ROCKY MOUNTAIN KARTWORKS GEARS FOR SUCCESSFUL 2010 SEASON

GP Kart importer expands brand across the country for assault at victories and championships

LOVELAND, CO (February 25, 2010) – The 2010 season is gearing up to be a successful year for Rocky Mountain Kartworks (RMKW) and the GP Kart chassis. A full slate of events across the country for the Italian manufactured chassis importer, along with a solid group of dealers, will be putting the GP Kart on a number of tracks in search of victories and championships. With the winter months nearly complete, RMKW is preparing for a busy year of racing.

“The 2010 season is looking to be a solid year for Rocky Mountain Kartworks and GP Karts,” stated owner AJ Noud. “Since becoming the sole United States importer for the brand, we have carefully outlined our business model and now are looking to expand further. The collaboration of new dealers we have signed on and the longtime supporters of the GP brand will only help build the presence throughout the country. We excited to hit the track for our official 2010 debut in the next few weeks.”

Rocky Mountain Kartworks squad, based in Colorado, will campaign the new Superkarts! USA Pro Tour along with the regional program - SKUSA Mountain Region Challenge. The new SKUSA Pro Tour will be a collaboration of the RMKW operation and its many GP Kart dealers, providing a number of Arrive and Drive opportunities for all divisions offered. The Tour will take the GP Kart pilots to the Jim Russell International Karting Center at Infineon Raceway in Northern California for April along with the USA International Raceway in Shawano, Wisconsin in the month of July. Wrapping up the SKUSA Pro Tour will be the 14th annual SuperNationals in Las Vegas, where plenty of GP Karts will be battle for victories.

Rocky Mountain Kartworks will then be the backbone of the GP Kart support for the new SKUSA Mountain Region Challenge based in Colorado for four double-header weekends. Providing a number of Arrive and Driver opportunities, the RMKW tent is sure to be full and loaded with some of the best talent in the Mountain region. In addition, Rocky Mountain Kartworks will return to the Rock Island Grand Prix over the Labor Day weekend along the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities area. In preparation for the SKUSA Pro Tour events, RMKW will be attending the March event of the ProKart Challenge North in Sonoma and the Central States Challenge in Wisconsin for July.

Under the GP Kart banner for 2010 are a number of dealers set to tackle the kart tracks across the country. Crockett Motorsports and Corrida Karting, newly developed shops in the St. Louis and Wisconsin areas, will provide trackside service for those competing in the SKUSA Central States Challenge. Kart Speed Motorsports - a newly relabeled operation out of Northern California - along with the S.T.A. (Shawn Thomas Automotive) Racing program will be the GP Kart foundation for the West Coast. Handling GP Kart customers along the east coast is CF Motorsports who has a great following at sprint and road racing events. Also flying GP Kart colors is Evolution Karting in Indianapolis, one of the longest running supporters of GP Karts.

“We are thrilled with the dealer lineup we have assembled thus far,” continued Noud. Each have a solid base of customers and love working with the GP Kart brand. Our goal is to expand even further with our dealership program to extend the models to areas of the country not yet familiar with the craftsmanship and quality product GP Kart produces.”

Rocky Mountain Kartworks will make their 2010 debut at the ProKart Challenge North event on March 12-13 at the Jim Russell karting circuit at Infineon Raceway in Northern California. The event will be a warm-up for the opening round of the SKUSA Pro Tour in April. To find out about Arrive and Drive programs or to becoming a GP Kart deal, contact AJ Noud at 303.587.4656 or visit www.rmkartworks.com

###

About Rocky Mountain Kartworks:
The exclusive United States importer of the GP chassis, Rocky Mountain Kartworks has 10 years of experience working with the Italian manufactured kart. The Noud family started the Loveland, Colorado operation as one of the founding dealers and now is the central location for all GP Kart products in the country. Rocky Mountain Kartworks has grown into a karting powerhouse through strategic partnerships with first class vendors, including GP Racing, KLS Racing, Kal-Gard, OMP, Motion Pro, Aluminos, Woodsource and many others. The company strives on its countless hours testing and product development necessary to offer a race-winning package for all their customers. More about this growing company can be found at www.rmkartworks.com


www.gpracing.it

GP Karts Win Their First NEW ZEALAND Championship!

As the chequered flag waved at the end of the 31 lap final for the premier class, KZ2 at the CIK Trophy of New Zealand there was a clear winner, Daniel Bray.

Piloting his N-Zed Motorsport, GP chassis powered by an R&R Powersports Maxter, he dominated the weekend’s proceedings.

The weekend kicked off on Saturday morning with 2 x 10 minute Qualifying sessions, which were in dry conditions. Bray only needed the first qualifier to seal pole position with a time of 34.760. This time was 0.058 faster than local hero Karl Wilson who qualified P2.

Just after qualifying, the heavens opened, sending the teams scrambling for their wet weather tyres. Bray didn’t quite know what to expect from his GP chassis as he had never driven it in the rain before. In his 3 years of racing this brand of chassis in the USA it had, never rained.

