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FYI
02-29-04

WILSON AWARDED SKI DRIVER OF THE YEAR

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada — Howden Communications Inc. (HCI) - publisher of North America’s leading shifterkart magazine Shifter Kart Illustrated (SKI) - handed out their annual SKI Excellence Awards last weekend during the KMI Kart Expo show in St. Charles, IL. The gala highlighted the Saturday evening festivities of the popular trade show and it was the largest in its five-year history, attracting many of the sport’s power players as publisher Rob Howden doled out awards in a total of seven categories.

Taking home top honors in the ultra-prestigious SKI Driver of the Year category was First Kart North America’s Bobby Wilson. The 22-year-old phenom won the headline ICC national championship on the Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow trail, adding several other major victories to his win column including the Rock Island Grand Prix ‘King of the Streets’ and the Steamboat Springs Grand Prix. Wilson is set to make the jump to the Cooper Tire Formula Ford Zetec Championship this year with Cape Motorsports. For his efforts, Wilson was awarded a custom airbrush painting by esteemed motorsports artist Jim Smith. The piece – depicting Wilson in his familiar blue and white First Kart – drew many kudos and compliments from the gathered crowd.

MRP Motorsports was tagged as the top team in 2003 and was represented at the gala by Tim Lobaugh, who had the honor of accepting the award. MRP driver Wesley Boswell walked away with the Rising Star Award while Reine Persson of SwedeTech Racing Engines took home Engine Builder of the Year for the third straight year. Absent for the awards but still honored was ‘03 Tuner of the Year David Carpentier, the tuner for DoY nominee and SKI’s #1 ranked driver David Jurca. The award was accepted on behalf of Carpentier by Jurca himself and a phone call to his tuner that evening, filling him in on the good news.

In the final two driver categories, Cole Whitt took home the Young Driver of the Year Award while Chad Dokken was announced as the Road Racer of the Year. It is ironic that Dokken has since retired from Enduro karting and will now head to the oval tracks of the Southeast where he will campaign in the Hooters Pro Cup late model stock car series.

SKI publisher Rob Howden was extremely pleased with the evening and was thankful to have the support of many individuals and companies. Smith’s position as the Official Artist of the SKI Excellence Awards has always brought a special segment to the evening and this year, safety gear and apparel giant SHIFT stepped up as the presenting sponsor. Corby Concepts will now begin preparations on a new helmet paint scheme worthy of Whitt’s Young Driver of the Year lid while website designer and Internet hosting service Tap.net will provide Rising Star Boswell with a new DriverSite custom website.

The winners in all four driver categories will also receive special Excellence Award visor strips from DeCal Works, Ribtect safety vests and $500 gift certificates for Speed Secrets Driver Development camps.

To obtain more information on HCI and all of their publications or for advertising questions, please contact Rob Howden (rhowden@shifterkartmag.com) or Mike Maurini (mmaurini@shifterkartmag.com) at the HCI World Headquarters at 905-271-3236.

RED BULL DRIVER SEARCH ANNOUNCES 2004 FORMAT AND OPEN QUALIFYING LOCATIONS
New York City, NY — For the third consecutive year, the Red Bull Driver Search program is continuing its pursuit to directly address the lack of American presence at the pinnacle of motor racing: the Formula 1 World Championship. The mission is both to discover the “diamond in the rough,” lacking the knowledge and contacts needed to embark on a career in racing, and to scout promising young racers with great potential and limited funding. The long term goal of the program is to have a steady group of three to six American drivers in Europe groomed to break into Formula One and ultimately, compete for the World Championship.

2004 Program Format:
Open Qualifying: 57 indoor and outdoor go-kart facilities nationwide play host to Open Qualifying sessions between 15 March and 13 June. Drivers aged between 13 and 17 years of age, both male and female are able to compete.

Run Offs: Up to 300 qualifiers, who excel in the Open Qualifying will contest in 125cc go-karts at two outdoor go-kart facilities in August.

Scouted Racers: While the go-kart Open Qualifying is taking place, “undercover” scouts will be scouring the ranks of junior U.S. racing formulas in search of talented young drivers, who will be invited to attend the Semi Final.

Semi Final: The karters, who have been selected from the Run Offs, and the scouted drivers will go head to head for a place in the Final.

Final: Up to 8 drivers will be selected to travel to an undisclosed circuit in Europe where the 2004 Red Bull Driver Search Final will take place.

