From the Seat!

It seemed fitting somehow that the SKUSA Supernationals were run over Halloween weekend. This writer was not one of the ones in attendance but I was personally touched by much of the event.

The overriding story has to be the tragic loss of Compcor principle Ron Huber. Involved in a bizarre pit vehicle incident Ron received and soon succumbed to severe head injuries. The Supernationals were to be the culmination of Ron's master plan and sadly he never witnessed the triumph of his vision. Ron's company Compcor stepped up in 2003 and took over the fractured TonyKart/Vortex importership for the United States. Ron, while no stranger to the seat of a racecar was not a kart racer, seemed to be on a mission to restore the reputation of TonyKart and it's sister company Vortex Engines in North America to the levels that it enjoys the world over. The momentum of Ron's vision carried on through the conclusion of the event with the headliner Pro ICC class being captured with a TonyKart/Vortex piloted by the talented Jason Bowles. In the closely-watched TAG Sr. class the win went to another TonyKart/Vortex combo chauffeured by Toby Scheckter the younger brother of friend Tomas Scheckter. I am certain that Ron had to be smiling as his plan came together. Ron will be missed by many.

That is after the smoke had cleared from some shenanigans by at least one engine manufacturer. The above-mentioned shenanigans that were ultimately foiled should hopefully function as a wake-up call stating that TAG specs must be adhered to in order to insure the future health of what has to be the fastest growing class in kart racing. Should the TAG specs be more specific? Absolutely! Is TAG in trouble? A resounding no! Merely some growing pains that should be expected as the class matures. TAG is a huge part of the future of our sport but needs some refining yet. The playing field is not exactly level and starry-eyed visions of absolute parity will never be realized. TAG will grow due to the attractiveness of the concept but inevitably the market place powered by the racers themselves will force parity onto the class by the slow weeding out of the packages that for one reason or another just don't measure up.

OK everyone, that's it for this month. Until next time Race Hard, Race Safe, and God Bless America!