MINUTES

BOARD MEETING MINUTES
KIC Board Conference Call
Thursday 7-14-05

BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE Angelo Sodano-President
Darrell Sitarz-Vice-President
Randy Kugler-Secretary
Dave Larsen-Treasurer
Tom Patronite
Tom Johnson
John Nuttall
Roger Hargens
Executive Director-Bob White

BOARD MEMBER ABSENT
Jim McMillan

Newsletter Editorial Staff

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Angelo Sodano…Allkart International
Vice President: Darrell Sitarz…Kart Marketing Group, Inc.
Secretary: Randy Kugler…World Karting Association
Treasurer: Dave Larson…International Racing Association
Tom Johnson…Motor Meadow LLC
Jim McMillian…International Kart Federation
John Nuttall …Raceway Kart Association
Tom Patronite… Azusa Engineering, Inc. Executive Director: Bob White

Darrell Sitarz
Bob White

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by President Angelo Sodano at 7:35 pm.

FINANCIAL REPORT
Financial Report was presented by Executive Director White.

The financial report which included a complete Itemized Profit and Loss statement from

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

January 1 to June 30th 2005. Statement is on file.

Motion by Johnson, second by Sitarz to approve. Unanimous; 8 in favor.

WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBER
President Sodano welcomed the new Board Member present Roger Hargens. Roger Hargens thanked everyone for welcoming him. He looks forward to his involvement.

50TH ANNIVERSARY LOGO FOR KARTING
Vice President Sitarz reported that the media has distributed press releases to promote the contest. It was discovered that there was a discrepancy on the website address. It is being resolved and the press releases will remain accurate. A lengthy discussion went on regarding how to celebrate the 50th anniversary of karting. Further discussions will follow.

RATING SYSTEM FOR TRACKS AND BUSINESS
Tom Johnson and John Nuttall reported on the latest updates on the rating system. There still remain questions on the implementation of the program. President Sodano requested all Board members e-mail their preference within two days. The choice would be the star rating system or the questionnaire.

2006 SEMINARS AT KART EXPO
100cc 2-cycle - Bob White
4-cycle - Bob White
Track Owners & Operators - Tom Johnson

It was discussed that seminars at the Kart Expo show would be informational only. There would be no certifications issued by the associations. A certificate will be issued by KIC for all attendees.

NEXT BOARD MEETING
The next Board Meeting conference call is scheduled for Wednesday Sept. 14, 2005.

ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn Sitarz, second by Johnson unanimous. 8:45 pm

Respectfully submitted,

Randy Kugler
Secretary

BOARD MEMBERS JOHNSON AND NUTTALL WORK TO FINALIZE 5-STAR RATING SYSTEM
Tom Johnson and John Nuttall have been working tirelessly on both the Track and Business Rating Systems (See Spring KIC Newsletter for other details). Board members have been sent preliminary outlines of the criteria for the 5-star ratings for their input and suggestions. If members have any suggestions, please feel free to contact either board member. Their contact information is listed on the KIC website.

KIC TO HOLDING 50TH ANNIVERSARY LOGO CONTEST

Karting Industry Council (KIC) and the North American karting media will conduct a nationwide contest to select a logo design celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Karting: 1956-2006.

Members of the US/Canadian karting media (both print and electronic) will be asked to make the final selection of the designs submitted based on originality, theme design, and appropriateness.

The contest will be open to everyone; amateur and professional artists alike.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone to design a logo for the 50th Anniversary of Karting,” said Darrell Sitarz, chairman of the 50th Anniversary Celebration Committee. “I hope there are hundreds of logos to choose from as we’re inviting anyone and everyone to participate in this exciting contest.”

Deadline for logo design applicants is September 1, 2005. The winner will be announced on or before October 1, 2005.

The winner will be awarded a $500 US Savings Bond and will be afforded special recognition by the KIC at Kart Expo International in February 2006, by the karting media and will be recipient of apparel package bearing the 50th Anniversary logo.

Color logo designs should be e-mailed to karting@msn.com in JPG format with the artist’s contact information including name, address, phone, etc.

Official rules will be posted on the KIC website at www.kartindustrycouncil.com or see ads in various karting magazines and electronic karting media later this summer. All logo designs submitted will become the property of KIC.

