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28/04/2010 - GP DRIVER NEWS: AUSTIN SHIMMEL - SKUSA PRO TOUR SPRING NATIONAL REPORT

Coming off a solid 8th place performance at the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals XIII in November of 2009, Austin Schimmel (Colorado Springs, CO) arrived in Sonoma, CA looking to start the 2010 season on a high note. The beautiful Jim Russell Karting Center was host to the opening rounds of the 2010 SKUSA Pro Tour SpringNationals. The Pro Tour features an exciting three day format. One full practice day of six on-track sessions, followed by two complete and separate race days.

Schimmel drove his S5 (restricted stock moto) GP well through the Friday practice sessions, getting familiar with the track, and the changing conditions. He ended the day in P3, just four tenths off the top time. Saturday qualifying saw an electrifying battle for pole, with the top four karts covered by less than two tenths.
Austin’s best lap was only a tenth off pole and good for third. The top group settled into a rhythm for heats 1 and 2, with Schimmel coming home third in both sessions. In the 15 lap main event, Schimmel took over the second position for the first half of the race, but was overtaken, and came to the checkered flag in P3 once again.

Sunday was a new day and hopes were high in the Rocky Mountain Kartworks GP tent. Schimmel was again just a few tenths off the leader’s pace and qualified third with a 50.92 second lap. Heat 1 saw a steady effort to hold P3, but Heat 2 saw him slip one spot on the eighth and final lap due to developing brake issues. With those issues resolved, the main event turned into what is sure to be one of the most exciting S5 races of the year. The top 4 karts were never more than a second or two apart, swapping positions several times per lap for 15 laps. Schimmel closed in on the battle for the lead, holding P2 and was at the point just briefly. The shuffle on the final lap put him back in P3, with the podium finishers crossing the line less than three tenths apart. Closing the day with a fine effort, Austin could also claim the fast lap of 51.07 seconds.

Finishing the weekend out with two podiums was a great result for Schimmel and the Rocky Mountain Kartworks team. Currently second in season points, Schimmel will look to score well again at the SummerNationals in Shawano, WI.

Next up for Schimmel’s 2010 program is the first round of the new SKUSA Mountain Region’s season in Fountain, CO. The experience gained on yet another temporary circuit will surely benefit the young driver at SuperNationals XIV in November.

For more information and racing updates, please visit his fan page.


G.P. Racing s.r.l.
Gian Cavaciuti
+39 334 6111231
cavagp@gpracing.it

31/03/2010 - CONTRACTS SIGNED BETWEEN THE FIA AND PAROLIN

Jean Todt, President of the FIA, and Albino Parolin, President of Parolin Racing Kart Srl, signed on Thursday 25 March 2010 in Geneva the 3-year contracts determining, further to a tender procedure, the exclusive supply of the engines for the CIK-FIA “U18” Karting World Championship and of the complete ready-to-use karts for the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy.

The decision to designate the Parolin company as single-supplier of this equipment for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons has been taken by the World Motor Sport Council.

Issued with the initial aims of reducing competition costs and of ensuring the greatest possible opportunity of chances between competitors, the FIA’s invitations to tender have found their full significance in the present case as the Parolin company proposes the free disposal of its products to all the competitors entered in the CIK-FIA “U18” Karting World Championship and Academy Trophy!

«The FIA has placed amongst its priorities the resolute will to reduce costs related to the practice of motor sport, including at the highest level of its Championships, pointed out Jean Todt, President of the FIA. Karting is renowned for being the access way to motor sport and has a reputation of being a springboard to professional careers for young Drivers. It is therefore essential that its costs be strictly controlled. The offer from Parolin perfectly meets our concern.»

«More than any other form of motor sport, Karting must be affordable, simple and attractive because it is its grass roots and has training virtues, added Nicolas Deschaux, President of the CIK-FIA. With the CIK Commission, we are concerned about making it accessible to the largest number of people and enabling the most talented Drivers to attract attention without having to invest a fortune. Thanks to the free use of its engines for the “U18” World Championship and of its karts for the Academy, Parolin allows us to implement very high-level competitions at very attractive prices. For its part, the CIK-FIA stresses its will to promote young people, with specific races for 13-15 year-olds and for 15-18 year-olds, while supporting them with a novel education programme.»

«Our company, commented Albino Parolin, fully shares the groundbreaking concepts of this “U18” World Championship and of this Academy Trophy. Karting needed to refocus on its own roots and on the enhancement of up-and-coming Drivers, more than on unlimited technology which is necessarily costly. We are pleased to associate to the appealing project of the CIK-FIA our know-how, our experience and our philosophy for a very accessible Karting.»

23/03/2010 - Team Aluminos continues to be a consistent factor in the early months of the 2010 season.

In its third season, Team Aluminos has recorded strong results and strives to guide their drivers to the top of the charts. For a fourth straight event, Aluminos recorded at least one victory with S4 driver Jeff Smith scoring a win at this past weekend’s ProKart Challenge North Round 2 event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.
Smith’s weekend wasn’t a complete sweep like his round one victory. Aboard a new Mirage kart for the first time, prepped by the Aluminos staff, Smith was narrowly edged out for the top spot in the morning qualifying session.
Falling back to third on the opening lap of the first heat, Smith knifed his way to the point by lap three. Hounded through the remaining laps, Smith was able to post the fast lap of the heat to make some space before taking the checkered flag. With a better start from the pole in heat two, Smith was once again at the point, leading all eight laps while recording another fast lap for the win. With momentum on his side, Smith drove a smart and error free 20-lap feature race to score his second straight victory and the first in North America for the Mirage brand, running similar lap times to his first two heat races.

19/03/2010 - Super KF – MSA British Kart Championship

Four times champion Mark Litchfield got his MSA British title bid off to a winning start at Shenington, Oxfordshire. The current vice-champion, driving for the PF International racing team, was aided when his closest rival through the heats, Jordan Chamberlain, suffered two non-finishes. This year the British senior kart championship has adopted the CIK/FIA Super KF rules, giving competitors even more freedom in tuning, including being able to experiment with different exhaust pipes. Also the KF classes have been granted MSA permission to use 102 octane fuel. In further innovations, the Super One Series has mandated that all competitors must fit an on-board video camera, to be used both for judicial purposes, and for possible inclusion in the new television series, airing monthly on Motors TV. The series also sports a new title sponsor, StingrayRV, the American motorhome people.

Starting sixth in the first of the two points scoring finals after a carburettor issue in a heat, Litchfield closed rapidly on race leader Chamberlain, who had earlier exchanged lead positions twice with Tom Grice. As Litchfield narrowed the gap, Chamberlain suddenly slowed when a part of his engine flew off. “He was unscrewing the adjuster on the power valve, and it fell out of his hand,” observed Litchfield later. With Chamberlain side-lined, Litchfield cruised to victory, closed slightly towards the end by Jonathan Walker, after he’d passed Elliot Burton. After losing a further place to James Godbehere on the last lap, Burton exclaimed: “I just got lunged massively at the Wilkins hairpin, but I’ve definitely got the pace.”

In the second final, Chamberlain reached sixth from the back, when a total engine failure forced retirement once more for the reigning ABkC KF2 champion. It was later discovered that due to a mis-communication within his team, that the wrong engine sprocket had been fitted, greatly hampering his speed. With no close threat, Litchfield stormed away for a lights to flag victory, well over a second up by the chequer. James Godbehere out-witted Walker at the start, and it took Walker a couple of laps to regain second by which time Litchfield was too far ahead. After that Walker had his hands full defending his place from Godbehere, whilst Elliot Burton closed on Tom Grice, briefly managing to relieve him of fourth, but having to settle for fifth. Litchfield observed: “Usually round one has been a disaster for me in previous years, so with two wins it can’t be any better than this.”


Results Final 1
1 Mark Litchfield Alonso/Maxter
2 Jonathan Walker Alonso/TM
3 James Godbehere Maranello/Maxter
4 Elliot Burton Tonykart/Maxter
5 Tom Grice Maranello/Maxter
6 Bobby Game Tonykart/Maxter


Final 2
1 Litchfield
2 Walker
3 Godbehere
4 Grice
5 Burton
6 Raymie Eastwood Birel/VKR


Championship Points (Provisional)

1 Mark Litchfield 100
2 Jonathan Walker 96
3 James Godbehere 92
4 Elliot Burton 87
5 Tom Grice 87
6 Raymie Eastwood 83

KF3 – MSA Junior British Kart Championship

Jake Dennis took first blood in timed qualifying, a fraction faster than Jake Dalton and Ben Barnicoat, but the current vice-champion had to give best to Dalton in the first heat. Dalton went onto win the second heat as well, and Dennis the third and so Dalton took pole position for the first points scoring final. Front runner Roy Johnson had a setback when excluded for ignoring a repeated black flag in the third heat and would start near the back. The race settled into a tense battle between Dalton, the initial leader, and Dennis, as they pulled clear of the fights behind. Dennis tracked Dalton for much of the race, before slicing through at the Park corner, only to be re-passed further round the same lap. With just over a lap to run, Dennis flung his machine up the inside at the first hairpin and defended to the flag. “I really pushed hard to stay with Jake and then the tyres came on I got him,” said the Racing Steps Foundation backed youngster. Behind them, Sennan Fielding came through to challenge and take Jacob Stilp for third, but went no further towards the lead duo, complaining of poor brakes. Stilp was pipped by Barnicoat on the last lap. The second final was almost a repeat. Dalton had gone past Dennis early in the race to lead, with Dennis tracking him all the way until the action hotted up again. The pair exchanged the lead several times, before Dennis once more managed to keep the upper hand. “He did a good job again, I caught him after the start when I had a good tow, but once he got past at the end he just had a great defence,” said an admiring Dalton. Fielding had been caught napping at the last hairpin by Stilp on the first lap, but managed to regain third on the last lap, Xavier Warburton in close touch.