The Open Qualifying Locations are as follows:
F1 Race Factory - Phoenix, AZ - Ph: (602) 302-7223 x232
Speedway Raceway, Phoenix, AZ - Ph: (602) 275-5278
K1 Speed, Carlsbad, CA - Ph: (858) 254-0722
Miramar Speed Circuit, San Diego, CA - Ph: (858) 586-7500 x207
Moran Raceway, Beaumont, CA - Ph: (909) 522-9302
Dromo 1, Orange, CA - Ph (714) 744-4779 x105
GoKart Racer, Burlingame, CA - Ph: (650) 692-7223 x11
SpeedRing Indoor, Santa Clara, CA - Ph: (408) 567-9952
Race Place Motorsports, Sacramento, CA – Ph: (916) 368-7223
Lemans Karting, Fremont, CA – Ph: (510) 770-9001
Denver Indoor Kart Racing, Denver CO – Ph: (303) 377-3033
Kart Trak Indoor, Windsor Locks, CT - Ph: (860) 623-3377
Speed Indoor Racing, Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Ph (954) 771-RACE x107
Tampa Bay Grand Prix, St. Petersburg, FL - Ph: (727) 363-3274
Andretti Speed Lab, Roswell, GA - Ph: (770) 992-5688
Excellerator’s, Ames, IA– Ph: (515) 231-5112
Iowa International Speedway, Marshalltown, IA - Ph: (630) 951-7523
Sprockets Karting Center, Clive, IA – Ph: (515) 727-4225
Formula Fun Indoor Racing, Cedar Rapids, IA – Ph: (309) 364-4301
F1 Indoor Karting, Bettendorf, IA – Ph: (563) 359-1799
Nazz Kart, Twin Falls, ID – Ph: (208) 733-RACE
Super Kart, Boise, ID – Ph: (208) 947-0250
Fast Lane Indoor Kart Racing, Boise, ID – Ph; (208) 321-1166
Chicago Indoor, Buffalo Grove, IL – Ph: (847) 493-8729
Prodrive, Indianapolis, IN – Ph: (317) 297-5278
Fastimes Indoor Karting, Indianapolis, IN – Ph: (317) 566-0066
Competition Racing, Lawrenceburg, IN – Ph: (812) 539-4949
F1 Boston, Braintree, MA – Ph: (781) 228-2002
Maine Indoor Karting, Scarborough, ME – Ph: (207) 885-0058
Kart 2 Kart, Sterling Heights, MI - Ph: (586) 997-8800
Prokart Indoors, Burnsville, MN – Ph: (952) 808-7223 x25
Prokart Indoors, Maple Grove, MN - Ph: (763) 428-1333
Prokart Indoors, Blaine, MN – Ph: (952) 808-7223 x25
Thunder Alley Indoor Speed, Brooklyn Center, MN
Victory Lane Indoor Karting Center, Charlotte, NC – Ph: (704) 377-FAST
Fastlap, Las Vegas, NV – Ph: (702) 736-8113
Extreme Karting, Westhampton, NY – Ph: (631) 665-0886
SyKart Portland, Tigard, OR – Ph: (503) 684-5060
Speeds, Columbus, OH – Ph: (614) 236-5050
BeaveRun Motorsports Complex, Wampum, PA – Ph: (724) 535-1000
Arnold’s, Oaks, PA – Ph: (615) 292-9872
TBC, Dallas, TX – Ph: (214) 718-2158
Davy Jones Kartzone, Houston, TX – Ph: (713) 781-6363 x10
RPM, Round Rock, TX – Ph: (512) 255-2552
Speed Street, Layton, UT – Ph: (801) 547-9199
Fastkart Speedway, Salt Lake, UT – Ph: (801) 973-4735
All Sports GP, Dulles, VA – Ph: (571) 434-9566
Plantation Valley Kart Track, Alton, VA - Ph: 888-RALLY66
G-Force Karts, Richmond, VA - Ph: - (804) 228-0188
Champs Karting, Bothell, WA – Ph: (425) 481-1500
Champs Karting, Redmond, WA – Ph: (425) 455-9999
Champs Karting, Seattle, WA - Ph (206) 768-9800
Sykart, Tukwila, WA - Ph: (425) 251-5060
HotTrack, Vancouver, WA - Ph: (877) 722-3968
Fastkart Speedway - Spokane, WA - Ph: (509) 568-1065
IndyKart, LLC Indoor Speedway, Kennewick, WA - Ph: (509) 734-4639
Traxx Indoor Raceway, Mukilteo, WA - Ph: (425) 493-8729

For more info, please contact: Maxim Sports Management, Maria Jannace, 18 West 21 Street, 6 Floor, New York, NY 10010. Tel: 212-337-0003. Fax: 212-337-1206. E-mail: redbulldriversearch@maxim-online.com. website: www.redbulldriversearch.com. Junior Team Website: www.redbull-juniorteam.com.

