Thu, 10 Dec 2009, 05:06 PM DSR Backs Zach Beard to Race in PRI CKI All-StarKarting Classic

Courtesy of Judy Stropus

BROWNSBURG, Ind. -- Mike Lewis, Senior Vice President of Don Schumacher Racing, announced today that Don Schumacher Racing will back Zach Beard, the 19-year-old son of DSR's team manager Lee Beard, in the 4th Annual PRI CKI All-Star Karting Classic to be held on Thursday, Dec. 10.

The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. as part of the Performance Racing Industry show held on a track adjacent to the North/South Building of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., which houses the PRI Trade Show. There is no charge for admission.

"We are proud to support Zach in this endeavor," said Lewis. "He has demonstrated a great talent in several different forms of competition at such a young age, and we're confident he'll represent DSR well at this special event."

Beard, a former karting champion as a factory driver for Briel North America, will make his first appearance at this popular event, driving a Birel/Rotax-powered kart as a teammate to NASCAR and IndyCar stars A.J. Allmendinger and Alex Tagliani.

"This is very exciting for me," said Beard, who has also competed in an A/Fuel Dragster at several NHRA drag-racing events in 2008. "To be representing Don Schumacher Racing, where my dad is the team manager, is a true honor, and to be racing against the very talented drivers from all forms of motorsports will be quite a challenge for me. I'm ready for it."

Said the elder Beard, who has won 53 NHRA national events as a crew chief: "I can't tell you how proud I am of Zach and how well he has been doing competing in different classes. And to have Don Schumacher Racing support his efforts is a great honor for our entire family."

Two karting divisions will be represented on the tight, fast track. The Karter Division features some of the best young, up-and-coming kart drivers from around the country. Many of the competitors in the Karter Division are champions and will soon be graduating up to cars.

The All-Star Division is comprised of the best drivers in the business, and by race time it is expected to have 25-plus all-star drivers ready to compete. Past All-Star Karting Classic winners include Michael Valiante, Buddy Rice and Jay Howard.

The PRI CKI Karting All-Star Classic will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net affiliation of cable networks. Both the Karter and All-Star Divisions of the race will have their own dedicated half-hour broadcasts that will air in a minimum of 86 million households. Last year's PRI event, with re-air dates, was viewed in more then 700,000 households helping bring karting to the mainstream media. The Karter division from the 2009 event will air on Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, while the All-Star division will be broadcast on Monday, Jan. 18, 2010.

Additional event information may be found at www.championshipkartracing.com/ and www.performanceracing.com/tradeshow/.