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FYI
05-04-2001

SKUSA CRACKS DOWN ON CONDUCT ISSUES

Jacksonville, Florida – Superkarts! USA has revoked the license and privileges of SP driver number 46o, Trevor McAlister due to his inexcusable, inflammatory, threatening and unprofessional conduct following the conclusion of the SKUSA ProMoto Round #1 at Jacksonville, Florida.

SKUSA stated that it will not tolerate such conduct. McAlister will be barred from all SKUSA sanctioned events both as a competitor and as a spectator.

SKUSA considers it unfortunate that this action was required but feels that there was no other option, given the nature of the offense. SKUSA officials say that the incident will not be discussed further, nor will any appeal be considered.

STATEMENT REGARDING THE McALISTER BAN

Dublin, Ohio – In the interest of providing the SKUSA membership, sponsors and supporters with information regarding the McAlister situation, SKUSA feels the need to clarify some of the facts in this situation.

The decision to take a “no discussion” position on the McAlister issue was an attempt to shield Mr. McAlister from additional negative reflections on his character. That reluctance is no less of a concern at this point, but SKUSA has decided that some background information and subsequent investigations make further statements necessary.

Tire Investigation

The distribution of competition tires began on Wednesday and was all but complete by 5:00 PM Thursday. A Bridgestone tire representative presented tires to each competitor in exchange for a tire voucher. The tires are distributed from factory-sealed cases. The competitor then presented the eight tires to SKUSA officials for identification marking. Since the packaging and label for the tire in question were not retained, Bridgestone and SKUSA were not able to determine if the tire was correctly packaged. However, Bridgestone does feel that it is extremely rare but possible that a YEQ tire could have been mis-marked as a YGB at the Bridgestone factory.

In the short existence of the ProMoto Tour, over 10,000 tires have been distributed to competitors. This is the first time a mis-marked tire has been brought to SKUSA’s attention. In discussions with Bridgestone Motorcycle and Kart Tire import management earlier this week, SKUSA has learned that this sort of situation is very, very rare, but not unheard of. In the same conversation, SKUSA learned that Bridgestone/Firestone has reviewed the situation and intends to prepare a letter of apology to McAlister and send him two sets of tires as a good will gesture.

Events leading to the disciplinary action of Trevor McAlister
Well after the conclusion of the final event (of the ProMoto event in Jacksonville, Florida), Mr. McAlister approached Mr. Murley (President of SKUSA) with a concern over a tire. Murley went to McAlister’s pit space to look at the tire in question. To aid in the investigation of how such a mistake could have happened, Murley asked McAlister to remove the tire and wheel from the kart so that it could be taken to the Bridgestone tire representative. Upon returning to the operations trailer, Murley had a brief discussion with the tire representative. Murley learned that this sort of thing has happened but is extremely rare. Murley felt the situation needed to be discussed with Bridgestone management so the tire was placed in the SKUSA operations area.

Murley then proceeded to attend one of several meeting scheduled for that evening and was unable to return to McAlister’s pit area to report his findings and the intention to pursue the matter with upper Bridgestone management. The tire and wheel were locked in the operations trailer.

Later that evening during dinner at a local restaurant, staff members advised Murley that shortly after his departure, McAlister had been looking for him. After being informed that Murley had left, McAlister became highly agitated and started screaming loud, foul remarks about finding him and doing harm to him. These threats were taken very seriously. McAlister then proceeded to ride a bicycle through the pit area screaming the foulest expletives and continuing his threats toward Mr. Murley.

McAlister then appeared at the restaurant in a no less agitated state. McAlister invited Murley outside to discuss the problem. In an effort to diffuse the situation, Murley tried to get McAlister to move to a less populated area of the restaurant so that they may be able to discuss the situation and to advise McAlister of his investigation. McAlister refused to listen nor would he engage Murley in dialog. Rather he continued to yell threats, use extremely foul language and demanded that Murley immediately reimburse him for all his costs of the ProMoto weekend. Murley tried to explain to McAlister that if he had brought the time mistake to the attention of any of the SKUSA officials, they would have held the race start so that SKUSA could correct the mistake. President Murley tried to explain that it was very difficult to correct the problem after the event. McAlister would listen to none of it and continued to make threats to destroy SKUSA and Mr. Murley in the foulest language.

