The karting world has been shaken this week with several big announcements being made, all of which, exemplify the fragmentation of karting in North America. This is a story that I wanted to hold off on, simply because there are so many rumors being spread. I prefer to wait for the dust to settle before really getting into this one, but for news sake— there are a few releases you should read.
David Jurca of Federal Way, Washington won the opening round of the Eastern Stars of Karting Senior National class in Ocala, Florida. Jurca, who received a fair amount of press for his impressive drives in the VW Jetta TDI Cup last season, is back in the karting ranks full-time for 2009 and looking to continue his dominance.
The Senior National class looks to be the strongest class thus far into the 2009 season, and even featured a few open wheel names such as Cyndie Allemann (5th) and Dan Wheldon (6th).
The 23-year-old Italian Motors driver also competed in the KF2 class where he finished the event in 2nd place. It’s nice to see David back in karts full-time for 2009, but it would be great to see him find the funding to get back into formula car racing if possible. He has been impressive every time I’ve seen him drive, whether it’s karts, open wheel cars, or sports cars. (photo: courtesy of Todd McCall)
Some big news was released in the North American karting world earlier today, long-time karter and 2008 JOWT Top Prospect; Alan Rudolph, was named as the new Stars of Karting President. The move will allow previous President, Paul Zalud to focus on his duties as the series’ CEO.
It’s a shame to see Rudolph move farther away from his goal of racing professionally full-time, but his involvement with the Stars of Karting organization will undoubtedly boost recognition and professionalism for the series.
Without getting into the fragmentation of karting in the United States, we will stick to one series; the Stars of Karting. The Stars of Karting series was founded in 2000 by Hollis Brown and Bryan Herta. The late Hollis Brown was an incredible spokesperson for the sport of karting and had more than 30 years devoted to the sport. Bryan Herta, who raced in the Indy Racing League until 2006, can still be found driving go-karts today along with his American LeMans Series efforts. Hollis and Bryan had a long standing friendship prior to creating the Stars Series, Hollis helped develop Herta’s career and was actually a karting sponsor for Bryan in the eighties.
Originally named the CART(Championship Auto Racing Teams) Stars of Tomorrow, the series took off in 2002 under the guidance of Fred Marik, who was the executive director of NAKA (North American Karting Association). The following season (2003), Bobby Rahal bought into the program becoming a co-owner alongside Herta. The duo put a new management team in place and separated from NAKA. The series was sanctioned by the World Karting Association and the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America). The series also brought in Snap-On Tools as a primary sponsor, Snap-on has been a huge asset to the program and remains the primary sponsor for the series today. The new management team also decided to put CIK rules in place in an effort to follow the standards set in European karting. The series officials wanted drivers in North America to race under the same rules and equipment as their overseas counterparts. It didn’t take long for the karting community to take note of the name “Stars of Tomorrow”, the name seemed to create a notion that top level karters were merely there to move up the motorsport ranks rather than being noted as professional drivers in and of themselves. In 2004, the series underwent a name change, the series would now be known as the Snap-On Stars of Karting. The new name seemed to make everyone happy, maintaining the link to the motorsports ladder for drivers wishing to advance, while still proudly representing current karters as stars of their prospective sport. In late 2004, Bobby Rahal, Bryan Herta and current president Paul Zalud announced a new affiliation with the Indy Racing League. Undergoing yet another name change, the series would now be known as the Snap-on Stars of Karting: presented by IndyCar.
The series was initially created to help pave the way for young aspiring race car drivers, providing a pathway from karts to cars, while still maintaining the top tier level of competition in go-karts. In order to keep things simple, I am going to focus on the 125cc ICC Shifter Kart class for multiple reasons. In North America, the ICC class is largely regarded as the top level of kart racing, unlike Europe where the KF1 or the direct drive class of Formula A have long been referred to as the top level in karting. In recent years, North America has had a significant growth to the direct drive ICA program and they are now beginning to put some focus on the KF package as a cost effective replacement, but it is safe to say that the ICC class is still the most prestigious class here in North America. The other reason I’m focusing on the ICC class is that I’m a little biased, if you catch my drift.
The ICC (Intercontinental C) class is a shifter kart class. The karts have a six-speed sequential gearbox and put out roughly 40-45 horsepower. The weight of the kart varies from driver to driver, but the required weight after a race for kart and driver is 380lbs. The horsepower to weight ratio is closer to that of an IndyCar than any other junior formula series we cover. The ICC karts are capable of pulling nearly 3 G’s and a top speed somewhere around 120mph…give or take. The chassis are far more complex than most realize, offering adjustments ranging from caster/camber, front and rear ride height, axle stiffness, torsion bars, various spindle degrees, various wheel compounds (ex. Magnesium, Aluminum), seat struts, seat location, wheelbase, toe…etc. These karts are far from your typical amusement park ride, they are a true racing machine requiring a capable driver and tuner for maximum output. The cost of running the Stars of Karting ICC class ranges from $25,000-$100,000 USD. The latter would make for an adequately funded season as some spend even more. Privateers often spend even less than the fore mentioned $25,000 but are rarely competitive at this level.
After researching the series, I must say I’m extremely disappointed in the promotion of past champions. This is a very prestigious title that should be promoted on the STARS website.
Past STARS ICC National Champions:
2001-Scott Speed (Raced in Formula One, currently racing in NASCAR)
2002-Ron White (Raced in Star Mazda series)
2003-Bobby Wilson (Current Indy Lights driver)
2004-Alex Speed (Stars of Karting)
2005- Alex Speed (Stars of Karting)
2006-Gary Carlton (Stars of Karting)
2007-Gary Carlton (Stars of Karting)
2008-Mike Vincec (Stars of Karting)
**disclaimer** This info was put together using various sources, for first hand info on the series…please visit the Stars of Karting Official Website.
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Gary Carlton swept both East and West season finales in the Stars of Karting ICC category driving for PCH Motorsports/SSC East, but it was another pilot who stole the show; 17 year old Michael Vincec managed to win both divisions this season driving for Cameron Motorsports. Vincec most recently won the Stars of Karting Western Division title in Seattle through a tie breaker with Jordy Vorrath(Champion Racing). The duo managed to sit tied in the Western Division points battle after Final #2 on Sunday, but the tie breaker went to Vincec as he had won previously in the Race of Americas Final #1.
The Stars of Karting drivers will now head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 10-12 for the National Finals.
The biggest North American karting event thus far in 2008 will take place over the weekend at New Castle Motorsports Park in New Castle, Indiana. Drivers from the East and West will converge in Indiana for this Stars of Karting event. Ekartingnews will be providing live trackside coverage over the weekend and has done a great job with the Preview for the weekend.
According to early reports from ekartingnews, the paddock was highly damaged due to storms passing over night. The New Castle area was hit very hard with high winds and rain, tornado warnings were frequent throughout the night. I’ve heard mixed reports that several team’s tents and equipment were complete losses. The schedule is running about two to three hours behind as Stars of Karting officials gave everyone time to regroup this morning. Stay tuned for updates.
For anyone interested in watching the event unfold, NorcalKarters.com has added a video crew to the event an will be providing a feed with commentary from Rob Howden.
A special thank you to everyone who has donated. I plan to use my 2010 donations as a travel fund to provide more live coverage. Every little bit helps.
