Last weekend’s IKS race at F1 Outdoors set the stage for some of the tightest championship points battles we’ve ever seen. The Double Finale at Canaan Motor Club promises to be a wild one.

Stock Moto Shifter
With his rugged good looks, clearly Stock Moto points leader Keith Buffo would take the best picture hoisting the IKS championship trophy. But with the top 5 separated by only 27 points, he’ll need to pull off the pole/prefinal/final hat-trick to keep the title from Evan Polisky, Mike Kavanaugh, Dave Nadeau or Jake Seidel (who is doing a rain dance as I write this.)

World Formula Light & Heavy
A scant 10 points are all that separate Nick Leung and Richard Hemingway in the battle for the World Formula Light championship. That is once crazy tight points race by any measure… except this one: In World Formula Heavy, David Olbrych, Dan Dupre and Dave Nadeau are all within six points of the championship. That’s nuts.

TaG Junior
While Jonathan Treilof has the TaG Junior championship sewn up, only 49 points separate Henry Goddard, Bryce Czuba Nicholas Roth and Haley Lederer in their four-way fight for the remaining two steps on the IKS championship podium.

TaG Senior
The TaG Senior championship is completely up for grabs. With a mere 29 points separating the top four, either Christian Sarnecki, Chris Kierce, Derek Franklin or Zack Morrison could be your champion when the checkers are thrown.

Mini Max
Ireland Norstrom may have the NHKA Mini Max title locked down, but she is going to have to put in some work to win the IKS title. When you calculate the drop, Evan Slater is only 15 points back, and Darren Long is only 22 points behind him.

The NHKS/IKS Double Finale is going to be an intensely dramatic and wildly fun day of racing at Canaan with so many championships to be decided on the last lap of the season. Many thanks to Mike Oliver and family for sponsoring the trophies. This is going to be great!

The final event of any season always makes for exciting racing, this will be doubly true on October 1, 2016 at Canaan Motor Club when both the NHKA Racing Series and Interstate Kart Series seasons wrap up in one crazy-intense Double Finale.

We’ll soon see how this weekend’s IKS race at F1 Outdoors plays out in those standings, let’s take a look at the races to watch in the NHKA points championships.

Stock Moto Shifter
Shifter kart racing is officially back in 2016! Week after week, the drivers of our fastest classes showed up in force to bang gears and bumpers for every position. While Alan Morrison rides off into the sunset with the KZ Shifter championship, it is another story entirely for the Stock Moto Shifter drivers. All year long Mike Kavanaugh, perhaps the series’, shall we say, most seasoned racer, sat at the top of the points. However, when you figure in the drop, young gun Evan Polisky pops to the top of the standings with a 20-point advantage over Jake Seidel going into the last event. That would be a reasonable cushion if it weren’t for the fact that the entire top-6 are separated by only 80 points! Now that’s some competition!

World Formula Light
You know you’ve had a championship winning season when a 2nd place finish is your drop race. Such is the case for “Fast Freddie” Fawcett in his CFMotorsports prepared Margay World Formula Light. While Richard Hemingway sits fairly secure on the second step of the championship podium, Mike Oliver (who, with his family, is sponsoring the event’s trophies), Michael Antonov and Ed Bernardon are only separated by 40 points in their battle for the third spot. Meanwhile, World Formula Heavy Champion “Dammit” Dave Nadeau will be looking to make it a perfect season by driving his Lefty’s Brewing sponsored kart to a ninth straight victory. This would be an NHKA first in a competitive class. Good luck and congrats!

TaG Junior
Strange but true: Nikolas Georgantas and Garrett Miskoe have only met on-track three times this season in New Hampshire, but none the less will be battling it out for second place at the Double Finale… that is, if they both show up. Meanwhile, Stephen Krueger banged out top-two finishes like it’s his job, earning himself the TaG Junior championship. In his spare time, he hopped into his 80cc Junior Shifter, often hanging tough against the 125cc shifters.

TaG Masters
Once again Tom Prioli leads the TaG Masters points going into the Double Finale (estimated drop applied). However, if Tom wants to win his third straight championship he’ll have to hold back a hard-charging Marciano dos Santos who is only 35 points back, Derek Franklin lurks only another 30 points back, and Ryan Ouellett only 50 points behind Derek. This should be a great race, as usual.

Mini Max
The adorable/fierce Ireland Nordstrom has locked up her second NHKA Racing Series Championship in a row with a commanding 110-point lead in Mini Max. The battle for runner up honors will be the one to watch. Going into Saturday’s Double Finale, Evan Slater holds a 40-point advantage over Ryder Currier. And never count out Anna Pellegrini as she takes her bid for the third step of the podium.

