Click here to view 2006 IKWC News

The 2007 IKWC starts today!

Follw the IKWC results through these sites:

BSH Racing: http://bshracing.com/ikwc07.aspx

IKWC official results Days 1, 2, 3, and 4: http://ikwc.homestead.com
(provided by Jeff Saiani & Mitch Hayden)

333 Racing & Team Canada merge and win at LeMans

(July 15, 2007) - Two years ago, Team 333 Racing and Team Canada met as competitors at a 6 hour Endurance Karting race at Beaver Run Raceway, Pennsylvania. The drivers quickly became friends, and raced again as competitors in the 2006 Indoor Kart World Championship, and in the 2007 24 Hours of America, where the two teams had a very close 1-2 finish.

The next challenge was the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans Karting event in France, which gave 333 Racing team mates Jack Beaulieu, Kevin Bateman, and Kevin Bligan the opportunity to merge their talents with those of Team Canada's Jordan Yakiwchuk and Michael Williamson. And so, Team CanAm was born. After qualifying fifth in the hire class (rental karts vs. prepared karts in the "owner karts"), Team CanAm ran a fast but conservative pace throughout the 24 hours of racing at Le Mans, and faced only a few minor hick-ups along the way. The result was a "hire class" win for the newly formed team.

"The best way to put it is that the event was uneventful for the team." says Bligan. "The key to success in 24 hour endurance races is keeping the kart our of the pits and the mechanic's bays...Team CanAm's only visits there were for two required maintenance checks at the 8 and 16 hour marks. The kart finished looking "magnificent" per the race organizers from Teesside Karting in the UK. And yes that's neon pink tape on the kart... It was quite easy to see, and imagine the embarrassment of the other teams having a pink kart pass often and win?"

The new merged team will stay together for the 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship, and will race under the 333/Team Canada banner. Beaulieu, Bateman, Bligan, Yakiwchuk, and Williamson are looking forward to competing again with the best indoor kart racers in the world. Be sure to look for the 333 USA and Canadian flag logos...and maybe a little pink somewhere on the team's gear.

Photo credit: 333 Racing

Godfrey Racing: GO FAST & Skolnick

June 10, 2007 - The Godfrey Racing Indoor Kart Team, winners of the World Championship Team Title at the 2006 IKWC, has struck a deal with energy drink company GO FAST, and will race as Team GO FAST Energy Drink in 2007. With the new support, team owner Tom Godfrey has been working on putting together a very strong driver line-up for the 2007 IKWC: Veteran team leader, and 2 time Arizona Indoor Kart Champion Truman Godfrey, 2006 & 2007 USA Indoor Kart Champion Tony Rolfson, 2006 IKWC race winners Mitch Hayden and Jeff Saiani, 2006 IKWC Vice-Champion Sebastiaan Circkens, Arizona Indoor Kart Championship race winner Blake Ledesna, and the latest addition to the GO FAST team comes in the form of 17 year old outdoor karting standout Zack Skolnick.

Skolnick, who races mostly the 125cc and TAG classes, has taken in select international spec kart challenges in 2007, and recently competed at the Euroindy 24 Hours of Batalha in Portugal, racing for Team USA EnduranceKarting.com (pictured below). The team qualified 8th out of 31 teams at the hands of Skolnick, but lost the time when the driver came in at 0.5 kg underweight at the scales. It was a tough uphill battle all the way during the race, with the team fighting back to score a 12th place finish, which was the best position by a foreign/international team entry.

Skolnick's 2007 schedule will also include the 24hrs of Le Mans kart race in July (Le Mans, France) also racing for the Team USA Endurancekarting.com team (alongside NASCAR driver Jerry Nadeau), and the 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship (Phoenix, USA) in August, racing for the GO FAST Energy Drink World Championship Indoor Kart Racing Team. Skolnick thanks his sponsors www.FinishLineRaceGear.com, www.LehighValleyGrandPrix.com, www.GoFastSports.com, Scoop Speed Marketing Group, www.IndoorKartTracks.com , and www.EnduranceKarting.com for their support in 2007.

Nicolas Costa Wins TopKart IKWC Qualifier in Brazil

May 22, 2007 - Thrity-one of the best Brazilian indoor kart drivers spent the weekend of May 18-20 competing at the Top Kart Indoor Racing Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the "Seletiva IKWC 2007". The race would award a sponsored ride in the Top Kart team for this year's Indoor Kart World Championship to the winner. The event was the 1st Indoor Kart World Championship qualifier event held outside of the USA, and no better location to host it than the Top Kart track, whos team won the 2005 Team World Championship. The overall winner of the event was Nicolas Costa, who had an outstanding performance, beating 2005 & 2006 IKWC veteran Pedro Washington at the end by a very small margin of points.

