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.