WKA: SpeedNews 2004-01-10

WKA's SpeedNews - 01.10.2004

DAYTONA KARTWEEK OVERVIEW

Daytona KartWeek 2003 snuck up before we knew it and was over as quick as the blink of an eye. All the preparation, anticipation, hard work, and determination was felt by thousands as they competed in the most competitive karting event in the world. Beautiful weather adorned the entire week as drivers and crews from all over the country, and world, put together their best efforts to beat the best.

Daytona KartWeek 2003 started off with Briggs 4-Cycle Day. This event gives 4-cycle drivers the opportunity to compete on the "big track" - something they don't get to do too often and what a place to do it! There was a great turnout consisting of both sprint and speedway competitors, as well as, road racing competitors. Gold Cup and Road Racing rules applied, allowing for more of an equal playing ground for the drivers. Allen Redman took home the most wins for the day by winning both Briggs Super Heavy and Briggs Senior.

Also competing on the "big track" was the Dunlop Tire National Road Racing Elite Karting World Championships. What a dream it is for all these competitors to say they won at Daytona and two competitors now have the opportunity to say they are four-time winners here in one year! Mike Spears and Randy Fulks, both 2003 WKA Triple Crown Champions, won all four of their races this year at Daytona KartWeek. On top of that, Randy Fulks has surpassed Tod Spaude's record of most wins at Daytona KartWeek by now holding 31 wins. How incredible is that? Congratulations to these two guys, as well as, all the other competitors. Thanks for a great weekend!

The George Kugler Manufacturer's Cup presented by Bridgestone Margay Sprint Championships was held inside turns 3 and 4 of Daytona International Speedway. Drivers from all over the world showed to strut their stuff on this sprint track. Entries exceeded last year and so did the level of competition. These drivers know what it is to create some great racing. They get down to business on and off the track, drivers and crews alike. Corey Reeves ruled the weekend with a total of four wins in HPV Lite & Heavy, Spec 100, and Yamaha Lite. Winning both ICC Finals 1 & 2 was Josh Schreiber. Both Sergio Pena and Matthew Lee won two classes as well. Congratulations and thanks for the great racing!

Finally, last but not least, the grand event for dirt racers everywhere, the Briggs & Stratton Speedway Dirt Series 2003 Dirt World Championships. Entries totalled over 2,200, making for a record-breaking year. What an event and it went off without a hitch...well, except for the runaway kart that we can all laugh about now that it's over and everyone is safe. This event is the Daytona 500 for these dirt karters and is just as competitive, if not more. It's enough for these drivers to just make the main event considering some classes have well over 100 entered and less than half get the opportunity to compete in the main event. Barrett Terry and John Stancill were the big winners this week -- both taking home three wins each. Barrett Terry earned the opportunity to have his kart displayed in Daytona USA for one year and they both can say they won three times at Daytona! This was an incredible weekend at the Daytona Municipal Stadium and it's only getting bigger and bet! te! r each and every year. Congratulations to all our competitors on another successful Daytona Dirt World Championships. What a way to start off the season!

WKA wants to express our gratitude to every single competitor, crew, family member, spectator, and worker for making Daytona KartWeek 2003 so incredibly successful on every aspect. It takes so much time and hard work to put an event of this magnitude together that we are wore out before we even get there, but it is all of you that revives our spirits and makes it so special for us. We enjoy coming back to Daytona every year knowing we get to spend it with the best kart racers in the country, as well as, all of their families and friends, and our workers. Thank you for your support, participation, and for letting us spend a part of our holiday season with you. We hope you enjoy your time with us as much as we do with you while at Daytona KartWeek. Thank you!