‘AMUSEMENT SHOWCASE INTERNATIONAL’ NEWS
Chicago, Illinois — The coin-op industry is proving to be alive and well with the Amusement Showcase International 2004 attendee pre-registration currently up 18% from 2003. With an increase in pre-registration, ASI is hopeful that the overall attendance in 2004 will exceed that of last year’s attendance.

THE PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED
The advance registration deadline for attendee registration has been extended to Sunday, March 7, 2004. Any attendee who registers to attend the Amusement Showcase International 2004 before March 7th will receive a discounted fee of $35 per person, in comparison to the onsite registration fee of $55 per person. The registration fee also includes admission into all seminars.

ASI UPDATED SEMINAR PROGRAM SCHEDULE
The ASI Seminar Program has now been finalized and the presenters are currently putting their finishing touches on their presentations to make the 2004 Seminar Program nothing less than spectacular. Each seminar will offer attendees knowledge, advice, and insights into various topics including how to increase game revenues and repeat customers, website marketing and promotions, “How to Deliver ‘Legendary’ Customer Service,” the basics of operational management, purchasing behaviors of the home buyer and collector market, the differences between games of skill and chance, and numerous product demonstrations by major manufacturers in the industry.

Presentations include:
“BEST PRACTICES: Quarters In & Nickels Out – Make Money Everyday” presented by Frank Seninsky, Alpha Omega Amusements
“Barcade.com: Marketing to the Tavern Customer” presented by Todd Cravens & Jennifer Short, Betson Enterprises
“Skill or Chance? Which is which and why it matters” presented by Jeff Ostler, OK Manufacturing
“Atomiswave Video and Prize Party (An Innovative Prize Vending Machine) by Sammy: Features and Benefits for Operators and Distributors” presented by Vince Moreno, Sammy USA
“Mr. VIPS: Merit Redemption & Products” presented by Bob Mills, Merit Industries “Opportunities In Prize Merchandising Games” presented by Todd Louthain, Bay Tek, Inc
“Operations Nuts and Bolts” presented by Michael Getlan, Amusement Consultants, Ltd.
“How to Deliver ‘Legendary’ Customer Service” presented by Ben Jones, RECreation Group & Michael Getlan, Amusement Consultants, Ltd.
“THINKING OUTSIDE THE (CASH)BOX: Understanding the Home Buyer and Collector Marketplace” presented by Tim Ferrante, Chicago Gaming Company

For a full, printable seminar schedule with seminar dates, times, locations, and descriptions, please visit our website at www.asi-show.com.

NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS TO TAKE PLACE AT ASI 2004
It’s not a surprise that this year’s ASI pre-registration is up and on the rise due to the high number of exhibitors using the Amusement Showcase International to showcase their new products. Being the only coin-op show in the spring, exhibitors know how beneficial it is to introduce for the very first time their latest products to the thousands of attendees expected to walk the show floor. One company who will showcase two new spring games at ASI is Bay Tek, Inc.

Bay Tek is proud to announce the introduction of two new spring games, both being showcased at this years ASI show.

Saddle Up with Bay Tek's all new Horse Play. The player shoots balls to knock down the horse's teeth to win tickets. Offering simplicity and excitement, Horse Play makes the perfect update or addition to your hooting game line up.

Along with introducing Horse Play, Bay Tek is proud to present their newest prize-vending piece, Movie Stop at ASI. This game of skill is sure to be a hit in multiple outlets. Stocked with DVD and VHS movies, players need to time the spinning carousel just right to stop it and win! Fill your machine with new releases or classic hits that will attract players of all ages! Let the popularity of DVD's roll in profits! Make sure to visit Bay Tek, their two new games, and the rest of their product line at ASI in booths 937 and 1037!

For more information about Horse Play and Movie Stop, please visit their website at
www.bay-tek.com.

The Amusement Showcase International is owned and sponsored by the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) and managed by William T. Glasgow, Inc. For additional information, contact show management at 708.226.1300 or fax 708.226.1310 or via email info@asi-show.com.

END

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