When the transfer of the 2010 ASN National Championships was announced, it was also announced that this was good news for the competitors and that details would be published later. It is with great pleasure that SRA Karting International presents the new sponsor of the Canadian Rotax Max Challenge Program: the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School. This sponsorship for the National Racing Team will help the team members to cover a good part of the costs related to the participation at the Rotax Max Grand Finals and which are not included in the program.

One of the benefits of this sponsorship by the Jim Russell Racing School is that the winner of the Rotax Mini-Max class, and one adult, will attend the Grand Finals in Italy next November as spectators. The Mini-Max winner will have the chance to discover the scale of such an international event and to see the worlds best Rotax drivers on track.

For Michel Boisclair, president of SRA Karting, it is important news for the Canadian karting community. "More than ever, it is difficult to get financial involvement from companies for kart sport and it is sad because karting is the first step in creating the future racing car champions. This is particularly true in North America where it is easier to find sponsors for series like stock cars where the average age of the drivers is easily over 30. Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant motorsports complex and Jim Russell Racing Drivers School are on target with the karters because they are those who will be the next racing car stars. The Mont-Tremblant organization were serious when they asked to present the 2010 ASN Canada FIA National Karting Championships to show everyone that they wanted to be a major player in our sport right from the start. We must succeed to recreate the magic of the 80’s and 90’s when many Canadian Car Racers were showing their talent in the top racing car series such as Formula One, Indycar, Formula Atlantic and other racing series. Remember those names: the Villeneuve family with Gilles, Jacques the son and Jacques the brother, Ron Fellows, Allen Berg, Richard Spénard, Greg Moore, Scott Goodyear, Paul Tracy, Lee Bentham, Patrick Carpentier, Alexandre Tagliani, Claude Bourbonnais, David Empringham and many more".

"It is an investment for the future", says Vincent Loughran, responsible for the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School. "A racing car career now starts with karting. Just have a look on the actual drivers’ professional résumé to see karting is an important part of the drivers’ development. Compared to what we saw formerly, the young drivers now arrive in the car series with a lot of technical and psychological experience in regards to racing, teamwork and even media relationship. The Jim Russell Racing Drivers School is proud to participate in the development of young drivers and the school will be ready and happy to welcome them when they are ready to move up a step in their career development".

The Sponsorship agreement with the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School also extends to 2011 and 2012.

Since 1969, the Jim Russell Racing School at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant has been providing aspiring racers and enthusiast alike the chance to learn from the pros and enhance their driving skills. Using state of the art Formula race cars, Jim Russell’s proven methods have graduated more successful drivers and world champions than any other racing school. As one of the most experienced and respected racing institutions in North America, Jim Russell offers the ultimate adrenaline rush for first time race drivers or long time race fanatics. Come see why drivers the world over put their trust in the Jim Russell Racing School. For more information on Jim Russell Racing Drivers School, visit www.jimrussell.com/a>.

Auteur: Patrick Moreau