January - 2003

• Indoor Karting centers, a cure for the winter blues
  For those living in a northern climate, winter used to equate to no kart racing for several months. But with the growth of indoor karting centers, kart racing can now be a year round activity. And you do not even need to own or maintain any equipment at these arrive and drive facilities. One of the most impressive indoor karting centers I have visited is the Andretti Speed Lab located north of Atlanta. This center was established by John Andretti to be the premier indoor karting and entertainment center in the U.S.
• Mid-State Kart Club Sets Class Structure and Schedule for 2003
  Mid-State Kart Club will start its 43rd season of kart racing on April 6 and will hold 17 club point races with the final point race concluding on October 12. Special events this year will include the opening round of The Mid-West Sprint Series held on May 1 through May 4, the Track Challenge on October 5, the Enduro Pumpkin Fun Race on October 19, and a new four race mini-series to be held in conjunction with the St. Louis Karting Association called "The Gateway Sprint Series".
• BKC releases 2003 track schedule
  Dousman, Wisconsin's Badger Kart Club has announced their 2003 schedule. Bridgestone Tire will once again be the title sponsor for the Championship points series. With 17 points-paying races, 2003 looks to be another exciting year of open-wheel racing at Badger. On Father's Day weekend, Badger Kart Club will host the Dunlop Tire Road America Supernationals. Last year, there were over 1,000 entries, the third time in the past 5 years!
• IKF disputes partnership announcement
  The International Kart Federation announced today that no formal partnership of any kind have been formed with any other karting organization, despite published rumors to the contrary. The IKF is the original sanctioning body for the sport of karting. Founded in 1957 as Go Kart Club of America, the name was later changed, and membership expanded. Membership continues to grow, with significant growth in all divisions in each of the past three years.
• JM Racing to end distribution agreement of TonyKart
  It is with great sadness that JM Racing announces that the first and long-time Tony Kart US importer will no longer be distributing the Tony Kart, Trulli and Vortex lines. Roberto Robazzi, president of Tony Kart, has decided to sever the 12-year relationship with JM Racing after objecting to JM racing's JM/Avanti kart advertising in a recent issue of Shifter Kart Illustrated.
• Kart Expo gearing up for great show this February
  The 11th Annual Kart Expo International, America's Premier Kart Racing Show, sponsored by ROC Timing, Shifter Kart Illustrated, Rock Island Grand Prix, Speedway USA Magazine, The Inside Track newspaper, International Racing Association, e-KMI.com, and KartFax.com, will take place on February 22-23, 2003 at Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center in St. Charles (West Suburban Chicago), Illinois.
• South Bend Raceway Park announces 2003 schedule
  The South Bend Raceway Park Schedule is set for 2003. Leading the list of races at this prestigious Midwest track is the local Michiana Kart Klub. MKK's 12 race series starts April 13th. As always the race season at South Bend Raceway Park is filled with local, regional and national level racing. Open practice is available on most other weekends.
• SCKC Race Director to race in South Africa
  Houston resident Oscar Aguilera scored his second U.S. Formula Rotax 125 International kart team spot two years in a row. On October 27, 2002 Oscar Aguilera made history by becoming the first and only American kart driver to return to the Formula Rotax World Finals to be held in South Africa on January 15-19, 2003 along with his friend, mechanic and sponsor Alex Meneses from Pitstop Performance Products, Inc.
• U.S. Karting organizations to hold 'Open Forums' at Kart Expo - A First!
  For the first time ever, the major US kart racing sanctioning organizations will conduct 'open forum' sessions at the 2003 Kart Expo International. The 11th annual show will be held on February 22-23, at the Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center in St. Charles, Illinois, near Chicago. Each association - WKA, IKF, IRA, SKUSA and Stars of Tomorrow - will be available individually during the expo weekend in a forum-type setting.
• STARS Champion Fleming wins Barber-Dodge Runoff and $100,000 in funding
  Former Stars of Tomorrow champion Colin Fleming took the top prize Friday at the Barber-CART Scholarship Runoff. Fleming, of North Hills, California, was awarded $100,000 in funding towards the 2003 Barber Dodge Pro Series season after three days of intensive competition at Sebring International Raceway.
• SPEED EVENTZ appointed CART Stars of Tomorrow Northwest region directors; title sponsors announced
  CART Stars Of Tomorrow Operations Director Paul Zalud announced today that Speed Eventz, LLC will be the regional directors for the CART Stars of Tomorrow Northwest region. As a part of the new joint regional operations with the World Karting Association, the Northwest region for Stars is the first to reflect this new structure for 2003.
• Stars of Tomorrow national schedule dates; race format information
  The CART Stars of Tomorrow national series in association with the WKA/SCCA has been announced. The schedule is largely adopted from the previously announced WKA/SCCA Constructors Cup schedule, which has now been merged with the CART Stars series.