Unlike the World Championship which has longer endurance type races, the Seletiva IKWC 2007 consisted of 5 sprint races, with four 15 minute heats, and a Final Grand Prix for the top 12 drivers in points. The event itself was a very festive occasion, which started out with an exibition race featuring local actors and musicians such as Caco Baresi, Paulo Nigro, and Bruno Galvao. The cheering crowd's excitement level got even higher once the Seletiva heats began. The loud crowd of friends and family cheered loudly with every pass and on-track battles, which were plenty.

The heats were extremely competitve, resulting in 11 different winners, including past IKWC drivers such as Rodrigo Faulhaber (2 wins) and Pedro Washington (1), and also new names such as Nicolas Costa (1), Andre Addington (2), Rafael Henning (1), Joao Tubino (2), Gustavo Loureiro (2), Lucas Mota (1), Cassio Kempers (2), Fabio Konrad (1), and Poul Horneman (1). All winners qualified to be in the Final, and were joined by Renato Vandre, who had no wins, but qualified thanks to the points accumulated from his three 2nd places and a 5th on the heat races.

Rodrigo Faulhaber qualified on the Pole Position for the Final, followed by Gustavo Loureiro in 2nd, and Rafael Henning in 3rd. Faulhaber went on to have a perfect Final race, taking the win. In 2nd, came Pedro Washington, followed by Gustavo Loureiro in 3rd. Nicolas Costa had his worst race result of the weekend in the Final (4th), but the bad luck of challengers Andre Addison and Fabio Knorad, allowed Costa to score enough points to secure the overall victory in the Seletiva. Pedro Washington was 2nd, and Rodrigo Faulhaber in 3rd.

The big surprise of the weekend was the disappointing performance of current Brazilian Indoor Kart Champion, and 2005 & 2006 IKWC veteran, Thiago Costa (no family relation to Nicolas Costa). Thiago Costa, who is considered by 2005 World Champion Werner Truegler as one of the best indoor kart drivers in the world, had to deal with extremely bad luck with the kart draws, and a costly accident on track. Costa's bad weekend resulted with him not qualifying for the final, and a distant 22nd place result overall. Regardless of the result, Thiago Costa plans on being at the 2007 World Championship racing with his Top Kart team mates, and is still one of the favorites for this year's World Championship event.

The festive spirit continued on the Seletiva podium celebrations, with all drivers showing a great level of sportsmanship on track and off track. Top Kart World Championship Team drivers Ed Cordeiro and Chico Ingles, who organized the Seletiva event, were very pleased with how everything turned out. "Its not everyday that a indoor kart event will award full sponsorship to take drivers to an international event!!", said Cordeiro. Ingles was very pleased with the level of sportsmanship, "There were some very intense battles on track, but the level of aggressive driving did not go beyond what is considered acceptable, and Top Kart's Race Director Andre Felisberto had a pretty easy time keeping everything under control."

Top Kart Indoor Racing Center is still the only track sponsored team to have won the "Team" World Championship, and is keen on bringing the title back home to Rio in 2007. The teams plans to have between 10 and 15 drivers racing at the 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship.

Photo Credit: Ed Cordeiro

Dromo 1 Grand Prix Season: IKWC Qualifier & More

April 24, 2007 – Home of the most competitive indoor karting in California, Dromo 1 has announced an exciting Grand Prix season ahead with great prizes, including 2 entries to the 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship. The Dromo 1 Grand Prix season will run for seven rounds, beginning April 24th and ending Tuesday, October 30.

The championship is set to be wide open, as last year’s champion Casey Rising will not be running a full season. With several of the series younger drivers making a strong impression during Dromo 1’s Winter Endurance season, the Dromo 1 Grand Prix season will be a struggle of Age and Treachery staving off Youth and Exuberance. (Dromo 1 Grand Prix racers feature drivers as young as 11, to drivers well past the half-century mark). The Grand Prix season schedule is as follows: April 24, May 29 June 26 July 24 August 28 September 25 October 30.

And with all of the prizes assembled for the season, the Dromo 1 Grand Prix may be the most prize-rich indoor karting series in the country. It may also be the only one actively promoting its competitors to outdoor karting. Aside from the two World Championship entries to be awarded to the top two drivers in points after Race 4, the Dromo 1 2007 Grand Prix Season Prizes also include:

Season Champion
Race weekend in Gatorz Karting Cup race, courtesy of Full Throttle Karting
Piloti Racing Shoes

2nd Place
School in Ford Focus Midget courtesy of the Wally Pankratz Racing School (must be 14 years old)

3rd Place
Private instruction with Champ Car Atlantic driver Alan Sciuto

Dromo Choice Award
A new award, to be given at the end of the Grand Prix season, to a racer who participates in a majority of events, displays good sportsmanship, is a competitive racer, and races with honor. This person will race you hard on the track but is still your friend off the track, whether you beat him or he beat you! The winner of the Dromo Choice Award will win a racing school with Rocky Moran at Moran Raceway.

There will also be trophies to the top 10 in points at season’s end, Piloti racing shoes for the "Rookie of the Year", and discounts to the next for the top rookie of each race.

