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FYI
03-06-04

FIRST KART DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS SOLD

Guelph, Ontario, Canada — KartSport North America (KSNA), an established track management and development company, recently announced that they have entered into an agreement with five year First Kart North America president Tony Ventresca to acquire the First Kart distribution rights for the North American market. The deal, which was announced recently during the Kart Expo show held in St. Charles, IL, is effective immediately.

“Big plans are already in the works,” explained newly announced president Jeff Wood. “This is just the first official announcement and further information will be released within the next month.” The plans for KSNA are to immediately expand the reseller program into the Western United States and have a full North American race operation. The First Kart national race team will be relocated to the Ocala, FL area where KSNA currently owns and operates Ocala Gran Prix (OGP). The First Kart team and their valued customers will all benefit from having an established 7/10 of a mile race course that will be available for practice and testing purposes 365 days a year.

Heading up the company as President will be Jeff Wood, while a recent newcomer to karting, his background in technology distribution and manufacturing will bring established methods of developing national distribution networks throughout the North American market. Developing incentive based dealer programs and creating secondary markets are also high on the list of priorities for the 2004 season.

Long time leader in the karting industry Jorge Arellano, will take the position of CEO for KSNA. Mr. Arellano’s experience in the karting distribution and racing field makes him a valuable addition to the already established company services.

Tony Ventresca will shift to the Vice President of Sales position and will be instrumental in the expansion of the product line. Ventresca will also be the National Team Manager. Shifter Kart Illustrated’s 2002 Tuner of the Year, Terry Ventresca will take on the role as Director of Race Team Operations and can be found at several of the major races throughout the US and Canada.

KartSport North America will now go on the hunt for drivers to campaign their products on the various pro tours to be held in 2004. Any interested parties should contact Tony Ventresca or Jeff Wood.

To obtain more information on KartSport North America, First Kart product sales and dealer inquiries, and how to get into kart racing please contact Tony Ventresca at the Canadian shop toll free at 1-888-884-4851. Jeff Wood could be reached at the Ocala location at 352-690-RACE. For immediate assistant visit First Kart online at www.firstkart.com or the Ocala Gran Prix outlet at www.ocalgranprix.com.

SKUSA PROMOTO NEWS
Dublin, Ohio — More Jacksonville News: We are only 2 weeks away from the first race of the 6th annual ProMoto Tour!! Memberships and entries are really piling up here at the SKUSA office in preparation for this event. Talk around the office is that this may be one of the biggest ProMoto events ever. There have been so many exciting changes in the karting world during this past season. For the first time ever the SuperPro class will be running the ICC motor and the S1 and Super G will be running both Moto and ICC motors. Who will be the person to beat this year? Which motor will reign in S1 and Super G? Which TAG package is going to be dominate in 2004? Will many of the Juniors be running front brakes and how will they effect them? Who will the new 'hot-shoes' be this year? Find out the answers to these questions and many more in Jacksonville at the SKUSA ProMoto Tour East Round #1, March 19-21, 2004.

Finals
Distance for the Finals has been extended. An update to the ProMoto Primer has been made to show this increase in the number of laps. From now on, all Finals on the ProMoto Tour will use the following format:
SuperPro: 25 laps
S1, Super G, 80 Jr, TAG Sr, TAG Masters: 20 laps

Camping
Unfortunately just like last year, no one will be allowed to sleep on the property at the 103rd St. Motorsports Complex in Jacksonville. A local ordinance is still being enforced that prohibits anyone staying the night there. For those of you with motor-homes, we have secured a parking lot directly across the street that you could drive to each night. This will be primative camping only.

Practice
Per the ProMoto Primer we have been able to secure a Thursday practice for the first two rounds of the ProMoto Tour so far. These practice rounds will be run by the local track before SKUSA takes over the facility on Friday. We are still working on getting a Thursday practice for the other ProMoto events and will announce them as soon as we can.

Entries
For those of you planning on racing the Jacksonville ProMoto event, remember that your entry form is due by March 12th. There will be a $100 penalty for anyone that enters the race after that time. No exceptions.

For more information, see www.skusaonline.com.

MATT LEE JUMPS TO EARLY START IN 2004
Manhasset, New York — 15-year-old Matt Lee karting champion started the 2004 season where he left off, winning races. The Manhasset, NY native took two big wins in the World Karting Association (WKA) Daytona Kart Week in the Yamaha Super Can Junior and 80cc Junior classes while also bringing home three fast-time awards. The Daytona events will count towards Lee’s assault on the 2004 championship hunt as the defending WKA HPV Junior champ will compete in the WKA Manufacturers Cup and STARS of Today championship series.

The young driver will again be racing for MRP Motorsport on a Birel chassis, but the familiar #44 machine will also be sponsored by Twin Tooth Apparel. Lee is looking forward to working again with MRP as well as the opportunity to carry the colors of Twin Tooth Racing.

“I am really excited to be back with the MRP,” said Lee. “We had such a strong season last year and it is a perfect environment to help me and my sponsor really stand out. I would love to thank Twin Tooth Apparel for putting their support behind me as well.”

