CKN Chatter: Jamie Riberdy

Welcome to CKN Chatter, where CanadianKartingNews.com sits down with go-karters from across our nation and around the world. This weekly feature will see a different kart racer interviewed by CKN each week, with quick and simple questions about their karting past, present and future.

After shuffling through our 2012 ASN Canandian National Champions, we will now switch it up and speak with a large selection of drivers starting with Jamie Riberdy. From Newmarket, Ontario, Riberdy competes in both 4-Cycle and Shifter competitions, and recently travelled to Brazil to compete in the Granja Viana 500, courtesy of the Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship. The event featured the likes of Formula 1 racers Rubens Barichello and Nelson Piquet Jr, Indycar stars Tony Kanaan Ana Beatriz, and many many more high profile racers from around the globe. Riberdy also won the 2012 BSRKC Sr. Lite class championship.

Name: Jamie Riberdy
Hometown: Newmarket, Ontario
Age: 18
Years Racing: 10
Chassis Raced (to date): Jeffy Kart (Homemade)
Favourite Track: Mosport DDT
Racing Idols: Jeff Gordon, Michael Schumacher, The Stig
Supporters: Beth and Jeff Riberdy, Motiontech Services Inc.
Accomplishments: 3 Club Championships, 1 BSRKC Championship (2012).
Education Aspirations/Job: Student

Jamie Riberdy prior to the Granja Viana 500 in Brazil (Photo courtesy of Luis Ruibal, MG Tires)

To start, can you quickly recap your trip to the Granja Viana 500?
Unbelievable. Aside from the racing, just the environment was electric. Such a fun event to be a part of.

What is your most memorable karting moment?
Gotta be the Granja 500. Racing against guys I’ve been watching compete at the highest levels for years, it was phenomenal.

First trophy ever won? Do you still have it?
The first trophy I won was actually a medal. HRKC (Hamilton) novice year gave out Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals. Different idea and nice to see hanging around the house in between the trophies.

How did you get started in karting?
One day my dad just took me out to buy our first Birel, and a little white trailer. One you had to take the wheel and side-pod off to fit the kart. I’ve been watching him race sprint cars since I was born and racing is just something that is in our blood.

What is your favourite thing about racing?
The people you meet. Some of the strangest people I know have been because of racing, but there is nowhere else that I would have rather grown up than at a race track.

Who is your favourite person to race against and why?
There’s a lot of people, but from day one it’s always been Jon Treadwell. Out of our thousands of laps together I’d bet half of them have been side by side, corner to corner. 10 years of respect, and it makes it so much fun to race against him.

If there is someone from another generation you could race against, who would it be and why?
I wish I raced shifter back in the days when it was people like Frankie Launi, and Juliana Chiovitti in their prime. Just good hard racing.

When you look at karting from a fan/spectator point of view, what do you see?
Looking through spectator eyes, I see good competitive racing.

What is your current perspective on Canadian Karting and how do you think we could improve it?
I think there are too many clubs or series in Canada, or atleast Ontario for that matter. It’s very difficult to get all the competition in one spot, at one race.

If you could win one race, and only one race, then retire, what would it be and why?
I’ve tried to never compare myself to one particular event, but I could die happy once I’ve held a Bear, just had too many slip away at that track. (Shannonville)

If you could choose one, would you choose a chassis tuner, engine tuner and driver coach?
Driver Coach, I like the concept of coaching a younger kid and being someone he always looks up to.

What is something karting people don’t know about you?
I’m a huge BeeGee’s fan.