We at Team Valhalla Racing would like to ask you to help us complete a project we’ve been working on for a couple years.  The following is a bit of a long read, but please take a few minutes if you would, to see what we’re trying to accomplish.  

Most of you know that we introduced the 360 Plus Device about 7 years ago.  It’s a piece of safety equipment for karting that a number of you have used and given us positive feedback on. A problem though is that it is a bit too big for a lot of the youngest drivers.

We have a design for smaller version called the K360 Device that's specifically designed for Kid Kart age and smaller framed drivers.  

The new K360 design is thinner over the shoulders and is designed differently in the back so that it doesn’t project down so far that it comes into contact with the seat.  This design will work and fit better on even the smallest drivers in the 5 and 6 year old range.

We've been working on getting the K360 into production for over a year, but the cost of the whole project has kept us from bringing it to life.

We’ve found a possible solution, but need a helping hand from some of our friends. 

Chase Bank has a program called Mission Main Street.  They annually give out grants of $150,000 to 20 companies to help them bring new products to market, hire new employees, or expand their business.  Receiving this grant would allow us to pay for prototyping, tooling expenses, and equipment needed to manufacture the K360 Device for these little guys… and gals.

The process is basically broken into two phases:  First – a company must obtain 250 votes by October 17^th at 11:59 p.m. Second, go through a panel review process to determine the final grant recipients.

We're asking for your help to achieve the first step – get at least 250 votes so they can qualify for potentially receiving one of the 20 grants.  The more votes we have though, the stronger the message that this is an important piece of safety equipment to our sport.

To vote for, you can follow this link:  www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/business/detail/22453

To vote, you’ll be asked to sign in with your Facebook information.  Anyone with a Facebook account can vote.

In an effort to give back, if we receive a grant, we will donate $5.00 for every K360 Device sold going forward, to be divided equally between Big Brothers Big Sisters (www.bbbsa.org) and a scholarship fund that is being established that kart racers can apply for.  More information on the scholarship will be posted when the details are finalized.

We want to thank everyone for taking the time to vote and hopefully passing this information on to friends and family that enjoy kart racing and want to help make it safer for the youngest of drivers in our sport.

Team Valhalla Racing