March - 2003

• IRA welcomes Margay.com, Intrepid Kart and Burris Racing as 2003 title sponsors
  The International Racing Association (IRA) is pleased to announce Margay.com as the new series title sponsor of the 2003 Championship Enduro Series (CES). This year's CES schedule consists of seven races at seven different tracks across the Midwest. Presenting Sponsor of this venerable long-track series is again the official publication of the IRA, The Inside Track "America's Karting Newspaper".
• Franklin Motorsports to market new Kart & Engine package
  The Mayko Corporation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin has just announced the introduction of an all-new kart & engine package. The vehicle is called the "eXciter" and has undergone extensive testing and development for almost two years. Because it is aimed at the "Adult Recreational Racer" segment of the population it was designed with several key features for the "over 40" drivers in mind. The wheelbase is longer than a typical kart to accommodate taller drivers.
• Forming a Mighty Alliance
  Jean Marchioni, JM Racing and Parolin Racing Karts have together produced the Avanti 003. The Avanti heritage stems from a proven winner in European shifter kart competition. The experience gained by winning the 2002 French and 2002 Italian National championships and leading the 2002 European Super ICC series until the final round where a delaminated tire relegated Alessandro Piccini to third place in the final point standings has translated into the Avanti 003 we know today.
• Kart Expo 2003 a plus for Karting in North America
  Karting businesses and enthusiasts from all over North America and beyond showed up at the Pheasant Run Resort & Convention Center in St. Charles, Illinois the weekend of February 22-23 for Kart Expo 2003. Event organizer Darrell Sitarz of eKMI.com is on the right track after moving to this new location a few years ago and Kart Expo has seen tremendous growth in both exhibitor numbers and in the amount of participants attending each year.
• Kart Expo showcases new one-man kart stands
  Several new one-man kart stands were on display at this year's Kart Expo International. With the weight of karts and classes seeming to be on the rise every year, the need for loading and unloading these heavy karts off the stand without having to break your back has become an issue (at least for the aging baby boomer kart racers). Another market for these stands is for the young kart racer who is not yet strong enough to help dad muscle the kart off the stand.
• North Texas Karters turn up the Heat
  It may have been cold and dreary outside, but the heat was on during North Texas Karters (NTK) final race day of the Polar Bear Series held Saturday, February 15 at Denton, Texas. The cool weather and head -to- tail racing made for close competition in all classes. The track itself is an impressive 1/3-mile including 9 turns with some banking, 3-wide racing in turn one, and a one-line chicane making up turns 4 and 5. The flat, smooth surface of the straights provided for flat-out racing at its best.
• SKUSA ProMoto Tour kicks off 2003 season with return to Jacksonville
  After a 2002 season that saw no ProMoto Tour events in the Florida region, the SKUSA ProMoto Tour will make their return to one of the most popular venues in Florida in Round #1 at the 103rd St. Sports Complex in Jacksonville, FL on March 28-30. The Northern Florida venue has been a favorite among many participants in the past, especially the Florida region competitors. SKUSA CEO, Jim Murley, thinks that a return to the Southeast will be a great kick-off for the 2003 ProMoto Tour season.
• Seasoned SuperPro veterans and a list of S1 standouts take on the ProMoto Tour
  With the 2003 SKUSA ProMoto Tour season on the horizon, a strong list of entries have already come out of the woodwork to try their hand at SKUSA's SuperPro class. The moto engine based platform has become a signature program in SKUSA's ProMoto Tour in recent years and earns wide spread support from some of shifterkarting's top racers. While some of 2002's top SuperPro drivers are still solidifying their deals, many drivers and teams are locked in and ready to compete.
• SKUSA Business Development Director Resigns
  Jim Murley, President/CEO of Superkarts! USA accepts Ron Miller's resignation effective January 31, 2003. "Ron, coming from a Real Estate Investment background, will need to spend more of his time as the Managing Director of an International real estate investment banking firm. Over the past year, Miller had been instrumental in putting together the HDNet broadcast of the SuperNationals and in the negotiations with Texas Motor Speedway.
• Beason Motorsports joins SSC Racing
  SSC Racing announces their newest dealer in Oklahoma. Beason Motorsports, located in Broken Arrow, will carry the full line of CRG, Gearbox, MoGo and Vega. They will also join in as an authorized Rotax dealer. Owner Mike Beason has been a successful businessman in the power equipment business for many years, as well as numerous years of involvement in kart racing with his son Jonathan.
• Team RaceSportz to field Carhartt entry with associate support from the UA
  Carhartt Clothing recently announced a primary sponsorship program with Team RaceSportz of Arnprior, Ontario, Canada. As the leading work apparel company in North America, Carhartt will be on the CASCAR SuperSeries number "8" entry driven by series rookie, Marc Miller. The team will contest a limited SuperSeries schedule in 2003 but have many marketing and promotional programs already in place.
