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GOODWOOD KARTWAYS PROMOTES KARTING AT THE 2010 CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
For Immediate Release: February 12, 2010
With the 2010 season only a few months away, Goodwood Kartways and the Toronto Racing Association of Karters continue to actively promote their respective programs and the historic karting facility. Starting today and running all the way through February 21st, the joint venture sees the two organizations at the 2010 Canadian International Auto Show.
Located in the North and South Convention Centre, over 110,000 auto enthusiasts are expected to visit the show over the course of the week seeking the direction of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers in the years to come. With its participation and in an on-going effort, Goodwood Kartways hopes to create awareness for the sport of karting and their facility.
If you are planning on attending the show, be sure to stop by our booth!
To learn more about Goodwood Kartways please visit http://www.goodwoodkartways.com |
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Team News: Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada - BSRKC Mosport Preview
June 24, 2009
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Matching his team manager, Korolev leads the points in Junior Heavy
(Photo: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media)
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The Orange Order continues its quest for dominance this weekend when team Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada returns to action in the Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship. Having already taken wins in both two-stroke and four-stroke from the opening two rounds, Intrepid is once again set to threaten at Mosport International Karting.
Team Manager and team leader Marco Di Leo heads the line going to round three as he sits first in Senior Lite and second in Rotax Senior. He was third in the opening round of Honda at Sutton and followed with a dominant four-second win at round two after leading all twenty laps. Di Leo has also been on top of the podium in rotax senior, winning the opening event and then producing a top-five run going clockwise at race two.
Artem Korolev is doing his best to match Di Leo’s effort as he currently leads the Junior Heavy points tally and is fifth in Rotax Junior. He’s gone 2-4 in Honda while posting 6-4 in Rotax, and says the secret is in his approach. “An Awesome/Honda matched with an Intrepid chassis has just been amazing so far in Junior Heavy,” Korolev said this week. “I’m very happy! The secret has been to stay consistent rather than trying risky moves that lose momentum. I’d rather come second with the points than try for first with a risky move, and so far it’s paid off.”
After placing fourth running counter-clockwise at the opening Sutton round, he was second in the encore run but says he didn’t really prefer one direction over the other. “I liked both directions,” he said. “It was challenging for me to switch the configuration, not that easy to get used to, but I liked it.” Racing this weekend at Mosport he’ll be on a track he is very used to. “The Mosport track is very fun,” he continued, “It has a lot of elevation changes and different types of corners that make it challenging too. I can’t wait until the race!”
While some Ontario karters tuned up for the summer season by racing in the sunshine of the Florida Winter Tour, Korolev tuned up much differently - ice racing karts while back home in Russia. “I raced winter karts the whole time,” Korolev said. “Almost every weekend in Russia we would race karts specifically welded for snow and with special tires without studs. It was very hard in the beginning, spinning in races was very upsetting, but I got better at it throughout the year and it was a great experience.”
Apart from Korolev and DiLeo, Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada driver Spencer Todd sits third in Rotax Junior after winning the opening round, Stefano Romano is sixth in Rotax Senior and James Vance is fifth in Rotax DD2. Following are Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada drivers standing within the top ten in BSRKC points:
Rotax Senior:
Marco Di Leo, 2nd
Stefano Romano, 6th
Rotax Junior:
Spencer Todd, 3rd
Artem Korolev, 5th
Rotax DD2:
James Vance, 5th
Novice:
Gerrit Tiemeersma, 6th
Cole McCabe, 9th
Junior Medium:
Artem Korolev, 4th
Michael Taibi, 5th
Junior Heavy:
Artem Korolev, 1st
Michael Taibi, 9th
Bryson Schutte, 10th
Senior Lite:
Marco Di Leo, 1st
Kelly Wood, 9th
TaG Senior:
Kyle McCabe, 4th
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Team News: Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada - BSRKC Sutton Report
May 27, 2009
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After a fantastic Florida Winter Tour and watching its team leader score four straight WKA podiums, the Ontario contingent of Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada finally hit the track last weekend as the Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship got underway in Sutton. After a day of practice Friday, the team once again delivered the goods in taking wins in what are surely the two most competitive classes in Canada - Rotax Junior and Rotax Senior. The Intrepid squad combined for seven podiums and twenty top-ten finishes altogether, and continued to build its momentum in North American karting.
