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| December 09, 2009 News |
| EKN Trackside: PRI Trade Show /CKI Karting All-Star Classic - Preview |
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For the fourth time, the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show will host the Karting All-Star Classic outside the doors of the Orange County Convention Center under the lights on December 10. Teamed with Championship Karting International, the event kicks off the opening day of the Trade Show for more than 40,000 buyers from 60 countries and 1200-plus exhibiting companies as the All-Star Classic will put some of the best drivers in motorsports on the same track with the best karting has to offer in an All-Star fashioned event.
Karting as become a major portion of the PRI Trade Show, now hosting its 22nd annual event, over the course of the last five years. While karting has been a small minority of the show in previous years, karting has come to the forefront thanks in part to the industries support of the show and the growth of the All-Star race. Karting and the All-Star Classic will be part of the Grand Opening Breakfast Thursday morning with IndyCar’s Ryan Hunter-Reay representing the event when he chats with Wind Tunnel TV Show host Dave Despain.
Created in 2006, the PRI/CKI Karting All-Star Classic took to the parking lot of the Orange County Convention Center. Those in attendance battled brutal weather conditions however those that braved the rain witnessed a great event that saw Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice score the All-Star victory with Matt Jaskol taking home the Karters victory. The ’07 edition welcomed perfect weather with more spectators filling the stands and lining the fences to watch new winner - Grand Am’s Michael Valiante - take the top of the podium while Gary Carlton scored the Karters division win. Last year showed even more growth in the number of competitors and fans to witness IndyCar’s Jay Howard dominate the main event with Joel Miller adding his name to the Karters group win list.
 | Thousands of fans will surround the temporary circuit outside the Orange County Convention Center
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
This year’s forecast for battle around the bull-ring style temporary circuit includes 18 of the best motorsports drivers from around the world making up the All-Star roster and 34 of the best drivers from North America and international in the Karters division. Defending race winner Jay Howard (Maranello North America) will look to become the first two-time winner on Thursday night. The karting manager at the Palm Beach International Raceway and 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series driver for Sarah Fisher Racing certainly has the talent to do so, but will need to stay away from any trouble. Former winner Buddy Rice (Tony Kart USA) returns as the only driver to compete in all four All-Star events and like Howard, will be searching for a second title. Leading the challengers is NASCAR’s AJ Allmendinger. In his first two visits to the event, he ran to fourth place in two different kart brands. Returning with MRP/Andersen Racing-Birel, ‘Dinger’ may be a good bet for the victory.
Certainly the highlight will be the debut of current Formula One Vitantonio Liuzzi at the PRI/CKI Karting All-Star Classic. The 2001 World Karting Champion and current Force India driver will be reunited with the CRG brand that he is so familiar piloting, running with SSC East-CRG. He will also be reunited with former F1 teammate at Scuderia Toro Rosso Scott Speed. The now NASCAR driver with Red Bull Racing USA will make his third start at the All-Star Classic, teamed with Tony Kart USA in hopes of returning the podium once again.
Making first time starts at the event will be IndyCar’s Justin Wilson and Tomas Scheckter, NASCAR’s Colin Braun, AMA star Kevin Windham along with Monster Jam driver of the ‘Bad Habit’ machine Joe Sylvester. Wilson, Scheckter and Braun all have karting backgrounds while Windham has some time in the seat of a kart. Sylvester meanwhile competes at a local kart track when his schedule allows him. Making a return to the event will be the likes of Ed Carpenter (IndyCar), Ryan Hunter-Reay (IndyCar), Alex Tagliani (IndyCar), Jamie McMurray (NASCAR), Jan Heylen (IndyCar), Townsend Bell (IndyCar) and Matt Smith (NHRA).
 | | The B.R.M. Manufacture watch that will be presented to the winner of the Karting All-Star Classic |
The Karters side is double the size of the field all gunning for the victory or the six transfer spots to the All-Star main event. A mixture of the rising talent in the karting world and the open-wheel ranks will clash when the action begins. Leading contender will be 2007 winner Gary Carlton (SSC East-CRG). The three-time national champion was on his way to victory last year until a flat tire put him on the sidelines, handing the win to Joel Miller - not competing in this year’s event. Looking to repeat their top-six performance last year are Spencer Pigot (Screaming Talent-PBIR) and Chris Scribner (Top Kart USA). Pigot made his debut at the event one year ago with a run to third place while Scribner has place in the top-six two of the three years.
Drivers who have shown speed in events past include former Rotax national champion Wes Phillips (MRP/Andersen Racing-Birel), former EKN #1 TaG driver Kyle Wiegand (Top Kart USA), Brendan Langlois (MRP/Andersen Racing-Birel), Jim Russell Jr. (Russell Karting Specialties) and inaugural winner Matt Jaskol (Zanardi USA).
