Stars of Tomorrow ask 'Dude, where's my kart?'

For most Southern California teenage boys, the summer means sun, sand, ocean and girls in bikinis but, for Alan Sciuto and Billy Johnson, it means pavement, tyre rubber and driving hard.

While most guys in So-Cal are yelling 'Dude, where's my surfboard?', it's 'Dude, where's my kart?' for Scuito and Johnson as they prepare for this weekend's Snap-on Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow presented by Racer national karting series event at Infineon Raceway in Northern California.

Sciuto, 15, and Johnson, 16, are two of the nation's brightest young karting stars and both are favourites to win the ICC (125cc Shifter) division on the tight, smooth karting circuit designed next to the road course that recently hosted the NASCAR Winston Cup stars.

Sure, Sciuto and Johnson have hit the waves in Orange County before but their priorities this summer are hitting their apexes on the Stars of Tomorrow karting trail. With a chance to compete in the Champ Car series' final race set for 2-3 November on the infield of California Speedway as a part of the Champ Car weekend, the two teenagers have already shown their abilities in the 2003 season and look for more success on Saturday and Sunday [12-13 July].

"I was never into going to the beach that much," said Sciuto, the 2002 80cc Junior national champion and winner of the Stars season opener at Buttonwillow Raceway, "I played a lot of basketball but got into karting when I was eleven. Right now, all I want to do is go racing. This is my fifth season in karting and I want to be a pro racer someday. This is my first year in the ICC division and it is tough. So I'm anxious to be on the track."

Sciuto, a sophomore at El Modena High School in California, currently leads the ICC Western Division standings after two events and hopes to extend his margin on the new Infineon Raceway karting circuit this weekend against the likes of his Extreme Racing team-mate Jason Bowles, Nick Halen, Kevin Glover and Johnson.

"We are planning to race another year or so in karting before moving into the cars," Sciuto, one of the top US youngsters considered to be a future star in Formula One or Champ Cars, added, "I want to learn as much as possible with the karts and then move up. But right now I am concentrating on winning in karting."

Johnson also has his mind set on racing this summer as he ranks fourth in the Stars ICC points.

"I have surfed with my friends before, but I don't have much time for that right now," said the Dana Hills High School junior, "I raced dirt bikes and my neighbour had go-karts and I wanted to race them too. My parents and my neighbours helped me get into karts and now I want to pursue a racing career to get to Formula One or Champ Cars. That's why I'm racing on the Stars circuit."

Johnson has been tutored by 2002 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year and multi-time karting national champion Alex Barron in his first year in the ICC division. In fact, Johnson is racing a Barron-designed Avanti kart for JM Racing, the same team that took Barron to karting titles.

"I have practiced with Alex and he has given me some tips with the karts," said Johnson, who'll team with Sean Neilsen this week for JM Racing at Infineon Raceway. "Of course, having someone like Alex helping you is something that every young karters doesn't get. So I want to learn as much as possible. The upcoming Stars race this weekend should be very competitive."

Scuito and Johnson will be facing a tough ICC field that brings in the Stars Eastern Division contenders Graham Rahal, son of three-time Champ Car champion Bobby Rahal, and Canadian female star Juliana Chiovitti, as well as Northern California racers Brett Buckwalter, Kris Shaw and Tom Dyer.