e-KMI.com FYI: April 4, 2005

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FYI
04-04-05

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CHANGES MADE TO EASYKART AND TAG CLASSES
Concord, North Carolina — The George Kugler Manufacturer's Cup Series presented by Bridgestone committee announces a weight change for Easykarts running in the TaG class, and a change in the list of approved TaG engines.

The weight for Easykarts running in the TaG class is being reduced from 370 pounds to 360 pounds. All other weights for TaG engines will remain the same as those used at Daytona KartWeek. Note that TaG USA and SKUSA have raised their weights by ten pounds across the board for all TaG engines. However, after a survey of TaG class kart weights at the Daytona Manufacturer's Cup event, the Manufacturer's Cup committee has decided not to adopt the new TaG USA and SKUSA minimum weights.

For your reference, here are the minimum combined kart and driver weights for the Manufacturer's Cup TaG class:

* BM Jaguar -- 360 lbs.
Comer -- 375 lbs.
Easykart -- 360 lbs.
Italsistem ML47H A -- 375 lbs.
Parilla Leopard -- 360 lbs.
PRD Fireball -- 360 lbs.
Rotax Max FR125 -- 355 lbs.
Sonik TX 125 (125 cc) -- 375 lbs.
Sonik VX 125 (118 cc) -- 375 lbs.
Vortex Rok - 360 lbs.

* Also note that until further notice, only BM Jaguar engines with serial numbers ending in A, B, C, or D are eligible for competition. Engines with these serial numbers were produced from 2001 through 2004. Engines produced in 2005 have serial numbers ending in E and are not approved for competition in any WKA event.

The Manufacturer's Cup committee will continue to monitor the relative performance of the approved TaG engines. If changes are needed in the future, kart weight will be used to adjust performance.

The George Kugler Manufacturer’s Cup Series presented by Bridgestone provides 2-cycle classes ranging from 80cc engines all the way to 125 cc shifter karts allowing a place for everyone to compete. The point’s season consists of 4 events held at asphalt road course facilities and averages 400 entries per national event.

HORSTMAN GOLD CUP AND RAGE KARTS SPEEDWAY PAVEMENT SERIES
Concord, North Carolina — With a release date of March 14, 2005, the Dunlop DC-S tire compound size 5.50 X 6 will be legal for World Karting Association (WKA) competition starting May 14, 2005 in the Horstman Gold Cup and Rage Karts Speedway Pavement Series. This should eliminate any availability issues with the DB-S 5.50 X 6 tire.

Per the Technical Manual rule #252.1 (Gold Cup) & 452.1 (Speedway Pavement) tires must be available to the USA general market at least 60 days prior to use in any WKA sanctioned event. This will allow everyone testing time before the second event of the Horstman Gold Cup Series and race three of the Rage Karts Speedway Pavement Series.

We will continue to monitor the availability of other Dunlop DB-S sizes and will make the necessary changes to allow testing time with the "new" compound.

Here is a complete list of spec tire compounds and sizes allowed at WKA National events.

WKA NATIONAL SPEC TIRE PROGRAM
2003 - 2004 - 2005

Briggs & Stratton Speedway Dirt Series
Senior level classes
Maxxis HT-3
Junior level classes
Maxxis HT-3
All Champ Kart classes
Burris SS-55

Heartland Speedway Dirt Series
presented by Heartland Bully Clutch Dealers
Senior level classes
Maxxis HT-3
Junior level classes
Maxxis HT-3

Rage Karts Heartland Speedway
Pavement Championships
Senior level classes
Firestone YGF
**Junior level classes
Dunlop DB-S
All Champ Kart classes
Burris SS-55
**Starting May 14, 2005, the DC-S compound for 5.50 X 6 will be legal to run**

Rage Karts Speedway Pavement Series
Senior level classes
Firestone YGF
**Junior level classes
Dunlop DB-S
All Champ Kart classes
Burris SS-55
**Starting May 14, 2005, the DC-S compound for 5.50 X 6 will be legal to run**

