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News Release

11-10-22 Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing Brings Commerce To Douglas County (Photo) - 11/11/22

Updated: Corrected spelling for Steve Snawder with Roseburg Race 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 10, 2022

Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing Brings Commerce to Douglas County

 

            (Douglas County, Ore.) We are off to the races and it’s going to be a mud-flying, wheels-whirling, and gears-grinding kind of time!  But, it will not be your typical night at the races, we are talking about Karts, that’s right karts with a ‘K’ races for Kids!  Douglas County Commissioners Tim Freeman, Chris Boice, and Tom Kress along with our Douglas County Fairgrounds are always proud to support youth and family activities in our county.  Especially, when the activity also brings much needed commerce to local businesses such as hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, grocery stores and auto parts stores in our community. 

The Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing (ROKR) winter indoor youth racing series has been going strong since a small group of race enthusiasts started racing on a handmade dirt track inside River Arena at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in the late 1980s.  The 30 plus-year-old youth racing association continues to rent the same arena from the Fairgrounds today.  They sponsor 14-16 kart racing events from November through February each year that bring 200-500 visitors to Douglas County each and every race weekend.  The ROKR winter racing series typically offers 6 racing classes for youth ages 5 to 18 plus.  The winter kart racing series has become the focus for several generations of kart-loving families and some even travel to as many as 100 races a year. The sport offers the opportunity for youth to learn about good sportsmanship and self-confidence, as well as enjoying many hours of quality time with family and friends. 

Youth kart racing arrived on the scene in northern California around 1984, with the opening of the Outlaw Sprint Kart series in Red Bluff, California, when a small group of local racers built homemade karts to race on an oval dirt track. They say the winter indoor caged kart racing concept was essentially born out of boredom, as race car drivers were looking for something to do during the off-season. It eventually evolved into a youth sport for both boys and girls of all ages.  Since then the sport has grown exponentially with several dirt kart tracks opening in the northwest and in many regions all over the world, but Red Bluff is still considered the birthplace of Outlaw Kart Racing.  Now, the karts are not your typical play karts or shifter karts that run on pavement, they are more like tiny versions of the sprint cars that race in the bigger dirt track leagues. Today’s sophisticated karts are all about safety and protecting the drivers with cages, 5-point harnesses, aerodynamic wings and high-tech components that allow them to fly around dirt tracks at speeds as high as 100 mph. While the kart size, weights, designs, protocols and regulations have evolved for the sport over the years, the basic need for speed and family comradery it brings has not.  In fact, many of the youth that have participated in kart racing over the years have gone on to race sprint cars like their “Nascar” heroes. 

This weekend, November 10 – 12, 2022, ROKR and event promoter Fast Four Promotions will be hosting the inaugural “TIMBER50” event, which will feature the largest purse in Outlaw Kart Racing history, a whopping $44,444!   The TIMBER50 kart event will feature three racing classes: Box Stock (7-13 year-olds); 250 Intermediate (10-18 year-olds) and 500 Open (13 year-olds and up).  As of Wednesday, they had around 110 karts registered, but anticipate as many as 140 karts by race day.  They have racers and families traveling from California, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Oklahoma to compete for trophies and cash prizes.  Races begin tonight, at 4:00 pm (for the complete schedule of events, log onto ROKR’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/RoseburgKartRacing).  Kart race enthusiasts can also watch the races via live-stream subscription video at https://fastfour.tv/categories/live.  Fast Four Promotions is managed by Kyler Shaw, who lives in Fresno, California and specifically chose the Roseburg Outlaw dirt track for this event because of the great people and the family atmosphere that ROKR Association has created. They hope that the TIMBER50 event will continue to grow each and every year and become a kart racers premium destination event.

Our hats are off to the ROKR all-volunteer youth racing association family.  ROKR is currently managed and promoted by Michael Crisp and Brad McMaster.  The duo, who have been part of the association for 3 and 9 years respectively, are the latest in a long succession of local promoters for the Roseburg based youth kart racing series that started with the likes of Drake Nelson, Gary Perry, Ron Scevers and Will Ellison.  McMaster and Crisp both hold full time jobs in the construction industry, and spend their evenings and weekends organizing the racing series for kids.

