Lehigh Valley Grand Prix, the regions premiere indoor karting venue has been granted the unique opportunity to host the Media Launch event for Pocono Raceway’s IndyCar 400 race on July 7th.  IndyCar has selected Marco Andretti as the driver promoting the event.  The driver selection makes complete sense due to the fact that Marco resides in Nazareth, Pa.

The Media Launch event will take place on May 8th at 1:30 pm.  Marco will be racing and interviewing with the media until approximately 3:30pm.  At 3:30pm he will be available for pictures and autographs with fans.

The IndyCar 400 is the first IndyCar race held at Pocono Raceway since 1989.  The raceway has undertaken major changes in the past two years after the passing of the famous Doc Mattioli.  Doc’s grandson’s Brandon and Nick Igdalsky have taken the reins and have been aggressive with renovating the track and adding races to the 2 famous NASCAR events.  The tri oval was resurfaced in 2012 leading the way for hosting this major IndyCar event.

Lehigh Valley Grand Prix offers a Winning Formula for Bachelor Parties.  You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out!!

High Speed Racing Go Karts

+ Indoors (Weather Proof!)

+ Full Bar & Kitchen (FREE COCKTAIL FOR BACHELOR! 21 & over)

= High Adrenaline, action packed fun for the entire group that won’t get you into too much trouble ;)

If you are looking to get more information on our Bachelor Party packages contact Kristine!

The LVGP500 proved to be one of the most competitive races in Lehigh Valley Grand Prix racing history.  A field comprised of 4 Pro Teams and 10 Amateur Teams was much faster and competitive than expected.

“Generally when you have teams that have never competed in an endurance race before and drivers that have never raced at a facility you find that they fumble early on and make mistakes in the pits.  This was clearly not the case in this race!” said Ryan Suchon, Competition Director at Lehigh Valley Grand Prix.

Of the 14 teams participating in the race, only 5 teams had previously participated in an endurance race at LVGP.  A handful of the drivers had never even raced at LVGP before the start of the race.

11 out of the 14 teams had drivers in the sub 31 second lap times.  Owner, Mike McCreary whose team finished 2nd in the Amateur Class in the 2012 LVGP500 was shocked to see how fast the field was.  ”Last year our team wasn’t the fastest but our execution and strategy allowed us to keep in the hunt for the race.  In this year’s event our execution and strategy didn’t change.  The field was extremely competitive and I was impressed to witness teams and drivers adapt to the rules and simply out perform expectations.”

Two surprise teams in this year’s event were Dusty Heathens and Loose Nutz.  Both teams had not participated in an enduro at the facility.  Dusty Heathens had driver’s who had never raced at LVGP prior to the event.  Both teams finished within 15 & 16 laps respectively from the PRO class winner.

In the PRO Class the team of Mike Bednar and Carl Bligan took the lead from the start and never looked back.  Carl Bligan set the new track record towards the end of the race hitting a 29.540 second lap!

Here is a list of the final Results

PRO CLASS

1.  333  2.  Speed Dudes  3.  Hyline  4.  Spaz Racing

Amateur Class

1.  Dusty Heathens  2.  Loose Nutz  3.  Red Bell  4.  Himmer Graphics Racing  5.  LVGP  6.  Butter Haus Commission  7.  Team Pickles   8.  Team Sack  9.  1 Eye Tickle Snake  10.  Coors Light

The concept of Corporate Team Building has many interpretations.  What we strive to find the answer to is: How do I get my team to be more productive in the work environment through encouraging a greater team effort?  Our philosophy at Lehigh Valley Grand Prix is that creating a Team starts with building relationships.  In a fast paced work environment stress, conflict and urgency can play roles in our inabilities to bond at deeper level.  Relationships are key for trusting our fellow team members and without trust it is challenging to reach our peak performance level.

At Lehigh Valley Grand Prix we use indoor kart racing to create an experience that encourages people to get out of the comfort zone and into an atmosphere that is fun and exilerating.  Some participants are jumping up and down for the opportunity to drive a high speed go kart while others have a feeling of hesitation and fear.  In all teams there may be extremely different dynamics and that is why it is great to do an offsite adventure to bring the team members together.

“It is great to see people with so many different personalities come together through the common ground of go karting.  The programs that we have established encourage team work and participation by all the members of the group.  It is a true pleasure to see the intense look on the racer’s faces as they strategy and execute to achieve that victory,” said Mike McCreary partner at Lehigh Valley Grand Prix.

Recently Phillips Pet Food & Supplies utilized Lehigh Valley Grand Prix’s venue to break up a week long meeting held locally.  Here are a couple pictures from their event.

Why Pay Full Price for Half Speed?