Horstman Gold Cup Series
**Briggs Lite & Medium
Dunlop DB-S 6” (5.00, 5.50, 6.00, front or rear)
**All other Senior classes (non-Sr. Sportsman)
Dunlop DBS 6” (5.50, 6.00, 7.10, front or rear)
Sr. Sportsman classes
Dunlop DB-S 5” (5.00, 5.50, 6.00, front or rear)
Jr. Sportsman classes
Dunlop DB-S 5” (4.50, 5.00, 5.50, front or rear)
Junior classes
Bridgestone YHC (USA) 5” (4.50 & 6.00, front or rear)
**Starting May 14, 2005, the DC-S compound for 5.50 X 6 will be legal to run**

George Kugler Manufacturer’s Cup Series
presented by Bridgestone
All Senior level classes
Bridgestone YHC (USA) (Front 10 X 4.50-5) (Rear 11 X 7.10-5)
**ICA & ICC
Bridgestone YHB (USA) (Front 10 X 4.50-5) (Rear 11 X 7.10-5)
Junior (12-15 year old) classes
Dunlop DB-S (Front 10 X 4.50-5) (Rear 11 X 6.00-5)
**80cc Shifter Junior
(Front 10 X 4.50-5) (Rear 11 X 7.10-5)
Junior Sportsman classes
MG-MZ (Front or Rear 10 X 4.60-5) (11 X 6.00-5)

PATRICK, MEIRA AND RICE: RAHAL-LETTERMAN FIELDS THREE ENTRIES AT INDY
Indianapolis, Indiana — Defending race champion Rahal Letterman Racing filed three entries on March 31 for the 89th Indianapolis 500, including one for 2004 winner Buddy Rice.

Rahal Letterman, owned by 1986 Indy winner Bobby Rahal and late night television icon Dave Letterman, also named rookie Danica Patrick and Vitor Meira as drivers of its entries.

Rice, from Phoenix, will drive the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Argent Pioneer
Panoz/Honda/Firestone, with a backup entered. Ricardo Nault is the chief
mechanic, continuing a partnership that helped deliver Rice the Borg-Warner
Trophy and the MBNA Pole at Indianapolis in 2004.

Danica Patrick, from Roscoe, Ill., will drive the No. 16 Rahal Letterman Argent Pioneer
Panoz/Honda/Firestone, with a backup entered. Ed Daood is the chief mechanic. She will attempt to become just the fourth woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, following Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher. Patrick like Fisher began her racing career in karts.

Meira, a karter from Brasilia, Brazil, will attempt to make his third career Indianapolis
start in the No. 17 Rahal Letterman Menards Johns Manville Panoz/Honda/Firestone, with a backup entered. Greg Cates is the chief mechanic. Meira’s best finish at Indianapolis is sixth in 2004, his first year with Rahal Letterman.

Steve Dickson is the team manager of all three Rahal Letterman entries.

The 89th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

ROLLING GREEN RACEWAY OPEN FOR 2005 SEASON
Buchanan, Michigan — With springtime looming and the sun beginning to stay in the Michigan sky longer each day, Rolling Green Raceway (RGR) is proud to announce that the facility is now open for business. First established in 1962, RGR has undergone improvements to the property and facilities continually to offer great events and activities for Michiana-area families. The friendly, helpful atmosphere among competitors has made the Buchanan, MI property a great place for families to enjoy many great experiences.

“We are very excited about the upcoming year,” said Garry Lobaugh, owner of MRP Motorsport. “We are excited to return to our roots. This racetrack and the karting families that have come here over the years have helped build our company over the past 20 years. We feel very proud of that.”

MRP Motorsport has spent the off-season making several improvements as well as adding staff to help expand the marketing efforts of the track and the trackside activities.

The 2005 RGR Championship Series has thirteen event dates all being held on Saturday. The event dates are April 16, April 30, May 7, May 21, June 4, June 18, July 2, July 23, August 6, August 20, September 3, September 17 and October 21. Season practice passes are also available for a fee for any day where the track is not booked for schools or race events. Call for details.