The logo will be used by KIC to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the sport in print, and on apparel, etc. with all proceeds going to the non-profit trade association.

About KIC: The Karting Industry Council (KIC) is the oldest and largest trade association for the sport in North America. KIC’s goal is a simple one - to promote karting through leadership. As an independent organization, KIC acts as a liaison between the karting industry and karting organizations, clubs and track owners. KIC provides leadership and information to create a strong, stable karting community and clear paths for advancement of the sport. Information about KIC’s mission and programs can be found at www.kartindustrycouncil.com

For more information, contact Darrell Sitarz at 630-653-7368 or email to karting@msn.com. (From a KIC Press Release, now appearing on the KIC website.)

RULES FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY LOGO CONTEST

Rule 1. HOW TO ENTER
Design a color logo commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Karting: 1956-2006. Submit the logo design (in color or with colors noted) in JPG format by e-mail to karting@msn.com or an 8.5″ x 11″ white paper by postal mail to: KIC Logo Contest, PO Box 101, Wheaton, IL 60189. No limit on designs submitted. Please include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address with each submission. Deadline for submissions: September 1, 2005.

Rule 2: PRIZES
A Grand Prize of a $500.00 US Savings Bond will be awarded to the person whose logo design has been selected by the judges. The winner will also receive an apparel package with the logo emblazoned as well as special recognition by the Karting Industry Council at Kart Expo International on February 25-26, 2006 in St. Charles, Illinois. Prizes will be awarded at the 2006 Kart Expo. If winner is unable to attend the show, prizes will be mailed. Any taxes are the responsibility of winner. No transfer or substitution of prizes by winner permitted.

Rule 3: JUDGES
Members of the US and Canadian karting media, both print and electronic, will judge the entries on the basis of a) originality, b) theme design, and c) appropriateness.

Rule 4: ELIGIBILITY
The contest is open to everyone; amateur and professional artists alike with the exception of the members of the Karting Industry Council Board of Directors who are ineligible.

Rule 5: NOTIFICATION
The winner will be announced on or before October 1, 2005 and will be notified by postal mail and by telephone.

Rule 7: CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
By participating, entrants agree to these rules and the decision of the judges, which shall be final and legally binding in all matters relating to this contest. Karting Industry Council is not responsible for lost, misplaced, delayed, destroyed, incomplete, postage due, illegible or misdirected entries.

All logo designs submitted will become the property of Karting Industry Council (KIC). The winning logo will be used by Karting Industry Council (KIC) to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Karting in print, on apparel, etc. with all proceeds going to the non-profit trade association. KIC shall have the sole and exclusive rights and ownership of the winning logo including but not limited to sole, and exclusive worldwide copyright and trademark rights, and may license use of the logo without further compensation to the winner. By accepting the prizes, winner releases Karting Industry Council of all liability. The Contest is subject to all laws of the United States. Void where prohibited by law. Contest is sponsored by Karting Industry Council, Post Office Box 430, Independence, Kentucky, 41051 USA.

RULE 8: WINNER’S NAME
For the name of the winner, please mail a self-addressed stamped envelope to: KIC Logo Winner, PO Box 101, Wheaton, IL 60189 before December 31, 2005.

KIC LOGO CONTEST DRAWS WORLD-WIDE ATTENTION
The KIC contest to choose a 50th Anniversary of Karting logo has drawn a dozen or so entries (to date) from four countries: USA, Canada, Bangladesh and Serbia. After the deadline, all logo entries submitted will be e-mailed to the karting media for so they may make the selection of the winning logo. The winner will be announce on/about October 1, 2005.

Anyone interested in submitting a logo design may do so by the e-mailing the art to karting@msn.com on or before September 1, 2005

KIC ADDS SECOND WEB ADDRESS
To avoid confusion, KIC has added a second web address which is also linked to the website. The original web address is www.kartindustrycouncil.com. The new address is www.kartingindustrycouncil.com. Readers may use either address to reach the trade association’s website.

KIC THANKS ‘NATIONAL KART NEWS’
KIC would like to publicly thank Curt Paluzzi and National Kart News for designing the 50th Anniversary of Karting Logo Contest ad. The full page magazine ad announces the contest and directs those interested where to find the rules and submit a design.