More information is available at www.dromo1.com, or by calling (714) 744-4779.

Tony Rolfson is 2007 US Champion... Again!

April 17, 2007 - Tony Rolfson (Team FinishLineRaceGear.com #1) put forward a solid performance to win the 2007 United States Indoor Kart Championship, backing up his 2006 Title. A field of 18 drivers, some from as far as Texas and Pennsylvania, ran a total of 10 races over a period of 2 days at America's largest indoor rental kart racing center, the F1 Race Factory in Phoenix, Arizona. In a sport where there is no shortage of skilled competitors, Rolfson was able to overcome all odds and beat all others to reclaim the US Championship Title.

Rolfson, currently ranked 3rd best indoor kart driver in the world after his 3rd place at the 2006 Indoor Kart World Championship, put on a commanding performance during the 2007 USIKC, ending up with an amazing total of 245 points out of a possible 250, which included 7 victories and two 2nd places in 10 races. However, it was not total domination, as Rolfson faced a very strong challenge from team mate Jeff Saiani (Team FinishLineRaceGear.com #2), who finished a close 2nd, with 236 points and 6 wins of his own. In 3rd, Justin Bayles (Team Arsonist), surprisingly did not score a single victory during the event, but managed to run consistantly well enough to finish 9 times in either 2nd, 3rd, or 4th places, and working up a total of 229 points. As a result, Rolfson, Saiani, and Bayles won free entries in next year's USIKC event, sponsorship towards driving a Formula 2000 car at the American Racing Academy, a Yokohama Tires gift certificate, and trophies.

Early in the event, it had been two other FinishLineRaceGear.com drivers that took the spotlight. Things were looking bright for Truman Godfrey and Eric Daw, who finished 1st and 2nd respectively in qualifying. USIKC qualifying was an unique and interesting competition in itself, as the same kart was used by all drivers to set a fast lap in a single-driver-on-track format. Truman Godfrey emerged as the fastest, with a 22.88sec lap, edging Eric Daw by a mere 1/10th of a second. Tony Rolfson had the 3rd quickest time. Since there were 2 groups, Godfrey and Daw each took pole position in a separate group, and both went on to score victories in their 1st races. However, to everyone's surprise, those would end up being their only wins during the Championship.

Other race winners during the 2007 USIKC included: Mike Robertson (FinishLineRaceGear.com #2) with 2 wins, and Blake Ledesna (Team FinishLineRaceGear.com #1), Truman Godfrey (Team FinishLineRaceGear.com #1), Eric Daw (Team FinishLineRaceGear.com #3), Matt Richards (Team Rocket), each with 1 win.

Team FinishLineRaceGear.com was the powerhouse of the competition, with 8 drivers competing for the team, which per rule requirements, had to be split into 3 sub-teams of 3 drivers maximum. The team's 3 sub-teams had a chance to sweep the entire podium, but came up short. FinishLineRaceGear.com's #1 sub-team (Truman Godfrey, Tony Rolfson, Blake Ledesna) won the Team Championship and #2 (Jeff Saiani, Mike Robertson, Andrew Amador) took second place. The team's #3 entry however (Eric Daw, Mitch Hayden) finished in 5th. Driver Justin Bayles, driving solo for Team Arsonist, was the big spoiler for FinishLine's plans of a sweep of both the driver's and team's Championship podium with a 3rd place on both competitions. Other top teams included 333 Racing, whose drivers are very experienced in outdoor endurance races, having won the 24hours of America earlier this year in Florida. Team FinishLineRaceGear.com #1 ended up as the Champion, with FinishLineRaceGear.com #2 in 2nd, and Team Arsonist in 3rd. 333 Racing finished in 4th, just 7 points away from the podium.

Photo credit: FinishLineRaceGear.com

Werner Truegler wins Austrian Indoor Masters ... Again!

April 10, 2007 - 2005 Indoor Kart World Champion Werner Truegler from Austria continues to rack up championships in Austria. The latest was the 2007 AIM - Austrian Indoor Masters. Unlike the IKWC, the Austrian Indoor masters Championship is a "team" competition, with 6 & 12 hour endurance races, where team mates share the same kart (3 drivers minimum). Trugler raced for the ZS Racing Team, alongside team mates Andreas Amon and Herwig Heckl. and was not the only recognizable face on the podium. On the AIM Final Championship podium were standing 2 World Champions, as Alex Gumpenberger was 3rd, racing for team CTD Vortuna. Also on the podium, more familiar IKWC faces, in 2nd place, Team KD2000 Younsters, with drivers Chris Pratl and Matthias Hackensellner.

