Daniel Demaras got some good press in ‘The Varsity‘ newspaper. Sports editor Ahmad Khan met with Demaras in December to discuss the Canadian racing scene, the 2023 season, and how Daniel arrived at this point in his career. Below is a short excerpt.
By Ahmad Khan — Published January 7, 2024
When Demaras was 13, he began competing in the Canadian Rookie Karting Championship, where he won two championships. Next up was the TRAK Championship, a competitive racing series at the club level in Southern Ontario.
Yet, starting in TRAK in 2017, Demaras encountered his first roadblocks. He struggled for the next three years. Karting is incredibly chaotic: as Demaras explained, “there [are] 1,000 things that can go wrong,” with crashes being commonplace. Frustration can also set in easily when competing alongside drivers with much more experience, some of whom even began racing as far back as 2003 — the year Demaras was born.
But struggles and adversaries are a pivotal part of any story. Look no further than the appropriately named Will Power, one of Demaras’ heroes.
Before winning the 2014 IndyCar Series and the 2018 Indianapolis 500, Power encountered several struggles. Power found himself in close fights for the championship in different seasons but lost out each time, often due to crashes that brought his seasons to an end. Some of these even happened in the final races of the season. “It broke my heart every time,” Demaras reminisced.
However, it was overcoming that very struggle that made him Demaras’ hero. Taking inspiration from Power, Demaras adopted his racing number 12 and with it Power’s unyielding attitude.
Persistence was key for Demaras, and his commitment paid off in 2020: he broke through and won his first race in TRAK. He didn’t stop there: he won the championship that year and again in 2021. Demaras also competed in the K1 World Championships in California, finishing third in 2019.
Into Formula 1200
After winning his second TRAK championship, Demaras found himself test-driving a Formula 1200 car at the end of 2021. In 2022, he began racing in Formula 1200, a transition that brought on a whole new set of challenges.
The series focused on close-quarters racing, leaving even less of a margin of error than before. Additionally, Demaras is now competing in more races than ever. A weekend in Formula 1200 consists of practice sessions, qualifying, and three races: one on Saturday, with two more happening on Sunday.
There is also a step up in competition. One of Demaras’ fellow competitors is Phil Wang, who has won each Canadian season between 2015 and 2022. His wealth of experience means he often can predict what other drivers will do. “If you’re moving to the left to pass him, he already knows you’re going to do that,” Demaras explained.
COURTESY OF ALEX SMALLEY/GOFAST PHOTOGRAPHY
Despite finding himself on a few podiums and finishing third overall in his first year, frustration set in once again as his first win evaded him. Yet, he didn’t have to wait long to overcome it, as he earned his first Formula 1200 win in 2023. Demaras won three more times that season, leading to him being crowned the 2023 Canadian Formula 1200 Champion.
Racing is difficult to advance further into due to the lack of a ladder system found in other sports, such as hockey. Finances are another issue. For example, Formula Three requires hundreds of thousands of dollars to race. For Demaras, continuing to compete any way he can is his focus. “If that’s Formula 1200, then I’m happy to be there,” Demaras said.
Rally Against Hunger
As Demaras waits for the next season of Formula 1200 to begin in May, the Demaras family is giving back for the holiday season. The Rally Against Hunger, which they held on December 3, consisted of a charity go-kart race — in which some audience members participated — and a food drive.
AHMAD KHAN/THE VARSITY
“It’s disheartening to see because we’re a world-class city, but we’ve got a lot of people who can’t afford to feed themselves,” Demaras said.
Demaras Racing was able to help the community at the event — which they organized jointly with Race Lab and Can-Jam Motorsports — gathering 1,220 pounds in food donations.
Make sure to go to The Varsity website to read the entire article. Even if you’re not a racing fan (who are we kidding … this is Demaras Racing’s website … of course you’re a racing fan) it’s an interesting article about how a young boy in karts grew into a young man winning his first open-wheel races.