Category Archives: Sonoma

Sonoma 2020 COVID-19 Update

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Hello Everyone.

Obviously the book on COVID-19 added a few chapters over the past 24-48 hours. We are already looking at our options for the upcoming Challenge of the Americas event at Sonoma.

From the standpoint of my staff and myself, we are good to go. I am a realist when it comes to this stuff and refuse to panic, although I do respect everyone’s right to their own opinions. I know that all of our racers and teams have already made an investment and are concerned and curious to see how this plays out. Trust me, with prepaid plane tickets for staff, rental cars, hotel rooms, track rentals, insurance binders and $150,000 in tires and fuel en route to Sonoma, I know how you feel.

That being said, we are in discussions with the track. We will create a drop dead date, for lack of a better word, that the track can say “yay or nay” on the event. We will probably let things settle out over the weekend and make an additional statement on Monday with more solid information.

Obviously, we have no control what any county, state or Federal agency demands, as we are at their mercy. That is the real variable. I know that they are focusing on “events”, and ignoring every McDonalds and supermarket that sees many many more people each day than our event does.

Many of you have called or texted and I am not ignoring you. It would simply take me all day to answer each one of you individually and tell this exact same story. There are no further details available at this time, so please don’t call and ask for “anything more that I can share”.

Talk again on Monday and hopefully see you in two weeks at Sonoma!

Andy

2020 CALIFORNIA ROK CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM CONFIRMED

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Schedule and partnership with ROK Sonoma forms the four-event championship series under ROK Cup USA banner.

ORANGE, CA (December 23, 2019) – The California ROK Championship, launched in 2019, has become an outlet for ROK Cup USA drivers to enjoy a regional traveling series within the ‘Golden State’. As numbers increase across the state and throughout North America under the ROK Cup USA banner, the 2020 California ROK Championship program is expecting growth for the new season. The rise in support is due to the new partnership between FTK Promotions and ROK Sonoma to form a four-round championship program in 2020.

FTK Promotions, owner and promoter of the California ROK Championship and Challenge of the Americas, has formed the partnership with the ROK Sonoma program that compete monthly at the Simraceway Performance Karting Center at the Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. The ROK Sonoma program will host two events that will count toward the California ROK Championship, with two other events hosted by FTK Promotions to form the four-event schedule for 2020. Continue reading →

2020 CHALLENGE OF THE AMERICAS DATES AND VENUES RELEASED

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Season 13 scheduled for premier left coast winter series

ORANGE, CA (July 18, 2019) – As we turned the calendar on the first half of 2019, plans are underway for the 2020 karting season. Among the first programs to release a schedule for the upcoming racing calendar is Challenge of the Americas. The ROK Cup USA championship series is the premier left coast winter series, set to host the 13th season when action begins in January 2020.

“It is very exciting to be in the planning stages for the 13th season of Challenge of the Americas,” stated series promoter Andy Seesemann. “The program has evolved well with the move over to the ROK Cup USA format along with Bridgestone tires, and momentum is certainly building as we close out this season and look at 2020.” Continue reading →

CHALLENGE OF THE AMERICAS SETS 2019 SCHEDULE AND CLASSES

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12th season for premier winter series on left coast to host events in Fontana, Tucson and Sonoma

ORANGE, CA (September 13, 2018) – The 2019 season begins for many in the western half of North America with the annual journey to compete at Challenge of the Americas. The premier winter series on the left coast is set to host the 12th year of the three-event championship program, now focused on its second season utilizing the ROK Cup USA engine platform with Bridgestone tires. The 2019 campaign will continue that momentum, along with welcoming a new shift in the dates for the three events. Continue reading →

CLASS STRUCTURE CONFIRMED FOR 2018 CHALLENGE OF THE AMERICAS

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ROK and Briggs & Stratton categories to fill out class roster for international winter series on west coast

ORANGE, CA (September 12, 2017) – The new era begins on-track for the Challenge of the Americas in four months as the international winter series in western North America opens up the 2018 championship series. Planning for the transition over to the ROK by Vortex engine platform and Bridgestone tire line is well underway. Series promoter Andy Seesemann has helped to grow the ROK presence with the three powerplants available for competition in the 2018 Challenge of the Americas.

One of the most competitive divisions in North America, and around the world are the Cadet categories. The youngest classes at the Challenge have produced some of the top talent in the sport today, with a new generation of racers primed for success. The largest category at the ROK Cup International Final for the past few years has been the Mini division, with 168 drivers competing in the 2016 edition and the same expected in 2017. The Micro ROK and Mini ROK classes fulfill that age group, utilizing the popular 60cc Mini ROK engine (exhaust restrictor and spec gear for the Micro class).

The ROK GP engine is the flagship powerplant, utilized in the Senior ROK, Masters ROK, and Junior ROK. A 125cc ‘Touch and Go’ water-cooled engine is the backbone of the ROK engine platform, allowing racer to compete in all three classes with a single engine (Junior ROK requires an exhaust restrictor). Continue reading →