The AIM final was a grueling 12 hour kart race, and ZS Racing, Youngsters, and CTD Vortuna, really set themselves above the rest, and dominated the event. For the first hour, it was a bumper to bumper fight between the 3 teams. CTD Vortuna was on the lead, followed by Youngsters in 2nd, and ZS Racing in 3rd. On the 2nd hour, after the first driver change, Gumpenberger, Pratl, and Truegler were all on track at the same time racing against each other. That was when Truegler was able to overtake both Pratl and Gumpenberger, and take the lead. CTD Vortuna was able to retake the lead in the 3rd hour, but only for about 40 minutes, as ZS Racing would then take the lead and not give it up for the next 8 hours of racing. The battle between Team Yongsters and CTD Vortuna for 2nd place however, continued very close until the 10th hour.

With this result, Trugler has been Austrian Indoor Champion for 3 years in a row, in 2005, 2006, and 2007, having also placed 2nd and 3rd in previous years. Alex Gumpenberger was also on the podium in 2005 (3rd), and also now in 2007 (3rd). Chris Pratl and Matthias Hackensellner were 3rd in 2006, and now 2nd in 2007.

Truegler's record of results since 2003 stands out impressively. During this time he has competed in 13 major national and international championships and build up an incredible record of results: 2-2-1-2-1-1-1-1-1-11-3-2-1. The "11", which spoils an otherwise constant flow of Championships and top 3 results, represents the disappointing 11th place finish at the 2006 Indoor Kart World Championship, where Truegler saw his chances of a possible podium finish evaporate after a controversial decision regarding his finishing result in one of his qualifier races. Regardless, Werner Truegler is believed to be the most successfull Austrian kart driver of all times (indoor & outdoor), in terms of Championship wins.

Truegler runs the Austrian Kart information website Kartsport.at, and has now also an english language indoor kart forum site where indoor racers and fans can discuss their sport, make suggestions, and keep in touch. What other form of motorsport can you actually have open discussions with a World Champion?? The new website is: www.orangehelmet.com. Check it out!

photo credit: Kartsport.at

Bromley wins S.I.R.S. Championship ... Again!

April 5, 2007 - For the second time, BSH Racing’s Lon S. Bromley won back-to-back titles, taking home the 2007 S.I.R.S. Winter Season championship. Bromley scored 6 wins in his 14 starts, along with 11 podiums, 3 ‘Night’s Fastest’ honors, and 2 swept rounds (won heat and Feature), one of which was a ‘Perfect Night’ (scoring maximum points). The winter title marks Bromley’s 4th Championship in 6 seasons, (in which he has also finished 2nd and 3rd).

The upcoming S.I.R.S. Spring Championship will be Bromley’s “Drive for Five” and his second shot at getting a third title in a row. Lon can also make history by winning the final Spring Season to be run at Sykart, as the facility will discontinue the event to make room in the calendar for other racing events. “I’m looking forward to trying for three in a row again,” Lon explained. “I missed by 16 points last time. Three in a row is hard to get in any form of racing... unless you’re Sebastien Bourdais (laughs). But my confidence is way up, much higher than it was the last time I tried for three.”

The most accomplished driver on the BSH Racing team, Bromley is also helping the team’s newest member, Trevor Rice, sharpen his skills before the 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship. Trevor will be adjusting his race craft from auto crossing his Porsche 914, to the pack racing of indoor karting. Coming off steady improvement this past season where he narrowly missed a top 10 overall finish, Trevor will look at challenging for a top 5 this spring. “Top 5 and back Lon up. This season is going to be much more important to keep the momentum going, and stay in the top 5. It’s a mental challenge more than anything else. When you’re driving well, your mind sort of slows down the corners, allowing you to feel the connection between the tires and the racing surface.” No stranger to driving on the edge, Trevor’s driving ability was showcased in a recent SCCA Autocross event, where he drove his ’74 Porsche 914 to a class win and 15th overall. This eclipsed what many drivers have worked at for 4 years to accomplish. To learn more about BSH Racing, and to follow their progress through the S.I.R.S. Spring Season championship, visit www.bshracing.com & www.sykartracing.com.

Photo credit: BSHRacing.com

New 2007 IKWC Award for best European driver!

April 6, 2007 - Great news for all European drivers competing in the Racingschools.com 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship: Talent Promotion Belgium has joined the IKWC as an award sponsor, will offer a great prize for the top European driver at the 2007 IKWC: A test drive in a Formula Renault 1.6!

Talent Promotion Belgium is a management company working with individuals and teams with a strong focus on helping them extract the most of their specific talents. The company helps customers with organization, strategy, management and promotion, and its main activities include the management of innovative engineers, as well as racing drivers and teams. Talent Promotion Belgium currently competes in the Formula Renault 1.6 Championship in Belgium with Stroek Motorsport, and will be bringing a multi-driver team to compete in the 2007 IKWC. Talent Promotion's 2007 IKWC team includes drivers Bart Van de Vel, Dann Vanhamme, Mark Viskens, Mattias Grooten, Robin Borremans, and Dave Singelee. "I constantly see a lot of very talented drivers in karting, but few of them ever get the chance to really grow their skill" comments William Watté from Talent Promotion. "That's why I got active in racing and now have a Formula Renault team giving karters the opportunity to evolve into car racing."

