The Order of Canada

For the first tiime since the Order of Canada was founded in 1967, a member of the Canadian motorsport community has been included; Ron Fellows.

The the Order of Canada website:

“The Order honours people whose service shapes our society, whose innovations ignite our imaginations, and whose compassion unites our communities.The contributions of these trailblazers are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country.
Mr. Fellows is being honoured for the excellence of his multidisciplinary career in motor racing.”

He began his career in karts, which led to Formula Ford 1600 and Formula Ford 2000. Fellows competed in the Players-GM Series, the SCCA Trans-Am Series, helped develop the C5-R for Corvette Racing while winning the overall Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2001, the 2003 American Le Mans Series GTS championship, three 24 Hours of Le Mans GTS class victories and two 12 Hours of Sebring GTS class wins. Fellows holds the record for most wins by a non-American driver in NASCAR’s top three series with six wins. He runs a Corvette Driving School outside Las Vegas and his Ron Fellows Driving Experience at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, formerly Mosport Park, the track which he and partner Carlo Fidani bought and proceeded to turn into a world class motorsport facility where IMSA and NASCAR trucks race…right next to his karting facility.

Fellows name has been associated with karting as the all-important first rung on the motorsports ladder through series variously named the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship, Champion Ron Fellows Karting Challenge and MotoMaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship.

Demaras Racing proudly congratulates Mr. Ron Fellows for his untiring work for the betterment on Canadian motorsports.

A and D Graduates

~ by Chris Demaras ~

Yesterday I saw an article on CKN that I’ve kind of read before. It’s the annual ‘Arrive & Drive Graduates’ article from Goodwood Kartways. Every year the DiLeo family advances 10 to 20 of the best A&D drivers to club racing. The racers get their own kart, engine, stand and a spot on the Scholarship Team.

I remember going through the same process with my son Daniel 3 years ago. In 2016, Daniel won two CRKC championships; one at Goodwood and one at Mosport. The decision to move up to club racing at MIKA and TRAK for the 2017 season was an exciting new challenge. He’d finally have his own racing kart.

“There is nothing quite like witnessing the excitement on the face of a driver seeing their new kart for the first time.”
Dan Di Leo, Goodwood Kartways

Looking back now, the challenges that first year were immense. In A&D you just drive. You don’t set air pressures or choose gear. There’s no chassis changes between sessions. And if it starts raining you’re still driving on slicks! You learn to adapt to the conditions and adapt your driving style to the kart.

The transition to club racing is hard. That first race, you likely have no idea about setup, so you’re behind the eight ball. By the second race, set screws start loosening up, alignment is off, and you have no idea why you’re at the back of the pack. For A&D drivers who are used to winning, suddenly getting their butts kicked is a shock to the system. Talented racers are getting lapped, and they can’t understand why from a mechanical standpoint, so they lose confidence and blame their driving. After a few more races, those same rookie racers are missing from the paddock; phantom injuries, money troubles, family commitments that happen on race days. Any excuse not to go back to the track and get destroyed again. That’s why so few stay in karting beyond that first year.

Moving up must include joining a good team, because you just cannot do it alone. Without experienced people around to teach you the ABCs of kart setup and maintenance, it’ll be very hard to find success. We spent the first year with James Treadwell’s VRS team at Mosport before moving to Goodwood and joining Curtis and Darryl’s PRO team. Without their help, I don’t think Daniel and I would still be racing today.

Here’s a link to the article on CKN.

http://canadiankartingnews.com/goodwood-kartways-announces-arrive-and-drive-graduates-for-2020/

Understanding that the future of karting depends on growth at the grassroots level, Goodwood Kartways is excited to announce its 2020 driver line up in the Goodwood Kartways Scholarship Team Program. Now in its twelfth year, the program has produced the largest group in its history. In total, 22 drivers are set to graduate from Canada’s largest Arrive and Drive program and into club-level competition with the Toronto Racing Association of Karters.

The graduating class includes twelve drivers under the age of 11 years old, with seven of them beginning their karting careers in Briggs Cadet. Eighteen drivers will be powered by Briggs & Stratton, with four drivers opting for more horsepower and a Vortex Rok powerplant.

