Challenge of the Americas Confirms 2025 Series Sponsors

2025 series logosThe 18th season for Challenge of the Americas is set to begin over the January 31-February 2 weekend when the series visits the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona. The opening rounds of the 2025 championship will usher in a new era, welcoming the new Shinko Racing Kart Tires as the official tire for the series while expanding to four events to make the Challenge the headline traveling series in the western half of the United States.

Pre-registration for the opening weekend at the Musselman Honda Circuit closes on Saturday, January 18. Challenge of the Americas is working with Race Select as its official registration platform. Visit ChallengeKarting.com to learn more about the new process and additional information.

“We are excited about the upcoming season for the Challenge,” stated FTK Promotions owner Andy Seesemann. “There are a lot of new components regarding the series with our partnership with Shinko Racing Kart Tires and adding a fourth event to the schedule. The same competitive yet fun atmosphere returns, along with our experienced staff, many of whom have been with the program for over a decade, including the many teams and companies who have support the Challenge for the 18 years.”

Support from the karting community and industry members continue to pour into the 2025 Challenge of the Americas. Six companies have put forward their backing of the Challenge by signing on as class sponsors for the upcoming season. This year’s class sponsors are:

Forward Direction Motorsports – 100cc Senior
Nash Motorsportz – 100cc Junior
Neliton Race Concepts – Shifter Masters
Ruthless Karting – 100cc Masters
Swedetech Racing Engines – Shifter Senior
The Karting Collective – 60cc Cadet

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hacked Facebook graphicAs many of you have noticed, the Challenge of the Americas FaceBook page has disappeared. Our social media manager seems to think it is the North Koreans targeting us because we are excited to use Shinko Racing Tires in 2025, but I haven’t ruled Sean out as a suspect. That guy will do anything not to post “don’t forget to register.” So as we appeal our situation please frequent our homepage www.challengekarting.com for all important notifications and updates. We will also be sending more email blasts, so if you are not signed up already you can do here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/xmUYtCc/cota2025 as well as on our site HERE. So, on behalf of Sean the hotel room block expires at midnight tonight. Reserve your room HERE, and Register for R1/R2 in Tucson Jan 31-Feb2 here: https://raceselect.com/cota

Please share to get the word out. Thanks, Andy

 

Challenge of the Americas Opens Registration for 2025 Championship

challenge logo blackThe 18th season for Challenge of the Americas championship is another significant year. It is one of change and expansion, with the program now hosting four events in 2025 while welcoming the new Shinko Racing Kart Tire. The new era begins on January 31-February 2 at the Musselman Honda Circuit in Tucson, Arizona.

registration logoRegistration for the opening rounds of the Challenge in Tucson is now open. Challenge of the Americas has moved over to the Race Select service for registration in 2025. Visit RaceSelect.comto pre-register for the season opener at the Musselman Honda Circuit. The deadline for the pre-registration for the Tucson weekend is January 18.

Following the series opener, the Challenge makes its first series visit to the new K1 Circuit in Winchester, California on March 7-9. On April 25-27, the Challenge returns to Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California for the third stop in 2025. The series finale and fourth event of the 2025 season pushes the Challenge to the Utah Motorsports Campus in Grantsville, Utah on June 13-15.

The categories offered for the 2025 Challenge of the Americas program remains unchanged with six in total. Shifter Senior is the headline division, welcoming homologated KZ engines along with the ROK Shifter platform. The Shifter Master division compliments the class for drivers 32 years and older or above 190lbs driver weight. The 100cc Senior, 100cc Junior and 100cc Masters return, providing a place for competitors utilizing the IAME KA100 and Vortex VLR engine packages. All five classes will compete with the Shinko CIK Prime (Yellow) tire. 60cc Cadet returns as well, also a multi-engine platform with IAME and Vortex, utilizing the Shinko SHS63 Performance (Green) compound in 2025.

For the first time in series history, Challenge of the Americas is offering competitors the opportunity to reserve their favorite number for the season. In years past, it has been a first come, first serve format when registering and receiving the kart number requested. For $50, each competitor can reserve their favorite number in their category for the season. It is encouraged that competitors submit their number reservation quickly before it is gone. The following are the class number ranges for the 2025 Challenge.

60cc Cadet: 100-199
100cc Junior: 800-899
100cc Senior: 900-999
100cc Masters: 700-799
Shifter Senior: 400-499
Shifter Masters: 500-599

shinko logoShinko Kart Tires USA received the first shipment of tires to the United States, with over 200 sets shipped out to dealers over this past week. Nearly 30 different kart shops, race teams and racetracks are among the dealer list for Shinko Kart Tires USA. Visit shinkokartusa.com to find a dealer near you to purchase your first sets of the Shinko brand.

SHINKO KART TIRES USA SIGNS UMC KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP AND COLORADO KARTING CIRCUIT

logosClub programs in Utah and Colorado join Challenge of the Americas by utilizing Shinko Racing Kart Tires in all categories

NAMPA, ID (November 5, 2024) – Full Throttle Karting and Shinko Kart Tires USA have hit the ground running to expand the newly CIK-FIA homologated tire brand for karting. The official announcement in September of the Shinko Racing Kart Tires hitting the United States for the first time began with confirmation for Challenge of the Americas championship transitioning to the brand for the 2025 season. The second step is adding clubs to utilize the Shinko Racing Kart Tires in competition as the Utah Motorsports Campus Karting Championship and Colorado Karting Circuit at Centennial Airport have signed on for 2025.

“It’s an exciting time as we begin our relationships with club tracks and regional programs to utilize the Shinko Racing Kart Tires,” stated Andy Seesemann of Shinko Kart Tires USA and Full Throttle Karting. “The testing we conducted this summer allowed for us to put together the data to provide tracks and series looking at different tire options. Utah and Colorado are the first tracks and clubs to sign on for the 2025 season and we are thrilled to be the official tire for their growing programs.” Continue reading

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

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