Results Final 1
1 Jake Dennis Topkart/IAME
2 Jake Dalton Tonykart/TM
3 Sennan Fielding Topkart/TBA
4 Ban Barnicoat Tonykart/TM
5 Jacob Stilp Kosmic/TM
6 Matthew Graham Tonykart/TM


Final 2
1 Dennis
2 Dalton
3 Fielding
4 Stilp
5 Xavier Warburton Tonykart/TM
6 Graham


Championship Points (Provisional)

1 Jake Dennis 100
2 Jake Dalton 96
3 Sennan Fielding 92
4 Jacob Stilp 87
5 Matthew Graham 84
6 Xavier Warburton 84


KF2 –ABkC National Kart Championship

Jacob Norftof took top honours in both finals on his first visit to the Shenington circuit. The 16 year old from Slagelse in Denmark races for the top line RFM team and came fourth in timed qualifying behind Sam Snell, Callum Bowyer and fastest Jake Lloyd. He was still finding his feet through the heats, both won by Lloyd and he dropped back to seventh at the start of the first final. Lloyd’s lead was quickly usurped by Steven Napier, then Bowyer took the upper hand whilst Lloyd had a tangle in the chicane and fell back. Nortoft was now on the tail of the four way lead group, working his way to the front then aided when Napier and Bowyer started scrapping over second, Napier just having the edge over the line. With pole position in the bag, Nortoft was relatively untroubled in his victorious second final run, over 23 laps of the 1km circuit. When Bowyer lunged Napier at the Café corner, the ensuing scrap took the heat off the leader, but Napier again just regained second by the flag. Bowyer was quite content with this brace of thirds at his first KF2 Super One. Lloyd failed to make progress and was forced to settle for ninth.


Results Final 1
1 Jacob Nortoft Alonso/Vortex
2 Steven Napier Tonykart/TM
3 Callum Bowyer Tonykart/TM
4 Alex Walker Tonykart/TM
5 Rob Foster Maranello/Maxter
6 Sam Snell Intrepid/TM


Final 2
1 Nortoft
2 Napier
3 Bowyer
4 Snell
5 Jordan King Energy/TM
6 Walker


Championship Points (Provisional)

1 Jacob Nortoft 100
2 Steven Napier 96
3 Callum Bowyer 92
4 Sam Snell 86
5 Alex Walker 86
6 Rob Foster 84

Comer Cadet ABkC National Championship

Max Vaughan and Tom Harvey dominated the two finals, but it was Lando Norris who made the early running after topping timed qualifying and taking the first heat to earn pole for the first final. Jordan Gilbertson and Max Vaughan took the others. Although no stranger to Shenington, Welsh champion Harvey was tackling the Super One for the first time. Norris and Harvey were the early leaders in Final 1, until Vaughan worked his way up to the front from his poor start. Norris lost touch when he took a trip over the kerbs, finishing fifth. Despite everything thrown at him by Harvey, Vaughan took victory by one hundredth of a second. Connor Jupp pounced on Gilbertson on the last lap for third. The second final was a virtual repeat, except for a flurry of lead changes towards the end, Vaughan getting the upper hand and defending strongly to the flag. Over two seconds in arrears, Jupp just held Norris off over the line, one hundredth of a second the gap, with TJ Nelson coming up to fifth.


Results Final 1
1 Max Vaughan Zip
2 Tom Harvey Zip
3 Connor Jupp Zip
4 Jordan Gilbertson BRM
5 Lando Norris Tonykart
6 Darius Karbaley Zip


Final 2
1 Vaughan
2 Harvey
3 Jupp
4 Norris
5 TJ Nelson Zip
6 Nathan Aston Zip


Championship Points (Provisional)
1 Max Vaughan 100
2 Tom Harvey 96
3 Connor Jupp 93
4 Lando Norris 87
5 Trevyn-Jay Nelson 83
6 Jordan Gilbertson 83

19/03/2010 - TAYLOR MIINCH CLAIMS TAG SENIOR TITLE AT CKI FLORIDA CUP

“Senior rookie continues to impress”.

March 17, 2010 – Miinch Motorsports driver Taylor Miinch had a strong showing at this past weekend’s final round of the Championship Karting International Florida Cup presented by Supertune USA and DeFrancesco Racing. After some strong runs throughout the series, Miinch walked away with the TaG Senior championship after sweeping all of the weekend’s official sessions in his P1 Engines powered Top Kart.

“Out TaG program is really performing well,” stated Miinch after the event weekend. “We have been fast each and every weekend and have been up front battling for the race wins whenever possible. I think I will be able to have repeat success in the WSK North American Series throughout the summer.”

After claiming the pole positions for both Saturday and Sunday’s racing action, Miinch went on to claim the prefinal and main event wins both days to put an exclamation point on the title and TaG Senior domination. Miinch was one of the top pilots in the series and was able to take at least one victory in each and every race weekend of action.

Pulling double duty through the entire Florida Cup, Miinch would also do battle in the Rotax Senior class where he would have a rare off weekend. Miinch would show true speed throughout Friday’s timed practice sessions and would look to be a strong threat for the overall weekend victory but bad racing luck would hinder any chances. The talented Californian battled with some of the top Rotax pilots and national champions in the country to claim two top ten results and a fourth place result in the overall title chase.

“This weekend we struggled with our Rotax program. At times, we were off on chassis setup and then when we corrected those problems, we would have motor related issues,” explained Miinch. “My tuner and the entire Top Kart crew worked very hard, and we felt by the end of the weekend we were back on track with the leaders but on track battles would hinder my chances of moving up in the final results. I think with all the success we have had this season, there comes a time where we will have some difficulties. We just need to work through them and learn for the future, and that is what I think we accomplished this weekend.”

Taylor would like to thank his current sponsors: Grand Products, Top Kart, PKS Kart Supply, Douglas Wheel, Alpinestars, Race Tech Development, Crystal Cleaners, P1 Engines, Whisler Racing Services, Holeshot Drive Systems, Leatt-Brace, Jon Dell Construction, Charlie's Hub Caps, Image On Trak, On Track Promotions Wrangler BBQ and his tuners Cory Pollock and John Weigand.

For sponsorship opportunities and more information on Taylor Miinch and Miinch Motorsports, please visit www.TaylorMiinch.com or contact Race Tech Development at 317.270.8723 or via e-mail at Info@RaceTechDevelopment.com


Press release prepared by: Race Tech Development
Photo courtesy of: On Track Promotions
Possible photo caption: “Taylor Miinch claims CKI Florida Cup TaG Senior Championship”


Race Tech Development
Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com
P: 317.270.8723

15/03/2010 - TAYLOR MIINCH LOOKS TO FIGHT FOR TWO CKI FLORIDA CUP TITLES

“CKI TaG Senior and Rotax Senior on the docket.”

March 8, 2010 – Team Top Kart USA and Miinch Motorsports driver Taylor Miinch will look to battle for two titles at this coming weekend’s Championship Karting International Florida Cup presented by Supertune USA and DeFrancesco Racing. Taking place at the Homestead Karting Complex in southern Florida, Miinch has shown the speed it takes to win in the first two series rounds and will look to stand atop the podium in round three.

“I am excited for the last round of the series,” expressed Miinch from his home in California. “We have had some great results, and I am very confident heading into the final round. I have been able to win in both classes in the series and will look to do that again this weekend.”

The Californian driver will again be pulling double duty in the Sunshine State, as he will compete in both the Rotax Senior and CKI TaG Senior divisions. Utilizing a Top Kart chassis in both classes, Miinch will be powered by P1 Engines also in both classes.

Miinch currently leads the CKI TaG Senior championship battle a mere two points ahead of IndyCar star Dan Wheldon. The talented senior rookie has finished on the podium in every final entered and will look to continue that streak this weekend and claim the title.

Miinch will also do battle in the hotly contested Rotax Senior class. The champion of this division will walk away with a brand new Mazda 3 and though Miinch sits third in the title chase, he mathematically still has a shot at the title. Sitting only 54 points out of the lead, Miinch will have to have an outstanding weekend while hoping his championship rivals falter.

Taylor would like to thank his current sponsors: Grand Products, Top Kart, PKS Kart Supply, Douglas Wheel, Alpinestars, Race Tech Development, Crystal Cleaners, P1 Engines, Whisler Racing Services, Holeshot Drive Systems, Leatt-Brace, Jon Dell Construction, Charlie's Hub Caps, Image On Trak, On Track Promotions and Wrangler BBQ.

For sponsorship opportunities and more information on Taylor Miinch and Miinch Motorsports, please visit www.TaylorMiinch.com or contact Race Tech Development at 317.270.8723 or via e-mail at Info@RaceTechDevelopment.com


Race Tech Development
Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com
P: 317.270.8723

15/03/2010 - SEVEN WINS AND MORE THAN TWENTY PODIUMS FOR P1 ENGINES IN IKF ACTION

“P1 Engines dominates Buffalo Bills”

March 9, 2010 – P1 Engines continues to roll through 2010 as they garnered multiple race wins, pole positions and podiums at this past weekend’s third round for the International Karting Federation (IKF) Region 7 program. With the event taking place at the Buffalo Bills Hotel and Casino in Nevada, P1 Engines went on to claim some stellar results as the racing season starts in full swing.