Both Junior and Senior had fields of 32 for the opener and the front row of Rotax Junior was all Goodwood / Intrepid after Spencer Todd scored the pole position and Andrew Waring nearly matched the time. So competitive was the field in junior that the top four each timed with one-tenth of a second, and a half-second covered the top fifteen karts. The intensity carried right into the prefinal as the top four each turned identical 39.1 quick laps, Todd and Waring included. The latter led most of the way before lap traffic came into play and the pair crossed in positions two and four.
“I didn’t have the greatest start from pole and knowing that there were only ten laps I had to make moves quickly,” Todd said in reliving the weekend. “As we continued on I could see the lap traffic coming and Andrew made contact with a lapped kart. I moved up to second spot, and as I had noticed that outside pole had been getting better starts at Sutton, I just tried not to make any mistakes and hold on to second for the remainder of the laps.”
Hold on he did, and shortly after taking the green in the main he was following Waring as the Intrepid one-two resumed. “On lap three, in corner four, I heard his engine rev up and only one thing went through my mind - ‘chain.’ Then I just pushed hard knowing I had Oz (Austin Milwain) on my bumper. We have been racing together for about four years and I’m sure we know each other’s strategies all too well. I saw we got a gap on third, but my Alfano was not working so I had no idea what lap it was. I just kept on pressing hard.”
The strategy paid off, as Todd set his best lap of the final on the penultimate tour, and took his first regional win one lap later. “When I passed the starter I could see the Last Lap board turned sideways, then I knew I had to hold on for just two more laps. The adrenaline started to kick in,” he said. “I had a brand new chassis coming into the weekend and I had to learn it quickly. My kart was hooked up all weekend and I can thank Nicholas Pinti for that! He is always on top of things and we have a great driver/mechanic connection. He knows just as well as I what it takes to win. I only wish my Dad could have been there to enjoy it with us as he was out of town working over the weekend. I’ll just have to go get another one!”
Making it a daily-double, Di Leo took the win in Rotax Senior and was joined on the podium by prefinal winner and Goodwood / Intrepid teammate Stefano Romano. The senior field was incredibly competitive, with eight different chassis qualifying in the top ten positions and Intrepid being the first to record a pair. Romano started the day from P3 while Di Leo qualified P6.
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Di Leo has now won four straight races with Intrepid-Rotax
(Photo: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media)
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“I had a terrible qualifying session and did not get the potential out of the kart,” Di Leo said of the beginning to his fourth straight win aboard an Intrepid/Rotax. “Still, I felt that P6 still gave me a very good shot at winning the race and I was satisfied with starting on the third row. My strategy for the heat was simple: get through corner one and save my rubber for the final. Finishing fourth was good and having Stefano win the heat was even better!”
The beginning of the final saw things get even better still, as the Intrepid pair emerged one-two from the opening set of turns. Di Leo took over the point when Romano had to deal oil in turn one beginning lap three, and from then on the veteran simply managed the best field in Ontario. “I knew I would be quick enough to remain in top spot but it was crucial to drive a mistake-free race,” Di Leo continued. “And with Stefano in third it became a race between us and Michael Glaze. There were times I knew I had to drive defensively and I did just that. It was great to cross the line first, and to have Stefano on the podium as well was fantastic for the Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada race team.”
Having been on the podium in Florida and after sweeping the latest round of the WKA Manufacturer’s Cup, Di Leo went on to say the international competitors have nothing on home-grown talent. “As an Ontario karter I am lucky to be able to race against such great talent so close to home,” he said. “And a victory in Ontario in any Rotax division is something to be happy about. It’s a pleasure to race against great competition, and any rotax event with 30+ drivers is a great event. I almost feel spoiled in being able to drive the 2009 Intrepid Sirius Rotax Max chassis, as it’s just proved so quick in so many conditions.”
With the win, Di Leo now finds himself leading the Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship, the World Karting Association TaG Senior Championship, and Toronto Racing Association of Karters / Innisfil Kart Club combined Rotax Max Challenge, which is also a qualifying series for Rotax Max Canada. “It’s a great way to start of my season, no doubt,” the veteran concluded. “I find myself in the championship lead in three very competitive series’ and looking forward to working hard to keep this golden ball rolling. I owe the majority of my success to Intrepid Canada for supplying me with great equipment and I would also like to thank Intrepid Force Rotax and HRS Engines for their continued support. And of course, all the Intrepid karters for playing their part in making Intrepid Canada what it is today - we’ll just look to keep the momentum rolling into the big race in August at Goodwood Kartways!”
Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada Top Ten Finishers from BSRKC Round 1:
Rotax Junior
Spencer Todd, 1st
Artem Korolev, 6th
Michael Taibi, 9th
Bryson Schutte, 10th
Rotax Senior
Marco Di Leo, 1st
Stefano Romano, 3rd
Rotax DD2
James Vance 7th
Novice
Gerrit Tiemeersma, 4th
Cole McCabe, 9th
Junior Medium
Artem Korolev, 3rd
Michael Taibi, 5th
Junior Heavy
Artem Korolev, 2nd
Bryson Schutte, 4th
Michael Taibi, 6th
Senior Light
Marco Di Leo, 3rd
Kelly Wood, 9th
Senior Heavy
Kyle McCabe, 10th
TaG Junior
Spencer Todd, 3rd
Michael Taibi, 4th
TaG Senior
Kyle McCabe, 4th
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CANADIAN KARTING’S BIGGEST EVENT IN 2009 HEADED TO GOODWOOD KARTWAYS
For Immediate Release: April 6, 2009 |
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The ASN Canada FIA Canadian Karting Championships will be held at Goodwood Kartways in Stouffville, Ontario, on August 7, 8, 9, 2009. ASN Canada FIA and the Canadian Rotax Max Challenge have selected Goodwood Kartways as the location to determine National Champions in seven classes, with three sending Rotax drivers to represent Canada at the Rotax Grand Final in Egypt later in the year. Goodwood Kartways is one of the oldest continuously operated kart racing facilities in North America and home to world-renowned international drivers including Ron Fellows, Paul Tracy, and Scott Goodyear among many others. Hosting the 2009 Nationals will only add to a fabulous racing history.
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"I am excited that our track has been chosen for the 11th running of Canada’s premier kart racing event," said Daniel Di Leo, president of Goodwood Kartways. "The Di Leo family has long supported both the Canadian and Rotax championships, and my brother Marco and I have driven at most of them. Now we get to host the event – our whole family is proud! To prepare for the event we are making significant financial investment with a major upgrade to the track and facilities, and construction is already underway. The majority of existing kerbs are being removed and replaced with new style kerbs, we are repaving large portions of the track, replacing tire barriers with modular plastic units in most areas as well as improvements to the paddock area."
Patrick Moreau, National Manager of the Rotax Max Challenge, noted, "Ontario is Canada’s largest karting community. Traditionally, a final held in Ontario brings the biggest field of drivers and this is an additional challenge for the competitors as well as a wonderful show for the spectators. We are very impressed by the serious work in progress by the Goodwood organisation. The financial investment in the facilities shows their determination and commitment to provide drivers with a high quality race track. We will assist the Goodwood organisation to have a successful event."
Paul Cooke, ASN Canada FIA Vice President, Competition, shared his thoughts as well. "The Canadian Championships at Goodwood helps make their upgrading plan possible and will leave an improved facility for Ontario karters to enjoy for the future," he said. "Congratulations to Goodwood and the Di Leo family," added Ron Fellows, one of Canada's most well-known racing talents. "I often think about the importance Goodwood played in helping me develop my racing skills in the early days. Goodwood is a challenging track and drivers who drive well there can do well anywhere."
Additional event information will be available on the ASN Canada FIA website. |
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GOODWOOD KARTWAYS/INTREPID CANADA - Florida Winter Tour Ocala Report
For Immediate Release: April 3, 2009 |
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Continuing its evolution into one of the most prolific teams in North American karting, Team Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada completed its Florida Winter Tour recently with another pole position, two more podiums, and six more top-five finishes. As the FWT International Rotax Max Challenge concluded at Ocala Gran Prix, so did an incredible Florida swing for the Canadian-based team.
