Special Motorsports Event - Racing Stars Help Karting World Take Center Stage

LAGUNA BEACH, Nov. 17, 2011: The Karting World will once again take center stage in Orlando this December with the return of the Red Bull Kart Fight at PRI, Powered by Rotax, to be run in conjunction with the PRI Trade Show on December 1 outside of the Orange County Convention.

A star-studded field is expected to include such stars as NASCAR’s A.J. Allmendinger and up-and-coming ace Cole Whitt, Indy Car racers Ryan Briscoe, Jay Howard and Townsend Bell, X Games ace and SPEED personality Tanner Foust among others. They will be joined by this year’s KZ1 World Champion Jonathan Thonon, five-time world champion David Fore and 2011 champ Bas Lammers who will be running in the Karters division.

The Red Bull Kart Fight at PRI, Powered by Rotax race is being co-sanctioned by the major kart racing series: WKA and IKF. It is the only kart race to have this sort of unification of the karting segment of the racing industry.

“We’re thrilled to see have the Red Bull Kart Fight at PRI, Powered by Rotax return as a part of this year’s Race Industry Week,” said Steve Lewis, PRI Trade Show producer. “We’re happy to have both Red Bull and Rotax involved in what should be one of the must-sees of Race Industry Week.”

The fifth edition of the popular race, which will take place Thursday night, will be run on a purpose-built race track adjacent to the Orange County Convention Center, housing the 700,000-squar-foot PRI Trade Show.

Red Bull will be promoting the event at 11 kart tracks in the southeastern United States, where drivers will be able to set a lap time and compete for a spot in one of the night’s preliminary races at the big show. The winning driver will receive coaching from Red Bull athlete Whitt, who recently made his Sprint Cup debut after starring in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

“A high-profile karting event like this is a perfect fit to run in conjunction with the PRI Trade Show where the karting industry is widely represented,” said Lewis. “The sport of karting continues to grow around the world and exhibitors and attendees will now get a chance to not only see the latest technology inside the show, but on the race track as well.”

The Red Bull Kart Fight at PRI, Powered by Rotax is one of no less than six major events during Race Industry Week that will take place in conjunction with this year’s PRI Trade Show, which will run Dec. 1-3 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.