Category Archives: Tucson

Challenge of the Americas Confirms Four Tracks for 2025 Program

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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

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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

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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

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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.

OK-N UPDATE

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OK-N UPDATE

We knew when we introduced OK-N to the US and the World (Challenge was the first organization to ever hold an OK-N race last February) that it was going to require some work to build the class. Last year we averaged 9 entries in a brand new category before there were 25 engines on the North American continent. We knew that was a great accomplishment and something to build on for 2024. That being said, we are now at an inflection point, where the lack of competitor commitment has placed the class in jeopardy. Notice that I said “commitment” and not “interest”, because there is plenty of interest. Interest is great, but it’s the commitment that tells the story. You can be interested in making a New Years resolution, but until you commit to it, it really doesn’t matter.

Our entry has been open for 42 days. At this point in time, Shea Aldrich is our only entry in the class. Thank you Shea for committing. Also at this point in time, I have had 5 or 6 other non-entered competitors contact me to ask how many entries we had. When I told them zero or one, they entered another class or still had not committed to enter the class.

We all know how this works, numbers build numbers, but conversely lack of numbers breeds a lack of numbers.

Since a half dozen competitors have contacted me about the class, I can predict that there are another half dozen that were on the fence, but had “heard” about the lack of entries. With all of those, we could have a class of 12 or more. A 33% increase over last year.

Instead, we have a class of one.

At this point, just like other organizations with other classes, we have to put OK-N on the chopping block. Our pre-entry closes in 8 days, on January 19th, but we need to have at least 6 more entries by Monday January 15th to offer the class.

REPEAT: We need to have 6 more paid entries in the registration system by Monday January 15th to offer the class. Not a call, not an email, a paid entry in the system. If we cancel the class, we will transfer your entry to another class of your choice.

Enter by the 15th or lose this fantastic class: https://www.mom-system.com/race/ftk-promotions1701279895/

Be sure to follow updates at challengekarting.com regarding the 2024 Challenge of the Americas program, in addition to following the Facebook and Instagram pages.

2024 Challenge of the Americas Schedule
February 2-4, 2024: Musselman Honda Circuit (Clockwise) – Tucson, Arizona
March 1-3, 2024: Musselman Honda Circuit (Counter Clockwise) – Tucson, Arizona
April 12-14, 2024: Sonoma Raceway – Sonoma, California