While some Canadian drivers take part in winter karting championships to stay fit during our long and cold winter months, five friends from Goodwood Kartways took advantage of their March Break away from school to do some pre-season testing at the famous GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Brothers Austin and Russell Boyle were joined by Eamon Lowe, Nicholas Hornbostel and Gavin Sanders a couple weeks ago, sharing the track with local drivers at the track that is known to see a NASCAR or INDYCAR driver show up and join in on the driving fun. For Austin and Russell, this test has become an annual tradition to escape the cold and get back into their karts before most of their friends and competitors can back at home.
The Boyle brothers along with Hornbostel and Lowe did some testing in their Rotax machines while Sanders split his time between his Briggs & Stratton powerplant and a Rotax kart. Not only lapping and getting their bodies back into karting shape, the group of them worked together, helping young Austin work on his starts and build up his confidence ahead of his first year in Mini-Max.
We caught up with Austin Boyle and asked him about his experience.
“Every March Break since it opened, we always go to GoPro Motorplex in North Carolina since my dad is friends with the owner. This year was important to me as now I move up to Mini-Max and I know it’s going to be a bigger adjustment with more power and weight. I feel the biggest difference is handling. With my brother Russell starting to move on from karting he worked many days with me on passing and setting it up. We also had Gavin Sanders, Nick Hornbostel and Eamon Lowe down and they also helped with race starts, which will help me. Other then really sore arms, I am ready to get the Canadian season going and keep learning.”
– Austin Boyle
Below is a video by Nicholas Hornbostel as he lapped around GoPro.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSHs5JBj7Ui/
As we can tell, Canadian karters cannot wait to get back on track. With the turn of the calendar to April only a day away, the Canadian season is only awaiting the opening of the gates at kart tracks across our provinces to begin. Stay strong CKN Nation, the 2017 race season is upon us.
