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FYI
08-28-04

ROTAX RACERS AND OFFICIALS PREP FOR THE 2004 US ROTAX GRAND NATIONALS.

Palm Springs, California — The highly successful 2003 event held in Denton, Texas has everyone looking forward to the 2004 edition in Las Vegas. No other location is like Las Vegas for a National Event, and this years Rotax Grand National promises to be worthy of the billing. The prize at the end of the event is a trip to the Rotax World Finals to be held in the Canary Islands in January 2005 for 5 US Racers. One hundred sixty two racers showed up in Texas last year, setting a new record for a Rotax Grand Nationals. This year Rotax officials are anticipating this record to not only be broken, but to be shattered. Early entries are already close to the 100 mark and many series have not even finished, so the top qualifiers are not even determined yet. From each of the 25 RMax Challenge Series in the US, the top 5 qualifiers in each class will have their entry fee covered by Red Bull as part of the company’s sponsorship for the US Rotax Grand Nationals. This in itself is a first by any major National Event in the US. Additional sponsorships will reduce the cost of tires, fuel and oil for all participants in this year’s event. Racers can qualify for this 2004 Grand Nationals one of two ways. By finishing in the Top 5 of their class in their home series they are automatically in. The second qualifier is to run a minimum of 4 RMax Challenge Series Races during the 2004 season.

Five classes are part of the US Rotax Series. All Classes use the same basic FR 125 engine package with minor differences allowing a young racer to start at an early age and only have to make minor changes to the motor as they move thru the class structure all the way to the senior classes. The only exception to this is the new RM 1, 2 Speed Shifter Package. This is a spec chassis and motor package with a 34 hp version of the FR 125, called the DD 2.

A total of 10 racers from this year’s event will be rewarded with trips to the Rotax World Finals. While this is called the US Grand Nationals, racers will also be attending from Mexico and Costa Rico. The programs in these countries are under the banner of US Rotax Importer SSC Racing and run with the US program: Five racers from the United States, 2 International, 2 RM-1, and 1 Junior drivers; Three from Mexico, 1 International, 1 RM-1, and 1 Junior; and from Costa Rico, 1 International and 1 Junior, all will attend the Canary Island Rotax World Finals.

The outline for 2004 will have arrival, registration, and scrutineering on Wednesday.

Thursday practice will start at 8:00AM and run until 5:00PM. Ten minute practice sessions will be by class with each class broken into groups. A Thursday evening Driver Recognition Party will be held at 7:00PM at the Silverton Hotel, where 2004 awards will be presented.

Friday Morning will have 1 short practice session and 1 longer session, with qualifying sessions in the afternoon. After qualifying, we will present complimentary refreshments and have a band playing, courtesy of F&L Fuels.

Saturday will be a series of heats to determine Pre-Final and LCQ line ups for Sunday morning.

Sunday will bring the Last Chance Races for the Junior, Masters and International classes. The LCQ races will round out the Pre-Final Lineups. Pre-Finals will end the morning program. Following lunch, a Drivers Presentation Parade will precede the Final events. Winners will be crowned at the podium presentations following each Final.

Because of time limitations the Mini Max and RM 1 classes will be capped at 34 entries with only 24 from the Pre-Finals of each class going to the Final event.

Rotax follows the CIK format with Parc FerMe where each competitor’s tires and fuel are stored. Under this concept all tires and fuel are purchased at the event and never leave the control of event officials until the event is finished.

ITALIAN MOTORS CAPTURES MULTIPLE VICTORIES @ CANADIAN NATIONAL'S
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada — On a soggy weekend in British Columbia, the ASN Canadian National Championships were held at the CARTBC track in Chilliwack.

During Friday ICC qualifying, Italian Motors' drivers occupied the top three rows in the 25-kart field. Jordy Vorrath (Italkart/TM/MG) shattered the track record turning 48.418, nearly 4 tenths of a second faster than his track record set two weeks ago at the Stars event. A tenth behind was Dane Cameron (Italkart/TM/Vega) followed by Tyler Dueck (Italkart/TM/MG), James Mugge (Italkart/TM/MG), Brett Blankers (Italkart/TM/MG) and Jake Thompson (Italkart/TM/VEGA).

The ICC main was the last race of the weekend and was a classic by any standard. Americans Seth Ingham and James Mugge were on the front row, with Canadian Don McGregor starting third. McGregor had made an impressive jump from 15th to third in the pre-final and sat behind the two American drivers who hoped to poach a win on the Canadian’s home ground.

Ingham had walked Saturday’s pre-final in the rain, yet he was soon overwhelmed in the final, which was in the dry. Mugge led early and was chased relentlessly by Italian Motors’ Jake Thompson. Another American, Dane Cameron, trailed in third while Jordy Vorrath worked his way up from dead last (broken spindle in the pre-final) to join the leading trio. The stage was set for the final laps.

