Emerson Fittipaldi: “I could feel all the ingredients of racing at Goodwood, the real race ingredients”

This past weekend at Goodwood Kartways, the paddock was graced with the presence of motorsports royalty as Emerson Fittipaldi, a Formula 1 and Indy 500 Champion, was track side to support his son Emmo as he competed in the opening round of the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship.

With great pleasure Emerson took the time all weekend to interact with the karting community, many of whom are massive motorsports fans, taking pictures, signing autographs and sharing a few moments of his time throughout the entire weekend, always with a smile on his face. The ASRQ/QRFA and AACA, the flaggers and marshals that can be found at all ECKC races, also received a special moment with Emerson when he shared his appreciation for all they have done for motorsport in Canada and he thanked them for continuing to support the sport now, just as they did when he raced before posing for a group photo.

Emerson and his son Emmo posing for a photo with members of the ASRQ, QRFA and AACA that were in attendance at Goodwood.

We had a chance to ask Emerson to reflect on his weekend at Goodwood and as expected, he was very enthusiastic about his time at Goodwood.

“Going back to race again in Canada. I always enjoyed racing in Canada. I was surprised of the enthusiasm of the fans at Goodwood. The way they took care of myself, of Emmo. The whole organization, the marshals, I could feel all the ingredients of racing at Goodwood, the real race ingredients. The people are motivated. The, drivers, the teams are working together, competing on the track, but there was a very nice ambience outside of the track. I really enjoyed it. Emmo really enjoyed it. It was a fantastic experience and we are looking to race again in Canada,” explained the Brazilian.

On Saturday at the podium ceremony, Goodwood Kartways owner Daniel Di Leo was extremely excited to share a number of autographed posters, signed by Emerson, to the drivers.

Emmo competed in the Rotax Mini-Max category and secured a podium result on Saturday with a drive to second place. He was supported on the weekend by Goodwood Kartways and Intrepid Kart and plans to compete in the entire ECKC season.

Below are a few of the social media posts that circulated after the race as drivers posted their moments with Emerson and Emmo.

View this post on Instagram

No class for me this weekend… I'd rather be racing but still having a lot of fun cheering on my teamates! @emersonfittipaldi7 @emersonfittipaldioficial @goodwoodkartways

A post shared by Jordan Di Leo (@jd.racing.9) on May 20, 2017 at 1:33pm PDT

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Great day at the #track. Intrepid wins Briggs JR Lite, Rotax Jr, Rotax Sr, Rotax DD2 and DD2 Masters. 5 out of 8 classes….not too shabby. @hrs_engines @intrepid_kart @emersonfittipaldioficial @ckn_live #becausekarting

A post shared by Goodwood Kartways Racing Team (@goodwoodkartways) on May 20, 2017 at 3:57pm PDT

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUUaGNXgV_3/

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My dad hanging at the kart track with the kids and the legend himself and best teammate tutor ever @emersonfittipaldioficial #karting #kart #gokart #racing #legend

A post shared by Paul Tracy (@paultracyofficial) on May 18, 2017 at 9:29pm PDT

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUS01eCATq3/