Archive for January, 2009
Monday, January 26th, 2009
The Racer’s Group (TRG) won the 47th annual Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona GT race last weekend on January 25. The GT race resulted in a one-two finish for K1 Speed’s sponsored No. 67 TRG Porsche 997, whose drivers included Justin Marks, Andy Lally, Jorg Bergmeister, Patrick Long and RJ Valentine.
“It is a great way to start the season,” Marks said to TheRacersGroup.com. “I was excited to get started with TRG. I knew going in that we had a shot at winning and I was really enthused after the test. But it really doesn’t sink in until you cross the finish line. This is a great welcome back to sports cars and start the season with Andy and Kevin. I have been lucky enough to win the 250 here twice; this is just on an awesome scale. It is special because I made my Daytona debut with TRG.”
This is team owner Kevin Buckler and Bergmeister’s third win at Daytona. It’s a great accomplishment that TRG had four of their cars finish the 24 hour long race and it’s just icing on the cake that they had a one-two finish. According to Lally, there wasn’t a single dent on the car when crossing the finish line – only dust. Congratulations on the victory, K1 Speed is proud to sponsor a winning team!
Tags: 24 hours of daytona, daytona, gt3, k1 speed, porsche, trg
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
If you missed the Monster Energy AMA Supercross in Anaheim on January 17, don’t forget to check out the Anaheim 3rd stop of the tour on February 7 at Angel Stadium. This massive event will surely bring many visitors to the K1 Speed location in Anaheim, so book a reservation for your large group or pay us a visit with your friends to Arrive and Drive. Who knows, you might even see your favorite Supercross star racing in a K1 Speed Grand Prix at our Anaheim location, or hanging out atop our mezzanine overlooking the action with America’s only indoor karting track with two tunnels going underneath.
The green flag drops at 7 p.m. so come in early to get the adrenaline running, or swing by afterward to take part in a Supercross after party. If you’re in the San Diego area, make sure to check out Supercross on February 14 at Qualcomm Stadium and visit K1 Speed Carlsbad. If you are in the Washington area, Supercross will be in Seattle at Qwest Field on April 18 so book a private event at our K1 Speed Seattle location to get into the racing spirit.
Tags: ama supercross, anaheim, angel stadium, k1 speed, orange county
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
While indoor karting has been viewed as a primarily male-dominated sport, the women of DriftingPretty.com are hoping to change the way women perceive racing. K1 Speed has partnered with the all-female team to raise awareness about the sport among the female population.
Drifting Pretty is the premier drift training program for women in California. Founder Nadine Toyoda established the group when she noticed a severe lack of estrogen during the drifting season. Toyoda and her crew of women hope to change this idea and now the women driving at drifting events in Southern California have increased by 400 percent. The program is now in its fourth year and continues to teach women how to race, how to work on their cars, obtain sponsorships and how to be a positive role model for the future female drifters.
Check out the video from the SPEED Channel, which features the meeting rooms and racetrack of K1 Speed Irvine.
Tags: drifters, drifting, driftingpretty, go kart arena, indoor go kart racing, indoor kart racing, indoor karting, indoor karting center, k1 speed
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
January 25th marked the first Grand Prix race for K1 Speed Ontario’s 2009 season. Last season’s winner John Tanaka reigned supreme once again and took first place and he’s also leading the troops with the highest ProScore points. John Tanaka is the 1st person to accumulate 200 ProScore points this year. He finished the race .98 seconds ahead of place Taylor Hays. Taylor Hays barely pulled off a 2nd place finish, only .30 seconds ahead of Alton Arnold III, who took home 3rd place.
There were 25 total GP racers, who were split into two groups for their final position races. The A main group consisted of the 13 fastest racers and the B main group consisted of the remaining 12 racers. Ali Almaadeed, Albert Ybarra and Ray Avitia placed respectively in the B main race. K1 Speed Ontario boasts the longest indoor race kart track in all of United States, so swing by soon for a visit to see what all of the hype is about. Congratulations to all of the participants and we’re looking forward to a great 2009 GP racing season.
Tags: california, Challenge GP, go kart arena, go kart league, indoor go kart racing, indoor kart racing, indoor kart track, indoor karting, indoor karting center, inland empire, k1 speed, karting league, ontario
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
Twenty eight students from the Working on Improving Together (WIT) team leadership program came into our Carlsbad location of Friday, January 23, along with Vista Sherriff Michael Astorga. The students are all 8th graders from Rancho Minerva and Washington Middle schools in Vista, Calif. They came in as part of their monthly group celebration. WIT started three years ago, with the help of Captain Curran, and combines leaders of each campus together to build a positive relationship with sheriffs at the Vista Police Department.
Program Director Adella Giessen says that each student is monitored on and off campus and those with the best behaviors are allowed to join in on the month end festivities. She also says that the students get to discuss current topics that affect them the most, such as drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy and drug-related issues.
WIT student Alex Mungaray says he loves the motivation that the program provides to keep people on their feet. He says they went to Knott’s Berry Farm last month. “K1 Speed is a lot funner than Knott’s,” he said. His brother Jose says they’ve been to the Carlsbad location before and love coming during the summer.
This is the third year that WIT has come to K1 Speed and we hope to see them again soon. For more information about WIT, contact agiessen@cox.net.