Thompson finally made a move and took Mugge way deep into Turn 1, and Jake made it stick. While Jake was congratulating himself, Dane had also gone by Mugge and now, two turns later, cunningly stuck it down the inside of Thompson as the IM pair entered Turn 3. It was a well-executed, opportunistic move from the young American. But Jake would not be denied. He came right back and demoted Dane into second while Vorrath got past Mugge to make it an Italian Motors 1-2-3 at the stripe.

Daniel Jenn, Colby's brother, in his second JICA race, started from the pole in the final, after winning the pre-final. Jenn would go on to place third in the final.

In other action, Tyler Dueck sped to the pole in ICA, breaking the existing track record by over 4 tenths of a second. To say the least, it was more than impressive to see Dueck lay down such a quick time. In the final, Vorrath claimed the ICA title in a class in which he has already captured the Stars of Karting Western Championship. Teammate Tyler Dueck had a chain failure while running in second and Colby Jenn came from the back of the field to place 4th after failing to finish the prefinal.

The Parilla Leopard class was added to the 2004 Canadian National schedule. It was a great battle between James Cox and eventual winner Wayne Enright.

In Jr. Honda, Derek Michaud came from last to place third in the 18-kart field aboard his Italkart Quattro chassis. It was an impressive drive for the rookie driver.

FORMER FIRST KART PILOT SECURES ZETEC CHAMPIONSHIP
Guelph, Ontario, Canada — Former First Kart North America pilot Bobby Wilson went on to win the Cooper Tires Zetec Championship by scoring two podium finishes in last weekend’s season finale at the Road America race course in Elkhart Lake, WI. Wilson, who is a Minneapolis, MN resident, scored a second place result in Saturday’s contest while he walked away with the win on Sunday to secure the biggest championship in his motorsports career.

Wilson raced with the First Kart squad and scored the 2003 ICC title in the Stars of Karting Championship Series, along with the $25,000 Jim Trueman Scholarship Award. Wilson won several pro karting events that year including the Windsor Grand Prix and his most sought after prize, the Rock Island Grand Prix Championship Rock.

First Kart North America president Tony Ventresca along with his ’03 tuner Terry Ventresca and shop staff Mike Maurini and Trevor Daley would like to congratulate Wilson on his championship and wish the talented driver the best of luck in his racing career. Wilson was also excited to receive a congratulatory hug from First Kart Factory President Gianni Bianchi who was on hand to watch the dominating Sunday drive. Bianchi thinks very highly of Bobby and has been following his career since the duo met back in early ’02.

Wilson, who is considered to be one of the best karters of all time, has been in constant communication with his old team. “Bobby has been on the phone with us at the shop several times throughout the season. He would call after races and explain results or on testing weekends he would let us know what was happening,” explained team boss Tony Ventresca. “At last word he was exploring options for the 2005 racing season and we would like to wish him the best and thank him for the First Kart memories.”

For more information on the First Kart North America, product sales, the race team and exciting dealership opportunities including information on how to get into kart racing please contact First Kart President Tony Ventresca at 519-824-4343 or visit them online at www.firstkart.com.

NINE MORE MAKE THE CUT AS THE RED BULL DRIVER SEARCH MOVES TO SEMI FINAL
Sonoma, California — Nine drivers have emerged from the Red Bull Driver Search West Coast Run-Off at Infineon Karting Center to be invited to the Semi Final, where they will endeavor to race their way to a place on the Red Bull Junior Team. The nine racers will join the six East Coast drivers who were selected earlier this month in Boston, as well as the ten ‘scouted’ drivers who were chosen by a team of expert ‘undercover’ racing experts last week.

The 109 drivers who participated utilized equally prepared Rotax RM-1 Superkarts, providing the Formula 1 aspirants with a fast baseline. The SSC Racing crew kept the karts properly weighted, allowing the karters to compete on an equal basis irrespective of their size.

Some of the drivers, such as Alan Sciuto, have already begun to make a name for themselves in karting, while for others, getting to the Semi Final is what they hope to be their first step towards making their own name in the sport, and eventually seeing it on the side of a Formula 1 car.

The West Coast winners are:
Alan Sciuto – 16 – Orange, CA
Jonathan Beason – 16 – Broken Arrow, OK
Sean Mataya – 17 - Vancouver, WA
Royce Henry – 17 – El Cojen, CA
Cole Whitt – 13 - Alpine, CA
Cole Nelson – 16 - Atwater, CA
J.R. Hilderbrand – 16 – Sausalito, CA
Lindsey King – 15 - Cherry Valley, CA
Eddie Caballero – 16 – San Jose, CA

The winners from this event will move forward to the Semi Final at Sebring International Raceway, where they will once again have to prove they have what it takes to make it to the top. Sebring takes them one step closer to a Red Bull Racing scholarship and a spot on the Red Bull Junior Team, representing America in Junior Formulae, in Europe or the US.

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.

