~ by Chris #16 Demaras ~
It took me nearly a year, but I have finally passed all the tests for my CASC Class B license. Last year, my son Daniel wrapped up up back-to-back TRAK Championships to cap off his kart racing career, and we started the process of acquiring his CASC Road Racing license.
Young Daniel was signed up for the Brack Driving Concepts course at Shannonville. I signed up for Racer Development Level II, while he signed up for Racer Observation. Looking back, I’m not sure why I did that. I guess I lacked confidence in my abilities. I knew I’d return to the licensing process this year, so in November I went to Burlington with Daniel to complete the Race Procedures written exam. No problem there. But this year I was flying solo; Daniel’s race season is over, and he’s in school most days. It’s the first time I’ve been to a race track without him in years.
But I certainly wasn’t lonely, since Paul Subject was there, training some road racing rookies. But me? Practically a veteran after all the track days at Mosport with Coach Venditti. This time at Shannonville, I’d be driving the 1999 Miata, and the 5-Speed manual makes the process to easy. Gearing down for the corners, you just feel like you’re in control. My coach, Rudy, races in GT Sprints at the same weekends Daniel races. Even though he’s 20 years younger than me, he had the experience to guide me through each corner, pointing out areas for improvement, without barking orders. Nice Guy.
For the last session of the day, the instructor was out of the car, and I decided to take the hardtop off the Mazda. The morning rain had long since passed, and the track was dry. I suited up with my RaceQuip nomex, Taylord Design helmet and super-grip gloves. If all else failed, I would certainly looked the part (see… there’s that lack of confidence again).
In reality, the process was quite easy. I was used to the track and the Miata and I did just fine. Ken Pavri and John Burnet presented me with my certificate, which I’ll now submit to CASC for my Class B racing license. I’m not certain what I’m going to race next year. But I am now one step closer to achieving my childhood dream of being a race car driver.
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