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FYI
05-09-04

KELLY BOLTZ APPOINTED GM OF SSC SOUTHWEST DISTRIBUTION CENTER.

Palm Springs, California — SSC Racing announced today that Kelly Boltz, a founding member of the SSC team, has been named General Manager of SSC's Southwest Distribution Center. For the past eight years Kelly has gained experience managing just about every department at SSC. Most recently Kelly has been the Rotax Product Manager, and has helped establish Rotax as the fastest growing race kart series in America. Boltz will now be responsible for all day-to-day operations of SSC Racing SW, Karbz, Inc's. largest distributor, out of their 42,000 square foot location in Palm Springs CA.

"Kelly's performance and dedication, along with his experience in our operation - from warehousing to shipping and receiving, to account sales, race team support and our hugely successful Rotax program, make him the ideal candidate to take over the reigns of our major distribution center," explained Joe Ramos, President of KARBZ, Inc., the parent
company of SSC Racing distribution. "Kelly's responsibilities will include managing all Southwest dealer services, racing, marketing, accounting and leading a well-seasoned team of employees that provide the best service in the business. KARBZ Inc. took big steps this year establishing multiple distribution centers in strategic locations throughout the
US and Mexico, such as Boston, Seattle, Miami, Palm Springs and is soon to finalize its Midwest distribution Center", explained Ramos. "In addition, SSC products are well covered through out Latin America with two Master Distributors operating in Monterrey and Guadalajara, Mexico. Kelly Boltz as GM will allow me to dedicate my time and energy to our Master Distribution Centers. Our distribution network and new partners are key to our overall growth strategy," states Ramos. "Karbz, Inc. will take advantage of the expanding race kart market by providing higher levels of service to dealers all over North and Central America."

Additional duties for Ramos will be brand management of Karbz, Inc. exclusive brands - including CRG Chassis and race engines, PTK Paul Tracy Signature Kart line, Rotax spec engines, RM-1 Superkarts and the R- Max Challenge series, Gearbox Racewear and MoGo Kart Part and accessories. Ramos will also become more involved with the management of Karbz, Inc.'s XPLEXlasvegas.com kart track, considered one of America's premier race venues.

In typical Boltz fashion, Kelly who's a man of few words at times says only, "I'm going to give it my best shot!" All who know and deal with Kelly are aware that he has earned his stripes and that SSC SW is in good hands. Way to go Kelly!

Overall, the new distribution alignment and management structure will facilitate the planned growth of Karbz, Inc. karting businesses in North and Central America. "We are convinced karting will continue its strong growth for many years to come and we want to be in position to take advantage of this continued growth " said Ramos.

For more information, or simply to congratulate Kelly, you can contact him at 760-864-1320, ext. 20, or e-mail him at kboltz@sscracing.com.

STARS MOVES EVENT TO CARSON CITY
Hilliard, Ohio — The Snap-on Stars of Karting announced today that the second event to run in the Western series that was originally set to be in Reno has moved to Carson City, just 30 minutes away. Although it was never officially announced, it was speculated that the event would be taking place at the Reno Hilton Casino. Stars, in fact had an agreement to
run at this facility, but unfortunately, there was a double booking with a long-standing exhibitor at the Hilton. The amount of space both activities needed, made it impossible to run as we had planned. Snap-on Stars does have an agreement with them for next year for the first weekend of June and will be on the 2005 schedule.

The facility we are moving to is right off the same highway 395, it has excellent visibility and a beautiful surrounding. There is plenty of space, and it is a quality surface. A map to the facility and a diagram of the tentative layout will be available soon. The track dimensions expected will be .65 miles in length, and have a 720' straight. There will be plenty of width throughout the course. We will be using the same materials we would have used for the Hilton venue.

Stars personnel have been working for a long time to find a quality replacement to the original venue. Unfortunately, there are no other safe venues within Reno's City limits. There are light poles, speed bumps, and overall safety concerns with every possible option. It was important for us to keep the same weekend and not move the date of this scheduled event. It has taken us some time to come up with this quality replacement, and it takes a lot of time to work through the bureaucracy of staging an event such as this within a cities limits. We apologize for the time to make this official announcement, but we had to make sure that all bases were covered.