2020 Goodwood Kartways Arrive and Drive Graduates include:

Niko Picerno – Briggs Cadet
Christian Menezes – Briggs JR Lite
Igor Manukhov – Rok Masters

For more information call (905) 640-5278 or visit http://www.goodwoodkartways.com/

Press Release: Mosport

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) announced today their new partnership with Richard Boake, who will take over as operator of CTMP’s karting facility under the name of Mosport Karting Centre.

“We’re excited to start this new chapter in the history of this great facility,” said CTMP Co-Owner Ron Fellows. “Our state-of-the-art karting facility hosts everything from corporate programs to high level racing, and working closely with Richard and his team, we’re committed to fostering a positive environment for all participants here at the Mosport Karting Centre.”

Boake is well known in the karting community, having raced in the iconic Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship before enjoying success in touring cars and time-attack competition in Canada and abroad. Boake operates his family automotive business in Markham, Ontario as well as working for CTMP with the Ron Fellows Driving Experience. In 2019 Boake was appointed as Series Competition Manager for the Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship (MRFKC).

“I’m thrilled to partner with CTMP and begin this new experience. I grew up in the karting community so to come full circle and have this opportunity to give back to karting is really special for me. It’s important to create fun and affordable regional racing in Ontario, while also adding value to the corporate karting experiences that suit this beautiful facility so well,” said Boake.

Among the plans for 2020 and beyond, Boake and CTMP aim to elevate the popular Arrive and Drive format by introducing brand new Birel ART karts at Mosport Karting Centre. The facility also intends to continue hosting regional racing, working together with the Mosport International Karting Association (MIKA) and the MRFKC on a full schedule of events.

Mosport Karting Centre will also provide on-site race-shop support through a partnership with Professional Racing Ontario (PRO) who will be moving their headquarters to CTMP. PRO will also be the official dealer of the new Charles Leclerc Kart in Ontario as well as providing trackside support and driver coaching, club and national level race support, and racing focused summer camps and seminars. In addition to the current products and services that PRO offers they will have a full supply of parts and complete Briggs & Stratton and Vortex Rok Engines packages. This includes providing Briggs & Stratton engine service and tuning with an on-site dynamometer. An on-site store will offer racing safety equipment and apparel including helmets, gloves, suits, shoes, etc.

“On behalf of myself, Curtis Fox, and the entire PRO team we are very excited about this new partnership both with Mosport Karting Centre and Charles Leclerc Kart. This is a terrific opportunity for us to support and service the Ontario karting community at the best karting facility in Canada.”
Darryl Timmers, PRO co-founder

Moradness Karting Championship

Canadian race car driver Daniel Morad is launching the ultimate endurance karting championship inspired by sportscar racing, where team effort and performance will be the most important factors to win!

5-race championship utilizing high performance arrive and drive go karts, with the ultimate prize being a fully paid race weekend in a Porsche 944 Cup car.

The winning team will have the opportunity to race in the Lucky Dog Racing Canada with Ultraray Motorsports, (no racing license required). The 3 winners will share the seat with professional race car driver Daniel Morad, over two 7 hour races during a full weekend.

“We are very excited to offer this unique opportunity for race fans and aspiring racecar drivers. Racing is an expensive sport and we are proud to offer a cost-effective way for drivers to show their talent and potentially win a fully paid ride in a Porsche 944 Cup car, provided by UltraRay Motorsports. This championship is also quite different than what we see out there, where team effort and chemistry will be very important. Each team will have 3 drivers competing in a sports car racing-inspired five endurance race format.”
~ Daniel Morad

With two venues and five different track configurations, racers will get a competitive karting experience. The first race in March will be an indoor event at Formula Kartways, followed by four outdoor races at Goodwood Kartways in May, July, September and the grand finale in October.

Three drivers per team is mandatory. Those interested can sign up as a team of three or individually, and be paired with other drivers.

With 16 teams total and 3 drivers per team, racers will compete against each other to reach the ultimate Moradness Madness Championship title and enter a karting shootout to win a fully paid ride in a Porsche 944 Cup Car.

