Due to the potentially catastrophic Hurricane Irma and the potential danger that it brings to the state of Florida, officials at ROK Cup Promotions have decided to cancel the upcoming ROK Cup USA National Final, which was set for September 15-17 at Palm Beach Karting in Jupiter, Florida.
“This is a heartbreaking decision for us, our last race of the year and pre entry count high, but we need to take in account the safety of everyone involved,” stated Garett Potter, ROK Cup USA Director of Operations. “We have already had hotels and other vendors cancel on us, and we are concerned about the potential of severe wind damage and storm surge. Even though the path of Irma is uncertain at this time, we cannot take the risk of putting anyone in harm’s way, we also need to allow our local ROK family to take all the necessary precautions to protect their families and property.”
The 2017 ROK Cup USA National Final will not be rescheduled. With upcoming events including the ROK International Final, as well as other events around the world, the current karting calendar did not allocate a desirable date to reschedule. ROK Cup USA is working on a plan for a Florida Winter Tour test race in December; more information about this will come very soon.
Tickets that were to be presented at the ROK Cup USA National Final will be awarded to current class point leaders, as champions of the combined ROK series. All will receive an invitation to join Team USA at the ROK International Finals in South Garda, Italy:
Micro ROK- Jesse Carrasquedo (Florida Winter Tour Ticket)
Mini ROK – Reece Gold
Junior ROK – Tyler Maxson
Senior ROK – Dario Cangialosi
Masters ROK – Pedro Cabrera
Shifter ROK – Rubens Barrichello
Shifter Masters ROK – Farshad Bagheri
Potter continued, “The phone at OTK USA and ROK Cup USA has been ringing off the hook for the past 48 hours, and we feel that this is the only possible thing to do. With the upcoming ROK International Final entry deadline, and the event in mid-October as well as other karting events coming up, cancelling the event and focusing on 2018 was essential rather than trying to reschedule. Airlines and hotels are allowing cancellations free of charge due to the evacuation of the state so we are not anticipating any issues there either.”
All competitors that were entered for the event can take a credit for an upcoming event or will be refunded their entry fee in its entirety.
For more information on ROK Cup USA and ROK Cup Promotions, please feel free to contact ROK CUP USA at (407) 476-5635 or info@rokcupusa.com or Garett Potter at garett@rokcupusa.com.