Matt Lee has recently returned from Skip Barber Racing School where he completed a successful debut in a formula racecar. The young driver is next scheduled to travel to Jacksonville, FL for the second round of the WKA Manufacturers Cup Series where he currently leads both classes in points.

For more information on Matt Lee and Twin Tooth Racing Apparel, log onto www.twintooth.com. MRP Motorsport may be contacted at (269-756-9133) or via email @ chris@mrpmotorsport.com.

MRP MOTORSPORT TEAM AND RACERS ACKNOWLEDGED FOR 2003 EFFORTS
St. Charles, Illinois — The MRP Motorsport team was awarded with top honors recently at the 5th annual ShifterKart Illustrated Excellence Awards held at the Pheasant Run Resort & Convention Center in St. Charles, IL. The team won in both nominated categories including “Team of the Year” and “Rising Star” with the award going to MRP driver and 2003 SKUSA SuperNationals Champion, Wesley Boswell.

This was the third time that a MRP Motorsport driver has been nominated and won the “Rising Star” award with Josh Schreiber taking the award in 1999 and Nick Bussell in 2002. This was the 2nd time the MRP Team has been nominated and their first time taking home the SKI Team of the Year honor.

“This was a fantastic surprise for our entire team and we cannot thank ShifterKart Illustrated enough for honoring us with this award,” said Chris Lobaugh, Team Manager for MRP Motorsport. “All of our customers deserve awards for their efforts so this is definitely a representation of that. Even though we didn’t have a SuperPro driver most of the year, we are glad that our successes in semi-pro and junior divisions still brought home a SKI Excellence Award for the team.”

MRP has not lost focus of entertaining the idea of taking this same prize home again next year with a very strong line-up for the 2004 racing season already planned. The team will be competing once again in every National series including the East & West SKUSA and STARS programs as well as the WKA Manufacturers Cup Championship. The team will also bring their strongest line-up ever into the SuperPro ranks with Wesley Boswell, Jonathan Branam and Josh Schreiber all competing under the MRP banner.

“We plan on hitting the tours harder and with even more focus this year,” said Lobaugh. “With a solid Pro line-up and fantastic up and comers like Matt Lee in the Junior ranks, we should have all of our bases covered for 2004. We already had a successful start this year in Daytona so we are looking forward to the rest of the season.”

For more information on MRP Motorsports race program, contact Chris Lobaugh at MRP Motorsport (269-756-9133) or contact us via email @ chris@mrpmotorsport.com. More information on the ShifterKart Illustrated Excellence Awards can be found at www.shifterkartmag.com.

STARS OF KARTING INK THREE-YEAR DEAL WITH GRAND PRODUCTS
Hilliard, Ohio — After a very successful partnership in 2003, Snap-On Stars of Karting are
pleased to have Grand Products and Comer back on board for the next three seasons as sponsors for the very popular Cadet Class. As part of the three-year deal, Comer's K-80 will be the exclusive engine used in Snap-On Stars of Karting Cadet competition, ensuring the racers proven consistency in a sport with new classes popping up out of nowhere.

"Today's drivers will be able to race again next year without the worry of needing the motor of the week," expressed Paul Zalud. "Knowing what to expect in a class is a big part of planning your race season's budget. Most of the racers in the Grand Products Cadet class are already racing Comer K-80s in other series. This familiarity with the Comer K-80 on a Cadet chassis gives them a near seamless integration into our program."

"Grand Products Inc. and Comer are very enthusiastic about the next three years," stated Grand Products' Mike Tetrault. "The Comer/Cadet kart combination is one of karting's largest classes and provides drivers and spectators with some of the closest competition racing has to offer. Snap-On Stars of Karting offers a venue in which the finest Comer drivers in the country participate, the 2003 Stars of Karting Grand National was a great
show with the best from the East doing battle with the best of the West, no other series can make the same claim. We are very proud to see the Comer K-80 as the exclusive engine of the Grand Product Cadet class for years to come."

KARTING’S HORNISH HOPES TO RIDE MOMENTUM TO FIRST "500" WIN
Indianapolis, Indiana — Following his win in the Toyota Indy 300 on Feb. 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Sam Hornish Jr. said winning his first race with Marlboro Team Penske ranked high on his list of racing accomplishments.

It remains to be seen what winning an Indianapolis 500 for Penske would mean to the two-time Indy Racing League IndyCar® Series champion.

"I think half to three-quarters of those guys (who didn't win their first start for Roger Penske) won an Indy 500 for Roger, so that's the main thing," Hornish said. "That's what I want to do."

Though Hornish is one of the most successful IndyCar Series drivers over the last three seasons, he has been snake-bitten when it comes to the IndyCar Series' crown jewel.

Hornish, whose 12 victories rank first on the IndyCar Series all-time wins list, has never finished better than 14th in the Indy 500, and has never started in the first two rows.