“The IKF racing has been good to P1 Engines,” stated P1 owner Jesus Vasquez. “P1 Engines has some incredible drivers that are already at the front of the pack. Utilizing our engines, we are able to take them to the top step of the podium, and we proved that this weekend with seven victories and more than twenty podiums.”

The KPV 1 class was total domination by P1 Engines as Zane Smith, Parker Thompson, Skylar Estrada and Wyatt May would consistently be at the front of the pack. Smith managed to claim the pole position for both days of racing action and took home Saturday’s main event win and backed it up with a third place result Sunday. Thompson scored the same results as his counterpart Smith taking a solid third on Saturday and improving to the top step of the podium in Sunday’s action. Estrada and May would score three more top five results between them as Estrada came home second on Saturday while May would claim fifth on Saturday before finding the podium on Sunday with a second place result.

P1 Engines pilots Bobby Kelly and Kolby Araki were the class of the field in Senior PRD Spec as the two drivers were at the front of the pack throughout the weekend. Kelly would claim the pole position and main event victory while Araki would join him on the front row after qualifying as well as on the podium with a solid second place result.

In the Junior PRD Spec division, Jason Hannegan would take the pole position. The talented junior would battle in the lead group on both days of racing action and would come home second after a close race. Hannegan would also take the pole position in the KPV2 category but would again finish second, scoring his third podium result of the weekend.

The Junior 1 category would see only one P1 Engines driver in the field as Canadian Parker Thompson would look to carry the flag. After missing the pole position, Thompson would take the heat race win and main event victory. Thompson would also do battle in the Rookie Sportsman division on Sunday where he would claim his third win of the weekend.

The other senior classes were also dominated by P1 Engines pilots. Bradley Espinoza would take the checkers in the Yamaha Pipe final on Saturday solidifying his name in the KT100 division. In Tag Senior, Bobby Kelly would claim the pole position but finish second in the heat to fellow P1 pilot Devin Lindsey. In the final, it was a P1 Engines sweep of the top four positions with Ariel Jimenez finishing third and Luis Martinez Jr. in fourth behind Lindsey and Kelly.


For more information on P1 Engines, please contact P1 owner Jesus Vasquez at 951.662.3464 or via e-mail at Jesus@Position-One.com


Race Tech Development
Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com
P: 317.270.8723

15/03/2010 - DORE CHAPONICK JR FEBRUARY REVIEW

Floridian karting pilot seeks victories in final month of winter season.

Miami, FL – Over the past two months, Dore Chaponick Jr. has been one of the busiest kart racers in North America. The Floridian karting pilot has raced in six major winter season events, in three different classes. This on-track action has kept the driver and team very busy during what is usually considered the slow season. Looking ahead to the month of March, Dore and his mechanic Mike Contreras will compete in back-to-back-to-back weekends to complete the Florida Winter Tour and Championship Karting International Florida Cup schedules.
“It has been a very busy winter season this year,” commented the thirteen year-old Chaponick. “With two series and three classes to manage, it has kept me on my toes, but I feel all this action in different classes has helped with my development.”

During the previous round of the Florida Winter Tour Formula Kart events, Dore entered the weekend as the point’s leader, but after a disastrous weekend, fell back to fourth place in the overall standings. Still within striking distance, and when the drop is factored in, he is considered a favourite. After qualifying second and winning the pre-final in the TaG Junior class, Dore was forced to retire after lap eleven, and take his first DNF of the year in the final. Relinquishing some momentum, he drove from last to fifth in the final on day two. With the FWT flipping the order of the final races, Dore will compete for the FWT TaG Junior championship during the March 26-28 weekend at Ocala Gran Prix.

Also competing in the ultra-competitive Rotax Max Junior class during the FWT Rotax Max Challenge, Dore entered the second round at the Palm Beach International Raceway in twelfth place in points and looking to advance. During race one of the weekend, Dore placed his DFR FA Kart on the outside of row two in the 51-kart class. After staying up front in the pre-final, contact on the start sent him all the way down the order to twenty-eighth when he finally completed lap one. However, he never gave up and when the checkered flag flew, he found himself all the way up to fourteenth. The events on Saturday seemed to upset the kart for Sunday’s action, as Dore could only manage to cruise to a thirteenth place finish. Heading into the final weekend on March 19-21 at Ocala Gran Prix, Dore holds on to the tenth place position in the overall points standings and can still move forward with a solid weekend.

The final event in February for the young Chaponick was the CKI Florida Cup being held at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Right in the middle of the point’s championship battle, Dore looked to improve from his fourth place standing the Rotax Junior class. In every on-track session, Dore battled up front with the leaders, but in both finals came up just short of the podium with fourth and fifth place finishes respectively. These results allowed him to maintain his fourth place position in the championship standings. The final events for the CKI Florida Cup will take place on March 12-14, and look for Dore to hold nothing back during the weekend’s events.
“I really want to thank my mechanic Mike as he has worked really hard this year,” said Chaponick following the events at Homestead. “It seems like we have been non-stop since the beginning of January.”

Following the Florida Winter Tour and CKI Florida Cup events, Dore’s 2010 schedule will include events such as the Rotax Pan American Challenge, US Rotax Summer Shootout, US Rotax Grand Nationals, WSK North American Series and more. All these events will be with the DFR FA Kart Racing Team.

Dore Chaponick Jr. is currently 13 years old and competes for the DFR Alonso Kart Racing Team. He is supported by: Quality Air Contractors, Tax Management Services, Autosports Media Group as well as his Mother and Father in pursuit of a professional racing career. Dore was the 2008 Florida Winter Tour Mini Max Champion.

For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please visit http://dorechaponick.com.
If you would like to follow the FWT events online, visit http://www.floridawintertour.com/fwtlive/2010/

12/03/2010 - TVKC To Offer KF Drivers The Option To Run To Full CIK Regs At The April Club Meeting

As Trent Valley Kart Club continues to prepare for the prestigious CIK-FIA European KF2 & KF3 Championships Western Region Qualifications, they are delighted to announce that they have received permission to offer KF2 & KF3 drivers the opportunity to run to full CIK regulations at their April Club meeting.

The process started a few months ago when the April race meeting was registered on the National Events with Authorised Foreign Particiaption (NEAFP) calendar, thus making it possible for foreign drivers to come over to race in the UK in the build-up to the Western Region Qualifications.

Trent Valley Kart Club will be offering the KF2 & KF3 drivers a choice at the April race meeting:
* To take the valuable opportunity to run to full CIK regulations before the Western Region Qualifications
* To run to standard MSA regulations

The Club are prepared to stage two separate grids of drivers to differentiate between the different regulations as long as the numbers make it viable.

TVKC would kindly ask that your choice of regulation which you choose to adhere to, is clearly marked on your April race entry.


For Example:
To run to CIK Regs - mark the entry form KF3 (CIK Regs)
To run to MSA Regs - mark the entry form KF3 (Club)

05/03/2010 - VEMME KART DOMINATES ROTAX SENIOR CLASS

March 4, 2010 - Turning heads in North America, the Vemme Kart chassis linecontinued to do that this past weekend at the second round of the GatorzChallenge of the Americas. Held on the grounds of the famed CaliforniaSpeedway, Vemme Kart factory driver Stepanova Nakeel dominated a stout fieldof Rotax Senior competitors to take the victory and point lead in the westcoast Rotax program.
With severe weather rolling into Southern California on Saturday, the eventformat was altered slightly as the Rotax Senior competitors would be forcedto compete in wet conditions. After qualifying in the pole position, Nakeelwould lose a chain in the final ending his day early and ruining chances atvictory.
With a hectic day of rain racing behind them, Nakeel and the Vemme Kart crewwere on their game on Sunday as the sun would shine and allow some fiercewheel-to-wheel competition. Nakeel and his Vemme Kart would qualify in thefifth position on a green track after the rain from the previous day.Understanding that the grip level would intensify throughout the day, Nakeeland his crew made no changes to the chassis.
The Vemme Kart factory pilot would make quick work of his competitors as hewould pace the field in the prefinal to take the win and pole position forthe main event. At the start of the final, Nakeel took the lead early andleft the rest of his competitors to battle for second. Turning some of thequickest laps of the weekend, Nakeel pulled away from the rest of the fieldas he dominated the Rotax Senior field with a flag to flag victory.
Stepanova was very impressed with the performance of the Vemme kart,reporting, "I've raced on a few big-name chassis, and they've been fast, butthe Vemme corners better than anything. The grip is amazing, but it'scompletely free; it just the perfect package!"
"We are very happy with the performance of the new chassis," expressed VemmeKart. "It showed exactly that our work and direction is the correct one asthe chassis showed to be progressively faster towards the end of each andevery stint. We now feel very confident we can take the product to the nextlevel. With the North American market been our major concentration, we willalso participate in some major events in Europe in 2010. Vemme Kart is veryplease with the performance of their new factory pilot, Stepanova Nakeel aswe look to work with the talent both in North America and Europe"
With expansion into the United States inevitable, www.vemmekart.it, alongwith the help from their Canadian importer Checkered Flag Racing ltd., islooking for a US importer to take over the distribution south of the border.With a territory that includes all 50 states and a national level race team,the opportunities are endless.

