Daniel Demaras’ latest article on www.K1Speed.ca was his toughest yet. At the 2018 K1NG of SPEED tournament, Daniel didn’t even make it as far as the Fast Four. But in the 2019 Tournament, he made it all the way to the finals!
It was tough to come so close to a big tournament win, but Daniel is a pro, and kept his commitment to write about the event he took part in, no matter how tough it was to write.
On October 15th, 2019, IndyCar returned to Richmond Raceway for the first time in a decade. The space shuttle Team Penske driver Joseph Newgarden drove was light-years ahead of the old race cars that last paced the 3/4 mile oval from 2001 to 2009.
The 2020-spec IndyCars looked incredible in short oval configuration.The angle of the front wing end-plate aligns with the rake of the aeroscreen. And it’s positively amazing how much some white vinyl wrap and a sponsor logo improves the appearance of this safety device.
Even Scott Dixon’s car looks good with a blue ‘visor strip’ atop the screen, visually tying it together with the engine cover.
PRO tuner and driving coach Andrew Waring has been keeping busy in the karting off-season by whipping people on an iRacing.com tournament. Not sure which car Waring was driving, but considering how sideways the virtual R2ENDALZ Audi was during the race, you can bet he wasn’t driving Vance’s car.
Looks like the Racing To End Alzheimer’s Audi had a tough race!
With 10 rounds of racing raced, drops dropped and points set for the post-season, the semi-final rounds at Goodwood Kartways took place on October 12th & 13th. As expected, the turnout was massive, as racers tried for championships…or just one more win before winter.
Demaras came into the semi-final outside of the Top 20 in points, but aiming for a positive result against tough competition. A year ago, Chris was on the podium in the semi-final.
Before the race, Kasper Titus, who’d raced the No. 94 Kart to a 5th place finish in the welterweight race, came down to the heavyweight grid to wish his friend Chris good luck. A photo-bombing Damiano foreshadowed the dive-bombing that would occur on track as Chris tried desperately to maintain position in front of his rival.
A podium finish was out of Chris’ reach, and 5th place was the maximum result, but with one race to go in the season, Demaras has one more chance at racing glory.
If you think racing is dangerous today, take a look at this golden oldie from back when safety was an afterthought. Men were men and women were men and children were men. These people had GUTS!
What a race! The No. 23 R2ENDALZ / FastMD Racing /Speed Syndicate / FEL / ExpoSystems Audi RS3 started from last (not last in class…dead last) due to a fuel pump failure in qualifying. But ‘Violet’ made moves right from the start, moving up the field, lap after lap.
When it came time for pit stopr and driver changes, Galante had moved the car to the sharp end of the field.
When Toronto’s own James Vance got behind the wheel, there was no stopping him!
From last to 3rd place, a podium finish was an incredible accomplishment for Demaras Racing’s favourite IMSA team of James & Nick & Violet.
Big thanks to the No.23 R2ENDALZ Audi team for an exciting year. Podium finishes to start the season at Dayton and end the season at Road Atlanta, plus a win at Virginia International Raceway.
The annual K1NG OF SPEED tournament took place at K1 Speed Toronto on Thursday, October 10th, 2019. Reigning K1NG, Abrar Khan, was unable to defend his crown, recovering from a hamstring injury. So the headline was already written; a new K1NG would be crowned.
A strong group of racers competed in the tournament, including George Stanchev, Mashaal Memon, plus Daniel & Jack DaSilva. Coming through in the clutch, many drivers set their personal best lap times, in the low 22 sec range.
The FINAL FOUR were all experienced racers. Ivano Di Vittorio would take on Daniel Chu, and Victor Zdanski would battle Daniel Demaras in the semi-final round.
As some at track side predicted, Daniel D and Daniel C, quickest drivers all night long, were the finalists. K1 Speed’s manager Anthony was all smiles as he knew an epic fight was in store for the last round.
Daniel Demaras fought the good fight, setting a personal best lap time of 22.050 seconds during the tournament. But a stunning 21.997 second lap from Daniel Chu was enough to take the crown as the 2019 K1NG of SPEED.
Demaras finished runner-up in the 16-man tournament, a huge improvement over last year. On this night, Demaras was a prince, but not a king.
Congratulations from the Demaras Auto Racing Team to Daniel Chu, the 2019 K1NG of SPEED.
With the Formula 1 circus rolling into Suzuka this weekend, Japan’s greatest living race car driver, Takuma Sato, was invited by Honda to run laps in the RA272; Honda’s entry into the 1965 F1 World Championship. Sato raced a Honda for B.A.R. F1 and Super Aguri F1 before departing F1 for IndyCar where he piloted his Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda to victory at the Indy 500. Sato is Honda’s favourite son.
Oh yeah, and Max Verstappen was also there.
Sato is a fan favourite. He has raced in the top series, with some of the best teams, yet he’s always accessible and humble, as evidenced at promotional events (like these pics from K1 Speed in Ontario, California) and his interactions with fans, like young Daniel Demaras.
Chris Demaras is considering a change: making the switch from go karts to monster trucks. While these two vehicles are at opposite sides of the motorsports spectrum, Demaras feels that with time and training, he could achieve success.
The starting point; rent one! Luckily there are several places that allow rookies like Chris to try driving a monster truck. Bethlehem, Connecticut, is the home of the Blue Buzzard monster truck. For a couple dollars, any licensed driver can take the beast out for 8 laps on their dirt track, crushing cars and hitting jumps.
If you’re thinking “I’d like to try this too!” call them at (203) 438-4957 or check out their website at www.DriveMonsterTrucks.com.
Blue Buzzard Monster Truck
120 Crane Hollow Rd
Bethlehem, Connecticut, USA
06751
