Hornbostel Secures Another FWT Top-5 in Miami!

Canadian Nicholas Hornbostel tends to fly under the radar, but his results in the Florida Winter Tour have caught our attention. This past weekend at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, Hornbostel secured his second straight top-five finish at the Rok Cup USA Florida Winter Tour and now has positioned himself with a shot at the championship podium.

The popular international series attracts a great array of drivers from North and South America, especially in Senior Rok division that Hornbostel competes in. After qualifying seventh on Friday afternoon, Hornbostel was just one position short of participating in the Media Dash for Cash, and when a driver opted out at the last minute, unfortunately, it was too late for him to suit up and join the race.

Fighting hard through the heats to remain in the top-ten, Sunday was Hornbostel’s best day on track. Starting from tenth on the grid for the Final, he dodged a kart smacking the barrier on lap one and completed the first tour up five spots in fifth. He was embedded in a battle for the position for the remainder of the race, initially crossing in sixth before a penalty to the driver ahead of him vaulted Hornbostel to fifth.

Adding that to the third place podium result from round one and Hornbostel ranks fifth overall heading into the final round at Ocala Gran Prix in a months time. The standings are very close, he’s only 147 points back of second place, and there are plenty of points still up for grabs.

We reached out to Nicholas, who flew home immediately after the race to get back to school and catch up on missed University classes. Although it was a great result, he wasn’t fully content and continues to strive for better, as he’s using the FWT as a preparation for the upcoming Canadian karting season.

“Having two top-five finishes in the first two rounds has been a good start to the season. This past weekend was pretty tough and I am not fully satisfied with my result. I know I can do better, but balancing University and racing with a low budget can make things pretty stressful – especially when competing against such experienced racers. I am looking forward to doing better at the next round in Ocala where I will be working hard with Racing Edge Motorsports to be fully prepared for the start of the Canadian season.”

The Florida Winter Tour hits the track at Ocala Gran Prix on March 21-24 and we have our eye on Hornbostel as he chases the championship podium.

Ocala Gran Prix has been a popular kart track for Canadian karters each winter and with the addition of the Briggs 206 categories for the final stop of the FWT, we’re expecting a good number of Canadian drivers taking on the final round of the Florida Winter Tour.