Demaras Racing is a family of speed freaks…but they’re a family first. The great thing about kart racing is that race tracks are always out in the country, and the whole family can go camping only a few clicks away.

The 2020 RV Show gave the family a chance to see the latest and greatest on the market. Michelle would like to see something more kid-friendly in the family fleet. A cozy camper and a car sized just right for her.

Alice Demaras still wants to upgrade to the classic all-aluminum Airstream. She likes the cute looks of the Bambi, but prefers the luxury of the Flying Cloud and International Serenity models.

For Chris, towing something as iconic as the Airstream isn’t as simple as hitching it to the back of a vanilla ice-cream F-150. No, the Airstream is from the golden age of automotive design, and must be towed behind a DeSoto Airflow or a fat-fendered ’47 to ’55 Chevy ‘Advance-Design’ pickup. Something equally as curvaceous.

Or on the other hand, something completely different…

Since leaving Formula One, Fernando Alonso has competed in iconic races as diverse at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Dakar Rally. The two-time F1 World Champion added a WEC World Championship, plus wins at Le Mans, to his driving resume. Alonso’s wins at the Monaco Grand Prix (’06 and ’07 with Renault) combined with wins at Le Mans (’18 and ’19 with Toyota) leave him only one win away from securing the Triple Crown of Motorports. Now he needs to win the Indy 500.

It’s been widely speculated in the media that Fernando Alonso would reunite with Andretti Autosport’s IndyCar team to race in the Indy 500. The Spaniard had a fantastic rookie run at Indianapolis in 2017 in a joint effort by McLaren and Andretti with a Honda powerplant.

The 2015 reunification of McLaren and Honda, combined with Alonso at the wheel, should have been a fairy tale. Alonso got to live out his childhood dream, driving for Senna’s team.

But Alonso was publicly critical of Honda’s substandard Formula 1 power unit. In a recent interview, Alonso expressed regret at his famous “GP2 engine” insult towards Honda at the Japanese Grand Prix. Could a carefully worded apology from Alonso patch up things up with Honda?

No.

Alonso had lined up a deal to return to Indianapolis to race with the Honda-powered Andretti Autosport team, who’ve been so dominant at the 500 mile race in the past decade. HPD (Honda Performance Development, a division of American Honda Motor Co.) agreed to supply Alonso with an engine, nut they requested final approval and blessing from Honda’s global headquarters in Tokyo. Rather than a big annoucement of Alonso’s return to the Indy 500 the Japanese manufacturer has stopped the deal, refused to allow Alonso to race their engines, and left Alonso twisting in the wind. Payback for Japan 2015, and a lot of other things too.

Fernando Alonso needs to consider racing at Indianapolis in this year’s Battle at the Brickyard karting event.

The 4th edition of USAC Karting’s Battle at the Brickyard is set for 18 classes of racing at this years running. The main focus of one the event is being all encompassing for kart racers from all walks of life and the most diverse class structure in karting. The Battle at the Brickyard has become a melting pot in karting. Everything from families pitting out of the back of their pickup truck parked next to a canopy housing 12 karts.

The event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will take place from July 23 to 26. Karts will take to the track on Friday morning the 24th with practice and qualifying. Saturday and Sunday will continue with the qualifying races and feature events. Along with a date change is the new ownership of the famed yard of bricks as the Penske Entertainment Group has purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the competitors the largest change to the event will see Hoosier Kart Sport becoming the official tire of the Battle at the Brickyard.

Although Alonso would have the option to run a Briggs & Stratton 206 engine, or 175cc KZ or Rok engine, the SMART move would be to bolt on a stock Honda engine into his FA kart and run away from the field.

After such a performance, surely the Japanese would forgive and forget.

Demaras Racing had some great results last year, competing in TRAK, MIKA, MRFKC, CRKC and K1 Speed events in Canada and the U.S. The team is looking forward to 2020 where Chris will challenge in CRKC, while Daniel will begin the transition from karts to cars under the guidance of Team PRO. 2020 is looking bright!

Saw a picture of Santa towing home his sleigh on Wednesday after a hard day at work. With the green Christmas we had, Santa took the opportunity to bring out his Austin Healy Sprite for one more drive before winter storage. Which got me thinking. What does Santa drive?

Santa was an early adopter of the automobile, as shown in this 20th century illustration. The advent of the motor-carriage allowed St. Nick increased mobility without the need for more flying reindeer.

But Santa isn’t just about utilitarian vehicles built for one purpose. He’as all about style. For example, this image of Santa in a Bugatti and exactly one package. Guess he got something special for Mrs. Claus that year.

Young at heart, Santa Clause had picked up a ‘blizzard white’ Corvette convertible in the swinging sixties. A perfect weekend get-away car for just him and the Mrs.

And then for the years when Santa’s had too much eggnog and Mrs. Claus has to do the rounds, there’s her sporty Karmann Ghia.

In 2019, Dodge created a one of a kind Challenger Hellcat sleigh for the jolly big man. It really helped get the Christmas gift deliveries done on time.

