Andersen Racing's Pro Kart Team Is Off to a Good Start

PALMETTO, Fla., April 23 - While two RLR/Andersen Racing drivers compete in Firestone Indy Lights at Kansas Speedway and three more Andersen Racing drivers do their best in Star Mazda action at VIRginia International Raceway, the Palmetto, Fla.-based team's pro kart operation will also be in action this weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

Dylan Lupton of Elk Grove, Calif. will represent the start of Andersen Racing's new pro kart team in the TaG Junior division in the Stars of Karting West round this weekend after appearing at the same track last weekend during the second round of the Infineon Pro Kart Challenge.

Louie Pagano of Camarillo, Calif. (Birel RX30) won the TaG Junior main event last weekend under the Andersen Racing banner, using lapped traffic to his advantage and even exchanging the lead with another competitor a number of times. Lupton didn't finish that main event due to a component failure on his carburetor but he did place third in the HPV-2 Junior main event despite additional carburetion issues.

"I was excited to see how well Louie and Dylan got along on the track," said Wes Phillips, Andersen Racing's director of competition karting. "They drove with clockwork precision when it counted, and if not for mechanical maladies to his kart, I believe that Dylan would have stood alongside Louie on the winner's podium. They are still very young and like us all they make mistakes from time to time, but their core driving talents are strong. That's what Andersen Racing will build on for increased success."

Earlier this month five Andersen Racing karters competed in the first round of the Northern California Rotax Challenge at Infineon. Team drivers Matthew Powers of Danville, Calif. (Birel RY30) and Jacob Mottaz of San Ramon, Calif. (Birel RY30) were entered in the premier class, Rotax Senior. With just 40 minutes to get acclimated to their new chassis, Powers went on to finish sixth in the main event despite power valve issues. The highlight of Mottaz's weekend was fourth place and the fastest lap in the pre-final. A third Andersen Racing driver, Andrew Novich of Novato, Calif. (Birel RX32) also managed a top-10 finish for valuable championship points.

In Rotax Junior that weekend, Lupton (Birel RY30) led the way for the team by finishing second in his main event, the first driver across the line with a non-2009 Rotax Junior motor. Teammate Conor Ford of Carson City, Nev. (Birel RX30) finished sixth despite motor gremlins.

Sponsored by Allied Interior Products and Lafarge North America, Andersen Racing strives to be the best development team anywhere. It offers programs in karting, Formula BMW Americas, Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights. It is the official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing. It has its own 1-mile road course test track at its headquarters in Palmetto, Fla. For more information, see andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com.

About Allied Building Products Corp.:

Allied Building Products Corp., headquartered in East Rutherford, N.J., is one of the largest roofing and siding distributors in the United States. Founded in 1950 with five employees and two trucks, today it is a $1.8 billion building material distribution company with over 3,500 employees, more than 200 branches in 30 states, well over one million square feet of office and warehouse space, and an inventory of approximately 85,000 products, from residential roofing and siding to doors, windows, waterproofing, manufactured stone, interior products and commercial roofing systems. For more information see alliedbuilding.com.

About Andersen Racing:

Andersen Racing strives to provide the best and most comprehensive training possible for future open-wheel superstars while giving its marketing partners media exposure and hospitality opportunities at some of the most prestigious events in North America. It provides a unique, four-step program utilizing multiple entries in four different platforms: karting, Formula BMW Americas, Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights (televised on VERSUS). In 2008 it fielded multiple entries in 42 races in 18 states and provinces at some of the best facilities on the continent, including the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Andersen Racing won the team championship for 2008 for both the F2000 Championship Series presented by Hoosier Racing Tire and the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. Two of its drivers finished first and second in the F2000 driver point standings, while another was sixth. Three of its Star Mazda drivers placed third, fifth and sixth in that series' driver standings. RLR/Andersen Racing finished sixth in the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights team standings, while one of its drivers placed fifth in that series' driver point standings.

Andersen Racing's principals, brothers Dan and John Andersen, have extensive experience in series administration as well as team management. They've worked with many of today's top open-wheel stars, including several Indy 500 winners.

Andersen Racing is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. and Lafarge North America. It is the official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing, which competes in the American Le Mans Series. The team is headquartered at Andersen RacePark, an 18-acre facility in Palmetto, Fla. that includes a 1-mile road course test track. For more information see andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com.