For additional information on the Vemme Kart line, race team or how tobecome the US importer or dealer, please contact Vemme Kart directly at www.VemmeKart.it

Press release prepared by: Race Tech Development
Photo courtesy of: Vemme Kart
Possible photo caption: Vemme Kart factory driver Stepanova Nakeel dominatesthe Rotax Senior class in Sunday's Gatorz action

Race Tech Development Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com P: 317.270.8723

11/02/2010 - New collection AIRDRY by Mir

The MIR Raceline, a leader for over 20 years in the karting world is pleased to present a preview ITALIANKART on the new collection of articles "AIRDRY".
Our products are made with materials and technologies, highly innovative and are the result of research and experience across MADE IN ITALY.

UNDER HELMET BALACLAVA MOD. “AIR DRY”:A new model of super fitting balaclava without raised seams for a modern, athletic look. It is made in a technological transpiring fabric which eliminates moisture from the skin and allows for rapid drying, giving maximum freshness and comfort.
·
· - One size.
· - Available colours: Black and White.


UNDER SUIT TOP MOD: “AIR DRY”: Long sleeved top made in “Dryarn”® fabric, innovative microfiber in polypropylene which guarantees a light-weight, highly resistant and comfortable garment.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

- Dry skin and comfort all year round.
- Maximum perspiration expulsion compared to all other fabrics.
- Maximum capacity in maintaining body temperature.
- Super light fabric (the lightest of all textile fibres).
- One size.
- Available colours: Black and Light grey.


For info on prices, availability and delivery times please contact

mir@mirraceline.com

10/02/2010 - DHR’s Euro Season Starts Now!

Since its inception in 2009, the Rotax Winter Cup has become the popular curtain raiser to the Euro Max series - and this year, Dan Holland Racing is fielding an exciting line-up.
Making their European debuts at this week’s (10-14 February) event are the team’s two Junior drivers, Jack Barlow and George Williams. In the Senior ranks, DHR has five very talented drivers in Ross Wylie, Ryan Denton, Jack Dex, Aaron Head and Formula BARC Renault returnee, David Sutton.
Speaking from the trackside in Spain, team owner Dan Holland says: “All the lads are capable of challenging for trophies. Jack Dex is fast, as is Ryan who has been very quick in testing. Ryan is making his international debut but has had a lot of success at home, the experience of which I’m sure he’ll draw upon this week. Ross has competed in several European meetings before and came third at Salbris (in France) last year. He should be really strong here (at Campillos)”.
He adds, “David won at this level when he was in Juniors and has done a lot of testing in readiness for his return to karting. I wouldn’t be surprised if he caused an upset. Aaron will be fired-up after finishing second at PFi last weekend, against very strong competition. He won’t hang about either – he’ll be quick”.
Although his two youngest drivers will make their international bows at Campillos, Dan is confident that they won’t be overawed: “Jack (Barlow) faces a big challenge. He’s still settling in to the team and last week’s club race was very tough for him. But, he didn’t lose his head and we all put 100% into it. He ended up with a top ten finish, and in the middle part of the race he was one of the fastest men on the track. He’ll be good, no doubt.
“George is a very smooth driver and I think the European style of racing will suit him. I think he could do very well and should fit into the top ten – precisely where, is up to him.”
There is a certain irony that a sleepy little town of just 8,000 inhabitants should boast one of Europe’s largest and most exciting kart tracks. However, Campillos - described by former Grand Prix ace Martin Brundle as the karting equivalent of a Grand Prix circuit - has firmly established itself as the spiritual home of the Rotax Winter Cup.
The event gets underway on Wednesday (10/2/2010) with free practice. Timed qualifying will take place on Friday before the heats on Saturday and Sunday’s all important finals.
Go to www.rgmmc.com and click on the ‘RGMMC Live Timing’ button to follow the team’s fortunes throughout the event.

For more information on the 2010 Alonso kart, or to arrange a track test call Dan Holland on 07960 047810 or email dan@danhollandracing.co.uk

You can also keep up to date with the team’s latest news and results by visiting www.danhollandracing.co.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION, INTERVIEWS & IMAGES
Please contact Adam Jones at 100cc PR – 01702 390348 / 0781 8061503 / onehundredpr@yahoo.co.uk / www.100ccpr.co.uk

8 February 2010

10/02/2010 - Freem UK signs young Rotax champions

Jack Barlow and Ed Brand are considered two of the most outstanding Rotax drivers of the current generation - and after championship-winning performances in 2009, Freem UK is delighted to announce a long-term partnership with the pair.
Freem UK’s Managing Director Jonathan Walker says, “We kept a close eye on the performances and development of Jack and Ed throughout last season, and were constantly impressed by the way they conducted themselves on - and off - the track.”
“Freeminds has a history of working with carefully chosen individuals, such as Nyck De Vries, and now we’re bringing that mindset to the UK franchise. Jack and Ed will become Freem UK ambassadors, and we’re looking forward to working with them as they progress through their careers – from karts into cars.”
Last year Jack Barlow won the Formula Kart Stars and Kart Masters Mini Max titles and was a season-long front-runner in the British Super 1 series. Brand enjoyed a unique ‘one, two, three’, after winning the Super 1 Junior Max championship, was Euro Max vice-champion and finished third in the World Finals.
For 2010, Jack will graduate to the Junior category and make his first attempt on the Euro crown. Ed has stepped-up to Seniors class and on his class debut – in the Japanese Winter Cup at New Tokyo (30/31 January) – finished an impressive seventh in the main final.
Both drivers will compete in bespoke Freeminds racesuits and will wear the superb Spidertouch gloves and Speed Star 2 race boots; all highly rated for their comfort, durability and feel.

For more information about the complete Freeminds range, please visit www.freemuk.com. For a brochure, call 01254 779 907/ 07887 835 235 or e-mail jonathanwalker@me.com

Freem UK is also on Facebook.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, INTERVIEWS & IMAGES
Please contact Adam Jones at 100cc PR – 01702 390348 / 0781 8061503 / onehundredpr@yahoo.co.uk / www.100ccpr.co.uk

8 February 2010

12/01/2010 - DEBEI motori officially launches ExiGo

DEBEI motori officially launches ExiGo, the latest creation.
Innovations:
-crankcase and conveyor made from CNC ad hoc aluminium alloy
-architecture with low centre of gravity and cylinder inclination 13°
-new gearbox ratios
-optimized exhaust pipe for low end

ExiGo will be introduced in January at the expos Montichiari (Italia from January 15 until 17) and Offenbach (Germany from January 21 until 24).

08/01/2010 - 2010 FLORIDA WINTER TOUR – SERIES PREVIEW

Orlando, Florida (January 5, 2010) – The Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour kicks off its 12th season this weekend at the brand new Orlando Kart Center track in Orlando, Florida. For 2010, the FWT Formula Kart Championship Series begins on January 8-10, and then on January 14-17, the FWT Rotax Max Challenge series will stage its first event of the new decade.
This year marks the 12th season for the Florida Winter Tour, and it comes on the heels of an eleventh consecutive record-breaking year for the series. In 2009, the FWT averaged 578 entries per month, including drivers from 28 countries, 28 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces. For the second straight year, the FWT Rotax Max Challenge was the largest official RMC in the world. That’s a trend that looks likely to continue in 2010 as the series has again broken previous records for pre-registration.
No shortage of storylines in the Rotax Max classes, as series champions Fabio Orsolon and Darren White return to defend their titles in Senior and DD2, respectively. Also, former world champion Pier-Luc Ouellette is back for yet another season of FWT Rotax Senior competition, joined by former Canadian champion Michael Vincec. And spectators will line the fences to watch the much-anticipated senior debuts of former junior champions Nick Neri and Danny Formal, and the Junior class debut of reigning FWT Mini Max Champion Jack West. In an FWT first, three brothers will race in one class as all three Sargeants are now racing together in Mini Max. To top it off, Max Papis is competing in the entire 2010 series as he seeks to become the first professional race car driver to earn a FWT points championship.

The Formula Kart weekends will also boast plenty of storylines. The new Pro Rotax and Pro IAME Senior classes have strong potential and are certain to feature some superb competition for their generous cash purses. While not part of the official Rotax Max Challenge, the Pro Rotax class allows junior drivers to dip their toes into a senior class on FK weekends, and still maintain eligibility in the official RMC Junior division. Neri and Formal, Shawn Sharkey, Sam Beasley and Gustavo Menezes are expected to compete in this exciting new class, while veterans David Jurca, Michael Valiante, Greg Gleisner and Caleb Loniewski will do battle in Pro IAME Senior, and reigning FWT Champion Alessandra Madrigal will return to defend her title.
The huge success of the Rotax Max program lends continued proof that single-engine classes, with simple rule structures, make a lot of sense for many North American karters. Therefore, the 2010 Formula Kart weekend class structure reflects a shift in philosophy, with more single-make classes appearing on the schedule. IAME Senior, IAME Junior, Vortex TaG Cadet, and Pro Rotax are new Formula Kart offerings for this season.
This represents a shift away from two TaG classes and two KF classes that were offered in 2009. In regard to the KF platform, the failure of that program to remain consistent to its original goals, homologation changes, continued friction between the CIK and the European engine manufacturers, combined with lack of support from the United States’ CIK representative, all served as the impetus for FWT rulemakers to move away from the KF platform.