Stars of Karting partner, EZ Event Rooms, have procured logging accommodations at the host hotel, The Atlantis Casino Resort. $299.00 will get you three nights at one of Reno's premier establishments. Check in Thursday or Friday, same rate. Download the EZ Event Rooms PDF from the Snap-On Stars of Karting web site. www.starsofkarting.com

For those of you that have already made reservations, nothing needs to change. The arrival/departure Airport is still Reno, and the majority of the Reno the hotels are just 1/2 hour away from this new location, which is a pretty common distance to drive at most of our events.

Photos of the racing area will be available on the Stars site, www.starsofkarting.com.

STARS PREVIEW 2004 CRYSTAL AWARDS
Hilliard, Ohio — The Snap-on Stars of Karting have entered into a new cooperative agreement with a supplier of unique crystal trophies for the 2004 race season. These gorgeous pieces of art are stunning, and will add to the beauty of any trophy room.

The Snap-On Stars of Karting 2004 awards are made of crystal, and have a 3-D diagram of a kart embedded into the center of the material. Each award will have the entire event information exclusive to that race, driver's class, as well as their finishing position. A specialty trophy will be designed for the year-end awards, and will feature a design never before seen. A photo of the Snap-On Stars of Karting new award can be seen on the Stars web site: www.starsofkarting.com.

At the Moran event, there were some last minute details that prevented the new awards from being shipped. Replacement trophies were arranged in short order, so that something was available at the track for distribution. Those trophies will be replaced with the new crystal ones at the Carson City event on June 4-6, or, the competitor can ask that we ship them their replacement award by contacting Donna at 614-777-2040.

Snap-On Stars of Karting is sanctioned by the World Karting Association (WKA), the largest sanctioning body of kart racing in the United States. WKA is a membership-owned, non-profit organization that regulates and promotes the sport of competitive WKA kart racing. WKA establishes the rules and procedures to set standards by which to sanction tracks and conduct annual championships for various types of WKA karting. For more information,
please visit www.worldkarting.com or contact WKA Headquarters at 704-455-1606.

WHAT IT MEANS TO WIN THE INDIANAPOLIS 500
Indianapolis, Indiana — Quotes from all living past winners of the Indianapolis 500 about what it means to win the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" (listed alphabetically by driver, followed by years of victory in parentheses):

MARIO ANDRETTI (1969): "Winning the Indy 500 changed my life. It created tremendous opportunities that I wouldn't have had at that stage of my career. It's the only single auto race in the world that is as valuable as winning a championship."

KENNY BRACK (1999): "After you've won the Indianapolis 500, it's very easy to explain to most people what you do and how accomplished you are.”I won the Indy 500' is all it takes. It's the world's biggest and most famous automobile competition and subsequently one of the biggest accomplishments a driver can achieve in automobile racing."

HELIO CASTRONEVES (2001, 2002): "It is very hard to describe in small sentences what it means to win the most incredible race in the world. I just feel I am a blessed person to be in this position."

EDDIE CHEEVER JR. (1998): "Winning at Indy was different. I had a lot of other responsibilities. Race car drivers are very irresponsible by nature. Their focus is their immediate surroundings, crew, etc. When I had the company and the other responsibilities, the win at Indy was a lot of relief. It solidified our position as a company in an American premier oval racing series."

GIL DE FERRAN (2003): "To win the Indianapolis 500 is the opportunity of a lifetime that etches your name in history with some of the greatest legends of racing. The minute you step foot on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you immediately feel that you have entered the Mecca of motorsports. As times goes by and your appreciation for the sport grows, so to does your understanding of the importance of winning the Indianapolis 500."

EMERSON FITTIPALDI (1989, 1993): "Historically, since the beginning of the century, last century, to now, there have been so many people sweating, performing, driving to the edge to win here, and different generations, different drivers and different nationalities. It was a fantastic feeling. I know I am a little part of this big historical place in motor racing in the world. I am very proud to be a little part of Indianapolis."

A.J. FOYT (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977): "Indianapolis is what made A.J. Foyt what he is today - the first time I qualified for the Indy 500; then to be the first man to win it four times and have Mr. (late Speedway owner Tony) Hulman ride around the track in the Pace Car with me after I won (in 1977). That was the only time he ever did that."

GORDON JOHNCOCK (1973, 1982): "It gives you a lot of notoriety. It helps you most of the time in business opportunities. People trust you. I'm in the lumber business, and I deal with people over the phone I wouldn't know if they walked in my living room. But they know I'm an Indy 500 winner, and they trust I will give them a fair deal. And with speeding tickets, sometimes it helps, and sometimes it doesn't. It helps in life. It's better to win Indianapolis than 40 or 50 other races."

