The excitement is really building for tonight’s Champions Night at K1 Speed in Toronto.
All the top drivers from the 2019 season will be there including Steven Mori, Daniel “K1NG of Speed” Chu and Sheri Menezes. Junior racers expected to compete for bragging rights include Christian Menezes and Santiago Ramirez, who finished 2nd place in the 2019 K1RS Points Challenge.
It’ll be a special night for Demaras Racing as both Daniel and Chris will be on the final podium of the season, after finishing 1st and 3rd respectively in the K1RS Points Challenge. There will also be a “Luke VS Vader” race between Daniel and Chris to see which of these two qualifiers will fly down to California for the 2nd annual K1 Speed e-World Championships for electric karts.
PRO teammates Chad Webster, Logan Ploder and Jayden Elphage will be at the track to compete against the top drivers at K1 Speed including Randy Pardy, Dawson Campbell and Ahmed Handy. The driver who sets the fastest lap of the night will win a 10-Race Package, so the contest is expected to be fierce!
While the event is partly a competition, it’s really just a chance for friends and rivals to get together at the track, enjoy some good food, cold drinks and some complimentary races courtesy of K1 Speed management.
Wayne Taylor Racing has won a second straight Rolex 24 At Daytona in the No. 10 Cadillac DPi with drivers Kamui Kobayashi, Renger van der Zande, Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon.
WTR has been a ‘family team’ for many years, with championship winning driver (turned car owner) Wayne bringing his two sons Jordan and Ricky on board several years ago. The brothers matured, became better drivers, and in 2017 won not only Daytona, but the IMSA championship.
In 2019 Ricky Taylor left the team to become a driver for Team Penske, and in 2020 his brother Jordan got a factory ride with Corvette Racing. The nest was now empty.
The fact that his sons are top-tier drivers with two factory teams didn’t stop the mixed emotions from overcoming father Wayne Taylor, the father, when he arrived in Daytona weeks ago.
“When I went to the Roar Before The 24, it was really weird. I didn’t think about it, but the moment I arrived at the track I had this really empty feeling in my stomach. And it was really uncomfortable. And I started thinking, ‘What am I doing here?’ But it didn’t take long. And as soon as first practice started, it was as if nothing had changed. We just had changed the names of drivers. So I’m just happy for them that they’ve proved themselves well enough that they both have warranted these really big drives.”
“Our team has always been a family team, but the family is not just Ricky and Jordan…there is a very big family dynamic in our organization.”
Chris Demaras prepares to battle his younger, quicker son Daniel Demaras on Monday, January 27, 2020. The winner will represent Canada at the K1 Speed World Championships later this year. What is Chris’ strategy?
Last time out, Daniel Demaras had an epic race against friend and sparring partner Dawson Campbell, with Daniel taking a win in Race 2 to match Dawson’s win in Race 1. But Dawson was absent from Race 3 due to personal reasons … and it just wasn’t the same.
In Group A, Ivano and Ahmad set quick times in qualifying, but Daniel still managed P3 for the start. Young Demaras was confident he could make up positions once the two front-runners started battling. From the drop of the green flag, it was obvious Daniel’s kart had issues. The fifth place nearly ran into the back of Daniel’s kart which would not accelerate off the line. The same problem showed itself after every braking zone. Daniel kept up with the leaders, until the last lap when his kart died a slow and painful death. Dropping from 3rd to 6th was hard to watch as Daniel’s kart was so much slower in a straight line. He fought hard to defend his position, but the damage was done.
For the second race in a row, Chris put his kart on pole for the Group B final. After leading the opening lap, Demaras lost a position as Dale Goz took the lead with a strong passing maneuver.
Now second place, Chris tried to protect his position at the expense of overall lap time and speed. But he was under attack. An opponent attempted to overtake Chris at the final left-right sequence of corners, cutting Demaras off in the process. Contact. Hard feelings.
Chris finished third.
Here’s the points after 3 rounds in the 2019 / 2020 130R Racing Series.
In 2020, big changes have happened in the Ontario karting scene; Ron Fellows Series, KartStars Series, Mosport, Goodwood, ASN Canada FIA, the list goes on. But closer to home, The PRO Team has been announced as the official Charles Leclerc Kart dealer for Ontario! PRO’s new partnerships will allow racing enthusiasts to get into the the seat of the Charles Leclerc Kart, whose range includes everything from bambino karts to shifters karts and DD2!