This spectacular new prize consists of a half day of testing in Talent Promotion's Formula Renault 1.6 car. Its part of a full test day with the team, which will be shared between Team Talent Promotion's #1 driver and the best placed European driver at the 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship. The test day will take place on a circuit in or nearby Belgium, between October 2007 and March 2008 (the Belgian championship's off-season). Assistance on the circuit will be performed by the Stroek Motorsport team, currently second in the overall Championship, and leading the Star Challenge. Talent Promotion Belgium will provide further details about the test day to the winner after the race.

photo credit: www.talentpromotion.be

Announced: Pre-IKWC qualifier event in Brazil !

April 3, 2007 - The "Seletiva IKWC 2007" will be the first ever official Indoor Kart World Championship Pre-Qualifier race held outside the USA. The 3 day racing event will be taking place at the Top Kart Indoor Racing Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Brazilian track's team has been a regular top competitor in the Indoor Kart World Championship since its inception, winning the Team World Championship Title in 2005, and finishing a close 2nd in 2006. Always one of the favorites, Team Top Kart plans to strengthen its team even more by hosting this 3 day event on May 18-20, 2007 at its Barra da Tijuca location. Top Kart hopes to find additional top drivers to join its IKWC team, to be able to bring back to Brazil the Team World Championship title, and the first Brazilian Indoor Kart World Champion driver. According to organizers, the winner of the Seletiva IKWC2007 will get an all expenses paid trip to the 2007 World Championship to race for Team Top Kart, including airfare, hotel, transport, 2 days of practice, and the IKWC entry fee.

The event, which is being organized by TopKart Team drivers Ed Cordeiro, Poul Horneman, and Chico Ingles, will serve not only to strengthen the teams talent base, but also to generate additional funds to help the team's traveling costs. The team hopes to race in the 2007 IKWC with a minimum of 12 to 14 drivers, which will be split into 2 or 3 sub-teams as required by the 2007 IKWC rules. The "Seletiva IKWC 2007" organizers would like to thank: Campeonato BV Indoor, Campeonato Kart Riders, Campeonato RKC, the Top Kart track, American Airlines, the IKWC, AMIKA, as well as all the individuals that will play a part in helping this great racing event. Any drivers who live in, or plan to be in Rio de Janeiro in May, and whish to compete in this racing event are asked to contact Ed Cordeiro for more info (or to sign-up), at: seletivadomundial@yahoo.com.br

The number of sub-championships where drivers can win sponsorship to compete in the Indoor Kart World Championship is now up to two, with the Seletiva IKWC at Top Kart Indoor and the Arizona Indoor Kart Championship at F1 Race Factory. A 3rd event is being considered at a track in Europe, but unfortunately nothing is yet confirmed for 2007. The IKWC looks forward to expanding this network of IKWC Qualifier tracks to many different tracks around the world. All tracks are welcome and will be considered, regardless of size, nation. For more info on how to host an IKWC Pre-Qualifier event, please contact Carlos Carneiro at Racingschools.com, at: ikwc@racingschools.com

Photo credit: Top Kart Racing Team

Thiago Costa tries a Formula car

Earlier this year Brazilian Indoor Kart Champion Thiago Costa had the opportunity to try his hands at the wheel of a F1600 car at the Alpie Racing School at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The chance came as a result of Costa's victory at the AMIKA 2006 Brazilian Indoor Kart Championship. Costa, who had won a "40 minute test drive" type experience, upgraded his experience to a complete racing school program to qualify him to be able to race in the AMIKA F-Alpie races in the future.

Costa completed the entire course in 1 day, and logged in over 50 laps at the legendary Interlagos racing circuit. The kart driver showed his ability by getting quickly used to the car and received an overall "stamp of approval" from lead instructor Emerson Piedade.

Ed Cordeiro, who is one of Costa's team mates in the IKWC TopKart.com.br Indoor Kart Team, was also in Sao paulo on that day and could not resist the opportunity to do a test drive himself. Both had a great time and were were thrilled about the truly emotional experience of being able to drive a Formula car on a racetrack that has so much Formula 1 history for Brazilian racing fans.

Both Costa and Cordeiro will be back to Phoenix in 2007 to compete in this years edition of the Racingschools.com Indoor Kart World Championship. Thiago returns to Phoenix as the Brazilian Champion and as one of the strongest competitors ever to compete at the IKWC, with a 2nd place finish in 2005 and a 6th in 2006, and still looking for that elusive World Championship Title. Ed Cordeiro returns as the "captain" of the Top Kart Team, and was the best placed Brazilian driver at the 2006 World Championship, finishing in 4th place. The Brazilian Team as a whole is always a favorite, having won the Team World Championship Title in 2005, and finishing in 2nd in 2006.

