It is official!  Marco Andretti just signed on with Lehigh Valley Grand Prix!!  Marco Andretti, the IRL driver and grandson of Mario Andretti will be working with LVGP to promote the track.  Marco who visits LVGP often living in the area saw a fit and so did Mike McCreary, owner of LVGP.  ”It is exciting to have someone local with a family history so rich in racing to become involved with the track,” said McCreary.

One of the most exciting factors of the deal is the fact that Andretti will hold a fundraiser at the track within the next 12 months.  An idea that could bring together the rich history of racing in the Lehigh Valley and use it to raise money for a cause.  That will be an event you don’t want to miss!

Stay tuned for the press releases around the signing and more details to come!

The economy has had a major effect on the racing world over the past 2 years.  I believe that continuing to invest in your products and delivering on your customer’s demands is key to survival.  Just yesterday Indoor Karting News released that it will be closing it’s doors.  Excuses such as economic factors and business model issues were the major reasons for ending the sites existence.  I strongly believe that this could have been avoided if the company simply listened to their customers.

IKN had some great ideas on how to grow the indoor karting community through forums, driver rankings and advertising for tracks, however, I feel the site had some major flaws.  The driver rankings did not include drivers from tracks who were not partners with the website.  How can you have a true national ranking when you don’t have 80% of the drivers listed due to their track not advertising on the site?  Also, there were major flaws in how the scoring was kept.  Drivers from tracks with a great number of major races had points that were weighed heavier than the tracks with less events.  Also, the rankings did not differentiate endurance competitions from individual races.  The site also did not involve a kids ranking.

To finish on a high note, overall, I felt the site was a great step for the industry.  It is disappointing to see it fail but I think there was some great learning for other sites and future competition strategy.  Lehigh Valley Grand Prix is now partnering up with Sodi World Series which is an international ranking series that has some great promise in growing this fast growing sport.

Lehigh Valley Grand Prix is gearing up for it’s biggest race of the year.  The 12hrs of LVGP is a test of speed, endurance and mental toughness.  Teams from all over North America will be arriving in the Lehigh Valley to prove who is the best.  Last year’s event yielded teams from Michigan, Canada, Charlotte, Phoenix and the surrounding regions.  The competition was fierce and one critical tactical error can cost a team the race.

What is perhaps the most amazing part of the race is the fact that some teams will only have 2 drivers!  6 hrs behind the wheel is a long time to be driving on an indoor track.  These drivers tend to have a tremendous amount of time behind the wheel participating in all realms of racing from outdoor karting, sprint cars, indy cars and some even from NASCAR.

These drivers will all be fighting for some big prizes.  The first place team will receive $2,400, 2nd- $1,600 and 3rd place will win free entry to next year’s race.  Teams are starting to confirm for this big event.  The entry is $1,200 and to reserve your team you must put down a deposit of 50%.

Even if you are not racing, it will be a great event to come and watch some of the best drivers from around North America fight it out for 12hrs!!!

2010 has been a year that Lehigh Valley Grand Prix has learned a lot about itself and it’s customers.  In an environment where economies were collapsing and consumer spending was tight, LVGP was able to find success.  Through investments in key products such as new karts and timing systems LVGP was able to enhance the racing experience to deliver a high quality racing experience.

The new karts were a major investment for the company.  The new Sodi GT5 karts are arguably the top performing kart in the industry.  You want the best and that is what we deliver.  These indoor racing karts are designed for the every day consumer with advanced bumper systems and chassis but do not sacrifice agility, handling and speed for the enthusiast.

Our new timing system now allows customers to link up their facebook accounts for automatic posts on their profile pages.  It also enables customers to receive emails of their results and check their race results on our new website.  We felt that all of these features were critical in today’s world of social media and that it took the racing experience to a new level.

One of our key findings this past year was that we have an extremely loyal customer base.  We cannot give enough thanks to all of our customers for keeping our business alive through what was challenging times.  We know and understand that your dollars were tight and you chose to spend with us and for that we are grateful.  It has been our focus to keep giving back to our customers through reinvestment in the products and working hard to deliver a high level of service.

Not only have we invested in products at the track but we have also invested in our people.  We have added some key people in positions that are striving to make your experience memorable.  Our goal is not to fill positions but to fill positions with a team that will make you feel special and add to your experience.

LVGP has now set itself up to add some new and exciting products in 2011 as well as some new things to enhance the racing experience.  Again, a BIG THANK YOU to all of our customers for a successful 2010 and we look forward to delivering another year of racing excellence for 2011.

Thank you!

Mike McCreary, President