The first public showing of the kart was at the 2001 Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana last February. “Our desire is to turn the fun kart industry on its ear,” stated President/CEO Tim BenHarold. “With this design we’re halfway there.”

The new kart is the first to use KII’s safety gas cap system, which was developed by then-president Charles (Chuck) Brister, after learning about an accident in which a young woman was killed due to a fire as a result of a faulty gas cap. The new system is designed to shutdown an engine if the gasoline cap becomes dislodged or comes loose.  Other features include an electric-start motorcycle engine, transmission, rack and pinion steering, hydraulic brakes, front/rear suspension and much more. 

Production is scheduled to begin this month. The new kart will be on display at the Lawn, Garden and Power Equipment Expo 2001 in Louisville, Kentucky, July 20-22.
 

In addition to the administrative positions he has held in the motorsports industry, Carl has also been the owner, co-owner and driver for several drag race and land speed teams. Olson has earned many accomplishments during his career including the 1972 IHRA Top Fuel World Championship. In 1991, he was inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame, and in 1994, he became a member of the Bonneville 200 Mile-Per-Hour Club for land speed.

SFI is a non-profit organization established to issue and administer standards for all kinds of specialty/performance automotive and racing equipment. As Motorsports Manager, Olson is the SFI liaison for its 38 member sanctioning bodies worldwide, as well as contacting and recruiting new affiliates. Among Carl’s duties is managing and developing the SFI Technical Inspection Certification Programs and Incident Response Programs utilized by these racing organizations.

SFI is extremely proud to have Carl as its newest employee. His experience and professionalism will prove to be invaluable to SFI as they continue their mission of equally serving all aspects of the automotive aftermarket and motorsports industries.

For more information, see www.sfifoundation.com.
 

Geometrically similar to the Phoenix, the new SpyMax has one main idea behind its design – “Wider is better.”  The wide design of the SpyMAX is targeted towards creating chassis stability, as well as the accommodation of a larger seat. This is an added benefit for the guys or gals who have the drive to go fast, but simply can’t fit into other chassis. The new chassis is available now through KGB North America and its network of dealers. For more info go online to www.kgbusa.com. 
 

“So why am I shutting down this site?” Muller wrote. “First off, there’s a good chance that this site will remain online, but run by someone else. The Message Forums have become vary popular, with around 3000 people per day currently using them. I have spoken with a few people/organizations that are very interested in keeping this site online, and I will (be) posting information here as it becomes solid.” Muller continued, “ I WILL NOT shut down the Message Forums without extended notice – and it’s more likely that they will continue on indefinitely, but run by someone else.”

Why? “The simple fact is…” Muller continued, “I am tired of running the site. As most of you, that have participated in the Forums know, Sonny (Van Hook) and I run a fairly “tight ship”. We do not allow advertising, we do not allow solicitation and we don’t let flame wars get started… in short: we run the Forums different from any other forum or bulletin board related to karting. We have caught flack for this, and we have received praise for this. Regardless of how any of you personally feels on this matter, the fact is that the Forums keep growing. We remain firm in our approach because we both believe that this is the “correct” way to run online correspondence. This approach though, required constant effort. With around 1000 messaged per week going through the Forums, a constant “vigil” is required (and fortunately we have some excellent moderators who pick up some of the work). This continuos, never-ending efforts has taken its toll. The other thing that has distinguished this site from all the others are the Classified Ad pages. The ad pages are manually re-written by me 365 days a year. Why? The simple truth is that 95% of the submitted ads require re-writing. Spelling, formatting and grammatical errors abound and without manual intervention on my part, we would have Classified Ads that look…like everyone else’s.”

Muller went on to summarize his thoughts: “Sonny and I both need a break. Sonny has a very demanding job working for a high-tech company. On top of that, he is recently married and does not want to be committed to continual work on this web site or the Message Forums. I have been doing online correspondence for around 10 years. I need a break… I need a vacation… I need to concentrate more on my business (Muller Machine), and most of all, I’d like to come home for a night (or many nights) and not have to work on the site.”
 

The four-year Kulwicki Scholarship is the highest honor within UNC-Charlotte’s Motorsport Engineering Program. The scholarship is given in memory of the late NASCAR Winston Cup points champion Alan Kulwicki, who lost his life in a plane crash in 1992. Kulwicki was himself an engineer and a strong supporter of engineering and science.

A senior at Bershire High School in Chardon, Ohio, Marckese has been involved in motorsports since she was a toddler. “From the time I was able to walk, I have been around motorsports,” she said, “be it motorcycle racing, go-karts or late model stock cars. When I was younger, my Dad used to road race motorcycles and I was always with him at the track.”

“At the age of 10, my Dad bought my brother and I a kart, and I began racing 4-cycle go karts at the local race track. By the age of 12, I had moved up to a restricted 2-cycle, and by 15 I was competing with some of the top local drivers in the 2-cycle piston port class. I still occasionally race my kart, but much of my time is spent as a crew member on an Iceman SuperCar Series automobile.”

Marckese’s ultimate auto racing goal is to one-day work as an engineer and perhaps even drive for a NASCAR Winston Cup team. Her next step in reaching this goal is to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering through UNC-Charlotte’s Motorsports Engineering Program.

“Several years ago, I saw a special on “RPM Today” about the Kulwicki Scholarship and the motorsports engineering program,” Marckese said. “From that day forward, my personal goal was to work my hardest to win the scholarship my senior year.”

UNC-Charlotte chose Terra as the first female winner of the Kulwicki Scholarship based on her academic and racing careers. In addition to her accomplishment on the track, Marckese carries a 3.0 grade point average, is a member of several national honor societies, has been selected to “Who’s Who Among American High School Students, and has won varsity letters in track, volleyball and basketball.

Marckese hopes to make her mark as one of the first women on a Winston Cup team. “I enjoy doing something that gives me the opportunity to go out and show people that women can do just as well in a field dominated by men,” she said. “Racing is something that has always been there in my life, and always will be there. There’s a certain feeling that comes about when you go out there and your driver wins a race. You know your team has succeeded, and that all of the hard work and effort you have put forth into preparing the can has paid off.”
 

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