SKI awards to highlight Kart Expo weekend MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CAN - For the first time since their inception in the fall of 1999, the prestigious Shifter Kart Illustrated Excellence Awards will be held at a location other than Las Vegas, NV as a new venue for the fifth edition of the gala has been confirmed. Traditionally paired with the season-ending Superkarts! USA SuperNationals in Las Vegas each November, the SKI Awards will now move to the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL during the month of February '04, where they will be the Saturday evening highlight of the KMI Kart Expo, the sport's premier trade show. The late confirmation of the SuperNats date prompted the search for a new venue and the magazine's publisher is looking forward to this new site. "The SuperNationals have been the home of the SKI Awards for the last four years and the participation by the sport's finest in Vegas made it the perfect venue, " offered SKI Publisher Rob Howden. "But with the late confirmation date, we needed to look for another weekend. When the idea of holding the Awards at Kart Expo was presented, it was a no-brainer. From roadracing to sprint, all the major players are there." The SKI Awards feature seven separate categories in driver, team and industry classifications. For the sport's top competitors, individual honors will be handed out for Driver of the Year, Rising Star, Young Driver of the Year and Road Racer of the Year. The crucial people behind the scenes are by no means left out of the festivities with the prestigious Team of the Year and Tuner of the Year awards also being presented during the program's big evening. As is the case with any competitive racing package - from CART to karts - the powerplant plays a major role in a successful shifterkart racing season and SKI will cap the list of honorees by highlighting one of the industry's finest with the celebrated Engine Builder of the Year trophy. The finalists for each category are nominated by SKI's readers through a form that will be included with the December issue mailing. From there, the SKI staff will make the final decision on who will win this year's awards. There are a number of new pieces being added to the overall program that will surely improve on what has always been a fun evening of camaraderie and accolades. There will only be a limited number of tickets available for the SKI Awards and they will be sold through the magazine's website (www.shifterkartmag.com) beginning in January.