“Askew and Neri run at the front of the field in Junior and Senior”

Oliver Askew claims a pair of victories for OGP. Photo courtesy of: Autosports Media Grou

Ocala, Florida – March 29, 2011 – With the final round of the Florida Winter Tour taking place at Ocala Gran Prix (OGP), team drivers would look to utilize track knowledge and experience to take home race wins. Leading the way was multi-time champion Nick Neri who scored the Rotax Senior race win on Sunday as well as Rotax Junior competitor Oliver Askew who claimed a pair of dominating wins.

“I am so proud of my team and drivers,” exclaimed Jorge Arellano after the weekend was over. “We have had some great success over the past three months and to cap the tour off in the form that we did is something to build on in the future.”

As the season began to wind down, several Ocala Gran Prix drivers hit their stride as they entered the final round of the Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour. Competing in the ultra-competitive Rotax Junior class was a quartet of pilots, as Oliver Askew, Alex Keyes, Angus Hunt and Alex Hornborg would look to end off the series strong. While only one driver can win, that honor was given to Askew has he dominated the Rotax Junior class throughout the weekend.

After scoring the pole position for Sunday’s racing action, Askew claimed the fourth place starting spot for Saturday but would look to move forward. After claiming the second position in the heat race, Askew went on to take the lead at the drop of the green flag for the main event and never looked back. Leading all twenty-four laps and scoring the fastest lap of the race, Askew scored his first career Florida Winter Tour win.

Starting from the pole position on Sunday, Askew scored a perfect day taking the heat race win, main event victory and fastest race lap to score maximum points on the day. With the pair of victories, the Floridian pilot claimed the second position in the overall championship.

Michigan resident Alex Keyes did not have the best of luck in Ocala as multiple incidents hindered any chances at a good result. Though the 14-year old driver managed to make both main events, contact throughout the finals would force him to retire early with a pair of 31^stplace results.

Fellow Floridian pilot Alex Hornborg would have a great showing in Saturday’s racing action as he claimed the 17^th place position while Georgia’s Angus Hunt garnered a 19^th place result on Sunday.

Ocala Gran prix’s other race win came at the hands of two-time Florida Winter Tour Rotax Junior champion Nick Neri as he took the top honors in Sunday’s Rotax Senior category. Jumping out to the lead early, Neri led all twenty-four laps as he stole the show. The race win made up for a disappointing result on Saturday as Neri was removed from the results after failing a controversial post-race technical inspection after claiming the second position on track.

Also competing in the Rotax Senior category was Miami-area driver Andrew Evans. Looking to utilize his experience of the OGP facility, Evans had his best result at this year’s Florida Winter Tour on Saturday with a solid fourteenth place finish. Looking to improve on Sunday, Evans could only manage a 26^th place finish.

Rotax Masters competitor Jason Bell entered the final weekend of action with a shot at the title. With a stout field of competitors, Bell garnered the third step on the podium on Saturday but ran into severe trouble on Sunday. After claiming the pole position for Sunday’s festivities earlier in the weekend, Bell would make contact with a fellow competitor on the opening laps and be forced to retire from the heat race. Starting from the tail of the field, Bell worked his way forward to claim an impressive twelfth place result but came just short of the overall series crown.

Another driver scoring his best Florida Winter Tour results to date was the young Enzo Fittipaldi. After running inside the top twenty at the opening two rounds, Fittipaldi jumped into the top ten during the final rounds claiming a ninth place finish on Saturday and a fourteenth place result on Sunday in the Rotax Mini Max class.

The young Mathias Ramirez would be Ocala Gran Prix’s sole entry in the Rotax Micro Max class as he would see battle against a host of seven to eleven year olds. Working with the OGP team personnel, Ramirez scored a solid eighth place result on Saturday but would falter slightly on Sunday to finish 16^th.

Arellano added, “I am happy that this year’s Florida Winter Tour is over. Though we had some great results and memories that will last a while, it is time for me to give my guys a break and regroup as we work towards a busy summer season.”

For more information on Ocala Grand Prix, OGP race team opportunities and info on how to get into karting, please visit Ocala Gran Prix online at www.OcalaGranPrix.com or contact Kyle Kraus at352.291.0600 (Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com) or Mike Maurini at 317.270.8723

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“Another title for the Floridian female”

Ashley Rogero claims Formula Leopard Junior championship at FWT. Photo courtesy of Autosports Media Group

March 29, 2011 – Looking to have a breakout rookie season in the junior ranks, karting standout Ashley Rogero started off her 2011 racing season in fine form. After a dominating program in 2010 that saw Rogero claim multiple championships in the Sportsman ranks, the Floridian female moved to the tougher junior categories and did not miss a beat as she claimed the Florida Winter Tour Formula Leopard Junior championship.