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KARTFEST 2004 FAST APPROACHING

Before we know it, our favorite event of the year will be here. No, not the Super Bowl, KartFest 2004 -- the grand event of karting, the largest karting trade show in the country, the time we honor our National Champions in style -- that's the event we're talking about. This is by far the can't miss trade show in karting that keeps getting better year after year. As always, KartFest will be held at the Hickory Metro Convention Center in Hickory, NC with hundreds of vendors and tracks exhibiting, seminars, and national banquets -- all of which attract over 10,000 attendees every year. KartFest is held this year on January 23rd and 24th (Friday & Saturday) with Friday exhibiting from 11:00 am - 6:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. A list of exhibitors can be viewed at www.worldkarting.com/main/kartfest_vendors.html.

New to the sport of karting is WKA's Weekly Racing Series. Many tracks have signed on to participate in the opportunity to recognize local karters at the national level. As is expected with a new venture, there are many questions from tracks and drivers alike. To help answer these questions, WKA is offering a Q & A session included with the Divisional Directors Meeting held on Saturday from 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm at the Hickory Metro Trade Center in Meeting Room F. This is a great time to get your questions answered and to meet others who are taking advantage of this great opportunity.

Year after year, KartFest is host to a Friday and Saturday 4-Cycle Technical Seminar conducted by Ralph Helms assisted by Bobby Gettys and Morgan Whitaker. Participants must be WKA members and make reservations by calling the WKA Headquarters at 704.455.1606, ext. 10. For a full listing of seminars being offered please visit www.worldkarting.com/main/kartfest.html.

Hotels in the area are offering special rates to those mentioning WKA during KartFest weekend. Please visit www.worldkarting.com/main/kartfest.html for a full listing and contact information.

If it's a banquet you're looking for, then you're at the right place! The Briggs & Stratton Speedway Dirt Series and Horstman Gold Cup Series banquets are being hosted Friday and Saturday evening, respectively. The Ultramax Racing Chassis Speedway Pavement Series breakfast is planned for Saturday morning. For reservations, which is a must for the dinners, please call 704.455.1606, ext. 10.

MEETING / SEMINAR SCHEDULE
Thursday, January 22, 2004
WKA National Sponsors Reception
7:30 pm - ?, Holiday Inn Select

Friday, January 23, 2004
"4-Cycle Technical Seminar", by Ralph Helms
12 noon - 6:00 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Meeting Room E

Saturday, January 24, 2004
"4-Cycle Technical Seminar", by Ralph Helms
12 noon - 6:00 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Meeting Room E

"Kart Industry Council (KIC)", by Bob White
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Meeting Room F

"Getting Started in Karting", by David Adkinson
1:00 pm / 3:00 pm / 5:00 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Board Room

"Cams & Motors / Raptor vs. Animal", by Mark Bordeaux and Dan Wilson
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Meeting Room H

"Tire Talk", by Maxxis Tires
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Meeting Room G

National Speedway Dirt Series Track Promoters Meeting
1:30 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Board Room

"Divisional Directors Meeting / Weekly Racing Series Q & A", by Randy Kugler and Tony Barton
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Meeting Room F

"Getting Sponsorships", by Mike McCarty
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Meeting Room H

National Speedway Pavement Series Track Promoters Meeting
3:30 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Board Room

"Chassis Set-Up Seminar", by Brad Sellers and Chad Porginski
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Meeting Rooms F and G

"Digatron: Collection & Analyzing Race Data for Better Performance", by Bob Chiras
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm, Hickory Metro Trade Center - Meeting Room H

****4-Cycle Tech Seminars require WKA Membership and Reservations by calling the WKA Office at 704.455.1606, ext. 14.
****Space is limited for all Seminars. First come, first serve.

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BRIGGS & STRATTON INTRODUCES $16,000 OHV CHALLENGE FOR THE 2004 RACING SEASON

Do you race an Animal in the Dirt, Gold Cup, or Pavement Series? If so, keep reading...Briggs & Stratton Motorsports is introducing a $16,000 OHV Challenge for the 2004 racing season. Competitors can win $1,000 in cash (or a bond for junior classes) by winning a National Championship in either Animal Junior or Animal Heavy in WKA's Briggs & Stratton Speedway Dirt Series, Horstman Gold Cup Series, or Ultramax Racing Chassis Speedway Pavement Series in the 2004 season. This is an excellent program different from any other in that it will reward the racer through competition, as well as, permit tracks and organizations to enhance competition for the racer by offering stronger class structures.

