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From August 13th to 15th, 2021 – Rounds 5 & 6 – SKUSA SUMMERNATIONALS

Oka, Quebec – After a pause in karting since the end of May, Thomas Nepveu returns this weekend to the SuperKarts! USA SummerNationals series (X30 Senior class) on the fast one-mile New Castle Motorsports Park located in New Castle (Indiana, USA). Thomas Nepveu is familiar with this high-speed layout which features a long straightaway of 950 ft. (290 meters), after having raced there in 2019 during a concentrated six-race programme in which he achieved good results.

This return to the track will also be marked by a major change for the team as Thomas Nepveu will be driving a new brand of machine made by "Kart Republic". Thomas and his sporting manager, Coy Arbour, will be participating in the event as an independent team. Founded in Italy by the renowned Dino Chiesa in 2017, the brand has taken several drivers to the highest levels of motorsport such as Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Lance Stroll to name a few.

"I am expecting a very good weekend as I feel we have the equipment we need to succeed. I've been racing against Kart Republic karts since their inception in 2017. Everything is in place for us to reach the podiums and play for wins. I like this type of track at New Castle, fast and with some places where we can overtake. We are ready for a big weekend, especially when we add the knowledge that we have developed since the beginning of the season in USF2000," explains Thomas Nepveu.

2021 Season So Far

Thomas Nepveu has had a busy 2021 season since his first race in January.

In karting, the young driver from Oka has participated in 11 finals, accumulated one podium, two top-5s and five top-10 finishes, moving up closer and closer to the leaders as the season progresses.

Nepveu is also competing in his first season in a Cooper Tires USF2000 single seater, in the "Road To Indy" development program, developed by the promoters of the series. In 12 races (11 road courses and one oval), the Oka native has collected one win, three top-5 and eight top-10 finishes. He is currently second in the Rookie of the Year contest, just one point behind the leader and with five races to go this season.

Weekend Schedule (EDT) - SKUSA SUMMERNATIONALS - X30 Senior Class

· Friday, August 13th: Practice (7 min) 9:10 am - 10:30 am - 11:50 am | Practice (12 min) 2:45 pm - 4:45 pm
· Saturday, August 14th (Round 5): Warm-up (5 min) 8:56 am | Qualifying (7 min) 10:15 am | Pre-Final (10 laps) 12:10 pm | Final (16 laps) 3:55 pm
· Sunday, August 15th (Round 6): Warm-up (5 min) 8:56 am | Qualifying (7 min) 10:15 am | Pre-Final (10 laps) 12:10 pm Final (16 laps) 3:55 pm

Karting Championships & USF2000 for 2021

Participating in three championships over the summer adds up to 23 professional events over the season (13 in karts and 10 in USF2000 cars). Each weekend is composed of multiple practice/qualifying sessions, Pre-Final and Final races depending on each series’ rules. The considerable amount of racing time, plus the hours spent on simulators, will certainly accelerate Thomas Nepveu’s learning process given the high level of competition in every series.

Driving Instructor

Thomas Nepveu's personality and technical knowledge also make him an ideal driving instructor, capable of transmitting his knowledge while making the student and the family comfortable during these important and often emotionally charged moments. Thomas Nepveu began working with novices in the spring of 2019, when he was only 14 years old, and continues to do so for the BCR (Ben Cooper Racing) race team. Last winter, with he even helped some PSL Karting drivers at a track in addition to taking care of his own machine (track walks, debrief meetings after each track session).

Kart Republic

Founded in 2017 by Dino Chiesa, this Italian manufacturer has dominated kart racing at the international level since its inception. It quickly moved to American competition, taking its first win at the most competitive North American event, the Las Vegas SKUSA SuperNationals (1st - X30 Senior class - Nov. 2018). The brand has recorded a multitude of wins since then and solidified its position at the top of the kart racing world.

2021 Thomas Nepveu Karting Schedule

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It was another winning weekend for BirelART North America at rounds three and four of the Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) Pro Tour. Taking on the SpringNationals event at the Utah Motorsports Campus (UMC), BirelART North America added three wins, nine podiums and one pole position to their 2021 results resume.

“The fields at SKUSA competiton continue to be some of the best in the country and to score multiple wins and podiums is a true testament to our team, dealers and products,” expressed Dominic Labrecque. “We can’t wait for the next one.”

The strongest results of the weekend once again came from the gearbox powered classes as the BirelART chassis proves to be one of the best for that engine platform. Competing in the Master Shifter class, Jordon Musser and Ben Schermerhorn earned podium results in round three with Musser topping the podium blocks and his teammate joining him in third. Musser returned Sunday to sweep the day’s on track action taking the pole position, prefinal win and main event victory to double up on the weekend as Schermerhorn joined him on the podium in second to make it a BirelART one – two finish after qualifying in the fourth position.

In the Pro Shifter category, it was Jake French who would lead the way with a pair of runner-up results. Improving from both his third and fourth place qualifying efforts to finish second, French was one of two BirelART North America drivers in the top-ten with Michael Stevens who earned a seventh place result on Saturday.

Jess Peterson added a win for the Red Army taking the top step of the blocks on Saturday, improving from his third place qualifying effort and returned Sunday to score his second podium finish of the weekend. Dante Yu added a podium result in X30 Senior driving forward from tenth in round three to finish third as he edged his BirelART North America teammate Thomas Nepveu who cross the line in fourth after qualifying 11th.

United States Pro Kart Series winner Caleb Gafrarar threw his name into the mix in X30 Junior with fourth and seventh place results. Leading laps in Saturday’s main event, the rookie junior competitor just missed the final step of the podium but has shown the pace needed to be at the front of the field. Fellow Junior driver Jesus Vasquez Jr. competed in the KA100 Junior class and ran inside the top-ten throughout the event weekend. With fourth and ninth place qualifying efforts, Vasquez earned an eighth place finish in Sunday’s main event, securing another top-ten finish for the squad. Mini Swift driver Ryan Gianneta qualified second but ran into some bad racing luck when the wheel-to-wheel action commenced.

Labrecque continued, “Thank you again to our drivers, their families and our awesome dealer network.”

Stay tuned for more announcements from PSL Karting and BirelART North America.

BirelART North America (PSL Karting) is the National Importer and Distributor of BirelART products and accessories, including Ricciardo Kart, Kubica Kart, and Freeline accessories. BirelART North America is also a new North American importer for the TM Racing line of products. Visit www.pslkarting.com to find a retailer near you. Follow our racing team and product updates via our social media @pslkartingofficial.

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