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FYI
08-28-2000

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR CLOSES KART TRACK

Chicago, Illinois - August 25, 2000. Pursuant to the Illinois Carnival and Amusement Rides Safety Act, the Illinois Department of Labor’s Chief Inspector, Carl Kimble, has ordered the closing of the go-kart track at 17000 S. Cicero Avenue, Tinley Park, Illinois.

The Illinois Deportment of Labor (IDOL) received complaints about safety issues regarding the Tinley Park track. The Department had made previous attempts to investigate these claims but were unsuccessful because the track was not operating during normal business hours. Acting upon a tip, the Department went by the go kart track Thursday evening August 24th around 10:00 PM and found the track operating. At that time, Mr. Kimble conducted a safety inspection and found violations to warrant the closing of the track and issued a “stop operation” order. A copy of the order was given to Cook County (Illinois) Sheriff’s personnel who were present. IDOL Director Robert M. Healey said, “ The track will remain closed until the necessary repairs have been made and the Department re-inspects the track and approves the repairs.”

In addition to the “stop operation” order issued to the Tinley Park operation, the owner, Opussum Grape, Inc., is currently under investigation by the IDOL for failure to report personal injuries at the 5 other tracks which it operates within the Chicagoland area. This includes the failure to report an incident on June 30, 2000 that resulted in a fatality at a go-kart track located in Palatine, Illinois.

RACER INJURED IN NON-KARTING INCIDENT

David Dodson, of Dodson Engineering, San Bernardino, California was injured in a non-karting related accident on August 20, when he fell breaking his neck. Doctors at the Loma Linda University Medical Center told his family that he should be either paralyzed or dead. “Thanks to extensive surgery as well as the grace of God, he was able to come home Friday with the ability to walk”, said his father, Danny. He continued, “Words cannot express my current emotions.”

David has been racing karts for 10 years and is well know around the California circuit. He was also the first United States Junior to compete in the FIA/CIK Junior World Karting Championships and Tom Argy Jr’s TEAM-USA program in 1994.

David could face up to a year of rehabilitation, however due to his age and great physical condition, it could be sooner. You may send you well wishes to David at dodsoneng@earthlnk.net .

FEEL THE NEED FOR INDOOR SPEED

Victory Lane Indoor Karting Center is now open in Charlotte, North Carolina at the intersection of I-85 and I-77. Designed by Robert McGuffey of Indianapolis, Indiana-based Entertainment Architecture, the 92,000 square foot facility features an exciting 400 foot long tri-oval and a challenging 1,200 foot long road race circuit. The track runs the FKP Revolution karts and has a computerized AMB lap timing system.

Corporate and team events can be hosted in a 100 seat banquet room and the viewing and games lobby is designed with the look of a race shop. The facility was developed by Lance Norick, driver of #90 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Victory Lane Indoor Karting Center was recently featured on the “Inside Winston Cup Racing” show.

The center offers racing with professional drivers on Tuesday evenings and guests can win trophies and prizes in both oval and road racing series leagues. For more information: 704-373-9740 or www.VictoryLaneKarting.com .

ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT HAS 2nd ANGIOPLASTY

John Nuttall, President of the Raceway Kart Association, Lisle, Illinois, was hospitalized this week for a heart-related condition. After evaluation, it was determined that he have another angioplasty, to remedy the problem, the 2nd in 7 years. Nuttall, the director of the Burris Circle Tour in the Midwest, was home on Wednesday following the operation and was out and about Thursday. He plans to attend the NASCAR truck event at Chicago Motor Speedway, Cicero, Illinois on Sunday. Nuttall has been involved in kart racing for years conducting karting events in Joliet, Illinois and at the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin track. He, along with wife Sue and son Reid, also produce two swap events in the Chicago metropolitan area.

ADVANSTAR TO BE PURCHASED

Advanstar and Advanstar Communications, Cleveland, Ohio and owners of the Indianapolis-based (Motorcycle) Dealer Expo and many other shows and publications will be acquired by DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, for more than $900 million (US$) in cash and securities, according to EXPOweb News. “This is a great deal for us,” said Robert Krakoff, Chairman and CEO of Advanstar, “DLJ has much more to offer in terms of the capital the bank could commit to us to further our growth.” The next Dealer Expo will be held on February 17-19, 2001 at the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome. For information call 800-556-3369. EXPOweb News can be found at www.expoweb.com .

FKP IS ON TRACK!

Indoor karting in the USA is flourishing according to Peter Bekkers of FKP (Fun Kart Products) based in Delray Beach, Florida. They have been extremely busy this year and have opened indoor race tracks in Portland, Oregon; Columbus, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; and four tracks in the Seattle, Washington-area. They have plans to open additional facilities in Atlanta, Georgia; Detroit, Michigan; Vancouver B.C. Canada; Dallas and Houston Texas; San Francisco, California; and Washington DC. For more information: www.fkp.cnchost.com .

LAWN AND GARDEN EXPO CHANGES SHOW DAYS

The International Lawn, Garden and Power Equipment Expo (Expo 2001), Louisville, Kentucky has announced it has changed its show days to a Friday/Saturday/Sunday exposition from its former Saturday/Sunday/Monday format. This change should afford exhibitors more business on the last day of the expo, which has usually been the slowest day for the show. The new dates are July 20-22, 2001.

Expo management announced that the 2000 show had 20,923 visitors with representation from 41 countries. The indoor exhibits numbered 561 and 149 companies had outdoor exhibits. FYI - The show is where the fun kart industry traditionally exhibits their products and has their annual meeting. For more information on Expo 2001, see its web site at: http://expo.mow.org .

END
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