HEADLINES:
EASYKART ANNOUNCES 2005 PRIZE PACKAGES FOR STARS OF KARTING AND WKA MANUFACTURER’S CUP EAST COMPETITORS
Miami, Florida — After an amazing $15,000 was awarded to Carlos Duenas for his 2004 Easykart efforts, Easykart America has once again come through with an awesome prize package for their 2005 Snap On Stars of Karting, and WKA Manufacturer’s Cup East champions.
The East/West National Points Champion for the Snap On Stars of Karting will receive a fully paid trip to Brazil to drive a Formula Renault with NasrCastroneves Racing, valued in excess of $15,000.00
The 1st place prize package includes:
Round Trip: USA / Brazil / USA
Transportation (Airport/Hotel/Track)
4 nights at the 5 Stars Hotel “Naoum Plaza” in the Capital of Brazil
Program:
- 1st day - Visit the NasrCastroneves Racing “State of the Art Facility” and talk to the driver’s coach, engineers and start learning about “approach to the open wheel racing”
- 2nd day - Driving at the Nelson Piquet Int’l Race Track inside a Tourism Car being evaluated by a NasrCastroneves driver’s coach.
- 3rd day - Practice in a Formula Renault with a Pi System monitored by the best engineers and the best driver’s coach in the country.
- 4th day - Lunch with Helio Castroneves at the Naoum
Plaza Hotel. Diploma and pictures for the participant drivers of the “NasrCastroneves Racing Experience”
The 2nd place prize package includes:
All expense paid trip including Round Trip: USA / Italy / USA to the Easykart World Championships in Parma Italy October 21st-23rd 2005.
Entry fee, kart, and tires and full Birel Factory Support for the World Championship event.
Valued at more than $6000.
The 3rd place prize:
Arai SK5 helmet.
A fabulous Lucky Design paint job.
Valued at more than $1,500.00
Easykart 125 made its WKA’s Manufacturer’s Cup East debut in December, at Daytona Motor Speedway, and Easykart North America is proud to announce their awards program for the 2005 WKA East season. The top three points finishers in the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup East series will receive prizes ranging from a trip to Italy, to a brand new brain bucket.
The 1st place prize package includes:
All expense paid trip including Round Trip: USA / Italy / USA to the Easykart World Championships in Parma Italy October 21st-23rd 2005.
Entry fee, kart, and tires and full Birel Factory Support for the World Championship event.
Valued at more than $6000.
The 2nd place prize:
Three day Skip Barber Racing School, at any one of their 21 available facilities.
Valued at $3400.
The 3rd place prize:
Arai SK5 helmet.
A fabulous Lucky Design paint job.
Valued at more than $1,500.00
Easykart-
No more pushing or charging batteries at the track. Same specification chassis, engine, tires, and all components makes racing karts easy and fun at an affordable price. Driver's ability to drive, and not the size of their wallet, makes the difference. Karts come completely assembled and ready to race. Contact Easykart America at 305-463-6699 or see www.easykart.com.
INDOOR FINALS AT PEORIA
Peoria, Illinois — The Trilogy Apparel Inc. Indoor Pro Kart Cup Series ’05 is a three race series with the final Series Championship Race being held this Sunday, March 20 at the East Peoria Convention Center. This Series has been a complete success thus far according to race promoter Jim Maroon; owner of Maroon’s Kart Systems, 309 Carver Lane, East Peoria, IL. Racing is done on concrete floors and on Coke syrup. The racetrack is 180’ long by 60’ wide (on the inside) with racing lanes of 25’. Race #1 had 71 race kart entries from throughout Illinois and participants coming from North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa. Race #2 held on March 6 grew to 93 race kart entries. The final Championship Race on 3/20/05 should prove to be “The Big Show”.
Following is a list of awards that will be guaranteed for the racers on 3/20/05:
Briggs Heavy - 1st place $2,500, 2nd place $1,500, 3rd place $500
Briggs Medium- 1st place $500, 2nd place $250, 3rd place $125, 4th place $75, 5th place $50.
