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Kart Expo International
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 FYI
05-16-04
    F1 RACE FACTORY PRESENTS: “QUATTRO” – 4 HOUR ENDURANCE RACE.
    Phoenix, Arizona — F1 Race Factory, the World’s Largest Indoor Kart Racing and Entertainment Venue is pleased to announce it’s second Feature Race of the year. Held at F1 Race Factory on June 12/13 2004, “QUATTRO-The Race”, is a 4 hour Endurance Race and Motorsports Event celebrating the 24 Hours of LeMans. The main event starts at 9:00pm and finishes at 1:00am the following day. 24 Teams will be competing on F1’s half-mile Indoor track. QUATTRO is the longest endurance race to date and will certainly test the limits of the driver’s stamina as well as their race strategy. This is a unique Motorsports event in the valley – it is real racing, real fast and real long!

    Each team will have a minimum of three drivers and a maximum of four. Rules are standard racing regulations and two refueling stops are required. On average, the leading drivers would have covered well over 100 INDOOR MILES when the checkered flag drops! (Phoenix-Tucson = 115 miles, Phoenix- Prescott = 100miles, Phoenix to the California border…..127 miles!!)

    The QUATTRO Support Race is a 20 minute RED BULL DRIVER SEARCH Grand Finale Race. The F1 Race Factory is participating in Danny Sullivan’s Red Bull Search for the Next American Formula One Driver all season – and this is their chance to show off their skills in front of the media and endurance racers. All Red Bull Driver Search racers are between the ages of 13 and 17.

    F1 Race Factory uses Bowman karts powered by HONDA engines. All karts are fitted with YOKOHAMA tires and use CASTROL lubricants and CHATTERBOX radio communications. F1’s partners include ROCKFORD FOSGATE, AZBOnLine, ADG/VIP and the National Auto Sport Association. To find out more about F1 Race Factory, please visit www.F1RaceFactory.com
     
     

    GOLD STAR RACING RE-AIRING
    Concord, North Carolina — Remember WKA’s Fauci's and the Hoppers? They're back... Gold Star Racing is re-airing all three episodes during the month of May on the Discovery Channel. Starting Friday, May 14th at 8:00 pm, Episode 2 will air, involving the Hopper's in Clearwater, Florida at their local track.

    Again, please email any comments you have regarding Gold Star Racing to your_comments@discovery.com. This is an excellent opportunity to keep karting on television. Below is a listing of dates and times specific episodes will air, as well as, episode descriptions to refresh your memory. 

    May 14th - 8:00pm
    Episode 2

    May 16th - 11:00am
    Episode 1

    May 21st - 8:00pm & 11:00pm
    Episode 3

    May 23rd - 11:00am
    Episode 2

    May 30th - 11:00am
    Episode 3

    Hour One
    We travel to Rochester to get to know the Faucis in their home environment while they prepare for a hotly contested race on their local track. Kaytlyn, a fierce competitor on the track, emerges as a sweet-natured All-American 10-year-old girl with a soft spot for her little brother. Mikie, as it turns out, is enormously motivated for an 8-year-old boy. While other boys are playing video games and watching cartoons, Mikie is honing his driving skills and tactics. Mike and Rhonda face a tough choice as the final races approaches: to race or not to race, after Kaity and Mikie have already claimed their club championships through accrued points.

    We then follow our characters as they converge on BeaveRun racetrack near Pittsburgh, PA for a highly competitive national series. The weeks of preparation come to bear as they do their best to get to the front of the pack. Adding to the drama, Mother Nature joins the fray when a violent line of thunderstorms crosses the track, wreaking havoc on the racing teams' moist careful preparations. Then, in an unexpected twist, Mikie Fauci gets spun off the track by none other than Westley Hopper. All this depicted by POV cameras placed on the Karts and drivers.

    Hour Two
    We go to Clearwater, FL, where we meet the Happy Hoppers as they prepare for a divisional race on their local track. We see dad Kiven making his living driving a high-powered speedboat while towing tourists dangling from parachutes a few hundred feet above the Gulf of Mexico. His wife Tami, with her long blonde braid brushing against her knees, keeps up the pace running errands to prepare for their sons Westley and Austin's races. When the whole family climbs into their luxurious RV to head for the race, the fun ends and the competition heats up. To their local competitors, the Happy Hoppers are adversaries along the path to fame and fortune.

