News Release

Practice will run on Saturday July 20, and Rounds 5 and 6 will run on Sunday July 21.

 TORONTO, ON � The teams of the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship (SRFKC) will be back in action on July 20-21 at historic Goodwood Kartway for Rounds 5 and 6 of the inaugural SRFKC.

 Goodwood Kartway is the home of First Kart North America, and that should help First Kart�s Robert Wickens keep his Formula Junior winning streak alive. So far this year, Wickens is a perfect four for four and enjoys a healthy points lead in Formula Junior.

 In Canada Junior, MBA�s Justin Mascoll is taking a slim lead to Goodwood. Mascoll is very experienced at Goodwood, and he will have to call on all that experience if he plans on retaining the points lead because Wickens is just a few points behind Mascoll after suffering a dnf. in round four at Innisfil.

 The Canada Senior drivers are likely to be watching the back of Kyle Herder�s Gold Kart again this weekend. Herder has thousands of laps at Goodwood, which might make it tough on Birel�s Stefano Romano, CMP�s Frank Launi and Gold�s Aaron de Heus � who are second through fourth in points � to score a win at Goodwood. The Canada Senior race is packed with talent, so a Herder win in anything but a sure bet.

 Formula Senior could well be the race of the day. The 100+ mph F125 shifter karts rely on a good setup to negotiate the tight confines of Goodwood. MBA�s Matt Champagne � who�s won two of four races so far � is leading the class over Birel Hot Wheels driver Richard Penfold. Birel�s Mike Roth and Alex Penfold are also in the hunt for the points lead.

 "We are very pleased with the first four races of the Championship, both in terms of the series objectives being met and in terms of the quality of the racing. In fact, to be honest, we are absolutely thrilled with the racing,� said Rob King, Sunoco Ultra 94 Brand Marketing Manager. �If we ever had doubts that this Sunoco Ultra 94 sponsorship would help provide the Canadian race stars of the future, they have long been laid to rest. We have been treated to some absolutely brilliant racing in spite of not terrific weather and I can hardly wait for the season-end F2000 test day to see who emerges on top. We are also very gratified that we have had fantastic support from the press and I hope that the journalists' enthusiasm will spill over to their readers. This may not be the Molson Indy, but it lacks nothing in terms of racing excitement, and the action is non-stop. For a performance-focussed company like ours, this is a perfect fit."

 Canadian roadracer Ron Fellows will be at the wheel of his factory Corvette at the ALMS race in Washington, DC this weekend, but he does keep a close eye on what is happening in the SRFKC while he�s away.

�Unfortunately I'm not able to be at these events [at Goodwood],� said Fellows. �It's sort of like being out of town when your kids have a big event happening, but I'm able to follow the racing through the various internet reports. I'm very proud and I know the people at Sunoco are also proud of what has transpired on and off the track with the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship. Our goals and expectations for the Series are very much being met and from what I'm reading � and saw first hand in rounds 1 and 2 � the racing has been superb.

�The interest level is continuing to build, as witnessed by the support of Pfaff Motors and their contribution through the qualifying awards. This is just the beginning of what we believe to be tremendous enthusiasm for karting and in building future Canadian racing stars.�

 The objective of the SRFKC is to help foster a professional environment for kart drivers; help create a positive attitude towards appearance, conduct and discipline; help foster the employment of the best practices for the safe and fair running of competitions; and help kart drivers to move up the racing ladder to automobile racing.

Many of the top karters from Ontario and other provinces are scheduled to compete in four classes (Canada Junior, Canada Senior, Formula Junior and Formula Senior). The Formula Senior class will feature F125cc shifter karts, which are capable of exceeding 100 mph. Both Formula classes will make Formula 1 style standing starts.

 At the end of the season, two drivers will be selected from each of the four classes plus the two drivers from the ASN Canadian National Championships will be invited to a one-day evaluation test at the Bridgestone/Firestone Racing Academy at Mosport, provided they are 16 years of age prior to the date of the test.
Out of those 10 drivers, two will earn a full scholarship to the 2003 Bridgestone/Firestone Toronto Star Wheels F2000 racing series.

 Track directions for Rounds 5 and 6

Goodwood Kartway, located approximately 50km (30 mi.) from downtown Toronto. From Metropolitan Toronto take Highway 404 north to Bloomington Rd. Turn east approximately 12km (8 mi.) to Tenth Line. Continue east to the first road north "2nd. Concession" (Large sign on right for Goodwood Kartway). Head north about 2.5km to four-way stop; club is located on the northwest corner.

Photos available on request, contact;

Russ Bond, Inside Karting, [email protected]

For more information, please contact: Brad Brown, Sunoco Motorsports, www.sunoco.ca (416)-233-8727. ASN Canada FIA, Paul Cooke, www.asncanada.com, (905)-403-9000. Russ Bond, www.insidetracknews.com, (416)-962-7223