Tags: carlsbad, go kart racing, indoor go kart racing, indoor kart racing, indoor karting, k1 speed, karting, san diego, wit team leadership
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
The following are the Top 30 racers that have been inducted into the K1 Speed Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place on January 18, 2009 and Hall of Fame inductees celebrated with a VIP party, free races and an official K1 Speed t-shirt. Now that these racers have celebrated their ProScores from 2004 to 2008, it’s time for them to start back at 100 and reclaim their titles for next year. Think you have the skills? Keep racing and keep track of your ProScore. Maybe you’ll be part of the K1 Speed 2009 Hall of Fame!
Rank Racer ProScore
1 Toby Rodriguez 367.53
2 Curt Chapin 334.34
3 John Tanaka 323.17
4 Taylor Hays 310.74
5 Derek Zimmermann 305.72
6 Ryan Horn 301.03
7 Robert Dlugos 299.41
8 Jacob Pearlman 296.89
9 Jared Buccota 296.06
10 Paul Ciralli 294.29
11 Craig Stevens 292.74
12 Orlando Rodriguez 289.05
13 Mike Colvin 286.67
14 Ken Howell 283.81
15 Jason Rafuss 281.04
Rank Racer ProScore
17 Jonny Zartarian 279.04
18 Chris Vaughn 277.36
19 Alex Rodriguez 271.05
20 Bill Groves 270.79
21 Donald Munroe 270.55
22 Kirk Westerfield 270.23
23 Blue Feurt 270.17
24 Tom Joyce 264.50
25 David Messimer 263.02
26 John Burrows 262.29
27 Sean Backus 261.37
28 Otto Hermann 257.86
29 Taka Sakai 257.11
30 Joe Soler 256.49
Tags: hall of fame, k1 speed
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
With the New Year in full swing, we at K1 Speed are promoting a more sustainable environment and are working toward more eco-friendly business practices. Since our zero-emission Pro Karts already operate on electricity for their sole means of energy, we’re already one step ahead of our gas-powered, toxin-emitting competitors. Here are some other ways that we’re making 2009 a more eco-friendly year:
- Corporate offices are saving paper when only printing when necessary. It’s been surveyed that an average office worker in the U.S. can go through 10,000 sheets of paper each year. Online document sharing is also another way we’re saving trees.
- We’re turning lights and computers off in corporate offices over the weekend to save energy and resources.
- We’re using conference calling within management when possible to save gas and decrease the number of cars on our highways.
- All of our locations have been retrofitted with energy efficient lighting.
- We’re placing recycling bins at each of our six centers in the near future.
One of the more exciting ways that we’re introducing Green practices to our staff and company: We’re working with The Ambassadors to promote eco-friendly awareness among high school students. The Inland Empire based show will portray local high school students who are competing to become the best Green advocate among 12 other participants. The show will premiere spring 2009 stay tuned for more news and progress.
Tags: electric karting, electric karts, environmentally friendly, green business, k1 speed
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Saturday, January 10th, 2009
On Sunday, January 1, 2009, K1 Speed Seattle hosted their first Grand Prix challenge of the 2009 season. This event is held one day out of the month where top racers can test their skills on challenging reverse courses, only offered on Challenge GP days. Competitors especially like the small technical road course because of its drifting capabilities; it definitely helps to create a real racing feel. Racers took part in a 12-lap practice session, 14-lap lap qualifying race and 16-lap final position race.
Congratulations to Sean Naslund, Wrathchet and Randy Olivarez for placing respectively. K1 Speed Seattle will continue to host their Challenge GP on the last Sunday of every month at 10 a.m. For its first season of the year, the GP will be on a reverse track. Thank you to everyone who participated and stay tuned for more Challenge GP results.
Tags: Challenge GP, go kart league, indoor go kart racing, indoor kart racing, indoor karting, k1 speed, karting league, race league, racing league, redmond, seattle, washington
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Saturday, January 10th, 2009
Former BMW factory driver Justin Marks will compete in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, also known as the 24 Hours of Daytona, this Saturday, January 24. He will drive the No. 67 Porsche GT3 Cup Car, along with Jorg Bergmeister, Andy Lally, Patrick Long and RJ Valentine. Grand-Am Road Racing’s top competitors will hit the track with stars of NASCAR for a memorable weekend. The race will be conducted on a closed course within the Daytona International Speedway arena.
Among sponsors, such as No Fear Energy, Gemstone Winery and Kartel, K1 Speed is also proud to sponsor such an incredible racer. The Rolex 24 takes the green flag at 3:30 p.m. EST. Good luck this weekend, Justin, and we hope to see you soon at one of our locations.
Additional images
Tags: 24 hours of daytona, daytona, gt3, k1 speed, porsche, trg
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Saturday, January 10th, 2009
NASCAR’s future Nextel Cup Drivers participated in some exciting go-kart racing today at our K1 Speed Anaheim location. K1 Speed was one of many stops these drivers are doing before racing this weekend at the Toyota All-Star Showdown which will be held at Irwindale Speedway. Antonio Perez, who is from Mexico, will be racing in the Camping World West series next year, he finished second to Brian Loftin from North Carolina. We thank all the drivers who came out to race at K1 and wish them luck this weekend!
Tags: anaheim, california, indoor go kart racing, indoor kart racing, indoor karting, k1 speed, nascar toyota all-star, orange county
Posted in K1 Speed Anaheim, News - K1 Speed | 2 Comments »