As ever, the Florida Winter Tour prize structure continues to be one of the envies of the karting world, with a wide array of awards, prizes and cash purses exceeding $160,000.
Once again, Formula Kart Productions, Inc. has joined with Canadian Rotax importer SRA Karting and BRP/Rotax to provide direct transfer spots and funded rides to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF), for the 2010 FWT points champions in the Senior, Junior and DD2 categories.
Ferrari North America begins its second year of partnership with the FWT by significantly increasing its support for the series. Similar to 2009, one extremely fortunate Rotax Masters competitor will be chosen to participate in the Ferrari Driving Experience. The winner gets a two-day thrill ride to drive the new Ferrari 458 Italia, 430 Scuderia, and the 599 GTB Fiorano on the magnificent Circuit Mont-Tremblant. And new for 2010 is the Ferrari/FWT Scholarships, which provides support for two lucky drivers competing in this year’s Florida Winter Tour.
WR International, the U.S. and Canadian importer of MG Tires, hooks up with Kart Mini and Formula Kart Productions to again send four eligible FWT drivers to the world renowned Granja Viana 500 endurance race near Sao Paulo, Brazil. All four drivers will earn seats on “Team FWT”. In 2009 Team FWT was the first North American Team to ever podium at the Granja.
If a racer just wants greenbacks, then he or she need look no further than the guaranteed minimum $20,000 cash purse for IAME Senior and Pro Rotax. Both these classes are drawing some of the most skilled talent in North American karting.
Long-time series supporter Skip Barber Racing Schools continues its relationship with the FWT; in 2010, the points champion in IAME Junior, plus two at-large picks, will receive Three Day Racing Schools and paid, guaranteed entries into the Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-out.
Providing extensive value to the karters are On Track Promotions and Russell Karting Specialties. OTP is giving away almost $30,000 in high quality multi-media promotional materials, including web site vouchers, driver banners, and champions banners. RKS ups the ante on the Formula Kart weekends by providing “Fast Time” $100 Sales Certificates for all classes at all FK events, awarded to the driver who turns the fastest lap in that class for that weekend.

The complete list of awards-providers and sponsors of the 2010 Florida Winter Tour are as follows: Alonso Kart USA, AMB/My Laps, BRP/Rotax Kart Division, Bryan Stewart Racing Karting Championship, BTK Motorsports/Arrow Racing Karts, DeFrancesco Racing, Ferrari Driving Experience, Formula Kart Productions, Inc., Goodwood/Intrepid, Italian Motors USA, MG Tires, MRP/GoRotax.com, Ocala Gran Prix, On Track Promotions, PSL Karting.com, Russell Karting Specialties, RDD Motorsports, SH Karting, SKF Bearings, Skip Barber Racing Schools, SRA Karting, Supertune USA, WR International.
Back for its second year is the series’ groundbreaking media coverage, FWT Live! powered by Supertune USA and De Francesco Racing. Live streaming video, live timing and scoring, and an audience interactive blog will broadcast all rounds of this year’s FWT to every corner of the world. All live broadcasts and archived races are free of charge to it’s global audience.

For more information on the 2010 Florida Winter Tour, visit www.floridawintertour.com



Bill Wright
Formula Kart Productions, Inc
Exclusive Owner and Promoter of the FWT
Panama City, FL U.S.A.
850-258-0846
info@formulakart.com
www.floridawintertour.com

18/12/2009 - OCALA GRAN PRIX SHOWS STRONG RESULTS AT ROTAX WORLD FINALS

December 15, 2009 – After a very strong Florida Winter Tour and Rotax Max Challenge US Grand Nationals, Ocala Gran Prix headed overseas to compete in the Rotax World Finals at Ghibli Raceway in Sharm El-sheikh, Egypt. Joining forces with Kart Nation, the four kart operation came home with three top fifteen results including a strong podium finish for DD2 competitor Cody Hodgson.

After claiming the national title in DD2, Californian Cody Hodgson showed that he can compete with the world’s best as he battled wheel-to-wheel with a pair of South African drivers. Stalking the leaders and eventually taking the lead in the main event, Hodgson worked hard to keep pace with his competitors. Challenging for the lead and win on several occasions, Hodgson would settle for the third position and scored some very valuable points towards the Nation’s Cup award.
“I am extremely happy with the way the entire weekend went,” expressed Ocala Gran Prix’s Owner and President Jorge Arellano. “This was our first run at the Rotax World Finals, and there is a lot to be learned. All four of our drivers made the finals and the team worked well together. I can’t believe that this actually happened for us, and I am so happy for everyone involved.”
Joining Hodgson in the Senior ranks was Brazilian born Victor Pedrosa. The vice-champion in the United States progressed through the heat races and prefinal in fine form to set up a solid sixth place starting position for the main event. Some early race contact and aggression from several different countries sent Pedrosa down the running order. Keeping his head in the game, the Miami resident proceeded to move forward in the field scoring a solid 14th place result in his first ever Rotax World Finals.
Junior drivers Nick Neri and Kart Nation’s Alec Udell would also make the finals and the chance to compete for the race win on Saturday. Working together aboard the Maranello chassis line, the duo managed to make the main event out of 72 of the world’s best competitors. When the dust had finally settled on the day’s action, the junior national champion Neri would come home 16th while Alec Udell would suffer from contact and be classified in 31st after moving through the last chance race to make the field of 34.
“With very qualified and capable drivers on track, I needed to put the proper people in the pits to make this happen,” added Arellano. “Kyle Kraus, Mike Maurini, Jon Nevoso, Wesley Boswell, Stuart Robinson, Nate Grindell, Tony Loniewski and Mario Ioffredo all worked as a team to make these results possible. I would personally like to thank them for all of their hard work and efforts.”
With the three national champions garnering points for their nation, both OGP’s Neri and Hodgson along with Phillip Arscott would lead the nation’s team to a solid second place position in the Nation’s Cup.
Next on the docket for the Ocala Gran Prix (OGP) crew is the opening round of the World Karting Association Manufacturer’s Cup series in the infield of the Daytona International Speedway. Following that, OGP will start their assault in the 2010 Florida Winter Tour where they were the only team that managed to have a driver on the podium each and everyday of every race weekend in the 2009 series.

For more information on Ocala Grand Prix, OGP race team opportunities and info on how to get into karting, please visit Ocala Gran Prix online at www.OcalaGranPrix.com or contact Team Manager Kyle Kraus at 352.291.0600 or via e-mail to Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com

10/12/2009 - Four national champion title for the Mexican TOM-TECH Haase Team

During the last run in the Mexican Super Kart Cup national championship in Valle de Bravo was able to get the Mexican TOM-TECH Haase team represented by the three German brothers Berckhan 4 national titles. Even in practice on Friday Christofer (16), Sebastian (15) and Alexander (12) their superiority and drove the fastest practice laps.
On Saturday it Christofer in category ROTAX INTERNACIONAL were both timed practice and both races decide to think for themselves and thus took the title in 2009 after he won in the second half of all races in this category.
His brother Sebastian after he was in the Rotax Junior category. Sebastian won both qualifying and superior to both races in this category and also secured the champion title.
Even the youngest of 3 brothers, Alexander Berckhan, took the 100 Junior ICA category is also the title of a Mexican national champion, he won all the races in this category.
The most exciting category this weekend, however, the formula A 100. The title of the best Mexican pilots in this class chose only between the two brothers Berckhan Christofer and Sebastian are also here with the Haase chassis IKON 100 were on the road. Christofer had had the better start to the year and won the first half just before Sebastian Sebastian during the second half of the nose forward.
So the season has been decided in the last race in Valle de Bravo. Christofer, who could well prevail in the first half of this route, and this time also had the better start and got ahead of his younger brother Sebastian to the finish and was thus the second national champion title to get that day.
It was this weekend at the conclusion of the national Super Kart Cup in Mexico, where once again, the TOM-TECH HAASE team's chief mechanic, and Rafael Ponce and Berckhan brothers clearly dominated.

www.tom-tech.de


GERMAN:

Vier nationale Meister-Titel für das mexikanische TOM-TECH Haase-Team.
Während dem letzten Lauf im Rahmen des mexikanischen Super Karts Cup der nationalen Meisterschaft in Valle de Bravo konnte das mexikanische TOM-TECH Haase-Team vertreten durch die drei deutschen Berckhan Brüder 4 nationale Titel holen. Schon im Training am Freitag zeigten Christofer (16), Sebastian (15) und Alexander (12) ihre Überlegenheit und fuhren die schnellsten Trainingsrunden.
Am Samstag dann konnte Christofer in der Kategorie ROTAX INTERNACIONAL sowohl das Zeittraining als auch beide Rennen überlegen für sich entscheiden und holte sich somit den Titel in 2009 nachdem er auch im zweiten Halbjahr alle Rennen in dieser Kategorie gewinnen konnte.
Sein Bruder Sebastian machte es ihm in der Kategorie ROTAX JUNIOR nach. Sebastian konnte sowohl Zeittraining und beide Rennen in dieser Kategorie überlegen gewinnen und sicherte sich ebenfalls den Meister-Titel.
Auch der Jüngste der 3 Brüder, Alexander Berckhan, holte in der Kategorie ICA 100 Junior ebenfalls den Titel mexikanischer nationaler Meister , er gewann alle Rennen in dieser Kategorie.
Die spannendste Kategorie an diesem Wochenende war jedoch die Formel A 100. Der Titel des besten mexikanischen Piloten in dieser Klasse entschied sich ausschließlich zwischen den beiden Berckhan Brüdern Christofer und Sebastian die auch hier mit dem Haase Chassis IKON 100 unterwegs waren. Christofer hatte den besseren Start ins Jahr und gewann das erste Halbjahr knapp vor Sebastian während Sebastian im zweiten Halbjahr die Nase vorne hatte.
Entschieden wurde die Saison also im letzten Rennen in Valle de Bravo. Christofer; der sich schon im ersten Halbjahr auf dieser Strecke deutlich durchsetzen konnte, und hatte auch diesmal den besseren Start und kam vor seinem jüngeren Bruder Sebastian ins Ziel und konnte somit den zweiten nationalen Meister Titel an diesem Tage holen.
Insgesamt war dieses Wochenende ein schöner Ausklang des nationalen Super Karts Cup in Mexiko, wo einmal mehr das TOM-TECH HAASE Team und Chef Mechaniker Rafael Ponce sowie der Berckhan Brüder deutlich dominierten.
2010 werden Christofer und Sebastian in den Tourenwagensport aufsteigen und den Nationalen VW Bora Cup bestreiten.
Zusätzlich wird Christofer erste Einsätze im Porsche GT3 Cup erlangen. Im Kartsport werden die Berckhan Brüder an der Panamerikanischen Rotax Meisterschaft teilnehmen.

www.tom-tech.de

10/12/2009 - Team MG / FWT top finishers at 2009 Granja Viana 500

December 10, 2009.
Panama City, FL U.S.A.

FLORIDA WINTER TOUR AWARD WINNERS ON THE PODIUM AT PRESTIGIOUS BRASILIAN ENDURANCE EVENT.

Four 2009 Florida Winter Tour participants made the most of their 2009 FWT award opportunity and put the Team FWT/MG Tires/Kart Mini entry on the podium at the 2009 Granja Viana 500. Team members Alex Speed, Cody Hodgson, Cyndie Allemann and Richard Benitez finished a strong third in the "B" group and an impressive 15th overall. It was the first-ever podium finish for a North American team in this prestigious yearly event held in Brazil.
The quartet of drivers were participating as part of the 2009 MG Tires/FWT awards program. Speed and Benitez were awarded their spot on the team by winning their respective FWT class championships, while Allemann and Hodgson gained their spots via at-large selections.
The drivers had to overcome adversity from the outset; during a rain-soaked qualifying session, Hodgson discovered that the throttle cable had slipped in its mount and was not giving full throttle. Hodgson, with many laps of Granja experience, didn’t panic but persevered, operating the throttle with one hand while driving with the other, and brought the kart home a respectable 11th in group.
Starting 32nd out of the 55 karts participating, Granja veteran Alex Speed pulled the first 90 lap stint, quickly moving the team into 20th, then turned the kart over to Granja rookie Allemann, who moved the kart as high as 15th. Benitez, also a first-timer at the Granja, took over next, and initially continued to improve their overall position, but disaster struck as the kart lost a rear wheel. Team FWT decided their best strategy was to take their mandatory fifteen minute pit stop early and make repairs, at one point falling 22 laps down to the leaders.
When he returned to action, Hodgson stayed in the kart for a full 100 laps, commenting that he “spent the majority of the time drafting with Rubens Barrichello,” improving the team's position continually during the stint. Benitez was next into the driver's seat, but unfortunately again encountered problems when incidental contact broke a valve stem and he had to make an unscheduled stop. After repairs, Alex and Cyndie had problem free stints to move back up into the top fifteen.
Hodgson took over for what should have been the final 30 minute stint, confident he was on his way toward the front, when the finicky throttle now determined that it was full-power-only. Cody once again one-handed the throttle and the steering, and amazingly maintained a good pace. Things went from bad to worse when the spark plug cap failed, which necessitated one more pit stop for repairs. Duly fixed up, Speed took over driving duties and brought the kart home to its third place finish.
FWT promoter/exclusive owner Bill Wright was effusive with his post-event praise. "What a fantastic result for Team FWT! I’d like to thank all the guys at MG tires for watching over our drivers in Brazil, Kart Mini for a great kart, Alex Speed, Cody Hodgson, Cyndie Allemann and Richard Benitez for a great effort and everyone for an unprecedented result. I can’t wait to finish the 2010 FWT to see who will represent FWT in the 2010 Granja Viana."

Drivers in the 2010 Florida Winter Tour Pro Rotax, Pro IAME Senior, Masters Shifter, Stock Moto and Honda GX Cup will be eligible for Team FWT in 2010.


Bill Wright
Formula Kart Productions, Inc
Exclusive Owner and Promoter of the FWT
Panama City, FL U.S.A.
850-258-0846
info@formulakart.com
www.floridawintertour.com

01/12/2009 - P1 ENGINES IMPRESSES AT SKUSA SUPERNATIONALS

November 30, 2009 – P1 Engines had a very successful outing at the 13th annual Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals taking two main event wins, one pole position, multiple heat race victories, three podiums and seven top ten results in the offered TaG divisions. Scoring the win for P1 was Californian Taylor Miinch in the TaG Senior division while fellow P1 driver Gustavo Menezes would come home second.
With 80 competitors in the TaG Senior class, P1 drivers Gustavo Menezes, Bobby Kelly and Taylor Miinch would qualify second, third and tenth respectively. Looking for strong results in the heat races, both Miinch and Menezes had solid finishes while Kelly had two top ten results, but contact in one heat race caused him to start deep in the talent-laded field.
Both Miinch and Menezes were mired in the front quartet of drivers throughout the 25 lap final and when the dust had finally settled it was P1 Engines and Miinch taking the top spot. Menezes would finish on the second step of the podium making it a 1 – 2 finish for the up and coming engine builder. Fellow P1 driver Bobby Kelly improved from his 26th place starting spot to finish 21st.
The TaG Junior division would see more than 60 competitors for the first time in its inception, and six P1 Engines powered drivers would be entered. European and P1 Engines competitor Jake Dennis would score the pole position while fellow P1 pilots Tristan DeGrand, Raquel Martinez and Phillip Orcic would also be in the top ten.
Dennis went untouched through all the heat races scoring all three wins and the pole position for the main event. Challenged only in the late stages of the race, Dennis would cross the stripe in the second position but be awarded the win after a technical infraction against the on track race winner, giving P1 Engines its second win on the weekend. Canadian Phillip Orcic would just miss the podium in his P1 Engines rental coming home sixth while Californian Raquel Martinez would finish seventh. Other P1 Engines powered drivers included Mason Chelootz in tenth and Shawn Sharkey in 15th.
P1 Engines had a sole entry in the TaG Maters division and that was front runner Ty Matta. Scoring a solid top ten in qualifying, Matta used his power and consistency to progress through the heat races and into the final. Running as high as second in the main event, Matta would eventually finish on the podium in the fourth position.
2010 will be a busy season for P1 Engines as plans to compete in all the major series are moving forward. P1 Engines will be seen at the front of the pack at Championship Karting International, WSK Florida Cup, Florida Winter Tour, International Karting Federation Region 7 and World Karting Association Manufacturer’s Cup.


For more information on P1 Engines, please contact P1 owner Jesus Vasquez at 951.662.3464 or via e-mail at Jesus@Position-One.com

24/11/2009 - KARTandRace warms the engines for the 2nd edition of the show scheduled from 15 to 17 January to the Garda Exhibition Center

KARTandRace 2010 starts great feedback gathered from Guyana, which debut in January 2009, has involved all the leading houses in the world of Kart, with over 6,000 appearances in the two-day event. Also this year the spacious halls of the Centro Fiera del Garda Montichiari (BS) will see the presence of the largest manufacturers in the world of karting, chassis, engines and tires. A safe bet, the one of the organizers, who were able to bring all the national scene in Montichiari related to this sport. The data show that the message has got both from the technical and numerical, considering that, while not a traditional trade fair in specific areas, the center of Montichiari Fair has put together an effort that was rewarded by the presence of quality by the exhibitors.
The most prominent brand names involved in karting summit reconfirmed their presence with its corporate management and with their international value drivers that will make the happiness of the many fans who are expected this year too numerous in three days of the exhibition in Montichiari . The addition of the day Friday, as well as please the audience of fans, comes at the request of specialized operators, especially for large manufacturers, which will have an opening day more for establishing contacts and exchanging information and expertise.
This second edition of the definitive leap in quality. The mission, as confirmed by the Director Ezio Zorzi and Maurizio Catania is to expand the pool of reference KARTandRace, watching with growing expectations for European markets and involving a growing number of international visitors. Within KARTandRace space are all expressions of the world of karting, from production media, frames, engines, research and development, design innovation and conversion kit, not to mention the world of accessories and technical clothing . In the halls of the Exhibition Center in Montichiari, will still show good mechanical properties and the world of karting, a diversified world with so many different languages, but with one passion in DNA, the love of karting