He was running solidly in the top-10 last season when he suffered an engine failure late in the event. Despite his struggles the 24-year-old from Defiance, Ohio hopes to turn the tide this May with his new team.

"The big thing is to remain focused and do our job just the way we've been doing it, and things should go pretty well," Hornish said. "We go to a lot of tracks that I like. I really like Phoenix and Motegi. I've only had one chance to race (at Motegi) and I had a great time there last year. And especially Indianapolis."

Penske drivers have excelled at Indy. The team has won 13 Indianapolis 500 titles, including last year's race with Gil de Ferran, whose retirement led to Penske decision to hire Hornish.

"The first race of the season, getting a result like that, builds up not only the confidence for (Hornish) but also for the entire team," said two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who finished second to his new teammate at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "And it's good when things like that happen."

A confident Penske team isn't likely to draw cheers from the rest of the IndyCar Series competitors. Andretti Green Racing driver Dan Wheldon said he views Hornish and Castroneves as equal threats for race wins.

"I don't think any one of them is going to be any better than the other," he said. "I think they'll both be very strong. On each given day, whoever turns out to have the better car will end up with the result."

As for Hornish, he's just focused on doing well in the next IndyCar Series event, the Copper World Indy 200 on March 21 at Phoenix International Raceway.

"I'm just really looking forward to these next couple of races leading up to the 500 and the 500," he said. "We'll see how we get through those."

NEW CANADA EAST REGIONAL DIRECTOR NAMED
Mount Albert, Ontario, Canada — The job of resurrecting the Canada East region was undertaken by the new regional director, this position is now in the hands of Paul Fortier of Mount Albert, Ontario Canada. Paul has been operating as the regional director for some time. It was his wish to operate without the recognition of this position to allow the time and focus necessary to organize a 2004 SKUSA Canada East Series. With the structure of this series now in its final stages, complete details of this SKUSA "R" Series will be announced over the next several weeks.

The SKUSA program is being brought back to Canada in the ideals of creating a series for all karters to compete on a fair and level playing field. This series is open to all competitors that qualify under the current regional license structure wishing to compete under a fair and karter friendly environment. The grid is open to all karters, all brands of karts, all ages within the current regional structures. It is open to anyone wishing to promote, market or entertain their sponsors under a controlled structure for the benefit of the series and its competitors. This is a series conceived by karters for karters and will remain that way.

Our SKUSA Canada East region will focus the class structure on all levels of the sport but make its main objective a little different. We are interested in a step beyond the club format that will see the young talent recognized and nurtured. Through sponsorship relations, exposure, training and a public interest campaign we hope to bring these future champions to the limelight. To create an environment within the current racing programs for the combined good of the amateur competitor is what many believe is missing from this sport in Canada. This will be our primary focus.

With the resurrection of the Canada East “R” region in 2004 and the Canada West “L” region in 2005, Canada will have a coast to coast SKUSA program. For the long term objective of this program we hope to have a Canadian top five ranking in each SKUSA class that will enable us at SKUSA "R" and "L" to challenge the SKUSA regions to the south to a North American Championship. Who knows the first North American Champion may be one of current karters reading this right now. Will it be you?

PAUL TRACY NAMED DRIVER OF THE YEAR BY RACER MAGAZINE READERS
Indianapolis, Indiana — Forsythe Racing’s Paul Tracy put together one of the best seasons in Champ Car World Series history in 2003 on his way to winning his first Champ Car title, cementing his status as one of the top drivers in all of auto racing. Tracy also has his own line of race karts distributed in the USA by SSC Racing of Palm Springs, California.

The readership of RACER magazine, as well of its Internet news arm www.speedtv.com, agreed that Tracy’s 2003 season was one to remember as they voted the Canadian Champ Car driver as the Racer of the Year.

Tracy, who won seven races, six poles and 10 podiums on his way to the 2003 title, was named the top driver of the year over such racing luminaries as Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, NASCAR title winner Matt Kenseth and USAC record-setter J.J. Yeley.

“This is a very nice accolade, especially because of the company of drivers included in the voting,” Tracy said. “When you are on a list with Michael Schumacher who just won his sixth F1 championship and some of the other great drivers in the world, and the fans consider you to have had a better year than he did, that’s quite an honor.”

The award was one of many for the 2003 Champ Car World Series title winner, as Tracy also received first-team All American status in the voting by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association. He was the only finalist other than eventual winner Ryan Newman to receive more than one vote for the Driver of the Year Award presented by SPEED Channel and was also voted as the WorldCom Most Popular Driver for the second consecutive season.

“Paul certainly deserves every honor awarded to him after his great 2003 Champ Car season,” said Champ Car President Dick Eidswick. “Not only is the RACER magazine award a great tribute to Paul, it is a tribute to the level of competition in the Champ Car World Series as well as to what it takes to be a champion in our series.”

The nominees for the RACER awards were developed through suggestions of the magazine’s editorial staff along with other racing insiders. The nominees in a number of categories were then voted upon by racing fans either through RACER or via the speedtv.com website.

END

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