Kart 4 Kids raises $154,000 for charity

The lone positive to come out of last week’s cancellation of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was the response to the 9th annual Kart 4 Kids charity event.

Held inside Turn 1 two days before the NTT IndyCar Series was set to start its season, the March 11 fundraiser for the local Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital generated $154,000 from corporate donations and racing memorabilia auctions.

“It’s difficult times, so we appreciate everyone who came out to bid,” said Sebastien Bourdais, who helps lead the charity initiative. “We’re feeling blessed and happy to have raised the money we did this year. It’s a little shy of last year’s number, but given the scenario we’re in with the coronavirus, everyone is extremely happy. It brings the total to $750,000 we’ve raised for the children’s hospital.”

Bourdais also thanked the open-wheel and sports car community that came out to race and generate income for the project.

“From IndyCar, we had Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden came, Pato O’Ward, Oliver Askew, Dalton Kellet, Santino Ferrucci and Zach Veach,” he said. “And from sports cars, we had Spencer Pumpelly, Trent Hindman, Tristan Vautier, Kyle Masson, Jan Heylen, James French, and some great young open-wheel drivers like Kyle Kirkwood and Sabre Cook were there, too. Andersen Promotions is a big part of this, and all the people that put it together; it’s a passionate group that is very giving.”