SKUSA SuperNationals Non-Pro Champions crowned at Rio By Allan Craighead LAS VEGAS, NV. (November 3, 2002) -The 2002 SKUSA SuperNationals Pro Champions were crowned Sunday at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino. Racing on the 7/10th mile Memo Gidley Signature Circuit, the "Singer Racing" G-1 Finals began the final day of the sixth annual SuperNationals. Starting on pole, Chris Farrell almost stalled his kart at the start, but recovered to move into second behind Bill Fleming, of Cardiff, Calif. Farrell and Fleming immediately began to build a gap Burt Gasaway and Stacey Cook battling for third. After pressuring Farrell for several laps, Fleming passed for the lead. As the lead duo continued to stretch their lead, Craig Sender Jr. moved into third, fighting Robert Cao Jr. for the position. At the checkered flag, Fleming crossed the finish line 3.543 seconds ahead of Farrell, of Park City, Utah, and Cao Jr. "It feels unbelievable to win," said Fleming. "Last year I finished second and just looked at the top step on the podium." The second Non-Pro Final of the day was the 15-lap "Bush Trophies" 60cc Novice race. From the standing start Cody Jolly took the lead ahead of Cole Whitt, who started on pole. Whitt, of Alpine, Calif., instantly began pressuring Jolly for the lead, taking the position on lap 2. Running nose-to-tail the lead duo were never challenged, as numerous cars battled for third place. Late in the race, Billy Goshen passed Scott Rossi to secure third position. Whitt captured the win by 1.114 seconds over Jolly. "I tried really hard to not make any mistakes," said Whitt. "It was a great race and it's fantastic to win." The penultimate Non-Pro final was the Formula IC class. Starting on pole in the "TM Racing USA" Formula IC race, Michael Valiante held the lead at the start. In the opening laps, Valiante of New Westminster, B.C., Can., led his teammate David Jurca. Not content to stay in second, Jurca, of Federal Way, Was., challenged Valiante for the lead, taking the position in the early stages of the race. Just prior to midway point of the race, Kyle Martin, of Dallas, Texas, moved into third place and began to chase down the lead duo. While Jurca and Valiante battled for the lead, swapping the position more than once, Martin was able close the gap. The trio ran nose-to-tail till the end of the race, but the positions remained unchanged, with Jurca taking the win by 0.501 second. "It feels great to be the SuperNationals champion," said Jurca. "It's been a long time coming." The completing the SuperNationals was the "CRC Racing" Formula MX Final. At the start, Tibor Keleman held the lead into turn one. As Keleman pulled out a sizeable lead, several cars steadily advanced through the field, with Curtis Hewitt and Thomas Birchard moving into second and third. Driving a great handling kart, Brandon Scarberry quickly caught and passed both Hewitt and Birchard, to move into second place. Within a few laps, Scarberry had reeled in Keleman and began pressuring for the lead. Just past the halfway mark, Scarberry, of Grand Junction, Colo., passed for the lead and began to pull away. At the checkered flag, Scarberry had captured the win by over a second, ahead of Birchard and Hewitt. "I was tough out there today," said Scarberry. "I love winning." Results and information from the sixth annual SKUSA SuperNationals is available at the SKUSA official website (http://www.skusaonline.com). 2002 SKUSA SuperNationals Champions: 80 cc Junior: Alan Sciuto S-1: Tad Funakoshi SuperPro: Ron White K-1: Garrett Zine G-1: Bill Fleming 60cc Novice: Cole Whitt Formula ICC: David Jurca Formula MX: Brandon Scarberry