Moradness Karting Championship Schedule:

Race #1: Formula Kartways – Sunday March 29, 2020
Race #2: Goodwood Kartways – Saturday May 23, 2020
Race #3: Goodwood Kartways – Sunday July 19, 2020
Race #4: Goodwood Kartways – Saturday September 12, 2020
Race #5: Goodwood Kartways – Sunday October 11, 2020

Dates are subject to change due to the venue, weather, etc. For more information, or to reserve a spot on the grid, visit https://moradness.com/products/karting-championship

KartStars Game

~ by Chris ‘#16’ Demaras ~

How did I never notice this before! The newly re-branded KartStars series from Goodwood Kartways shares a name with a racing game!

I’m old school. I don’t play games on my phone. I make phone calls. But my one exception is this kart racing game which has helped me kill time in waiting rooms and bank lines too many times to count. It’s available for download on the Google Play store.

KartStars Canada Announces 2020 National Number Registry and Protocols

With the impending withdrawal of ASN Canada from the kart racing scene across the country and the sport seemingly in a state of flux, KartStars Canada has been working diligently behind the scenes and is now coming forward with a plan to preserve the systems and processes that Canadian kart racers have grown accustomed to.

“Karting in Canada has definitely entered another transition period, that’s no secret. Yet with that in mind and as discussions relating to how our sport will be governed in the future continue in earnest, we need to be proactive to ensure karting in Canada continues moving forward and drivers are able to prepare for the season ahead.

“Many in our community are definitely unsure, as since the ASN announcement we have received numerous calls from karters with a variety of questions: How will licensing work? When will the 2020 regulations be posted? How do I secure my racing number for the upcoming season? And the latter is definitely an issue we can address immediately.”
KartStars Canada Principal, Daniel Di Leo.

KartStars Canada is creating a number registry that all clubs and regions can rely on. For karters that strictly race in local club competitions, a race number will still be reserved by your home club with no further action necessary. For those looking to compete outside of their home club and in larger provincial and national events, KartStars Canada will implement the following:

2020 National Number Registry:

For drivers looking to secure a National number for the upcoming season, the following process has been put in place. Please note; your selected number should match your Club number when possible.

Fill out the 2020 Number Registry Form. The form must be completed in full.

The Number ranges from 2019 will remain the same. See below.

Briggs Cadet: Choose between (#2 – #99)
Briggs Jr Lite and Mini Rok: Choose between (#102 – #199)
Briggs Jr and Rok Junior: Choose between (#202 – #299)
Briggs Sr and Rok Senior: Choose between (#302 – #399)
Briggs Masters and Rok Masters: Choose between (#402 – #499)
Rok Shifter and Shifter Masters: Choose between (#502 – #599)

Numbers will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

The number registry will be updated regularly and posted at www.kartsportcanada.ca. Click the ‘KartSport Canada’ button in the top right corner of the home page.

For those who secured a 2020 National number with ASN previously, the data has been acquired and those reservations remain and should appear listed.

Please note 2019 ASN National numbers will be reserved until January 31st, 2020 giving the drivers who held those numbers in 2019 the first right of refusal.

2020 Kart Licencing:

A 2020 club license will be required to participate in all events. That License must be valid and have come from a club previously recognised by ASN Canada FIA. If you are looking for a 2020 license, click this link:

2020 Rules and Regulations:

Industry leaders are currently hard at work creating a National Rule Set. Once confirmed, these rules will be published at kartsportcanada.ca.

PRO at Formula Kartways

Sunday, January 5 2020, was the annual Indoor Karting Day at Formula Kartways for the racers and mechanics from team PRO. Everyone on the team knows Darryl Timmers was Canadian Karting Champion in Briggs Masters not long ago, and Curtis Fox took a win at Grand Nationals in Newcastle last year against top-tier talent. But those new to the team may never have seen experienced and decorated racers like Eric Gerrits, Chris Proietto, Spencer Todd and Andrew Waring on track…ever. Those guys didn’t disappoint. Their battle was ferocious!

Daniel had a chance to continue the year long competition against fellow Briggs Sr drivers Chad Webster and Logan Ploder, while PRO Jr and cadet racers showed their skills on the slippery indoor circuit.

Chris Demaras even strapped on his helmet to compete against other dads like Tony Ploder and Stephan Maskovskis as they tried to keep up with Briggs Masters standout Kevin Adams.

When the racing was complete, a team meeting outlining plans for the 2020 racing season took up several hours, and many racers were interested in developments between ASN Canada, Goodwood and Mosport. Exciting details will become public in the next few weeks … just wait for the press release!

