For media information:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
Cell: (317) 201-0729
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Andersen RacePark Invites Public to Participate
In Charity Endurance Kart Event on Wednesday
To Benefit Best Friends Animal Society
PALMETTO, Fla., March 22 - The public is invited to come out to watch or
even to drive in a special charity endurance kart race Wednesday from 3 p.m.
to 6 p.m. at Andersen RacePark, 10101 U.S. Highway 41 North in Palmetto, Fla.
Members of the public can be on teams with some of the professional race
car drivers who will be competing this weekend at the St. Petersburg Grand
Prix. The proceeds of the event will benefit the Best Friends Animal Society,
which operates one of the biggest no-kill animal sanctuaries in the United
States and offers outreach programs throughout the country, including Florida.
Donations of $20 plus Florida state tax are being asked for spectators.
Members of the public who wish to compete in the race are asked to donate $150
per person plus Florida state tax. Cash, check and major credit cards will
be accepted. Andersen RacePark will provide the karts as well as helmets and
uniforms for participants who don't bring their own to use.
The format of the event will pair two members of the public with one pro
driver on a three-driver team. Andersen RacePark officials will make the
pairings, giving those who sign up first their first choice of a pro driver.
A drivers' meeting to review the format, rules and safety items will be
held at 3 p.m. followed by a practice session on the 0.55-mile portion of the
1-mile road course test track that will be used for the race. The actual
enduro will begin at 4 p.m. Karts will be lined up on the track's start-finish
line Le Mans style, and the first driver on each team will run to his or her
kart when the green is dropped and then begin the 2-hour enduro. Driver
changes are mandatory every 10 minutes. There will also be a mandatory fuel
stop at the halfway mark.
The team that completes the most laps in the 2-hour time span will receive
credentials to the St. Petersburg Grand Prix and VIP suite tickets donated
by the USF2000 National Championship, which is presented by Cooper Tires and
powered by Mazda.
Pro drivers who have signed up to participate so far include Firestone Indy
Lights drivers Carmen Jorda, Gustavo Yacaman and Jonathan Summerton;
Grand-Am drivers Ricky Taylor and Dane Cameron, and Star Mazda drivers Anders
Krohn, Mikael Grenier and that series' point leader, Tristan Vautier. Other pro
drivers who want to participate can still enter by calling Michelle Kish or
Jonny Baker at (941) 723-3900. That is also the number for the public to
call for more information and directions.
The mission of the Best Friends Animal Society is "no more homeless pets."
In addition to its activities at its headquarters in Utah, Best Friends
helps other humane groups, individuals and communities with spay/neuter
programs, shelters, and foster and adoption programs in their own areas, including
Florida. The Best Friends Network detailed at bestfriends.org is an
impressive tool it uses to help coordinate volunteers' efforts. The not-for-profit
organization is currently being featured in the National Geographic Channel's
DogTown program. It has also been in the news for its work to rehabilitate
some of the dogs rescued from football player Michael Vick's former
dogfighting operation.
Andersen RacePark is home to Andersen Racing's karting, Star Mazda and
Firestone Indy Lights teams, which are sponsored by Allied Building Products
Corp. It is also home to a sister company, Andersen Promotions, which
administers the newly revived USF2000 National Championship presented by Cooper Tires
and powered by Mazda. USF2000, Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights will
all be in action at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this weekend in
support of the IZOD IndyCar Series headliner.
Andersen Racing will enter five cars in the Star Mazda race and one car in
the Firestone Indy Lights race this weekend at St. Petersburg. Its Star
Mazda drivers who will be competing are: points leader Tristan Vautier of
Corenc, France; Mikael Grenier of Stoneham, Quebec; Norway's Anders Krohn, who now
lives in Houston; Court Vernon of Key Biscayne, Fla., and local favorite
Nick Andries of Pinellas Park, Fla., who is a mechanical engineering student
at St. Petersburg College. Rookie Carmen Jorda of Alcoy, Spain and Miami will
represent the team in the Firestone Indy Lights race.
More information can be found on the Internet at andersenracingteam.com,
andersenracepark.com, andersenkarting.com, usf2000.com, starmazda.com and
indycar.com/indylights.
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.