photo credit: www.amika.com.br

US Champions win on Tour

Feb 15, 2007 - The 2006 Indoor Kart World Champion Team kicked-off its US Indoor Kart Challenge Series Tour on Saturday, February 10 at the brand new Pole Position Raceway (www.racep2r.com) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Godfrey Racing Team, which will be competing in 2007 as Team FinishLineRaceGear.com (www.finishlineracegear.com), was represented in Round 1 by drivers Truman Godfrey and Tony Rolfson. The drivers' indoor racing credentials were significant: Rolfson is the current US Indoor Kart Champion driver, and is ranked as 3rd best indoor kart driver in the world. Godfrey is 2 time Arizona Indoor Kart Champion in 2004 & 2005, and was the USA's best ranked driver in the world in 2005, and currently ranks as 9th best. The Pole Position Raceway drivers were eager to Challenge the best indoor drivers in the USA, and did so in two exciting 2-hour endurance events. Team FinishLineRaceGear.com lived up to its top reputation and won both events, though it was no easy task as the local drivers were also quite talented.

Pole Position Raceway is the second of three indoor tracks being built by racing veterans, Jeremy McGrath, Ken Faught, and Brad Mark. Their first Pole Position track is located in Corona, California, and just like the first, the Oklahoma track is also well designed, bright and well manned by professionals.

The US Indoor Kart Challenge Series continues with Round 2 on March 3rd, 2007 at the Pole Position Raceway in Corona, California, and will be followed by Round 3 the next day at Dromo 1 Raceway (www.dromo1.com) in Orange, California. Dromo 1 was the best placed USA track sponsored team in the 2006 Indoor Kart World Championship and its drivers are looking to repeat the acheivement and hopefully place one of their own on the top steps of the Drivers World Championship podium in 2007.

photo credit: GodfreyRacing.com

Stand Alone US Indoor Kart Championship announced - USIKC

Feb 1, 2007 - The US Indoor Kart Championship website has been launched, and can be accessed at www.usikc.com. The event, which in 2006 ran in conjunction with the Indoor Kart World Championship, will now be a stand-alone event, to be staged in April 12-15, 2007 also at the F1 Race Factory Indoor Raceway in Phoenix. The competition will be limited to 60 drivers, and will consist of 6 races, ranging from 30 minutes to 1 hour, where drivers will score points towards the national title. Entry fee is $350 per driver.

The US Indoor Kart Championship offers a great challenge, in a racing enviroment similar to the World Championship, but focuses on quicker sprint races rather then longer endurance events. Though the vast majority of competing drivers are expected be Americans, foreigners are also welcome and eligible to win the title. Drivers will compete for great prizes, including the opportunity to drive a Formula 2000 racecar at the American Racing Academy in Las Vegas.

Racingschools.com, American Racing Academy, and F1 Race Factory will continue to work together to elevate indoor kart racing as a legitimate form of motorsport, while at the same time, creating the most convenient and affordable top level championships in the world of auto racing. The US Indoor Kart Championship (USIKC) and Indoor Kart World Championship (IKWC) events and have opened a new spectrum of competitive opportunity for the driver with a very limited budget, who is now able to live the impossible dream of competing at a national and international level against the best talent in the sport!

Drivers interested in competing at either (or both) events should contact Racingschools.com, at 1-877-463-7223.

Gregory Laporte wins 2006 ASFC Championship (Beligum) !!

Jan. 24, 2007 - After having experienced terrible bad luck in the 2006 Indoor Kart World Championship, Blue Star Racing Team's drivers returned to their home in Europe eager to excell in their next Challenge, the ASFC Championship in Belgium. Drivers Gregory and Timothy Laporte drove extremely well, and took all victories in the ASFC series after returning from their IKWC effort. The ASFC Championship went down to the wire between the two brothers, and in the end, it was Gregory Laporte who claimed the championship, with a commanding victory in the series' last event, taking two poles and two wins.



This was Gregory Laporte's 2nd ASFC Championship, having won previously in 2003. Gregory has been a constant challenger since 2002, having finished in 2nd place in 2002, 2004, and 2005, behind team mate Steven To, and Justine Vanwynsberghe).

After 6 years in the ASFC Series, and holding most of the records, Gregory Laporte has decided to move up to something new, and will enter the 2007 National KartGrid Cup (www.kartgrid.be) with team mate Steven To. The BlueStar Racing Team will still be represented in the 2007 ASFC Championship, with Timothy Laporte.

Team Blue Star Racing has just completed its 1st year of existence, and its members can look back on fine acheivements in 2006, and aim even higher in 2007. The team's drivers are working hard on their sponsorship budget to be able to return to Phoenix and have another chance to try their luck and prove their worth at the 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship. As a team, BlueStar Racing finished a strong 5th place in the World Championship. Individually however, the drivers' results were not consistant and the only team member to qualify for the 2006 IKWC final race was Dave Singelee, who joined the BlueStar team just for the 2006 IKWC event.