10/11/2009 - Connecting rod in the kart

Connecting rod is a fundamental component of the engine, being part of the crank gear that is able to transform the reciprocating motion of the piston into the rotating crankshaft motion.. Due to the considerable entity of the inertia forces, connecting rod is a very stressed mechanical element and then it must have excellent mechanical properties. Connecting rod failure can in fact have disastrous consequences on engine and it must be absolutely avoided.
Connecting rod manufacture process vary as a function of the specific kind the application the component will be used on and, in particular, on the revolutions per minute of the particular engine. Higher revolution speeds involve higher inertia forces and then higher stresses in the connecting rod; is then necessary to trim the manufacture process in such a way to give to the component the needed mechanical strength. Another fundamental aspect is the geometrical and dimensional precision that can be obtained from a fabrication process and, in particular, parallelism condition between the two connecting rod axles, on which errors must be lower then 0.1 mm. It’s then clear how high performance applications need very tight tolerances while a lower manufacturing precision can be adopted in those fields characterized by lower engine rotation regimes.
Connecting rods can be obtained by foundry, sintering or forging, and in this last way the best features can be obtained. Forged connecting rods are then used in high performance automotive and motorcycle applications.
Connecting rods obtained by foundry are instead use on common automotive applications, while punched rods are used for agricultural engines.
Aside from the manufacturing method used to produce the raw piece, this is always subject to a series of operations until the realization of the finished product. In particular, the rod is first cut to obtain the rod head and then the needed profiles are realized on the rod sides by milling.
Then the connecting rod is drilled to obtain the holes on the head and on the basis and finally, by milling are created the planes on which the screw used for the connection of the two rod parts will be hosted.
Usually, steel with good fatigue strength is adopted for the production of connecting rods (fatigue is the primary cause of connecting rods failure ). Typically Chromium-Molibdenum steels are used, with various alloy elements, and the mechanical resistance is improved by means of sanding or shot blasting operation.


Ing. Fabio Renzi
TVK Project s.r.l.
Motorsport software and consulting
Via Ignazio Guidi, 44
00147, Roma

renzi@ing.uniroma2.it
fabio.renzi@tvk-project.com
www.tvk-project.com

Phone +39 0672597136

04/11/2009 - The date for the 21° Andrea Margutti: 21 of March 2010 on the track Pista 7 Laghi of Castelletto (Italy)

Parma, the 3rd of November 2009.
The date for the next “Andrea Margutti Trophy” has been decided. The “21st Andrea Margutti Trophy” will take place from 19-21 of March 2010 on the same track of last year, that is “Pista 7 Laghi” in Castelletto di Branduzzo (Pavia).
The race includes the KF3, KF2 and KZ2 categories and furthermore there will be the new participation of the 60 Mini valid for the “60 Mini Junior Trophy”.
You can find every information on the official website of “Trofeo Andrea Margutti” www.trofeomargutti.com


Press office
Parma karting

28/10/2009 - Birel Celebrates 50 Years In Karting With Special Limited Edition Offering

Celebration Kart provides true collector’s opportunity.

THREE OAKS, MI (October 26, 2009) – GoBirel.com, a division of MRP Motorsport, the North American importer for Birel & Monza Racing Karts and Freeline karting accessories, announced the release of a Limited Edition Birel Kart today, celebrating the company’s 50th year in karting. The kart will have a production run of only 100 and come with several special features.
“We think that the best way to celebrate our first fifty years of activity was to produce an exclusive kart, that interprets our philosophy and our history,” said Ronni Sala, President of Birel Motorsport. “We decided to make a new version of the RY30–S1 frame with exclusive accessories created just for this kart. We also defined the frame coloring, decals and customized every detail with the celebration logo. From graphic to accessories, these 100 karts will be unique.”
Each of these copies will be customized with the name of the purchaser, which will be written on a plaque put on the anterior part of the frame. The chassis is available in both KF or KZ format, with front brakes or front hand brakes.
The kart will include all the top accessories that Freeline offers, including several magnesium components such as hubs and flanges, the Hi-Tech aluminum steering column and a Freeline by Tillet racing seat.
The livery will be exclusive and characterized by the inclusion of gold with the celebrative logo of the Birel “50 years (1959 – 2009)” prominently displayed. The chassis itself will have a special two-color paint-scheme to commemorate the colors used by Birel over the years. 50% of the chassis will be blue, as in the very first Birel model (the ‘Reattino’ of 1959), while the other 50% will be in the classic Birel red, used on karts for nearly the past 20 years.
“The offering of this special limited edition chassis makes us very proud that our brand has been such a benchmark in karting history,” said Sala. “Our company, since the very first models made, has always been a leader, both in racing, where we gained 30 titles, and in the industry, where our products have been known for quality and innovation.”

The Birel “Celebration Kart” is only available through official Birel importers and their dealer network. For more information, contact MRP Motorsport at 269-756-9133 or via email at news@mrpmotorsport.com.
For information about the Birel product line, visit www.GoBirel.com.

27/10/2009 - 2009 International ROK Final

The 2009 International ROK Final concluded with a series of fireworks worthy of the title of the greatest annual event for ROK Racing.
The Eastern European countries confirmed their enormous and growing potential with Yan Midrla taking the Senior ROK title back to the Czech Republic with the podium completed by Polish drivers Hubert Cebulski and Daniel Fuchs.
In the Super ROK class the Italian Alessandro Vantini was simply uncatchable in taking the title after winning this race last year. Right behind him was countryman Lorenzo Caponi with the Argentinian driver Martin Acosta taking a surprising but very ositive third place.
The Junior ROK final was a nailbiter decided on the linewith a hotofinish in which the young South African driver Roman De Beer bravely held out the Italian Damiano Fioravanti with third place going to the Swiss driver Levin Amweg.
The Mini ROK title went to the Italian Luca Corberi followed Sweden's Robin Hansson and Italian Tommaso Mosca.
There were consolation finals for drivers who did not among the final 34 drivers for the four ROK categories in which the racing was as spectacular as ever. Mika Laiho took home the Dell'Orto Trophy to Finland, the South African Lourens Dunn won the Super ROK Sparco Cup, Italian Gabriele Volpato won the Junior Bridgestone Cup and Thailand's Sasakorn Chaimongkol won the TKart Magazine Mini ROK Title.
The ROK International Final was held in grand style with driver numbers that broke all records (more than 300 in total), from more than nations than ever (35 countries in total) and spectacular racing that will be remembered for years to come.
Soon the complete press release of the event.

15/10/2009 - TVK-Project at SMAU 2009

TVK-Project (www.tvk-project.icom) will be present with a booth at SMAU2009 guest of FILAS together with other start up companies born in the Business Lab Project.
A unique opportunity to see KP Studio in action and the go-kart by Birel optimised with the software KP Chassis. We look forward to see you at the stand of Assessorato Sviluppo Economico, Ricerca, Innovazione e Turismo della Regione Lazio; for free tickets write to info@tvk-project.com.

12/10/2009 - THE BIG SLAM OF CRG-MAXTER: AFTER THE KZ1 WORLD-TITLE IT ALSO WINS THE SUPER KF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN MACAO WITH ARNAUD KOZLINSKI

AFTER THE WORLD SUCCESS WITH THONON IN KZ1 CRG-MAXTER GETS THE “EN-PLEIN” WINNING ALSO THE WORLD-CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE CATEGORY SUPER KF IN MACAO.



Macao (China), the 11th of October 2009. Another great world success for CRG and Maxter motors in the Karting World Championship. After the recent success of Thonon in the KZ1 World Cup it was this time the French Arnaud Kozlinski to win for CRG-Maxter and to jump on the highest step of the podium in the Super KF World Championship referring to the queen category of karting without gear during the event of a sole round which was run for the first time in Asia on the circuit of Macao.

A victory which was built with great determination: that’s what “Koko” got in the difficult Chinese weekend where the 28-years-old driver from Bordeaux was a protagonist since the beginning of the race, mastering the scene and well deserving to become World Champion 2009.

CRG wins therefore the “big slam” title of the season with a sensational second year of victories which seals indeed a fabulous end of season for the whole Italian team. A great result that confirms the competitiveness of CRG chassis further to the power and to the reliability of Maxter motors.

“Koko” was able to reach this result in Macao after his victories in the qualification heats and in the pre-final. On the contrary, there was quite an uncertainty as to the result in the Final which was one of the most uncertain and hard fought race of these last years, influenced furthermore by the rain which started to fall from the 6th of the 25 laps in programme.

In fact the asphalt was already particularly slippery due to problems of the day before which were solved during the night using concrete and resin, and from the 6th lap of the Final also the rain came to create confusion, so that the leadership of the race was passing from “Koko” to Renaudie then to Ardigò and later to Vainio.

But in the topic moment of the race, at 6 laps from finish, it was “Koko” to get again the leader just in time before the end with red flag when it was clearly dangerous to continue the race which was anyway considered valid because 80% of the total laps were run until stop. Vainio and Hanley got the podium together with “Koko” and the fourth place went to Thonon who made an excellent recovery from the 9th position.

Unfortunately the French Brandon Maisano on LH-Maxter wasn’t able to put into practice the good things done during the whole weekend and even starting from the first line with “Koko”, he was immediately out of the race due to an accident just after the start.

The other driver with LH chassis, the British Oliver Rowland, who was assisted on track by Dino Chiesa as well as Maisano, hardly fought for the leadership but had then to be satisfied with his 12th place just ahead of Davide Forè who was lingered by some contacts. Among the CRG drivers, finally we need to mention Eddy Tinini who was really unlucky being involved in a couple of accidents in the heats so to loose the access to the Final which he was well deserving.