Daniel Demaras is strongly considering a switch from Intrepid Kart to Charles Leclerc Kart … and who wouldn’t want to race the official kart brand of a Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver! But Daniel’s PRO teammate Jared Ramnarayan already made his decision and was the first PRO racer to hit the track in the new Charles Leclerc Kart at this past weekend’s Florida Winter Tour.
Demaras Racing has entered the 2020 GoPro Challenge GP Winter Race League. While the series will be running concurrently at the K1 locations in Toronto and Montreal, Daniel and Chris will be competing at the Toronto location only.
GoPro Challenge GP
15 Heats – 5 Weeks – 1 Winner
Do you think you have what it takes to go wheel-to-wheel with the best drivers at K1 Speed Toronto? Then participate in our GoPro Challenge GP Race League – a competitive adult racing series that is easy and affordable to join, and provides a unique and exhilarating racing experience like no other.
And new for 2020, the winner of our GoPro Challenge GP will not only earn a K1 Speed Prize Pack, but will also take home a brand-new GoPro Hero8 Black camera (a $470 value) – the latest and greatest from the action camera manufacturer we love the most!
Winter Season Schedule
Round 1: February 13th
Round 2: February 20th
Round 3: February 27th
Round 4: March 5th
Round 5: March 12th
Check-in at 7:00 pm. Racing begins promptly at 7:30 pm.
Participation
Must pre-purchase 5-week League Package to be eligible to participate in the GoPro Challenge GP Race League.
5-week League Package includes a total of 15 League heats
Races can only be used during league nights (non-transferable)
All participants must meet qualifications for riding in adult karts
Junior Qualification
Racers who may be too old or too experienced for our Junior Karting League, can now qualify to participate in Challenge GP races. Any racer between the ages of 14 and 18 who has a K1RS score at or above 1,400 points can participate in Challenge GP go kart race league events (driver must be approved for top speed in the adult karts)
Prizes
Making the podium for our GoPro Challenge GP offers more than just bragging rights! Check out what you could take home…
1st Place:
GoPro Hero8 Black ($470 value)
an 8-race Prize Package (a $200 value)
2nd Place:
a 5-race Prize Package (a $125 value)
3rd Place:
a 3-race Prize Package (a $75 value)
How it works…
The Winter Season of the 2020 GoPro Challenge GP consists of 5 weeks of competition. Each weekly event includes the following:
12 Lap Qualifier 1 – qualifying for best time
12 Lap Qualifier 2 – qualifying for best time
14 Lap Final – standing grid start final race.
Put your skills to the test and join today! Who will emerge as the 2020 GoPro Challenge GP Winter Season Champion!
Over the past two years, we’ve gotten used to PRO boss Curtis Fox training drivers and mechanics at the local Ontario kart racing tracks.
But this past weekend, Curtis took his skills to the Florida Winter Tour and wrenched his driver all the way to the top step of the podium!
Curtis Fox with his driver Jordon Musser Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park Pompano Beach, FL, United States
Picture Perfect weekend with my driver Jordon Musser sweeping the weekend from qualifying to the final.
#winnerwinnerchickendinner
SHIFTER MASTER ROK: In Sunday’s final event, Jordon Musser (3G Kart Racing/PSL Karting) confirmed that he cannot be beat. Starting on pole and quickly establishing a dominating lead of 9.640 seconds over Daniel Dibos (JC Karting), he took the win. Also winning each heat of the weekend and the pre-final, Musser could not be passed in round one of the Florida Winter Tour. (www.eKartingNews.com)
Daniel Demaras and his father Chris Demaras have both qualified to represent Canada at the K1 Speed e-World Championship. Now, father and son must battle each other.
On Monday, January 27th, Daniel and Chris will compete in two heat races during the “Champions Night” at K1 Speed in Toronto. The winner will go on to California to race against the best from Mexico, South Korea, China, France, Puerto Rico and the USA.
Below is an excerpt from an article published on K1Speed.com on January 15, 2020.
With 2019 in the books, we now have a complete list of qualifiers for the second K1 Speed e-World Championship! These individuals have earned at least 4,000 K1RS points over the course of last year, are at least 14 years of age, and are not an employee/relative of an employee at K1 Speed.
A total of 73 amazing racers qualified for the United States Championship. This year’s competition should be considerably more intense than last year’s competition. Last year, we had knockout events that narrowed our qualifiers down to State Champions. These 12 State Champions then competed for the US Championship.
