Tagliani to present awards at Mosport Kart Club.

Rocketsports' driver, Alex Tagliani will lend his support to karting in Canada at the Mosport Kart Club 2003 Banquet of Champions this coming Saturday at the Holiday Inn, Oshawa. Tagliani will be on hand for the crowning of 11 club champions in classes ranging from Junior and Senior Honda 4 Cycle, Junior and Senior Rotax to Junior and Senior Shifter.

In the spring of 1997, karting became an important and permanent fixture at Mosport International Raceway, Canada's foremost motorsport facility. With the addition of the Mosport Kart Circuit, Canada's talented young racers can hone their skills at the traditional home of Canadian motor racing. Tagliani, who started racing karts at the age of ten, will address over 150 driving members of all ages from across Ontario.

"I'm all for supporting younger drivers because I appreciate how competitive the sport is," said Tagliani. "Whether these club drivers want to reach a level like Champ Cars or race on a recreational level, they need encouragement and direction to progress and stay competitive. Kart racing is different from mainstream sports, but clubs like the Mosport Kart Club make it a safe and affordable sport for people to pursue. Competitive racing is physically demanding and develops skills, discipline and teamwork like traditional sports."

Tagliani came up through the ranks of karting clubs like Mosport, before entering the CART Toyota Atlantic Championships in 1996, where he raced for four years prior to entering the Champ Car World Series in 2000. This season, with tremendous support from automotive interior supplier, Johnson Controls, Tagliani led the first-year Rocketsports team to three podium finishes and two pole starts. Tagliani battled among the top teams all season, securing a tenth place finish with 97 points in the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford championship.

Tagliani also supports the next generation of drivers by personally mentoring Montreal drivers Pierre Luc Ouelette and Jeffery Petriello. Tagliani joined the young kart drivers, his father, Raymond Tagliani and the SRA Karting organization at the SuperKartsUSA (SKUSA) SuperNations in Las Vegas last weekend. In addition to his time and attention Tagliani pleased the Vegas crowd with demonstration laps in his twin 125CC shifter kart and dominated a cast of drivers in the pro-celebrity race. Watch for the SKUSA events and Tagliani's pro-celebrity victory to be broadcast in December on SPEED Channel.