‘New Kart Shakedown’ by Daniel Demaras
I saw injured racer Robert Wickens at the IndyCar practice session today, rolling around the paddock in his wheelchair with a big grin on his face. Sunday, he’ll drive parade laps in an Acura NSX (with hand controls for throttle and brakes) before the race. His name is painted across the finish line at my karting track, showing him how much us kart racers support him during his recovery.
After watching the IndyCar action, we headed up to Goodwood Kartways. The session was both to practice ahead of the TRAK race on Saturday, and to shakedown a brand new chassis!
Practice was held both in forward and reverse configuration, both on the shorter version of the circuit in order to prepare for the event on Saturday. Working with Andrew Waring, I was able to get quicker and quicker as the day went on.
Last year, the two-stage enduro saw me score my best result of 2018, so it was super important to make sure the kart was running smoothly, and that I had good pace. With the quick times I set on Friday, under Andrew’s watchful eye, I’m very confident going into Saturday.
Daniel Demaras