The Stars of Karting Series has announced that all remaining 2009 Stars events will be held at the new Pacific Grand Prix at Pacific Raceways circuit just outside of Seattle, Washington. Additionally, Stars of Karting will be introducing new Rotax and Supermoto Series, as well as a special Winter Series, to be conducted at the facility.
Following an aborted sale of the Series, the advent of the new CKI karting series, which duplicates the Stars of Karting Series’ current class structure, rules and regulations, and event format – as well as employing key Stars operating officials and several Stars dates and venues – forced an unexpected reevaluation of the Series’ direction and future.
The Stars of Karting Series will continue to support all of the 2009 classes utilizing existing rules and regulations with no changes. The Series will honor the results of the first two races completed in the National Schedule and any competitors that may choose to continue to compete in the Series will be competing for a championship that encompasses all six 2009 National-class events and awards will be distributed accordingly.
In addition, from this next race forward, a new Stars championship will start to be tallied and awards will also be awarded accordingly. Additional classes and elements will be added to the series based on Spec Honda and an age and weight class for shifters. If no entries for the Stars of Karting National classes show up to the scheduled events, those classes will be dropped from the series.
Comments from Paul Zalud, President of Stars of Karting:
“In November of 2002, I was a successful regional director for the Northwest SKUSA series and had an opportunity to become directly involved with Stars as an owner. In 3 short weeks, 278 entries were able to race in a nationally-televised event at the Sloan, NV kart track. The Stars of Karting Series never looked back and has been the cornerstone of professional karting in all of North America for over 7 years now.
“I am very proud of our accomplishments through all these years on behalf of the sport. The Stars of Karting Series distributed well over one million dollars in cash and prizes, produced numerous nationally-televised broadcasts, graduated a number of today’s bright young talent that is now in mainstream motorsports, and constantly delivered professional events culminating in the now-marquee PRI All-Stars Karting Classic event each year in Orlando. Perhaps most importantly, we provided our manufacturers, importers, shops, engine builders, mechanics, tuners, and the media a national platform that generated millions of dollars in revenue on their behalf. Much of this was done by shifting the financial burden from the karting industry to sponsorships from outside the sport.
“Despite constant criticism and pressure from all sides to elevate one special interest over another, we always remained professional and equitable in our approach and delivery and conduct. We were extremely fortunate at Stars to share common goals and a deep camaraderie which helped us to make sense out of the organized chaos that was a Stars National weekend. Everyone was willing to take an equal share of our struggles and successes with no favoritism. That each National event truly was a total team effort is a constant source of pride for all of us.
“Unfortunately, recent events have made things difficult for our competitors, for the sport, and for me personally. The last thing our industry needs are two National programs promoting exactly the same thing. The long-term health and prosperity of our industry is paramount and our new direction addresses this.
“Regardless, I am truly grateful for all the friends we have met through the years, the families we shared time with, the history, the success, and the many, many tales we all will share.”
Info Stars of Karting