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| November 01, 2012 News |
| EKN Exclusive: The Young Guns of the Karting Industry - Part 3 |
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We’d like to take this opportunity to offer up a new segment of the eKartingNews.com editorial arsenal - ‘The Young Guns of the Karting Industry’ – where we take the opportunity to profile energetic and dedicated members of the sport’s business community. This article series will be focused on profiling some of the younger industry players who are now making a big impact on the sport. Karting is lucky to have the experience and knowledge of many industry veterans, but we are also extremely fortunate to be seeing a new generation of experts building a foundation on supplying service and support to racers all over the country.
Over time, EKN will select a trio of ‘young guns’ to profile, members of the industry who are building solid reputations and will be trackside for years to come.
 | Mark Dismore Jr.
(Photo: DavidLeePhoto.com) |
Mark Dismore Jr. (Comet Racing Engines): If one was to write a book on the history of karting, one of the names that would be presented front and center would be 'Dismore'. Since the sport began in the 1950s, the Dismore name has been involved in the sport as a major player, and it continues at this level to this day. Emerson ‘Diz’ Dismore began as everyone did, enjoying karting as a hobby. This passion grew into a part-time kart shop and eventually a full-time business - Comet Kart Sales. Diz’s son Mark began racing and became an integral part of the sport and the business, as he is today. Now, the third generation of the Dismore family - Mark Dismore Jr. - is taking on the industry to continue the Comet Kart Sales name into the future.
Mark Jr. began racing quarter midgets in 1987 when he was six, as Kid Karts were not around at the time. In the early going, he did not develop the same level of interest that his father and grandfather had for the sport, so he went away from racing for a few years before returning to the local club track in Muncie, Indiana. Once the karting bug bit him fully, he began working up the karting ladder and became a talented driver behind the wheel. One of his first big wins and championships came at the Velodrome in Indy back in 1994 when ESPN broadcasted ‘Saturday Night Lightning’ program. Dismore was the top driver in the Briggs Junior class. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Mark Jr. spent time racing open wheel and stock cars, and was away from the sport of karting for about five years.
He returned to his roots in 2003 to find the shop out of touch with what was happening in the sport, as they had no one actively racing for CKS. In a collective program with his father, Mark Harrison, and Brandon Jenkins, they returned to the kart tracks, Mark as the lead driver for the shop, rebuilding their knowledge on chassis setup and engine performance. He was back to winning national races and scored two WKA championships in 2007. From there, the shop re-emerged as one of the top in the industry, including a strong growth in engine service customers. With Comet Kart Sales back as one of the top programs in the industry, Dismore’s mission is to maximize every part of the business that he can. An updated website is coming in the next few weeks, and mark continues to focus on bringing in new people to the sport, adding new products lines, and providing the best customer service possible. The company is still family-based with Mark Sr. and Donna Dismore looking over both the shop and the kart track - New Castle Motorsports Park. Mark Jr.’s sister - Esteina - is a big part of both as well, with her husband Mike Adams working as the Track Manager.
 | Jay Howard
(Photo: DavidLeePhoto.com) |
Jay Howard (MDD/Praga USA): One person who understands the role of karting in driver development is Praga USA’s Jay Howard. The IndyCar driver used karting to propel his way into the top level of motorsports, and continues to help develop young drivers looking to achieve that same goal. Born in Basildon, England, Howard began karting at the age of seven with his father Paul. Jay worked his way up the karting ranks and was impressive during his Junior years, at one time winning 21 consecutive races . Howard’s glory came with three British titles - the 1997 Intercontinental A British Open Championship, the British Championship and the 1999 ICA British Open Championship. He then moved on to open wheel racing, and came to the United States in 2004 to compete in the USF2000 series. He won the championship in ’05 and moved on the next year to the Indy Pro Series (Firestone Indy Lights), winning the championship in his rookie season. After a challenging 2007 season, he made is first IndyCar Series start with Roth Racing. In 2011, he qualified for his first Indianapolis 500, finishing 30th.
In addition to chasing a full-time ride in the IndyCar Series, Howard has been working hard on building the foundation for other drivers to begin the climb up the motorsports ladder. For the past five seasons, Howard has been seen working with a number of pilots across the country. Screaming Talent was his first small race team, which saw success at the national level. His father transitioned his experience in engine service side of the industry to create H Power Engines, which is now been re-branded to Odgen USA in cooperation with Ogden Racing Engines, which is based in the UK. Jay’s continued his work with young drivers, morphing the operation into Jay Howard’s Motorsports Driver Development (Team MDD). To compliment the program, Howard has recently become the sole United States distributor of the Praga chassis brand, establishing Praga USA to be based in Indianapolis, where he has set up home with his wife Courtney. The couple celebrated their one-year anniversary on October 29.
 | | Cliff Kujala |
Cliff Kujala (Pure Karting): For roughly 2/3 of his life, Cliff Kujala has been involved in the sport of karting. First as a driver, the Phoenix, Arizona native worked up the karting ranks and was among the top shifterkart pilots at his prime. Stepping away from the driver’s seat, Kujala gradually learned the ins and outs of the karting industry and has become a fixture on this side of the sport for the past decade.
Kujala first entered the sport as a driver in 1993, competing at the local and regional level. His first major victory came in the IKF Region 7 Junior Sportsman category at his first ever regional event. He steadily worked up the ranks as a driver, reaching the national level and the SKUSA ProMoto Tour. Cliff finished second in the SKUSA ProMoto Tour Western Division SuperPro Championship, ranked inside the top-10 to end the season. During his time in the seat, driving for KGB USA, he began working at the shop with Dan Ruth, preparing the race team karts and building CR125 engines - racing on his own powerplant in the SuperPro category.
In 2003, Kujala was offered the opportunity to work for CompCor Distribution as they became an importer of the Tony Kart and Kosmic brands. Cliff was brought on as the Technical Director for two years before the company closed down its karting operation. For Kujala, this brought about a new partnership with the Tony Kart factory, as he was named President of the new Tony Kart USA organization. The distribution was split into two organizations in 2008, and Cliff remained with the OTK Kart Group as he joined forces with Buddy Rice and the Tony Kart West operation. When Rice opted to move to Southern California in 2010, Kujala stayed home in Arizona and decided to start up his own company - Pure Karting.
Over the past two years, Kujala has built a strong regional program, focused on the OTK product line while providing one of the best trackside race teams for regional and national events. During Cliff’s work within the industry, he has wrenched for a number of top drivers in North America, and around the world - including Jason Bowles (2004 SKUSA SuperNationals winner), Joel Miller (2006 Stars of Karting ICA champion), David Jurca, Gustavo Menezes, Parker Thompson and Davide Foré during the 2004 Stars of Karting season. Today, Kujala and Pure Karting are working with tomorrow’s stars, along with weekend warriors, including himself, as he jumped back into the driver’s seat this past weekend with a customer in New Jersey. Off the track, he’s keeping busy, as he and his wife Amy welcomed their son Payson James earlier this year. |
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