At Lehigh Valley Grand Prix our philosophy is simple “We Are Racing!”  Being a racing facility safety is always a priority but it is also a priority to offer the best RACING EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE.  Therefore, we do not tune your karts down, limit your speeds or force you to qualify for higher speeds in our adult karts.  We give you our best, the moment you walk in the door.

Our karts are being converted this week to the 9hp SUPER KARTS to offer you the fastest indoor concession karts in the country.  The goal is to go fast and have fun!  Remember if you don’t respect the other drivers or karts than you may be flagged accordingly.  The choice is yours on how fast you want to go and we will not take that privilege away from you unless you break the rules!!

Cheers to High Speed Adrenaline Fun!

With the growth of indoor karting facilities in the US there has been a recent trend of many tracks choosing electric karts.  Both electric and gas powered karts have their advantages and disadvantages.  Below is a breakdown of the Pros for each.

Gas Powered Karts Pros:

• Responsive Handling due to a lighter weight vehicle
• Longer race life.  Gas powered karts can run over 3hrs with a tank of gas
• Stronger competition kart due to responsiveness and race life.
• Less karts required.  Charging time requires 30% more karts.
• Cheaper maintenance.  To properly maintain an electric kart a qualified electrician should be used.  Batteries are a major expense.
• Lower utility costs.  Controlling track air temp can range from $10,000-$30,000 per month depending upon size of facility and climate.
• Less expensive vehicle

Electric Kart Pros:

• No fumes
• Temperature controlled environment
• Remote control for power.  Can tune down aggressive drivers.
• Easy maintenance.  Computer adjusted power output to regulate even kart performance.
• Cheaper insurance?  I have seen this posted on a manufacturer’s website but this is news to me.  That is not the case in our experience.

Kart life is debatable.  Depending upon flagging, track layout, barrier system and maintenance these issues have too many variables to compare.  Also, the kart manufacturer can be a big difference in kart life.  The bumper system and chassis technology are vital for a top of the line vehicle.

The emergence of the major players in the market such as Pole Position and K1 Speed have done a fantastic job of marketing the karting industry.  Through such strong efforts it has made the electric karts appear to be the favorable product. Based upon my research it appears that currently is not the case.  The expense of running such an operation through Heating & Air Conditioning expenses as well as the cost of the karts and their level of performance seem to lead favorably towards gas vehicles.

The new lithium  batteries could be the future, as the technology becomes more stable and tested.  The new battery will provide a lighter solution to the vehicle which would provide better handling and acceleration.  The battery will also provide a better life for the charge therefore increasing race length.  This would combat the major advantages of the gas karts.  The current batteries used only hold 2,000 charges for 8 minute races.  The cost of a set of batteries for a kart can be $500 plus.

The future looks to be heading towards the electric go kart but until the technology improves it is hard to argue against the gas vehicle.  It is also interesting to witness the fact that this electric kart trend is more heavily influenced in the US versus Europe (the mecca of karting).  In the end you must do right by your customer and choose the solution that you fill best serves the racing experience!

Lehigh Valley Grand Prix will be celebrating it’s 3rd year in a row of offering the most exciting and adrenaline packed Black Friday sale!!  This Friday you can enjoy seeing your dollars get you twice the value!!  And don’t forget that the track will have extended racing hours on Black Friday!  Open racing from 9am-11pm!!  These gift cards will make a great gift for your special somebody, friend or family!!

Black Friday Special:  LVGP holds it’s famous Black Friday Special this year from 8am-3pm.  From 8am-12pm enjoy the benefits from giftcard matching for gift cards of $50-$250.  From 12pm-3pm enjoy $100 gift cards for only $75.

Black Friday Gift card restrictions: Good for in store purchases only!  If you purchase a $50 giftcard we will give you a $100 value from 8am-12pm for up to $250 per household a $500 value.  These values cannot be split onto seperate gift cards for under $100.  For example you may not receive two $50 gift cards for a $50 dollar purchase.  The value of $100 will be placed onto one card. You may purchase two $50 giftcards that would carry $100 on each card.  Only $250 worth of giftcards can be purchased per household for the matching values.  That is a total value of $500 to LVGP.  From 12pm-3pm get$100 gift cards for only $75!!  There is no limit to this offer.  All Black Friday Gift cards may not be used towards; Leagues, Endurance Races, Private Parties or Group Discounts and may not be used on Black Friday.

Lehigh Valley Grand Prix 3 HOUR ENDURO RULES:

8:00am – 8:30am: Team registration and team weigh in.

8:30am – 8:45am: Drivers Meeting. Kart draw- Each Kart number will be put into a hat and you will pick the kart to start the race with.

8:45am – 8:55am: Team Kart preparation.

9:00am – Race begins.

