Recently, I found myself cruising 34,000 feet above ground in a fully loaded Boeing 737. I was on my way to the SKUSA Super Nationals (Super Nats) in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

I’ve always wanted to go to the Super Nats, but something has always gotten in the way. This year, while plans were initially made to race in the DD2 category, my academic life got in the way of my dreams of racing. However, that was not going to stop me from at least experiencing the atmosphere and intensity of the event as a spectator.

The Super Nats is no ordinary karting event; it’s wildly regarded as one of the biggest and best events in the world. From IndyCar drivers to European World Champions, they offer the chance for amateur drivers to race against the pros in fair and balanced categories. 

Attending the event are world-class drivers from all around the globe. Ages range from small children at the age of seven years old to Indy Car drivers racing in the top categories of KZ2 and DD2. 

I arrived at the event early Friday morning and to my surprise, it was pouring buckets of rain. Drivers were seen scrambling to purchase rain tires, some going for as high as $2,000 due to the short supply. 

Rain tires weren’t just the only hurdle - excessive water on the track hindered the schedule, causing plenty of delays eventually resulting in pushing the racing to the evening, which could lead to a different kind of havoc. 

Night racing in go-karting may not be as bad as it seems. The racetracks are well-lit and provide adequate vision in the fog where you can see the beautiful Vegas skyline. For some of the drivers, the night race can provide a sense of driving Circuit De La Sarthe in the dead of night, as some of the racetrack is driven by memory rather than direct vision.  

For many kart racers, this is as close as we will get to driving down Circuit De La Sarthe. Unimaginable costs and an incredibly dedicated schedule mean that any driver would have to virtually give up their regular life in pursuit of a racing career. This would entail lots of travel and virtually impossible and any form of a full-time secondary education would have to be left behind. 

But the saving grace for the kart racers is that professional drivers are always looking for some off-season training and kart racing provides them that opportunity. The races are always tight and the battles endless which lead to a lot of exciting action. In the words of the great Ayrton Senna himself: “Karting was pure driving, real racing. And that makes me happy.” 

With the heats over and the final groups set a field of 34 drivers were ready for the main event on Sunday. Many competitors were left in the dust and had to say their good byes after not making the final cut into the main event. One of those was NASCAR’s Nelson Piquet Jr., who left after sustaining an injury in the first heat race in an incident on the front straight away.

Sunday brought radical levels of excitement in all classes with the Canadians winning the day. Canadian Ben Cooper (KMS North America) won the DD2 class, followed closely by Canadian DTM driver Robert Wickens (Maranello North America), who eventually took fifth place. Another Canadian Stuart Clark (Maranello North America) took the DD2 masters title. 

The checkered flag dropped and my weekend finally came close to a conclusion. The Champagne had been sprayed and the drivers and mechanics raced to the bars and casinos to celebrate the ending of another hard weekend. In reality, however, things were only getting started with a lot of action behind-the-scenes.

For the drivers another year of memories goes back with them on their travels home. The Super Nats are done for and now it’s time for the kart racers to watch their favourite professionals work their magic in their respective sport, but like always, they will all come together once again to share the grid in late 2014. Regardless of who you are, karting is a part of a racers makeup and you don’t need a filled stands to have the closest and best kind of racing and most of all a great time. That’s the way karting should be.