|
$4,000.00 First Place Cash
Prize Announced
ROCK ISLAND, IL. – The winner of
this year’s King of the Streets race will take home a check for $4,000 and a
free entry for the 2008 SuperNationals, Superkarts! USA and the Rock Island Grand Prix
have announced.
The free entry into the SuperNationals
this November in Las Vegas,
Nevada, is valued at almost $400.
The remainder of the payout for King of the
Streets will be $650 for second, $500 for third, $150 fourth, $125 fifth, $100
sixth, $75 seventh, $50 eighth and $45 for ninth. Spec tires are MG FZs; spec
fuel is VP and will be on sale direct to competitors on site and not included
in the entry fee. SKUSA rules will be used and all King of the Streets
competitors must be active SKUSA members. The Rock Island Grand Prix is always
the Saturday and Sunday of the U.S. Labor Day Weekend, August 30-31, 2008.
King of the
Streets was originally created as an event that would circulate among various
temporary venues. The 1998 event at the Oklahoma City Grand Prix was won by Joe
Janowski. In 1999, Alan Rudolph won at Quincy
in the Park. From that point, the race has had a permanent home at the Rock
Island Grand Prix and become one of the most coveted titles in kart racing. The
reigning King is Alan Rudolph, who has won the crown five times (1999, 2000,
2001, 2006 & 2007). It has also been won by Scott Speed (2002), Bobby
Wilson (2003) and Kyle Wiegand (2004 & 2005). The King of the Streets race
is sponsored by the Bob
BondurantSuperKart
School in Phoenix, Arizona.
Tom Kutscher,
CEO of Superkarts! USA says, “Since purchasing SKUSA a few years ago, I’ve been
bombarded from all karting circles with a message that stands out: ‘Please
continue to support the King of the Streets program, as Roger’s tireless
efforts have made the race and the RIGP the backbone of the Midwest karting
scene.’ I couldn’t agree more. I’ve
raced it more than once, and it’s a terrific weekend. The atmosphere is truly a
slice of Americana,
and that makes Roger’s event the ideal pillar for continuing to position our
sport globally as well. Thanks to MG Tires for their support, too.”
Roger Ruthhart,
president of the Rock Island Grand Prix, said he is happy to see the King of
Streets tradition continue. “This event has proven to be the ultimate challenge
for the top gearbox drivers in the sport. There’s no advance practice. Just
show up, learn the course and race. At first look, the course does not appear technically
difficult, but the street course challenges drivers in ways they are not used
to,” he said. “There are various types of pavement. Trees and buildings shade
some portions of the track while the sun bakes others. Street striping, auto
oils and manhole covers can have an impact; all of this while thousands of
screaming fans lining the course get the adrenaline pumping at levels few kart
racers are used to.
“Ask the drivers
who have won the crown and they will tell you there is no experience in
American karting quite like receiving the King’s crown and robe in front of
thousands of appreciative race fans. Now there is an even bigger check, and
incentive, to go with it,” Ruthhart said.
Presenting
Sponsors of the Rock Island Grand Prix are AT&T and Mazda Motorsports. The $35,000
RIGP purse is sponsored by Jumer’s Casino Rock Island. Other major sponsors
include Kart Expo International presented by Sodi Kart, The Dispatch, Rock
Island Argus, Leader newspapers and Mediacom.
The Rock Island Grand
Prix, the world’s largest karting street race, draws 400 entries from
throughout the United States
and Canada,
competing for one of karting’s largest purses. It has also hosted racers from Italy, France, Colombia, Costa Rica, England, Argentina, Bermuda and Mexico. It includes 14 feature pro
races in 4-cycle, 2-cycle and shifter classes. Rock Island Grand Prix races are
also broadcast live worldwide via the internet by monksmedia.com. It is always
held the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day Weekend.
Superkarts! USA’s mission is to deliver the
complete racing experience, helping karters to bridge the gap between club
racing and professional racing. SKUSA sanctions a number of regional series
such as the ProKart Challenge in Southern California
and Northern California, the Desert Kart
Challenge in Arizona
and the Central States Challenge in Illinois,
Iowa and Missouri. SKUSA also
sanctions national events such as the SuperNationals in Las Vegas and the King of the Streets race at
the Rock Island Grand Prix. (www.superkartsusa.com
or www.skusasupernats.com )
AT&T is the
largest telecommunications company in the United States and one of the
largest in the world. AT&T is the
recognized world leader in providing IP-based communications services to
business and the U.S.
leader in providing wireless, high speed Internet access, local and long
distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. As part of
its "three screen" integration strategy, AT&T is expanding video
entertainment offerings to include such next-generation television services as
AT&T U-verse TV. With 55.8 million subscribers, AT&T
provides international voice services to virtually every country and territory
in the world. It is a global company that sets the industry standard for a new
era of integrated communications and entertainment services. The AT&T
Foundation has contributed more than $1.8 billion to nonprofit organizations
around the country, including $60 million in 2006, putting it among the five
largest corporate foundations in the United States. (www.att.com)
On any given
weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America At the
track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3,
MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda
models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the fastest growing road-racing
class in the U.S.
is the SCCA’s Spec Miata class, with nearly 1,500 first- and second-generation
Miatas tearing up America’s
racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda’s involvement in motorsports extends to
its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world’s premier
road-racing circuits, and the Skip
Barber Schools
for driving and racing. Mazda North American
Operations, headquartered in Irvine,
Calif., oversees the sales,
marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through
nearly 900 dealers. Canadian operations are managed by Mazda
Canada, Inc., in Ontario,
and in MexicoMexico City. than
any other brand of vehicle.
by Mazda Motor de Mexico,
(www.MazdaUSAmedia.com ,
www. Mazdaspeedmotorsports.com)
The Rock Island
Grand Prix is hosted by The Downtown Rock Island Arts and Entertainment
District which features Casino Rock Island, retail shops, excellent
restaurants, live entertainment, dinner theater, art galleries and comedy clubs
all within walking distance of the host hotel. It is located on the Mississippi River three hours west of Chicago in an area known as the Quad-Cities,
which straddles the river and the Illinois/Iowa border. It is at the
intersection of Interstate highways 74, 88 and 80 and is served by Quad City
International Airport
in Moline, Ill.(www.ridistrict.com )
|
