You know that feeling from when you were a little kid the night before a big day? Not being able to sleep and anticipating all the possibilities of how the next day would unfold? While the weekend of September 11th to13th might not have been my birthday, the first day of school, or Christmas, it was a weekend I think I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I was going to finally make my debut in the Toyo Tires F1600 series. I know it’s not typically accepted to miss the second day of school, but I had the best excuse. I arrived at the track for the Friday practice and the weather was great and the time on track was even better. I improved and learned more every session, getting more and more excited for the weekend to come. Of course, the nice weather was too good to be true. Race days were cold, rainy, and downright miserable. If it had been any other weekend, it might’ve dampened my spirits, but the excitement was undeniable.

For first practice, the rain was on and off, making the Mosport circuit a bit more difficult than it was in the dry. However, it gave me a good starting point for the weekend, as that was the forecast for the entire day. So I went through, short shifting and watching my brake pressure. Qualifying was difficult, and I was around mid-pack. It wasn’t too bad for my first race, but naturally I wanted more.

Before the race, I was nervous. Pacing around until I finally got strapped in, all the testing and fundraising and work I’ve been doing seemed worth it; I was officially about to be a racecar driver. Driving up to pit lane, I was getting ready for my first start in the F1600 series. When they let us on track, I was coming around the last few corners, filed up in 1st gear like I had been told, and was anticipating the drop of the green flag. Now, it turns out I was too far back to actually see the green through the spray, but I heard over the radio that it was time to go.

Navigating my way through the first few corners was difficult, but I was around a bunch of great racers. A few laps went by, and just as I was settling into my pace I made a rookie mistake. I locked up my front tyre while braking into Moss corner and went straight into the gravel pit. I was devastated, the year long buildup feeling like it was all for naught. Luckily, I did get towed back onto track and completed the race, albeit a few laps down. The car wasn’t damaged, meaning that I could bring it around for the finish and work towards a better day on Sunday.

The BGR team (myself included!) didn’t go out for morning practice, not wanting to risk the car with the ever-continuing rain, so it was a long wait until qualifying after lunch. Finally, went out on track, where I qualified again around mid-pack. I was satisfied. For my first weekend it was definitely a good start. Determined to redeem my rookie mistake of the day before, I focused on keeping all 4 wheels on track and did a relatively good job. Navigating my way through some chaos in the first corner, I got to do some racing in the first few laps before the field spread out, where it turned to survival of the fittest. I was having so much fun, despite it not being a wheel-to-wheel race it was unlike any other experience I’ve ever had. And, for the record, it was the best 7th place I’ve ever received. Jumping out of the car, I was so excited to see my family and the BGR family because the exhilaration just had to be shared. At that moment I knew that being a racer is what I was meant to be.

I’d like to give a huge thank you to anyone who has helped in any way to my racing career, whether itwas by contributing to my 2015 racing campaign (which you can still do!) or even moral support. Seeing the car decorated with your names made the experience all the more special. As well, my sponsors,

Arai Americas, Inside Track, JRP, Sparco and Tonto Designs have supported me the entire way, and have been a huge part of getting me to where I am now. I wouldn’t be where I am without you guys.

During my time at the track, something I've noticed is that the media and the drivers are two separate groups. And that makes sense, there are two completely different mindsets required for each role. Rarely do you have a reporter who possesses the necessary racing license to participate in the event.

That's why I was so intrigued when I heard about the opportunity presented by the Nissan Micra Cup series, where two journalists have the chance to race a car designated specifically for the media on track at the same time as the series regulars. Thanks to Inside Track, I managed to meet the journalist/racer criteria. Fast forward a few weeks, and I found myself taking a break from training for the Canadian National Karting Championships, and instead on route to compete in the Nissan Micra Cup series' round in Saint-Eustache on August 15th.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I figured that in comparison to everything I've driven, it was probably relatively close to the manual car I use for everyday driving. Not even close – the car was a lot freer in the chassis, and experienced much more wheel spin than I had expected. Even while trying to deal with that, I enjoyed my time on track.

This series is quite unique in that it provides a great deal of seat time – most series I've seen don't give the drivers much time and it's probably one of the most frustrating things about the sport. Each session I managed to learn something new, whether it be about the car and how it handles or the track and how to attack it more

Two races were scheduled for the day. Sadly, disaster struck during the first race while on lap 18. Contact with another car sent me on a trip through the grass. I came back onto the track sideways and into the racing line. Another car couldn't avoid my spin, and then it was back into the grass.

Unfortunately the damage was bad enough that I couldn't finish the race and the turn around time was too short for the suspension to be fixed in time for the second race scheduled for that day. Instead I had to watch Race 2 from pit lane.

While I may not have been as quick as I was hoping, I did get experience as part of the media presence. Once I got over the nervousness of doing my first video interview, I'd like to think I got the hang of it quickly and could provide a unique perspective. Asking questions, and sometimes dealing with language barriers, I figured out how to compare my experience on track to those of full-time series drivers. Some of them, like Oliver Bédard (who won both races) and Kevin King, are even people I've karted with in the past.

For more coverage on my adventure in Saint-Eustache, stay tuned to the Inside Track website and look for an article in the next print edition. There will be videos of my interviews with Oliver and Kevin, along with a few others including championship contender Thanaroj Thanasitnitikate and racing rookie Chris Sahakian.

The list of people I have to thank for making this opportunity possible is endless. They were great to work with, very well organized and took great care of me over the weekend. Didier Marsaud, Roxane Barry, Eric Cote, the whole Nissan Micra Cup series and Inside Track all deserve a huge shout out, because without them I wouldn't have had this great experience. Many thanks to Arai Americas and JRP for outfitting me for the race, along with everyone who has contributed to my 2015 crowd funding campaign, because without you I wouldn't be racing.

- Originally posted on InsideTrackNews.com

The Canadian National Karting Championship, the peak of my karting season, is just over a month away. In the upcoming days, a lot will happen, but for now I think it’s time for a bit of a debrief for 2015. Four of the eight rounds of the Eastern Canada Karting Championship (ECKC) series have been completed, two at Goodwood and two at ICAR. Rotax Senior has proven to be more of a learning curve than I had anticipated, but even so I’ve achieved two top ten finishes, along with an 11^th and a 14^th. MIKA level racing has also been competitive with reasonably sized fields as many teams are preparing for the Nationals at that venue, but I’ve brought home some podiums and hope to get some more.

As far as my season as a development driver for BGR in the Toyo Tires F1600 series goes, I’ve spent some more days on track with BGR. Getting up to speed down the Andretti Straight at Mosport is a feeling that I’m pretty sure cannot be matched; probably the closest thing you can get to flying while being in a car. I must admit that being a development driver has its downside; after a great day of practice on the Friday in the BGR Piper Honda DF5, it was heartbreaking to watch my teammate race on Saturday and Sunday in it. Following problems with his car on practice day it was decided he would switch to my Piper as it was available. I would have much preferred to be out there on the track with everyone else, rather than watching my car whip around the track and finish with podium results as I sat on the pit wall.

On my days off, I’ve been focusing on raising funds for my 2015 season. It’s tough, but it’s something pretty much all racers have to do and it will be worthwhile. If you are a follower of my social media, you will know that one initiative I have started a crowd funding campaign. If you haven’t had a chance to look at it, please go to http://www.taegenpoles.com/team.asp to learn more and help me achieve my goal for the year.

