For Challenge of the Americas, the 2020 season has been a turning point. Entering the 13th year of the program, third under the ROK Cup USA banner, the Challenge set out to make great memories and establish new records for the series. The series welcomed triple digit entries at the opening two events of the season, including a record-breaking 141 entries at the CalSpeed Karting weekend in February. The record was expected to be broken for the series finale in March before the COVID-19 pandemic hit North America and the entire world. The Challenge, and the karting world, is looking ahead to when racing resumes.
The 2020 Challenge of the Americas series finale was originally scheduled for March 27-29 at Simraceway Performance Karting Center in Sonoma, California. With the stay at home order for the state of California and throughout North America, the event was rescheduled for May 15-17. Challenge of the Americas owner Andy Seesemann continues to monitor the situation as the event draws closer.
“First off, I hope everyone is taking the proper precautions while staying at home and being safe during this pandemic,” stated Seesemann. “We are five weeks away from the series finale weekend, but I am keeping an eye on things. Our hope is to have a better understanding of the situation we are facing in two weeks as to what will happen regarding the event. If we can not have the event at that time, there will be no rescheduling of Rounds Five and Six. The series will end and champions will be crowned based on the results we have up to this point.”
Should the 2020 series finale on May 15-17 be cancelled, the point standings for Challenge of the Americas will be completed as is. The 2020 Challenge championships for all categories will be based on the four rounds of results that have been completed with no drop.
The stay at home order has helped to put time into planning next year’s Challenge of the Americas. The 2021 season marks the 14th year for the premier winter series on the left coast. The international series has secured three race weekends for 2021.
“While racing is on a hiatus, we still need to keep looking forward to when we return to the track,” Seesemann added. “The 2020 season would have been completed by now, and our 2021 plans would have been in the works as normal. We are keeping to that, and happy to confirm our dates for the 14th season of the Challenge. These are the traditional weekends for our program, and excited with the momentum the Challenge is having under the ROK Cup USA banner.”
The 2021 Challenge of the Americas will continue to host two rounds of racing at three unique and exciting circuits. Next year’s program is scheduled to open on January 22-24, 2021. The middle event set for February 26-28, 2021. While the series finale is slated for March 26-28, 2021. Track locations will be confirmed at a later time.
For complete information regarding the Challenge of the Americas and the California ROK Championship, visit challengekarting.com. More information, videos and photos can also be found on the Facebook and Instagram page.
