As the Grand Nationals continues to break records each year, we are continuing to identify ways of making the event bigger and better as well as raise the level of competition.
Here are some of the changes for 2021:
- Thursday Practice: While we are still ironing out the event schedule to accommodate the 400+ racers we are anticipating, one thing is clear… we need to allow more time for practice! Thursday September 30th will now be an optional practice day available to all competitors.
- Friday Qualifying returns: Last year was the first time that CKNA held any scored sessions on a Friday. It was a huge success, so we plan to once again hold Qualifying on Friday. If you are planning on competing, please make sure you plan to be there Friday – Sunday.
- Are class sizes capped?: Unfortunately, class caps are a real possibility this year. Are hope is that we will be able to accommodate everybody that wants to race, but based on the interest we have had we know that may not be possible. Expect updates on that as we get closer to raceday. Your best bet, REGISTER NOW!
- Entry Fees: As many will notice, we have increased this years entry fees. In years past, the entry fee was only for two of the three days. This year the entry includes all sessions on Friday, making Thursday a optional practice you can pay for when you arrive. We are also bringing in even more staff then years past to make sure things run as smoothly as possible! We are still proud to say that we have the most affordable National level event in the country thanks to the low cost of parking, fuel and only a single set of tires for the entire weekend!
- Added Discounts are available: The Early Bird discount has returned for racers who raced at least 2 times in 2021 AND register by 9/5. We also added a pay by cash discount for this event as well!
- Cup Karts Live Stream: We are once again planning to live stream this years Grand Nationals. This means that your local club, family and friends can watch you compete LIVE for 4-cycle’s most sought after title. We are working on adding some new features as well, more details to come soon…
- Expanded pits: Last year, we covered more square footage at New Castle Motorsports Park than any other event. With even more competitors this year, NCMP has expanded their available pit area to accommodate all of our racers. NCMP is now accepting reservations for pit spaces. Depending on their location, reserved parking is available for as low as $50!
- The Canadians are coming!: With any luck, the planned border reopening will allow our fellow kart racers from the north to return to competition at North America’s largest 4-cycle race. We have already been in contact with numerous teams from Canada that are planning to come once the border reopens. In fact, we may even designate a section of the pits as “Little Canada” to make sure that all our friends have plenty of room to park!
- Rain Tire Barcoding: Let’s face it, rain at the Grands is a possibility. To make sure that things are on as level of a playing field as possible, CKNA will be requiring drivers to check in their rain tires PRIOR to competition. This means you will bring your rain tires to the tire desk before qualifying to have them scanned in. We are not requiring you to buy rain tires to enter! You will simply check in the w6 VEGA tires you plan to run if it rains. This means if you already own w6 tires, you can use them! If you want to share a set, that’s up to you. The important thing to note is that the tires MUST be checked in prior to qualifying. Drivers choosing not to check in rain tires will not be permitted to compete if rain conditions are called for by the race director. We do strongly recommend that you pre-order rain tires if you don;t have them. VEGA will only have a limited supply of unsold rain tires on site.
- Thousands in Awards and Prizes!: Thanks to the addition of NITRO KARTS and AEM KARTING as GN5’s presenting sponsors, and the additional generosity of all our sponsors; Grand Nationals will once again have the largest array of awards and prizes of any event this year! Keep an eye on Facebook as we will be giving everybody some sneak peeks of the available awards leading up to the big weekend.