"We are extremely pleased with the Goodwood/Intrepid results at the 2009 Florida Winter Tour," said team president Daniel Di Leo. "Our drivers managed eight podiums in the three premiere classes of the Rotax Max Challenge, and we scored a pair of clean-sweep wins at Homestead. Our growing reputation and results attracted many great drivers back to karting like Daniel Morad, Gabby Chaves and Tiffany Chittenden, and each grabbed the spotlight while racing in Florida."
Indeed they did, as Morad delivered the clean sweeps, Chaves was on the blocks in his first weekend, and Chittenden took pole in her first start at Ocala; but it was a pair of full-time Intrepid Canada drivers who delivered championship threats as Richard Boake took four podiums on his way to second overall in DD2, and Marco Di Leo was a consistent frontrunner in Rotax Max Senior where he finished the championship fourth. Both were constant threats at the Ocala finale, where nine team members saw action.
Boake and Chittenden led the way in DD2 as the Ontario veteran teamed with the former British National Champion to make a run at the overall crown. Things began perfectly as Chittenden led a sweep of the front row from qualifying, and they were still in the running after the prefinal as Boake remained second and Chittenden crossed third. Despite looking to keep championship hopes alive early in the final, Boake fell to third and the championship was lost. Boake returned to the podium in third on Sunday, giving him four straight trips to the blocks, but he wound up second overall and just 55 points shy of a trip to Egypt. Chittenden crossed fourth both days, impressing all in her return to karting while making her first starts in North America.
In Rotax Senior Di Leo was once again in the thick of things as he looked to solidify a top result in the final two races. He qualified and finished fifth on Saturday where he disposed of both the US National Champion and FWT Champion-in-waiting in advancing through the top end of the field; and on Sunday he repeated at the sharp end when he qualified fifth and finished fourth in the main event. The back half of his second run was more impressive as Di Leo sat ninth at one point and had much farther to come. It led to fourth in the championship - which surely was the most competitive field to date in the history of the Florida Winter Tour.
Also racing senior for Goodwood/Intrepid at Ocala was Mexican Daniel Duval Lopez. Though hit with a DNF in the Saturday prefinal, he came from twenty-ninth on the grid to sixteenth on Saturday, and was 22nd on Sunday. He now heads back to the Mexican Rotax Max Challenge and will return to Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada for the 2010 Winter Tour. It was a similar story for James Vance-Lousada in Masters as he recovered from a prefinal DNF Saturday and raced to fourteenth in the main, yet found another DNF during the Sunday final.
High points for other Intrepid Canada drivers were tenth for Michael Taibi and sixteenth for Andrew Waring in Junior; and tenth for Gabriel Amaral and thirteenth for Austin Riley in Rotax Micro-Max. Though they come with much less fan-fare, it is the performance of the young drivers that brings special satisfaction to Di Leo. "I am very pleased with the progress of our younger and less experienced drivers who improved lap after lap in Florida," he said. "The experience for them is fantastic, and it ensures that they will be ready when the green flag drops in the Ontario racing season later this month. I am confident that they and the entire Intrepid team will carry momentum into the summer of 2009 and beyond."
For more information about Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada and details on how to become an Official Team Member, please visit www.goodwoodkartways.com
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Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada - Florida Winter Tour Homestead 2 Report
February 24th 2009 |
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Austin Milwain
(Photo: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media)
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After a dominant performance in rounds one and two of the Florida Winter Tour International Rotax Max Challenge, Team Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada picked up right where it left off at the second event, adding another pair of podiums to bring its winter tour total to six thus far. Once again racing on the outskirts of Homestead-Miami Speedway, an eight-man lineup was assembled and each rose to the occasion. Six of eight team drivers scored career best finishes at the Tour, and they produced eight top-ten results throughout the weekend.
“This was a new challenge for us,” said Team Manager and senior pilot Marco Di Leo. “With a new surface at Homestead Karting, everything we learned at the opening round no longer applied. Our drivers simply did a great job in adapting. To consider that 80 per cent of our team scored career best finishes in such unique conditions shows how committed our guys are to winning. The new Intrepid product continues to impress, and consistently show speed in all conditions.”