The 5^th and 6^th rounds of ECKC are this weekend at Mosport. I’m looking forward to seeing how I can put this year’s experience to use! Working with Kevin Glover and the REM team, I’m excited to race with some teammates, share racing data and try to improve on personal best lap times which I set while practicing a few weeks ago. The last time I was out bits of asphalt were flying everywhere following some patch work, but I understand that has been redone in the lead up to this weekend. Minor modifications have been made to the layout of the track since last year that will make for some interesting passing opportunities this weekend.

Like always, you can keep up to date by following my social media pages to see how things are going on and off the track.

The May long weekend has just wrapped up, but the racing season is only beginning. I’ve been out for kart testing and races practice days in the F1600, and followed the Brian Graham Racing crew during the Victoria Day Speedfest as a development driver. This week is the major start to my karting season – ECKC Round one and two will be taking place at Goodwood Kartways. I started the year off with a few test days with Brian Graham Racing at Shannonville and the Mosport DDT track, where I became well acquainted with my teammates: Ben Hurst, Mikhail Goikhberg and Reid Arnold. As a team I think everything is coming together nicely. We’re getting along well and helping each other out during the driver debriefs at the end of each session. As well, I was on testing with some of the other drivers I’ll be competing with later this season and it looks to be a good mix of experienced and rookie drivers.

When it came to testing the karts, everyone knew I’d been in the BGR Piper when I got into the kart, because of the way I was driving. I hadn’t actually realized that there’s a difference between the two, but apparently my turning was early and braking was much harder than it should’ve been, because I was used to driving a 1000-pound machine rather than a 220-pound kart. I’ve figured out how to go back and forth more so now, and despite having been in a car last, I think I’ll be able to hop into a kart easily on Thursday. So far, the karting season has brought me a 5^th, a 3^rd and a 6^th, some of those races being before trying the new 2015 Rotax engine modifications. I’ve also gotten to test out the new layout at Mosport kart track. While I haven’t decided if I prefer it or not, it will make for some good passing during races.

One experience of note was shadowing the BGR team and testing at the Mosport ‘big track’. I’d never driven on it before, but I’d heard some great stories and people had told me that I’d love it… they were right. The F1600’s have an average speed of around 170km/h on the track, peaking at 200km/h down the back straight. I only got three sessions on the Friday test day, but for the two that were in the dry I started to get used to the track layout and knock a few seconds off my time. At Mosport, when it rains, it pours, so the third session gave me time to experience full wet conditions. It was a lot of fun, a great way to end out the day, and I set the fastest lap in the group that went out. From there, I hung around for the race days, where I had a bunch of exciting experiences, from riding shotgun in the pace car to participating in the F1600 autograph session. In the eyes of the young kids I saw a version of myself, and it was awe-inspiring.

I’m not scheduled to be out with BGR until later this June, but it’ll be at Mosport again this season and I can’t wait to get out on track with the best of them. In the meantime, I’ve got karting on my mind. Rotax Seniors, I’m coming for you!

Originally published on page 62 of Volume 19, Issue 2 of Inside Track Motorsport News

The Canadian winter is a time I’ve come to dread. Months without being in a driver’s seat of a kart or race car have been pure torture. In my nine off-seasons, I’ve never found anything that could satisfy my need to race; for once I didn’t have to. Welcome to the world of ice racing! My new partnership with BGR Team Grote has opened up a myriad of opportunities. My first real race in cars was certainly a far cry from what I’d envisioned, but I think it was a very uniquely northern way to do it – in a ‘91 Honda Civic with -24° C temperatures in the CASC Ice Racing series, held in Minden, Ontario.

When I arrived at the track for my first weekend, I had absolutely no clue as to what I should expect. I figured I would have to channel my inner Kimi Raikkonen and adapt to the track and changing conditions quickly. After heading out to registration and attending my first drivers meeting (to my dismay it was outdoors), I got in the car with Brian Graham as my passenger for practice. Now that’s a low stress way to start the weekend having never had a passenger giving me instructions, let alone a team owner!

Before I knew it, the green flag dropped and I was out for my first race. Lack of visibility was the first shock. Plumes of exhaust from the other cars and blowing snow killed any chance I had of seeing where I was going and the windshield wiper switch was barely within reach. I was struck by the realization that I had a substantial lack of grip as I wasn’t running on studded tires. In hindsight, I probably should have thought about that in advance. Trying to keep one tyre on the snow to have some semblance of control over where the car was going when it was so sensitive was a challenge in and of itself, and then figuring out what the line was from lap to lap was another matter entirely.

Learning all of this on the fly led to a parallel relationship between time on the track and time in the snow banks that outlined the track. Having had my G1 for only a few months, the skill of reversing is still a little foreign. Long story short, getting out of the bank was a little more of an adventure than I was hoping for. Despite this, spirits were high in the paddock and getting to have a quick mentor session with Craig Willis was definitely a useful experience. I continued to improve in my other races throughout the weekend and the next weekend’s races proved I was more competitive. I even managed to catch up to, but not quite pass, one of my former driver coaches who was racing as well!

I know I still have lots to learn, and next year I’m hoping that I’ll do a full season in the series to work on my skills and try to get a win or two. Hopefully I won’t accidentally be sent out with the group of cars on studded tires again - talk about being a fish out of water.

I thoroughly enjoyed my debut in a car and can’t wait to get back in a cockpit of some sort soon. Thanks again to Brian Graham and Frank Neilsen (who provided my #48 for the weekends) for making these past few weekends possible – and awesome! Arai Americas deserve a shout-out for always having my back (…or is it my head?) by making sure I was equipped with the right helmet for this transition to cars.

This experience has also led me to a conclusion that you know you’re meant to be a driver when you are willing to tolerate -24 °C for a drivers meeting!

Initially published on http://www.insidetracknews.com The last time I got in a kart feels like ages ago, but the past few times I’ve gone out driving in recent weeks have definitely been some of my favourite moments of the season. I’ve participated in the Bridgestone Racing Academy and done two test days with Brian Graham Racing, one of which was a part of the Toyo Tires F1600 Karts to Cars program. To put it in a single word – it was incredible.

The Bridgestone Academy was probably the best 16^th birthday present that I could have ever asked for. Friday morning, I showed up at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park Driver Development Track eager to learn and ready to get on track. After some class time I hopped in the cockpit of the F2000 Van Diemen, got fitted in the car and had a fantastic time. The weather wasn’t warm or dry, but it was still a time to remember. I had expected a huge difference in the driving a kart and a car, but surprisingly the only substantial I had to deal with was the clutch and working a gearbox. I mean, suspension was nice for a change, but I was focusing on figuring out how to start moving from a stop. It took a while, but I got it eventually, having had only one chance to practice driving car with manual transmission before the Academy. Three days later and there was passing, racing, and experiences I’ll never ever forget. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I wouldn’t protest whatsoever… it was that great of a time. The facility was fantastic, the track layout was a great combination of technical and high-speed corners, and the teachers did a great job of getting everyone up to speed.