PARNELLI JONES (1963): "It's meant everything, especially from where I came from. I came from the old jalopies to work my way up to become an Indy 500 winner. It was like any boy's dream. It gives you stature, puts you in a special class. You can go anywhere, and when they find out you're an Indy 500 winner they know you were one hell of a race driver."

BUDDY LAZIER (1996): "It's meant everything. I would say it's the reward for many years of hard work. For me, it's the ultimate goal in racing and a dream come true. It does a lot for your career. It legitimizes you as a race driver. Just to compete in the Indy 500 is meaningful. To win it only makes you want to win it again that much more because it so exhilarating and satisfying."

ARIE LUYENDYK (1990, 1997): "For me, really the Indy 500 was the ultimate race I could ever imagine winning. When I came to the United States, it was the only one I knew about. Winning the first one especially was just awesome. Basically, having won it, whatever achievements I have had, it was the one I was most proud of. To win a second then was my goal; it was such a great experience. A couple other times I got close (to three), but I'm not complaining."

RICK MEARS (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991): "It's meant so many things to life alone. Like I've always said, I never dreamed of driving in the Indy 500 let alone winning it. I guess, looking back, it kind of established my place in history. As I get a little older and wiser, it means more. Obviously, it makes life much, much easier. On the other hand, it makes life much, much tougher. It puts you in a group, a category with all other winners, and it's a phenomenal feeling. That race is such a labor-intense event. You work all year round to get ready for it. For me as a driver, it's a great payback for the team. It's a nice way to say thank you."

JUAN MONTOYA (2000): "Winning the Indy 500, winning the (CART) championship have been the biggest two goals I've done in my career, and I think it's something special. I think it's in my heart, and I've got great memories from that. People know what you are made of, basically."

BOBBY RAHAL (1986): "There is nothing in my racing career that replaces winning the Indy 500. The series championships were great, and the accomplishment felt tremendous. But wherever I go, I am listed as a champion of the Indianapolis 500. That title will always be with me. Around the world I have been introduced as an Indy 500 champion. Plus, winning the race the way we did and winning for Jim Trueman was very special."

JIM RATHMANN (1960): "I won a lot of big races, Monza, Daytona, Atlanta, but Indianapolis was the place every race driver wanted to win. I got so mad because I ended up second so many times (three). I went there in 1946, and I said I'd be back and win it. I never had an idea how I was going to get there. I got a Chevy dealership after I won, and GM made me quit racing. I didn't want to quit. I wanted to go on and on and on. I tell A.J. (Foyt) and those other guys they never would have won so many races if I had. It was exciting."

JOHNNY RUTHERFORD (1974, 1976, 1980): "I think winning the Indy 500 is a great sense of accomplishment, No. 1. To realize you are involved with people who want to win as badly as you do makes for a great kinship. To have it come together at Indy means a lot to all of the crew. To win once puts you in a special category. Winning it twice elevates that category, and winning it three times puts you in a greater status. I can only imagine what winning it four times means to A.J. (Foyt), Al (Unser) and Rick (Mears)."

TOM SNEVA (1983): "First of all, it just opened a lot of doors. Second, it brought a lot of relatives out of the closet I didn't know I had. It gave me a chance to meet a lot of brilliant people, and some not so brilliant but were interesting."

DANNY SULLIVAN (1985): "Winning the Indy 500 is the most important win in any race car driver's career. It is a title that goes with you for the rest of your life: Former winner of the Indy 500. I have won the Pocono 500 and the Michigan 500 and the national championship, and that is rarely mentioned. My life changed forever when I spun and won."

AL UNSER (1970, 1971, 1978, 1987): "It opens up your life. It gives you opportunities to face the world with your accomplishments in racing. Don't kid yourself, the more times you win it, the better it is. But even if you win only one time, you can say, 'I did it.' Every driver knows what the Indy 500 is, and it is the Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

AL UNSER JR. (1992, 1994): "Every race I run in is in preparation for the Indianapolis 500. Indy is the most important thing in my life. It is what I live for. If you win Indy, you're in elite company. Even if you win it once. Indy just has so much history and tradition. It's the most important race in the world."