Briggs Junior 3- 1st place new 2005 Phantom Phenom Champions Edition race chassis
Briggs Junior 2- 1st place $100 Savings Bond
Briggs Junior 1- 1st place new Bondatti Dual Bearing I/C Briggs blueprinted WKA engine
50cc Kid Kart - 1st place new 2005 Margay Wildcat Kid Kart
Champ Karts – Briggs Jr.- 1st place $50 Savings Bond
Champ Karts – Junior - 1st place $50 Savings Bond
All other race classes will be awarded according to a specific CASH payout schedule.
Those kart racers that are interested can participate Saturday night, March 19, in a practice session for a driver fee of $25. Registration will begin at 5:00. Practice will be held from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Spectators and non-drivers are welcome with an entry fee of $10. This will allow race fans to observe the practice as well as talk to the racers in the pits. On race day, Sunday, the spectator entry fee will be $10 while drivers and non-drivers in the pits will pay $15.
The overall Series Champion will be given an embroidered jacket “on the spot” with the 1st place finishers name and Pro Kart Class that they won. The major event race sponsor, Trilogy Custom Apparel, which has a new store located at 311 Carver Lane, East Peoria, will embroider the jacket once the finals are raced and the champion is declared.
This event includes provisions for fund raising to a Christian Missions Program and for Bryan Brown, 7 year-old son of an East Peoria firefighter, who has cancer and recently had a stroke. The bodywork from Scott Wimmer’s Caterpillar sponsored NASCAR will be auctioned off for the benefit of Bryan. Also, items to be auctioned include 20 autographed tires from this years Caterpillar sponsored Daytona car plus other NASCAR items to be announced at the auction on the afternoon of 3/20/05. In addition, a portion of the profit from each T-shirt sale will go toward Bryan’s medical bills that are not covered by St. Jude.
For additional information, go to www.maroonskartsystems.com, or email to mks_25@hotmail.com or phone Jim Maroon at 309-699-5278 or cell 309-208-7788.
RED BULL DRIVERS SEARCH FINDS IRON ROCK A NATURAL FLYING START
Austin, Texas — Red Bull is looking for the next champion Formula 1 driver, and he or she might come from Iron Rock Raceway. The maker of the super-charged energy drink has selected Iron Rock as the regional host track for the Red Bull Drivers Search as it continues its quest for the next Michael Schumacher.
Even better, Red Bull will hold its premier media event at Iron Rock on Saturday, April 30, when candidates are chosen to move on to the Run Offs in California. Driver
testing at Iron Rock for racers aged 13 to 17 will began Friday, April 1.
The Red Bull Driver Search is a long-term program designed to find, test and support budding young American racing talent. The ultimate goal is to have a steady group of four to six American drivers racing in Europe, groomed to break into Formula 1 and compete for the Championship.
Last year, finalists underwent evaluation at tracks around the nation and the world, including the Skip Barber Formula Dodge School in Florida, the Autodromo Fernanda Pires Da Silva Circuit in Portugal, and the Red Bull Training and Diagnostics center in Austria, finally returning to Portugal to test F3 racecars.
“There’s some phenomenal racing talent in Texas,” said Graham Peace of MRP of Austin. “And this is an outstanding opportunity for young racers to show off that talent and get the high-level sponsorship they deserve.”
The Red Bull Driver Search will be conducted by MRP of Austin, which maintains the sales, service, rental and corporate services at Iron Rock. Drivers should call MRP Raceway at 512-530-7226 to make an appointment to participate in April’s qualifying rounds.
Airport Drive Austin, TX 78719
512/530-RACE www.ironrockraceway.com
ITALIAN MOTORS ANNOUNCES 2005 DRIVER LINE-UP
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada — Italian Motors is proud to announce the 2005 driver line up which will include entries in nearly every category. Many regular faces will be back this season including Jordy Vorrath who captured the 2004 Stars of Karting ICA title piloting his Italkart/TM IM Tuning package.
Team owner Claudio Valiante is looking forward to this season. “We have a great core of drivers and team members. After winning the “2004 Team of the Year award” our staff and drivers are even more motivated this season. The 2005 Italkarts have performed extremely well and the IM Tuning Department has been hard at work on our engine program. We have many great drivers and we are looking forward to the start of the year.”
