Rolling in to Goodwood on Saturday morning with confidence, Daniel prepared for a battle with Yanko, Polo and Conte. Before the fight could begin, some light entertainment as the Kid Karts took to the track, with Leo ‘The Lion’ Simone in the No. 95 represented New Speed Motorsports in this division for 3-5 year olds.
The youngsters adapted to the ‘chicane’ quickly, and the race was an exciting combination of raw speed and nervousness. Old friend Ethan Pollack was drafted in to wave the flag…the only racer brave enough to get so close to the track!
With Leonard returning to the NSM paddock this weekend, Chris and Daniel were relaxed, as they knew they were in good hands. The kart was aligned, geared and ready to race. But issues with clutch slip continued to plague Demaras, visible every time he tried to leave the grid, yet masked by quick times on track.
TRAK Race 7 was random order heat racing…no qualifying. Despite starting sixth in Heat 1 and third in Heat 2, Demaras muscled the No. 412 to P2 behind Jeff Conte. Daniel had to make some strong passes to get to the front, and would start Final from second on the grid, on the outside of the front row.
The clutch issue became evident at every start, as Daniel would lose positions. This was visible in the Final where rivals Yanko and Polo jumped Daniel at Turn 1, dropping him to 4th. Daniel used his racecraft to regain the positions, but he plateaued in second position, not able to chase down Conte in the closing laps.
On a positive note, NSM teammates Rocco Simone won Heat Races in both Mini Rok and Briggs Cadet, ending the day second in both classes. As customary, Cayden Goodridge swept VSR Masters, destroying all rivals. Friend of the family Ethan Pollack (the Kid Karts flagman and ROK Jr racer) stood on the podium bringing glory to the ProSound team, while the Briggs Sr racers put on another close race.
While it was an excellent points haul towards the 2021 TRAK Championship, Demaras’ disappointment at coming in second was painfully obvious.
Once the podium celebrations were finished, it was all smiles for New Speed Motorsports as Rocco, Cayden and Daniel all reached the podium. Next week, the battles continues with TRAK Race 8, the final club race before the KartStars Nationals, which will return to the National Championship’s spiritual home, Shannonville.
