Reviving Dirt Kart Racing in Southern California

The So Cal Dirt Karters Club (SCDK) is a non-profit club that promotes kart racing as a safe, fun, and competitive motorsport in the Southern California area. Our club strives to promote top quality, professionally managed events.  Classes are run under uniform rules that are impartially enforced, providing fair competition and safety for all those involved. We adhere to high standards in our efforts to provide the most competitive racing program possible for everyone. We believe in a family oriented and friendly environment to make our events enjoyable for all who participate. 

SoCal Dirt Karters Race 5 Report

SoCal Dirt Karters returned to Perris Flat Track for Race 5 of the SoCal Championship Series, with a night that featured close racing, new faces, first-time starts, and another strong showing from some familiar names.

One of the biggest highlights of the night was the Sr. 4-Cycle class. Every racer in Sr. 4-cycle was making their first race start, with the exception of Charles Bragg and Waylon Gentry, who brought prior experience from the junior class. It was a great step forward for the club and another encouraging sign of new racers getting involved in dirt oval karting.

In the combined RLV Sr. 4-Cycle/Jr. main event, Mike Goforth picked up the win, completing all 20 laps and finishing 11.949 seconds ahead of Craig Bryan. Bryan finished second and also turned the fastest lap of the race with a 16.589. Juan Nunez completed the Sr. 4-Cycle podium in third. Charles Bragg and Jackson Dalton rounded out the Sr. 4-Cycle field, while Waylon Gentry represented the junior class and brought her kart home after 18 laps.

RLV Sr. 4-CycleTop 3

1. Mike Goforth
2. Craig Bryan
3. Juan Nunez

RLV Junior

1. Waylon Gentry

The ElectroTech Powder Coating/San Diego Small Engine Small Bore Open class saw Rodney Argo take the victory over Kevin Martin and Jordan Hermansader. All three drivers completed 21 laps, with Argo winning by 6.105 seconds. Kevin Martin kept the pressure on and recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 14.766.

ElectroTech Powder Coating/San Diego Small Engine Small Bore Open Top 3

1. Rodney Argo
2. Kevin Martin
3. Jordan Hermansader

The Burris Racing/YOA KT100 main event was once again one of the most competitive races of the night, with the top group packed tightly together at the finish. Tyler Rose Bohle continued her winning streak, adding another victory after winning several races in a row. Bohle crossed the line just 0.204 seconds ahead of Scott Bassett, with Sam Gentry third only 0.587 seconds back from the winner. Art Laski finished fourth, and Mike Callahan rounded out the top five.

KT100 also had some notable storylines. Matt Laski was set to make his first race start at Perris Flat Track after previously running two races at Imperial in his dad Art Laski’s kart. The two had hoped to race each other for the first time at Perris, but Matt was unable to start the main event. Steve Gard also made his first start in his own kart at Perris Flat Track and completed 19 laps in the KT100 main.

Gary Long had one of the fastest karts on the track, recording the fastest lap of the KT100 main with a 15.248, but was unable to finish and was credited with a DNF after 16 laps.

Burris Racing/YOA KT100 Top 3

1. Tyler Rose Bohle
2. Scott Bassett
3. Sam Gentry

The A&M Pumps Outlaw class closed out the night with Jacob Chutuk taking the win in the Outlaw main. Chutuk led the way with a 9.447-second margin of victory and also set the fastest lap of the race with a 13.286. Behind him, Ryan Barrow made a late move count, passing his dad, Phillip Barrow, on the final lap to take second. Phillip finished third, with Nick Argo coming home fourth. Forrest Cooley and Cash Culp were both credited with DNFs.

A&M Pumps Outlaw Top 3

1. Jacob Chutuk
2. Ryan Barrow
3. Phillip Barrow

Race 5 was an encouraging night for SoCal Dirt Karters, especially with the number of new racers getting on track. From the debut of Sr. Clone, to first-time Perris starts, to another tight KT100 battle, the event showed exactly what the club is working to build: competitive racing, new-driver development, and a growing grassroots dirt karting community.

Thank you to all racers, families, volunteers, and supporters who came out and helped make Race 5 happen. We’ll see everyone at the next one.

Full results and current standings are available at
socaldirtkarters.com/race-results 🏁

SCDK SoCal Championship Series Race 3 Delivers Tight Battles and Dramatic Finishes at Perris

The SoCal Dirt Karters returned to Perris Raceway Flat Track on May 9th for Round 3 of the 2026 SoCal Championship Series, and despite a compact race program, the night delivered close finishes, dramatic DNFs, and some of the tightest racing of the season so far.

RLV Jr / Jr

Parker Drottz continued an impressive night by claiming victory in the Junior division after leading all 20 laps of the feature. Drottz showed excellent pace throughout the main event, turning the fastest lap of the race at 16.174 seconds while steadily stretching his advantage over the field.

