Gulf Coast Karters and SpeedSportz Collaborate for 2018 Schedule and Inter-Club Championship

Gulf Coast Karters and SpeedSportz Racing Park have collaborated to create some great local racing opportunities for 2018. Coordinated race schedules, class structures, and an inter-club championship will be part of this exciting new year. Each track will host it’s own ten race series for 2018 with separate awards for it’s clubs champions. In addition, GCKI and SpeedSportz will co-host the Greater Houston Race Series, an inter-club championship constructed by combining five scheduled races from each club’s series. This series will have its own champions and awards. Some of the highlights for 2018 include:

• No overlap of club race dates.
• Coordinated class structures.
• Combined two races per month.
• Each track will run one race per month.
• Each month a Greater Houston Race Series designated race will be run at alternating tracks.

The goal of the coordination is to provide the racer the opportunity to race at different venues without schedule conflicts.  With the coordination of schedules and the addition of the imbedded Greater Houston Race Series, racers will be able to tailor their racing to meet their needs.  With up to 20 different club races available in 2018 between the two tracks, along with the concurrent inter club championship, the racer has the opportunity to participate in up to three different local championships in 2018.

	2018 GREATER HOUSTON RACE SERIES SCHEDULE
	GCKI RACES			SPEEDSPORTZ RACES
		GCKI Race 1*	2/4/18	Speedsport Race 1	1/28/18
		GCKI Race 2	3/4/18	Speedsport Race 2	2/25/18
		GCKI Race 3	4/8/18	Speedsport Race 3	3/18/18
		GCKI Race 4	5/6/18	Speedsport Race 4	4/22/18
		GCKI Race 5	6/3/18	Speedsport Race 5	5/19/18
		GCKI Race 6	7/8/18	Speedsport Race 6	6/23/18
		GCKI Race 7	8/5/15	Speedsport Race 7	7/28/18
		GCKI Race 8	9/9/18	Speedsport Race 8*	8/18/18
		GCKI Race 9*	10/28/18	Speedsport Race 9	9/29/18
		GCKI Race 10	12/9/18	Speedsport Race 10*	11/3/18

Red text denotes Greater Houston Race Series (10 race series)
*Schedule change

Update on the 2018 Inter-Club Championship

Now that the other regional and national series have solidified their schedules, we have made three date changes to accommodate racers and eliminate overlap. The February 11th race at GCKI has been moved up a week to February 4th to eliminate a conflict with the SKUSA Winter-tour. The August 25 SpeedSportz club race has been moved up to August 18th as the Texas Sprint Race Series will be at GCKI the weekend of August 25th. The third change is the October 14th Series race at GCKI has been moved up to October 7th to eliminate a conflict with a TSRS race on the 14th. 

Scoring, awards and classes for the Greater Houston Race Series

The good news is there is no added step or cost to race the Greater Houston Race Series. Just sign up for the designated local club race in a recognized class and you will be scored for the championship. Final standings for the GHRS will be based on the total points from the best four of the five designated races from each track (4 of 5 from GCKI, 4 of 5 from SpeedSportz). Awards will be presented at the last series race at SpeedSportz on October 27.

The classes that will be eligible for awards for the Greater Houston Race Series are those that are common to both local track series. Those are as follows:

Classes

We will be putting together a separate Greater Houston Race Series Page (or website) that will contain rules, standings, class details, and any other important information in the future.

GCKI Welcomes New Sponsor LaQuinta Inn & Suites Brookshire!

Gulf Coast Karters is very pleased to announce LaQuinta Inn & Suites as a new sponsor for the 2017 race season! LaQuinta Inn & Suites Brookshire is conveniently located just 12 minutes drive from the track at highwy I10 & FM 1489 (Koomey Road).  Be sure to check out the link below for special GCKI room rates that include complimentary breakfast and free ultra fast WiFi!

Notice of Rule Change for LO206 Cadet & LO206 Junior Classes

TSRS & GCKI will be adopting the following rule change for the 2017 race season for LO206 Cadet & LO206 Junior Classes.

