NEWS
ATTENTION NEW KART RACERS:
Online Registration for Karting 101 and the Annual OVKA Charity Race will open this week!
Karting 101 is our annual OVKA orientation day for new kart racers to introduce them the sport of kart racing , walk through the Ohio Valley Karting Association race day procedures, and give new and returning members some time on-track to prepare for the upcoming racing season.
If you are a new kart owner, this is the perfect event to begin your racing career. If you’re curious about kart racing, but don’t yet own a kart, this is the perfect opportunity to visit the track and learn more about how to get you or your child involved with racing by talking with our new and returning members.
Karting 101 FAQ:
Do I need to own a kart to attend Karting 101?
Everyone is welcome to attend the Karting 101 classroom session and learn about kart racing with OVKA. However, OVKA does not rent out karts for our events, so only individuals who own racing karts may take part in on-track sessions.
How much is Karting 101?
Entry to G&J Kartway is $10 cash at the front gate. Registration for the on-track sessions is $25 for members and $30 for non-members.
Where can I find your rulebook?
Our Rulebook is available at OVKA.com/rules
Where can I find information about Kart Racing?
Visit OVKA.com/get-started to read our How-to-Get-Started guide for racing with OVKA.
When can I practice at G&J Kartway?
G&J Kartway is open Daily for practice from 9am, for just $20 per kart.
What is the Charity Race?
The OVKA Charity Race in an Annual non-points race at G&J Kartway. This year we are hosting it the day after Karting 101 to get our new racers some more structured on-track time before the season starts.
ATTENTION MEMBERS:
Thank you for your patience while we worked through 2025 pit space renewals. The updated Pit Space map can be found at the following link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CURRENT PIT SPACE MAP
Spaces that are available for purchase for the 2025 OVKA season are marked in green. To reserve a space, please contact 2025 OVKA Vice President, Dan Fiehrer at 513-543-6746 or at [email protected] and leave your name, contact info, and the space(s) that you're interested in. We will assign spaces on a first-come-first-served basis and try to update the map daily in the coming weeks to reflect new or changed availabilities.
RETURNING MEMBERS: The entire pit area has been re-marked after the conclusion of the 2024 season, and some space markers may have shifted slightly in the rework. If this causes any issues, we will work with you to resolve any spacing misalignment at the start of the season.
NOTE: As always, by reserving a space with OVKA you are entitled to use of that space for all OVKA events ONLY. You are welcome to leave trailers and equipment in your space between OVKA events, but MUST move your equipment for weekends when other series visit the track. The full G&J Kartway schedule can be seen here.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL COMBINED SCHEDULE
We're gearing up for a great season, but we're not the only ones racing at G&J Kartway this year. The track is going to be very busy in 2025, so always check the combined track schedule before heading out to practice, and consider joining in on some of these great travelling karting series:
The Buckeye Karting Series comes to G&J Kartway on June 28-29 for the second round of their Ohio-based series.
Cup Karts North America is back again for the fourth round of their North Series division on August 15-17.
The Vintage Karting Association returns on their regular summer dates on August 21-23
The FAT Karting League visits G&J Kartway twice as part of their American expansion, on May 3-4 for Try-Outs and July 26-27 for Round 4 of their Pro Series Tour.
Our 2-wheeled friends at the Ohio Mini Roadracing League - OMRL will also be be visiting the track on five weekends in 2025.
We welcome all racers to join us on March 22nd for our annual Clean-Up Day at G&J Kartway to help prep the facility for this busy upcoming season! See you at the track!
ATTENTION RACERS:
OVKA will be offering a couple of new digital communication options for the 2025 season. Firstly, we have been working with Alpha Timing to streamline our race registration process for our 2025 events. Racers will have the option to pre-register & pay online ahead of time for race days, as well as view registered entries for each class before coming to the track. You can create an account now at: ovka.alphatiming.co.uk and we will begin assigning your memberships in the coming weeks if you have already paid for them, as well as any "free race entry" awards you may have.
