CONCORD, NC - World Karting Association, Woodbridge Kart Club, and Dominion Raceway Officials regret to inform national karting competitors of the cancellation of the scheduled July national road race event for the Dunlop/Xeramic National Road Race Series presented by Russell Karting.
The cancellation of the Dominion event continues the unfortunate theme of the Road Race season, as this venue was set to take the place of the traditional July event originally set for Virginia International Raceway. Unfortunately, when VIR Officials informed WKC of their plans to shut down during the month of July for a complete repaving job, after the date and venue had been set for weeks on the national calendar, the wheels were set in motion to expedite the ability to put the newest venue in Virginia into play.
An immediate visit by WKA the week of the VIR announcement set plans into place, with the intent of the Road Course being ready for organized racing as early as April. Several ensuing visits by both WKA and the WKC, working with Dominion officials in a consulting capacity, kept the hope of a July national intact. However, the winter months of heavy snow, joined by 18 days of rain in a 22-day period in May helped further delay the efforts by the Dominion staff to get the necessary work done, delaying a test by many karting competitors until July 7.
The end result of the test indicated a need for a few areas of continued upgrades from a safety and comfort standpoint for competitors. Given the remaining amount of work that would need to be done in a short period of time, it was mutually decided by both WKA and WKC to cancel the event for this year, with the hope of returning back to the facility later this year for another test session to determine if this could be a potential national venue for 2017.
In the meantime, WKA is working on finalizing a venue and date for the 5 race national series, which should be announced shortly. At present, the next scheduled event for the series would be the series Grand National event Sept 16-18 at Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville, Georgia. Entry Blank information will be available shortly.
World Karting and Woodbridge Kart Club did not take this decision lightly. Several days and hours of discussions following the test led both groups to this most painful decision. While it is completely understood of the enormous inconvenience and potential cost this has created for competitors, engine builders, sponsors, vendors, and many more, it was a very easy decision to make when it came to the safety of the competitors, not wanting to take a series to a track that is on the cusp of completing its course, thus looking out for the future best interests of the facility, and the wellbeing of the drivers. While it is not expected to soak in immediately, it is hoped everyone will eventually understand, that by taking a mutual stand here, the payoff will be much greater for Dominion Raceway, WKA, WKC, and all of their members whose best interests always come first, thus paving the way for a much brighter schedule for 2017.
Our sincerest and deepest apologies to all involved.
Respectfully,
The staff of WKA