Pro Karting - Ocala Gran Prix Ready For Max Challenge

Ocala, July 15, 2011: Just as they did for the Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour Rotax weekends, Ocala Gran Prix will head west to Tooele, Utah with a large contingent of drivers. Competing at the challenging Miller Motorsports Park facility, team drivers will all be vying for the coveted podium positions and the invitation to compete at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals as part of Team USA.

"We have a total of fourteen drivers under the Ocala Gran Prix tent," expressed OGP President Jorge Arellano. "They range from rookies to veterans and we have at least one driver in each racing division. A few of these drivers also include the top two podium award winners from the North Florida Rotax Max Challenge in which they received a free registration, tires and fuel from the series."

The largest contingent of drivers will be in the Rotax Senior class, as five drivers will look to stand atop the podium. Leading the way will be multi-time champion Nick Neri as he looks to head back to the World Finals for the third consecutive year, this time as a senior. Neri will be joined by fellow Florida drivers Andrew Evans, Brandon Slayer and Jonathon Kotyk who have all been competing in Florida's regional competition to prepare for this event.

Arellano continued, "Some of our senior drivers names aren't the most recognizable, but believe me, they are fast. Couple them with some of the top tuners in the country, we should see them all in the front of the field."

Only a pair of pilots will enter the Rotax Junior class as Oliver Askew and Alex Hornborg will work towards podium results. Askew has been tearing up the junior ranks as of late scoring two Florida Winter Tour victories and countless Florida Karting Championship Series and North Florida Rotax Max Challenge wins. Hornborg continues his to hit his stride and has proven to be very fast on most weekends and will look to continue that speed in Utah as he works with longtime tuner Tony Loniewski.

Noticeably absent from the Ocala Gran Prix driver list is two-time United States Rotax DD2 national champion Cody Hodgson who is forced to miss the event due to prior racing obligations. Looking to follow in Hodgson's footsteps and getting behind the wheel of his two-speed machine will be Texan pilot DJ Ortiz. Ortiz has been pounding out laps throughout the United States with great success and recently completed a test with members of Ocala Gran Prix.

Two drivers will see action in the Rotax Masters division as both were awarded free trips due to their championship runs at the North Florida Rotax Max Challenge. Both Scott Kalb and Eddie Genarro hail from Florida and will look to conquer the Miller Motorsports Park facility.

In the younger Rotax divisions, Ocala Gran Prix will have a quartet of drivers doing battle. The duo of Sebastian Sierra and Oliver Bellanger will be a threat for the win in the Mini Max division while Mathias Ramirez and Lucas Sobczak will look to the front of the field in Micro Max.