In addition, several MRP Speed Schools are scheduled throughout the year. These are great opportunities for people of all ages that may be new to the sport to get a head start in karting as well as giving experienced drivers and teams to dust off the winter cobwebs. School dates are scheduled for March 26, April 2, April 9, July 30 and September 17. Interested parties may call 269-756-9133 to enter classes.

If you are looking to plan a company or group outing, RGR is offering a 30% discount for returning groups for the month of April! For more information regarding Rolling Green Raceway, visit www.mrpmotorsport.com or call 269-756-9133.

FUN, COMPETITIVE RACING IN FRANCE
Salbris, France — The circuit of Sologne Karting, located in Salbris, France, just 90 minutes south of Paris, hosted this past weekend the opening round of the 2005 ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE. An impressive field of 116 drivers coming from 23 different countries competed in the Rotax Max Junior, Max Senior and RM-1 categories. The frequent showers
complicated the life of the competitors but the ever changing track conditions seemed to have no effects on Christian Van Balen, Tristan Oman and Christino Morgado who claimed victories in their respective categories.

The Max Senior category was so popular that the series’ organizers had no choice but to limit the number of entries. Out on the track, the action raged so intensely that no one could make serious predictions about the outcome of the final race. The ever changing track conditions, alternating from dry to wet to dry, required consistency, patience and smoothness.

British driver Tristan Oman performed extremely well in these treacherous conditions, winning the finale ahead of South African Wesleigh Orr and Portuguese Tiago Ribero.

Frenchman Benjamin Salvatore, the reigning Rotax Max Junior champion, experienced some
problems during the qualifying heats but managed to cross the line in 5th place in the finale, beating David Griffiths from Great Britain. Despite running impressive drives, 2005 series’ favorites Ken Alleman of Belgium and Christiano Morgado of South Africa were both forced to retire during the finale.

The Max Junior category welcomed a most unexpected winner in Belgium’s Christian Van Balen. Unknown by most, Van Balen arrived in Salbris with just two titles in the Anvers karting championship under his belt. Scoring consistent finishes, and driving cautiously but aggressively on the slippery track, Van Balen caused a major surprise by finishing first in the pre-finale. Things turns out to be a little bit more difficult in the finale, but again Van Balen remained unbeatable and won ahead of Mats Van den Brand of Holland and Riccardo Auteri of Italy.

Stéphane Richelmi of Monaco finished fourth in the finale, missing third place by very little.

In the RM1 category, Christiano Morgano dominated the field. The winner of all qualifying heats and the pre-finale, Morgano also proved his talent in claiming first place in the finale. Dimitris Diatsidis of Greece and Burt Nartus of Belgium finished second and third respectively. Karline Stala of Latvia, Marcus Scheidegger of Portugal and Claudio Piazza-Musso of Sourth Africa also drove strong qualifying races but were not part of the leading pack in the finale.

A GOOD START FOR THE MOJO TYRE
Developed during the 2004 racing season, the Mojo karting tire had their first taste of competition this past weekend in Salbris. The new spec tire was fitted on all 116 karts and drivers ran both the slick and the wet tyres. The winner of the Rotax World Finals in 2004, Frenchman Benjamin Salvatore – who knows the Salbris circuit like the palm of his hand - commented the handling of the new Mojo tyres. “The slick tire is easy to use because it reacts very well to changes in air pressure,” he said. “It has a tendency to wear out quickly but it remains very consistent and fast. For that reason, you can push hard from the beginning to the end of the race without having to think too much about tire wear. It is consistent and easy to get to proper working temperature. I really enjoyed it. The rain tire behaves slightly differently. It is a little more difficult to understand at first but it evacuates water very well which limits the risks of aquaplaning. It is very safe to race.”

FUN TIMES
The entire organization is very pleased with this hotly disputed opening race. The attitude of the drivers and the team managers proved that competitive racing can also be enjoyable,” said Roland Geidel, series’ promoter and organizer. “The Salbris karting club gave us a very warm welcome. It explains why this track hosts so many international competitions.”

