For more information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Andersen Racing's Karters
Are Accomplishing a Great Deal
Both on the Road and at Home
PALMETTO, Fla., Aug. 12 - While Andersen Racing's drivers in Firestone Indy
Lights and the Star Mazda championship presented by Goodyear have been
garnering headlines, the team's new karting division has also been busy both on
the road and at Andersen RacePark, the 1-mile road course test track at the
team headquarters in Palmetto, Fla.
Andersen Racing offers corporate karting programs, karting camps and test
sessions, and also competes in karting events in both Florida and on the
national level as part of its first step in the development of professional race
car drivers. Sponsored by Allied Interior Products and Lafarge North
America, the team is the official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing,
which has extensive experience in both IndyCar Series and professional sports
car racing.
Pro Kart Team Is Busy on the Road
Andersen Racing's professional karting team is in the midst of eight
straight weeks of back-to-back karting events across the nation according to Wes
Phillips, Andersen Racing's director of competition karting and one of its
drivers.
Phillips, of American Canyon, Calif., posted victories in both Rotax DD2
and Senior classes at Michiana Raceway in South Bend, Ind., at the beginning
of July at an event that attracted some of the most competitive Rotax fields
in the country. Then it was immediately off to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma,
Calif., where the team's Andrew Novich of Novato, Calif. also posted
competitive results in TaG Rotax.
With barely enough time to let the tires cool, Andersen Racing headed to
Norman, Okla., for the second annual Rotax Summer Shootout. Andersen Racing
drivers Matt Powers of Danville, Calif.; Jacob Mottaz of San Ramon, Calif.;
Ethan Low of Clearwater, Fla., and Phillips used it as a test in preparation
for a return Sept. 14-19 for the Rotax Grand Nationals. "The Shootout gave
us the data we need nearly two months in advance," Phillips said, adding
"Swedetech power and the technical partnership we have with MRP Motorsport will
also help us as we prepare for the Nationals."
Dylan Lupton of Elk Grove, Calif., represented Andersen Racing at the IKF
Two-Cycle Sprint Grand Nationals in Reno, Nev., on the same weekend. While
Andersen Racing's star junior driver struggled in HPV2, he bounced back in
TaG Junior for a pre-final win. He looked poised for a podium finish in his
main event until he was forced to drop out after an incident.
In a third event that weekend, Novich represented the team in the NorCal
Rotax Series at Infineon. He led the final in Rotax Senior until two drivers
slipped by. "It was a good result for Andrew, as the NorCal Rotax series has
seen very competitive senior fields all year," Phillips said. "He did very
well and he should be very proud of how far he has come."
Novich is also competing in the Jetta TDI Cup this season, and has already
posted top-10 results with no prior car racing experience.
With two weekends left in July, Andersen Racing flew equipment and
personnel back to its headquarters in Florida for the final round of the Florida
Kart Championship Series at Monticello Karting and Motor Club in Monticello,
Fla.
Team driver Eddie Kish of Palmetto, Fla. earned the Rotax Senior
championship in the five-race series, which was an impressive result given he is a
rookie. Kish, who is also Andersen RacePark's track manager, will now go down
in the record books as the driver who gave Andersen Racing's new karting
team its first championship ever. The series was contested at five different
Florida venues beginning at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February and ending at
Monticello July 24-26.
"I want to thank Andersen Racing and Wes Phillips for making it possible,"
said Kish, who despite being a rookie has already learned the importance of
thanking his benefactors in victory lane. "I drove an '09 Birell RY30, which
are available for sale at Andersen RacePark."
Team driver Austin Miles of St. Petersburg, Fla. improved on past
performances to finish third in TaG Senior in the same series, attributing some of
his recent success to a new Swedetech TaG package.
"I finished third in two of the races, which helped me sew up third in the
championship," said Miles, who has been karting for seven years and works as
a kart mechanic at Andersen RacePark. "There were over 20 people in my
division. I drove an '08 Birell R31."
With the Florida summer karting season now complete, Andersen Racing's
drivers are now gearing up for the SKUSA Supernationals and the Florida Winter
Tour.
At Home at Andersen RacePark
Back home in Palmetto, Fla., Andersen RacePark's new karting pro shop has
proven to be very popular, area karters are enjoying honing their skills
during open testing, and the facility hosted its first-ever karting summer camp
at the end of July. Organized by Phillips, Kish and the team's director of
driver development, Jonny Baker, the camp was extremely well received, and
plans are already underway for similar offerings in the future.