After that experience, I was lucky enough to be one of three candidates selected by Move Motorsports and CASC-OR to be a part of the Toyo Tires F1600 Karts to Cars program. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity I had with them. I had some PR sessions, learned more about the series and met the people behind it, before getting some seat time.

Besides shifting and feeling the brake balance a lot more, I was surprised how it wasn’t all that different from a kart. Maybe that was due to the less than ideal weather conditions, and it’ll be different later, but for the time being some of my initial worries have been set aside. I’ve also done an additional test with Brian Graham Racing, where I got comfortable in the Piper 5.0 at Shannonville. Although the weather was also not ideal, both days have been life-changing experiences for me. Until recently, even though it has always been my goal to transition into cars, it didn’t feel as if it would come to fruition. Now that it’s in sight, I’m more driven than ever to make it work.

As the end of my season comes to a close, there are of course some people I have to thank that have made my racing endeavors possible. To my dad, I’m sorry I made fun of having you as my mechanic all year but given that you helped me win the MIKA Championship; I guess you did a good job.  As well thank you to the rest of my family, for being ever supportive of my goals, along with not hating the 5am wakeups too much. My sponsors, Inside Track, JRP and Arai Americas, also deserve a huge thank you for all they’ve done for me.

I am so appreciative of their support, because without them I wouldn’t be able to purse this dream of mine. And to anyone else who supports me, whether it is a friend, colleague, teammate, or follower. For every time you’ve got my back, I’m so incredibly thankful. As I move into cars, your support will be more important than ever.

With the snow falling occasionally, it’s indicative of my 2014 season being over, and I’m pretty sure it was my best yet. For 2015 I look to be a contender in the Rotax Senior division, do some more testing in the F1600 and who knows what other exciting things are in store. I guess only time will tell… see you on track!

The Nationals and ECKC have come and gone, and with it the perceived climax of this year’s karting season. Alas, that was not the case as there was still Mosport Karting Club racing to be had and a few other extra surprises. Going into September, I had very nearly clinched the MIKA championship for Rotax Junior, just needing to take the green flag of one more race to get the last 7 points I needed to put me mathematically ahead of everyone else for the championship. I didn’t need a perfect day, or to drive away in every session, but I wanted my perfect day to go out with a bang. And I got it! Although it all came down to the last corning, being a little closer than I’d hoped for in the final, I led every lap in that race to take my victory that a) closed out the championship, b) was my last time driving as a Junior, and c) meant that it would be a great time to have my friends spray me down on the podium.

Taking a week or two to get some downtime, preparations were set for a very busy end of September and October. Before I knew it, it was time for one last trip to Mosport for my last race of the year… as a Senior. It was so different from Junior! I think there were at least 5+ screams of excitement in morning practice just because it felt so cool. The tyres were better, the acceleration was better, and the experience itself was just better. I loved it! Adjusting quickly, I qualified third and rounded out the day in second. It was a great way to end the season, and retire my long-standing use of the number 207.

The excitement didn’t stop there! Later this month, I’m excited to announce I’ll be doing at least one test day in an F1600 car with BGR, I finally turned 16 so now I can drive on the roads as well as a track (getting my G1 on my birthday like a typical teenager would), and best of all, this weekend I’m doing the Bridgestone Racing Academy at Mosport in a F2000 car to qualify for my car racing license. It’s going to be fantastic. This is my encore to what seemed like the end of 2014 racing… but it turns out the curtain hasn’t come down quite yet on racing for 2014.

Initially published on http://www.insidetracknews.com

The Nationals have come and gone, and like last year my inner journalist has provided me with many topics to touch upon and analyse, similar to how a driver analyses how their kart handles in a session to report back to their coach before crossing scales.

So with that said, where to begin? Perhaps the topic many people would want to hear about is the results, but what I've been itching to talk about is the new format. Qualifying was moved to Thursday with a fast 6 SuperPole, two progressive result heat races on Friday, one more heat race on Saturday and then the final on Sunday, completely eliminating the pre-final.

I was less than thrilled when I heard about this initially, mostly due to the lack of the pre-final. In my experience, I've never had good results in the heats (this year being no different, two 14th's and an 8th), so having those points accumulated to result in a final starting spot meant less of a chance for recovery. True, it means there's a higher chance to lose your position in a first lap incident if there is a pre-final but if all the drivers are smart they won't be as daring and a little more patient.

Also, the lack of on track sessions spread over even more days resulted in excessive downtime between sessions, and there were days when I was done before noon. In my opinion, this could've been changed by adding additional practice sessions, a fourth heat race, not moving qualifying from traditionally being on Friday to Thursday, something (I don't like waking up early to go on track for two sessions). I will admit the SuperPole idea was good, sending the fastest six in standard qualifying out 8 seconds apart so it proves who can put together the best lap technically, rather than having the benefit of a draft.

Traditionally, the best way to improve an on-track performance is to improve the way the driver drives the track with the aid of a driver coach or by making adjustments to the handling of a kart with the aid of a mechanic. However, more recently, athletes from all sports have found sports psychologists to help out with the mental game, namely to improve focus and drive for success. I inadvertently found myself around a such a person for two days, and it taught me that at this point it isn't something I think would help me in ways it may help others.

When I was around him, I felt like I had to "walk on eggshells," and monitor what I said because I felt as if I was being analysed and judged. I'm not trying to diminish the creditability of psychologists, but the experience made me wonder if it does really help performance, especially if being around one makes you experience the feelings I mentioned. Frankly, those are feelings I dread, but for someone who doesn't like to hold back on their opinions (i.e. me) it was a bit of a distraction.

Most notably, when I would want to point out a chassis problem, I would have to do it in a way that didn't sound like blame because I didn't feel like hearing the phrase "you can point one finger, but there's three pointing back at you" all the time. With so much downtime built into the schedule, there was that much more time to overhear such phrases. Maybe it would have been different had this not been my first experience being around a sports psychologist.

If it helps other people and works for them then that's great, but it was a learning experience that taught me that at least for now it's not for me. If any doctors were to come to the track this weekend, I'd like an actual one because I managed to get sick during the event!

Now, onto how the event actually went. Starting off with a good note, unlike last year... and the year before, and the year before that, I didn't switch engines the day of the final. But let's backtrack a bit more, to the practice days. Unlike every other race that I've been to this year, Chris Freckleton came up to help coach. We worked on getting me up to speed, hoping I'd be able to post a good time in qualifying. Unfortunately that didn't happen, and I had tyre problems from the start.

Although the event staff insisted the oil leaking out of my tyres was totally normal despite being one of only two drivers who seemed to have the issue (???), I had a huge vibration (similar to the tyre crisis of 2011 where they were imbalanced), couldn't get the grip and it resulted in a bad qualifying session. Starting P14 for the first heat, I had ground to make up if I wanted to have a shot at a good starting spot for the final. I had to dwell on how I'd go about that until the next day (too much downtime), but I got a decent amount of sleep leaving me energized and excited for the day to come.

The start went well and relatively contact free, and working my way forward I was in position to pass for one last spot on the final lap. Committing fully to the pass, I guess the driver didn't see me and we made side pod to side pod contact. Although he got off with just a scuff on his decals, I lost all the positions I'd made up and finished in 14th. But it didn't end there... waiting to scale my kart I was given an official warning for contact for that pass, because "I'd penalized myself enough by losing the spots".