Secondly, OVKA will also be posting our news and updates to our OVKA Discord server, in addition to our existing social media. Discord is a free messaging app that many series have been using to quickly send information to their members. You can join the OVKA discord with this invite link: discord.gg/JVpuCnGUAa
OVKA will continue to post all important news and updates to the website, Facebook, and Instagram as well.
OVKA is proud to release the Vendor Map and Load in Instructions for the 2025 Swap Meet. Full documents can be found below. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, doors open at 8AM!
VENDOR MAP - UPDATED 1/29
VENDOR LIST - UPDATED 1/29
Load-In Instructions
ATTENTION 206 RACERS:
As you may have seen, last week Briggs & Stratton released the 2025 Ruleset for the 206 engine package. This ruleset included the anticipated move to eliminate the eligibility of the older-style "holographic" engine seals. As of Jan 15th, the ONLY seals that remain legal are the ORANGE seals.
OVKA will continue to follow this ruleset as written for 2025 for our entire competition season. If you have an older "holographic" seal engine that you plan to race with, you will need to update it by replacing the short block (bottom end) with a newer-style sealed unit to keep it legal for competition, which our local engine builders will be more than happy to assist you with.
BE AWARE: if you purchase a 206 engine at the Trade Show & Swap Meet on Feb 1st, be sure to CHECK THE SEAL. There is plenty of time to update an older engine to the new spec before Race 1 on April 13th.
The 2025 Briggs 206 Ruleset can be found at:
https://www.briggsracing.com/sites/default/files/2025-01/Briggs%20206%20US%20Rule%20Set%202025.pdf
JOIN US on Saturday Feb 1st for the 39th Annual OVKA Trade Show & Swap Meet!
Over 230 booths of karting vendors, suppliers, series, and more! Visit OVKA.com/swap-meet for full info or to register as vendor.
Racing Seminars - Sign up NOW at:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C48ACA729A3FFC07-54130216-2025#/
Tech Trainings - Sign up NOW per info on flyer!
The 2024 Season Banquet is THIS SATURDAY January 18th at the Champion Mill Conference Center in Hamilton, Ohio.
The location of this new venue is 600 N. B Street, Hamilton, OH, 45013
CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD Parking Information
Parking INFO
Note: some GPS systems can have issues finding the right driveway.
>Hotel Guests should park in Lot 3. You can use the pull-up on the drive directly in front of the hotel to check in before parking your car.
>Guests not staying at the hotel should park in lot 1, 5 or 6.
>Lot 5 has reserved handicap spots.
Enter through the Champion Mill Conference Center which is the purple building on the map.
For those that park in Lot 1 There is a walk through that goes right onto B Street from the front left corner of the lot as you pull in.
Want to get started in Kart Racing? OVKA has racing divisions from age 5 to age 50 & up! Learn how to get on track with us at OVKA.com/get-started with our updated 30-page guide and join us at G&J Kartway in Camden, OH in 2025!
And don't forget to stock up on everything you need for racing at our 39th Annual Trade Show & Swap Meet, Feb 1st at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, OH. Sit in on our Intro to Karting open house where our Karting Ambassadors will guide to through shopping for karts, engines, and how to get up to speed! Visit OVKA.com/swap-meet for details!
Happy New Year to all of our racers, members, and friends! We're proud to release our 2025 schedule for OVKA's 61st annual season of racing. This schedule features a slightly reduced length at 12 races, with 4 night races during the summer months, 7 Sunday standalone races, and our annual Memorial Championship Race returning to Summer Solstice weekend. All races this season will feature the 5-minute qualifying format (except for the traditional 2-lap Champ Race Qualifying format). Downloadable and Printable schedules can be found at OVKA.com/schedule
As announced last weekend, G&J Kartway will also play host to the final round of the CKNA North Division on the weekend of August 15-17, where we hope many of our 4-cycle racers join in to participate.