Leading the way at races three and four of the IRMC was Richard Boake in Rotax DD2. A veteran shifter pilot having made a full-time switch to Rotax, Boake was on the podium both Saturday and Sunday standing second. With eyes for the championship, Boake had to run mistake free after a crash at the opening round let to a DNS in the second final. The first day ran like clockwork as he qualified fourth, moved to third in the prefinal and ran to second in race three, and Sunday began much the same as Boake qualified in fifth spot. Everything changed in the prefinal though, as a retirement led to a back row starting spot of 15th for the main event. Undaunted, Boake survived a first corner melee and was an incredible sixth through one! A lap later he was back into the top five, and by the end of lap six he was racing in podium position. He inherited second a few laps later, and cruised home. Boake now sits third in overall classification, and moves to second when drops are applied.
Marco Di Leo also moved forward in championship standing as he now sits fourth overall after a pair of top tens and near-miss of the podium. Much like Boake did on Sunday, Di Leo had his work cut out for him Saturday after a prefinal DNF had him starting in row fifteen and P30! What followed was purely magical as the Intrepid senior methodically worked his way forward over the final race distance. He was into the top ten by lap fifteen, took two more spots over the next pair to reach seventh, and grabbed a final position on the last lap Saturday. Returning Sunday, Di Leo qualified seventh, improved to fifth, and raced his way to the podium only to be docked positions in a controversial post-race protest. Round two didn’t go quite as smoothly for Senior Rotax teammate Gabby Chaves as the young Colombian battled his way throughout the weekend. A Saturday retirement was followed by fifteenth on Sunday and Chaves now sits eighth overall in championship points. Andrew Calabrese made his 2009 debut at round two and the rust showed on day one as he endured a difficult day. Forced to the LCQ from qualifying, Calabrese then ran to fifth before a double DNF in the prefinal and final. Sunday brought a higher qualifying position, but once again Calabrese ran in the LCQ. Fifth for the second straight day led to a P29 in the prefinal, yet another DNF in the main event.
In Junior Rotax, Austin Milwain and Michael Taibi represented the Canadian squad. In one of his best drivers to date, ‘Oz’ broke into the top five during the Saturday final before he succumbed to a broken chain, and on Sunday was back fighting inside the top ten again, this time crossing eighth. He now sits eleventh of 47 drivers who have scored points in the 2009 tour, and Taibi sits 22nd in the same classification. After a run to thirteenth on day one, Taibi was eighteenth on day two. Wrapping the Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada roster were James Vance Lousada and Gabriel Amaral. Continuing to refine their skills in one of the toughest championships in North America, each raced within the top ten at the second event. Amaral produced back-to-back top ten finishes in Micro-Max while Lousada was tenth on Saturday in Masters before a retirement Sunday.
The 2009 Florida Winter Tour concludes at Ocala Gran Prix in the second week of March. Preparation is already underway, and the team will head to the finale looking for championships in both Rotax DD2 and Rotax Senior. An impressive line-up has already been confirmed and the team will once again have support from the Intrepid Factory in Italy will be on hand. For more information about Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada and details on how become an Official Team Member, please visit http://www.goodwoodkartways.com or contact marco@goodwoodkartways.com |
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Team News: Goodwood Kartways - Canadian International Auto Show
February 13th 2009 |
In a continued and on-going effort to promote the sport of karting and create a greater sense of awareness towards its facility and programs, Goodwood Kartways will be on hand at the 2009 Canadian International Autoshow beginning today.
Located at Rogers Centre, over 100,000 auto enthusiasts are expected to visit over the course of the week to see where the automotive industry is headed in the years to come. With its participation, Goodwood Kartways hopes to show the same for the sport of karting. The Canadian International Auto Show begins today and runs through February 22nd. If you are planning on attending the show, be sure to stop by the booth! |
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Team News:
Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada - Florida Winter Tour Homestead 2 Preview
February 12th 2009 |
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Gabriel Chaves sits fourth in the Rotax Senior Championship
(Photo: Courtesy of Goodwood Kartways-Intrepid Canada)
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Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada returns to Florida this weekend for the second event of the Florida Winter Tour International Rotax Max Challenge. Once again racing on the outskirts of Homestead-Miami Speedway, an eight-man line-up has been assembled and will be looking to build on four trips to the podium at the opening round.
“We return to Homestead after what was Intrepid Canada’s most successful FWT weekend to date,” said team owner Daniel Di Leo. “We hope to carry momentum from January and bring home some more hardware - and more importantly some valuable points toward a cherished FWT championship. It’s a new track and a new challenge, but we all have confidence in the Intrepid package, and the group of individuals under our tent create an atmosphere that is a pleasure to work within. We have everything we need to get the job done, and expect to once again this month.”