“Winning a championship in my rookie season as a junior is something that I didn’t know I could do,” expressed Rogero. “I was going to take this season as a learning year but after the first event I knew that I could fight for race wins and championships. This is a great way to start off the season and it will provide a lot of momentum as we move forward.”

Heading to the final round two weeks ago at the Ocala Gran Prix facility in Ocala, Florida, Rogero was sitting second in the points battle with an outside shot at winning the title. Needing to score near perfect race results, Rogero did just that as she claimed a solid fourth place finish on Saturday and a second place finish on Sunday. Couple those results with a pair of heat race wins that reward with bonus points, Rogero managed to take the Formula Leopard Junior title by forty markers when the final points were tallied.

Rogero continued, “Though the kart count in the Leopard Junior class was lower than expected, the competition was second to none as top drivers from across the United States were here to compete. I am thankful to have the support from Tony Kart, Ocala Gran Prix, Comet Kart Sales as well as my friends and family.”

The young female was a model of consistency throughout the Florida Winter Tour as she claimed six top five results is six events. The up and coming driver was a threat each and every race weekend as was shown by her outright speed and determination to run at the front of the field. With six top five results including one main event win and two heat race victories as well as countless pole positions, Rogero proved that she will be a threat in each and every race in 2011.

Ashley would like to thank all of her sponsors for all their hard work and continued support: the entire crew at Ocala Gran Prix, Tony Kart and Comet Kart Sales.

For more information on Ashley Rogero, please contact Jim Rogero at 239.877.4302. For press release and media information, please contact Race Tech Development at 317.270.8723 or via e-mail atInfo@RaceTechDevelopment.com.

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“Strong runs at PBIR for Ocala Gran Prix drivers”

Ocala, Florida – Heading to the Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR) for the second round of the Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour (FWT), Ocala Gran Prix drivers knew that the competition would once again be stout. With talented drivers from all around the world descending on Jupiter, Florida, Ocala Gran Prix would prove to have another successful weekend as the second weekend in the program has come to a close.

“The Palm Beach facility has changed a lot over the last few years and you need to have a smart driver and fast equipment to run at the front of the field,” explained Team Principal Jorge Arellano. “Our drivers had good weekend of results and now we head back to our home facility for the third and final round in the series.”

While the Rotax Senior drivers lead the team, it was the junior competitors that came home with the best results this weekend. Pietro Fittipaldi and Oliver Askew led the OGP team in the Rotax Junior division as both drivers were able to take home top five results. Askew claimed a solid fifth place finish on Saturday, his career best in FWT competition, and backed it up on Sunday with a solid sixth place result. Fittipaldi struggled in Saturday’s main event but managed to claim an eighth place finish out of the 68 registered competitors but improved on Sunday to score a podium result in the third position.

Alex Hornborg was the third junior competitor to make the final on both days of action directly through the qualifying rounds. When the weekend was finally complete, the Florida resident claimed 25^th and 31^st place results after being involved in some opening corner incidents. Michigan driver Alex Keyes showed leaps and bounds of improvement from the opening round in Orlando as he claimed a solid 22^ndplace result on Saturday while Angus Hunt went on to win the Last Chance Qualifier on Sunday to make the main and eventually score a 27^th place result.

Double Rotax Junior champion Nick Neri and IndyCar competitor Dan Wheldon would battle at the front of the Rotax Senior field all weekend long at PBIR. While Neri would have to overcome some engine issues during pre event testing, he managed to claim a disappointing 11^th place finish on Saturday but rebounded on Sunday to finish fifth. Wheldon was at the front of the field throughout Saturday’s main event as he led the majority of the race. The fierce competition and aggressiveness would not let up for Wheldon as he eventually crossed the stripe in the sixth position. Another driver improving greatly from the opening round was OGP’s Andrew Evans. After not making either final in Orlando, Evans managed to take home 19^th and 20^th place results at PBIR.

In the Rotax Masters class it was a pair of OGP drivers in Jason Bell and Rob Maier who would battle in the top ten all weekend long. Bell would score the best results of the duo with a tenth and seventh place results while Maier would come home sixteenth and thirteenth.