The most recent addition to the IM driver line up is Hayden Duerson from Tampa Bay, Florida. Duerson will be doing double duty in JICA and Jr.80cc. Although a challenge, this is something the IM team has become accustomed to after running Vorrath in ICA and ICC in 2004 with great results.
ICC
In ICC, IM will have one of the strongest driver line-ups the team has ever had. Canadian National Champion, Jake Thompson (Italkart/IM Tuning TM) will return and he will team up with 2002 SuperNational Champion and 2003 SKUSA West ICC Champion David Jurca (Italkart IM Tuning TM) who will return full time. Recent Skip Barber scholarship winner, Jordy Vorrath will be doing double sporadically this season while Russell Scholarship winner Dane Cameron will compete in three of the four events.
ICA
Team-mates to Vorrath, Tyler Dueck (Italkart/Parilla IM Tuning) and Colby Jenn (Italkart/Parilla IM Tuning) will re-join the IM team after a impressive debut season which saw the two rookie drivers finish third and fourth respectively in the Stars West championship. Both are looking to challenge Vorrath for victories although Jenn will only be competing in selected events.
JICA
After an impressive 2004-rookie season, Michael Hogg will be piloting his Italkart/IM Tuned Parilla alongside his new team-mate Hayden Duerson aboard his Italkart/TM IM Tuned package. The duo will have the advantage of working together in the highly competitive JICA class.
Jr.80
In Jr.80cc, Tommy Thompson (Italkart/ Honda) from Napa, California will join Duerson (Italkart/Honda) as well. The two drivers have logged many miles in the Jr.80cc class and will be a great pair to challenge for race victories at each Stars round.
Jr.1
Hayden Ritter is the youngest driver on the IM team. He is looking to improve upon 2004 as he has been working hard in the off-season. He placed 6th in the Stars West Championship in 2004.
With Duerson’s addition to the team, it bumps the IM driver count up to ten for 2005.
RED BULL DRIVER SEARCH ANNOUNCES THE CHRIS ECONOMAKI JUNIOR JOURNALISM AWARD
New York City, New York — The Red Bull Driver Search, a unique program designed to discover and support aspiring, young racecar drivers, is expanding its youth mentoring activities with the creation of The Chris Economaki Junior Journalism Award. Students who best exemplify writing and reporting skills and achievement in covering the motorsports industry will be honored.
The Chris Economaki Junior Journalism Award pays tribute to its namesake, the world's foremost auto racing reporter and legendary motorsports broadcaster. His distinguished career includes a 23-year run telecasting races for ABC Sports, followed by 10 years with CBS. Now 84 years old, he still does occasional hosting for ESPN, SPEED Channel and other TV networks, in addition to his by-lined “Editor’s Notebook” column in National Speed Sport News, where he served as publisher for more than 50 years.
Just as the Red Bull Driver Search seeks to fill the void of American presence at the pinnacle of motorsports—Formula 1—The Chris Economaki Junior Journalism Award is designed to motivate and encourage aspiring journalists to hone their craft while focusing attention and creating excitement about the sport and the innovative Driver Search Program.
To be eligible, participants must write or produce a human interest or news feature about, but not limited to, karting, open wheel racing, Formula 1, fitness and training, and the Red Bull Driver Search. Stories must be published in local or regional newspapers, magazines, high school or college newspapers, or broadcast on TV, cable, or radio. An esteemed panel, including Mr. Economaki, will judge all eligible submissions. Up to 3 students will be receive a distinguished trophy, and an all-expense paid trip for two to the United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis where they can witness the excitement of Formula 1 racing firsthand.
The Formula 1 Championship is, without doubt, the most celebrated title in all of auto racing. Yet, there has not been an American driver in F1 for more than a decade, or an American Champion since 1978. The Red Bull Driver Search’s mission is to pave the way for a long-awaited U.S. comeback. Through this initiative, Red Bull has created an opportunity for aspiring journalists to tell this story to the public at large.
Each year since the program’s inception in 2002, the Red Bull Driver Search has selected promising American teens and supported their training in junior formula racing in American and European series. This grassroots approach starts at the local level, and this year over 60 go-karting centers nationwide will play an integral role in the first stage of this selection process, the Open Qualifying phase. The long-term goal is to have a steady group of three to six American drivers competing in Europe, and grooming to break into Formula 1 and racing for the World Championship.
