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RACE THE MAZDA ROBOPONG 200 PRESENTED BY BRIDGESTONE

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September 26, 2008 News

EKN Trackside: Mazda RoboPong 200 - Preview

70 teams took to the track in 2007 with a full fence line of spectators
(Photo: davidleephoto.com)

This weekend will mark the fifth running of New Castle Motorsports Park’s 200-lap team endurance event dubbed the Mazda RoboPong 200 presented by Bridgestone. Teams made up of two, three, or four drivers will try to make Sunday’s 200 mile race, set to run as many as 80 teams. Spectators will be lining the fences to watch many of karting’s best compete alongside some of their favorite IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights drivers at the 1-mile New Castle, IN facility.

The original event in October 2004 was a fixed-time event with three hours as the event length, won by Adam Rovazzini and Mark Dismore Jr. In 2005, the race distance went to 200 laps with Dismore teaming up with and IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon to take the checkered flag and the $2,000 first place prize. NASCAR took its turn at the top for 2006 as Paulie Harraka and Ricky Rudd went the distance. That year also saw the first place check increase to $5,000 and Speed channel cameras around the course to tape a 30-minute broadcast, thanks in part to title sponsor RoboPong.com. Last year’s event saw Mazda and Bridgestone show their support in what was the biggest event yet. The duo of Chris Larson and Tony Loniewski led nearly green to checkered for a dominant performance and the $5k to win with the Speed cameras rolling again.

An estimated $25,000 purse is expected again this year with a payback through to the 20th position and the winning team taking in a minimum of $5k. Average Joe’s Sports Pub has put up an additional $250 for the top qualifying team with ImageWorks paying a $100 bonus to the team leading at the halfway mark.

Chris Larson and Tony Loniewski won in 2007, but will defend their title this year
(Photo: davidleephoto.com)

The event will begin with testing practice on Friday from 10am to 7pm, which is optional to all teams. Saturday will continue with non-qualifying practice from 9am-1pm with fast times by each team to set up their Qualifying group. Each team will have one driver qualify their kart with three timed laps available to each group. The top 70 teams in Qualifying will earn a spot in the main event. Currently, the entry list has just under that but if more teams register, a 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier will be run to transfer the top-ten to start 80 teams for Sunday’s main event. A one hour warm-up will get the teams adjusted to the new day’s weather with pre-race entertainment and activities beginning at 9:30am. Teams will then present their entry for impound at that time. The green flag will be set to fall at 12:30pm - rain or shine.

The 200-mile event is scheduled to last roughly four hours in length with the teams able to pit anytime at their choice for either a driver change, add fuel, or repair work. NCMP will issue refueling jugs to all teams for safety concerns. Weight will be determined by the type of engine the team will use, ranging from Rotax Max to the Motori Seven. The winning engine in the first four events has been the Parilla Leopard.

Looking at the entry list you can pick out many celebrity drivers that will be competing in the event with a good handful from the IndyCar Series. New Panther Racing driver Dan Wheldon has supported the event since the beginning and will again return this year, teamed with Dismore Jr. They will be the only returning champions with both Larson and Loniewski unable to defend their crown. Track owner Mark Dismore Sr., a former IndyCar Series driver, will team with another Indy legend - the two-time Indy 500 runner-up Scott Goodyear. Both have years of karting experience on their side and will be trying to gun down the younger teams.

Vision Racing teammates AJ Foyt IV and Ed Carpenter are set to team up this weekend. Will Power, Tomas Scheckter, and Vitor Meira will join karting regulars on the weekend while Jay Howard and 2007 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Phil Giebler will be piloting their respective kart shop machines. Stars of Karting co-owner and former IRL driver Bryan Herta will be teamed up with Indiana’s own Kyle Wiegand. Firestone Indy Lights Series will also be represented well with 2007 champion Alex Lloyd teamed with current Indy Lights pilot Logan Gomez while drivers Robbie Pecorari and Cyndie Allemann are also set to compete. New HVM Racing Firestone Indy Lights general manager Michael Crawford will strap on the helmet for some racing action this weekend, no stranger to karting with a 125cc Moto shifter sitting in his garage.

eKartingNews.com will be providing their ‘Trackside Live’ coverage beginning with some updates in the Official Discussion Thread Friday night along with updates during Saturday’s Qualifying sessions. Sunday will be updates throughout the 200 laps as well as daily reports, photos, and results. EKN will also be working in part with RaceFanRadio.com and their live internet radio broadcast to provide them with any inside news from pit lane and around the paddock.

