A top result at this weekend's SKUSA SuperNationals kart racing meeting in Las Vegas is all that stands between Auckland international Daniel Bray and his first SuperKarts USA ProTour title.
Bray, 24, has been leading the points standings in the premier S1 class since the first round in Tucson, Arizona in April and he heads into the five-day SuperNationals meeting in Las Vegas today 62 points ahead of his closest challenger, top US driver Tom Dyer.
This year's 15th annual SKUSA SuperNationals event boasts a prize purse of $US120,000 with $19,000 up for grabs in the S1 class Bray is competing in.
Now a four-time veteran of the event Bray - who drives for the GP Karts team here and in the US - has an impressive track record, having qualified second quickest in class and won a heat race on debut in 2007, finished second in the KZ2 class in 2008, fought his way from the rear of the grid to 16th spot in the KZ2 Final in 2009, then qualified fourth and eventually finished tenth - after being slowed by brake caliper failure - in 2010.
Though the event is held in the same - huge - carpark outside the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino every year no two temporary tracks are the same, meaning, says Bray, an absolutely level playing field.
"One year they'll have high speed stuff, the next it'll be all tight, technical turns, so you just don't know until you get there. That's one of the reasons it's such a great event. Everybody's in the same boat."
Like any driver defending a narrow points lead into a final series round Bray says he is torn between wanting to go all out to win his class, and driving a percentages game with the series title in mind.
"The championship is obviously more important - to win a #1 plate in the US would be awesome - but at the same time winning in Vegas would be amazing."
Here, Bray could hardly have had a better build-up to this year's SuperNationals meeting, claiming the New Zealand Open class title at the Speedy Signs KartSport NZ Sprint Nationals in Invercargill at Easter and both the KZ2 and Open titles at The Thirsty Whale-backed KartSport NZ North Island Sprint championship meeting in the Hawke's Bay at Labour Weekend.
Over the years Bray has been joined by other Kiwi karters at the SuperNationals meeting but this year he is the only representative from New Zealand. He won't lack for antipodean company, though, as a team of 11 Australians led by 2010 CIK Stars of Karting Pro Gearbox (KZ2) title holder Matthew Wall tackle the event.
Action in Las Vegas begins today (Wednesday) with practice which continues into Thursday. Friday sees qualifying and the first heats, with the remaining heats and last chance qualifiers on Saturday and the Finals across all classes on Sunday.