Race Rules:
Teams of 1 -3 driver(s).

8 Minimum Stops, either driver exchanges or a stop and go in the pits.

No maximum drive time.

No minimum drive time.

Yellow flags- In the event of a caution, we will turn all the yellow lights on. At this time everyone will be required to go half speed. The goal is to not gain any ground or lose any ground from the person in front of you or behind you. If a driver seems as if they are going excessively fast under yellow they will be black flagged and pulled into the pits. Once everyone is at half speed the track marshals will straighten out the karts involved and then the race will go back to green. If the caution was caused due to someone spinning the other out, the driver who spun the other driver will then be black flagged under green flag racing conditions to assess their penalty.  You can NOT do a kart swap under a yellow flag.

Black Flag- The black flag is going to be used heavily in this race. Consider this your warning. If there is any type of contact, whether it be your fault or not you will get a black flag waved at you and then have to pull into the pits. When you receive the black flag you will pull into the pits with in 2 laps of receiving the black flag, and do a stop and go as your penalty.  As the race goes on your black flag penalties will get more sever. First black flag is a stop and go. 2^nd black flag is 3 second penalty, 3^rd black flag and on is a 5 second penalty. You can NOT do a kart swap or driver exchange while serving a black flag penalty.

Individual driver weight for the race is 185 pounds. We have weight provided on the track for those who do not make the 185 pounds.

1 MANDATORY kart change- The kart exchange must be completed between 2:00:00 – 1:00:00 in the race. Meaning in the middle portion of the 3 hour race the pit flag will be green for open kart changes. Then with one hour to go the red flag will close the pits for kart exchanges. Karts may be exchanged before the 2 hour remaining mark, and after the hour left mark, but will not count as a kart exchange. Failure to swap karts within the designated hour window is an automatic disqualification.

No Blue flags will be used throughout the race, using good judgment and sportsman ship is key when not using blue flags.

The Iron man series was a hit!  This new program completely sold out within days for the 2nd two races and proved to be an extremely competitive format.    The program consisted of 3 races that were 1.5 hrs.  These were individual drivers racing for a straight hour and half!!  ”If you have been to the facility and participated in the standard 8 minute heats, you can put into perspective what these drivers accomplished by simply finishing,” said Mike McCreary, owner of LVGP.

What was impressive with the competition is the fact that all 3 races had the top two drivers finish on the same lap!  In the first race Sean Roberts (Scooter) took the victory with Joe Voda only 24 seconds behind.  In the second race Kyle Shenk took the checkered flag with a 19 second lead over Pat Gillin and Andrew Pettijohn (fast kid).  The final race was won by Joe Voda by 4 seconds over Josh Schreiber and 23 seconds ahead of Kyle Shenk.  The most laps completed under the format was by Joe Voda finishing with 184 laps in the final race.

Prizes!!

The overall prize from the PRO CLASS is any choice of helmet from the Vega helmet company.  Kyle Shenk won that victory by securing a 3rd place finish in the final race.  The award was given to the driver to accumulate the most points over the 3 races.

The overall prize for the Amatuer Class was a 5 Race Pack valued at $80.  The overall amatuer victor was Mike Egge.

“It was a great race and a great accomplishment to finish all 3 races with no cautions!  This goes to show that our drivers are not only fast but respect each other and due to that it creates a great atmosphere for racing.  Thank you to all the participants,” Ryan Suchon, Competition Director

THE NEXT COMPETITION WILL BE A 3HR ENDURANCE RACE ON 9/11.  Contact Ryan Suchon at competition@lehighvalleygrandprix.com for details.

In late 2010 the team at Lehigh Valley Grand Prix, decided it was time to shake things up at the track.  The idea that evovled was to completely change the track layout.  ”It was a tough decision to go ahead with the plan, due to the fact you are changing the identity of the facility” said Ryan Suchon, mgr and competition director.

The next step for the team would be to figure out a layout.  The decision was simple, the team decided to let customer’s draw their dream track!!  What would be more fun then letting the customers decide what the track would look like.  With over 100 designs submitted, it was exciting to see what people came up with.  Designs included everything from; figure 8′s, ovals, road courses that provided straight aways into the wall!!

In the end, one plan stood out amongst the rest.  Tim Pettijohn, father of Fastkid, developed a design that would make a lasting impression on the LVGP faithful.  This exciting new track layout is now available for racing at LVGP.  For having his design chosen Tim won a FREE MONTH OF RACING AT LVGP….since Tim’s son was too young for the StockCar Prize for winning leagues, the two swapped prizes and each of them made out!!

Lehigh Valley Grand Prix would like to give a big Thanks to Tim for his efforts as well as the team at Stock Car Racing Experience!!