Tony Rolfson awarded the U.S.A. Indoor Kart Driver of the Year award for 2006

Dec 31, 2006 - Tony Rolfson from Team MotorsportsMania.tv was awarded the U.S.A. Indoor Kart Driver of the Year award for 2006, an award presented by Natinal Kart News magazine and FinishLineRaceGear.com. Rolfson finished the year with over 30 Indoor Kart victories, including winning the 2006 Arizona Indoor Kart Championship title, the 2006 U.S.A. Indoor Kart Championship title, and finishing in 3rd Place at the 2006 Indoor Kart World Championship (IKWC).

The 2006 USA Championship had a much higher challenge level than in 2005, with 42 American drivers competing, over the 23 drivers of the previous year. Rolfson, who had placed 4th among the USA drivers in 2005, edged 2005 Champion & 2nd Place, (Truman "Brad" Godfrey and David Nekula) for the 2006 USA title. Godfrey also had won the Indoor Kart Driver of the Year award in 2005.

As a result of its success in 2006, Team MotorsportsMania.tv will field more drivers for the 2007 IKWC, with American drivers Blake Ledesna and Jesse Shaw joining Tony Rolfson as team mates, to form what certainly seems to be one of the top challenging teams for the 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship title.

Also earler this month, Rolfson was at the American Racing Academy in Las Vegas to take advantage of the award received for his 3rd place finish at the 2006 Indoor Kart World Championship. The young driver had for months been looking forward to this chance to drive a Formula 2000 car, and it finally came to be on a cold December day at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway's inside road racing circuit.

It was Rolfson's first time behind the wheel of any kind of full sized racecar, and he was looking at the experience with much anticipation. Rolfson had very limited experience driving a car with a manual transmission (stick-shift), so in addition to the regular pre-drive briefing, he was given a quick lesson on shifting to get the car rolling, as well as recomendations on where and how to shift up or down on track. The "rookie" was to complete 2 sessions of 20 minutes each driving the F2000 cars, with instructor feedback after each session. It was pressure free environment, where lap times were not important.

The unfamiliar environment of the F2000 car and the new track posed an initial challenge to Rolfson, who spun twice in the first session. After some valuable tips and pointers from his instructor, Rolfson was able to come to grips with the car and drive faster and with more confidence in the 2nd session.

Austrian driver Alex Gumpenberger and Sebastiaan Circkens from The Netherlands (2006 IKWC Champion & 2nd Place) have yet to take their drive awards at the American Racing Academy, and will likely do so when they return to the USA for the 2007 Indoor Kart World Championship.

Lon Bromley Clinches the S.I.R.S. Fall Season Championship!

Dec 3rd, 2006 (Nov 07, 2006) - After a dissapointing run of bad luck at the 2006 IKWC, BSH Racing's Lon Bromley returned to his home championship with a renewed determination. Running in his 5th full season of the Sykart Indoor Racing Series (S.I.R.S.), Lon is arguabley the most successful driver at the Tigard, Oregon track winning the title on two previous occasions, and holding many of the series' records.

The 2006 Fall Season would be another Bromley barn burner as he would pick up 11 podiums in his 14 starts, including 6 wins and 2 swept nights on his way to his record 3rd championship title. On top of that, his 6 wins vaulted him to the top of the all time winners list, making him the winningest driver in the S.I.R.S.

Lon, Mike, and the rest of the BSH Racing Team look forward to competing in the 2007 IKWC, and to again running with some of the best drivers from around the world. For more information on BSH Racing, visit www.bshracing.com, and for more info on the S.I.R.S., visit www.sykartracing.com.

photo credit: www.BSHRacing.com

Mike Smith wins Ferrari Kart Challenge in Portland

Dec 03, 2006 (Aug 5th, 2006) - Upon returning from the 2006 IKWC, Team BSH drivers Lon Bromley and Mike Smith competed the following in the Ferrari Karting challenge at Portland International Raceway in Oregon. An autocross styled event, drivers had to set a fast time during open qualifying to make it into the final run-offs later that weekend. To further equalize the diverse field, the officials also adjusted each driver's time according to thier weight, making the event even more about driver skill.

Mike and Lon would enter the final run-offs as the #1 and #2 qualifiers respectively, after 2 attempts by Mike and one by Lon. The final would run-offs consist of two 5 minute runs per driver, each in a different kart, with only your fastest lap time going towards your final result. Adding to the difficulting was a rule dictating that any cone or barrier hit constituted in a fofeited lap, or in severe cases (such as a spin) a forfeited run.