            “I have followed this sport for many years, my kids even raced in the series, and it has truly been amazing watching it evolve and prosper into a multi-generational family sport that is supported by and helps bring revenue back into our community,” commented Commissioner Tom Kress.  “McMaster and Crisp are two members of the four person Roseburg Race Promotions team, that also includes Brian Crockett and Steven Snawder, that recently won the bid from the Douglas County Fair Board to turn the big track at the Douglas County Speedway into a dirt track.  The TIMBER50 event is an example of the caliber of events we can expect to see from this group in the future.” 

If you are looking for a fun family friendly activity this weekend, we encourage you to head on out to the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Thursday, November 10 through Saturday, November 12, and enjoy the non-stop thrilling excitement of Kart racing.  For more information and the racing schedule, check out Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RoseburgKartRacing/. 

“It’s all about these kids,” commented Brad McMaster, ROKR promoter. “All you have to do is take a walk down through the pit area and see the pure excitement and smiling faces of the kids competing, and you know THAT right there is what it is all about!” 

The Douglas County Fairgrounds Complex is nestled along the Umpqua River in Roseburg, Oregon.  They are  located off I-5 Exit 123 at 2110 SW Frear Street, just minutes away from Downtown Roseburg, lodging, restaurants and more. They also offer a full hook up RV Park and over 80,000 square feet of rentable buildings.  They complex can host any event imaginable.  For more information about the Douglas County Fairgrounds, log onto our website: http://douglasfairgrounds.com/gateway.html.     

###

Media Contact:     Tamara Howell, Douglas County Emergency Communications & Community Engagement Specialist, Douglas County Public Affairs Office | Office: (541) 957-4896 | Cell: (541) 670-2804 | Email: tjhowell@co.douglas.or.us

                                

Photos Attached: Available Upon Request. © T.Howell/Douglas County 

Attached Media Files: Collection of the special handmade trophies for the TIMBER50 event made by, Brenden McMaster, Brad McMaster, Kyler Shaw, Zach Toll and Doug Lockwood stand by the 30 panel TV that will showcase the live taping of the event., Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing association promoters Brad McMasters (left) and Michael Crisp (right) stand on the racetrack inside the River Arena at the Douglas County Fairgrounds with race promoter, Kyler Shaw (middle) from Fast Four Media.,

11-10-22 Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing Brings Commerce To Douglas County (Photo) - 11/11/22

Updated: Corrected spelling for Steve Snawder with Roseburg Race 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 10, 2022

Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing Brings Commerce to Douglas County

 

            (Douglas County, Ore.) We are off to the races and it’s going to be a mud-flying, wheels-whirling, and gears-grinding kind of time!  But, it will not be your typical night at the races, we are talking about Karts, that’s right karts with a ‘K’ races for Kids!  Douglas County Commissioners Tim Freeman, Chris Boice, and Tom Kress along with our Douglas County Fairgrounds are always proud to support youth and family activities in our county.  Especially, when the activity also brings much needed commerce to local businesses such as hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, grocery stores and auto parts stores in our community. 

The Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing (ROKR) winter indoor youth racing series has been going strong since a small group of race enthusiasts started racing on a handmade dirt track inside River Arena at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in the late 1980s.  The 30 plus-year-old youth racing association continues to rent the same arena from the Fairgrounds today.  They sponsor 14-16 kart racing events from November through February each year that bring 200-500 visitors to Douglas County each and every race weekend.  The ROKR winter racing series typically offers 6 racing classes for youth ages 5 to 18 plus.  The winter kart racing series has become the focus for several generations of kart-loving families and some even travel to as many as 100 races a year. The sport offers the opportunity for youth to learn about good sportsmanship and self-confidence, as well as enjoying many hours of quality time with family and friends. 

Youth kart racing arrived on the scene in northern California around 1984, with the opening of the Outlaw Sprint Kart series in Red Bluff, California, when a small group of local racers built homemade karts to race on an oval dirt track. They say the winter indoor caged kart racing concept was essentially born out of boredom, as race car drivers were looking for something to do during the off-season. It eventually evolved into a youth sport for both boys and girls of all ages.  Since then the sport has grown exponentially with several dirt kart tracks opening in the northwest and in many regions all over the world, but Red Bluff is still considered the birthplace of Outlaw Kart Racing.  Now, the karts are not your typical play karts or shifter karts that run on pavement, they are more like tiny versions of the sprint cars that race in the bigger dirt track leagues. Today’s sophisticated karts are all about safety and protecting the drivers with cages, 5-point harnesses, aerodynamic wings and high-tech components that allow them to fly around dirt tracks at speeds as high as 100 mph. While the kart size, weights, designs, protocols and regulations have evolved for the sport over the years, the basic need for speed and family comradery it brings has not.  In fact, many of the youth that have participated in kart racing over the years have gone on to race sprint cars like their “Nascar” heroes. 

