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MANDARINO READIES FOR AGGRESSIVE
’06 SCHEDULE |
SuperNationals champ set to tackle international
karting program with great team of supporters
BURNABY, BC - Canadian kart racer Lorenzo Mandarino is set to
kick-off an aggressive program in 2006, one which will see the
emerging star hit a total of 18 events in Canada, Europe and the
United States, running both the Intercontinental C (ICC) 125cc
gearbox and Intercontinental A (ICA) 100cc direct drive categories.
Mandarino, 19, will contest the prestigious Stars of Karting
championship in North America as well as the European Championships
and Italian Open Masters series in Europe. Officially teamed with
Italian manufacturer GP Racing Karts for his ’06 efforts, the
Burnaby, BC resident will run directly with the factory team in
Europe and with the company’s American importer KLS Racing while in
North America. Mandarino’s powerplants will be supplied by the TM
factory for the European rounds, George Barks TM Racing USA for his
domestic ICC events and Marc Zartarian’s High-Rev Engineering for
his ICA entry. |
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Mandarino jumped to the head of the karting world last fall when he
won headline class at the annual Superkarts! USA SuperNationals in
Las Vegas, arguably the most important event in the North American
karting community. Following in the footsteps of former SuperNats
winners Alex Barron, Memo Gidley and Scott Speed, Mandarino has now
firmly planted himself at the head of the class and he is now
considered a primary contender for a Stars of Karting national
championship in 2006.
Heading into the new campaign, Mandarino will be behind the wheel of
an assortment of vehicles running in events on both sides of the
Atlantic Ocean. The primary focus will be the Snap-on Stars of
Karting national circuit, and he will undertake an aggressive attack
on the title in both the ICC and ICA categories. In the program’s
Western Championship, Mandarino will run a six-speed 125cc
shifterkart in the ICC class, campaigning with KLS Racing and George
Barks TM power. At the Eastern Stars events, Mandarino will switch
to the direct drive ICA class and will run a duel satellite effort
aboard a KLS GP chassis and a High-Rev Vortex engine, tuned
personally by noted engine builder Marc Zartarian.
The biggest addition to Mandarino’s program for ’06 is the
announcement of a full European race package, as the Canadian will
become an official works driver for the GP factory. In addition to
the track time gained in the five-race Italian Open Masters series,
he will make his first attempt at the ultra-competition European
Championship series in the tough Super ICC class, the world’s top
level for gearbox karting. To cap his international season, he will
also enter the World Championship event in Italy in October.
The season will kick-off with a pair of outings in an open wheel
junior formula car, however, as Mandarino will continue his
development in full-size race cars, contesting the first two rounds
of the SCCA Formula Russell Championship at Infineon Raceway in
Sonoma, CA. The first race is scheduled for the February 11-12
weekend.
With an exciting program in place for 2006, Mandarino looks back at
a very successful ’05 season with pride and wishes to thank Genesis
Racing, CRG and Maxter for their support. With a new package put in
place, the goal now will be to maintain the momentum built off his
superb performance at the SuperNationals in November.
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