The Free Press
MANKATO —
Racing go-karts that can reach speeds of up to 40 mph will zip around a course Saturday that sports hairpin turns and sweeping curves.
And it’s all for a good cause.
Sponsorship of teams supports MRCI, Mankato’s fourth-largest employer that serves 1,500 clients with disabilities in Mankato and more than 4,000 across southern Minnesota.
The MRCI Grand Prix is in its fifth year with go-karts spending 12 hours zipping around the MRCI site at 15 Map Drive in Mankato.
Brian Benshoof, MRCI’s new CEO, has said the event is a good public relations tool and offers a fun way to raise awareness about the work MRCI does.
Benshoof said he likes to refer to the go-kart event as a “friendraiser” instead of a “fundraiser.” He said it has connected MRCI with a lot of different people in the community and business community.
The event will likely raise between $30,000 and $35,000, Benshoof said.
The MRCI Grand Prix also includes a celebrity race from 8:30-9 a.m. with local elected officials Mark Piepho, Mike Laven, Mark Frost and Kip Bruender.
What
MRCI Foundation Grand Prix
When
9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday
Where
MRCI Worksource, 15 Map Drive (east of Minnesota State University, past the Stadium and Pohl roads intersection)
