It’s been a long winter, and we know everybody is chomping at the bit to go racing. We’re terribly sorry that 2018 updates have been slow to come out, but the time has come to step on the gas and get 2018 off and running!
First off, some regrettable news. The scheduling hiccup we had with the Florida Division’s first round was an unforeseen issue. We would like to thank the other tracks scheduled to host the series, who have gone above and beyond with offers to step up with additional dates and support trying to make the series happen. With a very heavy heart, we have decided to hold off on launching our Florida Division. We know this comes as a disappointment to the many competitors we talked to throughout the winter about the series. But given the increasing demands of our existing programs as well as the scheduling issues, we’re not confident in our ability to dedicate the time and resources required to putting together the program that the Southeast racers deserve.
On a more positive note, the 2018 Rule Book has been published on our new website, https://www.cupkarts.com. No major rules changes from last year we’re made, other than some procedural clarifications. Any and all additions to the rules are in red in the rule book, and we will be publishing a brief outline of the changes later this week to draw attention to them and better explain their intentions. We also updated some class weights based on what we saw in the field in 2017. Also, the CIK Senior class has been added as a full class in the 2018 season.
Another change for 2018 will be how we will name the winner at our 2018 Grand National in September. Last year, racers carried points into the Grands weekend based on how they finished in the division. In response to the feedback we received from our 2017 survey, the 2018 CKNA Grand National Champion will be whomever takes the checkered flag that Sunday. The Nationals will feature an all new two-day single event format, that will leave no doubt who is the victor at the end of the day.
We still wanted to give our Champions Cup Divisional Champions a leg up, so we have added “Golden Ticket” style provisional starting spots for these drivers. Each Divisional Champion will be guaranteed a starting spot in the top 10 of the Grand National Final race, no matter how their results had them placed going into the race. The runners up will also receive a “Golden Ticket”, entitling them to a guaranteed starting spot in the top 20.
Adding to the importance of the Divisional Series’, we will also have a new award this season that names a National Points Champion for each class in 2018. This will simply be the top scoring driver in each class throughout all of 2018.
Finally, we have been made aware of rumors over the past few weeks that we have made a late decision to change tire manufactures. This is flat out not true. Our relationship with Vega has never been stronger, and we will continue to use their tires as the only tire permitted in competition at any of our events. At no time have there been any discussions to change that after we made our announcement over 5 months ago. In fact, the Vega VAH that we helped to develop has just been named the official tire for the all new 4SS class in Australia! And remember, starting in 2018, VAH tires are available at a highly reduced price from previous seasons from any vendor! MSRP is now only $182 for a 4.6/4.6 set, and $184 for a 4.6/6.0 set! It’s the best tire value in karting!
We will be putting in many late nights to get all of our content online, including our registration system and the opportunity to reserve numbers for the 2018 season. In the mean time, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.
See you all very soon!
Greg Jasperson and Steve Vermeer