Entering the PBIR round, Californian driver Cody Hodgson would look to battle for the race win. After claiming Saturday’s pole position, Hodgson would be disqualified in post qualifying technical inspection and sent to the rear of the field. Driving with aggression and determination, Hodgson moved through the talented field to claim a fourth place finish on Saturday. Sunday would be a little different for the two time defending United States Grand National champion as he would lead the main event. Looking as if he would have a good shot at the race win, Hodgson was driven over by a fellow competitor and with a badly damaged kart, was unable to continue.

OGP would enter three drivers in the youngest two divisions on the weekend as Enzo Fittipaldi and Sebastian Sierra would run in the Rotax Mini Max class while Mathias Ramirez would compete in Micro Max. While Fittipaldi would come home in 19^th and 22^nd, Sierra would run into trouble and be classified in 28^th and 34^th. Ramirez would show consistent speed throughout the race weekend and score a pair of top ten results in ninth and tenth.

For more information on Ocala Grand Prix, OGP race team opportunities and info on how to get into karting, please visit Ocala Gran Prix online at www.OcalaGranPrix.com or contact Kyle Kraus at352.291.0600 (Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com) or Mike Maurini at 317.270.8723 (Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com).

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“Strong motors available for purchase before final round of Florida Winter Tour”

Ocala, Florida – With a host of drivers competing at the Florida Winter Tour under the Ocala Gran Prix team tent, the OGP program utilized multiple Rotax power plants to ensure their drivers were at the front of the field. Now that the popular winter series is coming to a close, Ocala Gran Prix will look to sell some of their Rotax motors to the general karting community before the final round at the end of March.

“At the beginning of the Florida Winter Tour, we rebuilt and prepared more than forty motors to use and rent throughout the series,” expressed Ocala Gran Prix’s Jorge Arellano. “Now, we are looking to sell some of the motors to the karting community. We have multiple Rotax Senior power plants available for only $2500.00″

Ocala Gran Prix team motors will be sold complete with battery, wiring harness, coil, air box, fuel pump, and starter buttons. All motors will be in good working order and will be freshened up before the final round in Ocala and were built in conjunction Koene Racing’s Martijn Koene.

Arellano added, “Once motors clear post race technical inspection on Sunday, buyers are welcome to take them home or can organize shipping with OGP representatives after the event.”

Ocala Gran Prix is expecting a quick sale on all six motors as they will be offered on a first payment, first taker basis. For more information on these motors, please contact Ocala Gran Prix’s Kyle Kraus or Troy Mitchell at 352.291.0600 or via e-mail to Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com or Troy@OcalaGranPrix.com

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“16 Drivers under Ocala Gran Prix tent look for success in South Florida”

Ocala, Florida – February 20, 2011 – As the second round of the 2011 Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour (FWT) fast approaches, teams and drivers begin their testing and preparation in the hunt for race wins and podiums. The Ocala Gran Prix (OGP) squad is no different as they have assembled yet another large contingent of drivers to compete at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR) in Jupiter, Florida.

IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon drove to a solid top five and sits sixth in the Rotax Senior point standings.

“While some of our drivers are veterans of the Florida Winter Tour, others are fresh out of the box rookies who are looking to gain experience needed to compete at the front of the field in 2011,” expressed Jorge Arellano, Team Principal for Ocala Gran Prix. “We had some mixed results in Orlando as weather played a definite role in the final results. We look to overcome that minor speed bump and return back to the form of winning races and earning multiple podiums at PBIR.”

Leading the way in the Rotax Senior class will be senior rookie Nick Neri and INDYCAR champion Dan Wheldon. Both drivers could be seen at the front of the pack in Orlando scoring top five results and currently sit fourth and fifth in the point standings respectively. Joining the duo in the talent-laden senior class will be Floridian pilot Andrew Evans.

Two time defending United States Rotax DD2 national champion Cody Hodgson will make the cross country trek once again to compete at the FWT. Showing speed at the opening round, Hodgson would succumb to racing luck scoring results that were not equivalent to his on track action. When Hodgson is not behind the wheel of his Tony Kart, he can usually be seen piloting the #55 in the NASCAR Late Model Western Series.

Scoring the OGP squad’s best results in Orlando were that of Rotax Masters competitors Jason Bell and Rob Maier. While Bell went on to score a pole position and a pair of solid results, Maier overcame his tough run on Saturday to finish in the fourth position on Sunday. Currently Jason Bell sits second in the title chase while Maier is in the mix in seventh.