Dave Klaus, Briggs & Stratton Motorsports Marketing Coordinator states, "We wanted to put together a program that would be different from our current support system. This program will showcase our new line of OHV racing engines and we feel that this will allow the tracks and organizations the support for a successful class structure. It will also reward the racer, both financially and through competition."

The 2004 racing season has already started for the Briggs & Stratton Speedway Dirt Series. Taking first in Animal Junior is Michael Taylor and in Animal Heavy is Terence Burdette. These guys are well on their way to claiming their National Championships and, thanks to Briggs & Stratton Motorsports, their $1,000 cash or bond. However, there are many races to go before the end of the season and anything could happen...could the money be yours?

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GOLD STAR RACING TO AIR 3 HOURS OF KARTING ACTION ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL

The Hoppers and Faucis have made it to the big time! Starring in three 1-hour episodes airing on the Discovery Channel, they represent all families in karting as they illustrate family life in the fast lane, literally. Cameras followed them from New York to Florida and everywhere in between, including the WKA Horstman Gold Cup Grand National event Halloween weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.

It looks like reality tv has come to karting and as we know with reality tv, drama is sure to follow. "Gold Star Racing" aims to illustrate the family aspect of kart racing. It is one of the only sports that allows for so much interaction between parents and kids, creating a wide range of emotions being played out trackside. We'll watch as kids and parents are pulled together and sometimes pulled apart - all in an effort to pursue their passion of racing.

Set your calendar and VCR for January 16th, 23rd, and 30th at 8:00 pm and don't miss the chance to step into the lives of these two families as they are doing what so many parents do, especially in karting, which is try to make their kids dreams come true. Below is an overview of what can be expected from the shows.

Gold Star Racing - Episode Descriptions

Hour One
We travel to Rochester to get to know the Faucis in their home environment while they prepare for a hotly contested race on their local track. Kaytlyn, a fierce competitor on the track, emerges as a sweet-natured All-American 10-year-old girl with a soft spot for her little brother. Mikie, as it turns out, is enormously motivated for an 8-year-old boy. While other boys are playing video games and watching cartoons, Mikie is honing his driving skills and tactics. Mike and Rhonda face a tough choice as the final races approaches: to race or not to race, after Kaity and Mikie have already claimed their club championships through accrued points.

We then follow our characters as they converge on BeaveRun racetrack near Pittsburgh, PA for a highly competitive national series. The weeks of preparation come to bear as they do their best to get to the front of the pack. Adding to the drama, Mother Nature joins the fray when a violent line of thunderstorms crosses the track, wreaking havoc on the racing teams' moist careful preparations. Then, in an unexpected twist, Mikie Fauci gets spun off the track by none other than Westley HopperE. All this depicted by POV cameras placed on the Karts and drivers.

Hour Two
We go to Clearwater, FL, where we meet the Happy Hoppers as they prepare for a divisional race on their local track. We see dad Kiven making his living driving a high-powered speedboat while towing tourists dangling from parachutes a few hundred feet above the Gulf of Mexico. His wife Tami, with her long blonde braid brushing against her knees, keeps up the pace running errands to prepare for their sons Westley and Austin's races. When the whole family climbs into their luxurious RV to head for the race, the fun ends and the competition heats up. To their local competitors, the Happy Hoppers are adversaries along the path to fame and fortune.

Hour Three
The families we've come to know and love meet again at the biggest race of the year -- the WKA Horstman Gold Cup Grand National event at Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. All the best racers are there, some of whom we meet as they go head-to-head with the Faucis and Hoppers. We'll have POV cameras and helmet cams equipped for sound mounted on all the key karts as they tear around the track. All the action will culminate with drama of winning and losing, the dashed hopes and realized dreams, and, above all, the hard earned-lessons of life in the fast lane.

-wka-