2014

What a year it’s been, and there’s still five months to go. There’s been a lot of change so far, both on the track and off. I’ve moved out of the GTA, will be switching schools come September… but most importantly now live a lot closer to many of the tracks I race at, meaning fewer 5am wake ups, something I know I, and the rest of my family, appreciate tremendously. And then there’s the racing season itself, it started with a team switch, a broken chassis, injuries, mid-race flights and one road trip to Quebec and back, and I know there is much more in store. Now I’m a member of Kevin Glover Karting and am driving on a FA Kart, have raced at some ECKC races and the MIKA series, along with testing and other fitness training. With all of that in mind, the Nationals are nearly here and I feel it’s the perfect time for reflection on the season thus far. Racing at the MIKA level has always been something I enjoy doing, not only because it’s a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere, but there’s still the competition to make the days interesting. I started off the season strong with a second place finish, but the best was yet to come. Before heading off to the Canadian Nationals this week I raced at the third MIKA double header of the season to get a little more seat time in the kart before it becomes time for serious business. Although a win would always be nice, the focus there was getting points and bringing it home in one piece. Instead I brought home two solid second places, but I was satisfied given the state of some of my equipment (aka very old tyres). With nine races in the championship completed, I’m currently leading the championship race with four wins, four seconds and a fifth place finish.

Unfortunately things haven’t been going as smoothly as I was hoping for in the ECKC series, where when things started off so well but haven’t stayed the same. Round one saw me qualify and finish the pre-final in 4th, but going into corner three of the final I was hit from behind and knocked off track, causing race-ending damage to my kart after such a good day. Mechanical issues in qualifying for round two meant I didn’t set a good time after being sent out late, and started ninth. Dropping back to 11th in the pre-final, I then ended the day with a top-ten finish. Not what I’d been hoping for after a weekend seeming so promising but all that I could manage on what was later found to be a cracked chassis. ECKC Goodwood saw challenges of its own, as I was getting adjusted to a new kart as my old one had been damaged beyond repair. The first race day had me starting last for the final after a lap one pre-final incident, and by the end of the race I’d worked back up from 28th to 12th. The next day I managed to keep it clean the whole day and score an 8th place finish, which was far from what I was hoping for but it was my best finish in four races I’ve done, and not bad while learning an entirely new kart.

This week I’ll am at Tremblant for the Canadian Nationals, where the track is being run in reverse direction for the first time in competition, because why not? I did some testing there earlier this month and I like the track… it’ll be a very competitive event with who-knows-what’s in store for the weather in typical Tremblant style. I’m looking forward to having help from my coach Chris Freckleton and team manager Kevin Glover, and together I think we can pull together a great package and overall have a great experience. I definitely wouldn’t protest with winning a ticket to Spain to race there too… ;)