YNOT EUROPE – The YNOT Grand Prix’s third 2012 leg, presented by JuicyAds, is set to rocket from the starting line in Phoenix after a couple of notable upsets in Barcelona left the leader board wide open.

In Barcelona, top seed Raphael Berkien, who led for most of the race, not only received a penalty for unsportsmanlike driving, but also experienced an unfortunate “traction incident.” Combined, the two mishaps left Berkien in seventh position by the end of the night. Still, he clocked the best overall lap time: 37.234 seconds. The Dating Factory team took top team honors, with five drivers among the top 10 fastest.

The individual winners of the Main Event, in order, were Gabriel of Spanish studio Sol y Luna, Gary Taylor of British company White Label Dating, and Ad Schoonen of Ireland-based mobile traffic network AdultXpand.

Taylor, who started the Barcelona race in fifth position, also bested Berkien in Phoenix last year, and he said he intends to do so again when the YNOT Grand Prix hits the quarter-mile-long tracks at the F1 Race Factory on March 30.

“We’re all looking forward to getting back in the hot seat in Phoenix,” he said.

The Phoenix leg of the YNOT Grand Prix is one of the largest, most competitive races on the circuit. Last year’s event attracted 60 drivers, all vying to be among the team and individual award winners. Both women and men participate; in fact, 2000Charge Chief Operating Officer Ines Kring became a serious contender after smoking all the men to win one of the final heats in Barcelona.

The 2012 Phoenix event will begin at 8 p.m., when shuttles depart the Tempe Mission Palms headquarters of the Phoenix Forum. Complimentary food and drinks will be served at the track, and qualifying heats are expected to get underway at 8:45 p.m. The Main Event, during which the winners of all qualifying heats face off in a death match, will be followed by an awards ceremony, expected to occur at midnight. Thanks to the generosity of race sponsors, shuttles will travel between the track and the hotel all evening.

Launched in 2010, the YNOT Grand Prix is the adult industry’s championship kart-racing series, awarding both team and individual titles. Component events in the U.S. and Europe provide participants with an opportunity to network amidst some obviously cutthroat competition. Cunning and good-natured trash talk play as big a role as skill, but the camaraderie is priceless. The final race of the 2012 season will take place in Prague in September.

The YNOT Grand Prix Phoenix, presented by JuicyAds, is sponsored by 2000Charge, PussyCash, RIVCash, Dating Factory and FN Cash. For more information or to secure a seat among the drivers, visit YNOTgp.com, email LAJ or ping ICQ 92418228.