After each of their final runs, Mike would set the fastest time of the weekend and take the overall win, while Lon would set the 2nd fastest time, although would finish 4th overall after the weight adjustment. For winning the Ferrari Karting Challenge, Mike will be attending the Ferrari Driving Experience at Mont Treblant circuit in Quebec, Canada next year, driving the 480.

photo credit: www.BSHRacing.com

Indoor Kart Champions take on Nascar Stars

Oct 25,2006 - It was an off-track day for NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Kenny Wallace, but the pair were on track at the F1 Race Factory in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday, October 24 meeting with fans, answering questions, performing a pit stop challenge and racing karts in advance of November's Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. The Checker Auto Parts 500 is the Semi-Final race in the 2006 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

It was a free event open to the public, where fans were able to ask questions to the popular NASCAR drivers in a formal Q&A session hosted by SPEED channel personality John Roberts. In addition to speaking with fans, Busch, Wallace and Roberts teamed up for a "Pit Crew Challenge" where they posted their fastest time for fans to beat while jacking up a race car and changing four tires. The 3 man pit stop challenge team of Jeff Saiani, Mike Davilla and Brian Van de Bogart had the fastest time in the "Pit Crew Challenge" and won tickets to the Checker Auto Parts 500 race. Following the "Pit Crew Challenge", Busch and Wallace took to the #2 track at F1 Race Factory (www.f1racefactory.com) to take on 2005 U.S. Indoor Kart Champion Truman (Brad) Godfrey and his fellow 2006 World Indoor Kart Team Champion (www.finishlineracegear.com) team mate, Jeff Saiani, and although both Godfrey and Saiani beat the Nascar pair, it was not without a fight to the finish. This event was sponsored by Phoenix International Raceway in advance of the November Checker Auto Parts 500 Nascar Nextel Cup race.

photo credit: GodfreyRacing.com

Tony Rolfson wins AZIKC Drivers Championship

photo credit: IKWC

Oct 20, 2006 - After winning the 2006 USA Indoor Kart Championship (USAIKC), and finishing 3rd in the 2006 Indoor Kart World Championship (IKWC), american Tony Rolfson from Team MotorsportsMania.tv finished the year with a 2nd major title, of 2006 Arizona Indoor Kart Championship (AZIKC). The AZIKC Championship is a series of 10 one hour endurance races over the course of the year, all staged at the F1 Race Factory track, using the same track lay-outs as the Indoor Kart World Championship. It was a very close dispute, and for the first time in the history of the AZIKC, the title was decided on the very last race. On his way to the top, Rolfson had to beat plenty of talented drivers, including rival Brad Godfrey from Team GodfreyRacing.com, who had won the Arizona Championship twice in a row, in 2004 and 2005, and Bryan Van de Bogart (Team Old School Racing), who was AZIKC's first champion, in 2003. If not for Rolfson, Godfrey would have likely won a 3rd consecutive title, as Godfrey finished in 2nd, just 11 points behind Rolfson.

Tony Rolfson is now looking forward to December 16, when he will finally have the opportunity to go to Las Vegas to take advantage of the 3rd place award he received during the World Championship: the chance to take an introductory Formula 2000 racing school program at the American Racing Academy. Though Rolfson has hundreds of miles driving karts indoors, with numerous victories and track records, he has never driven a race car before.

More info, and full results at www.arizonaindoorkartchampionship.com

Thiago Costa wins the Brazilian Indoor Kart Championship!

Oct 17, 2006 - The Festival Brasileiro de Kart Indoor 2006 (2006 Brazilian Indoor Kart Championship) took place October 14 & 15, again at the Granja Vianna karting facility in Sao Paulo. Though labeled an indoor event, the track is actually outdoors, and is chosen for its great infrastructure. The event was organized by Amika.com.br, which is believed to be the largest rental kart racing club in the world. An incredible 198 drivers participated in the event, broken down into 3 categories: Masters (155 drivers), Heavy (55 drivers), and Ladies (13 drivers). The TopKart.com.br IKWC team was represented by drivers Thiago Costa, Rodrigo Faulhaber, Pedro Washington, Filipe Jorge, Ed Cordeiro, and Dico Oliveira in the Masters, as well as Otacilio Oliveira in the Heavy, and Paula Cordeiro in the Ladies division.

Thiago Costa who qualified for the final with 2 victories, a 2nd, and a 7th place in the Masters qualifier heats, took the title with a victory over Mauricio Pereira in the Masters Final race. Pereira had the points advantage heading into the final and Costa's only chance to secure the Championship was with a victory or hope for Pereira to have a very bad result. It was not an easy feat by Costa, as pereira also had a very strong kart and finished 2nd in the Final. Costa however, did what he had to do, and won the Fianl race, scoring just enough points to beat Pereira by 1 point for the Title. Costa had earlier in the year obtained a 6th place in the Indoor Kart World Championship, which was disapointing result for him, since he had finished in 2nd place in 2005.

Rodrigo Faulhaber, was also doing very well in the Brasilian Indoor Kart Championship, with a victory and two 2nd places in his first 3 qualifier races; but a 6th, followed by a 5th place in the final resulted in a 5th place overall. Pedro Washington, who was 3rd last year in the Brazilian Championship did not find a spot on the podium in 2006, finishing in 17th place. Ed Cordeiro was the best placed Brazilian in the 2006 World Championship, but also had bad luck and finished 18th. Filipe Jorge looked very strong with a 1st, a 2nd, and a 5th in his qualifier races, but a disqualification penalty in race 3 put him out of the Masters Final, and a 32nd place overall.

More info at www.amika.com.br (in Portuguese)