Everyone that watched my GoPro footage thought it was at most a racing incident because I'd easily made turn-in and had my inner wheels on the curb leaving lots of room on the outside, and the warning wasn't warranted. Even so, it wasn't worth raising the issue with the officials at that point in the weekend, as sometimes you just have to shake it off. This wasn't my last encounter with the stewards for the weekend, but I had to put it behind me for the second heat. Another rough heat (I was overly aggressive and to the driver who lost out from that I'm sorry) meant I ended up 14th again, and had to make another comeback to hope for a good starting spot. Heat three meant I finally got that done, coming back to 8th after keeping it clean and going fast. I was up to pace and starting in 12th for the final.

The final deserves a paragraph of its own. I was feeling really optimistic, given a good performance in morning practice, and a good finish was definitely in sight. And it was going well, excluding the waved off start, until the fourth corner. Then a driver (the same one who I'd been given the warning about in heat one) went in really hot into the hairpin and spun around. With it being a narrow part of the track, there wasn't much space and despite trying to get to the inside of his spin I went right into his front tyre. This bent my chassis by 6mm (it doesn't sound like much, but karters know it's pretty substantial), bent a tie rod, and bent a nosecone bar.

All of that meant the kart and engine didn't work well and I was sputtering around for most of the race. Falling back to 14th, it was right back where I started, and not what I was hoping for from the weekend. But the most memorable moment came from after the race. The irony is, although I said earlier I hate walking on eggshells, I have to do exactly that here for fear of violating Section 6.6 of the ASN Canada FIA Sporting Regulations, which extensively limits my ability to express my personal aggravation about this. I'm getting tired of having to take the high road when it seems no one else seems to, but better safe than sorry.

So, in regards to the incident that happened on lap one, there was a verbal confrontation between me and the other driver prior to scaling our karts, which resulted in officials separating us until we had the chance to make our way to our respective tents. He felt me responsible for his spin (pictured above) and for once, I didn't ignore the comments (particularly as this driver has tried to blame me for incidents he gets involved in when I'm ahead of him and he runs straight into the back of me), but rather spoke out and defended myself when I felt blame was wrongly placed on me.

Yes, the drama continued on social media later that day when I tried to show my point of view, but in the wise words of Queen Elsa from Frozen, I have to just let it go. Haters gonna hate, right? Racing doesn't come without its complications and rivalries, and being the only girl seems to make me an easy target for blame. No matter what actually happened, it's always somehow the fault of the female (then again, you've got the people saying we shouldn't even be allowed on the track... another story for another time).

Oh well, with that brings an end to my racing as a Rotax Junior at a national level, three and a half years later. I've still got a race or two at the local level to clinch the Mosport Championship, but after that I'm making the switch to Senior! I know it's going to be a lot tougher and people will have much more experience than I, but minus the extra 40 pounds of lead needed to make minimum weight that have to go on and better tyres, it can't be all that different... Or so we'll see.

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… ;)

Thus far, the 2014 season has definitely been interesting and I’d say it’s also been successful. I spent a winter of intense physiotherapy to deal with injuries sustained in last year’s crash at the Nationals, which also prematurely ended my 2013 season. With Summit GP’s change to the Energy chassis, I tested for a day but decided I was happiest with the OTK products; As a result I have switched teams and am now racing with Kevin Glover Karting. After a brief test day to make sure the kart was still functional, I went to my first race at Goodwood and it showed us typical track weather; dry, wet, half and half. Basically it was crazy, but it was going really well. I’d been running in the top two all day, but the final brought a twist of events. This time it was absolutely torrential rain, to add to the fun. After stalling the engine on the start and crossing the line more than 3 seconds behind the leader, I had to work my way back to the front. I’d worked my way up to third and was running more than half a second a lap faster than the two karts ahead of me and had closed to within 2 tenths of a second when my chain simply snapped, so I couldn’t finish what I’d started.

After another test day I was back at Mosport for a double-header weekend prior to the first two races of ECKC the following week. Overall, I think it was a success. Competition was tough as everyone was practicing for ECKC with a larger field as some of the guys from Quebec had arrived early, which made it a better experience. The first day I qualified third, fell back to fourth in the pre-final but made that up and then some in the final to finish second. As it was only my second race, I was pretty pleased, but naturally I wanted more. Making some changes to see if we could make up a little bit of extra time, we learned a lot of things the following day and though it resulted in a fifth, it gave me more time to get used to the dynamics of KGK and get to know my new teammate Zach Scalzo so it was a lot more fun under the tent. It was a successful weekend overall.

ECKC was another great weekend, and even though I didn’t have final results to prove my speed, it was there throughout the weekend. Practice day ended well, sitting in a tie for P1, and that gave me confidence for the following day. The speed carried over, and I qualified fourth. The pre-final was going well; I’d gotten myself up to second when a racing incident sent me back to ninth. From there I kept on going forward, working back up to fourth where I’d started. Unfortunately the final didn’t work out as well; I didn’t make it past the third corner as I was hit from behind under braking, resulting in a DNF after what looked to be a promising day. The next day was a bit more of a struggle. Mechanical issues in practice and qualifying had me stuck mid-pack, and by the end of the day I managed a 10^th place finish. It was still an improvement on the DNF from the day before, but disappointing nonetheless considering the pace I had.

Back at Mosport for a regional day, I was looking to turn my luck around. Taking my pace from the weekend before, I was on pole for the pre-final and looking to stay there. After one false start, the race was on. Contact from behind spun me around in corner one, leaving me with a large time deficit to make up. I got back up to third, so I still had spots to make up but it was better. In the final I did just that, and took the lead from the first corner and stayed there. Although it was very close at the end with a drag race to the line (0.031 seconds to the driver behind!), it ended my long winless streak and made me even more confident for the remainder of the season.

With ECKC Goodwood coming up, I then went to a regional race there where I was looking to continue the streak to two wins in a row. I qualified off-pole, but a pass with two laps to go in the pre-final meant I’d start from pole in the final. From there it was looking good with me running at the front of the pack, but it wasn’t meant to be as contact during a pass attempt on me resulted in another chain loss and a DNF after what had looked like a promising day. Regardless it was still good test for ECKC, which is coming up in a few weeks! I’m looking forward to getting back to national-level competition.

Initially published on www.insidetracknews.com If there was a word to sum up the 2013 Canadian Nationals, it would be drama.  It was everywhere you looked, and in my opinion it even took away from the thrill of racing, which was really unfortunate.  Maybe it was the fact that the Nationals underwent a change in venue from Mt. Tremblant, Québec (where it’s been held for the past three years) to Goodwood Kartways in Uxbridge, Ontario but the atmosphere was completely different.  It actually went by very quickly, which came as a surprise to me.

On Wednesday, I was getting really excited for the week to come.  In practice I was looking fast, learning more about the track here and there, and putting down times to be in top-5.  Then, in the second-last practice session of the day, my day ended with a bang... literally.  Coming up on a very slow kart on the apex of corner one breaking-in their engine, I went wide to avoid, ending up on the marbles which drove me backwards and into the concrete wall a few feet away from the corner.  From there my kart pinwheeled around, where I proceeded to fly out of the kart over the nosecone.  I was definitely done for the day with injuries to my ankle and my knee, but I was determined I’d finish out the weekend.  I went home rather sore and swollen, but still excited for the week to come.  Thursday was mostly adjusting to my knee and ankle, even making adjustments to the kart to get more comfortable.  Thursday night as I went to pick up my tyres, it set in that the next day was when everything, every session actually matters - no pressure or anything.  I went home and got a lot of rest, in preparation for the three days to come.

