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| March 22, 2012 News |
| Kyle Kirkwood Selected to Walldinger Scholarship |
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 | Walldinger Racing and AJ Allmendinger has selected Kyle Kirkwood as the recipient of this year's karting scholarship
(Photo: ajallmendinger.com) |
AJ Allmendinger and Walldinger Racing, Inc. are pleased to announce that 13-year-old Kyle Kirkwood has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Walldinger Racing Karting Scholarship, which will see Kirkwood campaign a full season in the World Karting Association’s Manufacturer’s Cup Series as well as compete at the Rotax Grand Nationals and SKUSA SuperNationals.
As the recipient of numerous scholarships that helped propel his own career, Allmendinger was looking to give back, and created the karting scholarship in order to help a deserving young karter get the support needed to move up through the racing ranks.
Kirkwood, who began racing karts at the age of five, will not only receive support from a fully equipped race team but will also receive valuable media and management training from Walldinger Racing, Allmendinger’s management firm.
Kirkwood has shown great success as he’s claimed several victories and championships throughout his home state of Florida and other various venues around the country. 2012 marks his first year of Junior level competition and he currently competes in the Florida Winter Tour - racing TaG Junior during the Formula Kart weekends and Junior MAX during the MAX Challenge weekends.
“This karting scholarship is an idea I’ve had for a while but the timing was never right,” said Allmendinger. “I wanted to do it this year, and I thought that with everything that happened during the off-season, I feared it would get put on the backburner again, but we were able to make it happen. We’re thrilled to have Kyle on board. He has shown great potential throughout his eight years of karting and maintains a very positive attitude both on and off the track.”
As the winner of the AJ Allmendinger Karting Scholarship, Kirkwood will make his WKA Manufacturer’s Cup debut this weekend at the Zoom Zoom Nationals held at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina under the direction of Walldinger Racing Team Manager Tim Pappas. Kirkwood will contest four categories throughout the weekend: Yamaha Jr. Lite and Komet Jr. Heavy on Saturday as well as Yahama Jr. Heavy and Komet Jr. Lite on Sunday.
“I’m very grateful to have been chosen for this great opportunity,” said Kirkwood. “It is an honor and privilege to represent AJ Allmendinger and Walldinger Racing as the recipient of the scholarship. I’m very excited to race in the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup Series this year. I feel like I’m heading into my most exciting and prosperous season of karting and I will continue to work hard and do my best in each and every race.”
KartSport North America and Sparco have joined the effort as partners, along with Walldinger Racing media partner Sunday Group Management also confirmed to support the program. Additional entities are also expected to be announced as partners in the coming weeks.
The Kershaw weekend will begin with a full day of official practice on Friday followed by two days of racing on Saturday and Sunday. The race day format begins with qualifying, followed by a Pre-Final and Final.
For more information about AJ Allmendinger, visit http://www.ajallmendinger.com , follow him on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ajallmendinger , and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ajdinger
eKartingNews.com had a chance to talk with AJ just before the official announcement was released, and he answered a few questions for us.
 | NASCAR's AJ Allmendinger has a passion for karting that many in the sport can relate to
(Photo: ajallmendinger.com) |
EKN: When did the idea of creating a karting scholarship come to you?
AJ: To be honest, I’ve had this idea for over a year now. Once I got back into karting full time, I formed a relationship with Eric Jones of KartSport North America, who I work with to provide the karts that I run along with Tim Pappas. Ultimately, it’s been an idea I’ve had for a while but the timing was never right. I wanted to do it this year, and I thought that with everything that happened during the off-season, I feared it would get put on the backburner again, but we were able to make it happen. Eric was thrilled to be part of it along with Tim.
For me, I got my start with Paul Tracy through karting and he got my name recognized with his karting team. When I first started moving into open wheel racing, being associated with Paul helped. Hopefully it’s something I can do for this year’s winner and down the future for others.
EKN: How important was karting in your early development as a driver, and what skills did you learn that helped in the transition to car competition?
AJ: Karting just helps in a lot of aspects. As a kid when you first start racing karts, you really learn your race craft - how to manage tires, how to read people’s lines and set up for passing opportunities. Your overall racecraft can be developed through karting and watching the kids today at how smart they are on the racetrack and the stuff they learn put them ahead in the game early. Ten years ago from where karting was to now, drivers learn so much in the early years. For me, it helps with your reflexes and keeps me in shape more than anything. I can go work out at the gym everyday and I can do all the cardio work I want, but it’s nothing that matches up to getting in that kart. It helps keep you in shape and helps keep your mind working all the time.
EKN: Looking back at your karting career, past and present, what has been your favorite memory?
AJ: That’s tough. There are so many growing up. It’s funny, I think overall I had a lot of people - like Paul Tracey, Jimmy Vasser, Alex Tagliani and Patrick Carpentier - those guys would always tell me to enjoy karting as much as possible as I was coming up through the ranks, because when you get to big-time auto racing, it’s a job. It becomes stressful because of sponsorship commitments and pressure to win, among other things, so go out and enjoy karting. Of course as a kid, you just think about becoming a big time race car driver and that will be when the fun really starts. When you get there, you look back and see that karting is really what it’s all about. So I don’t think anything stands out that much. Just going to the race track in the morning, and hearing the karts start up, smelling the race gas, and going to all the events that we did was fun. Being with my parents and growing up around that atmosphere was something that I will never forget. I’m still trying to recapture it now when I go back to race karts.
EKN: Speaking of that, you have two weekends off during the 2012 NASCAR schedule. Do you have plans to be at a kart track those weekends?
AJ: Easter weekend, there are no real races that I have on my schedule but I plan on racing in July at the SKUSA Pro Tour SummerNationals in Utah.
EKN: Getting to the new scholarship program, what will support help with for the winner? Is it focused on helping with travel and other costs associated with competing at these high level events, or a full race team support effort?
AJ: It’s a full out race team program for the winner. We are trying to do this right and give the winner the chance to focus on just racing. We will also focus on things that come with that, such as media training and other factors on being a professional driver as the season goes on. Unfortunately at my level, it’s not even about racing as much as it needs to be at some times. It’s about being good with the media and the things that you need to do off the track. Hopefully, it will be a complete experience on and off the race track while trying to reach his goals for the season. One of which will be to do well at the Rotax Grand Nationals and qualify for the Rotax Grand Finals. As the year progresses, we just want to provide a learning platform for what drivers can expect on and off the track.
EKN: As you mentioned, a larger portion will be to focus on media and management training as well. What all is planned in that aspect?
AJ: We are still developing that part of the program with Tara and Tim Pappas focused on that. They will be able to work with the winner on that end personally more than I can, especially Tara on the media side of it as she was one of the people I learned from growing up and going through the open wheel ranks. She helped me a lot initially to get out on the media side, so that’s more for them to answer and how they will go about that. Tim will focus on the racing side of it and Tara on the media portion with me overseeing and helping when I can. |
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