NEXT ROUND
The second round of the ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE will be held May 26 to 29
on PF-International’s karting facility in Great Britain.

Results
Max Junior Engine/Tire/Chassis
1 -Van Balen Christian Belgium Rotax/ Mojo/ Gillard
2 -Van den Brand Mats Holland Rotax/ Mojo/ Alpha Liberty
3 -Auteri Riccardo Marino Italy Rotax/ Mojo/ Corse

Max senior Engine/Tire/Chassis
1 -Oman Tristram Great Britain Rotax/ Mojo/ CRG
2 -Orr Wesleigh South Africa Rotax/ Mojo/ CRG
3 -Ribero Tiago Portugal Rotax/ Mojo/ CRG

RM1 Engine/Tire/Chassis
1 -Morgado Cristiano South Africa Rotax/Mojo/RM1
2 -Diatsidis Dimitris Greece Rotax/Mojo/RM1
3 -Nartus Burt Belgium Rotax/Mojo/RM1

2005 race schedule
ROTAX MOJO MAX EURO CHALLENGE
March 25-27: Salbris (France) www.sologne-karting.com
May 26-29: PF-International, Brandon (U.K.) www.tvkc-pfi.co.uk
July 29-31: A1 Speedworld-Pachfurth (Austria) www.a1speedworld.com
September 16-18: Genk (Belgium) www.kartinggenk.be

THE RED BULL DRIVER SEARCH KICKS OFF WITH OPEN QUALIFYING
New York City, New York — The 2005 Red Bull Driver Search, which aims to discover the next American Formula 1 World Champion, gets underway this week, 1 April. The Program provides an unparalleled opportunity for young aspirants to race their way up to Formula 1, starting at their local karting facility. The first phase of the 2005 Program, Open Qualifying, will be hosted by over 60 indoor and outdoor karting centers nationwide throughout the month of April ending on 1 May. Drivers aged 13-17 are eligible to participate.

Contact information for each track can be found at www.redbulldriversearch.com

The Open Qualifying Locations are:
Speedway Raceway—Phoenix, AZ
F1 Race Factory—Phoenix, AZ
Go-Kart Racer—Burlingame, CA
K1 Speed—Carlsbad, CA
Miramar Speed Circuit—San Diego, CA
Dromo 1—Orange, CA
Moran Raceway—Beaumont, CA
Adams Kart Tack—Riverside, CA
Race Place Motorsports—Sacramento, CA
Lemans Karting—Fremont, CA
IMI Motorsports Complex—Dacono, CO
Denver Indoor Kart Racing—Denver, CO
Kart Trak Indoor—Windsor Locks, CT
Tampa Bay Grand Prix—St. Petersburg, FL
Megaracing—Miami, FL
Speed Indoor Racing—Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Andretti Speed Lab—Roswell, GA
Iowa International Raceway/Jet Karting—Marshalltown, IA
Formula Fun—Cedar Rapids, IA
Excellerator's—Ames, IA
F1 Indoor Karting—Bettendorf, IA
Sprockets Karting Center—Clive, IA
Fast Lane Indoor Kart Racing—Boise, ID
SuperKart—Boise, ID
Chicago Indoor Racing—Buffalo Grove, IL
Competition Racing—Lawrenceburg, IN
MRP of South Bend—South Bend, IN
New Castle Motorsports Park—New Castle, IN
Fastimes Indoor Karting—Indianapolis, IN
Sadlers Indoor Racing—Olathe, KS
Racing America—Foxboro, MA
F1 Boston—Braintree, MA
Maine Indoor Karting—Scarborough, ME
Kart2Kart—Sterling Heights, MI
ProKart Indoors—Burnsville, MN
ProKart Indoors—Maple Grove, MN
Raceway Park—Englishtown, NJ
Fastlap—Las Vegas, NV
Batavia Motorsports Park—Batavia, NY
MPN Racing, Inc d/b/a Go-Karts Long Island—East Meadow, NY
Speeds—Columbus, OH
Southern Oregon Karters—White City, OR
SyKart—Tigard, OR
Pats Acres Racing Complex—Canby, OR
Southern Oregon Karters—Medford, OR
Beaverun Motorsports Complex—Wampum, PA
Flags and Wheels Indoor Racing—Rapid City, SD
Track 21—Houston, TX
MRP of Austin at Iron Rock Raceway—Austin, TX
Fastkart Speedway—Salt Lake City, UT
Speed Street—Layton, UT
All Sports GP—Dulles, VA
Plantation Valley Kart Track @VIR—Alton, VA
American Indoor Karting—Portsmouth, VA
G-Force Karts—Richmond, VA
Fastkart Speedway—Spokane, WA
IndyKart—Kennewick, WA
HotTrack—Vancouver, WA
Karttrak Indoor Raceway—Mount Vernon, WA
Traxx Indoor Raceway—Mukilteo, WA
Sykart—Tukwila, WA
Champs Karting—Seattle, WA
Champs Karting—Redmond, WA
Champs Karting—Bothell, WA