There will be a slide change for both classes. Carb Slides will now be the following:

LO206 Cadet - Old Slide # 555733 Red - New Slide # 555734 Blue
LO206 Junior - Old Slide $# 555734 Blue - New Slide # 555741 Yellow.

Cap locks are still required on both classes.

View the 2017 GCKI Classes document

January 2017 GCKI Newsletter

With a successful 2016 season completed, it is time to look forward to our 2017 season of kart racing at Gulf Coast Karters in Katy, TX. We continued to see record participation in the 2016 race season, and our club membership continues to be stable in it’s Master membership. These statistics combined with the support of long-time as well as new members of the club will help make 2017 another solid year at GCKI.

2017 GCKI General Membership Meeting
On Wednesday evening January 5th GCKI held its annual all-members meeting at the Memorial West Community Club. The facility, arranged and hosted by Becky and Bill Choice, continues to serve as an excellent venue for this important event. We had an excellent turnout of members representing all of the classes raced at GCKI. Several topics were presented and discussed and decisions were reached that will shape the club and form the basis of our operations for the next year.

Facilities
GCKI’s strong financial condition entering into 2016 allowed the club to execute on several major improvements. Several planned, some unplanned.

Facilities improvements completed during 2016

• Painted curbs (planned)
• Spread new parking lot material (planned)
• Built new grid/ scales cover building (60’x160’) (planned)
• Repaved grid/scales area (unplanned, necessary due to failure of surface under construction load)
• Built gating and access for overflow parking of major events with track neighbor (planned)
• Replaced and upgraded septic system (unplanned. System failed due to flood at track)
• Purchased and installed new fencing and barriers for grid area (planned

Facilities improvements planned for 2017

• Install electrical for new covered building for grid and scales area
• Continue to spread new parking lot material
• Remove old tires

Sponsorship
Resulting from the adoption of SKUSA Evinco tires as the spec tire for TaG, Shifter, and 4-Stroke classes, the combined partnership of 3G Kart Racing and SKUSA will serve as GCKI’s overall Title Sponsor. We are very grateful for the support of many longtime GCKI sponsors who have continued to support our club. Please endeavor to support these great supporters of GCKI whenever your purchasing decisions allow. GCKI is always looking to add businesses that are interested in furthering their exposure through a beneficial affiliation with GCKI. Please contact members of our Sponsorship Committee for details.

2017 GCKI Race Schedule
The membership reviewed the proposal for race dates in the 2017 season. In a best-effort to avoid conflicts with holidays and major karting events, the following schedule was adopted:

Texas Mini Grand Prix Races @ GCKI
March 4th & 5th
May 5th & 6th
Aug 5th & 6th
Oct 14th & 15th
Nov 11th & 12th

Texas ProKart Challenge @ GCKI
June 10th & 11th

Texas Sprint Racing Series @ GCKI
April 21st & 22nd

Download the GCKI 2017 Race Schedule 59K PDF Changes to 2017 Rules

Spec Tires – It was agreed by the members that GCKI will continue to use the Evinco as our spec tire for all SKUSA-based classes (Tag & Shifter). SKUSA Evinco Blue will be the spec tire for cadets and four stroke classes. This adoption will have multiple benefits. First and foremost, it enables the club to receive a very generous season sponsorship from 3G and SKUSA. It also enables out-of-town racers to run at GCKI with the same tires they would use at sanctioned SKUSA and TSRS events. This rule will be in effect as of the first race of the 2017 season. Rotax sanctioned classes will utilize that series’ specified compound of Vega tires. Kid kart tires will remain “open.” Rain tires will now be MG Wet for all classes. Rain tires will remain open for the first two declared rain races at Katy in an effort for those with new non-spec rain tires to use them up.