Auston Yates stayed consistent to finish second, while Seth Guckeen’s night ended early with a DNF after mechanical trouble sidelined him before the finish. Despite the disappointing result, Guckeen showed major improvement earlier in the evening and was able to run competitively with the leaders during Heat 2, continuing to build confidence and speed as the season progresses.

Small Bore Open / KT100

The Burris Racing/YOA KT100 main event produced arguably the closest and most competitive battle of the night, with the top three drivers separated by less than two seconds after a special extended 25-lap feature, five laps longer than the division’s standard distance.

Scott Bassett controlled the race early, leading from the opening green flag and appearing poised for victory as he paced the field through the first 22 circuits. Behind him, however, Art Laski and Sam Gentry remained within striking distance throughout the feature, waiting for an opportunity in traffic and on restarts.

As the extra laps began to take their toll, the complexion of the race changed dramatically in the closing stages. Laski managed to work past Bassett on lap 23 to take over the lead, and one lap later Gentry also slipped by Bassett, turning the finish into a dramatic two-lap sprint between Laski and Gentry.

Laski ultimately held on for the victory by just .998 seconds over Gentry, while Bassett crossed the line only another .680 seconds behind in third after leading the majority of the event.

Gentry recorded the fastest lap in the class with a 15.316-second circuit, narrowly edging both Laski and Bassett in outright pace.

Charles Beck showed speed early in the evening but was forced out after 13 laps with mechanical issues.

In the ElectroTech Powder Coating/San Diego Small Engine Small Bore Open main, Rodney Argo once again demonstrated why he remains one of the most dominant drivers in the region, taking an uncontested but blisteringly fast victory when Michelle Munoz couldn't make the bell with a blown engine in heat 2.

Argo turned the quickest lap of the entire evening with a 14.539-second lap while averaging nearly 31 mph around the Perris clay oval. Even without direct competition in class, Argo continued using the race as valuable development and setup time while putting on an impressive display for spectators.

A&M Pumps Outlaws

Parker Drottz doubled up on the evening with a second feature win, this time in the ultra-fast 250cc Outlaw division. 

Drottz survived heavy pressure from veteran George Wolf to secure the victory by 2.661 seconds after 20 laps. Marty Wolfe completed the podium in third after maintaining a steady pace throughout the feature.

Jacob Chutuk appeared capable of contending for the win early in the race and recorded laps nearly equal to Drottz’s pace, but mechanical issues ended his night after 15 laps while running near the front.

SoCal Mowers

The growing Mower division once again provided some of the most entertaining racing of the evening with a seven-machine field taking the green flag.

Brandon Hubbard captured the victory after an intense race-long duel with Kenny Pfitzer. The two traded momentum repeatedly before Hubbard secured the win by just 1.366 seconds. Britt Griffith remained close throughout the feature and completed the podium only two seconds behind the winner.

Garrett Stearns brought home fourth, while Greg Barnett overcame issues to finish fifth.

The attrition-heavy race also saw Tyler Barnett and Brad Barnett sidelined before the finish.

The SoCal Championship Series now heads toward Race 4 on May 30th as championship battles continue to tighten across multiple divisions. 

 Please make sure you have clean tanks, and are using the spec fuel for KT100 which is from either the Chevron station right off the 15 and 74 or 215 and 74. Utilizing Burris Castor or Blend 16:1 ratio. If you are running box stock open, please no exotic nitro etc, we will be checking. We handed out rule books last race they also will be available at the track, or online. Make sure all lead weights are painted white and have your kart number on them. For KT100 engines need to be painted by tech before heat races, you must bring your engine to tech to replace any painted items. Those items will be held thru post tech inspections. 1 driver 1 pit mechanic in post tech. Any questions please bring up in the club meeting. 

So Cal Dirt Karters is implementing a pre-race safety tech on all karts, starting this Saturday, 3/29.  Once you get unloaded, roll your kart(s), along with safety equipment down through the grid area and our resident safety monitor, Gary Long will check for the basics.

Karts that don’t pass safety tech due to slight infractions will get a “fix it” ticket for our next race.

Egregious safety issues (no chain guards, lead weight held by zip-ties), will need to be an immediate fix.

You can refer to the checklist below for an idea of what will be looked over.

It’s important that everyone complies to safety measures in order to keep racers and fans safe so we can continue growing events at Perris Flat Track

SO-CAL DIRT KARTERS CLASSES AND LOCAL OPTIONS

Flat Kart Classes

Jr – Jr Class

Jr. Clone/Predator/KT-100 Can class 

SR. Clone/Predator OHV Class 

Small Bore Open

KT-100

Open Class (RWYB)

F200 4 cycle

100cc stock 2 cycle sprint combined

Tag sprint 

Caged Classes

 250cc Winged Outlaw Kart

Open Winged Outlaw Kart