Goodwood/Intrepid Heads to Florida

Goodwood Kartways kicks off its international race programme this weekend as the team has set up at Homestead Karting for the opening rounds of the 2017 Florida Winter Tour. ROK Cup USA racers are up first, with nine set to join team Manager Marco Di Leo outside Homestead Miami Speedway. One week later six will be under the tent when the Rotax Max Challenge runs its first event, and all involved are eager for action.

“We’re all really excited to be down in the sunny South and getting things started,” Di Leo said from trackside Thursday. “There was a lot of positive energy around karting in the back half of 2016; certainly when racing at home. Now we’ll look to get the new year off to a good start with our international effort. We’ve established some solid partnerships, have great drivers under the tent and are really feeling good about what is shaping up for this weekend and beyond.”

Among the partnerships Di Leo notes, is one with FK Racing that sees American Superstar Gary Carlton under the tent set to compete along with Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi Jr and others. Carlton will race opening weekend in ROK Shifter before guiding a DD2 kart in the Rotax Max Challenge while Fittipaldi will race Micro in both weekends. Canadian karting star Zachary Claman DeMelo will stay sharp for his upcoming open-wheel season by racing both Shifter and DD2 for CRG, and other drivers will join from Canada, the United States, Mexico and Colombia over the two weeks.

Zachary Claman DeMelo is coming off a victory at the US Open of Las Vegas and will race both ROK Shifter and Rotax DD2 with Goodwood. (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

“We’ve been in the sport for nearly thirty years, but there’s always more to learn and we really do benefit when drivers from all over the world meet up under the tent,” Di Leo continued. “We’ll have the whole range of abilities and experience in Florida this year, and look to have everyone meet their goals before heading back home, hopefully with some hardware and championships successfully defended!”

The Florida Winter Tour is a three-event championship that will visit Homestead Karting, Palm Beach International Raceway and Ocala Gran Prix through January, February and March. Drivers qualify and run three heat races prior to Prefinal and Final races at each event.

Goodwood Kartways, importer of Intrepid racing karts, can assist you with all your racing needs. To enquire about dealer network opportunities, please contact Team Manager marco@goodwoodkartways.com, visit goodwoodkartways.com and like Goodwood/Intrepid on Facebook.

Team Facts: Goodwood Kartways is in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada, where drivers can progress from turning rental kart laps to world championships. The Goodwood Kartways race team annually represents the facility at National and International Championships like the Florida Winter Tour, Eastern Canadian Karting Championship, Canadian National Championships, SKUSA SuperNationals and the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Goodwood Kartways operates in conjunction with Intrepid S.r.l. in Verona, IPKarting, HRS Racing Engines, IMAF Racing Seats and Vega Tires.