperNationals served as one of the top events in the country, in some years having the highest driver entry counts of all short and long track events.  As weather has taken it's toll on the fast Road America circuit and the organizational strife thats taken place over the last year, KART has positioned themselves very well at the fabulous Heartland Park facility this year.

Located smack dab in the middle of America outside Topeka Kansas, Heartland Park features fresh pavement and world class track.  The new home of the SCCA Runoffs, Heartland Park is no doubt a premier facility.

KART has long been considered a secret organization by many mostly due to their low profile and family-oriented style of racing.  In this web-driven age of information those judging KART events by their website don't get an accurate picture of the quality on race day KART delivers.

A big part of the success this year will come from the chaos that's impacted the 3 other major organizations;  IKF who is now down to 2 regions of long track racing, and technically those two regions are geographically about the size of one region anywhere else.  WKA has lost considerable steam among the long track community as Woodbridge Kart Club has dissolved their WKA affiliation.  SKUSA has effectively closed their doors as part of a sellout and it's still not clear if the new owners have a plan that will put them on the map in 2006.

One thing you can be sure of is KART will be betting the bank on the KART Enduro Nationals.  You can also be sure the deck is stacked heavily in their favor.  With no national caliber events scheduled in the eastern and western divisions for 2006, the KART Nationals will be where top road racers from across the country converge to chose a National Championship.

We are forecasting minimum of 85 125cc entries, making this the largest single race class of the year.   Having a strong count of Enduro Style Laydowns in the division will also make this the place to be.

Rounding out the age groups, KART has added the Jr1 class to the roster of KART Enduro Triad classes.  Despite the diminutive size of a Jr1 kart, long track racing  is still a driver's game. 

If you're a long tracker, be sure to put Heartland Park on the calendar July 28-30.

The first event of the year always brings out the best shows with a fresh set of ambitions from every team.  Some come for the long haul to run the entire series;  some come just to be a part of the big show.  One thing is for sure;  This will be the largest gathering of ICC and ICA specific classes of the year.

It's been estimated that ICC will draw  60 or more entries this year;  about half regulars on the national tour, and about half one-timers on the tour with last year's equipment.

ICA is expected to draw at least 44 entries.  ICA still hasn't taken hold in the US in part due to the awkward position as a second rate national class.  Further with the addition of the TAG class to the Stars headlines, there have been a few drivers who have reportedly opted to run TAG rather then ICA for 2006.

TAG err, Spec 125, looks to be a big hitter this year for Stars.   Despite being limited to 3 engines, several motor builders have mentioned a lot of interest in building, leasing and even buying motors for this event in particular.  Just within the region there are about 30 eligible TAG racers and many of them are excited about going, even if its the only race they can attend on the tour.  This could be a big show with as many as 50 entries.

JICA looks to be very strong this year.  Clearly the JICA motors are one of the better values in karting for the current Jr drivers taking a close second to Rotax.  Considering this is the age where career drivers get the most out of karting, and the costs are very reasonable on the scale of national level racing, JICA should draw at least 60 entries this year.  It's a shame that more series don't offer JICA although many regional races have added JICA as a local option.  More then likely JICA will account for the largest single class of entries for Stars this year.

Cadets will have their place with Stars but it's likely to be a smaller field then last year.  Cadets tend to be a larger draw of entries within a region, and this year the number of eligible Cadets in the Oklahoma/Texas Region have dwindled.

Overall, the entry counts should be somewhere between 230 and 250 drivers this year.

Capitalizing on the meltdown of other organizations Rotax is attempting to go it alone this year with local qualifiers, and eastern and western Grand Divisional leading up to the Rotax Grand Nationals.  Taking on a more tournament style of race structure Rotax National organizers Joe Ramos Jr and Marshall Martin took a bold step into the unknown with this type of format.  One of the tougher decisions was over whether to give the central division their own Grand Divisional.  On one hand the central division has dominated the national championship winnings over the years, but on the other, there aren't quite enough Rotax racers to go around for 3 national divisions.  In the end only two divisions were chosen and worse both were at the extreme distances from the central division.  This could see many central division drivers sit the year out or run TAG instead.

