DANVILLE, VA. Always one of the highlights of the racing year, the annual Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro is one of the most popular events during the week of the AMA Superbike races at VIRginia International Raceway. Staged Thursday evening before the AMA Superbike Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals, the Enduro features teams consisting of a fan, an AMA star, a media representative and a staff member of either VIR, AMA, M1 Entertainment or a sponsor. Teams compete on the kart track to record best total times on Plantation Valley Kart Track’s 270cc Stratus karts. Racing in heats, each team member has only seven laps to set an individual best time. At the end of the competition, the team members’ best times are added together, with the quickest overall total time determining the victors. The winning team receives a trophy, a group photo of all the participants and a free three-day pass to the 2009 Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals. Of course, the Challenge would not be complete unless the winning team has a chance to defend their trophy, so the entire winning team receives an assured entry in the next year’s Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals Superstars Kart Enduro Challenge. “It was great racing with those guys,” said fan winner Derek Martin after last year’s race. Martin’s team of Honda Racing’s Jake Zemke, M1’s Lindsay West and Honda Racing’s Scott Russell to set a best time of 3:21.09. The team easily beat the 3:23.45 total registered by Aaron Yates, rider for Yoshimura Suzuki; Mark Mitchell, from speedtv.com; VIR’s Tammy Journigan and fan Joshua Powell, from Lynchburg, Virginia. “Most fans don’t ever get to do anything like that,” enthused Martin. “I’ve walked around the track and watched them race, but to actually get to race with them was great. All the guys were really nice and I’ll definitely be back next year.” “With the new karts, this year’s event will be even more exciting for the participants,” says M1 Entertainment promoter Cameron Gray. “Now we’ll all have to learn a new kart, which should level out the playing field even more.” The Big Kahuna brings America’s fastest motorcycle road racers to VIR’s 2.25-mile North Course in a three-day celebration of speed and skill. With more than just the motorcycle races for guests to enjoy, the Big Kahuna brings together racing with a collection of vendors, exhibitors, big screen displays, children’s zones and everything else to make it an event for the entire family. Tickets for the Big Kahuna are selling fast, with only a few of the Trackside VIP Suite tickets still available. For more information on the many ticket options available, check out the promoter’s web site at: www.moto1usa.com or call them at 303-377-3278. There is more to the Big Kahuna than just motorcycle racing. The Big Kahuna Big Give supports motorcycle safety and education for young riders with the Ethan Gillim “Chasin a Dream” foundation, along with the fight against breast cancer. A donation of only $3 to the raffle could win the grand prize of a 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600 along with an Arai helmet and complete riding gear. Other prizes range from an Arai helmet signed by past and present stars of AMA and World Superbike and MotoGP, to a Leo Vince exhaust system, a Makita drill kit and a year’s supply of RockStar energy drink. About M1 Entertainment: At M1 Entertainment, our goal is to provide fans with more than just a motorcycle race. Our events include extra attractions and entertainment for the whole family, creating a truly unique experience for the devoted fan and the beginning spectator. To that end, we are always ready to listen to the people to help make our events even better. M1 Entertainment is best known as the creator and promoter of the Honda Superbike Classic at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. For 10 years, the Honda Superbike Classic was one of the most successful motorcycle events in the U.S., drawing close to 100,000 fans over the three-day schedule. It was the only event in the world to combine the World Superbike series on the same weekend. Other notable M1 Entertainment events have included The Big Kahuna Nationals at Road Atlanta (1998-2000), The Reno Supermoto Classic in 2004 and the Red Bull Supermoto A-Go-Go in 2005. Our current events include the Suzuki CycleFest (2003-present) in Copper Mountain, Colorado, and the awesome Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals at VIRginia International Raceway – our inaugural event taking place in August of 2005 with five more years under contract through 2010. A Denver-based company, M1 Entertainment has been working in motorsports for 15 years. Originally spawned from Daniels Corporation under the name FAST, the fledgling company was heavily involved in television production for car and motorcycle racing. With the birth of Speedvision in 1995, FAST took an advertising sales and event promotion, in addition to television production duties. Now under the umbrella of Fox Television Networks, Speed Channel (formerly Speedvision) is thriving. FAST morphed into M1 Entertainment (Race Promotion Management) and now is operating as M1 Entertainment with many of the same staff still in place. We still sell advertising for Speed Channel and promote our own events, keeping us busy year-round. VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Virginia. Reopened in 2000, VIR hosts a wide range professional and amateur auto and motorcycle racing and track events, and is well established as “America’s Motorsport Resort.” In addition to its historic 3.27 mile natural-terrain road racing circuit, VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America’s first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park and Motorsports Technology Park, which includes the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (“VIPER”); the Plantation Valley Kart Track, a 5/8 mile paved natural terrain karting circuit; an expanding variety of on-site lodging (including 45 hotel rooms and the trackside Villas which are for sale); Camp Motorsport for enthusiasts of all ages; and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse. The next big events at VIR are a Porsche Club of America race August 9-10, followed by the AMA Big Kahuna Superbike National on August 15-17, bringing America’s best Superbike racers to VIR’s North Course. The weekend of October 3-5 sees GT Live and the KONI Challenge bring a combination of motorcycle stunts, drifting, track attack and endurance sports car races. These events are all combined with a wide variety of amateur and vintage road racing and schools throughout the year. Season passes to VIR’s major events include preferred parking and access to the major spectator events. For information on the track and other event schedules, call 434-822-7700 or check our web site at www.virclub.com.