Other adopted rules changes are as follows:

Kid Karts

• Honda GXH50 will run 150 lbs minimum weight (same as last year)
• Comer C50, C51 will run 160 lbs minimum weight (up 10 lbs from last year)

LO 206

• LO 206 Light class at 360 lbs minimum weight (down from 375 lbs last year)
• LO 206 Heavy class at 390 lbs minimum weight (down from 405 lbs last year)
• World Formula will be recognized as separate GCKI class with a minimum weight at 375 lbs

2016 GCKI Officers, Elected Board of Trustee, Compensated and Position Volunteers
We continue to see more and more membership involvement in the leadership of the club. For 2016, we’ll see a healthy mix of continued service by experienced club veterans along with the introduction of fresh talent into our key positions.

Voluntary Officer Roles
President – Paul Jones
Vice President – Robert Schneider
Treasurer – Bill & Becky Choice
Membership Director – Scott Boone

Compensated Race-Day Roles
Race Director – Gary Kinkade
Race Day Manager – Joel Yeltin
Tech Inspector – Frank D’Angelo
Race Administrator – Elise Yeltin
Starter – Leo Leondio
Timing and Scoring – Austin Johnson
Concessions – Open

Volunteer Positions
Facilities Manager – John Fantuzzo
Trophies and Awards – Michelle Watts
Sponsorship Director – Doug Berry

Elected Board of Trustees
Bill Choice (Elected to a 2-year Term)
Brian Warwas (Elected to a 2-year Term)
David McKee (Serving year 2 of 2-year term)
James Waithman (Serving year 2 of 2-year term)

I would like to thank all the leadership and volunteers of GCKI. Without your dedication and help, the success of this club would not be possible. I would like to wish everyone a safe, competitive and FUN 2017 season at GCKI!

Paul Jones

Barry Peel Crowned Champion in Briggs & Stratton Weekly Racing Series West Division

It was an amazing second season for the Briggs Weekly Racing Series with an expanded prize package, and an expanded roster of drivers participating. Each week, weekend warriors take to their local kart tracks, competing with the popular Briggs 206 engine package in the Senior/Masters categories. In total, the driver total for the season was 1,523 – a 25% increase from the opening year of the program hosted by 45 tracks across Canada and the United States.

 

Looking at the numbers more in-depth, Canada and West regions make up 61% of the drivers in the Briggs WRS program, with Canada welcoming the most with 476 from 11 tracks. The West has the largest number of tracks at 15, while the East only boasts six, all coming from the southern section of the coastline. Thus, a void is left in the northeastern portion of the country, which should be represented next year with the continued growth of the Briggs 206 engine.

 

The final calculations have been made, with three drivers earning maximum points over the course of the 2016 season to finish tied at the top of the Briggs Weekly Racing Series. The deciding factor was the ‘karts finished ahead of’ column in the calculations, thus giving Canadian driver Skylar Dunning the overall #1 position. The Edmonton & District Kart Racing Association (EDKRA) averaged over 15 drivers a race on the year, helping Dunning to claim the top spot. Fellow Canadian Cameron Nickerson matched the score via his results at the Atlantic Motorsport Karters Association in Nova Scotia. Top driver in the Midwest region – Logan Smith – also recorded a perfect score for his efforts at the Concept Haulers Motor Speedway just outside Chicago, Illinois – another popular facility for Briggs 206 racing.

 

Barry Peel and JT Swygert topped the other two regions to claim the top prize in the West and East. Peel was among the top challengers for the #1 position overall all season from the Gulf Coast Karters facility outside Houston, Texas, finishing fourth with the top honor in his region. Swygert moved up late in the year, climbing to the top spot in the East at the Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina, finishing the year sixth overall. Canada claimed the top spot, and took five of the top-10 positions. Midwest followed with three drivers while just the top drivers in the West and East completing the top-10.

 

West
Barry Peel
Points: 201
Track: Gulf Coast Karters

Age: 37
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Occupation: Construction Project Superintendent
Chassis: Alpha
Sponsors: Alpha Karting
Years Karting: 2

Read the full eKartingNews article Here