A new karting year brings another new development for the Ocala Gran Prix operation, as the race team squad will look to start a new campaign in gearbox racing. Commencing at the opening round of the 2013 Florida Karting Championship Series (FKCS), multiple OGP drivers will be banging gears in the Spec Honda S5 Junior Shifter and Senior Stock Moto categories. Looking to help build shifter kart racing in the ‘Sunshine State,’ Ocala Gran Prix will also offer driver training courses in shifter karts and complete package sales with everything needed to race in the six-speed classes to go along with their complete Rotax program.
“Having a shifter kart program is something that has been in the works for quite sometime,” expressed OGP President Jorge Arellano. “We have a huge market in the Florida area and we are looking to fill the void in shifter kart racing. I believe that having strong shifter kart classes, along with the already impressive Rotax program, is a key in driver development. I am evolving OGP to a market that I have stayed away for several years. OGP is not having a revolution or a change of commitment to the Rotax program as we will always try to be a leader in that market.”
With karts in stock and ready to ship, the Ocala Gran Prix staff has already begun the assembly of race team chassis. Set to embark on the opening round of the FKCS event in early March, team drivers will be getting behind the wheels of these high-powered machines in a few week’s time. With the Tony Kart chassis equipped with SwedeTech Racing Engine prepared Hondas, hopes are high that shifter kart racing will make a return back to the Florida karting market.
Arellano continued, “Shifter kart racing was huge when I got into this sport and I would love for it to be that way again. I remember attending national level events in Jacksonville and watching a field of thirty to forty shifter karts blast down the 1000 foot back straight. I know we are a long way from getting back to those size of fields, but with our effort to support the FKCS and their shifter program, we are hoping to start an upward trend of participation in the category.”
With the first race of the Florida Karting Championship Series set for March 1- 3 at the Orlando Kart Center in Orlando, Florida, drivers will get their first taste of wheel-to-wheel gearbox racing. With plans to enter drivers in both the S5 Junior Shifter and Senior Stock Moto divisions, the OGP squad will be aiming high for race wins and podium results as they look to start the regional karting program off right.
Before the FKCS program gets underway, Ocala Gran Prix will regroup for the second round of the Florida Winter Tour and attack the Homestead Karting Complex. Located on the grounds of the Homestead-Miami Speedway, OGP will look to carry the momentum gained through the first event and help put drivers in the proper positions to battle for series titles.
For more information on Ocala Gran 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 them at 352.291.0600 or via e-mail to Info@OcalaGranPrix.com.
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