Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128314
in Motorcycling Nerf Bar-Banging The Friday night before the Minneapolis Supercross, Renthal's Shawn Norfolk hosted the second annual Renthal Pro Kart Indoor Challenge at Pro Kart Indoor Racing in Burnsville, Minnesota . Chevy Trucks Kawasaki's Dean Baker, Skip Norfolk. Jeremy Albrecht and Alex Ewing were there, identifiable by their uniforms . Also on hand were European Renthal distributor Paul Karsmakers, Parts Unlimited's Lou Lopez, Sunstar's Andy Donahue and various members of the press and other special guests. Ewing won the final , but he wasn't the fastest. That honor goes to Images In Motion's Robert "Mario" Utne (www.imagesinmotion.biz). Utne is so fast in the karts, as a regular at the facility, that they didn't even let him qualify He had to start from the back in his . qualifying heat , and he still qualified for the main. And then, in the main, they had him start backward on the back row. He passed our guy Steve Cox for fourth pretty early in the race before the track crew brought him in for a ceremonial "helmet cleaning" pit stop just to slow him down. Lopez, Baker, Albrecht and ESPN's Fab-5 Freddie Timberlake rounded out the top flve. For more information on the facility, visit www.prokartindoor.com . The racing was tigh t, a nd some punted - much to of the track It seemed like as soon as you felt like you were going fast, Robert Utne would blow by. It's amazing what technique can do, even in a 6.5 hp kart. For the second consecutive year, BMW Motorrad will team up with UmbreliaGiris USAto adorn the BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup's grid, adding a little international style. Thirty-nine riders representing 25 teams from 10 different nations will compete on the high banks of the Daytona International Speedway, with the race slated to begin at I I:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 6, immediately prior to the 63rd running of the Daytona 200 . "With European racing, the grid girls are a staple of every racing team's roster," said Ann Asiano, founder and president of UmbreliaGiris USA. "Through BMW Motorrad we are importing tl cept to the U.S. for one of the most exciting bar-banging racing platforms American spectate all year." The BMW Motorrad International BoxerCup is renowned for its competitive racing with pants, including seven teams sponsored by BMW Motorrad USA dealerships , riding identical tion-based BMW RI 100S motorcycles. UmbreliaGiris has been omnipresent in all forms of U.S. and international racing and is proud to be associated with BMW Motorrad. "We can always depend on BMW Motorrad to add the class touch to everything they do. including treating their riders to UmbreliaGirls," adds Asiano. The BoxerCup will be the first in an eight-race series that will continue in Europe. The race will broadcast live on Speed Channel. 96 MARCH 10,2004 • CYCLE NEWS 40th Anniversary