    Hour Three
    The families we've come to know and love meet again at the biggest race of the year – the WKA Horstman Gold Cup Grand National event at Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. All the best racers are there, some of whom we meet as they go head-to-head with the Faucis and Hoppers. We'll have POV cameras and helmet cams equipped for sound mounted on all the key karts as they tear around the track. All the action will culminate with drama of winning and losing, the dashed hopes and realized dreams, and, above all, the hard earned-lessons of life in the fast lane.

    Check local listings for exact times and channel in your area.
     
     

    IAAPA'S VIDONI HONORED BY TRADESHOW WEEK AS ONE OF "TOP 25" TRADESHOW MANAGERS
    Alexandria, Virginia — Diane Vidoni, IAAPA's Manager of Convention and Tradeshow Operations, has been named one of the Top 25 Association Tradeshow Managers by Tradeshow Week magazine, IAAPA announced today. Tradeshow Week honored Vidoni in their May 10, 2004 issue for her contributions to IAAPA and the meetings and conventions industry.

    "IAAPA congratulates Diane on this recognition," said IAAPA President Clark Robinson. "We are proud of our tradeshows and we thank Diane for continually striving to enhance the experience for exhibitors and attendees."

    Vidoni's responsibilities at IAAPA include managing show contractors, transportation, safety, insurance, pre-show exhibitor relations, shipping, and logistics. She is also a key member of the team that plans the IAAPA Asian Expo, the largest amusement industry tradeshow in Asia. 

    With more than a decade of experience in the convention, exhibition planning and hospitality industries, Vidoni joined IAAPA in 2001. She previously worked for The Motley Fool as exhibits manager and for National Trade Productions. She holds a bachelor's degree from Duquesne University with a concentration in marketing and international business.

    "I enjoy working with the IAAPA conventions team to plan some of the most fun and successful tradeshows in the entire world," said Vidoni. "I truly love my job, and am honored that Tradeshow Week chose me and IAAPA for this honor."

    The IAAPA Orlando Annual Convention and Tradeshow is one of the largest tradeshows in North America and the largest amusement and attractions industry convention in the world. IAAPA also owns the IAAPA Asian Expo and co-owns the Euro Amusement Show, the largest amusement industry shows in Asia and Europe.

    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 efficiency, marketing, safety, and profitability while maintaining the highest possible
    professional standards in the industry. See www.iaapa.org for more info.
     
     

    VINCEC ENDURES TOUGH LUCK AT BEAVERUN
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada — Stouffville, Ontario resident Michael Vincec recently completed the Stars of Karting Eastern Championship event at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex this past weekend in Wampum, PA. The 13-year-old seventh grade St. Mark’s School student showed the speed to run at the front of the pack only to have a podium finish taken away two laps from the end.

    Saturday
    The first round of the East Championship Series did not go as planned for the young Canadian pilot as he had a disastrous qualifying session on Saturday morning. As the session came to a close, Vincec found himself deep in the twenty-two kart field in fourteenth position with a lap time of 58.702. More than 1.5 seconds off the pole position, Vincec knew that he would be in for a tough battle.

    In the heat race that would set the grid for the final, Vincec never even finished one circuit of the beautiful BeaveRun course. A mechanical failure with a fuel line fitting forced his heat race to end early and Vincec would have it tough coming from the back of the pack.

    Starting the final from the tail of the field, the calm and relaxed Vincec would use this on track session to test for the second event day on Sunday. Getting a great jump off the line, the 13-year-old vaulted several positions in the hunt to move through the field. Turning a fast race lap comparable to the leaders, Vincec sliced and diced his way to a top ten finish and garner some very important championship points. Improvement in that final session proved to be as much as a win for the BIG Racing team, as they would now turn and focus their attention towards Sunday’s event.

    Sunday
    After a long night of preparation on the number 05C First Kart, Vincec was ready to do battle once again at BeaveRun. Another tough qualifying session found the Canadian mired back in the 7th place, a position that Vincec was not accustomed to after several podium finishes earlier in the season.

    Always a better racer than qualifier, Vincec used his skills and abilities to move towards the front in the heat race. Another great launch off the line and some brave passes under braking saw the talented Canadian move into the top three and acquire a 3rd place starting position for the final.