I went to the first of the three drivers meetings, and then suited up for Friday morning practice, when I knew I had some work to do.  I’d been further back in the pack than I had all week, which I was not satisfied with at all.  In the practice that separated us into fast-group/slow-group, not much improvement was made, I was fourteenth.  There was about 20 minutes where I was really stressed, mostly because I was either going to be the last one making it into the fast group... or the first in the slower, which would have made a huge difference.  Thankfully the odds were in my favour, and I was relieved to see I squeaked through.  Determined I would be in prime condition for the ever-important qualifying, I iced up my leg, ate a bunch of bacon and was ready to go.  Unfortunately, it didn’t really work.  I qualified again in 14th, not only putting me mid-pack where all the lap one chaos is, but also on the outside row - just generally not a good position.  The first heat race was later that day, and I was determined to make it work, although sadly it didn’t.  I got involved in a first lap incident, placing me at the back of the pack.  I got a few extra positions, but nothing to really be proud of.  This was also the first longer session, and it tested how I could push through my injury, which was just feeling worse.  Going home with a disappointing 19th in that heat, I was determined to perform better on Saturday.

The next day didn’t go as planned.  In the second heat race, I got caught up in yet another first-lap crash.  I was pushed up onto two other karts, and when I got back on track I was 2-seconds ahead of the leaders bearing down almost lapping us as it took some time to clear the incident.  Being lapped, despite it taking them 10 more laps to catch me, is never a fun experience, especially when I was running times so close to theirs even with a bent steering mechanism.  It is what it is I guess, but a 20th meant I had to pull off something stellar if I wanted a good starting position for the pre-final.  Although in the last heat I finally survived the first lap, my result was only good enough for a 13th, meaning I started in 19th for the pre-final.

The final day brought lots of anticipation, it was finally time for the Canadian Champions to be crowned.  I think it’s safe to say that the pre-final was my best race of the whole weekend.  We took a gamble in morning practice to test out our other engine, with the understanding that the engine we removed would be quarantined if we made the choice to switch for the pre-final.  To me, I thought the engine was an improvement compared to the other, so the decision was made... based on only four minutes of practice on it.  Hoping we were right with the decision, we gridded up for the pre-final.  From starting in 19th I was deemed the driver on the move, finishing in 7th position, a total gain of 12 places.  Most importantly, I was placed on the inside row for the start of the final.  In my opinion there was no way the race could have gone better, I definitely used the 20 laps to the best of my ability.  Finally, I was producing actual results that I was satisfied with, although of course I wanted more.  Then, it was time for the long awaited final.  Gridded up on the inside of the fourth row, I was feeling the butterflies.  As soon as the race stared, I knew my kart was feeling great and that I was competitive for a top-five finish, perhaps even a podium.

Unfortunately, while running in 5th, my race was ended prematurely when contact with the 6th place kart sent me all the way to the back.   The drama continued after the race as the stewards sorted through the on track incidents and assessed penalties, ultimately moving the person who crossed the finish line first off the podium.  I understand there may still be ongoing appeals of the final race results at this time.

Even though the weekend didn’t end how I wanted it to, I still really want to thank all my partners through this weekend; Arai Americas, Inside Track, JRP and most importantly my family, my mechanic/driver coach Dave Conquer and all my friends.  Without your support, I wouldn’t be where I am now.  I’ll be back next year at Mt. Tremblant, I hope you’re all ready.

On Canada Day weekend, it was time to get back out on track!  This time, it was for rounds 3 and 4 of the ECKC series, this year held at Goodwood Kartways. Since this is also where the Nationals will be held later this season, I knew I needed to get some time on track before these major races.  Although I didn’t have the benefit of days and days of testing, I think I managed to do a good job of finding pace. Friday, the practice day, was a day of constantly struggling to find our pace.  I didn’t get to go out for the first practice session because there seemed to be something wrong with my brakes. This would be an issue that would continue to plague me until we finally figured it out prior to the final on Sunday, thanks to the help of Mr. White.  When we did get out on track though, we were struggling nonetheless.  It was definitely a frustrating day.  Along with doing a lot of tyre changes, bleeding brakes... a lot, and carb adjustments, I was also struggling to find that pace I needed to run to be with the front of the pack.  By the end of the day, we were 16th, which while it was an improvement, was still nowhere near where I wanted to be or what I expected of myself. I was hoping that I would find the pace I needed overnight by going over data and GoPro footage, analysing where I could gain time.

The next morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn, ready for what the day had in store.  It appeared that for once this season, the weather would cooperate and I would have a day full of dry weather and not have to worry about changing to rain set-up.  For once, that was actually the case.  However, in the morning I was still struggling.  Only 21st in morning warm-up, I was in the “slow” group for qualifying, theoretically meaning I had the disadvantage.  After a pep-talk from my friend Mr. Conquer prior to the session, however, I was in a whole new state of mind.  I managed to pull together my best lap of the weekend in qualifying, and would start 12th for the pre-final.  Although I still knew I could improve, there was a bit of optimism for the day ahead, especially when I knew I messed up on my fast lap.  The pre-final consisted of me trying to get even higher up in the standings, which I did to a reasonable extent. By the end of the race, I was up to ninth, which I was content with, although I was still hungry for a better finish.  As well, I had found the pace I was looking for, so I was happier there too.  After one waved off start, we finally got the green for the long-awaited final.  I was into 7th by the end of the first lap (which included a brief trip into the air), where I would start to hunt down the driver in 6th.  Then, I saw my opportunity going into corner one, even though there’s often a chance those passes will end with a trip to the concrete wall and barriers.  Nonetheless, I stuck my nosecone in and got the position, which was probably the high point of my race.  I continued to drive my hardest and started to catch the driver in 5th, but I ran out of laps.  In the end I secured my 6th position, and my best ECKC finish in Rotax Jr to date.  I was definitely looking forward to coming back the next day, because I knew if I could get myself into the quicker group for qualifying and get a better position then, I could be in contention for podium finish.

Unfortunately, Sunday started off rough as well.  As I went out for practice, it was looking good... until about the fourth corner.  I threw my chain, didn’t set a lap in practice and was therefore back into the slower group for qualifying.  I knew I still had the pace to qualify at least where I was the day prior, if not higher, though, so it wasn’t too abysmal... yet.  Qualifying didn’t go nearly as I had hoped.  I failed to set a clear lap, so it was back to the middle of the pack for me.  I would start 16th for the pre-final, but even then I knew I had the speed to make a comeback.  Even then, emotions were running high under the SummitGP tent, because I was rather frustrated with myself.  Sadly, the pre-final didn’t help.  I was doing rather well after the first lap, and had gone from 16th to 11th.  A few laps later, when I had gotten up to 9th, it all came crashing down.  I was making a pass into a corner, and it didn’t end well.  I lost essentially all I had gained, and was down into 14th.  After the race, I was also stuck with a position penalty for front-to-rear contact, so I ended up having to start the race in 15th.  It was definitely a lot of work for only one position, but there was nothing I could do about it.  Determined going into the final, I was ready to make a serious comeback and prove that I was fast and a front-runner.  One thing I’m certain about after this weekend was that I did a good job.  Steadily working my way up, I was gaining positions rather quickly.  By lap 5 I was already 8th, and with lots of laps left I was hoping I could work up to a top-5 finish.  Although afterwards I didn’t gain as many positions as I hoped, I was in 7th with 3 laps to go.  Again, doing one of my favourite passes into corner one, I placed myself in 6th, where I would end up finishing.  Improving from my starting position by nine positions definitely a result I was happy with, considering how abysmal the day was looking.  In the process, I also set 3rd fastest lap, showing major improvement throughout the whole weekend.  I’m really thankful to the support I got from my mechanic (who continues to be my dad) and SummitGP, because without them I wouldn’t have been able to get the results I did.  The weekend definitely ended on a positive note, despite the negative notes.