• "Stars" television brings kart racing to over 400,000 viewers, more airdates scheduled
  The 2002 CART Stars of Tomorrow presented by Snap-on.com Grand Nationals broadcast on SPEED posted solid rating numbers for the broadcasts of the November, 2002 race. The show delivered kart racing to an unprecedented number of new viewers. Consequently, SPEED channel has scheduled the program for new time slots enabling the top level karting series greater exposure and momentum towards its 2003 season.
• CART Stars of Tomorrow and WKA/SCCA Pro Racing Constructors Championship to merge
  Officials from the CART Stars of Tomorrow and WKA/SCCA Pro Racing Constructor's Championship announced today that the two groups will merge, effective immediately, into one organization. The national karting championship will be known as the CART Stars of Tomorrow and will be in association with WKA and SCCA Pro Racing.
• Cameron Motorsports management newest ItalKart dealer
  Cameron Motorsports Management announced today the opening of its new, expanded karting operation, including a retail center for Italkart chassis, Parilla and 125 TM ICC engines and MIR Racewear. Components to repair damaged or worn parts, as well as development pieces to upgrade the performance of existing Italkart chassis, are also available.
• Schaffier scores CKI ride for 2003
  Veteran kart road racer Frankie Schaffier will be piloting a Competition Karting, Inc. team Laser AV2E chassis in the WKA/Dunlop Tire Road Racing Series 2003 season attempting to earn titles in Piston Port Can 360 and 380 concentrating mainly on the latter class. In the national WKA/Dunlop Tire Road Racing Series he posted one national win in 1997 and two regional wins, along with two the following season.
• New 'Tag' class added
  The Great Lakes Sprint Series plans to add the new TAG Class to their program. On the same day, Rodney Berryhill also announced his alternative spec motor class based from Oklahoma Motorsports Complex, would be the TAG name as well. The class, according to information indicates that the 125-cc Electric Start motors will be run together.
• Kart Data Technology offers data acquisition training and products
  A new company, Kart Data Technology (KDT), has been recently formed to aid in the training and technical support for data acquisition analysis for karting and other forms of motorsports. KDT was started by Dale Nickos, a top data acquisition engineer in the Indy Racing League, to provide a much-needed service to kart racing looking to take advantage of the technology they currently have available to them.
• Champagne toasts an amazing year
  Matt Champagne (www.mattchampagne.com), Canada's top ranking shifter kart pilot finished off the 2002 campaign riding high on a season marked by significant accomplishments and a major step forward in his racing career.
• Race car driver and shifter kart champion Memo Gidley to promote his new book in the Windy City
  Memo Gidley, accomplished open wheel racecar driver and shifter kart champion will be at the 11th Annual Kart Expo InternationalShow being held at the Pheasant Run Resort & Convention Center in St. Charles, Illinois (West Suburban Chicago) on February 22-23. On hand with Memo to talk about the book will be the Author, Jeff Grist.
• 'Trane' purchases naming rights to Norway Speedway
  Intense Karting announced today a formal partnership with Trane, a business of American Standard Companies (NYSE: ASD), for sponsorship and naming rights for the Norway Speedway in Norway IL. The speedway will now be known as the "Trane Motor Speedway" after the heating and cooling giant.
• Cassity joins Triple Crown Club
  A surprised Ryan Cassity became the third member of this year's WKA Triple Crown Club. The Decatur, Il based Coyote karts factory driver entered this year's annual GT Machine WKA Horstman Gold Cup Grand Nationals at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, NC Thanksgiving weekend with a shot at two national titles and ended up with three.
• RRK racer takes NACAM Formula A
  Competing, among others, against Italian factory teams with Venezuelan drivers and other first level competitors, the "rrk" team with its driver Antiono Aranda took first place in the Premium Category Formula "A" at the International NACAM CIK-FIA Karting Championship, also highlighting was Andres Aranda's remarkable participation who reached the 3rd Place Overall of the Championship in the same category.
• The St. Louis Karting Association announces it's 2003 racing schedule
  The St. Louis Karting Association has just announced a full season of events at their new track at Missouri's "Thunder Valley" I-55 Raceway Park, in Pevely MO. This full season of events has something for everyone from our 11 race club sprint series, a four race regional shootout series, to a five race oval series, to our very first "Kid Kart" Nationals.
• Performance Motorsports Inc. to acquire Chambon S.A.
  Performance Motorsports, Inc., a subsidiary of Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV), announced today that it has acquired Chambon S.A. of Saint Etienne, France. Chambon is an engineering and manufacturing company with an outstanding reputation for producing high quality crankshafts for OEM customers and for the European automotive race market including Formula One, F-3000, World Rally and other venues.