Ocala Gran Prix’s largest contingent of drivers comes from the junior division. Leading the way into the second round of the program will be Oliver Askew and Pietro Fittipaldi. Askew will enter the Palm Beach race with redemption on his mind after a pair of twenty something results in Orlando. Showing the speed to run with the lead trio, Askew was involved in opening lap incidents taking him out of contention for the win. On the other hand, Fittipaldi showed that he has what it takes to make a run at the title scoring a pair of top fifteen results with lap times to run at the front of the field. Joining Askew and Fittipaldi in the Rotax Junior class will be Alex Hornborg, Angus Hunt, Alex Keyes and Karl Weber.

Pietro’s younger brother Enzo Fittipaldi along with Sebastian Sierra and Justin Gordon will do battle in the Rotax Mini Max division. While Sierra scored a solid third place result on Saturday, he failed to make the main event on Sunday due to an on track incident. Sierra will look to rebound in Palm Beach to get himself back in the hunt for the championship. Both Fittipaldi and Gordon continued to show improvement throughout the race weekend at the challenging Orlando circuit and will look to score top ten results at the second round in the program.

Rotax Masters pilot Jason Bell scored a pair of solid results and a pole position in Orlando

Mathias Ramirez will be OGP’s lone driver in the Micro Max class as he looks to battle for race wins. After scoring a top five result in Sunday’s action at the opening round, Ramirez tallied enough points to currently sit eighth in the race for the championship. Looking forward to the Palm Beach International Raceway round, Ramirez will look to take try and sweep the weekend’s action

With 16 drivers under the Ocala Gran Prix program, the past and future success and experience of these drivers is invaluable. From Florida Winter Tour champions to national champions, Ocala Gran Prix looks to add strong results this round and make a run at several series championships.

With a strong team of drivers, a tuning crew second to none has been assembled. With mechanics from all over the world, the OGP squad employs more than 275 years of experience and knowledge to ensure success to their drivers.

For more information on Ocala Grand Prix, OGP race team opportunities and info on how to get into karting, please visit Ocala Gran Prix online at www.OcalaGranPrix.com or contact Kyle Kraus at352.291.0600 (Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com) or Mike Maurini at 317.270.8723 (Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com).

Press release prepared by: Race Tech Development
Photo courtesy of: Autosports Media

Mike Maurini
Race Tech Development
Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com
P: 317.270.8723

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“Experience and knowledge are the keys to success”

Ocala, Florida – February 10, 2011 – With a total of eighteen drivers under the team tent, Ocala Gran Prix went on the hunt for knowledgeable, experienced and hard working tuners to help ensure complete success. When compiling the names and adding up the total years in the sport, the numbers along with the past success were staggering.

“This was something that hit me as I was sitting under the tent at the first round of the Florida Winter Tour,” explained OGP President Jorge Arellano. “I was looking around and seeing national champions, world class engine builders, some of the best in the sport and I wasn’t looking at current drivers. I was looking at the guys turning the wrenches. It is something that amazes me.”

With professional drivers to first year beginners, the skill level, driver coaching, tuning and knowledge needs to be available on all levels. Ocala Gran Prix has worked hard to find the necessary driver/tuner combinations to satisfy the goals of each and every racer.

Arellano added, “Obviously everyone’s main goal is to be the best that they can but some of our drivers are competing at the Florida Winter Tour for the first year and they are just looking to improve. We try and provide the best possible equipment to each competitor along with the mechanical knowledge to give them the chance to do the best they can.”

In alphabetical order, the list of tuners is as follows:

• Alex Speed – 18 years experience
• Bobby Wilson – 18 years experience
• Cale Wyse – 14 years experience
• John Russell – 26 years of experience
• Kyle Kraus – 20 years experience
• Marco Farcomeni – 18 years experience
• Mario Ioffredo – 6 years experience
• Martijn Koene – 32 years experience
• Mike Maurini – 21 years experience
• Nate Grindell – 29 years experience
• Richard Hergink – 33 years experience
• Scott Grenier – 25 years experience
• Tony Loniewski – 18 years experience

Total years experience under the Ocala Gran Prix tent – 278 years

Ocala Gran Prix will now shift their focus to round two in the Formula Kart Productions Florida Winter Tour. Looking to build off the momentum gained in the first weekend of action, Ocala Gran Prix and Tony Kart will enter drivers in each and every division on the Rotax Max Challenge weekend of action at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Florida.

