PR: PSL Karting ready for Assault on SKUSA SuperNationals XVI

North American karting powerhouse Team PSL Karting will bring a stacked team of 27 talented drivers to the 16th running of the Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals, set for November 14-18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The talented squad will contest eight classes and will look to tackle the temporary circuit set in the parking lot of the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino just off ‘The Strip’ in Las Vegas, Nevada. PSL Karting drivers earned four podium finishes in 2011 including the victory in the S1 Pro Stock Moto category and will certainly continue their legacy at the prestigious event with their diverse and talented driver line-up.

“There are some heavy names under our tent this weekend, and with that said, PSL will be packing some serious heat being a threat in every class,” explained PSL Karting Team Manager Andrew Campbell. “About 70% of the (PSL) drivers already have the title of ‘Champion’ associated with their name. Most definitely everyone is proud to be on the CRG product, and we are proud to support it.”

Leading the charge for Team PSL Karting in the headline KZ2 shifter category will be Factory CRG pilots Jorrit Pex and Max Verstappen. Both drivers hail from Holland and have been tremendously successful in 2012. Pex won an unprecedented three European karting titles in 2012: the KZ2 DKM title in Germany, the CIK-FIA KZ1 European Championship in Wackersdorf, Germany and the KZ1 WSK Euro Series title in Zuera, Spain while Verstappen claimed the CIK-FIA European Championship in KF2. Joining the KZ2 contingent will be American Fritz Leesmann, as he pulls double duty in two shifter categories and will look to better his 12th place result in KZ2 from the 2011 edition of the SuperNationals.

Team PSL Karting will see 27 talented drivers competing on the CRG chassis brand for ultimate SuperNationals glory next week in Las Vegas
(Photo by: Cody Schindel/CanadianKartingNews.com)

The lone Team PSL Karting entry in the S1 Pro Stock Moto class, Fritz Leesmann will not only try his hand against the world’s top shifter pilots in KZ2, as he will also look to score the S1 SuperNats win and the SKUSA Pro Tour championship. Heading into next week’s event the leader in the S1 Pro Tour points, Leesmann will again be vying for the #1 plate after earning the crown in 2010.

The Diede brothers will be back in action with Team PSL Karting in the S2 Semi-Pro Stock Moto class and both enter the ultra-competitive event in the top-ten in SKUSA Pro Tour points. Cody Diede currently sits third, while Troy is seventh overall. The duo scored a 1-2 finish at the SummerNationals back in July, and will look to carry that momentum into the biggest race of the year.

The remaining shifter kart drivers under the Team PSL Karting tent will vie for the S4 Master Stock Moto victory, as Brazilians Emilio Padron, Antonio Canedo and Luis Sousa look to put PSL/CRG on the top of the podium in the over-30 Master category.

The largest contingent of drivers under the PSL Karting banner will enter the TaG Junior category, against a record-breaking 82 competitors. Canadian karting hot shoe Zachary Claman-Demelo will lead the charge of nine total TaG Junior pilots under the PSL Karting tent. The Team Canada pilot and Eastern Canadian Karting Championship Rotax Junior champ will be vying for ultimate SuperNats glory before making a quick turnaround to compete at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portimao, Portugal just one week later. Brazilian Pedro Cardoso will also be one to watch in the TaG Junior class, as the 2012 Florida Winter Tour Mini Max champion and Brazilian National Champion always shows blazing fast speed and a raw, natural talent. SKUSA Rocky Mountain ProKart Challenge regional champion and Sandy, Utah native Austin Versteeg will also be a threat for the TaG Junior win. Impressive in his rookie junior year, Versteeg will earn a direct transfer to Super Sunday’s main via his SKUSA regional championship and will gun for the top step of the podium while in Vegas. Completing the Team PSL Karting TaG Junior line-up are Brazilians Gustavo Bandeira, Enzo Bortoleto, Felipe Ortiz and Vinicius Papareli, and Americans Alex Keyes and Sonny Cervelli.

TaG Masters will see five Team PSL Karting pilots fight for the SuperNats victory, and include Eric Andre, Michelle Aboissa, Jose Franca, Francisco Marques and Marcio Quixada, while three drivers will take on the youngest TaG class, as Mexican Alvaro Alvarez and Americans Branquilo and David Ilavia will be aiming for the TaG Cadet victory.

“We have been working very hard to organize for the SKUSA SuperNationals XVI,” added Stephan St-Charles, Vice President of PSL Karting. “The entire PSL team put forth their best effort to prepare the karts, trailer and all the other planning for Vegas – they are truly amazing people.”

“Obviously, the SuperNationals is a very important race to us,” concluded PSL Karting Team Principal Dominic Labrecque. “With the international exposure, entries from around with the world and the high competition levels, it will be a very impressive event.”

Team PSL Karting drivers will take to the track Wednesday, November 14 for the first of two practice days, before official racing commences with qualifying and the first of three heats on Friday, November 16. Saturday will see the final two heats and last chance qualifiers, before Team PSL Karting will look to add to their storied history during the main events on Super Sunday. After the SuperNationals, Team PSL Karting will make a quick turnaround to support the nine PSL branded drivers qualified for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, set for November 28-December 1 in Portimao, Portugal.

Team PSL Karting will be trackside in 2012 at the SKUSA SuperNationals. Team PSL Karting is associated with CRG, Maxter Kart Engines, Rotax, Tillett Racing Seats, Sniper, Unipro, Douglas Wheels, Vega, MG Tires, Arai, Bell, ULV, Mir, Freem, Elf Fuels, Alfano, MaxJet Software, D.I.D. Racing Chains, KC and Power Mist.

To learn more about the World’s #1 CRG distributor, sales & service, arrive & drive opportunities, PSL racing engines or dealer opportunities, please visit www.pslkarting.com or www.pslkartingusa.com.