The season’s last race has all the makings to be the season’s biggest. On October 1st kart racers from across New England will gather with friends and family at Canaan Motor Club to settle championship battles in both the NHKA Racing Series and the Interstate Kart Series. Put your brand in the heart of the action by sponsoring the trophies.

Trophies won at this double season finale are certain to hold special spots on mantles for years to come. That’s because they will represent one of the most triumphant days in many a racer’s career. This is a unique opportunity for your brand to be literally etched upon those special memories. It’s probably the most powerful and lasting one-to-one marketing tactics you’ll ever deploy.

We need to order the trophies soon, so email MikeC@NHKA.net today to tell us you’re in.

As you know, Tom Prioli will be throwing the final checkered flag at CFIK on Saturday August 27th. He fought the good fight, but when a big national chain shows up with unlimited resources, there’s not much a small independent business can do. While we’ll all miss the track, at least we’ll get to keep the best part of the place – the Prioli family.

“Of course we’ll continue racing with the NHKA and supporting the club every way we can. My mom, dad and I can’t thank the NHKA community enough for their support of Checkered Flag. When I think about the generosity at our Racing Against Cancer events, I feel so fortunate to have such an awesome extended family.” Over NHKA’s 5-year partnership with Tom, he has been instrumental in raising thousands of dollars for worthy causes, introduced tons of people to karting, and made lots and lots of fun memories.

Tom doesn’t hesitate about his favorite memories, “The World Formula Indoor Karting Championship. I will miss that more than anything. Racing outdoor karts indoors was insane fun. But what made it so special was the way we helped each other as much as we competed against each other. Just like we do outdoors with in the NHKA. That kind of comradery shouldn’t have an off season.” At Saturday’s drivers meeting, Tom mentioned he was trying to organize one last night for the World Formulas, but unfortunately it was just too short of notice for most drivers to make happen.

7pm Saturday August 27th – Be There!
The NHKA is going to help Tom give Checkered Flag the kind of send-off a dear old friend deserves. Starting at 7pm August 27th, the NHKA will buy the first race for the first 20 NHKA members to arrive. Also, there will be unreal deals on any remaining merchandise – used GoPros, helmets, driving suits and collars as well as new driving gloves, CFIK t-shirts, hoodies and other memorabilia. All that plus Tom’s Going Out of Business bargain race pricing and you have the makings of a fun night of deals and racing with your NHKA buddies while showing the Prioli family how much Checkered Flag has meant to us. And if some beer and snacks were to appear for when the racing is over, that would be alright too. Let’s make it a good-bye party with the emphasis on party!

One important request: Please go easy on the karts. Race, have fun, but know that these are core assets, and their condition is critical to Tom’s exit from the business. Besides, if we do this party right, the last thing Ron will want to face Sunday morning is a bent kart. Just remember why we’re there.

It’s great to be back at Canaan for Race 7 of the NHKA Racing Series driven by Checkered Flag Indoor Karting. The forecast couldn’t be more perfect – meaning that it appears that mother nature is giving her canopy murder spree a rest. So come one, come all as we switch things up by running the left-side combo track counterclockwise. This is the same configuration we ran the season’s first two races at Canaan, but in reverse. It should be interesting. Let’s try to not make it TOO interesting.

This weekend’s trophies will be sponsored by Lecam Machine Company. Lee and Mike Camarra’s day job since 1984, they’ve helped countless customer’s turn ideas into high-quality products – CAD design to prototype to small-medium production runs. Best known for their motorcycle, kart and auto racing components, Lecam Machine is also a trusted partner across multiple industries for custom one-off parts and part modifications that enable companies to extend the lifespan and capabilities of their machinery investments. And being owned by Lee and Mike, you know you’ll get winning results fast. Call (508) 588-2300.

This year’s edition of KartMania! is in the books. While Saturday’s weather was a big disappointment, boy did we ever have some fun Friday on the Canaan Motor Club’s full road course. So much speed and flow! What the track may have lacked in hard braking zones, it more than gave back with the subtle complexity of banking, drafting, off-camber exits and elevation changes. The track offered the thrill of the fastest corners many of you have ever driven… like the kink onto the pit stretch. Talk about a blazing fast corner that puts you right on the edge. Some of the region’s best shifter and TaG drivers spent the whole day trying to find a way through without lifting. Not sure if anyone did, but a few went for wild rides into the infield trying. Fortunately the track’s safe design prevented injury and kart damage. Friday night we had ourselves a great party. Thank you to everyone who brought side dishes to share. And a huge thank you to chef Marcello DeCampos and crew for the awesome BBQ, and to Dave Nadeau and Lefty’s Brewing for the delicious beer.