Mr. Murley expresses his regret for leaving the event facility for dinner before resolving the issue of McAlister’s wheel and tire. However, the tire issue is not the basis of the penalty, the manner in which McAlister reacted to the tire issue is the root of the problem. Such behavior by competitors cannot be tolerated. The officials of SKUSA cannot be threatened with bodily harm either at the track or off. SKUSA officials must not fear retaliation by every disgruntled competitor regardless of where they are. The competitors, particularly SuperPro drivers, are role models for younger drivers and fans. It is a responsibility they must take very seriously. If this were an isolated incident, the penalty may not have been so severe. However, McAlister exhibited a pattern of behavior, the entire race weekend that SKUSA feels is detrimental to the sport and cannot be tolerated.

Editorial note: It is our obligation to print karting news as it is released. However, to be fair in this unusual situation, Trevor McAlister’s comments and reaction to the SKUSA Press Release statements and banishment are available on the web at eKartingnews.com.

MORE UK MOTORSPORTS ALLOWED AS FOOT AND MOUTH RETREATS

Great Britain – With recent outbreaks of Foot & Mouth Disease almost entirely confined to the three most heavily infected areas (Devon, Wales/West Midlands and North England/Scottish Borders), Motor Sport Association (MSA) has decided to simplify its restrictions and allow some additional events.

In line with current information available from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), MSA has classified all parts of the country as either “Infected Areas” or “Non-infected Areas”.

In any “Infected area” (and in any National Park), MSA policy remains unchanged. Permits will be issued only for events taking place wholly within permanent venues (including races, hill climbs, sprints, rallycross, single venues rallies, etc.) and for autotests on asphalt surfaces in urban areas or at licensed motorsport venues.

In any “Non-infected area”, however almost any event (including all those allowed in Infected Areas) will now be authorized on condition that National Farmers; Union and MAFF guidance is sought and implemented; that it does not take place on agricultural land where livestock is or has been kept; and that written permission is obtained from the landowner.

MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton said, “We continue to adapt our policy in light of the latest Government advice and the fact that so many infected areas have recently been removed. By taking every precaution, we believe that our new policy will permit a significant number of additional events to take place without serious risk of spreading the infection.

MG TIRES CHAMPIONSHIP ENDURO SERIES OPENS AT NASHVILLE

by Joe Brittin

Gladeville, Tennessee – The MG Tires Championship Enduro Series kicked off its 2001 season at the Nashville Super Speedway on April 20-21. This event was the first road race ever held at the brand new speedway, which just opened the weekend prior for a NASCAR Busch Grand National series oval race. Nearly 300 entries showed up to check out the new facility and they were treated to mild weather and many amenities at this new venue.

The $125 million facility, which is located about 30-miles east of Nashville, is quite impressive with a massive infrastructure put in place by the state including multi-lane highways to reach the facility. The track is situated on 4,000 acres, of which 1,000 are dedicated to parking. In addition to the 1.33-mile concrete oval and 1.5-mile road course, a dirt oval, a 5/8-mile-paved oval and a drag strip are under construction. A 50,000-seat tower/grandstand is in place, with room for many more seats to be added. One garage with 64 stalls is in place, which the kart racers used, and plans call for another garage of the same size to be built. The infield has a large care center, press building and even a 100 pad camper area with plug-ins for motorhomes. There is a tunnel to the infield large enough to serve 18-wheel transporters. The facility could rival Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina when completed.

The road course configuration is about 1.5 miles in length and utilizes the oval’s front and back straight-aways, although karts mostly stayed on the apron through the front tri-oval. The infield portion of the course is very tight and many karts found their way onto the red Tennessee dirt, kicking up dirt and gravel when they returned. This kept the corner workers busy between races, sweeping off the track. Unfortunately, there is a little too much fencing near the infield portions of the course which had some drivers a little spooked. The red flag was only waved twice for drivers who found their way into the barriers. Unfortunately, one driver suffered a concussion in the Jr. Sportsman class.

The inaugural SSC Shifter Kart Pro Series event was held in conjunction with the CES program. The International Racing Association (IRA) sanctioned event offers a percentage-based payback of entry fees and a year-end payback based on points. The top five are eligible for payback at each event. The series runs MG Yellow spec tires that are available for purchase at each event.

The next stop for the series will be at Blackhawk Farms in Rockton, Illinois on May 11-13.

Article Courtesy: The Inside Track

END

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