• Dave's Performance working with MRP Motorsport to build strong West Coast campaign
  Dave's Performance recently announced their switch to Birel racing chassis for the 2003 racing season. The popular Temecula, CA-based operation have struck a relationship with Birel importer, MRP Motorsport, to become an authorized dealer for the world championship Birel and Freeline brand of karting products. The new association will bolster the West coast representation of Birel karts and parts as Dave's Performance and MRP Motorsport will work together to provide a strong "racer support program".
• MRP Motorsport announces Rotax Max Challenge schedules
  Rotax Max Regional Distributor MRP Motorsport has announced major plans for the spec racing concept during the 2003 racing season. Most notably, MRP will oversee the 3rd season of the MRP Rotax Max Challenge. In addition, it has also been announced that the Midwest Sprint Series will offer the Rotax Max Class as an official Challenge Series with support from MRP. The highlight race for both series is a "Dual Regional Challenge" that will bring both series together at South Bend Raceway Park on June 20-22.
• DE Divisional and U.S. 13 Kart Club Champions crowned
  A dozen Sussex County, DE and seven Maryland kart racers were crowned champions in the WKA/Delaware Dirt Divisional Series and US 13 Kart Club Series during a banquet Saturday night (Feb 8th) at Seaford Fire Hall. Jordan Watson, of Milford and Austin Hubbard, of Seaford were recognized as double class champions in the Delaware Dirt Divisional Series where racer's points are transferred to their national rankings.
• New Midwest entertainment center to include kart track
  A new Indoor Entertainment Center is in process of opening in early 2004 in the Great Lakes Region. The facility is tentatively names RPM Sports Challenge (RPM) and is being founded by Midwest racer Tim Koutny. RPM is a multi-attraction facility and will have revenue centers of European style kart, thirty-six holes of miniature golf, five rock climbing runs, paintless paintball, a virtual reality center, redemption games, concession stand, and a bar.
• All Race, No Pain
  The Mid-America SKUSA Region is pleased to announce a partnership with Ribtect for the title sponsorship of the 2003 Regional Series. This announcement follows several changes to the series including a new director and addition of long-track events at Gateway Int'l Raceway and Blackhawk Farms Raceway. "We were looking for a partner who has products that add value to our racers in both the short and long track events.
• Las Vegas Kart Club track improvements done
  The Las Vegas Kart Club held its first race of the 2003 season on 9 Feb at their club built track in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway complex. Over $10,000 in track repairs were done during the winter break by the club members and J. Stewart Concrete. The members did the demolition of 180 feet of the front straight, including all the major bumps in the fast area, and 80 feet of track between turns seven and eight where the track had settled due to unknown organics buried under that area before the track was built.
• Haase USA signs 11-year-old Timmy Megenbier for 2003 80cc shifter race program
  Haase USA announced today the signing of 11-year-old Timmy Megenbier to campaign a Haase 80cc shifterkart for the 2003 season. Megenbier will be racing in the SKUSA (Superkarts USA) East ProMoto Tour, SKUSA Great Lakes Region and the CART Stars of Tomorrow series in 2003. National Kart Supply, the exclusive United States importer for Haase Racing Karts, will offer works support to Megenbier's Melrose Park, IL Team Terror outfit.
• Free software to create a link between tracks, drivers, and fans
  SpeedNet Direct, Inc., a technology company focusing on the needs of motorsports promoters and sanctioning bodies, has developed a comprehensive race management software program which promoters can use to manage their driver database, set up race events, track points and purse payouts, provide driver reports, race reports, point standings, 1099 tax printouts, and easily upload race results to the internet.
• "Jim Trueman Scholarship Award" set to honor top karting racer
  The late Jim Trueman was a big believer in helping young North American drivers who were attempting to climb the auto racing ladder. Trueman, the founder of the CART championship and Indy 500-winning Truesports racing teams, was renowned throughout the motorsports community in assisting young drivers for decades including the likes of Bobby Rahal, Willy T. Ribbs, Ed Pimm, Steve Millen and many others.
• UltraMAX: The Ultimate Chassis Company
  When Chuck Dill, of Greenville, SC, got bitten by the Karting bug back in 1972 little did he know then that in years to come he and his future business partner Joe Wright would become leaders in race kart chassis manufacturing and in the karting industry itself. According to Dill the first time he saw a kart race he said to himself, "I'm going to get me one of those," and soon afterwards he did.
• Coleman becomes America's youngest "open wheel" driver
  Brad Coleman from Houston, Texas will employ World Speed Motorsports to field the 14 year-old kart racer in the upcoming West Coast Fran-Am 1600cc Championships and ultimately in the national series championship. World Speed Motorsports, located at Infineon Raceway in California's wine country, will prepare the rookie kart racer and has recently tested at Button Willow Raceway this last December. According to World Speed sources, he will become America's youngest open-wheel driver.