Now in its fourth year, the Red Bull Driver Search aims to discover and support talented young racing drivers. The long-term goal is to have a steady group of three to six American drivers, racing on the Red Bull Junior Team in Europe, groomed to break into Formula 1 and compete for the World Championship.

For more information, see www.redbulldriversearch.com and www.redbull-juniorteam.com.

TOO YOUNG FOR A DRIVER’S LICENSE -PERFECT TO RACE THE WORLD’S FASTEST CARS
Austin, Texas — This weekend, aspiring racecar drivers from all over Central Texas will gather at Iron Rock Raceway to prove they’ve got the right stuff to become the next American Formula One champion. Many of these drivers won’t even be old enough to get a driver’s license.

Every weekend in April, racers aged 13 to 17 will compete in the Red Bull Driver Search, a national competition that will ultimately take America’s best - and youngest - drivers to train at tracks around the nation and the world, including Portugal and Austria. Last year, 13-year-old John Edwards from Arkansas took the title.

The Red Bull Driver Search program was launched in 2002 to address the lack of American presence at the pinnacle of motor racing: the Formula 1 World Championship. Participants compete in racing karts at facilities around the U.S. Red Bull wants to sponsor a steady group of four to six American drivers racing in Europe, groomed to break into Formula 1 and compete for the Championship.

But why so young? And why karts?

“During the teenaged years, senses and reflexes are at their best,” said Graham Peace of MRP-Austin, which maintains Iron Rock Raceway’s sales, service, rental and corporate services. “The best race drivers around the globe tend to start training very young.”

Peace went on to say that karts like many of those used at Iron Rock Raceway are what professional drivers use to keep sharp. “Our 125cc shifter karts with the Birel competition chassis can go 0 to 90 in five seconds,” he said. “A driver who truly masters these machines can step straight up to Formula racing.”

Driver Search entries will compete in karts capable of 50 mph. Each Saturday and Sunday, the three drivers with the fastest times will be qualified to participate in Open Qualifying on Saturday, April 30 at Iron Rock. The three fastest drivers that day will proceed to Run Offs in Sonoma, California.

Interested drivers should call MRP of Austin at Iron Rock Raceway at 512-530-7226 to make an appointment to participate in April’s qualifying rounds.

Located at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, Iron Rock Raceway is one of the nation’s first country clubs devoted primarily to kart racing. MRP of Austin is the largest importer of Birel chassis and Freeline accessories in North America with over 40 dealers throughout the United States. For more information on Iron Rock Raceway or MRP of Austin, call 512/530-RACE (7223) or visit www.ironrockraceway.com or www.mrpofaustin.com.

THE SEMINAR YOU SHOULD ATTEND IF YOU ARE PLANNING AN INDOOR KARTING FACILITY
Chicago, Illinois — Foundations Entertainment University is a seminar program all people planning to enter the indoor karting industry should attend. It presents a detailed curriculum covering food services, financing, coin operated games and redemption, indoor and outdoor attractions, point of sales systems, staff training, security, children’s and family entertainment venues and a variety of related subjects.

