Big Ambitions for Logan Ferguson in 2021

Even in a world rocked by a global pandemic, 2020 was a breakout year for Logan Ferguson. He started the season in the sunshine state, competing in the Florida Winter Tour and getting a leg up on his competitors back home, enduring the winter months. Only a week after the final race in Florida, the world came to halt and much like the rest of the world, the Canadian karting season was put on hold.

A few long months later, engines were fired and karts returned to the tracks. Ferguson was one of the first to jump at the opportunity to drive, getting some practice in before the first club race of the year at Hamilton Regional Kart Club.

A whirlwind of a summer followed, with races nearly every weekend to make up for lost race dates. Ferguson opted to compete in the MotoMaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship in his familiar Prime Powerteam/BirelART colours and shone immediately.

The pace to win was shown at the MIKA Canada Cup as the opening round of the MRFKC at the Mosport Karting Centre, but the results didn’t quite follow those weekends in July.

A couple of weeks later it all came together for Ferguson. First, the CKN Dash for Cash weekend saw him finish second in both Finals, leading into the late stages of the races, only to come up short. Learning from those outcomes, Ferguson returned to the Canadian Mini Indy with vengeance for the MRFKC race weekend and delivered an impressive race win on Saturday, taking home the Pfaff Junior Driver of the Day away along the way. He just missed the win again on Sunday but launched right into the championship hunt.

Adding a trip to Mont-Tremblant, Quebec for the Canadian Open was next on the season and while the results didn’t follow, it was another chance to prepare for the MRFKC finale with intentions to win the championship.

Sadly, Ferguson returned home from Tremblant under the weather and was required to sit out the MRFKC finale as a precaution. Thankfully, Ferguson tested negative for COVID-19 and battled off the cold that overcame him, but sadly his season was over. It was an abrupt end to an optimistic season and something that has played out in his mind many times during this painfully long winter off-season.

Ready to take on a new challenge in 2021, we recently spoke with Ferguson about his plans for the upcoming season and his future goals as a racer. He will step up to Briggs Senior, arguably the most competitive category in Canadian karting at the moment, and while it’s a big step, Ferguson hopes to continue where he left off in 2020 with his eyes on the podium.

There are also some tests in the works in full size race cars, both on dirt and asphalt. The possibilities are endless for this young racer.

Hey Logan, thanks for taking the time to chat with CKN. It’s unfortunate how difficult it’s been for Canadians to race down south this winter, so what have you been up to since the race season concluded? 

Yeah, it has been difficult seeing all the winter tour races happening and not being able to attend the events. The Florida Winter Tour last year was a great experience before COVID blew up. I was hoping to go back this year, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen. To keep me in a good mindset during the past few months I have been going to the gym to try and lose some weight for this upcoming season, as well, I built a gaming setup right after Christmas, and soon after came a whole new racing sim.  

Last season ended a little too soon for you, as you were forced to miss the final round of the MRFKC due to illness. Does that motivate you to come back for another season of junior or are you stepping up to the Senior Briggs division for 2021. 

So, I did miss the last round due to illness and I still finished fourth in standings for the MRFKC series, I was really hoping to have another year in Junior to go and run the front of the field but unfortunately, I have grown since the end of last season and gained some weight, so as much as I would love to run Junior this year I will be making the jump to Senior for the start of the year. Hopefully, we can get out for practice as soon as possible so I can get adjusted to the kart being set up differently.  

And with that decision, what are your goals for the upcoming race season? 

It’s hard to say what goals I’m going to have because I had goals for Junior that I didn’t fulfill and that was a bummer, but if anything, I’m hoping that I can run at least top-ten in the MRFKC series this year. I will be staying with Prime Powerteam for the fourth year in a row, I will be racing club with HRKC and might do some MIKA races at Mosport as well. 

Switching gears a bit, have you gotten into online sim racing to help feed your need to race and stay competitive? 