A great celebration at the end for the whole CRG team but also emotion for the umpteenth World Title which further enriched the yet fantastic international palmarès-prizewinners of the Italian company. “Everything was OK – said just after the race Giancarlo Tinini, President of C.R.G. S.p.A. – and it was a nice result for CRG and of course for “Koko” who was chasing this title since a long time. He made an excellent race and proved what a good driver he is. It was a good result which came at the end of a season I which “Koko”, Thonon and Forè have been committing themselves to the development and research. Here in Macao we also had a good fourth place with Jonathan who recovered very well after the qualification heats. I’m also happy for Aaro Vainio and Ben Hanley of Maranello who complete the success of Tinini Group together with Maxter motors which reach the first four places of the Super KF World Championship. It was anyway a pity for Eddy because he couldn’t reach the Final due to a couple of accidents. It was an important season full of successes so this is the right occasion to thank all the mechanics and the staff who gave a great contribution to our victories.”

Obviously very happy Arnaud Kozlinski: “It’s my first victory in a World Championship and of course I am happy indeed. I had a rather bad start at the beginning of the year but I kept on having trust so after a lot of work on the development of the motors we had at the end a brilliant result. This title is a reward for previous disappointments and above all for the misfortune of last year after an accident in Las Vegas. This is my third year with CRG and I wish to thank the whole team which supported me in every moment. Running in Asia brings me good luck considering also that I was third in the SFK World Cup in Suzuka and always in Suzuka I won the 2006 World Cup in Formula A. With this success in Macao I have also won a bet with Nico, who is the Maxter responsible manager. The prize was a Rolex which is now my watch!”.

Omar Di Gesualdo, CRG Sportive Director: “After the problems the day before due to the crumbling asphalt the event could have a regular ending and we had Kozlinski’s important victory. It was marvellous also because our driver was chasing this result since a long time. My congratulations to “Koko” who made me move for what he could realize. We also had a great performance from Thonon while Forè suffered for a few accidents. Excellent was Maisano who was in great shape but also quite unlucky for the accident at the start. We are closing this year with two Championship titles in Super KF and KZ1, further to a third place at the European KZ1. We really have very good equipment either CRG or Maxter and this is so encouraging to be able to reach other goals in the future”.

Nico Carigiet, Responsible for Maxter engines: “Really a fantastic result for us as we had four Maxter motors at the first four places which is proving our superiority on a dry and also on a wet track. We had a splendid growth trend in our results this year with a series of good victories especially at the end of the season”.

Jonathan Thonon: “I am very happy for Koko’s victory and for CRG which wins this way both the World Titles of KZ1 and Super KF. In the Final I had a good start and was just following Koko but I preferred to support my team avoiding therefore to pass him. I think I did the right thing as it was very important for CRG to win the World title and I am satisfied for my contribution”.

Davide Forè: “I had an accident in the pre-final which forced me to start the final from the 17th position. Just before the rain I was among the leaders then after that I had to slow down because it was becoming a real dangerous situation. I am anyway very happy for Koko’s result and for CRG”.

Eddy Tinini: “I am very satisfied with the result of the whole team. I wished to run the Final too so to be able to give my contribution but unfortunately it was impossible because two accidents during the heats stopped me”.

RESULTS

Macao (China), 9th-11th October 2009 – 46th CIK-FIA World Karting Championship of Super KF

SUPER KF - Final: 1. Kozlinski (F) (CRG-Maxter) 18 laps; 2. Vainio (FIN) +1.008; 3. Hanley (GB) +6.103; 4. Thonon (CRG-Maxter) +7.376; 5. Camponeschi (I) +9.255; 6. De Brabander (B) +12.612; 7. Renaudie (F) +13.832; 8. Bressan (I) +15.379; 9. Ardigò (I) +15.841; 10. Puhakka (FIN) +16.917; 11. Convers (F) +17.992; 12. Rowland (LH-Maxter) +19.703; 13. Forè (I) (CRG-Maxter) +20.559; 14. Cesetti (I) +22.923; 15. Kunranta (FIN) +24.517.

All results on website www.cikfia.com

Press Office
C.R.G. S.p.A.
Macao (China), 11th October 2009

07/10/2009 - GREAT QUALITY AND EXCELLENT PRICE FOR THE NEW HELMET DISTRIBUTED BY MIR: 249.00 EUROS.

MIR presents its new helmet model “Duchinni K801”: a helmet of great quality at an excellent price.

SNELL K2005 approved helmet.
As to the CMR 2007 Junior it will be approved again and be in force from 2010.
Supplied with transparent and clear visor.
Coloured visor separately available.
Fibreglass construction. Removable and washable inside.
Polished finish of pearl white colour.
Approved for MSA and international events. Large air vent on the chin.
Dual venturi chin bar vents.
Dual upper vents.
Dual rear exhausts.
Channeled EPS liner for maximum ventilation.
Available in sizes XXS-XXL.
Price: 249.00 Euros VAT included.
Info: mir@mirraceline.com



Press Office
MIR
7th October 2009
www.mirraceline.com
Phone +39.0575.984210

06/10/2009 - NEW LOOK GP RACING ASIA TEAM DOMINATED THE LAST ROUND OF MALAYSIAN KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP 2009.

GP RACING ASIA Cadet drivers made GPRACING ASIA Team proud by winning 1st place by James Pull and 2nd Place by Daim followed by Naufal.
James is the new KKS Malaysian Cadet kart Champion for 2009
It was a day to remember for GPRACING wining the Cadet and Open 125 very comprehensively.
125 Open class won by Ron Tan for GP RACING ASIA.

G.P. Racing s.r.l.
cavagp@gpracing.it

19/09/2009 - 13/09/2009 OPEN MASTERS 2009 RACE 7 LAGHI : FABIAN FEDERER CHANGE FRAME AND RETURN TO FLY

Exciting days during the OPEN RACE in “7 Laghi” circuit (Castelletto di Branduzzo ITALY ), for the top driver Federer Fabian and Kris Haase.

Fabian Federer:
Disappointed by the previous frame ( “Sarno “ race incomplete due to chassis problems) , Federer using the the same Tech F1 engine , change chassis and make the best race lap times (free practice, timed warm-up pre-final and final), getting the lap record in 48,659 in the warm up on Sunday.
Unfortunately Federer pays the price in competitive position on the grid due to a problem with a carburettor , occurred in the 3rd qualifying heats, which forces him to not complete the turn.
Gets a 4th place in the pre-setting the second fastest lap time 48,929 (best time 48,917).
In the final, after a frenzied race, quickly returning to the positions and get a 2nd place behind a hardened Rugin Gabriel, setting the fastest lap time (48,961).

Kris Haas:
Touched by unlucky instead Kris Haase (currently in the lead in the Constructors standings Trophy 4 T), which after the first free trial the same time Federer, ruins the frame in a violent collision due to a competitor mistake .
Despite this problem (that affect all heats, pre-final and final) Kris not lose heart and his skill as a mechanic and a true driver will take him to conclude all the races still getting a 5th place in the final, what a pity ... ... ..!
Without problems (with the excellent chassis of its production) certainly would have been able to gamble too for the podium.

RACE RESULTS Open 7 lakes (Castelletto di Branduzzo)
1 Rugin Gabriele (Zanardi-Oral)
2nd Fabian Federer (CRG-Tech F1)
3rd Peter Kuster (Tony Kart-Swiss)
4 ° Alberto Cavalieri (BRM-Oral)
5 ° Kris Haase (Haase-Tech F1)

Won the title of the Open Masters 2009 - 250 4T Albert o Cavalieri ; Technique Engineering congratulates its team and manufactures companies (engine and chassis) which have supported him.
The Technique Engineering is grateful also to the national coaches of the race, for doing this test in numerous checks, surely this is an emerging category that has the success it deserves

16/09/2009 - BRM RACING TEAM: 2009 OPEN MASTERS ITALIAN CHAMPION IN THE 250cc 4 STROKE

11-13 September 2009,“7 Laghi Circuit” in Castelletto di Branduzzo (PV), Final of the 2009 Italian Open Masters and 2009 International Open Masters Serie: for the second consecutive year, Brm Racing rules and wins the Title in the 250cc 4 Stroke class. Massive satisfaction this week-end for the whole Brm Racing Team which, thanks to the perfect sinergy between their chassis and the top driver Alberto Cavalieri, was confirmed Italian Champion in the newly-born 250cc 4 Stroke class once again. This important and longed-for result is the deserved recognition of the excellent job made during the season and our Official Racing Team wants to share it with all the persons who made this possible: first of all the Team Manager Mr. Erminio Bozzoni, a man who put at our disposal his deep experience and, moved by the endless passion he feels for karting, managed in a superlative way all the developments for the 4 Stroke class. Essential partner was also the Comapny Oral Engineering, superbly lead by the Ingeneer Franco Antoniazzi: the Oral engines always stood out for their unquestionable performance and, above all, for the reliability during the races, always supported and granted by the two Oral's engine-tuners Gianluca Malagoli and Graziano Iantosca. Decisive and indispensable was, with no dout about this, our young driver Alberto Cavalieri: the 17 years old boy from Sondalo (Sondrio, Italy) was the leader in each meeting of the Championship, although the presence of very important drivers such as Fabian Federer, Claudio Mack and Luca Giacomello, all drivers with years of experiences in international races and a good palmares. Alby always strongly belived in his Team and in the quality of the material he was using:therefore he concentrated on his role of Official Driver, working together with the Racing Team,finding out the right settings and improving his racing skills.

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