NASCAR Truck Series racer 'Mad' Max Papis to appear Saturday at the Cdn. Motorsports Expo

(TORONTO, ON // January 19, 2011) The Canadian Motorsports Expo is proud to announce that international racing star ‘Mad’ Max Papis will be at Canada’s Ultimate Racing Show on Saturday, Jan. 22. In addition to participating in an on-stage Fan Q&A and Autograph Session – at 6 p.m. on the Keystone Light Stage – Papis will spend some time on Saturday in the Race Time Radio booth.

In 2011, Papis will be racing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The week after the CME, he’ll be competing in a Daytona Prototype car in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

The versatile Italian-born racer, who now resides in North Carolina, thrilled Canadian fans last summer at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when he narrowly lost the NASCAR Nationwide Series race to his good friend, Boris Said, after a back-and-forth battle. Earlier in the season, he raced in his first Daytona 500, just weeks after being part of the overall runner-up team in the Rolex 24. His impressive racing resume also includes stints in Formula 1, NASCAR, Grand-Am, CART / IndyCar, IMSA, IROC and other series.

“I’m looking forward to coming to Toronto to participate in the Canadian Motorsports Expo on Saturday,” said the charismatic Papis. “We’ll be there promoting our MOMO Stockcar Steering Wheels, as well as speaking with the fans on Saturday afternoon and signing autographs. Look for us at the Race Time Radio booth (#1259). I’m racing at the Rolex 24 the following weekend and looking forward to a full season in the NASCAR Truck Series, so there will be lots to talk about.”

Discussing Papis’ appearance at the CME, show founder Glenn Butt said, “Max Papis is a classic racer, who excels in every racing machine he climbs into. His magnetic smile and accessible personality have made him a favourite with true racing fans. He’s won or competed in the biggest series and events in the world – including Le Mans, the Rolex 24, the Indy 500, the Daytona 500, the Sebring 12 Hour, F1, IndyCar, NASCAR and more. We’re extremely happy that he’s coming to the CME.”

ABOUT MAX PAPIS: Max Papis’ personal website is: www.maxpapis.com. His Tweets can be followed at @maxpapis.

ABOUT MAX PAPIS INC USA: MPI USA is a North Carolina Corporation. It was founded by Max Papis and his wife Tatiana Fittipaldi Papis in February 2009, with the intention of selling the MOMO Stockcar Steering Wheels and other products.

Max and his wife, Tatiana, have a long background in racing. Max has been a professional race car driver since he was 12 years old. Since then he has raced in Formula 1, Champ Cars, Indy Cars, IMSA, Grand-Am, IROC, (among others). For 2011, he will drive the GEICO-sponsored truck in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Tatiana was born into racing with parents Emerson and Maria Helena Fittipaldi. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Psychology and a minor in Marketing, from the University of Miami. They recently moved to Mooresville, NC (from Miami, FL) to pursue Max's career in NASCAR. They have two sons, Marco and Matteo.

In 2008, Marc Phaneuf, president of MOMO Italy USA asked Max and Tatiana to be the exclusive worldwide distributors of MOMO Stockcar Steering Wheels. Both jumped at the opportunity, and thus began their adventure with MOMO. Due to Max's busy schedule with NASCAR, Tatiana runs the company most of the time. For more info on this young company, visit www.maxpapisinc.com.

ABOUT THE CME: The Canadian Motorsports Expo is a three-day celebration of Canadian racing that runs January 21, 22 and 23, 2011 at the International Centre (6900 Airport Road in Mississauga). The show is powered by Inside Track Motorsport News. In addition to booths and racing vehicles representing the entire spectrum of Canadian motorsports, the show is loaded with seminars and forums to entertain and inform racers and fans alike. Star drivers – including reigning IndyCar Series Champion and Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, and rising NASCAR Sprint Cup star Brad Keselowski – will be at the CME to sign autographs and meet the fans. One of the special themes of this year’s CME is the Karting Reunion. Please check the show’s website for updates and changes.

For more information about the Canadian Motorsports Expo, visit www.canadianmotorsportsexpo.com. You can reach co-promoters Inside Track at (416) 962-7223 or email info@canadianmotorsportsexpo.com.

- 30 -

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series coming to the Canadian Motorsports Expo

(TORONTO, ON // January 19, 2011) This weekend in Toronto, the biggest name in the world of motorsports will have a presence at Canada’s top racing show. The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be on-site for all three days of the 5th Annual Canadian Motorsports Expo. The show runs Friday, Jan. 21 through Sunday, Jan. 23 at the International Centre, adjacent to Toronto’s Pearson Airport.

The main NASCAR display will feature the same massive hauler that is the hive of activity at every NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race. Series Director Brad Moran and more than two dozen race and technical officials will be on hand at the CME to give showgoers a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in a real NASCAR ‘tech lane’ and working garage. A total of three Canadian Tire Series stock cars will also be part of the display.