Yes, I just recently got myself a brand new simulator Rig with a new set of pedals, a new wheel, and a wheel-base. I have been spending more time on the sim as the race season is coming up, not for competition or performance skills but more to get some use out of it before we start up the karting season because I don’t use it that much during the summer, so I’m getting used out of it now. 

You’ve mentioned to me before about your next steps in the world of racing, and I’ve heard you will be testing something a little bigger than a Go-Kart, can you tell me more? 

Yeah, there were some arrangements last year to do some testing but it didn’t get to happen due to COVID, so hopefully depending on the rules and regulations of COVID this year we will be able to get out to either Ohsweken Speedway to test a 360 Crate sprint car. The guy that my mom and dad know owns a chassis shop and he welds and builds sprint car chassis for some Ohsweken drivers, so thanks to our good friend Jimmy for the offer to go do that. On the asphalt side of racing, we have not confirmed with the guy, but my dad’s friend offered me to go test a Pro Late Model stock car out at Jukasa Speedway, so we are still discussing with him if that will be happening. 

If you had a preference, dirt or asphalt racing, where are you leaning? 

I would lean to the Dirt side of racing. I have grown up in what used to be a smaller town and probably about 25 minutes up the road is Ohsweken Speedway, which is a great dirt track to go and watch. In the summertime we would be at our trailer, five minutes from the house, one of my best friends used to camp in the same trailer park, and his dad and uncle would race every Friday night, so there would be a group of 15 or more people and we would go watch racing, every weekend, all summer long, after the race my friend and I would go into the pits and hang out with all of his dad’s friends and crew, I guess that I fell in love with the aspect of going flat out down the small straight away and then flicking the rear end of the car out to slide through the whole corner and then straightening out and doing it again, and the speed is great, the feeling of doing that while pinning it wide open around the whole track almost is a feeling that not many get. So, in conclusion, I would definitely go the dirt route if I ever get the opportunity to do a season. 

Your grandfather has been turning the wrenches on your karts ever since you started/ how awesome is it to have him supporting you at the races along with your parents? 

It is great, having him wrenching for me, it is really special because he and I have never done something quite like it before and just getting to spend time together with him at the track doing something that I love and him getting to watch me and help me is great. Of course, my parents don’t always get to come to races due to work so when they do get to come to watch and support me it’s great, but the real reason I got into doing this sport at the level that I am is my Nana. In February of 2018 at the Canadian Mini Indy yearly banquet, we’re sitting down eating dinner and they start calling numbers for draws, my Nana’s number got called so she went up to the table of prizes and right in front of her sitting on the table was a plaque, it read “half price for the first kart” so she talked it over with my papa and they both agreed to get it and then two months later when we got out on track I finally got to drive in that kart. And now, four years have passed by and I would have never thought that I would be at the level I am. So, in the end, it’s great to have my Papa as my mechanic but I would have never starting karting if it weren’t for my Nana. 

Finally, who do you want to thank for helping get you to where you are today in the sport? 

Well since I mentioned it already, I would like to thank my Nana and Papa for helping me out and getting me to where I am today, from all the early morning rides to the track, to the late-night road trips to other tracks. I would like to thank my parents for helping me with the support that I need and the number of things that they have given up for my racing or the events that they have missed to come to watch me race, even for the midnight trips to the airport. I would like to thank all of Prime Powerteam for the help and support, and to Trevor Wickens for the great tips and all of the help to get me faster in the past years and I can’t wait for this season to start. I would like to thank Jordan Prior for the driver coaching in the past two years and for helping me out at national events. Also, I would like to thank Kelly Michaud for all the help in the past three years with engine maintenance and driving help.

Lastly, a ‘Thank You’ goes to Driven 4 Communications for helping us with our sponsorship proposal books and Pressmans Printing for printing them. I want to thank my sponsors that have helped me in the past two or three years, as well: Canadian Web Creations, Hamilton Builder Supply, Turkstra Lumber, P.L Coles Inc, and Warrior Factory.