Goodwood Kartways produced a winning start to its home racing season last week as the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship began at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park Karting Centre. The team had pole position, Prefinal and Final wins in both two-stroke and four-stroke on opening weekend, and sent five different drivers up the podium steps. The event kicked off the Ontario half of the 2014 schedule, with races three and four to follow at the team’s home track in Stouffville this June.
First to top the charts for Goodwood was Briggs & Stratton Junior driver Nicholas Hornbostel, and he maintained the pace throughout the day to take the first team win of the ECKC season as well. On pole by over two-tenths to begin the day, Hornbostel maintained the front row through the Prefinal and produced a commanding run in the Final to score his first Regional win and lead a Goodwood Kartways one-two finish with teammate and reigning National Champion Tyler McCullough.
“It was a tough and very close fight, and I knew that if I made one mistake I would get passed and lose the front pack,” Hornbostel said of the early laps of the Final where he settled in fourth. “I pushed and got past a few karts until there was just a small gap to the leader in front and some clear space behind me. As I was catching the leader I noticed that I had more pace, so I went ahead to try to get away from anyone who would be able to threaten me in the closing laps. On the final lap I was passed going into the hairpin, but I maintained my speed to regain the position on exit and continued for the final few corners to take the win!”
Sunday didn’t go quite as well, as an incident in the Prefinal made for a run from last to sixth in the Final, but the effects of scoring a first Regional win can never be denied.
“It definitely feels good to take a win over some of the top drivers in the class and it gives me the confidence I need to continue a strong season racing against these top drivers,” Hornbostel concluded. “Overall it was a great weekend and we can only hope to do better in the next round at Goodwood.”
The other driver to top the blocks was Zachary Claman DeMelo, as after finishing second in Race 1, the Goodwood/Intrepid driver dominated Race 2 on Sunday. After taking pole position in the largest field by over two-tenths of a second, Claman DeMelo won the Prefinal by over two full seconds and the Final by more than four. The performance has the four-time series’ champion leading the tables through round one and off on solid footing working toward a fifth title.
Also leading the championship table through the opening round is a driver at the opposite end of the experience spectrum: Gianluca Savaglio in Rotax Micro-Max. Participating in his first ECKC race and his first event with the team from Goodwood Kartways, Savaglio won the Prefinal and finished second in Race 1 before qualifying on the front row for Race 2 and racing toward a second runner-up finish.
The final podium run came from Francis Mondou in DD2 Masters. Winner of the season-ending event last year at Mont-Tremblant, Mondou was second in the season opener and finished fourth on Sunday to now sit second in the championship headed to Goodwood. Additional top-five finishes were produced by Tyler McCullough in Briggs Junior and Dale Curran in Micro-Max. Full team results can be seen below.
The Eastern Canadian Karting Championship resumes June 28th at Goodwood Kartways with races 3 and 4. For more information on how Goodwood Kartways can assist you there, please contact Team Manager marco@goodwoodkartways.com and visit goodwoodkartways.com
Goodwood Kartways Driver Results – ECKC, CTMP Karting Centre
Briggs & Stratton Junior
Nicholas Hornbostel – 1st, 6th
Tyler McCullough – 2nd, 5th
Gavin Saunders – 14th, 15th
Briggs & Stratton Senior
Christopher Proietto – 21st, 8th
Rotax Micro-Max
Gianluca Savaglio – 2nd, 2nd – Championship Leader
Dale Curran – 8th, 5th
Anthony Sardelleti – 6th, 8th
Rotax Mini-Max
Xavier Harris – 12th, 8th
Christopher Chanko – 9th, 12th
Rotax Senior
Zachary Claman DeMelo – 2nd, 1st – Championship Leader
Marco Di Leo – 13th
Aleki Liverant – 20th, 16th
Tyler Kashak – 30th, 21st
Rotax DD2
Elvis Stojko – 13th, 10th
Tyler Kashak – 11th, 13th
Max Preston – 12th, 14th
Rotax DD2 Masters
Francis Mondou – 2nd, 4th
John Cariati – 7th, 8th
Joe Crupi – 10th, 9th
*Team Facts: Goodwood Kartways is in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada, where drivers can progress from turning rental kart laps to world championships. The Goodwood Kartways race team annually represents the facility at National and International Championships like the Florida Winter Tour, Eastern Canadian Karting Championship, Canadian National Championships and SKUSA SuperNationals.
It has also had drivers contest the Pan-American Rotax Max Challenge, the World Karting Association Manufacturer’s Cup, the Rotax European Championship, the Rotax International Open Championship and the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Goodwood Kartways operates in conjunction with Intrepid S.r.l. in Verona, Praga Kart, HRS Racing Engines, IMAF Racing Seats and Vega Tires.
