Dear CKN Nation,
I’m back again for another driver blog on CKN!
This time around I will be blogging about my latest achievement, winning an international SKUSA Winter Series race in Florida. Just a few weeks ago, it was probably my best karting weekend to date. The penultimate round of the most prestigious series in North America saw me take the victory. I overtook for the lead on lap 13 and never looked back. Well, maybe once. :)
I will strive for victories like this my entire career, every day spent at the track is just another step towards my goals. Winning that race would be an example of that. It was unfortunate that my dad couldn’t make it to the race, we both work so hard in order for me to succeed. I remember as I drove out of the last corner on the last lap I looked up to see my mom, grandmother, little brother and my team cheering me on. I then celebrated at the line, and on the way in and at the scale line with my race track family. I also thought of my dad and what we do together to make goals like these possible.
None of this would be possible without the support of Prime Powerteam, DLR Engines, Alison Racing Engines or BirelART. All of these organizations are a part of what I do on or off the track.
Over the last decade, the Clark family has been with Trevor Wickens and his racing team. We have watched it transform from a regular race team to a North America karting powerhouse. My relationship with Trevor/Prime Power and BirelART continues to grow stronger, and this win helped strengthen it. As for Alison Racing Engines, our ROK engine package is on fire, we look to be strong both at the last round of FWT and at home. With DLR Engines, we have just begun a new adventure with our X30 motor program. I am super thankful to be a part of all these amazing operations.
Big victories always give a renewed sense of confidence. A good result heading into the spring is reassuring, a taste of what we can achieve this year. Moving on, racing is full of ups and downs, the highs are very high, and the lows are very low, and it can all change in the blink of an eye.
The gap between the SKUSA winter series and the Pro Tour was definitely enough time for a blink. The first round at Calspeed Karting offered some immense challenges, between the surface of the circuit and the weather conditions, the weekend was a big shakeup. After coming off a massive high in Homestead, we faced adversity all weekend in Fontana. We battled both my driving style and the setup fiercely, but never ended close to the pace we should have had. Even after a terrible weekend, you always learn something. That’s one of the things that karting has taught me. After you fall down, get right back up and pick up the pieces.
On a more positive note, it was announced last week I with be racing cars full time in 2019. I will be joining the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship with Brian Graham Racing.
I am super excited to start a new chapter in my career with Brian Graham Racing, I can’t wait for Brian to take me to the next level as he has done for so many other pro drivers. F1600 racing will be a big step in my journey up the motorsports ladder. I am pumped to see what we can do in 2019 with BGR. I feel privileged to have the opportunity of racing in the F1600 series, racing on the same tracks as the people I look up to. Circuits such as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve are a large part of Canadian motorsports. The atmosphere in the car racing paddock is great and I look forward to becoming a part of it.
Looking into the near future I am crossing off the days to the first test days of the year with BGR. Car racing is a new adventure to take on, that’s what makes it so thrilling. I also getting amped up for round three of the Florida Winter Tour in Ocala! We are in the championship chase and are going to fight to bring home a trophy or two back across the border. It’s going to be busy for us in the next few months but I can’t wait!
If you have any questions about what I do, or karting as a sport, I am totally open to talking about it! Feel free to reach out to me over social media. My Instagram is @_macclark and my facebook is Mac Clark.
This is Jimmy Clark signing off, see you next time CKN Nation!
