Boynton Beach, FL

Reigning Snap-on Stars of Karting Divisional Cadet Champion Gabby Chaves showed he will be a force to be reckoned with as he steps up to more powerful machinery in 2007 after a stellar performance at the Florida Winter Tour.

Chaves, who was competing in the Rotax Junior category, was disqualified after qualifying for kart width violations. Chaves started dead last in the prefinal, but was up to 16th by the end of lap one. He ensued with a methodical charge through the field, making his way up to third when the checkered flag flew on the prefinal behind Tony Kart teammates Nick Neri and Jarvis Gennari. He then continued his charge in the Final, taking the lead spot by lap three and never looking back to take a stellar victory. Sodi Racing USA Manager Terry Lawrence sees great potential for 2007 with Chaves, “After our trip to France with our 2007 squad, I knew that Gabby was a great talent. The win this weekend, and the way he went about getting to business and working his way up from the back of the pack to take the win confirms what we thought all along. Gabby is a great talent, and its up to our team to work with him to take advantage of the great potential we have for the 2007 season.”

James Kennedy, a standout for Sodi in the ICA and Rotax Senior categories for Sodi Racing, made his debut in the DD2 category and ran consistently in the top 10. However, Kennedy battled engine issues all weekend and was never able to make a serious challenge for the podium.

The G-Phactory Sodi Racing USA team now heads to the Mazda Race of the Americas April 13-15 in Norman, OK. The race will be the opening event in the Snap-on Stars of Karting presented by IndyCar Series where the team will vie for race wins, and season championships in four classes this year.