Some karters making their first event start are drivers Gustavo Menezes (Tony Kart USA), Phil DeLaO (SSC East/CRG), Chris Wehrheim (Top Kart USA), Jimmy Simpson (Zanardi USA), Arie Ouimet (SSC East/CRG), Bill McLaughlin Jr. (Motorama Kart Parts-Birel), and Andrick Zeen (G-Phactory-Sodi Racing USA). Two international stars will make the trip over the Atlantic to compete for the first time as well with Tony Lavanant running with the Energy Corse America squad and Kris Haase aboard a Corsa Racing Kart America entry.
A number of drivers from the open-wheel ranks will be displaying their car control skills under the lights in Orlando. Josef Newgarden (Zanardi USA) - the first ever American to win the Formula Ford Festival - returns to his karting roots and the PRI event. Newgarden placed a best sixth in the Karter final in ’07 en route to a tenth in the All-Star main event that year. Conor Daly (Tony Kart USA) will make his fourth start at the All-Star event. The ’08 Skip Barber National champion and Walter Hayes Trophy winner finished one spot behind Newgarden in ’07 and was fast in the Alonso kart he piloted back in September for an endurance event.
 | Scott Speed, Jay Howard and Joey Hand stood on the podium in the '08 edition
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca) |
The Firestone Indy Lights will be well represented with Stefan Wilson (Corsa Racing Kart America) - brother of Justin Wilson, Mario Romancini (MRP/Andersen Racing-Birel), and Bobby Wilson (Tony Kart USA). Wilson Philippe (Position One Motorsports-Avanti) spent the 2009 season competing in the Formula BMW Americas program in his progression up the motorsports ranks, now competing at the All-Star event for the first time. Also making his event debut is VW Jetta TDI Cup champion and reigning Grand-Am KONI Challenge Rookie of the Year winner Josh Hurley, who is a former karter and Florida native.
Drivers will gather at the Orlando facility throughout the day as the teams will spend the day getting their machines ready for battle. The Karter division will have their first 20-minute session at 3:30pm before the All-Star group hits the track at 3:55pm for the first time. The Karters return for another 15-minute session at 4:35pm with the All-Star drivers going on track directly after. The two practice sessions will gear up the fields for qualifying, set for 6pm with the Karter group and 6:30pm for the All-Star contingent. Following qualifying, there will be a Media Shoot-Out with about 10 ‘celebrities’ - including eKartingNews.com’s David Cole - for 20-laps before Driver Introductions take place for the real show. The Prefinals begin at 7:30pm - both 25 laps long. The Main Event action begins at 8:15pm for the Karter division with the All-Star Classic to start roughly 9pm.
For the winner and the winning team principal of the All-Star Classic, associate sponsor B.R.M. Manufacture will provide custom watches, worth in upwards of $5,000. Also scheduled during the show will be a elaborate display of fireworks thanks to the High Octane Thrill. The entire event will be filmed for a nationally televised broadcast on Fox Sports Net affiliation of cable networks. Both the Karter and All-Star divisions of the race will have their own half-hour broadcasts that will air in a minimum of 86 million households. The Karter division will air Monday, January 11, 2010 at 4:30pm local time while the All-Star division will be broadcast Monday, January 18, 2010 at 4:30pm.
Inside the large structure that is the Orange County Convention Center, the PRI Trade Show will kick off Thursday morning. It will run for three-days with thousands of motorsports enthusiasts in attendance. While the karting companies will be focused on the All-Star event on Thursday, they will be in full-force on the trade show floor room displaying the many karting products available now and for 2010. On Friday when the Trade Show opens its doors for day two, CKI - together with PRI - have enhanced the program for the karting exhibitors this year by making the temporary circuit available Friday morning for karting exhibitors to offer product tests for potential clients. The track will be operated by CKI staff, making the track available for karting product display.
eKartingNews.com will have complete coverage from the time the doors open Thursday, through the All-Star Classic, to the final hours on Saturday. Updates will be posted in the Official Discussion Thread during the Thursday evening race along with Friday and Saturday during the show. Aside from the race report, EKN will also be roaming the floors of the trade show to get the insight on the products on display for this year’s event.
