EKN Radio Network

The World Karting Association resumed its 2018 season with the third event of the year. The Pittsburgh International Race Complex served as the site for Round Five and Six of the championship chase, with the Wampum, Pennsylvania once again providing excitement, changing weather conditions, and putting a close to the first half of the series. Rob Howden and David Cole broke down the entire event with the latest ‘EKN Debrief’ - presented by K1 RaceGear. The Alan Rudolph Racing Academy Paddock Pass, Rolison Performance Group Race Report and the EKN Trackside Live Race Calendar presented by Comet Kart Sales complete the podcast.

The EKN Radio Network continues to expand with more live events and new shows. The latest is the rebirth of the Hot Seat, now hosted by EKN Managing Editor David Cole. Each race weekend Cole is trackside throughout the karting season, he will sit down with a member of the karting community to discuss past and present within the sport. The first to join him in the Hot Seat is new World Karting Association President Kevin Williams. The industry veteran was appointed to his new role within the organization at the end of March and has been busy during his first two months of his tenure.

The Superkarts! USA Pro Tour reached the halfway point of the 2018 season with the ninth running of the SpringNationals. The Phoenix Kart Racing Association in Glendale, Arizona hosted Round Three and Four of the championship chase for the nine IAME and Stock Honda categories. The weekend featured record high temperatures for the area as the nearly 200 drivers battled the challenging ‘Formula K Raceway’ circuit and conditions over the three days of competition. Rob Howden and David Cole broke down the entire event with the latest ‘EKN Debrief’ - presented by Alan Rudolph Racing Academy. The CRG Nordam Paddock Pass, K1 Racegear Race Report and the EKN Trackside Live Race Calendar presented by Trinity Karting Group complete the podcast.

The 2018 Superkarts! USA Pro Tour continued with ninth annual SpringNationals taking place at the Phoenix Kart Racing Association in Glendale, Arizona. The nine IAME and Stock Honda divisions took part in Round Three and Four in extreme weather conditions that included record high triple digit temperatures throughout the weekend. On Friday, EKN’s Rob Howden provided the call of the final practice session for all seven race groups around the ‘Formula K Raceway’, serving as the newest episode of the ‘Happy Hour with Howden’. Sitting down with Howden during the broadcast included CRG Nordam driver Tyler Maxson and Alan Rudolph of the Alan Rudolph Racing Academy.

A lot of karting’s history is based from the Quincy area, both on the Illinois and Missouri sides of the Mississippi River. The famous race track in West Quincy, Missouri remains one of the grassroots facilities that shaped this countries karting history. On the Illinois side is ‘The Park’, one of the sport’s most famous street course rich with history. Gus Traeder, a true pioneer of karting, created the Quincy Grand Prix of Karting in 1970, lasting 32 years before the event went into the history books. Gus’ son and karting legend in his own right, Terry Traeder, is bringing back karts to the South Park roads once again, hosting the two-day weekend festival on June 9-10. EKN’s Rob Howden talks with Terry about the past, present and future of the event.

The newest show to hit the EKN Radio Network is ‘Operation Grassroots’, a podcast geared solely on the foundation of the sport. The hub of the show will be discussion centered on the grassroots level of karting, from club racing to regional racing, all focused around the Briggs & Stratton 206 engine platform. Our #OperationGrassroots movement has been based around the Briggs powerplant, with the ultimate goals of bringing new people into the sport and igniting the spark of former racers to come back into what is the most economical form of karting.

The third episode of our ‘Operation Grassroots’ podcast features an interview with Cup Karts North America’s Greg Jasperson. He along with a handful of people created this regional program in the upper midwest and have continued to evolve the program expanding from Minnesota to Ohio, Michigan to Iowa. EKN’s Rob Howden talks with Jasperson about the development of the CKNA and where it is going for 2018 and beyond.

A trip to wine country sparked the end of the 2018 Challenge of the Americas. Rounds Five and Six of the premier winter series on the left coast were contested at the Simraceway Performance Karting Center in Sonoma, California on April 13-15. Seven champions in the Rok Cup USA categories were crowned, with six earning tickets to the famed Rok Cup International Final in Lonato, Italy with others earning entry to the Rok the Rio event this Fall in Las Vegas. Rob Howden and David Cole broke down the entire event with the latest ‘EKN Debrief’ - presented by Nitro Kart. The KartLift Paddock Pass, VemmeKart USA Race Report and the Klotz Lubricants Race Calendar complete the podcast.

The 2018 Challenge of the Americas closed out the winter season with the third and final event in the championship. The Simraceway Performance Karting Center in Sonoma, California played host to the fifth and sixth rounds of Challenge, crowning the seven Rok Cup USA champions. On Friday, EKN’s Rob Howden provided the call of the final practice session for all seven race groups around the ‘National Reverse’ layout, serving as the newest episode of the ‘Happy Hour with Howden’. Sitting down with Howden included Challenge promoter Andy Seesemann, Rok Shifter Senior driver Nicky Hays, JH Motorsports’ Josh Huff, and Mike Rolison of Rolison Performance Group.

The third episode of the ‘Industry Insider’ podcast has EKN’s Rob Howden talk with Shawn Bayliff of Trinity Karting Group. The Trinity operation is a new program, based out of the Cincinnati, Ohio area, focused on driver development. Bayliff is no stranger to the sport of karting, having been among the top drivers in his prime, experiencing the climb up the motorsports ladder behind the wheel and outside of the driver cockpit. Howden discusses their program along with various topics in the sport, ending with the EKN Fast Five.

The sixth season of the United States Pro Kart Series began with the programs first visit to the Ocala Gran Prix. The central Florida facility hosted the Southern Grand Prix on April 6-8, serving as the first two rounds of the 2018 championship chase. The all-IAME program welcomed over 100 drivers in what was an exciting weekend of racing. Rob Howden and David Cole broke down the entire event with the latest ‘EKN Debrief’ - presented by K1 RaceGear. The Atlanta Motorsports Park Paddock Pass, Franklin Motorsports/Merlin USA Race Report and the Nitro Kart Race Calendar complete the podcast.