We were also happy to work with our friends at Motorsports Country Club to make sure our club dates were deconflicted with all of the MCC Pro-Am series dates to help racers in the region participate in both series.
We look forward to seeing you on track in 2025! Remember to register for the 2024 Season Banquet on Jan 18th (ovka.com/banquet/) and visit us at the Swap Meet on Feb 1stv (OVKA.com/swap-meet) and brush up on the updated Rulebook, Class, and Tire rules at OVKA.com/rules
Our 2025 Seminar Schedule is here, and sign-ups are now LIVE at:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C48ACA729A3FFC07-54130216-2025
Seminars are FREE with purchase of entry wristband at the OVKA Trade Show & Swap Meet but space is limited in the presentation rooms, so sign up today! This year we have some very exciting talks and discussions:
Intro to Karting with OVKA: Open House 9am Presentation
with Elliot & Ethan Bokeno and OVKA Karting Ambassadors
Welcoming remarks & Intro to Karting presentation
Open Q&A session with OVKA Karting Ambassadors
Hands-on explainers and advice for purchasing your first kart
Sprint Karting Setup Tips and Strategies (11:00am - 12:00pm)
with Matt Overbeck
Baseline karting setup tips
Race Day tuning strategies
Setup changes for different weather, circuits, and tires
Tuning setups for 2-cycle and 4-cycle racing
Championship Driving Roundtable Discussion (12:30pm - 1:30pm)
with James Overbeck, Gavin Bayliff, and Finnegan Bayliff
Moderated Discussion of Kart Driving Techniques
How to develop your skills for National Level racing
Setup preferences and racecraft strategies
Tuning your style for different engines and classes
Briggs & Stratton LO206 Tuning Tips (1:30pm - 2:30pm)
with Gary Lawson of Lawson Speed Shop
Maintenance and setup tips
Tuning for different circuits
Getting the most out of your LO206 engine
Tuning and Gearing
ATTENTION RACERS
Following the December Board Meeting, we have updates for the 2025 season:
The 2025 Rulebook and Class List has been approved by the board and can be found at OVKA.com/rules
For 2025, all Kid Kart, Sportsman, and Junior classes will use the Hoosier R60B compound tires, while all Senior, Masters, and Legends classes will remain on the Hoosier R70.
2024 Season Banquet Registration is LIVE at ovka.com/banquet/
Hotel Reservations can be made by calling (513) 273-8300 and mentioning “OHIO VALLEY KARTING” for a rate of $129 + tax. Reservations at this rate must be made by January 3, 2025.
NOTE: an incorrect phone number was listed previously on the website and mailer.
If you are RENEWING your Pit Spaces for 2025, do so at ovka.com/series-information/
If you are looking to move or select different spaces, contact Dan Fieher at 513-543-6746 or [email protected] and wait for the initial renewal window to close on Feb 1st when the new available spaces will be updated for reservation.
Vendor Registration for the 2025 OVKA Trade Show & Swap Meet is live at OVKA.com/swap-meet
Reserve your booth today before prices increase Jan 1st, and join us on Feb 1st at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, OH.
The Ohio Valley Karting Association has renewed our contract with Hoosier Racing Tire for the 2025-2026 Racing Seasons. Hoosier has been a great partner for kart racing over the last couple of seasons, and we look forward to
OVKA leadership will be reaching out to our members of each class division in the coming weeks to discuss their preferences for individual class Hoosier tire compounds for the 2025 season.
JOIN US on Wednesday November 13th at 7pm on the link at the Board Meeting page for a casual discussion with our Shows and Promotions team for brainstorming car shows, events, and public gatherings we can attend in the offseason to promote OVKA and G&J Kartway to prospective new members!
Use the following link to join the Rulebook Committee Meeting:
2025 OVKA Rulebook Committee Meeting
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (EST)
Occurs every Wednesday starting 10/23 until 11/26
To join via PC/Smart Phone: Click Here
Dial-In: 872-242-9494
Pin: 303190599#