For media information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
 
 
 
 
Andersen Racing Successfully Hosts
Round One of the Florida Karting Championship
 
PALMETTO, Fla., March 17 - Andersen Racing personnel have driven race cars, 
fielded race cars in many different series, won championships, administered 
racing series, hosted corporate karting events, run a pro karting shop and 
conducted training camps for race car drivers.  Now the group can add track 
promoter to its long list of racing accomplishments, as it successfully 
hosted the first round of the Florida Karting Championships recently at Andersen 
RacePark, its headquarters in Palmetto, Fla.
 
"We've staged races as a series administrator before and we run weekly 
karting test sessions at Andersen RacePark, but this was our first true race as 
a track promoter," said Michelle Kish, director of operations for Andersen 
Racing.  "We had some rain and cold weather to deal with like all track 
promoters do eventually, but the whole thing came off without a hitch. I knew we 
had good people, but I was truly surprised that there really wasn't any 
major issue that came up.  It was awesome!" 
 
"I think we were ready for a lot of the challenges that came up, like the 
weather on Saturday morning," said her husband, Eddie Kish, Andersen 
RacePark's manager.  "We have one of the hardest-working and dedicated staffs 
around, so any little issues that may have come up were dealt with quickly. 
Michelle; Jonny Baker; Roger Morisette and his wife, Angela, and Anders Krohn did 
a great job.
 
"I think we provided the racers with a great track, having made some 
last-minute improvements to the facility," added Eddie Kish, who drove in the 
event too, finishing tenth in the TAG Seniors final. "A new concrete runoff in 
Turn 1 allowed for some mistakes that in the past would have ended a 
competitor's race."
 
For the record, Nick Rickert took the lead on lap seven and went on to win 
the 12-lap TAG Seniors final by six-tenths of a second over Greg Gleisner 
and James Perkins during the two-day event that attracted over 220 entries and 
about 425 people.  The 0.55-mile configuration of the 1-mile road course 
test track was used for the event, which featured qualifying, a pre-final and 
a final for 20 different classes. 
 
What lessons were learned?
 
"Parking was tight and we used all available areas for cars and pit spots," 
Eddie Kish said. "We will definitely be able to streamline this for next 
time to allow for more competitors and spectators.
 
"I would also like to give the spectators some more places to see the 
action and add some bleachers to give them a place to sit," he added.  "We 
recently fenced off the hill in the hairpin and the last turn, which provided a 
great place to watch the entire track."
 
Andersen RacePark, a member of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, strives to 
be a positive member of the community.  "Plenty of neighbors stopped by to 
check it out, and all the feedback was very, very positive," Michelle Kish 
said.  "It was great to see the facility being used the way it should be used. 
 Everyone seemed to love it. We got no real complaints. I was very proud of 
Eddie and our team of people."
 
"The highlight of the event for me was finally seeing a race here at the 
track," her husband said.  "We have worked very hard since taking over the 
facility to have an event. The response from the racers and the series was 
overwhelmingly positive. It was also great to see Seldon Whispel, our oldest 
karter and a regular at Andersen RacePark, to go out and compete in the Shifter 
class at age 73!"
 
One attendee who was not missed with an alligator who used to frequent a 
holding pond on the property.  "We haven't seen him in at least six months, 
probably more!" Michelle Kish said.
 
Speaking of animals, Andersen RacePark will host a charity kart event for 
the Best Friends Animal Society next Wednesday, March 24. Watch for more news 
on this in the coming days.
 
"We're working with Manatee County and the local community, and we look 
forward to holding a Florida Karting Championship Series event in 2011 too," 
Eddie Kish said.  "We're also looking to add a few more smaller race dates. 
 
"In addition to the charity race next Wednesday and weekly open testing, we 
have lots of different options for anyone looking to come karting at ARP," 
he added.  "We have monthly endurance races and  a weekly league in our 
concession karts. We can also host private and corporate parties."
 
For more information on Andersen RacePark, see andersenracepark.com.  For 
more information on Andersen Racing's professional karting team, see 
andersenkarting.com.  For more information on Andersen Racing, see 
andersenracingteam.com.  
 
Andersen Racing, which is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp., has 
five cars competing in Round 1 of the Star Mazda Championship presented by 
Goodyear at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla. this Friday. They 
will be driven by Anders Krohn, Mikael Grenier, Tristan Vautier, Dom Bastien 
and Court Vernon. Andersen Racing's karting team will also be in action 
during the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge this weekend at the Ocala 
Gran Prix course in Ocala, Fla. with drivers Andrew Palmer, Andy Dunne, R.C. 
Enerson, Jeremy Kane and Michael McCarthy.
 
Next weekend the team will have five Star Mazda cars (driven by Krohn, 
Grenier, Vautier, Vernon and Nick Andries) and one Firestone Indy Lights car 
(driven by Carmen Jorda) competing at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on 
the street course in that city.  The racing team's sister company, Andersen 
Promotions, will also administer the first two rounds of the USF2000 
National Championship presented by Cooper Tires and powered by Mazda during the 
St. Petersburg event next weekend.
 
 
 
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 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. 
 
A sister company, Andersen Promotions, administers the USF2000 National 
Championship presented by Cooper Tires and powered by Mazda.  It is part of 
both the Indy Racing League's Road to Indy program and the MAZDASPEED 
Motorsports driver development system.
 
Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. 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, andersenkarting.com, andersenracepark.com and usf2000.com.