The campers included three 9-year-olds: Christian Cole of Palmetto, Fla.;
Sasha Brun-Wibaux of Bradenton, Fla., and Michael McCarthy of Clearwater,
Fla. There was plenty of interest from teens too, as three other campers were
Andrew Palmer, 15, of Chicago; Andy Dunne, 15, of Westmont, Ill., and Taylor
Tzouanakis, 16, of Wauconda, Ill.
The campers received instruction on many different areas of racing during
their five-day stay, including on-track action, classroom theory and
philosophy. They received an overview of Andersen Racing's formula car programs, and
even relaxed with a quick trip to a local theme park.
"Everybody at the camp was extremely nice," said Dunne. "I learned a lot
while I was there. I learned a lot of driving techniques, as well as how to
be more efficient while working on my go-kart."
"It was the perfect camp for an aspiring driver," added Palmer. "I learned
some of the most valuable driving tips I will ever learn. This camp showed
me how a true race team operates and how to climb the racing ladder. The
camp also had the perfect balance of fun and learning. I couldn't have
asked for more."
"I was unsure about trying to wake up a group of teenage boys for physical
training at 5 a.m. nearly every morning, and then keeping them at the track
after driving for chassis preparation and more physical training, but it
worked remarkably well," Phillips said.
Andersen Racing is already planning more camps in the future aimed at
training drivers in racing tactics and techniques.
For more information, please see andersenracingteam.com,
andersenracepark.com and andersenkarting.com.
About Allied Building Products Corp.:
Allied Building Products Corp., headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., is
one of the largest roofing and siding distributors in the United States.
Founded in 1950 with five employees and two trucks, today it is a $1.8 billion
building material distribution company with over 3,500 employees, more than
200 branches in 30 states, well over one million square feet of office and
warehouse space, and an inventory of approximately 85,000 products, from
residential roofing and siding to doors, windows, waterproofing, manufactured
stone, interior products and commercial roofing systems. For more information
see alliedbuilding.com.
About the Lafarge Group:
The Lafarge Group is the world leader in building materials, with
top-ranking positions in all of its businesses: cement, aggregates and concrete, and
gypsum. With 83,000 employees in 78 countries, the Group posted sales of
19.0 billion Euros in 2008.
Lafarge North America Inc. ("Lafarge North America" or "Lafarge"), a
Lafarge Group company, is the largest diversified supplier of construction
materials in the United States and Canada.
In 2009 and for the fifth year in a row, the Lafarge Group was listed in
the "Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World." With the
world's leading building materials research facility, the Lafarge Group places
innovation at the heart of its priorities, working for sustainable construction
and architectural creativity.
For more information about Lafarge North America, go to lafarge-na.com or
contact Louise Muth, director of external communications, at (703) 480-3707.
About Andersen Racing:
Andersen Racing strives to provide the best and most comprehensive training
possible for future open-wheel superstars while giving its marketing
partners media exposure and hospitality opportunities at some of the most
prestigious events in North America. It provides a unique program utilizing multiple
entries in three different platforms: karting, Star Mazda and Firestone
Indy Lights (televised on VERSUS). In 2008 it fielded multiple entries in 42
races in 18 states and provinces at some of the best facilities on the
continent, including the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Andersen Racing won the team championship for 2008 for both the F2000
Championship Series presented by Hoosier Racing Tire and the Star Mazda
Championship presented by Goodyear. Two of its drivers finished first and second in
the F2000 driver point standings, while another was sixth. Three of its Star
Mazda drivers placed third, fifth and sixth in that series' driver
standings. RLR/Andersen Racing finished sixth in the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights team
standings, while one of its drivers placed fifth in that series' driver
point standings.
Andersen Racing's principals, brothers Dan and John Andersen, have
extensive experience in series administration as well as team management. They've
worked with many of today's top open-wheel stars, including several Indy 500
winners.
Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. and Lafarge
North America. It is the official development team of Rahal Letterman
Racing. The team is headquartered at Andersen RacePark, an 18-acre facility in
Palmetto, Fla. that includes a 1-mile road course test track. For more
information see andersenracingteam.com, andersenracepark.com and andersenkarting.com.