The racing gods are fickle. Some weekends just don’t go your way, no matter how hard you try or how much you prepare. This was one of those tough weekends for Daniel Demaras and the No. 412 New Speed Motorsports kart Powered by PRO.
Demaras arrived at Goodwood Kartways early Friday morning to maximize his practice time. New Speed Motorsport’s Anthony Simone and Cale Mead were t the track, and get the kart ready: replacing worn out brake pads, clutch shoes / springs and even the throttle cable. Daniel had a chance to get in practice laps while the track was still dry, re-acquainting himself with the reverse long-track configuration.
Rocco Simone, NSM’s star Briggs Cadet driver, shared the track with Daniel, then pulled out his stopwatch and timed his older teammate. The skies opened and drenched the track for Daniel’s second practice session, but no matter what the conditions would be on race day, Demaras would be ready.
Saturday morning, race day. The weather was cool and brisk, but remained dry. The field of competitors was sizeable for a club race, everyone trying for racing glory one last time before the end of the season. As Daniel prepared for another Briggs Masters battle, he had a special visit from young friend and fellow racer Miggy “#TheMigster” Montano.
When it was time to hit the track, all the practice and preparation didn’t prevent problems from popping up throughout the day.
In morning practice, Demaras felt an imbalance in his Intrepid F4K kart that he hadn’t experienced all season. Tuner Leonard D’Arrigo restored balance, and gave Daniel a race kart to move forward with. A bent axle during qualifying was discovered before the Pre-Final but Leonard “cured” it with a series of Donkey Kong whacks with a mallet.
In the Pre-Final, Daniel dragged the No. 412 from 7th place up to 3rd place with some his racecraft and defensive driving on the final lap. He’d be in a good starting position for the final. Leonard continued to work his black magic on the kart between sessions while Anthony kept Daniel’s spirits up.
After overcoming all the issues … getting spun-out by a competitor in the first corner was just too much. Video from the nosecone on Jeff Conte’s kart shows Daniel on the brakes heading into the corner, then off the brakes right as a rival smashes into the back of the No. 412 kart, sending it into a spin.
Daniel dropped to the back of the field, made some aggressive passes, but could only recover to P7. With only 110 points to Yanko’s 200 points on the day, Demaras’ championship charge has hit a speed bump.
Only one more race to go in the 2020 TRAK Championship!