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Date: 4/5/2010 9:13:48 PM | ||||||
April 3
LIKA, NJMP Help Open 110th NY Int'l Auto Show By Walter Elliott NEW YORK CITY -- Members of the Long Island Karting Association, Skip Barber Racing School and New Jersey Motorsports Park helped open the 110th New York International Auto Show in an up close racing manner here Saturday morning. Three of LIKA's racing divisions, totalling 19 karts, put on near continuous heats on Manhattan's 12th Avenue 9-11 a.m. April 3. They circulated on a temporary one-20th mile oval in front of the Jacob Javits Convention Center between West 37th and 38th streets. LIKA was actually part of a two- or three- ring racing circus, depending on how one among the thousands waiting to enter the Javits Center viewed the morning's racing demonstrations between West 38 and 34th streets. LIKA, for example took shifts with some 12 karts from the Grand Prix New York indoor track. Grand Prix New York's customer racing karts were driven by NYIAS Chairman John LaSorsa, Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association President Mark Schienberg and other show organizers in an unofficial bragging rights championship. Three driver-instructors from the Skip Barber Racing School where simultaneously putting two of their Mazdas and a BMWthrough a 12-gate slalom course roughly a fifth-mile long between West 37th and 35th streets. NJMP officials were meanwhile finalizing their rotation of guest drivers before the NYIAS' opening. Andy Lally, Spencer Pumpelly and David Donohue were among those ready to sign autographs and field questions at the Javits' Crystal Palace South Concourse once the show officially opened at 11 a.m. LIKA, NJMP, Skip Barber Racing School and Grand Prix New York were four of several entities who maintain racing's presence at the NYIAS. The Barber school, LIKA and Grand Prix New York, on one hand, were part of several special events that treated the public and/or media since March 31. NJMP joins Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Mazda, Acura and Kia with continuing public displays until the show closes 7 p.m. April 11. "We're excited to bring karting to the New York Auto Show," said LIKA President Peter Monte before the grand opening crowd. "It's a great way to get involved with family-based racing." Monte - along with drivers George and Ken Moss and Michael and Melanie Giessen said they took up NYIAS' invitation last month. The temporary speedway is the smallest circuit and only oval on their 15-race calendar. They usually run on paved road circuits at the Nassau Coliseum parking lot, NJMP's kart circuit, the Old Bridge (N.J.) Raceway Park road course and Oakland Valley Raceway Park in Cuddybackville, N.Y. "We, NJMP, OVRP and Old Bridge are combining for the first time to promote karting in Greater New York," said Monte. "Grand Prix New York's a sponsor and we've just had a winter series with them." GNYADA and NYIAS have acknowledged racing in previous opening day ceremonies. An IMSA/ALMS Porsche 911 sports production car were among those setting 12th Avenue elasped times one year. GNYADA and NYIAS officials raced U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association vehicles on the Javits inner roadway another year. A couple of Formula SAE cars from Columbia University joined one opening day parade of unique vehicles. Local and automotive media received some exclusive events March 31-April 1. Multiple 24 Hours of Daytona winner Hurley Heywood, for example, took on all live and Xbox gamers in racing a Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca computer simulation at the Porsche exhibit. Daytona 500 winner Geoffrey Bodine came along with the USA 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics gold medal winning four-man bobsled team - and a Bo-Dyne sled - at the Mercedes-Benz exhibit. "Mercedes-Benz wanted a gold-medal team to go with their gold medal cars just for this show only," said Bodine, of Chemung, N.Y. "I talk about how use of wind tunnels and other NASCAR technology is transferable to bobsled design." M-B of North America used Bodine and the gold medalists to announce their SLS racing series. Specially licensed owner-drivers of their AMB-prepared SLSs may drive up to 12 dates at Road Atlanta or Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The race dates, unlike the Ferrari or Corvette challenges witnessed by race spectators, are strictly club dates. Lincoln Technical Institute at University of Northwestern Ohio - the former a one-time NASCAR Nationwide Series team sponsor, the latter owners/promoters of Limaland Raceway - are anticipated to be part of the National Automotice Technology Competition and career fair April 6-7. Lally and Pumpelly had meanwhile practiced their penmanship at the NJMP exhibit Good Friday. The duo were meeting the public while placed between their own No. 71 NASCAR Grand-Am Porsche 911 GT3 car and a No. 71 Bobby Labonte NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevrolet Impala. NJMP's display, which continues to be the largest motorsports-oriented exhibit of the show, includes a No. 7 Bertil Roos Racing School Ford-engined formula car and an example of its F1 Kart program. Officials of the Millville-based brought new features to their 2010 calendar within and outside of their April 1 press conference. At the conference, a rallycross circuit is being built to introduce that form of racing. Up to six cars are to compete in short races on a mixed asphalt/dirt surfaced track as done in Europe. Outside of the conference, one NJMP official disclised that a dirt asphalt road race has been scheduled for Father's Day weekend. There will also be an enduro/street stock road race on tap. "I've been coming to the show for 15 years, but this' my first time here on a Good Friday," said Lally. "I'm getting some people who ask the basic racing questions and some who really know racing. This (April 1) crowd is the largest I've seen." NYIAS organizers anticipate 1.2 million people to see over 1,000 vehicles at the Javits Center. The traditionally last international auto show on the calendar usually attracts the largest crowds and is scheduled to coincide with the Easter and Passover holidays. "This' the first time I've TWO cars at the show," said Lally. "The other one's the No. 10 Grand Am Continential Tire Sports Car Challenge at the KIA booth downstairs." The No. 10 is a 2010 Kia Koupe production sports car. Toyota has a Kyle Busch No. 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup Snickers Camry on display across the floor alongside a video of Busch putting a Camry hybrid through its paces at Talladega Super Speedway. The Mercedes-Benz SLS-AMB example is on the show's main floor, among other racing cars. Acura is featuring the No. 7 ALMS XM Satellite Radio LMP2 car from 2007. Mazda meanwhile has a No. 70 GTR production sports car. Chevrolet has a Cruze outfitted for FIA World Touring Car Challenge competition. It was not known, as of March 31, whether the Cruze will be used for Stateside road racing. The NYIAS is open 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. through Saturday and 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets and other details are found at sutoshowNY.com. |
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