After TRAK race 1 was ‘snowed out’, Goodwood Kartways was back up and running for scheduled TRAK race 2 (but it’s actually the first race of the season). One thing that did not change between the two races; the snow.
The racetrack was snow-free, so the race was on. Daniel met Christopher, his PRO mechanic for the season. They set the kart up for the conditions, and duct taped a number “7” on the old-school number plate at the rear of the kart. 2018 was underway!
Melting snow and cold temperatures created very difficult conditions for the drivers. A large puddle just before the main straight caused multiple drivers to lose traction, ending up stranded in the snow below the timing stand. The session was red flagged, and Daniel finished practice one in tenth place.
Daniel and mechanic Christopher discussed setup and racing lines as they wiped down the mud-covered kart. Christopher didn’t feel chassis changes were required, so other than air pressure changes, Daniel went back out for practice two with the same setup. Changing track conditions challenged Daniel and he dropped a position to eleventh.
The prefinal got off to a rocky start. As the karts roared into turn one, Daniel hit the brakes, then got hit from behind, sending him into a spin. Three karts tangled, and Daniel was pointed backward at turn 1, on his first race in Briggs Sr. Not the start he was looking for, but Daniel turned his kart around and got moving. After some passes and some spinners, Daniel finished eleventh… right where he started.
Demaras got a clean start in the final, moving up to tenth position. He tried twice to get past PRO teammate Anthony, but couldn’t complete the pass. Late in the race, Anthony spun in turn one, avoiding the wall, but giving way tenth place to Daniel in the process. Daniel began to reduce the gap to ninth place Zach Boam. Demaras was all over the back of Boam on the last lap, but due to the difficult conditions, and the single racing line, Daniel couldn’t pull off the move.
In Briggs Jr, Daniel’s best finish was eleventh. After one race in Briggs Sr, he bettered that with a Top-Ten finish. With continued driver training from PRO, it’s not hard to imagine better finishes in store for young Daniel.
“All in all today was pretty good, but there was a lot I left on the table. A poor qualifying and mistake in the prefinal meant I played catchup throughout the afternoon. This having been said, tenth is a great result, and I’m definitely excited to see how senior and the new partnership with PRO will continue to advance this year.”- Daniel Demaras.
