Zoom Zoom Nationals takes center
stage at Road America this weekend
07.05.2010 – The highly anticipated Zoom Zoom Nationals highlights a summer of competitive national go-kart racing this weekend at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin’s famed Road America road course. Teams from the WKA Dunlop Tire Road Racing Series and WKA George Kugler / Bridgestone Manufacturer’s Cup Series, both driven by Mazda, will haul from all over the country to the scenic, agrestic land of eastern Wisconsin for one of the most hyped races of the season for both sprint and enduro-style kart racing.

For the Manufacturer’s Cup Series, Road America marks the third stop on the five-race 2010 national tour and the second of a trio of events at Midwest venues. The national sprint series has continued in 2010 as an extremely strong series with over 20 karts regularly entering most of the 19 classes. Several divisions average over 30 karts a class, including the Komet and Yamaha Jr classes, which rarely see fewer than 40 entrants at a Man Cup national.

The Manufacturer’s Cup racing goes off at the popular Briggs & Stratton Motorplex, an acclaimed 12-turn sprint road course located inside the Carousel (turns eight through 11) of the four-mile Road Racing course. A mix of high- and low-speed corners and a good amount of elevation change make the course one of the best sprint racing venues in the country. This year will be the Man Cup Series’ second visit to Road America. In 2009, 444 entries made the series’ inaugural trek to the Motorplex a successful one.

The Man Cup side of the action is the series’ Grand National event of 2010, meaning prestigious Grand National Eagle trophies and bonus points will be up for grabs. In addition to the valued hardware and extra points, traditional Road America Cheese Cows will be awarded to top finishers at the Man Cup and Road Racing events, sponsored in part by Franklin Motorsports and TS Racing.

The Road Racing Series just ran their Grand National a few weeks ago at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and the Zoom Zoom Nationals at Road America continues a busy summer for WKA’s enduro-style national series.

Road America has hosted enduro-style kart racing for several decades, but the Road America event is still new to many WKA national regulars because until last year, it was not sanctioned by WKA.

In 2009, the well-respected Wisconsin-based Badger Kart Club and WKA teamed up to bring the Zoom Zoom Nationals to Road America, marking the Road Racing Series’ return to the four-mile road course for the first time in 14 years. An entry count of 542 tied the event with Daytona as the best-attended Road Racing national of the season, and it added another highly touted event to the Road Racing schedule, appropriately going off approximately six months after the revered Daytona Championships.

The Zoom Zoom Nationals continues in 2010 as an event run in conjunction with the fine folks at the Badger Kart Club.

This year the Road Racing portion of the Zoom Zoom Nationals is again jam-packed with a total of 56 classes running between Saturday and Sunday. Forty-one of those divisions are national classes, while 14 local options fill the card.

Briggs 4-cycle racing is prominent on the Road Racing slate, which is appropriate considering Briggs & Stratton headquarters are located just a little over an hour away in Wauwatosa, Wis. In addition to the five national classes for Briggs Animal-powered karts, several Briggs local options will go off, including the popular Briggs Charity Race that benefits the Badger Kart Club Scholarship Fund. The Charity Race will run Friday following the completion of practice.

While pre-registration for Road America is now closed, competitors may still enter when they arrive at the track. Pre-entry pickup is available for both series from 3 p.m. till 6 p.m. Thursday. On the Manufacturer’s Cup side, gates and pit pass sales are open from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m. Thursday, while Road Racing teams may purchase pit passes from noon till 9 p.m. Thursday and park from 6 p.m. till 9 p.m.

Road America gates open at 7 a.m. for the duration of the weekend. As usual for Man Cup and Road Racing nationals, practice will go off all day Friday with a full slate of racing scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Click here to view the Zoom Zoom Grand Nationals Manufacturer’s Cup entry blank, schedule and other important information.

If you’re a Road Racing competitor, click here to view your Zoom Zoom Nationals entry blank, schedule and other important information.