FALL LINEUP FOR ‘ENDURANCE KARTING’
North Carolina — This Fall will be an exciting time for Endurance Karting according to its President Johan Ch. Schwartz. The following is a list of upcoming events:

Lime Rock Park (Lime Rock, Conn.): Sept & Oct
Labor Day Fun! Spend the holiday weekend racing and watching the racing. While Vintage Festival is on the big track at Lime Rock Park, Endurance Karting will be using the upper autocross for a race school Friday and 1.5 hour races on Saturday (8 am and 11:30 am races) and Monday (8 am race).

The final four races of the year are showing strong participation, with just at few openings for the six- hour race Saturday, Sept. 11 and the four-hour race Sept. 17. Please call to check on availability for the Sept. 18 and Oct. 16 six-hour races.

Englishtown Speedway (Englishtown, N.J.): Oct 8 - 9
Englishtown is another new addition to the schedule, and the challenging track really gives drivers every opportunity to prove their skill. It will be a great chance for the Northeast teams to race on a challenging new track. There will be a four-hour race Friday, Oct. 8, and a six hour race Saturday, Oct. 9.

Xplex Race Park (Las Vegas, NV): Oct 22 - 23
Return to Vegas! It seems to be the right time of year and the right place. With our Friday Race School already 50% full, the weekend is off to a great start. Saturday October 23 is a six hour race and Sunday October 24 will be a four hour race.

Lowe's Motor Speedway (Charlotte, N.C.): Nov 14 - 16
Our final race at Charlotte in 2004 is a participant favorite. If the number of teams that participated last fall is any indication, this should be a fun race. If you are looking for a new track on which to race and have not been to Lowe's Motor Speedway, this track is a must.

Jerry Nadeau will instruct again in the school Nov. 12. It has been proven before that drivers who listen to him will be fast. A six-hour race will be held Saturday, Nov. 13, and a three-hour race will occur Sunday, Nov. 14.

A very strong Portuguese team has indicated it will participate at Charlotte, with many famous drivers trying to return the win to Portugal after the team's victory in Las Vegas. Team Portugal's drivers are yet to be announced.

Moroso (West Palm Beach, Fla.): Dec 3 - 4
We will head to Moroso's (West Palm Beach) new kart track the first weekend of December. Moroso is a very smooth and challenging track that promises a lot of good competition.

The challenges of the track and the nice weather in the South during that time should allow a perfect opportunity to race this new venue. We already have teams registered from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.

This will be their final race of the 2004 season. For more info, e-mail to raceinfo@endurancekarting.com or see their website at www.endurancekarting.com. Phone 704-655-8329.

ROCK ISLAND GRAND PRIX UPDATE
Rock Island, Illinois — Roger Ruthhart, spokesperson for the upcoming Rock Island Grand Prix said today, “There are a couple of important issues we want to update competitors on
regarding the upcoming Rock Island Grand Prix, Sept. 4-5, 2004 in Rock Island, Illinois. They are as follows:”

The Intercontinental A class at this year's event has been cancelled due to lack of registration.

The RIGP is excited to announce an additional contingency program provided by Klein Tools. Klein will donate a 10-pack of hand cleaners to all participating drivers at this year's Rock Island Grand Prix. The top 5 finishers in each class will also receive commemorative Michael Andretti Lineman Pliers ($28 retail). The RIGP would like to thank Klein Tools for their generous participation in this year's event.

TAG Tires: It has been confirmed by Dave Larson, TAG USA, that the Vega Blue SL5 and the Continental CAB tires, have been approved by TAG USA. They will therefore be legal at this year's Rock Island Grand Prix.

TAG Weights: There have been some questions regarding weights for TAG motors. In a call last night with both Marty Casey of SKUSA and Dave Larson of TAG USA, I was assured that the weights currently listed on the www.tagracing.net website are the weights that are currently approved by both organizations.

Weights for TAG Senior and Masters are: Rotax 355/385; BM Jaguar 360/390; Leopard 360/390; Easykart/IAME 370/400; Comer 375/405; Sonik VX 375/405; Biland 375/405; Vortex Rok 360/390; Italsistem 375/405; Motori Seven 375/405.

Parking for those arriving during the day Friday, will be provided at the Quad City Expo Center located 4 blocks east of the track. You will be able to drop your trailer and the area will be monitored. We also hope to have transportation available to registration at the Four Points Hotel. All drivers are asked to register before they pit Friday night. You will need your Technical Passport, which you receive when you sign in, before you can go through pre-race tech.

Don't forget to stick around Sunday night for our special Awards Ceremony sponsored by John Deere at Comedy Sportz. The comedy troupe will entertain until tech is completed and checks signed. In full classes, all nine drivers will be brought on stage to receive their checks and be given the opportunity to thank those who have helped make their racing careers successful. Winners will also receive their "Rock." Seating is limited, so winners should plan to get there early.

Ruthhart reiterated that, “We already have a strong increase in entries over 2003, even with one less class, so you can imagine there will be a lot of full fields. If you haven't already registered, please remember that race weekend signups are $100 more than advance signups. We appreciate your cooperation and patience in helping make this year's race run as smoothly as possible.”

For more information on the event, see www.rockislandgrandprix.com or click onto the RIGP logo on the left hand side of this website.

END

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