PRI All-Stars Karting Classic Preview

After being announced into the karting community with lots of hype, the inaugural All-Stars Karting Classic in 2006 was hampered by one of the strongest rainstorms that karting had ever seen, as 11 Masters drivers and 18 Karters hit a water-logged track, all determined not to let a little moisture hold up the battle. Memo Gidley and Bobby Wilson were very quick by got together in the opening corner of the Masters main event, which allowed Buddy Rice to cruise to the victory, with Bryan Herta and AJ Foyt VI completing the podium. The Karters division witnessed the Top Karts of Matt Jaskol and Kyle Wiegand cruise to a 1-2 finish, while Joel Miller climbed through the field to finish third.

Last year’s event had great weather, full grandstands along with a packed fence line, and plenty of excitement on-track. It was a huge step for karting in terms of exposure. The top six karters from their feature race transferred into Masters main, taking up station at the rear of the grid. Gary Carlton won the Karters race in stunning fashion and was joined by Joel Miller, Matt Jaskol, Tyler Dueck and Josef Newgarden at the tail of the field for the main event. Valiante and Rice were the lead pro pilots and they led the field to the green flag. Valiante was able to get away quickly and cruised to the victory, while all eyes were on Carlton as he knifed his way to the front, eventually finishing second over Rice, AJ Allmendinger, and Dueck.

This year’s forecast includes the highest number of drivers competing with 25 Masters drivers and 31 Karters in the enlarged Snap-on Paddock, no doubt the most competitive fields to date. The weather, on the other hand, looks to possibly deliver a repeat of the ‘06 event, with thunderstorms set for Thursday.

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