This time, however, we’re inviting ALL qualified racers to compete for the United States title – not just a dozen racers. So we’re expecting racers from all over the country to fly out for their shot at representing the US in the K1 Speed e-World Championship final.
Here’s the list of qualifiers categorized by the K1 Speed location they race at:
Addison: Sanjaya Vatuk Isabelle Tarr Pavel Laur Kyle Von Bergen
Anaheim: Vincent Azua Devin Trone Amber Garcia David Ramirez Musa Qahoush
Arlington: DJ Kelley
Atlanta: Bhanu Yedla Mike Taylor James Pavenko
Austin: Jessica Castillo Austin Olmstead
Boston: Aiden Mawhinney
Buffalo Grove: Brendan Radzely Cody Powers Steve Marlovitz
Bend: Travis Bice
Concord: Spencer Stilwell Samuel Watson Michael Salyer Ryan Case
Denver: Nandini Breggin
Dublin: Jim Yasueda Jon Katayanagi Tyjai Buford
Ft. Lauderdale: Clive Uston Martin Joo
Houston: Cameron Dominguez Don Crass Connor Martin Ellis Vance
Indianapolis: Johnny Combs
Irvine: Sean O’Hearn Orlando Rodrigues Evan Talley Mike Mokler Jerome Snyder Mattia Chemolli Dominic Schwartz Michael Steiner Nathan Thompson
Ontario: Tim Hellum
Orlando: David Dupree Chris Heaney
Portland: Brian Timmons David Southard Kurtis Johnston Patrick Gray
Sacramento: Niki Pladson Malcolm Francisco Casey Cox
Santa Clara: Marcelo Navarrete Pedro Martinez Del Rio
San Diego: Toshi Gibson Michael Hunck Ian Brady Sammy Sepulveda Aiden Bridge Scott Bush
San Francisco: Daniel Davis Adam Hammer Jeffrie Canilao Will Delia
Seattle: Kenny McCoy
Torrance: Denis Shakhovskii Jafar Albaqir Craig Robertson Alfonso Dominguez Nathan Quella Davit Grigoryan
US Championship / World Championship Finals
All qualified racers have been invited to this year’s US Championship event on Thursday, March 26 at 11:00am at K1 Speed Irvine. We’ll use a unique track layout to eliminate any home track advantage. The winner of this important race will become the United States representative in the K1 Speed e-World Championship finals that evening. Spectators are encouraged to visit and see the best from around the country AND world!
The World Championship final will see the US representative race wheel-to-wheel with the fastest racers from our international franchise countries: Mexico, Canada, South Korea, China, France, and Puerto Rico for the title of K1 Speed’s second World Champion and the winner of the $15,000 Grand Prize – the biggest award of its kind! And remember, second place receives an impressive $7,500, and third place will receive $3,500 – plenty of big money up for grabs!
Here are the qualifiers from around the world:
Qualified International Racers
Canada (TBD) Daniel Demaras Chris Demaras
China Terry Gao
Mexico Victor Rueda, Sr
France Thibault Millet-Barbé
Puerto Rico (TBD) Hector Nevares Chris Colon Antonio Arias
South Korea Cha Yudeog
So whether you’re one of these qualifiers, or someone interested in participating in next year’s championship, start hitting your local track for practice and points!
Who are you rooting for in the e-World Championship?
Canadian racer, Indy 500 pole-sitter and local hero James Hinchcliffe is going to compete two IndyCar races in 2020 after securing a sponsor.
Genesys, an American-based technology company, will sponsor Hinchcliffe for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road-course race on May 9 and the Indianapolis 500 on May 24.
Hinchcliffe made it to the big show in IndyCar after getting his start in karts at local tracks like Goodwood Kartways.
The 33-year-old Hinchcliffe has been voted most popular IndyCar driver several times over the last decade (he’s been racing in IndyCar since 2011) and he has legions of fans in Ontario.
Hinch teaches young racers about the importance of commitment, as he has stuck with Honda throughout his trying off-season. After McLaren (who recently went through a messy divorce with their F1 engine supplier Honda) bought Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson’s IndyCar team, they decided against retaining the 6-time race winner, and perennial Indy 500 threat, and instead have chosen all all-rookie lineup of Pato O’Ward and Oliver.
