The 26th edition of the emblematic Superkarts! USA SuperNationals takes place this year from 8th to 12th November at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, while preparations for the Formula 1 Grand Prix are in full swing in the city centre. The organisers of America’s biggest karting event had to leave the traditional Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino car park. It wasn’t an easy task to find enough available asphalt as F1 rolled into town. The Las Vegas Strip is being transformed into a racetrack for the November 18th-20th event. The explosion in the cost of hotel rooms and demand has put SKUSA in a situation where a change of date and venue was the only option. In 2021, Tom Kutscher and his team had already had to make a last-minute move to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but this time the change could be anticipated and a three-year collaboration agreement was reached.
The SuperNationals has been an essential end-of-season event in international karting for many years now. Long gone are the days when European drivers had to choose between this unusual competition and a CIK-FIA programme, when CIK licensees were forbidden to compete in the United States.
A number of great European champions were able to win in Las Vegas in the KZ2 / Pro Shifter category: Marco Ardigo ITA (Tony Kart/Vortex) in 2007, 2010 and 2012, Jonathan Thonon BEL in 2008, Bas Lammers NLD (Intrepid/TM) in 2009, Anthony Abbasse FRA (Sodi/TM) in 2011 and 2013, Paolo De Conto ITA (CRG/TM) in 2014, 2016 and 2017, Matteo Vigano ITA (Birel ART/TM) in 2021, Pedro Hiltbrand ESP (Birel ART/TM) in 2022.
In 2023, the Europeans will be on hand to challenge the best American drivers in the Pro Shifter, where 60% of the 71 competitors come from outside the USA to try and pocket the $10,000 cheque that rewards the winner. The top seeds are: Pedro Hiltbrand (Birel ART/TM), Matteo Vigano (Birel ART/TM), Riccardo Longhi (Birel ART/TM), Danilo Albanese (KR/Iame), Paolo Ippolito (KR/Iame), Emilien Denner (Sodi/TM), Markus Kajak (Italkart/TM), David Trefilov (Maranello/TM), Niels Tröger (Maranello/TM), David Liwinski (Italkart/TM) and Davide Fore’ (Italkart/TM).
The Superkarts! USA SuperNationals brings together a total of over 500 drivers in seven categories from November 8th, 2023 until the Main Event Finals on Sunday 12th. Stay tuned to www.superkartsusa.com.
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