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FYI
07-22-2001

BRIGGS & STRATTON MOTORPLEX COMPLETED

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – The Briggs and Stratton Motorplex paving was completed on July 16 and will host its first kart event, a Midwest Sprint Series divisional race on September 1-2 (U.S. Labor Day Weekend), according to George Bruggenthies, president and general manager. The 8/10th-mile road course is located within the Carousel, north of the new Carousel Campground, which will serve as a paddock area for the new kart track. The event is expected to draw more than 200 karts.

“We’ve been held up a bit because of the weather,” said Bruggenthies. “The wet spring and early summer made it impossible to finish paving the Briggs & Stratton track until yesterday. The new track will be ready for competitors once the asphalt cures.” Work will continue on landscaping and support building for the next year.

Road America built the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex in response to the growing number of kart racers and the emphasis that sanctioning bodies now are placing on the value of learning to race at an early age.

The Briggs & Stratton Motorplex was designed to be the most up-to-date facility of its kind in the Western Hemisphere,” said Dan Wilson, of Briggs and Stratton Motorsports. “Briggs & Stratton is the global leader in the production of single cylinder and V-twin racing engines for a wide variety of vehicles – including racing karts, Jr. dragsters, half-scale sprint cars, Legends and motorcycles. Road America is the perfect setting for this motorplex and the perfect place to use our engines.”

“In many ways learning to race is just like training for the Olympics," said Bruggenthies. “The earlier children learn principles of racing, the better race car driver they are as adults. “We see two important trends: the increasing popularity of racing and the awareness that racing provides great product visibility. Because Road America is rented every day from April to early November, we felt we simply had to build another first-class racing facility best suited to racing karts and driving schools.”

The new Briggs & Stratton Motorplex features a 1/8-mile drag strip ND A 1/5-mile asphalt oval plus several road racing configurations.

ALL “REV’D UP”

Machesney Park, Illinois – “Rev’d Up” is the name given to the new indoor kart track complex being designed by the Landis Corporation. The entertainment complex is scheduled to open on November 1 in the northern Illinois community near Rockford.

The facility will include two indoor race tracks and will feature electric race karts with speeds up to 40-MPH. The complex will also include an arcade, batting cages, golf simulator, meeting space and a food court. The location, an 8-acre tract and 68,000 square foot building, was previously occupied by Logli Grocery. The total project is said to have a cost of $3.5 million.

Local community leaders are thrilled with the concept and that an old, unused building is being re-cycled into a family fun center. Landis Corporation expects 500,000 people during the first year which will create a small economic boom to the local economy.

Next spring on the site, the Landis Corp. plans to build an outdoor 18-hole miniature golf course and possibly an outdoor concession track. “Rev’d Up” is located at the corner of Harlem Road and North Second Street in Machesney Park.

TORONTO HAT TRICK

Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Former kart champion and Lynx Racing driver David Rutledge, 23, of Vancouver, B.C. scored something of a hat trick with his third from-the-pole victory of the 2001 CART Toyota Atlantic season on the tricky Exhibition Place street course at the Molson Indy Toronto. He became the third Lynx driver to win the Atlantic race at Toronto, including Patrick Carpentier in 1996 and Memo Gidley in 1997 – again, both karters!

Rutledge smashed the existing lap record by 4/10ths of a second to take the pole, led all 35 laps around the 1.755-mile course and finished 3.697 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Hoover Orsi.

Rutledge started off the season with a win from the pole through the streets of Long Beach, California and dominated the Atlantic race in front of the Formula One crowd in Montreal. This brings to four his number of career Atlantic victories (he won Montreal in 2000), and moves him to the lead of the championship points battle with 94. Brazilian Hoover Orsi is in second with 90 points.

“I found it best today to challenge the track and keep up a good race pace,” said Rutledge, who is the third straight Canadian driver to win in Toronto. “Hoover (Orsi) really pushed me on the re-starts, but the Lynx team gave me a great car and it was our day. I wouldn’t say it was easy because a lot of work goes into making it look easy, but there was no major drama and the win feels appropriate.”

The next stop for the Lynx Racing team in Chicago and the Target Grand Prix.

IAAPA ORLANDO 2001: THE SHOW YOU NEVER OUTGROW

Alexandria, Virginia – Ever wonder where amusement parks find their pulse pounding new rides, taste tempting treats and eye-catching novelties? Or where these parks and attractions go for the newest and most sophisticated systems for light, sound, ticketing, security and excitement? Do you think FUN has any limits? To find the answers to these questions and many more, join the more than 30,000 amusement industry personnel at IAAPA Orlando 2001 and find only the best, brightest and newest ideas for the upcoming season.

The IAAPA Orlando 2001 Annual Convention and Trade Show, presented by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) will be held November 10-17, 2001 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, USA – and every element of fun will be on display! From cutting-edge technology to the most thrilling rides, IAAPA Orlando 2001 is the largest show for the amusement industry and is the place where amusement facilities go to keep the fun fresh and to separate the winners from the washouts!

IAAPA Orlando 2001 is a learning laboratory – the place to see, feel and experience everything that is new and exciting. With 635,000 net square feet of exhibit space on its show floor, attendees will find only the best and most innovative ideas and products representing every facet of the amusement industry. More than 1,300 companies from more than 100 countries will descend upon Orlando, and pack the convention center. Owners and operators of amusement parks, waterparks, family entertainment center, outdoor and indoor kart tracks, zoos, aquariums and all types of leisure and entertainment attractions will witness the largest showcase of current industry trends in the world.

The exhibition is just one part of IAAPA Orlando 2001. With more than 50 skill-building seminars and workshops, attendees at this year’s conference will learn how to recruit and retain employees, identify and attract new markets, and apply the latest advances in financial management and safety. Networking and idea sharing opportunities with other facility owners, operators and managers will also take place during open information exchanges, special receptions and fun-filled events hosted by local attractions. Back by popular demand, IAAPA’s Attractions Management School is returning, providing in-depth seminars and programs for industry personnel from all types of facilities. Selected workshops will be simultaneously translated into Spanish. All convention workshops and the Attractions Management School are open to IAAPA members and are free to the media and members who have paid the conference and exhibition fee.

For more information about the IAAPA Orlando 2001, log-on to www.iaapa.org.

END

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