Rotax has a lot of really good news to report.  Minimax has leaped forward, particularly in the Southeast.   In may areas across the country both Minimax and Rotax Jr is seeing a surge of growth, even in the central division.

Rotax classes add a new dimension of excitement with the introduction of the new DD2.  As a replacement to the RM-1 the DD2 is a product coming to the right place at the right time.  While sales this year are likely to be meager this year,  DD2 has the potential to become the top level sprint class in 2007.  Package prices are reported to range from $7700 on up to $8500 and offer about 95% the performance of a 125 Shifter.  Plus for those racers looking to move up only Rotax offers a true international championship.  With top ICC packages running over twice the price we'll see a migration of the masses with Pro-visions to the DD2 over the next year or two.

Perhaps the biggest Rotax news comes in their recent alliance with Champ Car.  This should almost certainly "seal" Rotax's place in the hunt for the ultimate training grounds for up & coming pro drivers.

Expect over 200 entries at the Rotax Nationals this year.

Daytona has long been a tradition among long and short track racers as it gives an excuse to shake off the shivers of winter with some Florida sunshine.  Last year several influences seemed to stifle the entry counts overall.  It's likely the same trends will continue this year.

6) Road America SuperNationals June 9-11

Where the Road America SuperNationals were once on top many road racers made this their single long distance journey of the year.  With tow funds rising and the condition of the track deteriorating some of the newer tracks are better positioned to grow while the Road America SuperNationals are on the path to hang on for the year.  It will still be a big event no doubt.

7) Florida Winter Tour

Take your pick - all the races will be huge.  Bill Wright has the perfect formula for an independent series that attracts as many at each of his races that the SKUSA SuperNationals drew once a year.

8) Road Atlanta November 3-5

This could be the largest regional event in the country this year.  Road Atlanta has a racing heritage alone that attracts all the major road racers not to mention one of the most fun to drive tracks in the country.   This is one of two of the top events that makes the Big South Series legendary across America.

9) Barber International Mar 31 - Apr 2

The second event of national acclaim for the Big South series.  The first race held here in 2004 had nearly 100 125 shifters on the track at the same time, probably an all time record.  As one of the finest tracks in America this event just doesn't have the promotion and recognition it deserves.

10) Stars in the Streets of Henderson June 2 -4

Nothing like a street fight to bring out the competition.  In addition to the western series regulars you can bet many of the ICC powered ProKart series racers and many of the eastern series racers will be out in forces this year.  The question is will they be able to take the summer heat? 

Honorable mentions

SKUSA SuperNationals (October?) were once synonymous with the biggest and the best with a peak reached in 2002.  Even last year when everyone thought SKUSA was dead the entry counts were impressive.  Shortly after that SKUSA went into a coma eventually being grafted into new ownership by ProKart's Tom Kutcher.  A lot of behind the scenes work has been done to resurrect the series but with little success to date.  As no date has yet been announced for the Supernationals let alone much other news, it's not even clear if SKUSA will continue.  Everyone loves Vegas and in Vegas luck can turn on the pull of a handle so all we can say is the "Fat Lady ain't sung yet". 

Stars North American FIA-CIK Championships at OMC October 20-22 will be competing for racers as the racers compete among themselves.  As a potential draw for teams from Europe the elite US teams won't miss it.  However most of the lesser funded US teams will have emptied their budgets by October so the entries will be down, but the quality of racing up.

Kartsport Grand Prix April 29-30 at Infineon looks to be another great event although mostly a big regional.  Nothing wrong with that as those who attend will make plans to return the following year.  In fact those who don't attend might as well smack themselves upside the face.  Kartsport has a purse of $15,000.  Of course the entry price hasn't been announced yet so we can't say it won't be a lottery but it's probably got some cash coming in from somewhere - other then your entry fee.  It's open to Pro ICC, TaG Pro, and Stock Moto.  They haven't said if they will limit pipes, but pretty much you can figure if you're legal to the Stock Moto Standards, the only gotcha would be the pipe - considering this is NCK country.....it will be interesting to see.  We'll have more coming if Jeff puts out any more info.