As soon as the provincial government announced the loosening of restrictions, tracks around Ontario released their summer schedules. This weekend, racers have rushed to the track to prepare their racing karts for the upcoming season.

Daniel Demaras has had his new Intrepid F4K/M29 sitting in garage K12 for weeks. On Saturday, he took it out on track…his first laps around Goodwood Kartways in 236 days.

The first session was difficult. Daniel commented that driving his Subaru WRX made driving a kart seem foreign. But once he stopped looking for seatbelts and turn signals, he quickly came to grips with the situation. Anthony Simone was there to make sure the kart was in perfect running order; assembled, aligned, fueled up and ready. Daniel tightened up his helmet and ventured out on track.

With only this weekend left until the racing season begins, many drivers were on track to prepare, including Ethan Pollack, old PRO teammate Matte Ferrari and new NSM teammate Cayden Goodridge.

But the big surprise was seeing Kevin May; out of retirement, and on the track..

Daniel Demaras spent his first year of club racing at Mosport Kartways under the VSR tent with the Treadwell family. Kevin May had already stopped racing and started wrenching at that time, and he was a regular fixture in the VSR paddock. On Saturday, Daniel got a chance to share the track with Kevin, who’s ready to race in his Birel ART kart.

The 2021 TRAK racing season is scheduled to begin next weekend and continue every weekend until Labour Day, which makes for an incredibly stacked schedule. With a new kart and a solid team behind him for the 2nd year, Demaras is hoping for great results.

Updated Racing Schedule

PRESS RELEASE – Goodwood Kartways

With the recent announcements that Ontario was moving forward with its Roadmap to Reopening, came a sense of urgency to get the 2021 Calendar of Events at Goodwood Kartways reorganized. With planning on-going throughout the Stay-at-Home order, it was time to take all the ‘what if’ scenarios and create a game plan that met the needs of the track, staff and customers alike.

With consistency from its first announcement in mind, TRAK has managed to lock in the full Championship while maintaining the same event structure announced back in February. The schedule resembles those of past years, including a two-drop format, and will waste no time getting things underway as TRAK Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday June 19^th, 2021.

“One difference you will note on this year’s schedule is the modification to Spring Training. Spring Training has always been a great way for karters to knock off the winter rust, for new Club members to get used to their Club Racing machines, and for the track to provide vital system checks to ensure everything and everyone is ready to go for TRAK Race 1. Now, with 8 weeks of our original schedule wiped out, we feel that getting started as soon as possible will pay dividends for our members throughout the season. We have been fortunate enough to have karts on track over the last few weeks as over 35 of our 42 Club rookies have managed to get in some valuable track time. For the rest of you, don’t worry we have a plan.”

Daniel Di Leo, Goodwood Kartways Club President

With Arrive-and-Drive Racing not scheduled to start until the week of June 20^th, Goodwood Kartways has locked in multiple testing opportunities leading up to Race 1. Specifically, Friday June 18^th will be a dedicated test day for Club racers and will be FREE of charge for those registered for Race 1, adding an extra bit of incentive to come out and play with us. Move in on Friday will take the pressure off the Saturday morning line-ups. Free testing for ALL racers will allow for karts to be tuned and ready to go, and a Rookie Orientation meeting will take place from 6pm-7pm for all Rookies to prepare for the season ahead. If you are new to Club Racing this year, please confirm your attendance to the Rookie Orientation meeting by email. FULL details including a Friday/Saturday Itinerary will be published early next week.

Revised Schedule Maintains Five Race Events Visiting Four Venues

As the Government of Ontario continues to advance in its Roadmap to Safely Reopen, KartStars Canada organizers are pleased to be able to release a revised calendar today for the 2021 season. Through diligent work over the past few weeks, a five-round championship visiting four tracks across the province has been maintained, and we couldn’t be more excited to release it to the public.

• ROUND 1:
• Goodwood Kartways
• July 3rd & 4th, 2021

• ROUND 2:
• Point Pelee Karting
• July 24th & 25th, 2021.

• ROUND 3: KartStars National Championship
• Shannonville Motorsport Park
• August 13th, 14th & 15th, 2021

• Round 4:
• 3-S Go Karts / Sutton
• September 4th & 5th, 2021

• Round 5:
• Goodwood Kartways: Night Race
• September 18th, 2021

Looking to maintain consistency from its first announcement, the KartStars team managed to preserve its original dates through the heart of the schedule. The opening round has obviously been pushed back due to pandemic delays, and the finale will now be included as part of the famed annual Goodwood Kartways Night Race. Organizers remain very positive about the year ahead and what they are able to offer the karting community. For further details, note the recap of the original series’ announcement from earlier in the year.

Luca Corberi, the dirgraced kart racer, has a June 22nd, 2021 date set for his appeals hearing with the FIA International Tribunal.

Corberi was universally condemned by the motorsport community after video his road-rage incidents at the 2020 FIA Karting World Championship went viral on social media. In the video, a furious Corberi is seen tracksaide after an on track incident ended his race. He’s seen waiting for the competitor he blamed his DNF on, then throwing the front bumper at him. Further video shows Corberi and his father (the Lonato track owner) brawling with the same competitor in the pits after the race.