Provisional All-Star Entry List
| Driver | Team | Chassis | Engine | Hometown | Series| Ed Carpenter | Corsa Racing Kart America | Corsa Kart | Rotax | Indianapolis, IN | IZOD IndyCar Series | | Justin Wilson | Corsa Racing Kart America | Corsa Kart | | Sheffield, England | IZOD IndyCar Series | | Kevin Windham | Energy Corse America | Energy | | Centerville, MA | AMA Supercross/Motorcross | | Jay Howard | Screaming Talent-PBIR | Maranello | Rotax | Basildon, England | IZOD IndyCar Series | | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Motorama Kart Parts-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Boca Raton, FL | IZOD IndyCar Series | | Tomas Scheckter | Motorama Kart Parts-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Cape Town, South Africa | IZOD IndyCar Series | | AJ Allmendinger | MRP Motorsport-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Las Gatos, CA | NASCAR | | Alex Tagliani | Pserra Racing-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Lachenaie, QC | IZOD IndyCar Series | | Alan Rudolph | SSC East-CRG | CRG | Rotax | Phoenix, AZ | American LeMans Series | | Colin Braun | SSC East-CRG | CRG | Rotax | Ovalo, Texas | NASCAR | | Jamie McMurray | SSC East-CRG | CRG | Rotax | Joplin, MO | NASCAR | | Jan Heylen | SSC East-CRG | CRG | Rotax | Belleair, FL | IZOD IndyCar Series | | Vitantonio Liuzzi | SSC East-CRG | CRG | Rotax | Pescara, Italy | Formula One | | Buddy Rice | Tony Kart USA | Tony Kart | Vortex Rok TT | Phoenix, AZ | IZOD IndyCar Series | | Matt Smith | Tony Kart USA | Tony Kart | Vortex Rok TT | King, NC | NHRA | | Scott Speed | Tony Kart USA | Tony Kart | Vortex Rok TT | Manteca, CA | NASCAR | | Townsend Bell | Tony Kart USA | Tony Kart | Vortex Rok TT | San Luis Obispo, CA | IZOD IndyCar Series | | Joe Sylvester | Turn 1 Pro Sports-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Boardman, Ohio | Monster Truck Racing Association | |
Provisional Karter Entry List
| Driver | Team | Chassis | Engine | Hometown| Kris Haase | Corsa Racing Kart America | Corsa Kart | | Italy | | Josh Hurley | Corsa Racing Kart America | Corsa Kart | | Cooper City, FL | | Stefan Wilson | Corsa Racing Kart America | Corsa Kart | | Sheffield, England | | Tony Lavanant | Energy Corse America | Energy | | Villiers le Bacle, France | | Andrick Zeen | G-Phactory-Sodi Racing USA | Sodi Kart | | Huntington Beach, FL | | Spencer Pigot | Screaming Talent-PBIR | Maranello | Rotax | Windermer, FL | | Bill McLaughlin Jr. | Motorama Kart Parts-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Indianapolis, IN | | Jackson Mears | Motorama Kart Parts-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Greenwood, IN | | Brendan Langlois | MRP/Andersen Racing-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Kamloops, BC | | Federico Montoya | MRP/Andersen Racing-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Davie, FL | | Mario Romancini | MRP/Andersen Racing-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Sao Paulo, Brazil | | Wes Phillips | MRP/Andersen Racing-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Palmetto, FL | | Zach Beard | MRP/Andersen Racing-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Avon, IN | | Bobby Kelley | Position One Motorsports-Avanti | Avanti | IAME Leopard | Baldwin Park, CA | | Scott Saunders | Position One Motorsports-Avanti | Avanti | IAME Leopard | Brisbane, Australia | | Wilson Philippe | Position One Motorsports-Avanti | Avanti | IAME Leopard | Miami, FL | | Michael Vincec | Pserra Racing-Birel | Birel | Rotax | Stouffville, ON | | Jim Russell Jr. | Russell Karting Specialties | | IAME Leopard | Raymore, MO | | Arie Ouimet | SSC East-CRG | CRG | Rotax | Plymouth, MA | | Gary Carlton | SSC East-CRG | CRG | Rotax | Marysville, CA | | Mark Pellegrini | SSC East-CRG | CRG | Rotax | Bridgewater, MA | | Phil DeLaO | SSC East-CRG | CRG | Rotax | Peoria, AZ | | Austin Dyne | Tony Kart USA | Tony Kart | Vortex Rok TT | Malibu, CA | | Bobby Wilson | Tony Kart USA | Alonso | Rotax | Oconomowoc, WI | | Conor Daly | Tony Kart USA | Alonso | Rotax | Indianapolis, IN | | Gustavo Menezes | Tony Kart USA | Tony Kart | IAME Leopard | Coto de Caza, CA | | Chris Scribner | Top Kart USA | Top Kart | Rotax | Loomis, CA | | Chris Wehrheim | Top Kart USA | Top Kart | Rotax | Norcross, GA | | Kyle Wiegand | Top Kart USA | Top Kart | Rotax | Bargersville, IN | | Brandon Newey | Zanardi Kart USA | Zanardi | IAME Leopard | Carmel, IN | | Jimmy Simpson | Zanardi Kart USA | Zanardi | IAME Leopard | Indianapolis, IN | | Josef Newgarden | Zanardi Kart USA | Zanardi | IAME Leopard | Hendersonville, TN | | Lucas Barnett | Zanardi Kart USA | Zanardi | IAME Leopard | Phoenix, AZ | | Matt Jaskol | Zanardi Kart USA | Zanardi | IAME Leopard | Las Vegas, NV | | Michael Lewis | Zanardi Kart USA | Zanardi | Rotax | Laguna Beach, CA | |
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