Leading the charge will be Gabriel Chaves and Marco Di Leo in Rotax Max Senior. The pair completed all four race sessions inside the top ten at the opener, and enter event two sitting fourth and seventh in points respectively. In his senior debut, Chaves scored 389 points, bolstered by a 3-2 run on Sunday. He is just sixteen points from the championship lead, and should dazzle this weekend as the Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada compound will now be familiar territory. Di Leo was also on the mark in the most competitive field on the continent in January, taking 320 points from the first event to sit seventh in points. He was at his best on Sunday, where he moved to eighth in the prefinal and continued all the way to the podium in the final. One of just five karts to break the 49-second barrier, Di Leo just missed the fastest lap of the race outright, and created a 2-3 Intrepid finish.
Richard Boake will be the lone Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada driver in DD2 as A1GP driver Daniel Morad will not return after sweeping the first event. For his part, Boake will be looking to change his fortunes beginning Friday. The shifter veteran turned paddle-pilot left Saturday action sitting fourth in points but a crash in the prefinal Sunday damaged his chassis and he was unable to start the main. He dropped all the way to ninth in the championship, and has some work to do. Andrew Calabrese will also take to the track, completing the senior line-up as he kicks off his 2009 campaign.
The remaining four drivers are all returning as Austin Milwain and Michael Taibi in Rotax Max Junior, Gabriel Amarel in Rotax Micro-Max, and James Vance-Lousada in Masters raced the opening round in January. The venue may be the same, but the drivers will run the opposite direction and Homestead Karting has been re-paved in preparation for event number two. Karts may test on Thursday before an official practice day on Friday and back-to-back race days on the weekend.
Driver Roster for Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada
Florida Winter Tour Round 2 - Homestead-Miami Speedway
Rotax Senior
Gabriel Chaves
Marco Di Leo
Andrew Calabrese
Rotax DD2
Richard Boake
Rotax Junior
Austin Milwain
Michael Taibi
Rotax Micro-Max
Gabriel Amaral
Rotax Masters
James Vance-Lousada |
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Florida Winter Tour Action!
Immediate Release: January 14th 2009 |
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| Morad was perfect in his return to kart racing |
In one of the most dominating team displays at the opening round of the Florida Winter Tour, Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada race team reaped four podiums, two wins and the respect of all in the paddock last weekend. Showcasing its new 2009 Intrepid Chassis line across five of six Rotax classes, a star-studded cast of ten arrived at Homestead-Miami Speedway in high spirits and departed on cloud nine.
“We had positive results in opening the World Karting Association Manufacturer's Cup with a pair of podiums, and now with such an impressive start to the FWT International Rotax Max Challenge I can see the whole attitude of the team changing,” said team owner Daniel Di Leo. “Momentum is so important in the world of motorsports, and with never-ending support from Intrepid Italy and the professionals implemented into our program, the future is very bright for our team and each of its drivers.”
Leading the team into action were a pair of returning karting superstars as current A1GP Team Lebanon driver Daniel Morad paddled a Rotax DD2 and Colombian teen driving phenom Gabriel Chaves made his Senior debut. Veteran Canadian shifter pilot Richard Boake joined Morad, and Team Manager and karting champion Marco Di Leo completed the senior lineup alongside Chaves. “This series brings out the best of the best, and our team and equipment is second to none,” said the younger Di Leo. “Our entire team did a fantastic job, and to leave here in championship contention of both Senior and DD2 is something we are all quite proud of.”
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Chaves starred in his senior debut
at Homestead
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Being in ‘contention’ is quite the understatement in the case of Morad, as the Canadian absolutely annihilated the DD2 field. In a perfect sweep of the weekend, the rising open-wheel star took pole both Saturday and Sunday, cruised through the prefinals and led every main event lap en-route to commanding wins. It was his first kart racing action in nearly two full years, yet Morad said the Intrepid was nothing short of sensational. “The Intrepid chassis is all a driver can really ask for,” he said. “Right out of the box it was nearly perfect and with one small adjustment to the chassis, I can honestly say that the kart was perfect all weekend. Out of all the different chassis I have driven, this has been by far the easiest to drive and tune.”