GAINESVILLE EVENT STATISTICS POSTED ON GRAND VITESSE RACING'S WEBSITE
Daytona Beach, Florida — Results from Rounds 1-2 of The Richest Karting Series in North America, The PJ1/Grand Prix Distributing TaG Spectacular held February 5/6 at The Gainesville Raceway, are now available.
Working with Event Lab, a leading racing data service, lap by lap information is now available for each team that participated in that history making event!
Drivers, team member and other interested parties can view lap times, fast lap, leaders, total laps and a host of other information, based upon official scoring data.
Speaking from the Daytona International Speedway, Grand Vitesse Racing's General Manager Glen Mazzone..."The racers all want information on their performance, the more detailed the better.
With the Event Lab program, the competitors desires have not only been met, but hopefully exceeded." Mazzone continued..."Not only can drivers, and crew members find all sorts of data and charts on their own performance, they can also see the same about every other team in the event.
They can evaluate where they were strong, how the Kart performed, how the various drivers stacked up, even how the did in the pits!"
The information can be accessed by any interested party, and fans are encouraged to view the information! By visiting the Grand Vitesse Website www.grandvitesseracing.com and clicking on the "results" link on the bottom of any page, instant access to the data is at your fingertips!
Plans are to continue with the Event Lab Program for all remaining races in the PJ1/Grand Prix Distributing $500,000 TaG Spectacular Series.
The next Rounds in North American Karting's Richest Series will be held April 9-10 2005 at The Bakers Creek Raceway in Decatur Alabama.
Entries are being accepted now...For full information, and entry forms visit Grand Vitesse Racing's Website www.grandvitesseracing.com
TWO REDBULL “WILDCARDS” TO EASYKART DRIVERS IN THE DRIVERS SEARCH
Miami, Florida — With open qualifying right around the corner for Redbull’s drivers search program, a few things remain certain, that the next American F1 driver might you, and that two drivers picked by Easykart will skip a qualifying round, and proceed right to the Run Offs stage of the competition. “We are very pleased to be part of the Redbull Drivers Search program,” said Salomon Bendayan C.O.O. of Easykart America. “Easykart and Redbull have a similar mindset about racing,” continued Salomon, “the best Divers are not always the ones with the most money, and Easykart rewards drivers will skills, not just ones with a big wallet. Redbull’s Driver Search program has given back hope to many young drivers, who now feel that they too have a chance at making the big show, based on their raw talent.”
Dominic Scheer is the first “Wildcard” driver named by Easykart to advance to the Run Offs. Scheer, the 2004 Easykart 100 World Champion and WKA HPV. Jr. National Champion will be joined by one other driver selected among the participants at Oakland Valley Raceway Park. OVRP is the host for this year’s Easykart Grand Nationals, is a RBDS qualification center, and is one of the premier facilities on the east coast. “OVRP is a technical circuit,” states OVRP’s Michael Ferrucci. “Perfect laps are hard to earn here, drivers who are smooth, and finesse the track will be rewarded with quicker times. The Easykart 100s are perfect for the RBDS at OVRP because they provide a consistent battleground for all the competitors, and will help weed out the talent from the wanna-bees,” continued Ferrucci.
During the month of April 2005, up to 60 indoor and outdoor Karting centers across the country, including Oakland Valley Raceway Park, (www.ovrp.com 845-649-4841) will host Open Qualifying. All you have to do is head down to your local center and sign up to participate. Each center will hold a competition to find the three fastest drivers. The winners from each Qualifying Karting center will progress to the 2005 Red Bull Driver Search Run Offs. The two separate Run Offs will take place July 19-21 in Boston for East Coast contestants, and August 9-11 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA for West Coast participants.
For more information, contact Easykart America at 305-463-6699.
‘STARS’ ADDS TWO MORE EVENTS TO THE WORLD CALENDAR
Seattle, Washington — The Snap-on Stars of Karting presented by the IRL announced today that two more of its events have been added to the CIK World Calendar. The Moran Raceway event in Beaumont, CA (April 22-24) and New Castle Motorsports Park event in New Castle, IN (May 20-22) have joined this weekend’s Norman, OK season opener on the international schedule. The placement of the Oklahoma event on the CIK World Calendar has attracted three time World Karting Champion Davide’ Fore and 2003 CIK Asia Pacific Champion Hironabu Yasuda, among others from the international karting arena to the event. The World Calendar placement allows drivers with an FIA-CIK license to run in the event without penalty.