What the Heck is Going On in Ontario?

~ by Cody Schindel ~

By now, just about everyone has heard the news from Goodwood Kartways, Mosport Kartways and ASN Canada that was released in the past week and a half. So after having some time to digest and gather more information, here’s a little more as to what is going on.

Let’s start with the ASN Canada news.

There is no argument that Paul Cooke, the leader of the ASN Canada FIA for more than two decades, has managed his position well past the age of retirement, but the man loved his job. While some didn’t think he would ever retire, it was bound to happen at some point and I’ve had a conversation with more than a few people as what we think would happen after Paul. His experience and expertise will be nearly impossible to replace by one, let alone two people.

With that being said, I’m happy Paul has decided to retire. He deserves it and his legacy will not be forgotten. I know many people are happy to see him go, and for that, I’m a little disappointed because they are happy for the wrong reason. ASN Canada did so much for the sport of karting in Canada, and yes he did make some decisions that not everyone has been pleased with, but he made them with integrity and often stuck to his guns. Paul, thank you.

Finally, for those saying ASN Canada was forced to resign by the FIA, you are incorrect. It was ASN Canada’s decision to resign. End of story.

Looking to 2020, nothing has been confirmed as to who or what will become our new sanctioning body. I’ve been notified of a business filing out of BC, but nothing has confirmed what that filing means at this point but I’m sure we will find out soon.

Drivers looking to race internationally this winter…

Speaking with the organizers from ROK Cup USA and SuperKarts USA, Canadians will not require an international license to compete in their events this winter. Canadians competing in the Florida Winter Tour and Challenge of the Americas will not need an international license or letter of permission to compete, while the SKUSA Winter Series drivers will need a SKUSA license.

Kart Stars Canada vs MotoMaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship

It appears there won’t be any shortage of races in Ontario in 2020. Goodwood Kartways announced following their separation with the Mosport Karting Centre that they will take matters into their own hands and have announced a five-race series schedule for 2020, with locations to be determined. It has been named Kart Stars Canada and has association and prizes from Rok Cup Canada.

At the same time, MotoMaster and Ron Fellows have informed me that they too will host a series of races in 2020, maintaining the same series name and corporate partnership. There is a lot of work being done to try and get their official details and formal release done, but I don’t expect it before the New Year.

Canadian Tire Motorsports Park confirmed they will be managing the Mosport Karting Centre in-house in 2020 and beyond, promising to continue to host club races, corporate events and arrive and drive racing. We are hearing that the management staff will be announced soon, most likely when the new MRFKC program is released.

There were hopes following the Goodwood announcement that the two parties would still try and come together on a single program in 2020, but as the days tick away, it’s tough to see it happening.

It’s too early for anyone to take sides and we hope that all of our racers keep an open mind when deciding where to race in 2020. It’s unfortunate that a strong such program as the MRFKC has been sliced up in a way, but it’s not the first time a program has been chopped up in Ontario and it won’t be the last.

It’s also a situation like this where an ASN would be very ideal. The decision of who manages and is the true leader of these programs needs some oversight, otherwise, anyone could start their own series, right?

Canadian Karting Championships

As for the 2020 Canadian Karting Championships, Goodwood Kartways announced in their release that they will host an event called the Kart Stars Canadian Karting Championships on the typical August weekend, but we’ve also heard that Mosport has assumed the rights to the event from ASN Canada. There is also the Canadian Open, which hasn’t announced their date yet

This isn’t a big issue as of today, but hopefully, it can be sorted out sooner rather than later. At this point, the Nationals can’t go away, but there needs to be something that brings it back to truly attracting drivers from coast to coast, even if there is a couple of thousand miles in between on regions.

My take, I think we need to have a couple of different events to showcase our programs. On the two-cycle side of things, Rok Cup and Rotax Max deserve to showcase their programs in standalone events, while a special Briggs 206 event would be very cool to have the calendar where all of our regions can be on board in some way, shape and/or form.

Originally Published 12/23/2019 : www.canadiankartingnews.com

From Demaras Racing

Santa Claus is a big open-wheel fan. Everybody knows that. Sprint cars, quarter midgets, even roadsters that ran Indianapolis back in the day. But to be fair to ol’ Saint Nick, asking for a full season in US F2000 isn’t a reasonable thing to put on the Christmas wish list. That’s over $15,000 per weekend.

That’s why I’m asking Santa for 12 laps in the F2000 cars at Toronto Motorsports Park at Cayuga. In 2020, the old Bridgestone Racing Academy cars are available for lapping on the road course next to Cayuga’s famous dragstrip.

For a couple of hundred bucks, you can strap yourself into on open wheeler for a dozen laps. Not a racing school, but certainly a one-day thrill ride!

I hope you’re listening, Santa.

https://torontomotorsportspark.com/

OK, people. Today is December 23rd. The last full day of shopping before Christmas. If you’re planning on getting gifts from anywhere other than the local Petro-Canada gas station, get it in gear, drop the clutch, and GO!