Indoor Karting Day

With only a day left in 2019, Demaras Racing was happy to receive an email from team PRO about their upcoming kickoff to the 2020 karting season. There will be a private session at an indoor kart track just outside of Toronto this weekend, giving Daniel and Chris a chance to compete against old friends.

Hello Everyone!

We are excited to get everyone together for our annual Indoor Karting Day at Formula Kartways in Brampton ON.

Location: Formula Kartways
Date: Sunday, January 5, 2020
Time: 9:00 am

We are looking to get everyone together for 9:00 am at the event room upstairs for some coffee and pastries before we hit the track to have some fun in karts. We will set up a few different sessions so some of the drivers and even the parents can get out in karts and have some fun if they wish to do so.

After the on track action we will be having a meeting upstairs in the event room with lunch provided. We would like the chance to introduce a plan of action for the PRO team operation for the 2020 Season. We have some new and exciting opportunities and plans for the year and want to share that with all of you. This meeting is meant to educate any new customers on our core values here at PRO, but also a chance for our current customers to ask questions, and provide positive and constructive feedback on how our operation is run.

We will hopefully have on January 5th a better look at what racing schedules (Club, Regional, National) will look like. See you all soon!

Darryl Timmers | Curtis Fox
PRO Professional Racing Ontario

Good Friends

This season, Daniel & Chris Demaras got to know Santiago & Rocco Ramirez really well. Both families race at Goodwood and Mosport with team PRO, and it seems like they spent nearly every weekend together for 6 months.

But once winter arrived, both fathers and sons became ‘regulars’ at K1 Speed, Toronto’s best indoor race track. With a few days left in 2019, young Santiago reached the 5,000 K1RS points plateau, securing himself 2nd place in the overall Canadian K1RS Points Championship. For Daniel & Chris, it was a joy to be at the track with the Rocco to see Santiago’s accomplishment.

Driving Down Dementia

~ by Daniel Demaras ~

Last week I was honored to have an article published by the Baycrest Foundation about my fundraising effort, my toughest challenge of 2019.

It was a busy racing season. I raced in multiple series; from club races in TRAK and MIKA, to bigger events like the Inter Club Challenge and Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship all the way to the K1 Speed e-World Championships in California. But my greatest challenge was partnering with Racing to End Alzheimer’s to help raise awareness and funds for the Baycrest Foundation. My goal was to show that one person could make a difference.

It started at the IMSA race when I met up with my old karting coach James Vance, who co-pilots the No. 23 R2ENDALZ Audi. I joined the team, with a goal of raising $1,500 for Alzheimer’s research. A few weeks later, I held a fundraiser at Nostalgia Coffee Company in Toronto.

With the support of my personal sponsor, Nostalgia, I was halfway to my fundraising goal. But the second fundraiser would be a team effort. With prizes donated by Goodwood Kartways and Scarboro Subaru, the fundraiser at K1 Speed Toronto put us over the top.

My karting team, Professional Racing Ontario, helped support my endeavor by running special R2ENDALZ livery on all the karts in the final race of the season. Having my teammates behind me meant so much.

When the racing season ended, I visited the Baycrest Hospital to present them with a cheque for over $4,000; the total of all the donations I’d collected, plus the matching funds from R2ENDALZ’s corporate benefactors. Michelle, the Communications Advisor at Baycrest, showed me around the facility, and I was overwhelmed by the size and scope of the work they do. I never felt to small in my life.

Baycrest has a 100 year history in Toronto, and is a global leader in Alzheimer’s and brain research. Seeing the sheer size of the campus made my donation seem like a drop in the bucket. But it’s not just about money. My fundraiser helped get the message out to many in Toronto about the need to fund research.

I got to smile for the camera and get my picture taken with Craig Sharma, a Director at Baycrest and part of their Leadership Team, but the real credit goes to the individuals who donated to the fundraiser, and the businesses who supported the idea including R2ENDALZ, Nostalgia Coffee Company, K1 Speed, Scarboro Subaru, High Definition Installations and In Home Service.

I wanted to take the time to say thank you to everyone in the karting who helped and donated to the fundraisers this year. My goal was to show that one person could make a difference…but the lesson I learned is that by working together as a team, we can all achieve great things together.