Snap-on Stars series chief Paul Zalud was pleased with the news, “I think it’s great that we are creating a platform for the top North American karters to perform against their European counterparts in these events. We are pleased to see manufacturers stepping up and bringing some of their top talent over for the Norman event and hope to see similar participation in our additional World Calendar events.”
The season opening Race of the America’s will take place at the Oklahoma Motorsports Complex run by Champion Racing of Norman on March 11-13. All media or promotional inquiries can be directed to jeff@starsofkarting.com.
BIREL & MRP MOTORSPORT TEAM WORKING TO PUT CUSTOMERS ON PODIUM
THREE OAKS, Michigan — The MRP Motorsport / Birel team and Team Manager, Chris Lobaugh, have but one goal for the opening round of the STARS of Karting Championship in Norman, OK this coming weekend. That goal is to place customers on the podium, a goal also shared by Birel™ to give better knowledge of the product and develop the customer into a champion.
“It has been a policy within Birel to not send factory Birel Motorsport drivers to compete against the customers,” said Garry Lobaugh, President of MRP Motorsport, U.S. Importer for Birel & Freeline. “In the news recently, we have seen several announcements of oversees-based drivers coming to compete in these events. While we are all excited to see our sport grow in attention globally, it is still our goal in assisting Birel customers in success on home soil, not professional factory drivers.”
For this opening round event, Simone Fumagalli, Technical Director for Birel Motorsport and two additional factory team technicians will be in attendance to assist all Birel drivers in their efforts. Fumagalli supervises a team of world-class technicians for the factory team and worked directly with Alex Speed in his victory in Orlando late last season. This message from Italy is one of support for the Birel customers throughout North America.
“As always, the MRP / Birel team is here to help Birel drivers succeed,” said Chris Lobaugh. “We will have several highly-trained mechanics on staff as well as assistance from factory technicians, so hopefully our customers will take advantage of this opportunity to compete on a professional level.”
In addition to the Birel Motorsport technicians, MRP Motorsport will have Chris and Tim Lobaugh, both 2004 SKI Tuner of the Year nominees, working with several drivers and mechanics. The MRP team will consist of seven ICC entries including ’03 SKUSA SuperNats champ, Wesley Boswell as well as Logan Gomez, Fidencio Guzman, Chris Koening, Ryan Phinny, Alexander Rose and ’04 STARS defending ICC champion, Alex Speed. In the ICA, a trio of top-flight drivers will compete including WKA Triple Crown winner, Michael Giessen, Adam Johnson and the Dave’s Performance/MRP driver, Joel Miller. JICA will have three entries as well, including Brandon Bealer, Quebec’s Kristoff Boisclair and Timmy Megenbier.
MRP Motorsport is the largest importer of Birel chassis and Freeline accessories in North America with over 40 dealers throughout the United States. With a retail location in Three Oaks, MI and a warehouse facility that stocks nearly $2-million in inventory, MRP ensures prompt and accurate customer support. For more information on MRP Motorsport race program, contact Chris Lobaugh at MRP Motorsport (269-756-9133) or contact us via email @ chris@mrpmotorsport.com.
EXPERIENCED SQUAD SET TO FIGHT FOR VICTORY IN STARS OF KARTING OPENER
Guelph, Ontario, Canada — March 7, 2005 – FirstKart.com has put together another stellar team for the Stars of Karting opener at the Oklahoma Motorsports Complex in Norman, OK. With drivers competing in the ICC, 80cc Junior and Junior ICA (JICA) categories, First Kart will be looking to garner victories in several pro classes.
Heading the ICC field will be First Kart rookie Daniel Morad. Morad who currently leads the Florida Winter Tour (FWT) point standings has never finished outside the top five in five ICC events. Nick Maddison will be back with the team again this year as the Canadian pilot will be competing in both the East and West championships. Maddison is coming off one of his strongest runs of his karting career at Moroso Motorsports Park and will look to keep his success going with the tuning input of Bobby Wilson. Rene Silva will also be under the tent as he looks to start his Stars season off on strong. Team newcomer Andrew Wall from Minnesota will make his move to the First Kart squad as he looks to improve from the knowledge and experience from the team.