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because it isn’t a seminar on indoor kart racing, that it doesn’t have a wealth of extremely pertinent information that the indoor karting industry does not offer in any format at this time, said Peter Olesen of Peter F. Olesen & Associates, Mount Prospect, Illinois. “The program covers the essentials of establishing and maintaining viable and profitable operations. The information presented covers many of the same issues every start-up indoor karting facility faces.”

Olesen continued, “While some people in the indoor kart racing industry think their problems and solutions are unique, they are not. Anyone establishing a new venture wants to be successful. They must remember ‘Build it and they will come’ worked in the movie, but only because it was written into the script. Real life offers harsh lessons to those who ignore sound advance information. ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail.’ This is an important thing to remember. Today’s market place presents many options to visiting your place of business; therefore you need to be prepared. This seminar will provide you with much information you would not find elsewhere.”

“As a consultant in the industry, I encourage my clients to attend FEU,” Olesen reiterated. “There is no better program available for people in the family entertainment industry or indoor kart racing industry. My clients stand to gain information during this seminar that I could never provide them, thus making their potential for success even greater. “No consultant walks on water unless it’s mighty cold.” With the cross section of presenters at the seminar, each attendee will be exposed to a wealth of pertinent information, regardless of the business profile you ultimately develop for your personal venture.”

FEU will not write your business plan or create construction drawings for your building and attractions. What it will do, is to provide strong thought provoking information gained by five “experts” in the field of family entertainment with a combined experience totaling more than 100 years in the family entertainment industry as designers, vendors, financial planning, training and operations. The five speakers at the 3-day program are all involved in the Family Entertainment industry in one way or another. They are: Randy White, Frank Seninsky, Jerry Merola, Alan Fluke and Peter Olesen. (See the website for individual credentials.)

This is not the seminar you may attend at an industry trade show. Each attendee gets to attend all sessions. There are no simultaneous presentations that require one to pick or choose. As the program is presented by individuals with varying exposure to the industry, some discussions may become lively when there are opposing viewpoints. Time is given to question and answer sessions to enable attendees to obtain responses to their specific concerns.

In addition to the seminar presentations, there are evening workshops where attendees can have their plans critiqued, work on networking and related issues. One evening is devoted to visiting an operating family entertainment facility to view and discuss the approaches, as well as experiencing the interaction between staff and guests.

Each attendee receives a 400-page manual containing much of what is presented during the seminar sessions as well as supplemental information, which may not be presented due to time constraints.

The format used is done so to encourage and foster networking among attendees, sponsors and presenters, as everyone will be having meals together and attending the evening sessions.

An added feature of the seminar is the opportunity for the attendees to hear the program’s Elite Sponsors give five-minute presentations pertaining to their own products. They are also available for networking during break periods, meal times and later.

The seminar is offered in different locations in order to permit more people with an opportunity to attend one of the two remaining sessions: April 26-28, 2005, Chicago, Illinois or July 19-21, 2005, Kansas City, Missouri. Check out the complete program on their website at www.foundationsuniversity.com.

CHEVRON CANADA COMES ON BOARD AS A 2005 ROK CUP SERIES SPONSOR
Vancouver, B.C.— Genesis Racing Products, organizers of the Western Canada ROK CUP are pleased to announce that Chevron Canada had joined the series as an official sponsor for the 2005 racing season. The new racing series is attracting competitors from three provinces including British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan and promises to be one of the most exciting karting series in Canada this year.

Chevron has been BC’s leading manufacturer and marketer of high quality gasoline for over 70 years. “Chevron is proud to associate itself with the kart racing community through the 2005 ROK CUP,” said Ray Lord, Community Affairs Manager for Chevron Canada. Ray went on to say that, “ROK CUP competitors have found that Chevron Supreme 94 with Techron performs extremely well in the VORTEX ROK kart engine, and it will be great to see that performance advantage out on the race track.”