“We’re very excited about participating in the Canadian Motorsports Expo, one of the top, if not the top, racing shows in Canada,” said Moran. “The show is a great showcase for Canadian racing and we’re looking forward to giving the fans a close look at what takes place, each race weekend, in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series’ ‘tech lane’ and garage. We’re going to be offering some limited tours through the series hauler on Saturday and Sunday, so the fans can experience something that can’t happen on raceday when everybody is busy getting ready for the event.”

The show will also prominently feature a strong contingent of NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racers, many of whom will be participating in the Canadian Tire Series Driver Autograph Session, live on the Keystone Light Stage, starting Saturday at 4:45 p.m. While signing autographs for the fans, the drivers will also be participating in a casual, Q&A session, talking about their individual racing programs. So far, reigning NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champ DJ Kennington, Don Thomson Jr., Mark Dilley, Jason Hathaway, Jason White, Robin Buck, Dexter Stacey and Caitlin Johnston are confirmed.

Later that evening, two of these NCATS drivers will also be receiving Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards, live on the Keystone Light Stage. Be sure to be there Saturday at 7:15 p.m. to find out which two will receive these coveted awards, as voted by the readers of Inside Track Motorsport News.

Also on hand at the NASCAR display, throughout the weekend, will be Chris Davy, co-owner of Robert Yates Racing Engines. The company was recently announced as the new exclusive SPEC engine supplier to all of NASCAR’s touring series. Davy will there to talk with current and prospective NASCAR racers about the new SPEC engine program. Similarly, Moran and his team of race officials will be available to discuss general issues, rules and procedures pertaining to the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. They will also be prepared to provide paperwork for racers and teams to start the registration process for the upcoming season.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fans attending the CME will also be in for a special treat as Canadian Motor Speedway is presenting Jeff Gordon’s newly-unveiled #24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet Impala showcar. NASCAR Canada, another longtime supporter of the CME, is presenting Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #88 AMP Energy Chevrolet Sprint Cup showcar.

Current NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Brad Keselowski will be on hand Sunday at the CME to participate in an on-stage Fan Q&A / Autograph Session. For 2011, he will be driving Roger Penske’s legendary #2 Miller Lite Dodge in Sprint Cup.

As well, popular racer ‘Mad’ Max Papis – who will be competing full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2011 – will be at the CME on Saturday to meet the fans and sign autographs. Papis finished second to Boris Said in the thrilling NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last August, and will be competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, one week after the CME.

“We really have to offer a huge thanks to Brad Moran and the people at NASCAR and NASCAR Canada for their support of the Canadian Motorsports Expo,” said the CME’s Greg MacPherson. “NASCAR is the pinnacle of the sport and to have them coming to the show to connect with the fans and racers – in such a big way – means a lot. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this unique opportunity.”

ABOUT THE CME: The Canadian Motorsports Expo is a three-day celebration of Canadian racing that runs January 21, 22 and 23, 2011 at the International Centre (6900 Airport Road in Mississauga). The show is powered by Inside Track Motorsport News. In addition to booths and racing vehicles representing the entire spectrum of Canadian motorsports, the show is loaded with seminars and forums to entertain and inform racers and fans alike. Star drivers, including reigning IndyCar Series Champion and Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, rising NASCAR Sprint Cup star Brad Keselowski, Canadian racing champions Ron Fellows, Junior Hanley, DJ Kennington and many others, will be at the CME to sign autographs and meet the fans. Please check the show’s website regularly for updates and changes.

For more information about the Canadian Motorsports Expo, visit www.canadianmotorsportsexpo.com. You can reach co-promoters Glenn Butt at (905) 721-1762 or Inside Track at (416) 962-7223 or email info@canadianmotorsportsexpo.com.

TORONTO STAR / WHEELS: Norris McDonald on the CME

Norris McDonald did a nice piece on the Canadian Motorsports Expo on the Toronto Star / Wheels.ca blog this morning. Thank you Norris!


"If having IZOD IndyCar Champion — and two-time winner of the Molson/Honda Indy Toronto — Dario Franchitti at next month’s Canadian Motorsports Expo wasn’t enough, the news today is that NASCAR Nationwide Series champ Brad Keselowski is coming too.

Fans will be able to meet, greet and get an autograph from Keselowski — who’s a pretty good NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star as well — on Sun, Jan. 23, at the International Centre out by Toronto Pearson.

Franchitti will be the headliner at the Expo the day before. The show opens on the Friday evening with a special Ontario stock car racing show built around a late model car belonging to the late — and legendary — “Daytona” Don Biederman and a panel featuring Junior Hanley.

From humble beginnings five years ago, the Canadian Motorsports Expo has become a must-attend event. Held in the dead of winter, the Expo features special guests like Franchitti and Keselowski, manufacturer and speedway displays, panel discussions (translation: arguments) and other attractions that always help to get the juices flowing...."

Click here for the full piece...