"Sam Hornish to appear at 2002 Kart Expo" JANUARY 8, 2002 - Sam Hornish Jr., the 2001 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series (IRL) Champion is scheduled to appear at the 2002 Kart Expo International, February 23-24, in St. Charles, Illinois. The event, the premiere kart racing show in North America, celebrating its 10th Anniversary, will feature 200 booths of kart racing chassis and equipment from around the world. Hornish, 22, a former kart racer, drove to the IRL Championship in the Pennzoil #4 car this year beating the likes of Scott Sharp and Tony Stewart, also former kart racers. After winning the Infiniti Miami Grand Prix Hornish stated, " It was a great day for all kart racers because it proved once again that karting is probably the best training ground for aspiring professional race drivers." Hornish and fellow karter and friend Sarah Fisher finished one - two in Miami. For the season, Hornish won 3 IRL events racking up 500 points for the overall series victory. Hornish's appearance is courtesy of the Karting Industry Council (KIC), the karting industry trade organization, and Grand Products, one of Hornish's earliest karting sponsors. Kart Expo will be held at Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center in St. Charles, Illinois, (Suburban Chicago), February 23-24. Sponsors for the event are Rock Island Grand Prix, Shifter Kart Illustrated, Speedway USA Magazine, CLTV-Chicagoland Television, International Racing Association, The Inside Track, E-KMI.com and Press-Republican Newspapers. For more information call 630-653-7368, e-mail: karting@msn.com or see www.e-KMI.com for complete show details.