So overall in this ECKC series I’ve got two 6th place finishes at Goodwood and two 10th place finishes at Mosport a month ago - it appears I’m consistent! I’ll definitely be looking forward to running even higher with a bit of luck.  This weekend also has me looking even more forward to the Nationals, so just general excitement for the remainder season to come!

I’m back on track!  2013 has brought another karting season upon us, full of twists and turns (both left and right... clearly I’m watching a NASCAR race as I write this...).  Racing in Rotax Junior again this year and a part of the renamed SummitGP, much has changed - I’ve got my dad as a mechanic this year – for the first time in four years.  So far, I’ve done some local races, but what I’m here to talk about were my races on June 1 and 2, the first and second ECKC races at Mosport.  One major factor that was over the whole weekend was the incredibly indecisive weather.  One minute it would be clear skies, and before you knew it there were rain clouds headed your way and a subsequent torrential downpour. The Friday before the races was official practice day, where my dad and I would fine-tune our set-up.  By the end of the day, we had pretty much nailed a set-up for the dry, and were P6 in timed practice.  This also led me to be rather optimistic for results over the weekend, although with rain still in the forecast there was also a mystery factor as they kept changing the chance of precipitation and expected rainfall accumulations.

The next morning, it was 5am wake-up to get to the track, but of course it was worth it.  Morning practice didn’t produce the results I wanted, because my rear bumper was knocked off, slowing me down.  Despite this, I still managed to post a reasonable time, and headed back to the tent to fix my bumper in time for qualifying, where I was looking to be quick.  Unfortunately, I’ll never know if I was.  On my out-lap, I had gotten myself some space to set a good time - but then on the last corner my chain fell off!  That meant I was starting from last - 27th, and had a lot of ground to make up during the pre-final and final.

In the pre-final, it didn’t start out great.  I got caught up behind an accident on the first lap that blocked the track, which reduced my ability to make up ground.  Even though I was setting fastest lap after fastest lap, I only got up to 20th, which was not what I was hoping for.  Then the weather became a factor.  For the first time all weekend, I was going to be driving in full wet conditions... and did I mention this would be the first time in years my dad had set me up for driving in the wet?  I have to admit, he did a pretty good job.  Besides a minor gearing error, my kart handled great all race, and I ended up finishing in 10th.  Considering the bad luck I had early on, I was satisfied, but it made me even more driven for a better result the next day.

After a brief fog delay (it was really bad) Sunday morning, we were back at it for another day of racing.  I had high expectations for the day, considering the pace from yesterday.  Apparently, it hadn’t gone away overnight.  I qualified in P4, my best qualifying effort in this series to date.  Now, I was really excited for the pre-final, because I was hoping to put myself in contention for the win.  But during lunch, the tables turned... when it started to rain.  We got the kart all set-up for a rain race, and then we realized something while watching the DD2 race - the track was drying.  After another complete set-up change (minus gearing again), we were ready to go back out on track.  While the start didn’t go as I had hoped, the race was still looking promising for a good starting spot for the final.  Then, I tried to make a pass that didn’t end well, and I hit a puddle, spun and lost everything and fell back to 18th - with one lap to go.  After driving the most aggressively I had all race, from making passes on the outside, inside or middle of corners, I got myself back up to 13th by the chequered.  For once, we outdrove Mother Nature, and the skies opened up between the sessions.  Before the race, we were forced to make another decision, and again we went with dry set-up.  I had a good start, and started to work my way back up to the front.  After a bit of racing in a pack, I managed to secure 10th, and started to hunt down the driver in 9th.  I ran out of time to successfully pass him (although I did make an attempt, I would have been kicking myself if I hadn’t made the effort), so it was another 10th place to end the weekend.  While I was looking for a better result considering my speed, it was a decent result (and I do have to admit, my dad did a pretty good job... and no I was not told to say that at all).  I’m definitely looking forward to the next ECKC races at Goodwood in a few weeks time!

The 2012 Canadian Nationals are now ‘in the books’ according to the commentators, and I don’t think I’d be the first to say it would be quite an interesting book. On the weekend prior to the Nationals, I had a local double-header race at Mosport that we were using as a shake-down. On the first race day (Saturday), I didn’t get out for practice since my battery was dead! This meant qualifying would be my first session on track that day. Once I got on track, all seemed to be working fine, however, on a “downstroke”, the connecting rod in my motor catastrophically failed sending pieces of metal through the casing and cracking the cylinder! I didn’t get out for qualifying, and I was without a motor. I borrowed a spare to finish the day, but I didn’t know what I would do for the Nationals without a motor. Fortunately, I had a new motor built for Sunday thanks to my grandparents who paid for it, as we didn’t have any room left in the racing budget for a motor. I would have to break it in throughout the race day, but at least I could go to the Nationals!. Somehow, I still qualified 4th!  At the end of the day, while still breaking in the motor, I won a hard fought battle for third place - my first podium of the season!

The Tuesday after the double-header was the day we (me, my dad, my mum and my little sister) drove down to Mt. Tremblant. This was the third year in a row that the Nationals would be held there, so I was familiar with the track. This meant that starting from essentially the first practice session, my driver coach/tuner, Curtis Fox, would be working on getting this new engine to work. From the first session and through the rest of the day, we could never get that perfect set up to have the engine working. The problem was, the motor wasn’t revving properly. While it was supposed to be revving up to around 13500 RPM, it was only hitting about 12700 RPM, which makes a huge difference on the straights. Since there was a very long straight with an optimal passing spot just before the next corner, hitting 13500 RPM needed to happen. Otherwise, I would be eaten alive with no way to really defend. We knew there was another practice day on Thursday, but it was frustrating knowing that the engine was what was making us slower.