After the incident, Corberi went on social media to vow never to race again, and was initially in danger of a lifetime competition ban by the FIA, but was instead slapped with a 15 year suspension earlier in 2021.

The case has drawn an excessive amount of international media attention. While the prevailing thoughts seem to be that the punishment is deserved, there are some who believe that such a long ban provides no opportunity for the disgraced Corberi to redeem himself, even after serving a stiff suspension. After all…the behaviour is not an isolated incident, and has been seen in professional motorsports for years.

Full Statement

On 4 October 2020, at the South Garda Karting circuit in Lonato, in the framework of the 2020 FIA KZ Karting World Championship Final, Luca Corberi was involved in the following incidents:

(i) he threw the front fairing of his kart to the track while other drivers were still competing;

(ii) he physically attacked another driver.

On 1 February 2021, the President of the FIA decided to submit this case to the International Tribunal pursuant to Article 4.2 a) of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules.

On 19 April 2021, the International Tribunal, after having heard the parties and examined their submissions, decided to:

– Confirm the disqualification of Mr Luca Corberi from the competition of Lonato, Italy (2020 FIA Karting World Championship-KZ);

– Impose to Mr Luca Corberi a suspension (Article 12.3.1.n of the FIA International Sporting Code (1) and a ban (Articles 5.2.2.b (2) and 5.2.2.d (3) of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules) for a period of 15 years starting on the date of coming into force of the decision of the International Tribunal.

On 23 April 2021, Mr Luca Corberi decided to appeal the decision of the FIA International Tribunal.

Ontario has moved up the first step of its reopening plan to this Friday, June 11th, 2021. This will allow non-essential retail stores, bars, restaurants and motorsports facilities to open this weekend. The government had previously set a target date of June 14th, 2021 to begin the three-step reopening plan but it has opted to move the date up as Ontario reported 525 new cases of ‘the virus‘, the lowest single-day number since September 27th, 2020.

Allowed as of this weekend:

• Outdoor gatherings for up to 10 people
• Outdoor dining for up to 4 people per table
• Non-essential retail at 15 per cent
• Outdoor sports, training and personal training for up to 10 people
• Day camps, campsites, campgrounds, Ontario parks
• Outdoor horse racing and motor speedways
• Outdoor pools, splash pads and wading pools

Tracks like 3S Sutton and Goodwood Kartways have allowed lapping sessions for private kart owners, such as former PRO teammates Ploder and Picerno (below). They’ve been out on track, shaking off the cobwebs.

This weekend, Daniel Demaras and New Speed Motorsports will be on track for the first time in 2021, with shakedown and practice sessions set for Saturday and Sunday.

Goodwood is still a ghost town. Ontario regulations are keeping the track closed, with the exception of very specific circumstances. Daniel had a chance to drop by the track with his new decals, but did not get a chance to drive yet.

Old friend of the family Ethan Pollack was at the track, his dad wrenching on the kart. Fresh decals and a cool helmet will make him easy to spot at the front of the grid this year.

PRESS RELEASE: OODWOOD KARTWAYS

Attention Goodwood Kartways Private Kart Owners and TRAK Club Racers:

Goodwood Kartways is pleased to announce the re-opening of on-track activities for the 2021 season! As noted in our last update, we have been working continuously to better understand the recently released Roadmap to Safely Reopen Ontario and have confirmed our eligibility to resume limited track activity beginning tomorrow.

This announcement applies to private kart owners and lapping ONLY, and takes into consideration a controlled gate-closed environment at limited capacity, very similar to how activities resumed a year ago. Further information on our Racing Leagues and Public Programs will follow as more details become available. Your continued patience is greatly appreciated.

As we continue to move in the right direction, it is of paramount importance that we do so in a safe and controlled manner. Following a revised set of procedures and protocols that members will recognize from last season, these private lapping sessions are closed to the public. Pre-registration is required for all participants and detailed instructions can be found below. Please follow instructions carefully when registering.

‘Private Kart Owner Lapping’ COVID-19 Procedures & Protocols:

For the time being, track days will be broken up into independent morning and afternoon sessions. Dates and times have been added to the Calendar page of our website. We will update availability as we go. If a session is not shown on the Calendar page, it is not available.

Members must become familiar with procedures and protocols before visiting the track. For questions and/or concerns please email daniel@goodwoodkartways.com. 

For Immediate Release: Covid-19 Update

Attention all Goodwood Kartways Members:

As you are surely aware, the Government of Ontario announced its ‘Three-Step Roadmap to Safely Reopen’ yesterday afternoon. Since the announcement, we have been overwhelmed by members seeking additional information and clarification that we simply do not possess at this time.

Your passion means the world to us at Goodwood Kartways and although we are just as excited as you are to get back on track, it’s of paramount importance that we do so in a safe and controlled manner. Know that we are working diligently to understand the announcement and obtain clarification on how it applies to karting specifically, and that we will pass on all knowledge gained as soon as we have it. Until then, your continued patience and understanding is required.

At this point, what we do understand is that yesterday’s announcement is a step in the right direction. As we seek approvals and continue to learn more, rest assured we will communicate with you all when we are able.

Stay tuned to the ‘News’ section of our website and/or our Instagram account @goodwoodkartwaysraceleagues for further updates as they become available.

Goodwood Kartways