BOBBY UNSER (1968, 1975, 1981): "We Unsers made Pikes Peak famous, but it was the Indianapolis 500 that made the Unsers famous. You don't know how hard it is to win that race once. I lost my brother Jerry there, and in my first two starts I only completed three laps. But I didn't give up and won it three times. And that was battling against Foyt, Andretti, Rutherford, my brother Al, Mears, Johncock. It was tough. Today, I'm still Bobby Unser, three-time Indy 500 winner. The world will always know me for that."

JACQUES VILLENEUVE (1995): "Winning was fantastic for my career and the main reason Frank Williams hired me after (for a Formula One ride)."

RODGER WARD (1959, 1962): "It's a great feeling to win that race. It's hard to describe. Winning that race (twice) was the greatest thing that happened to me in my life."

The 88th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 30.

TEAM FIRST KART ENTERS EVENT
Guelph, Ontario, Canada — First Kart North America (FKNA) is primed and ready to hit the track at the first round of the Stars of Karting Eastern Championship. Set to take place at the BeaveRun Motorsports Complex over the May 7-9 weekend, competing teams will get to see the new First Kart squad and their drivers as they hit the track Friday morning.

“This squad represents the future stars of shifterkart racing,” stated Ventresca. “We have put together a team to build off last year’s success as a whole and have hired some great personnel to help get them there.”

Leading the First Kart North America race team into BeaveRun is recent race winner Darin Marcus and newly signed Formula C Columbia National Champion Santiago Atusta. Marcus, who is coming off a SuperPro victory in Jacksonville, will look to continue with the momentum from the biggest win of his karting career. Confident in his equipment and himself, the Northbrook, IL resident will provide leadership to the young First Kart squad as they look to climb to the top of the podium in each class. Atusta is one of two new team drivers and 2003’s Columbian National Champion. This 18-year-old driver brings an impressive resume to the team with several race wins and major championships throughout his racing years. 17-year-old Nick Maddison from Calgary, AB, will also make the trek to Pennsylvania. Look for these drivers to be at the front of the pack in the elite ICC division.

The second new team member also comes from Columbia. 12-year-old National Champion in JICA will look to make his presence known in North American motorsports. Gustavo Yacaman, with support from IAME Parilla engines, will look to fight for the race win in at BeaveRun. Both Atusta and Yacaman also receive support from Goodyear tires.

First Kart North America brings one 80cc junior driver to Pennsylvania to kick off the East coast championship. Returning to the stable for 2004 is the up and coming shifterkart star Mike Vincec. The sophomore Vincec, who competed in several national events in his rookie season, will look to continue momentum from strong finishes earlier in the year in World Karting Association events.

First Kart North America drivers will look to make an immediate impact in the first round of the Stars of Karting Championship. Already on the point in the ICC class in the other North American Pro Tour, First Kart North America will look to lead both series as they enter the heart of the racing season. Later on in the year, drivers will benefit from the Ocala Gran Prix grounds that will serve as the teams test facility 365 days a year.

Look for exciting post race coverage and press releases to see where your favorite driver finished. Interested parties can view the Stars of Karting website at www.starsofkarting.com for up-to-date schedules, race results, point standings and press releases.

STARS ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL CONTINGENCY PRIZES
Hilliard, Ohio — The Snap-on Stars of Karting announced today added contingency prizes for the winners of all Stars National classes running Bridgestone tires. For each event day, Stars is awarding a voucher for a set of Bridgestone tires, and also 5 gallons of VP Fuel/appropriate supply of VP oil to the winners of these classes.

"We are always looking to add more rewards to the series, and every time we do it's a step forward for our program," said Paul Zalud, of Snap-On Stars of Karting. "Some programs are going to be bigger than others, but it all adds up. Giving something back to the competitors is a top priority for Stars, and we are working hard on additional programs. We are expecting a substantial announcement in the very near future, adding to what we believe to be a good foundation to build from."

The winning competitors will be presented a certificate on the podium; redeemable for their tire voucher and fuel for the next Snap-On Stars of Karting event they participate in. Though officially starting this weekend at the opening round of the East's nation series, at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex, the winners from Moran Raceway will not be excluded. The new Stars of Karting tire voucher/fuel contingency program is retro active, and the winners from Moran Raceway will be able to redeem their certificates at the up coming Carson City event scheduled for June 4th-6th.

END

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