Superkarts! USA today confirmed that the IAME 175 SSE will be the headlining class at SuperNationals 23 in Las Vegas. The announcement comes on the heels of growing support for the 175 SSE class and increasing adoption rates by teams and drivers in North America.
To kick off the debut of the class format as a marquee addition to the SuperNationals, the 175 SSE will offer the same purse structure as the KZ format. If that weren’t enticing enough, SKUSA is also pleased to confirm a special $10,000 USD bonus purse, should any driver be able to win both the KZ and 175SSE finals on Super Sunday.
“It’s a little crazy,” admitted SKUSA president Tom Kutscher. “But crazy is kind of what we’re known for. We know there are a handful of drivers who may take on the challenge, and we’d like to reward them accordingly if they pull it off.”
The growing prize package for the event should see SuperNationals 23 become the biggest purse ever offered for a single North American kart race. The race has historically rewarded drivers with both cash and prizes, including limited edition items like one-off BRM Chronograph watches.
SKUSA is also extremely pleased to confirm an exciting engine lease program for the event, with full support and backing from the IAME factory in Italy. IAME will be offering a fleet of 36 brand-new identically prepared 175SSE engines to teams and drivers for the promotional price of just $1500 USD. The rental fee includes all basic engine accessories for operation.
The engines are available, first come / first serve, to any driver running in either the Pro / Pro2 classes, or the G1 and G2 categories. It’s a tremendous opportunity for newcomers to the category to try it, or for those from overseas to participate in the shifter categories with a convenient engine source. With completely new, identically prepared engines from the IAME factory, all drivers are afforded the same level of horsepower. The 175 SSE rental units will have been broken in on the dyno in Italy by IAME’s head engineers. Racers simply need to bolt on the engines and go.
“While it’s an unpopular thing to say, the reality of the SuperNationals KZ class is that, in many cases, it comes down to which engine builder’s product you have on the kart,” explained Kutscher. “We think we have an interesting model that features an unprecedented opportunity to lease a factory tuned and broken in engine with full IAME factory support on-hand. We see this as a means to give everyone the same resources and an equal opportunity to win.”
Drivers who take advantage of the promotion can pick up their 175 SSE engines, beginning Tuesday at the SuperNationals. IAME Italy will have full factory representation and engineers on the premises answering any and all questions that arise. Following the event, interested parties can elect to purchase the engine they rented and apply the cost of their rental towards the discounted price of $4500 USD. (Drivers simply need to pay the remaining $3,000).
“It goes without saying, we’re tremendously encouraged by the momentum of the 175,” added SKUSA’s Kutscher. “Understandably, there have been those who’ve been sitting on the sidelines waiting. Biased as it may sound, we think the SuperNationals will be the culmination of the last several months’ worth of progress. We’ve worked tremendously hard to perfect the 175, and the last several races resulting in zero issues would indicate our progress.”
SuperNationals 23 Priority Pre-Entry is open now and general registration opens July 22 ndat 7:00PM PDT. Competitors looking to lock-in their engine rental leases are advised to contact IAME USA West for specific details and rental agreement information.
“I’m very excited for November,” an enthusiastic Kutscher added. “We’ve had amazing help promoting this platform from our partners at IAME and MG Tires. From day one, they’ve never wavered in their belief of the concept, and we’re thrilled to make this coming SuperNationals a platform where the 175 SSE can truly shine.”