NEWS

Six Victories for OTK USA Brands

The final major event of the 2023 season for the many OTK USA teams and drivers in North America was the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 26 in Las Vegas. Over 500 entries converged on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway over the week of November 8-12 to take part in one of the largest karting events in the world. A large majority of the competitors who tackled the extremely fast temporary circuit in Las Vegas were on OTK equipment and they delivered with immense success. Six of the nine race wins on SuperSunday were in the favor of OTK, including an unprecedented sweep of the Senior and Junior divisions.

Donovan Bonilla added his name to the history books with victory in X30 Senior (Photo: eKartingNews.com)

“What a way to end the racing season,” stated Luis Ruibal of OTK USA. “On behalf of OTK Kart Group, I would like to thank all the dealers, race teams, and drivers for a rewarding and fantastic year for the company and the brands you support. A special thank you to our staff at the headquarters in Orlando for their efforts in ensuring everyone has the products they need to race their way onto the podium. We cannot wait for 2024 as the OTK product will be stronger and better. The best is yet to come!”

The headline Pro Shifter division featured one of the most memorable drives in recent years, courtesy of Costa Rican Danny Formal (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic). The lone driver in the field powered by a Vortex VTZ engine, Formal overcame a challenging qualifying session to finish top-five in all three heat races. These performances placed him fifth on the grid for the main event. A great start off the line put him third on the opening circuit and quickly into second. It took Formal several attempts to grab the lead, but once out front, he was able to power away from the field. At the end of 25 laps, Formal took the checkered flag by three seconds to claim his record-tying fourth SuperNationals triumph – a second in the KZ category powered by Vortex.

Ernesto Rivera claimed victory in the KA100 Senior division for a second career SuperNationals win (Photo: eKartingNews.com)

The big surprise of the weekend was the solid performance put in by Donovan Bonilla (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) in the X30 Senior class. The driver from Mexico qualified sixth overall, and kept himself toward the front, including one heat race win. He was classified fifth after the heats, and quickly moved forward in the 25-lap main event. Bonilla was into the lead by lap six, and after a few laps of exchanging position, he secured the top spot by lap nine. From there, Bonilla went unchallenged as he pulled out to over a three-second advantage at the checkered flag for his first SuperNationals triumph, becoming the 20th different winner in the category. Five-time SKUSA Pro Tour champion Ryan Norberg made it an RPG and Kosmic 1-2 finish, fighting off fellow Floridian and top qualifier Austin Garrison (Speed Concepts Racing / Redspeed) for the runner-up spot to make it an OTK 1-2-3. Norberg gained 16 positions over the 25-lap race – including fast time.

KA100 Senior was the largest category of the event at 84 drivers. As the division worked through the heat races, Senior rookie Ernesto Rivera (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) emerged as one of the top drivers with two heat wins. That landed him on the pole position for the 20-lap main event. After leading the first eight laps, Rivera was pushed back to fourth. He fought his way back into the lead with two laps remaining, holding on through the final laps to claim a second career victory at the SuperNationals, first in class. Former SuperNationals winner Pauly Massimino (Brandon Jarsocrak Racing / LN Racing Kart) was in the hunt all race, coming up short in third. 2021 class victor Brandon Lemke (Team FMS / Gillard) climbed eight spots to finish a close fourth while Oliver Calvo (Speed Concepts Racing / Redspeed) bounced back from qualifying 34th to finish fifth on the podium. In the end, OTK claimed four of the five steps of the podium.

Turner Brown made history with two victories in the Junior divisions at SKUSA SuperNationals 26 (Photo: eKartingNews.com)

Making history on SuperSunday was California driver Turner Brown (Speed Concepts Racing / Redspeed). The first class on the track for SuperSunday was the KA100 Junior division. Brown led the field to the green flag and was engaged in a fight throughout the 20-lap distance. The race went down to the final corner, where Brown went from third to first on the exit, winning the drag race to the line to claim his first SuperNationals victory. Sebastian Garzon (Orsolon Racing / Tony Kart) was named the provisional winner until penalties were overturned, moving him back to the runner-up position in the final order. Diego Ardiles (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) gained six spots to end up third ahead of Oliver Wheldon (JC Karting / LN Racing Kart) and SKUSA Pro Tour champion Steven Miller (Nash Motorsportz / EOS) to make it a full OTK top-five.

Brown was able to make history by becoming the third driver in the 26 editions of the SKUSA SuperNationals to win two classes in the same event. The X30 Junior category was later in the day, with Brown third on the grid. A four-driver fight at the front resulted in Brown taking advantage of contact with three laps remaining. He went from fourth to first in two corners and drove away to a second victory on the day in his Speed Concepts Racing / Redspeed entry. Diego Ardiles (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) held on to second with Oliver Wheldon (JC Karting / LN Racing Kart) also earning a second podium on the day in third. Wheldon gained 13 spots over the 20 laps while setting fast time. Nixx Eggleston (Ruthless Karting / Exprit) was able to gain his first SuperNationals podium in class, placing fifth.

Australian driver Matthew Waters stole the show in KA100 Master to win in his SuperNationals debut (Photo: eKartingNews.com)

A fourth different country was represented in the six wins for OTK brand at the SuperNationals. Aussie Matthew Waters (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) made his event debut memorable, securing victory in the KA100 Master division. Waters was among the quick drivers throughout the week and put himself into the lead group for the 20-lap Final after starting sixth. A final lap maneuver on the exit of turn one saw Waters go from third to first, securing the position through the next few corners and holding on at the line to claim the victory. Two-time SuperNationals winner Ben Cooper (Rolison Performance Group / Kosmic) had fast lap of the race, leading majority of the laps and placed runner-up. KC Cook (Ryan Perry Motorsport / Tony Kart) added another podium result to his credit, holding onto the fourth position.

OTK USA would like to thank the many competitors and teams who contested the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals 26, making it another successful campaign in Las Vegas. Drivers looking to compete with the most popular kart brand in the world or purchase OTK karts and components can contact their local OTK USA dealer. Head to www.otkusa.com for a complete list of dealers and details on the entire brand roster.