TAG™ AND KARTING GROUPS FOLLOW KIC’S LEAD - ALL WORK TOGETHER TOWARD COMMON GOALS
The leaders of five US karting associations have followed KIC’s lead by sitting down together with the idea of reaching a mutual goal-common rules for the TAG series. KIC initiated the “Summit Conference” format 5 years ago whereby the racing association in America sit together and attempt to reach common rules for all racers. The concept appears to be working.

The TAG Work Group has reached its first goal and today announces engine specifications that will be used across all five sanctioning bodies. Adoption of these common specifications will allow TAG racers to compete anywhere in the US.

On May 10, 2005, representatives of IKF, K.A.R.T., SKUSA, TAG USA and WKA announced the formation of the TAG Work Group. It’s mission is to establish common, sustainable, and stable TaG engine rules; give each organization a voice in establishing, announcing, and maintaining the rules; and share their experiences with the TAG engines, and classes.

The TAG engine ports created the greatest challenge for the TAG Work Group members. The members all agreed that most TAG competitors preferred to maintain unmodified transfer and exhaust ports. The group examined examples of virtually every engine approved for TAG competition and discovered that all manufacturers use some hand grinding to remove casting imperfections as part of their manufacturing process. In spite of this problem, every effort will be made to distinguish between factory grinding and that done by an engine builder or owner to improve performance. Technical inspection of ports will be done using the published port dimensions as well as visual inspection and possible comparison to known stock cylinders.

In an effort to make technical inspection and engine maintenance easier and simpler, the TAG Work Group agreed to relax some specifications that do not have a significant impact on performance. For example, with a few exceptions, fasteners are now open. Bearings are open but must be of the same type and design as the OEM bearings. Seals are open, but they must be the same type as OEM, must be unmodified, and must be installed as the manufacturer intended. Some of the member organizations have chosen to allow after market gaskets.

The sanctioning organizations may either publish or post their TAG engine rules. If they chose to vary slightly from the common TAG Work Group rules, they will indicate any differences on their individual Web sites or in their technical manuals. They may also add additional information to the rules to clarify or the basic TAG Work Group rules or add specific inspection procedures.

Although the TAG Work Group members agree on the need for common engine rules, each sanctioning body may choose its own way to establish parity among the various engine packages. For example, they may run different kart and driver weights depending on the needs of their members. TAG competitors should check with their respective sanctioning bodies to see how parity is being addressed. The TAG Work Group will continue to meet and work together to exchange information and seek ways to improve the TAG class. Competitors wanting more information should contact their organization’s representative to the TAG Work Group as seen below:

IKF - John Motley Phone: 805-238-7060
K.A.R.T.- Bernie Baldus Phone: 913-706-1995
SKUSA - Todd Bellew Phone: 317-774-7025
TAG USA - Dave Larson Phone: 866-489-3283
WKA - Dan Stowell Phone: 203-264-4606

WASHINGTON POST TOUTS KARTING WITH FRONT PAGE STORY
Washington, DC- Dan Steinberg, sports writer for the Washington Post newspaper, authored an outstanding article about kids and karting in a front page story which ran in the August 6 issue. Steinberg interviewed many in the karting industry including representatives from World Karting Association, the Red Bull Driver Search, and Kart Marketing Group for this lengthy, very positive expose on the sport, titled “Children, Start Your Engines”. It’s well worth the read. Below is a direct link to the story.
Click here

FULL-THROTTLE TEAMWORK
Chicago, IL - An Episcopal Priest, psychologist and grandfather from Wilmette (IL) recently experience karting firsthand with his son and grandson at the South Bend kart track and wrote a lengthy article about his encounter with the sport.

In an article titled, “Full-throttle Teamwork on Life’s Racetrack”, published on Sunday July 31 in the Chicago Tribune’s “Perspective” section, author R. Cotton Fite related how his son, David and grandson, Will worked together with a goal and how competitors on the track were anything but, off the track. It is an outstanding article that can teach those outside the sport about the bond that grows between kids and their parents while at the kart track. Most of us in the sport understand this phenomenon, but those unfamiliar with the sport can only imagine.

It’s a great article and well worth the time to read. A direct link to the story is below: Click here