    The green flag flew late on Sunday afternoon for the 80 Jr. final that saw the BIG Racing team have their best race of the weekend. After battling with the leaders in the opening stages, Vincec could not keep pace and settled into his third position. Hoping for a mistake by the front duo while continuing to run lap after lap, Vincec looked poised and ready for another podium finish. Entering the final two laps of the event Vincec went down the front straight away and entered his braking point. Downshifting and braking like normal, the future champion turned in and traveled through the corner. After hitting his marks, Vincec got back on the throttle only to find that the drive chain had been broken and there was no power to the rear axle. Pulling to the inside of the course, Vincec could only watch from the sidelines as his competitors streamed by. A heart breaking defeat for the second year shifterkart pilot as a podium finish was definitely in the works.

    “I am extremely frustrated and disappointed with these mechanical difficulties,” explained Vincec. “However, I am looking forward to a better result for the upcoming event in Norway, IL.”

    The young Canadian is looking forward to the rest of the 2004 racing season and the opportunity to move up the motorsports ladder. Mike would like to thank Pilot Race Gear, First Kart North America, TXM Race Engines, www.godecalzone.com, and Tri-V Manufacturing for their continued support.

    Michael Vincec and his BIG Race Team’s next event will be this coming weekend at Trane Motor Speedway in Norway, IL. As part of the World Karting Association (WKA) Manufactures Cup series, Vincec will look to rebound from a tough weekend as well as move up in the championship standings where he currently sits in the fifth position.

    For more information and sponsorship opportunities on Michael Vincec and the BIG Racing Team, please contact Mary at 905-415-1311 or via e-mail at mary@mikev.ca or visit him online at www.mikev.ca. 
     
     

    SLICK SPEED SCORES WIN 
    New York City, New York — Seeds sown are beginning to bear fruit for the Red Bull Junior Team, as American talent, plucked from the States and placed in the cut-throat environs of European formula car racing, has begun to serve notice of their intention to see their names on the side of a Formula 1 car sometime soon. 

    A courageous and inspired tire selection saw Scott Speed win round two of the German Formula Renault Championship after starting the race on dry tires in wet conditions, as he mastered the changing conditions and powered to the lead, taking the checkered flag a staggering eight seconds ahead of second place at Oschersleben Motorpark. 

    Speed continues to repay the faith shown in him by Red Bull, and the win represents another milestone in Red Bull’s journey to find the next American Formula 1 star. Speed has shown his own faith, as he believes in his team nearly as much as he does himself.

    "I of course took some risk, starting with slicks – after all, it was raining!” said a smiling Speed. “But the brave ones are lucky too! The team did a great job after I crashed yesterday for me to even have a car on the grid, and of course the tire decision was brilliant!”

    The win capped an encouraging (up and down) weekend, which saw the entire Red Bull Junior Team showing well despite several “that’s racing” incidents.

    The first round of the weekend was filled with promise, as all three Americans qualified in the top ten for the first time this season although the race unfortunately ended up providing lessons learned rather than champagne spray. 

    Colin Fleming, fresh off of scoring a season-best second place at Magny Cours last weekend, netted second on the grid for the first race of the weekend and stormed to the lead in the early laps of the race before falling afoul of his own enthusiasm, going-off course and losing seventeen positions before battling back to finish 11th. 

    Speed, who scored a third place finish last weekend at Magny-Cours, also had a frustrating first race as he moved up to battle for second place before losing a sure podium spot when he went off track late in the race trying to overtake.

    It wasn’t all disappointment though, as Dominique Claessens scored his best finish of the season with a hard-fought fourth place finish.

    The 2004 Red Bull Driver Search program aims to discover and support the "diamond in the rough," lacking the knowledge and contacts needed to embark on a career in racing, as well as talented young drivers already in racing. The long-term goal is to have a steady group of three to six American drivers racing in Europe, groomed to break into Formula 1 and compete for the World Championship.

    Race One Results: 
    Dominique Claessens - 4th 
    Colin Fleming-11th
    Scott Speed-18th 

    Race Two: 
    Scott Speed– 1st 
    Colin Fleming- 10th 
    Dominique Claessens- 18th
     
     

    GOT NEWS?  SEND IT TO KARTING@MSN.COM. 
     
     

    END
     

Kart Marketing Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 101
Wheaton, IL 60189 USA
Telephone: 630-653-7368
Fax: 630-653-2637
Email: karting@msn.com

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