East Coast Shootout This Weekend in New Brunswick!

By: Nathan Kelly | Photos courtesy Lois Hann.

The east coast is bound set for some serious karting action this weekend as the Interclub Championships are set to take place this Friday at East Coast Karting. This event is known as the Maritime Championship as it brings together karting clubs from Moncton (CKRA) and Halifax (AMKA). This is a very special event and has been a maritime tradition for years.

The circuit is East Coast Karting located in Dieppe, New Brunswick, the same circuit that will play host to Austin Riley and his Racing With Autism Tour. Track General Manager Gerald Caseley is very excited for the event and had the following comments to say; “It is a great opportunity to bring the clubs together and showcase karting in the maritimes. We want this sport to develop and events such as this really can help show the level of competition.” As Caseley says events like this are crucial to the development of the sport. PSL Moncton (Caseley’s Team) has also been putting on a number of “open house” days, in which non karting families are encouraged to come try a race kart at no charge. This unique program has generated plenty of interest from the maritime market.

A total of three Briggs & Stratton divisions will be participating in this weekends action. Briggs & Stratton Senior, Junior and the Novice devision will all see track time this weekend. Record high numbers in the Novice division speak volumes to Caseley’s efforts to recruit new drivers into karting. Drivers in the Senior and Junior division will look to build off this race in preparation for the ASN Canadian National Karting Championships later this summer in Ontario.

Starting with the Novice division, racing should be rather tight and highly competitive. Isaac Teed has shown excellent pace and won the last club race at the Moncton circuit, making him a driver to keep eyes on. From Amherst, Nova Scotia Ilya Kants is assured to give Teed a run as she is the current points leader at CKRA. Driver William Lowther has shown excellent pace in the Halifax club races and should be able to challenge the CKRA drivers on their home field. Evan Rose is also a driver who will certainly make a push for victory come race day, the young driver currently sits in second position in the CKRA championship. All in all the Novice division promises to be thrilling race, with action occurring all over the track.

For Briggs Junior we see many drivers who have had experience at the National level. Kelsey and Makenna Hann promise to show excitement as the two sisters will be competing for the championship. Mixed into that pack is Stephen Oliver who currently falls between the Hann sisters and sits second in the CKRA championship. From AMKA we can expect Halifax driver Cameron Nickerson to raise the level of competition for the CKRA drivers as he currently leads his club championship in the Junior division. Overall the Junior division is shaping up to be highly competitive and with all the pieces in place the intensity is building.

Finally the Senior division is going to be jammed pack with action as many drivers prep for the Nationals. CKRA points leader Brett Miller will look to build momentum of his lead going into the weekend. From AMKA it is Catherine White who looks to challenge Miller as the points leader. Veteran racers Aaron Kennedy and Jared Meade plan to make a championship run as well. Both drivers are extremely familiar with the Moncton circuit and will be a serious threat to anyone running for the title. Finally we have rumour that 2012 Canadian National Champion Gerald Caseley Jr. will be racing in the event. This is huge as Caseley is always highly competitive and will be looking to make the most of his new BirelART chassis.

This rounds out all three classes and we cannot ask for much more excitement. Stay tuned throughout the weekend for further event updates!