This weekend, November 10 – 12, 2022, ROKR and event promoter Fast Four Promotions will be hosting the inaugural “TIMBER50” event, which will feature the largest purse in Outlaw Kart Racing history, a whopping $44,444!   The TIMBER50 kart event will feature three racing classes: Box Stock (7-13 year-olds); 250 Intermediate (10-18 year-olds) and 500 Open (13 year-olds and up).  As of Wednesday, they had around 110 karts registered, but anticipate as many as 140 karts by race day.  They have racers and families traveling from California, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Oklahoma to compete for trophies and cash prizes.  Races begin tonight, at 4:00 pm (for the complete schedule of events, log onto ROKR’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/RoseburgKartRacing).  Kart race enthusiasts can also watch the races via live-stream subscription video at https://fastfour.tv/categories/live.  Fast Four Promotions is managed by Kyler Shaw, who lives in Fresno, California and specifically chose the Roseburg Outlaw dirt track for this event because of the great people and the family atmosphere that ROKR Association has created. They hope that the TIMBER50 event will continue to grow each and every year and become a kart racers premium destination event.

Our hats are off to the ROKR all-volunteer youth racing association family.  ROKR is currently managed and promoted by Michael Crisp and Brad McMaster.  The duo, who have been part of the association for 3 and 9 years respectively, are the latest in a long succession of local promoters for the Roseburg based youth kart racing series that started with the likes of Drake Nelson, Gary Perry, Ron Scevers and Will Ellison.  McMaster and Crisp both hold full time jobs in the construction industry, and spend their evenings and weekends organizing the racing series for kids.

            “I have followed this sport for many years, my kids even raced in the series, and it has truly been amazing watching it evolve and prosper into a multi-generational family sport that is supported by and helps bring revenue back into our community,” commented Commissioner Tom Kress.  “McMaster and Crisp are two members of the four person Roseburg Race Promotions team, that also includes Brian Crockett and Steven Snawder, that recently won the bid from the Douglas County Fair Board to turn the big track at the Douglas County Speedway into a dirt track.  The TIMBER50 event is an example of the caliber of events we can expect to see from this group in the future.” 

If you are looking for a fun family friendly activity this weekend, we encourage you to head on out to the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Thursday, November 10 through Saturday, November 12, and enjoy the non-stop thrilling excitement of Kart racing.  For more information and the racing schedule, check out Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RoseburgKartRacing/. 

“It’s all about these kids,” commented Brad McMaster, ROKR promoter. “All you have to do is take a walk down through the pit area and see the pure excitement and smiling faces of the kids competing, and you know THAT right there is what it is all about!” 

The Douglas County Fairgrounds Complex is nestled along the Umpqua River in Roseburg, Oregon.  They are  located off I-5 Exit 123 at 2110 SW Frear Street, just minutes away from Downtown Roseburg, lodging, restaurants and more. They also offer a full hook up RV Park and over 80,000 square feet of rentable buildings.  They complex can host any event imaginable.  For more information about the Douglas County Fairgrounds, log onto our website: http://douglasfairgrounds.com/gateway.html.     

###

Media Contact:     Tamara Howell, Douglas County Emergency Communications & Community Engagement Specialist, Douglas County Public Affairs Office | Office: (541) 957-4896 | Cell: (541) 670-2804 | Email: tjhowell@co.douglas.or.us

                                

Photos Attached: Available Upon Request. © T.Howell/Douglas County 

Attached Media Files: Collection of the special handmade trophies for the TIMBER50 event made by, Brenden McMaster, Brad McMaster, Kyler Shaw, Zach Toll and Doug Lockwood stand by the 30 panel TV that will showcase the live taping of the event., Roseburg Outlaw Kart Racing association promoters Brad McMasters (left) and Michael Crisp (right) stand on the racetrack inside the River Arena at the Douglas County Fairgrounds with race promoter, Kyler Shaw (middle) from Fast Four Media.,