Category Archives: Tucson

Full Throttle Karting Becomes Sole Importer for Shinko Racing Kart Tires, the Official Tire of Challenge of the Americas 2025

Posted on by

FTK-Shinko-logoFresh off CIK-FIA homologation, Shinko Racing Kart Tires has found a partner and a home in the United States. Idaho-based Full Throttle Karting has signed an agreement to become the sole importer for the newest CIK-approved tire brand, and industry veteran Andy Seesemann is thrilled with the new opportunity and addition to his FTK program.

FTK met with the management and sales team at the Shinko Tire factory in Jinju, Korea to discuss the US market, CIK homologation, and compound options. In attendance: (Far side left to right) Kim Tae Kyun – Shinko Factory Manager, Yun Ku Suk – Shinko Managing Director, Kim Dong Jun – Shinko Executive Director, Kim Jong Suk – Shinko Sales Director, Shin Jun Hun – Deputy Trade Director Shinko, Kim Dong Sun – Shinko Sales and Marketing. (Near side left to right) Andy Seesemann – President Full Throttle Karting Inc., Dong Wook “Nick” Lee of Shinko Kart Racing Tires Global (Photo: ShinkoKartUSA.com)

At the end of August, Seesemann traveled to the Shinko Tires factory in Korea along with FTK Promotions Media Director Sean Buur. During this excursion, they were able to see firsthand the tires being manufactured and meet with the key personnel of the company.

“I’m an ‘old school’ type of guy,” touts Seesemann, president of Full Throttle Karting Inc. “So even though we could have done a deal via Zoom or FaceTime, I wanted to meet Nick (Lee) and the rest of the Shinko team in person, shake hands, and have a face-to-face conversation. It was definitely worth the effort trekking to Korea to see the factory in person. Nick and I got to know each other and now have a sense of who the other person is; building a solid foundation for our new partnership.”

The beginning of Shinko Tire dates back to the early 1970s in Jinju, Korea with the production of bicycle tires and tubes. Eventually, the company expanded into the development of high-performance tires for motorcycles and off-road enthusiasts. This expansion helped to establish Shinko as a global brand, including entry into North America and Europe. The manufacturing process for the motorcycle, karting, and OEM tire industry focuses on quality, innovation and durability. For the 2024-2026 FIA Karting homologation period, Shinko Racing Kart Tires received its first homologation certificate for three models.

After touring both Jinju, Korea factories, the FTK team went to dinner and drinks with their new Shinko partners: Kim Dong Sun – Shinko Sales and Marketing, Dong Wook “Nick” Lee of Shinko Kart Racing Tires Global, Kim Dong Jun – Shinko Executive Director, Kim Jong Suk – Shinko Sales Director, Andy Seesemann – President Full Throttle Karting Inc., Sean Buur – FTK Promotions Media Director (Photo: ShinkoKartUSA.com)

“It is a pleasure to be with an experienced and professional company like FTK,” said Dong Wook ‘Nick’ Lee of Shinko Racing Kart Tires Global, Korea. “FTK has the expertise in karting and specifically karting tires to be our trusted partner in the US. We will actively support FTK to help grow the US market for Shinko Racing Kart Tires.”

“We were contacted by several companies in the United States regarding Shinko Racing Kart Tires,” Mr. Lee continued. “Among them, FTK worked hard in a consistent way and kept small promises well. In late summer, Andy and his group came to Korea to meet with us and solidify our relationship. We spent three days together touring Korea, which was highlighted by our meetings at the tire production factory. We spoke about growing our business in the US and promised a meaningful partnership for many years. It is an honor to be a partner with FTK and we are looking forward to the future.”

Full Throttle Karting will stock four different compounds of the Shinko Racing Kart Tires. The Shinko SHP ‘Prime’ tire (Yellow) will be the tire for shifterkarts, TaG and 100cc divisions, which is CIK-FIA homologated. FTK will bring in two compounds dedicated to the US market. The Shinko SHS63 ‘Performance’ tire (Green) is the softer compound for Cadet divisions and 4-Cycle racing, providing a great balance of performance and durability. The other model is Shinko SHS72 ‘Endurance’ tire (Black), with its focus on longer life rather than outright speed. The fourth model is the Shinko Full Wet Rain Tire.

