As the final trace of an epic winter fights into April around its home track in Uxbridge, Ontario, the crew from Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada has just wrapped up another successful Florida Winter Tour and is busy preparing for the upcoming Canadian karting season. With pole, podium and win celebrations once again adding to the team history books to start the year, Goodwood/Intrepid is now shifting into high gear at home.
“It’s always good to kick off a new programme in Florida, and even better with some big wins and great runs,” said Team Manager Marco DiLeo. “As always we’ve used the FWT to get a grasp on the new Intrepid chassis line, and now we’re really excited to get back home and open the Canadian season at Goodwood and in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship. There’s been a lot of excitement around Ontario karting over the winter and everyone is more than ready to finally get back on track!”
Once again welcoming drivers from Europe and the Americas during a three-month tour of Florida, Goodwood/Intrepid had three on the podium at Homestead before Douglas Lundberg scored a massive win in DD2 at Orlando and Luis Schiavo dominated DD2 Masters in Ocala. With each pedalling a 2015 Falcon chassis powered by HRS, the knowledge gained will prove invaluable at home and add to the team’s comprehensive understanding of the Cruiser MS3, and new F4K MD3 chassis for the booming LO206 platform in Ontario and Quebec.
In the hands of DiLeo himself and returning Dave Anderson from the second ECKC round onward last season, the pair produced seven podiums from twelve starts including Masters wins for Anderson at both Le Monaco de Trois-Rivieres and Mont-Tremblant as they fine tuned the Intrepid/Briggs combination. With specific design input for the MD3 chassis for this season, the pair and team four-cycle drivers overall are quite excited to return to action.
“People are definitely buying in to the return of major four-cycle racing, and we’re obviously happy to help them out,” DiLeo continued. “The fields got bigger last year, and it wasn’t long before we were looking at major trains and four-cycle like we used to know. It’s all just great for the sport, as there is now a level for everyone and the Briggs platform keeps the field close. Of course, we believe we have an advantage, but we’ll know for sure soon enough!”
A year ago Goodwood/Intrepid had Canadian National podiums in both Briggs Junior and Senior, while Anderson was fifth in a Masters Final that may just have been the best of the bunch. Zachary Claman DeMelo won the National Final in Rotax Senior while the team also had a combination of podiums and top-fives in Micro Max, Mini Max, DD2 and DD2 Masters. With the marque now firmly re-established in the sport, the season ahead is looking very positive for the team across all classes.
For more information on Goodwood Kartways/Intrepid Canada, visit the new goodwoodkartways.com and like it on Facebook. For information on how the race team can assist you, please contact marco@goodwoodkartways.com.
*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 and SKUSA SuperNationals.
It has also had drivers contest the Pan-American Rotax Max Challenge, the World Karting Association Manufacturer’s Cup, the Rotax European Championship, the Rotax International Open Championship and the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Goodwood Kartways operates in conjunction with Intrepid S.r.l. in Verona, Praga Kart, HRS Racing Engines, IMAF Racing Seats and Vega Tires.