2008 Mazda RoboPong 200 presented by Bridgestone Entry List


No.	Team	Driver 1	Driver 2	Driver 3	Driver 4
0	Screaming Talent	Jay Howard	Nicky Boulle
00	CKS/MRP	CJ Lintner	Zach Beard
1	Racer of Tomorrow	Josef Newgarden	Brandon Newey
001	Otte Motorsports Group	CR Crews	Pablo Donoso	John Spickelmier
2	H Power	Spencer Pigot	Cyndie Allemann
02	Wagner/Ballinger Racing	Randy Ballinger	Brandon Wagner
3	Newtyp.com	Ken Ichikawa	Jared Krinsky	Will Sandoval
4	CometKartSales.com	Mark Dismore Jr.	Dan Wheldon
5	Zanardi USA	Eric Batt	Michael Bayden
6	Chopper	Mike Piel	Tony Piel	Geoff Howard	Bud Nollman
7	JtB2	Jon Laski	Peirce Williams	Shaun Bayliff	Kim Gregory
07	MKP/MKPower	John Dixon	Marshall Vortriede
8	Team Shipps	David Shipps	Randy Wells
9	Clark Motorsports	Ned Clark	Andy Clark	Michael Crawford	Chris Mullett
09	Screaming Talent/H Power	Vitor Meira	Cody Jolly
10	Zanardi/KartKey/TKM Motorsports	Adam Rovazzini	Brett Buckwalter	Tomas Scheckter
11	Lewis/CKS Racing	Billy Lewis	Jeremy Warren
12	Wheeler Motorsports/First Kart USA	Logan Gomez	Alex Lloyd
13	Franklin/VKP	Jamie Sieracki	Brian Jacobsen
14	Arrow Dream Team	Sam Beasley	Brandon Adkins
15	MKP/NKN	Mike Burrell	Joe Janowski	Marshall Vortriede	John Dixon
16	Hyperco/Carbontech/Burris Racing	Kelly Falls	John LaRue
17	Merlin USA	Jason Foley	BJ Anderson
17	Stafford Racing	Joel Stafford	Adam Risner
18	SpeedcastTV.com	Clark Cambern	Steven Arens
19	Team Spalding	Adam Berning	Christopher Zeigler
20	Team Top Kart USA 2	AJ Foyt IV	Ed Carpenter
22	Racer of Tomorrow Too	Conor Daly	Brandon Newey
23	Tuffy Auto Service	David Scott	Mike Burton
25	La Sonadora Racing	Antonio Giraldi Jr.	Michael Tejeda
26	Team Ketch-Up/Top Kart USA	Chris Wehrheim	John Zartarian
27	DB Motorsports	Caleb Loniewski	Ryan Paul Miller
28	J3 Competition	Jim Giacomelli	Robbie Pecorari
29	Margay/Cook Racing	Travis Firing	Eric Morrow	Josh Call
30	DL Racing	Sean Meier	Keith Spicer
32	Conlin SpeedSports	Tracy Conlin	Dana Mees	Lynsey Tilton
33	HAAS/P.O.C. Industries	Troy Pew	Brandon Cross	Joe Huffman
40	MEM Racing	Jeremy McHone	Jason Ewers	Gary McHone
42	RBE/JDY Racing	Josh Lane	Dave Yourd	Jon Evans
44	Team Caribbean Cream	Shane Walters	Christian Vogel
46	Team Appco Racing	Dan Stempfley	Cody Gardner	Doug Cook
47	Sekey Racing	Jacob Sekey	Kyle Demeter
51	Comet Kart Sales	Mark Dismore Sr.	Scott Goodyear
57	Irish Italians	Alex Kish	Arann O’Brien	Ryan O’Connell
58	Team Indiana	Will Power	Rob Mason
59	International Motorsport/G Phactory	Mimmo Ferrara	Frank Ronco
60	International Motorsport 2	Sandro Soares	Klinton Carbal
65	Scuderia Dominicana	Nico Munne	Antonio Imbert	Fernando Arredondo
68	Team Kartlift	T.J. Koyen	Shinya Michimi
71	Team 4 Cycle	John Floor	Zach Linsell
72	PM Karting	Paul Milleman	Austin Queen
73	M&M Racing	Mike Melott	Jeff Morone
77	International Motorsport	Carlos Crespo	Sandro Soares
81	Greenflag.net	Dan Monahan	Alex Conlin
85	Lewis/CKS Racing 2	Michael Lewis	Michael Busse
86	Team Top Kart USA	Kyle Wiegand	Bryan Herta
88	JN/CL	Jenifer Neal	Chris Livengood
89	Sharing Success	Grant Schilling	Alain Giraldi
90	Team Spalding	Tony Spalding	Alan Jenkins
91	NTB Karting	Aaron Telitz	Nevin Nelson	Jessica Brannam
92	Margay/Cook Racing 2	Michele Bumgarner	Josh Call
93	Capitol Strategies	Russ Kemple	Jeff Green	Tim Strawkas
95	WagnerRaceProducts.com/FirstKart.com	Derek Wagner	Kevin Monteith
98	Average Joe's Racing	Nick Burrow	Brian Goslee	Matt Dove
99	JD Byrider	Ron Petersen	Colton Aldridge
113	Team MacAllister	Alex MacAllister	Chris MacAllister
150	Stone-Taylor Racing	Eddie Stone	Dan Taylor	Craig Stone
199	Martz Racing	Kevin Martz	Dustin Kessinger
400	G Phactory/Politis Motorsports	Michael Politis	Phil Giebler
421	Simpson Racing	Jimmy Simpson	Evan Batt	John Andretti

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