“Shinko has been in business for more than 50 years, but they recently made the step to homologate with the CIK-FIA,” adds Seesemann. “With only six other brands having gone through the effort and expense of this tedious process, it places them in rare air and in a very exclusive club. Shinko’s FIA approved SHP ‘Prime’ Yellow tire is as good as any tire that I’ve tested and will be a great addition to local and national series alike. The creation of the SHS63 Green ‘Performance’ tire has been a collaboration between the factory and FTK, creating a long lasting and high-quality tire for 4-Cycle and Cadet applications. The black labeled SHS72 ‘Endurance’ is the harder of our USA focused compounds, offering a longer life span with a little slower lap time. In addition, the Shinko Wet tire gives us a full slate of compounds to offer any track or series.”

The Shinko Tire factories are ISO9100 quality controlled manufacturing facilities. The Shinko kart tire specialist explains to Seesemann how each tire is inspected at each stage of the manufacturing process (Photo: ShinkoKartUSA.com)

“We have developed our tires by testing with our official Kart Race Tire partners in Japan, the Philippines, Italy, Portugal and now the US,” added Mr. Lee. “As the official tire of ROK Cup Philippines, we were recognized for our performance in this championship, which has earned us the honor of becoming the official tire brand for more competitions around the world. In the future, we will grow our partnership by offering driver exchanges between drivers in US Championships using Shinko tires and some of our Asian partnering series.”

Full Throttle Karting and FTK Promotions will welcome Shinko Racing Kart Tires to be utilized for Challenge of the Americas championship series in 2025 and beyond. The Shinko Prime and Shinko SHS63 ‘Performance’ compounds will be run the upcoming season, which kicks off on January 31-February 2 at the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona.

“In my more than 20 years in the business of karting, I have always been a part of a ‘program’ created by someone else,” Andy continued. “The Challenge is certainly its own entity, but it was attached to something else. Last year, when COTA became a sovereign series, beholden to only myself, and it set me on the path to accomplish goals set long ago. I am excited to fulfill this promise to myself by becoming the exclusive US importer for Shinko Racing Kart Tires. The Challenge of the Americas is now unrestricted and fully independent. I look forward to 2025 COTA being the best it can be for me, my staff, and most of all our customers.”

Full Throttle Karting is expecting to receive the first shipment of tires in November, providing plenty of time for teams and competitors for testing the new Shinko Racing Kart Tires. FTK will be working to develop a new USA dealer network and official tracks/clubs for the Shinko brand.

Learn more about the Shinko Racing Kart Tires at the new website – shinkokartusa.com

Challenge of the Americas Confirms Four Tracks for 2025 Program

Posted on by

Expansion of schedule and into Utah highlights the 18th season of championship

The popular Challenge of the Americas program will see a new evolution in its 18-year history with an expansion and shift in its calendar. In May, the series announced an increase to four events for the upcoming 2025 season, with the schedule including dates from the end of January through to the middle of June. As we’re now just over 170 days until the opening event of 2025, Challenge of the Americas is happy to announce the locations for the four race weekends.

“The Challenge is no longer a west coast winter series, we are THE western championship in North America,” enthused Challenge of the Americas promoter Andy Seesemann. “The expansion of our schedule to four events provides a high-level series from the end of the winter season to the beginning of summer, staying within the two western time zones. I can’t wait to start off the 2025 season for the Challenge!”

The 2025 Challenge of the Americas season opener returns to the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona. As the site of the opening two weekends in 2024, the facility continues to be a loyal partner to the series. Among the two new tracks to join the Challenge in 2025 is the K1 Circuit. One of the most anticipated new tracks to North America will be welcoming the Challenge to its Winchester, California facility for the first time in early March.

“Our opening two events of 2025 will be sensational with our annual trip to Tucson and then our first visit to the new K1 Circuit,” added Seesemann. “I’m excited to see K1 finally open this month after the long delays that were beyond their control. This facility will be cornerstone for not only southern California, but for karting in the USA. It will be fun to finally see karts on the track with the club and regional programs that have events there over the next couple of months. I am pleased and honored to be the first national championship program to stage an event at K1 Circuit when we arrive in March 2025.”

The date for the second event of the Challenge at K1 Circuit has been shifted one week earlier from the previously announced dates. “We try very hard to work with other programs on scheduling during the year, and especially during the crowded early part of the season,” Seesemann confirmed. “With this week’s schedule announcement from one of the eastern programs, we decided to adjust the schedule to make it easier on the racers and teams to be able to support all the events that they want to attend without conflicts.”

The end of April will feature the annual trip to ‘wine country’ and Sonoma Raceway. The Sonoma, California track provides one of the greatest backdrops of a motorsport facility and is always a favorite stop for those who compete at the Challenge. The expansion of the Challenge schedule to four events also extends the geographic reach of the series. The fourth race on the calendar is scheduled for Father’s Day weekend at the Utah Motorsports Campus outside Salt Lake City, making the series a three-state program.