Thursday was another frustrating day. Whatever changes we made to try to free up the engine - jet, gear, float height, you name it, it never made the engine problems better. Sometimes, it even made it worse! I knew I had the racing line down, but it was so important that the whole package would work so I could qualify the best I could the next day. We were all hoping that since it was a new engine, maybe it just needed time to free up and it would all just come together. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

On the Friday, it was the first official day of the Canadian Nationals. In morning practice, it was evident that the motor still would not work. Some laps, it would work better than others, and then there were other laps it just didn’t work at all! Curtis and I tried to work together to see if there was anything else we could do. The second practice was critical because it separated the drivers into the fast group, and the slow group. I really worked hard in that practice, but it still wasn’t enough, so I would qualify with the slower group of drivers. I was determined to qualify better, since where I qualified would be where I started for the three heat races. Unfortunately, I didn’t do well in qualifying either! I would start 21st for each of the heats, one of which was later that day. I was excited to see if I could make up positions in the heat, because one bad race adds a lot of points to your total. The goal is that you have as few ‘points’ as possible, by having better finishes. The better your finish, the fewer points you have, and the fewer the points, the higher your start position for the pre-final. In the first heat race, however, I was spun from behind and had to make up a lot of ground on the people ahead of me. Working together with another competitor, I was able to finish 24th. It wasn’t a great finish, but it was better than finishing last, or not finishing at all.

Saturday, would be the day of the two remaining heat races. I was excited for the other heats, because it gave me a chance to try again. That night, however, we were contemplating renting a never-been-tested motor, just because I was losing so much speed on top end. At the end, we decided that we would stick with the new motor for another day and give it one last chance. The next day, after the daily drivers meeting, I was ready to go complete my heats and show that I can drive even with the continuing motor issues. In the warm-up session, it seemed those issues were not getting better. We tried another change in the engine, but it didn’t help either. I made it up to a high of 18th in the first of the days heats, but I was still losing a lot of ground on the straights. The issue was the same in the third heat. I got up to 15th from starting 21st, but I lost most of that again, and I finished 20th. This meant that I had a total of 65 points, and would start 22nd in the pre-final.

By the end of Saturday, however, it was decided that we would test the rental engine in the Sunday morning warm-up. The thing about this engine, however, was that it hadn’t been tested as a Rotax Junior, so we didn’t know if it would work any better than our current motor! Unfortunately, morning warm up was only 3 minutes long, so I definitely had to be on my A-game to make the most of it. Even though I didn’t have a great lap time in the warm up, I felt that the rental engine was better than the engine we had just bought, so we decided to use it for the pre-final and final. After all, there really wasn’t anywhere to go but forwards. In the pre-final, I had a great race and got myself up into 14th! I made up 8 positions, and this engine felt a lot better on top-end than the other one. I was really excited (and relieved), because I thought we had made the right choice with the engine. In the final, I survived all the chaos that comes in this ultra-competitive class even though I got shuffled back a bit at the drop of the green flag, and started to work my way up. From a low of 16th, I got up to 11^th and was one of the three fastest drivers on track in the race! I would have liked to have that one last pass so I could have been in the top ten at the Nationals, but I was satisfied considering the challenges we had to overcome. Seeing as I never seem to have the best luck at the Nationals, it was nice to finally have a good result. And maybe next year, I’ll do even better!

Months ago, Jeff Weil at Arai mentioned that there might be an opportunity this year for me to attend a NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup event with him. This weekend it all came together with a trip to Watkins Glen as the guest of Justin Allgaier #31 in the BRANDT Chevrolet Impala for Turner Motoorsports who is also an Arai Americas driver. It was an amazing experience and I don’t even know where to start in describing it.  Friday I spent the day in Justin’s tiny garage area.  I was stunned by how little space they are given to work on the cars.  We were constantly tripping over Paul Menard's crew pitted next to them and vice versa as everyone struggled on what set up to use as it was pouring rain for practice, but the weather for qualifying and race day looked clear.  He was satisfied with an 8^th place start because he is typically better on ovals than on road courses.

Saturday we got to sit in Justin’s pit box to watch the Sprint cars qualify and then watch the Nationwide race.  I even got to go on pit lane and stand with Justin prior to the singing of the national anthems! Watching the race from the pit area was an eye opener.  Oddly, we ended up watching it on the TV screens mounted on the pit box as you can’t see a lot from pit lane.

While at the Glen, I also chatted with Ron Fellows for a while until he was dragged away by an official who was taking issue with his racing gloves as they had outside seaming instead of inside.  Apparently this happens to him a lot!  Later I saw him on pit lane and I did find out that his gloves were deemed legal – again.

A highlight of the trip was Jeff arranging an introduction to Juan Pablo Montoya who also is an Arai driver.  I have followed his career since Formula 1 and it was so cool to finally meet him and have a chance to talk to him about racing while hanging out in his hauler along with Jamie McMurray.  Later that afternoon Juan set a track record and was on pole for the race the next day – I think it had something to do with the cake with massive amounts of blue icing on it that he and his crew were eating in the hauler! It should be noted that Jamie wasn’t eating the cake and he qualified only 10^th.

Attending a Nationwide/NASCAR race was an amazing, unforgettable experience since before I had only attended open-wheel races.  It was a completely different atmosphere and a different fan experience as the town embraces its racing heritage like nothing I’ve seen before.

Even though the ECKC season is finished, this year’s racing season is coming closer and closer to its climax, the Canadian Nationals. With that being so, it is time for another update.

The last race I did was the Le Monaco in Trois-Rivières, QC. It was a great experience because this would be the first time that I have ever raced on a street course, especially one with very unforgiving barriers/concrete walls. The practice day went well, and at the end of the day I had gone from being three seconds off to just under a half-second shy of the leaders. I was satisfied with that, but knew I would keep getting better on the race days with more practice. The next day, the feature was a Coupe de Quebec race, instead of ECKC. It didn’t count, but I wanted to do well. Unfortunately, I didn’t do great in qualifying, starting 21^st. The field was also really close in timing, and just two tenths would’ve put me all the way up in 11^th. That also meant that I had to be consistently fast, because otherwise people would be all over me in the pre-final. Sadly, the pre-final didn’t go so well either. I survived lap one (sort of) and gained lots of positions, but other people weren’t as fortunate, bringing out a red flag just past the mid-point of the race. After the restart, my luck did not hold out and I didn’t make it past the first chicane before hitting the barriers and bending parts – steering column, axle etc. For the final, this meant my starting position was less than stellar, going back down to 24^th. But in a race, anything can happen, and this time it did. I was quick on track, and gained 9 positions during the course of the race. I was hoping to have better luck the next day in ECKC – and I guess I did, somewhat. Even though I didn’t qualify well, 21^st again, I had another great start for the pre-final and got up to 13^th! I was hoping I could have another great start in the final that would earn me another great result, but that didn’t happen. In the end, I crossed the finish line in 14^th place. Not terrible, but I definitely wanted better for the season finale. I also finished the overall series in 14^th, so a top 15 out of 41 total drivers wasn’t so bad for my rookie season. Next year I will be looking for a stronger result, especially on the road course, since I really enjoyed that whole experience.

I can now officially say that I have raced at the Honda Indy of Toronto. Sadly not in the cars, but it was still an amazing experience. Normally, I go with my family every year to the Honda Indy to watch the IndyCar Race, but this time I was part of the festivities. There was a kart track built in the infield where the Kart Stars Grand Prix took place.

We signed in on the Friday and went to the drivers meeting. That meant that the only time we had to learn the track were the few practice sessions, qualifying and the race.

On Saturday, we had to be at the track really early because we had to cross the track between 7:15 and 7:30. And right before the first practice, it started to pour rain. After that session, it seemed the rain was starting to die down, but right before we went back out, it started to rain again! Luckily, I was fast in the rain! It started drying up for qualifying, enough that we had to switch back to the dry tyres. I wasn’t as fast as I was in practice, but I did qualify 5th. It didn’t help that I was stuck in traffic and that there was a red flag in practice, though.

