From Ernie SaxtonBaltimore, MD — (September 28, 2012) — Indoor Auto Racing is coming to the First Mariner Center in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, December 8, 2012.
The event, produced by Len Sammons Motorsports Productions, will bring high speed Three Quarter Midget race cars and agile Champ Karts to the arena for the very first time.
The Baltimore race is the first of three such Indoor races scheduled by Sammons Motorsports Productions for the winter of 2012-2013.
Events are also planned for the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., on December 31, 2012 and at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. for two consecutive days, February 1-2, 2013.
Auto racing is nothing new to the city of Baltimore, having hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series through its city streets for the past two years.
“Baltimore is a great location for an Indoor race,” said event organizer Len Sammons. “It is easily accessible from central Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. We expect the event to be as popular as our Atlantic City and Providence races have become in its very first year.”
Indoor motorcycle races were held in the city at the old Baltimore Coliseum as early as the 1900s. Indoor TQ Midget racing took place at Uline Arena in Washington, D.C. in 1950, and kart race was held in 1991 inside the nearby Timonium Fairgrounds ‘Cow Palace’.
The First Mariner Center is near the very popular Camden Yards and is in the middle of Baltimore’s trendy Inner Harbor area, a tourist mecca with dozens of shops, restaurants and attractions.
The addition of the Baltimore race to the previous two events provides Indoor TQ and kart racers with three major events at a time when racing used to be confined to watching videos and attending racing banquets.
Virtually all of the top teams are expected to compete each of the three races.
The entries will be limited to 60 TQ Midgets and 42 Champ Karts. Each class will compete against the clock in time trials that will determine starting positions in a series of qualifying heat races.
The heat races will narrow the entries down to twenty-two starters for a 40-lap TQ Midget A-Main and a 25-lap Champ Kart feature event.
The Saturday, December 8 time schedule calls for truck parking and unloading beginning at 8:00 am. The first on-track activity begins with practice at 1:00 p.m. Time trials will begin at 4:15 p.m.
Grandstand gates will swing open at 6:00 p.m. with racing starting one hour later beginning with qualifying heat races.
Noted drivers such as Ted Christopher, Billy Pauch, Lou Cicconi Jr. and Joey Payne are expected to lead the TQ Midget entries in the inaugural event. Plans are in the works to have a central Pennsylvania Sprint Car driver make his debut in indoor racing which will be sure to bring the fans to the edge of their seats.
Previous Indoor Champ Kart race winner Norman Hynes of Linthicum, Md. is expected to be a fan favorite as he bids for a home state victory opportunity.
Complete details on the event such as entry forms, race schedule, ticket prices and on sale date as well as a host hotel will be available soon. All that information will be available at www.aarn.com or by calling 609-888-3618 as it is finalized.