With two wins last week at Goodwood and Mosport, Daniel was eager to continue his streak. Racing the reverse configuration with chicane for the first time this year, Driver #12 was looking forward to a configuration that he’s had success with in last year.
The first session saw collisions with a newer driver. As Daniel attempted an inside pass, the rookie spun at corner exit, directly into the path of oncoming traffic, causing the collision. In retaliation for the impact, Demaras’ competitor later attempted to run Daniel off the track, by hitting and pushing Daniel’s kart towards the grass. Daniel later tried a pass on turn six, but was cut off by the same driver. The driver who cut Daniel off did not get any advantage from this, as the move sent him flying off the track.
The two drivers argued over the incident after the session. Daniel had this to say about the conversation.” He’s talking about how he didn’t want anybody passing him, and that was his justification for his behaviour. It’s ludicrous! You don’t have to defend during practice, and this isn’t some video game where you can smash into people. Racing is not a contact sport and I hate when people treat it as such.”
Daniel had pace in the all three practice sessions, and chose kart #10 for qualifying. Daniel finished the session with a personal best lap of a 41.7 seconds, pole position 0.5 seconds. This was young Demaras’ first pole position since Mosport CRKC Race 1 in May 2015, and his first pole at Goodwood in 2016. Daniel was ecstatic after the qualifying session, confident he could earn the maximum 11 points.
As the green flag waved, second place starter Ivan stayed close behind Daniel through turn 1, but as the lap progressed, Daniel pulled a gap to second place. Never truly clear of his opponent, Daniel drove smooth, consistent lines and maintained his gap to 2nd place. The reverse configuration at Goodwood has 3 additional corners (the chicane or ‘bus stop’) and eliminates a straight, placing emphasis on driver skill. Each lap, Demaras lead increased, and he earned his 2nd consecutive victory at Goodwood.
The win continues Demaras’ 3rd win in a row, including competition at Mosport and Goodwood, and has filled Daniel with confidence. Driver #12 is a serious threat on any racetrack.