Another early wake-up on Sunday! After crossing the track, it appeared that it was going to be dry all day, so it was back to learning the dry line in time for the race. Luckily, with a 50 lap race, that wouldn’t be an issue. The race itself was something else. Even though the track was extremely short, it was very wide, so for corner one, that should have helped. However, the lack of run-off, didn’t. A pile-up in corner one sent me flying over another kart, and took me down from 5th to 12th, but not out! I was fast enough to get back up to 3rd, and it was looking good. With three to go, however, I was taken out and into the barriers by a kart I was trying to lap. I managed to get back on track, but was a lap down. I had also severely bent my tie rod, steering column, and my throttle cable was stuck under the tie rod, giving me full throttle all track long. I somehow managed to finish the race back in 9th, but it was disappointing, after how well I was doing. But hey, there’s always next year!

When I was off track, I had some time to go around and talk to some of the Indy drivers and crews, even though sometimes I was still in my driving suit. I can say I got a few double takes as I was walking back to my paddock, that’s for sure! It was great that I got to talk to Simona de Silvestro, Katherine Legge again (who unfortunately wasn’t racing), James Hinchcliffe and Paul “Ziggy” Harcus, Ryan Hunter-Reay’s team manager & chief strategist.

The most recent set of races I’ve done this year were the two ECKC races at Mosport. It looked to be a good weekend, since I’ve done countless laps there, but luck was not on my side. For round 4, I qualified in 13^th, which I honestly wasn’t thrilled with, since I had consistently run in the top 5 until that session. I was even less thrilled with the pre-final, however. A crash behind me in the second corner meant karts were going here, there, everywhere. All of the contact resulted in someone driving over my kart, back to front, and took off my kill switch (so I wasn’t allowed to restart the race), bent my steering column and an axle (third this year!). This also meant that I would start dead last for the final race. For the final, I made my way through corner one, had even managed to pick up 6 or 7 spots by turn 4, and even made it through the first lap. The problem was that contact from behind in turn 4 on lap 1 broke my rear bumper bolt and so my bumper was dragging behind my kart. Sadly, the officials gave me the meatball flag only three laps into the race, leaving me with another DNF. A disappointing result, but there was always the Sunday race…

Which I’m glad to say went better. Even though I didn’t qualify well (18^th), the pre-final was another matter. Contact on lap one sent me back to the back of the pack, but I worked my way back up to 18^th by the chequered. The final went much better. After a lot of passing and attempted passes, I got back up to 11^th!  It was a lot better than the day before, especially because I didn’t bend anything – finally!

Overall, it was a long Canada Day weekend, but I’m looking forward to racing at the Honda Indy of Toronto this weekend and Trois-Rivières at the end of July!

With 8 races of my season complete, it is time for another update. Last weekend was a long drive up to Mirabel for ICAR.  In a few words, it was a weekend to forget.  It was the first time I have been on the ICAR track so I had to learn the track during Friday practice for the feature races on Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday I didn’t do so well.  I qualified 25^th, but was doing better in the pre-final (got up to 13^th) but I hit a curb a little too hard and went flying into the tire barrier, bending and breaking a lot of parts.  Miracle work from my mechanic/driver coach, Curtis, and the whole SH team got my kart ready to go for the final.  Luck however was not on my side, as my kart wouldn’t start when it was time for the race, apparently the battery was broken and with the quiet rule in effect we couldn’t test it to make sure it would start before we reached the grid.  That left me with nothing to show but a lot of broken parts and a DNS.

The Sunday is what really mattered, as it was an ECKC race, versus the Saturday, which was a Coupe de Quebec race, a series that I am not running in for points.  I qualified a bit better on Sunday with a 22^nd.  I made my way to 18^th in the pre-final, which was where I would be starting the final.  The final was looking good for about 3 seconds, until the middle of corner one. A window I saw to avoid carnage in front of me narrowed before I could get all the way through it, and I got collected from behind, ending up with my side pod sitting on top of another drivers front wheel.  I pulled myself off the other kart and managed to get going again, but something was wrong with the kart forcing me to retire on lap 3.  After the race we figured out that when I got on tangled up in turn one, my fuel line was pinched so very little gasoline was getting to the engine and giving me no power!  A DNF was not how I wanted to finish the weekend, but there was nothing I could do.

Sunday it was time for a Mosport club race.  It appeared that Mother Nature would be the deciding factor.  It was dry for practice and qualifying, where it showed that I was fast.  Even though I qualified in 6^th I was only 0.007 off of 4^th place!  It was really, really close.  In the pre-final I got up to 3^rd, but contact from behind (isn’t it always?) sent me all the way down the pack, and from there, damage from the contact resulted with a disappointing meatball flag.  In the end, I ended up 19^th.  Weather was now starting to become a major factor.  There were some sprinkles out in the pre-final, but before the race it was starting to pour.  Having not declared it a wet race, we were forced to go out on dry tires, even though it was really slippery.  On the warm-up lap I learned the hard way as I went off track, and even drove over a pylon!  After ripping it out from under the chassis (which I’ve been told looked rather humorous) I got back into place ready to start the race.  The first corner was finally not so bad, we managed it without contact, since everybody was cautious due to the rain.  For a while the weather seemed to cooperate since it was starting to dry up.  While it was doing that, I was making up a lot of positions.  Then it started to rain again and staying on track became harder and harder to do on slicks.  I was still making up positions, but then a red flag was called due to an incident on track.  When the red flag was called I was up to 6^th position, but because of the red flag the officials determined the final results from one full lap prior to the red flag being thrown placing me back down in 9^th.

The weekend of May 18-20 was the time for the first two rounds of ECKC, at Goodwood Kartways. On Friday practice, it was clear that Rotax Junior was a lot more competitive when compared to Mini-Max, the class I was in last year. With the track being freshly repaved, it brought some new challenges, but it had a lot more grip so it was also was quicker. I’d had the chance to race on the new layout the week before the ECKC event for a club race. Sadly, that didn’t go so well. An incident in the first corner sent me into the barriers, and out of the race. I managed to escape with minor bruising, but my kart was not as lucky. I needed a new steering wheel and seat, since I somehow snapped the steering wheel and broke the seat! ECKC came around a week later. With a flashy red Tony Kart steering wheel, I was all set to go. Qualifying for race #1 went fairly well as I qualified 12^th out of 29 racers. In the pre-final I lost a position, and ended up 13^th. The final went better than the pre-final, however, and according to CKN News, I managed to ‘creep’ into the top-ten, finishing 10^th. Not too bad for my first competitive race in Rotax Junior, but it could’ve been better. The next day was the second round.  This time, I did better in qualifying, starting 9^th for the pre-final. Unfortunately, contact on lap 4 sent me back, going from 10^th (which wasn’t great) down 10 positions to 20^th  (even worse). I got back up to 18^th before the chequered, but I don’t think the results did justice for how I drove. At least there was still the final, which went a lot better. I went from 18^th to 15^th in the first lap, and was up to 11^th by the sixth, where I remained for the rest of the race. I didn’t do quite as well as the day before, but overall not bad for my first national level weekend in Rotax Junior.