Ocala Gran Prix is also continuing to expand their dealership network with a high priority in both the New York/New Jersey area and Wisconsin. Any interested companies are asked to contact either Mike Maurini at 317.270.8723 (Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com) or Kyle Kraus at 352.291.0600 (Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com).

For more information on Ocala Grand Prix, OGP race team opportunities and info on how to get into karting, please visit Ocala Gran Prix online at www.OcalaGranPrix.com or contact Kyle Kraus at 352.291.0600 (Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com) or Mike Maurini at 317.270.8723 (Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com).

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“Pole positions, podium results and race wins for Florida based squad”

Ocala, Florida – February 1, 2011 – Hot off the heels of the opening round of the Florida Winter Tour, Ocala Gran Prix (OGP) traveled south to the Homestead Karting complex for the 2011 season opener for the Florida Karting Championship Series (FKCS). Looking to build off the momentum gained in last year’s program, OGP would enter fewer drivers in the series, but would come home with the same results.

In the competitive junior ranks it was Floridian Oliver Askew who would score a pair of podium results including a second place finish in TaG Junior and a dominating victory in Rotax Junior. After being involved in an opening corner incident at the start of Saturday’s TaG Junior final, Askew would be forced to come from deep in the field. Turning the fastest laps of the event, Askew carved his way forward to take the second podium position. Sunday would provide for a much easier day for the Tony Kart driver as a pole position, heat race win, main event victory and fastest race lap would provide for a dominating performance.

OGP pilot Alex Hornborg would also enter the TaG Junior division but a prefinal incident would force him to retire from the weekend with an injury. Taking his place in Sunday’s Yamaha Junior event was multi-time champion Nick Neri who stole the show. After being disqualified in the prefinal for leaving the racing surface, Neri was forced to start from the tail of the field for the main event. Driving as a seasoned veteran, the 2009 eKartingNews.com Young Driver of the Year made pass after pass to take the top honor.

In the youngest category of the weekend, Mathias Ramirez was the man to beat as he was also forced to start from the tail of the field after qualifying in the Rotax MicroMax division. Moving forward throughout the prefinal, Ramirez really turned up the wick in the final as he hounded the race leaders and battled hard to the very last corner to take the win. Looking to do the same in the Yamaha Sportsman division, Ramirez would muster up his second podium result of the weekend with a solid third place result while he came home 11th in Cadet Junior Sportsman.

Also competing in the Cadet and MicroMax divisions was Ocala driver Dylan Genarro. The young driver showed steady progress throughout the weekend after just moving up from the Kid Kart ranks to take a 16th place finish in MicroMax and an 18th place result in Cadet Junior Sportsman.

Ocala Gran Prix’s other victory came from the Rotax MiniMax division, as national level front-runner Sebastian Sierra would steal the show. After competing at the front of the field at the Florida Winter Tour last weekend, Sierra would do the same in FKCS action as he took a demanding victory and the overall series point lead heading into the second round of the program.

The senior ranks would be a hard fought battle as a stacked field of Florida competitors would enter the mix. Rotax Senior would see three Ocala Gran Prix drivers do battle as Brandon Salyer, Jonathon Kotyk and Andrew Evans would enter the mix. Evans looked to be a threat for the victory in the main event as he led on occasion and scored the fastest race lap before a chain failure took him out of contention. Taking advantage of Evans misfortune were fellow OGP pilots Salyer and Kotyk as they came home third and fourth respectively.

All three competitors would also see action in the TaG Senior class as well with Salyer once again getting the best of the rest with a fourth place result. Mid race contact would take Evans out of the mix once again as he looked to have a realistic shot at the main event victory while Kotyk would come home in a disappointing 18th place result.

Ocala Gran Prix is also continuing to expand their dealership network with a high priority in both the New York/New Jersey area and Wisconsin. Any interested companies are asked to contact either Mike Maurini at 317.270.8723 (Mike@RaceTechDevelopment.com) or Kyle Kraus at 352.291.0600 (Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com).

For more information on Ocala Grand Prix, OGP race team opportunities and info on how to get into karting, please visit Ocala Gran Prix online at www.OcalaGranPrix.com or contact Kyle Kraus at 352.291.0600 (Kyle@OcalaGranPrix.com) or Mike Maurini at 317.270.8723 (Mike@OcalaGranPrix.com).

Press release prepared by: Race Tech Development

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