Then it rained. Despite everyone’s efforts to dry the track – TWICE! – non-stop drizzle made it a losing battle, and the races needed to be called. The disappointment has left all of us with a feeling of unfinished business on the long track. While we have nothing to announce officially, we can say that getting back onto the full road course is as much a top priority for us as it appears to be for many of you. Obviously these events are more expensive and complex to put on, so a huge turnout is critical. Be sure to let Mike know how strongly you feel about racing on the big track – especially if you’re one of those people who doesn’t voice your opinion very often.

Back to the Business of Winning Championships
There’s a vocal faction of competitors in the NHKA Racing Series driven by Checkered Flag Indoor Karting that misses the intense, up-on-the-wheel, close-quarters racing we used to do on the S3 Lot at NHMS. So it was decided to bring back short-track racing by running this weekend’s big combined IKS Race 3/NHKA Race 5 event on the kart track. This configuration links both crossover roads with short portions of the front and back stretches. So pack those tiny drive gears and tall axle sprockets, and check those brake pads. It’s time to go short track racing!

Big Shout-Out to Trophy Sponsor Central Mass Powersports
CMP, located in Lunenburg, MA, sells and services just about every type of motorcycle, personal watercraft and snowmobile, along with gear for riders of all ages. If it has an engine and it’s fun you’ll find it at CMP – including the lineup of Top Kart chassises. CMP also carries a full line of engine parts and a wide selection of trailers to get your kart to the track. Be sure to stop by to thank the Pescatore family this Saturday, and visit CentralMassPowersports.com to find out what CMP is all about.

Thank you to everyone who pre-entered for KartMania! With a solid idea of who will be racing, we now have a complete schedule for Friday’s practice and the races on Saturday. Click here to view and print.

The gates will open at 5pm today for trailer drop-off and camping (no services or campfires.) Registration and safety tech will be open. Gates close at 10pm. Late arrivals are allowed to QUIETLY park overnight on the property outside the gate (not on the street.) Alcohol, fires and noise are strictly forbidden!

Gates, registration and safety tech will open at 7am Friday and Saturday. Please keep in mind that registration for the races closes at 9am Sunday.

We hope everyone will hangout for Brazilian BBQ by Marcello de Campos. Festivities are sponsored by MAK Contracting and Lefty’s Brewing. Please bring a side to share. Rice dishes, mac and cheese, macaroni, potato and garden salads would all be perfect. (Please let Mike know what you’re bringing.) Dave Nadeau will have some Lefty’s on tap, but folks are encouraged to bring their own beverages.

Please be extra diligent as you make your final preparations on your kart. With road racing, speeds are high, so for everyone’s safety, Paul will be super picky in pre-race tech. There’s nothing to do in addition to what you do for a regular NHKA race, but everything needs to be done to perfection. Also, shifter karts will be expected to have air boxes and silencers – same as are required at F1 Outdoors. This is a permanent rule change for all races at Canaan Motor Club.

Yes, there’s a good chance we’ll see rain at some point. Yes, we’ll race. However, classes scheduled for the full road course may switch to the shorter, tighter circuit we’ve been racing this season to keep the speeds down. Mike will make an announcement if this track change is necessary.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone in Canaan!

Tomorrow, June 25, 2016, the NHKA Racing Series driven by Checkered Flag Indoor Karting is back in action on the wildly varied Hill Course at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. With not so much as a drop of rain in the forecast, Race 4 will have none of the rain set-up guesswork that played such a big role in the previous event. Competitors will be back to the usual Hill Course challenge of balancing their karts to fly through the bowl but still get that key launch off the super-tight turns.

We’re pleased to welcome back trophy sponsor Earthwork Industries. The company provides complete environmental remediation services throughout the Northeast. Their expertise includes wetland restoration, contaminated soil removal, remediation systems, drainage, sewer and water connections, commercial and residential septic systems (including MA Title 5), and more. Next time you have a project, be sure to visit http://earthworkindustries.com or call 508.643.4430.

Register before July 1st to save $25
CLICK HERE to download and print the early registration form now.


Attention Campers
There is no water, showers or electricity available at the track. For those of you whose idea of camping is a 3-star hotel, here are just a few of the options in the Hanover/Lebanon area…
    Days Inn: 800-916-4339
    Courtyard: 603-643-5600
    Residence Inn: 603-643-4511
    Hanover Inn: 603-643-4300