Seesemann added, “Since it opened in 2006, the Utah Motorsports Campus has hosted several major events. We are thrilled to be able to bring the Challenge to the mountain region of the country and offer an exciting facility to our teams and competitors. The combination of Sonoma and Utah to close out the 2025 championship will be an exciting end to our new era.”

The Challenge of the Americas has undergone several evolutions in its near two decades of competition and this year’s expanded schedule is a huge positive for the sport west of the Mississippi. The absence of a major traveling series in the west has been remedied and the Challenge family is excited to see everyone when the program kicks at in Tucson at the end of January.

2025 Challenge of the Americas Schedule

January 31-February 2: Musselman Honda Circuit – Tucson, Arizona
March 7-9: K1 Circuit – Winchester, California
April 25-27: Sonoma Raceway – Sonoma, California
June 13-15 – Utah Motorsports Campus – Grantsville, Utah

Be sure to follow updates at challengekarting.com regarding the 2025 Challenge of the Americas program, in addition to following the Facebook and Instagram pages.

Challenge of the Americas Sets Prize Package for 2024

Posted on by

Challenge of the Americas Sets Prize Package for 2024 with P1 Engines and Italian Motors Providing Additional Cash

The 17th season for Challenge of the Americas is a new era for the west coast winter series. Welcoming the Vega Tire as the official brand for the Challenge, the categories have also opened up to allow both ROK and IAME engine brands, in addition to the KZ platform for shifter competition. The prize package has also been altered for the 2024 season, welcoming a cash prize of $3,000 in total for each of the six categories competing this year – 60cc Cadet, 100cc Junior, 100cc Senior, 100cc Masters, Shifter Senior, and Shifter Masters.

Dating back to the start of The Challenge, tickets to each program’s ‘big event’ were awarded to the champions. Now that the series has become independent, The Challenge has moved to a cash purse for the 2024 championship prize package.

Challenge of the Americas will award cash prizes to the top-three finishers in the championship standings for all classes. The breakdown is as follows: 1st – $1,500 / 2nd – $1,000 / 3rd – $500.

Adding to the prize package for the championship podium is longtime series supporter P1 Engines. Jesus Vasquez and P1 have pledged an additional $1,500 to the championship podium for any class that averages 30 or more entries for the six rounds of The Challenge. That equates to the following breakdown: 1st – $2,000 / 2nd – $1,500 / 3rd – $1,000.

In 2023, both Senior 100cc and Junior 100cc averaged over 30 entries for the series. As of the final ‘Happy Hour’ pre-registration period on January 23, each class has reached the 30-mark for the upcoming opening weekend with at-track entries expected in all classes.

In addition, Italian Motors has stepped up with an additional $500 to the Shifter Senior and Shifter Masters championship prize package, provided that championship was earned with a TM KZ or X125 KZ (same as the homologated Modena KK3).

Challenge of the Americas kicks off the 2024 program at the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson on February 2-4. To learn more about The Challenge, head to challengekarting.com

As Pre Entry Deadline Looms P1 Engines Adds to 2024 Prize Packages

Posted on by

PRE ENTRY DEADLINE IS MIDNIGHT TONIGHT – As entries roll in for our opening event at the Musselman Honda Circuit in two weeks we are still refining the complete 2024 prize package. All awards will be announced in the coming days, but Jesus Vasquez of P1 Engines Inc. just made things more interesting for the larger classes by adding an additional $1500 to the podium haul of any class that averages 30 or more entries for the 6 race series.

There is no catch like having to run a P1 motor, P1 sticker or even saying hi, just generous support of the series. 100cc Junior and 100cc Senior both surpassed that threshold in 2023, and they are on the verge of eclipsing it with one day left to pre enter.

Get your entries in today before the midnight deadline to make sure you have a chance to earn your championship and win a piece of this great prize.

Thank you again to Jesus Vasquez and P1 Engines for his continued support and trust in the Challenge.

Enter now: https://www.mom-system.com/race/ftk-promotions1701279895/

Challenge of the Americas Drops OK-N Class in 2024

Posted on by

Challenge of the Americas has confirmed the OK-N category has been dropped from the program due to lack of ‘competitor commitment’.

The class averaged 9 entries over the three events in 2023, and as of today only had 2 pre-entries.

The Challenge kicks off on February 2-4 at the Musselman Honda Circuit, nearing the 80-entry mark for the remaining 6 classes. Three more days remaining for pre-registration.