In what most consider to be the headline category of the FWT and perhaps the toughest championship to win in North America, Chaves and Di Leo followed different paths before meeting on the Sunday podium. Piloting a 2009 Intrepid Sirius chassis, ‘Gabby’ dazzled in his first qualifying session as he posted P3. Never dropping from the top ten, Chaves finished seventh in the main, the same position he began the day Sunday. From there he marched forward with third in the heat race, and second in the feature. Teammate Di Leo was marching as well, coming forward from seventeenth on the grid after seriously dialling in. Up to eight through the prefinal, Di Leo never took a backward step in the main and chased Chaves up the blocks in a double-Intrepid podium.
Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada Racing Team would like to thank Intrepid Force Rotax Team Manager Ernst Penninger and mechanic Steven Chapman for their unwavering support and sharing of technical expertise at the opening event. The team will now shift its sights to the second event at Homestead Karting beginning February 13th. For more information about Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada and details on how become an Official Team Member, please contact marco@goodwoodkartways.com |
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Team News: Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada FWT Preview
January 06, 2009 - Ekartingnews.ca |
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Di Leo was on the podium in both starts at Daytona, and leads an Intrepid team of ten into Homestead
(Photo: On Track Promotions - otp.ca)
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While many Canadian-based teams will make their season debuts this weekend at the Florida Winter Tour, Team Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada will be looking to build on a season that is already off on the right foot. Team Manager and veteran driver Marco Di Leo ran to a double-podium performance when the World Karting Association kicked the season off at Daytona Kartweek, and he will lead a ten-man roster into Homestead beginning Friday.
“I’m very excited about the lineup we are taking into Florida,” Di Leo said this week from Homestead where the team is spending the two weeks between events. “With our initial success at the Manufacturer’s Cup races in Daytona and with the talent we’ll have on Intrepid this weekend, I am confident we can begin building toward FWT Championships at the opening round. We have some great drivers under the tent this year, with more coming at later rounds, and the new 2009 Intrepid kart has already shown its colours.”
The ten-man roster will be spread across five classes, with a senior contingent that may prove lethal to the competition. Di Leo will be joined by racing phenom Gabby Chaves in Rotax Senior, and reigning Ontario GrandNational Champion Richard Boake will be joined by current A1GP driver and former karting star Daniel Morad in Rotax DD2. In Rotax Junior, former Canadian National Champion Austin Milwain will race with rising star Michael Taibi, and in Rotax Micro-Max Gabriel Amarel and Antonio Serravalle will have Intrepid on the grid. The initial lineup is completed by James Vance-Lousada and Mauricio Gutierrez in Rotax Masters.
For more information visit the newly rebuilt http://www.goodwoodkartways.com
Driver Roster for Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid Canada
Florida Winter Tour Round 1 - Homestead-Miami Speedway
Rotax DD2
Daniel Morad
Richard Boake
Rotax Senior
Marco Di Leo
Gabriel Chaves
Rotax Junior
Austin Milwain
Michael Taibi
Rotax Micro-Max
Gabriel Amarel
Antonio Serravalle
Rotax Masters
James Vance-Lousada
Mauricio Gutierrez |
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Goodwoodkartways.com New and Improved!
Immediate Release: December 15th, 2008
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Goodwood Kartways is proud to introduce their first class, new-and-improved website (www.goodwoodkartways.com) devoted to promoting Ontario’s premiere karting facility. Illusion24.com has taken on the task of delivering a cutting edge web presence which will represent the Goodwood Kartways facility for years to come. The website was released December 15th 2008 and is a sophisticated, user-friendly site jam-packed with information of a wide variety of programs offered at Goodwood Kartways.
"With the constant growth of our facility a radical clean-cut website was the next logical move." stated track principal Marco Di Leo. "We are very excited about the completion of the site. It provides us with a unique platform to inform the general public about what we do, and how we do it."
Goodwood Kartways continues to strive for excellence. With a clear focus on promoting the sport of karting as a recreational activity that the entire family can enjoy, the company prides itself on having a program for karters of all ages and with every level of experience. Whether you are an aspiring race car driver or simply looking to experience the thrill of racing for the first time, visit our website and find out how Goodwood Kartways can get you on track!
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