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International Karting Industry Buyer's Guide

GO KARTING!
A Guide To The World's Most Popular Motorsport.

Kart Expo International

• KART EXPO – A HUGE SUCCESS!

“It only took 9 years to figure it out, but I think we finally have the right location and right time of year to be successful – successful for both the show and the exhibitors,” stated Darrell Sitarz, show director. “Companies will have their new products and catalogs ready in February, so they’ll be prepared to exhibit,” he continued.

With nearly 200 booths crammed with karts and equipment around the world, the show included exhibitors from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and the USA. Also in attendance were factory reps from Yamaha Japan, China’s Ocean Performance Karts. Other exhibitors included Italy’s Paolo Bosi. President of Vaccari & Bosi (the chassis maker for Ferrari and Lamborghini) showing the new King Kart, Gerry Brookes from Aurora Kart (Australia) with his new chassis and Canadian-based KartVision with their latest timing software, to name but a few. American manufacturers included TrackMagic, UltraMax, White Chassis and Sheridan karts, Kohler and Tecumseh engines, Max-Torque and SMC clutches and many, many others. For a complete list of exhibitors, please see: Kart Expo Update.

The 9th annual international karting exposition attracted visitors from all over the USA and Canada, and from as far away as Japan, China, South America, and Europe.  “Walking up and down the aisles,” said one attendee from Boston, “I thought I was at the United Nations.”  Because of the language differences many exhibitors even had translators in their booths. 

This year, celebrities included Bobby Wilson, the #1 shifter kart driver in the USA and Ruben Carrapatoso, the 1999 World Champion from Brazil, who was in the Kart Mini USA booth. 

On Saturday morning, during the 3-hour “Dealer-only” portion of the show, over 300 dealers attended -- the most in the show’s history. As the doors swung open for the general public on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, thousands strolled the aisles, viewing the newest 2001 models and talking to the exhibitors about the latest kart racing equipment. 

Karting guru, Tom Argy, making an all-to brief sojourn to the show, took a break from officiating at the Daytona 500, and spoke to SRO crowds on Friday in three back-to-back seminars; two on Track Officiating and one on Sponsorship. He returned to Daytona Friday evening.

Other seminars included 4-cycle clutches, oval kart track set-up and business seminars, all but one, “standing room only”. Note: Two attendees (track owners) from Maine suggested that, next year, Kart Expo host a round-table discussion for all track owners, so they can discuss common problems and possible solutions at kart tracks. This suggestion is now under consideration.

So important was the show, that over 30 press passes were distributed to both local press, and to national and international karting media including Carlo Forni, the Editor in Chief from World Wide Vroom magazine. World Wide Vroom is the new “English language” karting magazine based in Italy. 

Many exhibitors expressed their delight with the show that they told show management they would like to re-sign for the 2002 show immediately! The 2001 exhibitors will, of course, have the first right of refusal for exhibit space.

The 10th Anniversary Kart Expo International will be held on February 23-24, 2002 at the same location, Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center in St. Charles, Illinois. The resort and area was such a hit that many exhibitors and attendees expressed interest in bringing their wives and families next year. For more information, contact Kart Marketing Group at karting@msn.com. 

• KARTING STARS DOMINATE LYNX RACING

Second-year Lynx driver David Rutledge, 22, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, will contend the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship in the #19 Lynx Racing Swift 008.a, while fifth-year driver Sara Senske will return to the seat of the #19 Lynx Racing Reynard 98e in the Barber Dodge Pro Series. Both Rutledge and Senske are former karters.

Lynx will also field a car in the CART Toyota Atlantic series for Michael Valiante also of Vancouver, B.C.  Valiante, an international karting champion and a standout for the past two seasons in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, will run at least six high-profile Atlantic events in 2001, including the season-opening Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the season-ending Grand Prix of Monterey, as well as the four Canadian events (The Air Canada Grand Prix of Montreal, Molson Indy Toronto, Grand Prix du Trois Rivieres and the Molson Indy Vancouver). Valiante will drive the #95 Lynx Racing Swift 008.a sponsored by Italian Motors, Diagem, ItalKart and Newlife Development.

“This is a great opportunity for me and I’m very happy to be associated with a team the caliber of Lynx Racing,” says Valiante. “Lynx is a very well established, professional program that will let me focus on my driving and help me take it to the next level. David (Rutledge) and I are good friends, so I think we’ll be good teammates, which is another big plus. I have a couple of sponsor possibilities that would allow me to run more races, and we’re going to follow up on those in the next few days, but aside from that, I’m going to put my head down and concentrate on fitting in with the team and preparing for the first race.”

Valiante got his professional racing career off to a spectacular start, winning the Canadian and North American Formula “A” karting championships IN 1996. In 1997, he won the prestigious ELF Constructor’s Championship, as well as the U.S. Grand Nationals and the IKF Gold Cup Series.

Moving up to racing cars in 1997, he attended both the Skip Barber and Bridgestone racing schools. In 1998, he won the ELF Campus Shoot-out in Le Mans, France, the North American 125 Shifter Formula C Championship, and the ELF Constructor’s Championship. This resulted in a full-season scholarship in the Skip Barber 20 Series, where he won both Rookie-of-the-Year and the series championship. This spectacular performance earned him the Rio Big Scholarship, a fully sponsored, full-season ride in the Barber Dodge Pro Series.

During his first year in the 1999 BDPS, he scored sever top-10 and four top-% finishes and was co-Rookie-of-the Year. In 2000, he finished in the top-10 eight times and was on the pole in the first race of the season at Sebring, and won from the pole at Road Atlanta and finished sixth overall in the championship.

2001 marks the 11th anniversary of Lynx Racing, one of the most unique organizations in auto racing today. Created and owned by two women, Peggy Haas and Jackie Doty. Lynx is both a championship-winning race team and a uniquely successful driver development program that focuses on a driver’s mental, psychological and spiritual growth in addition to their on-track skills.
 

END

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