Race 1. Bray got a lightning start from the standing start, only to come around to complete the first lap and to find it had been red flagged, because of a crash at the start. So they lined up to do it all again. Already with a feel for his clutch, Bray leapt off the line again, pulling out to a 7 ½ second lead by the end of the race, while setting the fastest lap of the race.

“I am amazed at how well this GP chassis handled in those wet conditions. We just slapped the wets on, with the kart still in a dry set up. The kart was near faultless” “We will make a rear width change for the next one, to help my drive off the turns.”

Race 2. Another lightning start for the GP driver, bolting out to a 5 second lead in the opening couple of laps! From there he would slow to the pace of the rest of the field to save tyres. Bray was a staggering 6/10^ths faster than the second fastest time in this heat race.

“The changes we made from race one helped and now has given us a great base setting for the wet.” “I am pleased with today, but tomorrow is a completely different day and that is the only day that counts.”

When Sunday rolled around it was a completely different day. Sunny and no sign of rain.

Race 3. Another great start for Bray on the GP chassis, jumping out to an early lead. In the last 2 laps Bray got caught by the 2^nd and 3^rd placed karts. Under heavy attack from Ryan Grant, Bray managed to somehow hold them off and continue his unbeaten record.

“The kart was handling great throughout the hole race.” “I was struggling off the corners with jetting and pulled the carbie apart to find the needle clip had come out. The needle had bent and jammed in but out of place.” “I was lucky to finish, luck was on my side.”

Pre-Final. With this race being much longer (23 laps) it was going to be a test on the set up of the kart. Bray, again left everyone behind at the start. Within a couple of laps he was out to a comfortable gap and with-stained this for the whole 23 laps.

“The kart was great over the whole race. My lap times didn’t change, within a tenth or two the whole race.” “It makes my job a lot easier, when the kart is that consistent.”

Final. With this the longest race of the year, it was sure to be a test on man and machine. The lights went out for the 31 lap final and it had to be the one start of the day that the GP driver didn’t nail. Luckily Bray caught the clutch and still made it to the first corner in the lead. At the end of the second lap the air pressure in the tyres had risen to where they needed to be. Bray took off and never looked back. He pulled out to the same comfortable gap as in the previous races, and then just held it there. Showing how consistent the kart was, he set his fastest lap time on lap 24 while lapping other competitors in the race. In the last couple of laps Bray got held up in heavy lap traffic reducing the overall winning margin to 4.8 seconds.

This meant Bray lead every lap of every race while doing the clean sweep and giving the GP chassis and the new importers N-Zed Motorsport their first New Zealand title to add to the North Island title they won at Labour Weekend in Manawatu.

“I’m so pleased with how this weekend has gone, just flawless!” “I have to thank my sponsors: N-Zed Motorsport, GP Racing, R&R Powersports, Aluminos, Turbo-Traders Racewear, Dave Bray’s Chassis Shop.” Bray said after the meeting.

KZ2 Final Result

1^st Daniel Bray GP/Maxter/Vega 31 laps

2^nd Ryan Grant Maranello/TM/Vega +4.829

3^rd Karl Wilson Tony Kart/Vortex/Vega +5.114

If you have any inquiries about the GP product contact the team at N-Zed Motorsport: nzedmotorsport@gmail.com

GP WINS IN NEW ZEALAND!

Bray, 22, claimed the Senior trophy with a clean-sweep in the KZ2 class, while defending title holder Arie Hutton fought back to keep the Junior trophy for another year in the top Junior category, KF3.

Hosted by Wellington club KartSport Wellington at its CRC Raceway at Kaitoke in the foothills north-east of Upper Hutt, the three-day event attracted a class field of over 80 drivers including two from Australia.

Heading into the meeting multi-time New Zealand champion Ryan Grant was the favourite to successfully defend his 2009 CIK Trophy of New Zealand title in the KZ2 class. However reigning North Island class champion Bray claimed pole position in qualifying on Saturday morning then went on to win all three heat races and both the Pre-Final (the race which determines the grid for the winner-takes-all-Final) and the Final, the latter from Grant and top local driver Karl Wilson.

The 22-year-old spent the past year competing in the United States and he believes racing against some of the best kart racers there has helped him raise his game.

"I knew both Ryan and Karl were going to be hard to beat but having said that I was confident this year I had a package that was as good, if not better, than their's"

Bray won the first two heats from young Bay of Plenty driver Daniel Dufty with Australian driver Matthew Hayes third in the first and Grant third in the second. He then won the third from Grant and fellow Aucklander Richard Moore before winning the Pre-Final from Grant and Dufty and the Final from Grant and Wilson.

KZ2
Daniel Bray 1; Ryan Grant 2; Karl Wilson 3; Richard Moore 4; Jason Farmilo 5; Daniel Dufty 6.

Copyright © KartSport New Zealand. All rights reserved.