Steve Rickman of Genesis Racing expressed his excitement with the Chevron sponsorship by commenting, “We are very proud of this inaugural ROK Cup series - especially with corporate partners involved like Chevron. Participation by such a well known partner will help our sport receive more exposure, and our participants will benefit from other incentives and prizes from Chevron that will add even more value to the ROK Cup experience.” Steve added, “We have a great group of partners for 2005 including CRG, Sparco, Vortex, and Vega Tires and we are looking forward to other sponsors joining in this thrilling, challenging, yet economical karting series.”

The nine event, 2005 ROK CUP series in B.C. will be staged at the CART BC karting facility located in Chilliwack B.C. The series has already attracted many talented drivers from prominent teams including, Genesis Racing, R3 Racing, Orlado Racing, K&M Motorsports, and Stratotech Racing to name just a few. Other local ROK Cup events will get underway in April at tracks all across Western Canada where “Rokkers” will compete for the ultimate prize of an all-expense-paid trip to race in Barcelona, Spain at the CIK/FIA Approved ROK CUP World Final. The winner of the International ROK final will also be awarded additional prizes making this the richest TAG series in Western Canada.

For more information on the Rok Cup or for Sponsorship inquires please contact Steve Rickman at Genesis Racing Tel (604) 420 1160 or visit www.genesisracing.com

AMUSEMENT PARK AND ATTRACTIONS INDUSTRY TO CONVERGE AT LARGEST ASIAN TRADESHOW: IAAPA ASIAN EXPO 2005 IN HONG KONG
Alexandria, Virginia — The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) will bring the best of the amusement and attractions industry to Asia for the 13th Annual IAAPA Asian Expo, July 12-15, 2004 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

As Asia’s largest amusement and attraction-based show, the IAAPA Asian Expo will host more than 120 world-class exhibitors. Products and services displayed will include safety and design consultants, rides, games, play equipment, admissions and ticketing systems, costumes, IMAX films, and water shows. The trade show will utilize more than 2,700 net square meters of exhibit space, and IAAPA officials expect more than 3,000 attendees.

Among the educational and training programs that IAAPA will offer are the IAAPA Asian Attractions Management School and a Seminars Program for amusement and attraction industry CEOs. Program topics will include: operations management, working in the Asian market, guest services, brand development and getting the most for your research dollars. This year, the Expo has also added an IAAPA Asian Attractions Management School in Mandarin Chinese focusing on marketing, facility operations and human resources management.

“We strive to consistently offer innovative programs and educational opportunities for the benefit of our colleagues doing business in the industry,” said IAAPA President J. Clark Robinson. “Traveling to Hong Kong for this year’s Expo is an excellent way to continue offering our exhibitors and buyers new locales in the Asian market to explore the industry’s growing businesses and trends.”

The expo will also give attendees the opportunity to go behind the scenes at Ocean Park, Asia’s seventh largest amusement park.

As one of amusement industry’s prime markets, Asia is home to five of the 10 most visited amusement parks in the world. Asia attracts more than 68 million visitors annually to its largest parks. Hong Kong is one of Asia’s prominent centers of commerce, with an economy highly reliant on international trade and a gross domestic product of $212.2 billion. Previous Asian expos have included visitors from more than 40 different countries.

IAAPA expos continue to provide the finest opportunities in the industry for buyers and sellers to meet and do business. At previous Asian shows, over half of the attendees were Owners, Directors or Senior Managers of businesses, and over 85% of buyer attendees are those who influence purchases.

“IAAPA is proud of the success we have had around the world in planning and operating a number of the industry’s best tradeshows,” Robinson remarked. “We look forward to bringing that winning combination of smart show planning, great exhibits, timely educational content, and strategic promotion to Hong Kong.”

For more information about the IAAPA Asian Expo, contact the IAAPA Exhibitions, Convention, and Meetings Services department at +1 703/836-4800 or go online to www.iaapaasianexpo.com. For more information about IAAPA and the industry, visit www.iaapa.org.

IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities worldwide. The organization represents over 5,000 facility, supplier, and individual members from more than 85 countries. IAAPA strives to help members improve their safety, efficiency, marketing, and profitability while maintaining the highest possible professional standards in the industry. www.ticketforfun.com

END

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