FirstKart.com’s largest fielded entry will come in the 80cc Junior class. Five drivers will look to take the victory and head to the next event with the point lead. Double WKA Daytona race winner Zach Schiff will look to keep his First Kart top five streak alive as he tries to fend off challenges from rising stars David Carmendy, David Ostella, Lucas Smith and Mike Vincec. Both Ostella and Smith are coming off Florida Winter Tour podium results and will look to do the same in Norman. Vincec is one of Canada’s brightest junior drivers and currently sits 2nd in the WKA Manufactures Cup series as both he and Smith will compete for several national championships in ’05.
British Columbia’s Arly Irish and five-time Colombian national champion Gustavo Yacaman will do battle in the JICA category. Irish, who has several championships at the regional level will take the step and compete nationally in 2005. Yacaman will look to continue his ’05 success as the young Colombian currently leads the Rotax Junior points standings in the Florida Winter Tour. The Trevor Daley tuned chassis has reached the top step of the podium in three of four races.
2005 is going to be an exciting year for the team as First Kart North America will travel to all East and West coast events in the Stars of Karting Championship, the World Karting Association Manufactures Cup and the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship. Arrive and Drive opportunities are available for any interested parties.
For more information on First Kart North America, product sales, the FirstKart.com race team and exciting dealership opportunities including information on how to get into kart racing please contact First Kart President Tony Ventresca or Mike Maurini at 519-824-4343, toll free at 1-888-884-4851 or visit them online at www.firstkart.com.
LE MANS STYLE START TO RETURN FOR APRIL TAG SPECTACULAR
Toledo Ohio USA - The PJ1/Grand Prix Distributing Series, North America's Richest Karting Series, also continues to be the most enjoyable and innovative series in the entire Karting World!
The wildly popular "Le Mans" style start will return for all events of the $50,000 Four Event TaG Spectacular to be held April 9-10 at The Bakers Creek Raceway in Decatur Alabama.
Karting is really the only form of Motorsports where you can still employ a true Le Mans start....They have been eliminated from car racing....Some Motorcycle series employ dead engine starts, but the riders are still "in the saddle" when the GO command is given...Only in karting, do all elements remain!
The PJ1/Grand Prix Distributing Series utilized the Le Mans start as an experiment at Round 1 of the Ten Race Series held on February 5 on the Road Course at The Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville Florida.
It was a "hit" with all participants and employed once again for round 2.
"We are not only presenting the most financially lucrative Karting series in North America, we are out to make it the most enjoyable!" ...Said Grand Vitesse Racing's General Manager Glen Mazzone. "The Le Mans start is just one more element to increase the fun quotient...It also tightens and intensifies competition as well."
As a way to control costs, teams are limited to two sets of Vega "White" tires for each race of the Two race weekend (excluding practice)
By employing a relatively long "open track" practice session each day, drivers and crew members will have an opportunity to concentrate on learning the track and race set-up.
Teams may use a portion of the practice to "scrub in" their Vega Whites, or, as part of their race strategy, use practice tires and opt to start the race on new "sticker" tires.
When it is time to start the main event, drivers and equipment are fresh and ready to settle in for 3 grueling hours of competition! (2 Hours in TaG Heavy/Jr. Support races)
Entries for the most exciting weekend in North American Karting are currently being accepted.
Due to the tight, technical nature of the Bakers Creek Raceway and limited pit space, an entry maximum has been established for this event.
All entries are processed on a "first come, first served basis" and when all spots are taken, the event roster will be complete.
With a full field expected for the 3 Hour $10,000 to Win Main Events, as well as 2 Hour $5,000 to Win Support events, those wishing to compete in the Richest Weekend in North American Karting are urged to get their entry in promptly!
Questions about this event or the entire PJ1/Grand Prix Distributing Series should be directed to Grand Vitesse Racing.
Contact them via Telephone at 800-663-5278 or 419-467-6941 or via email at vtssrcng@aol.com. Rules, entry forms and race details are available at www.grandvitesseracing.
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