PR: Goodwood Kartways FWT Homestead Report

Goodwood Kartways got its season off to an epic start a week ago as the 2014 Florida Winter Tour took its first green flag at Homestead Karting. A fifteen-member lineup from eight different countries combined to earn six wins and ten podiums, with the group especially dominant in Sunday afternoon Rotax when it produced wins in every Senior and Master class. Ed Brand and Arnaud Kozlinski turned pole to victory Rotax Senior and DD2, while Luis Schiavo swept the day in both DD2 Masters and Rotax Masters at round one.

“It was the first time the kart was on track in 2014 and it couldn’t have gone any better,” Brand said of his first FWT starts. “We were just using the kart standard, which was more than fast enough to win on both MG and Mojo tires. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Racing at Homestead and the FWT for the first time, Brand warmed up with two poles and a win during the Formula Kart weekend before taking another two poles, a third and a Sunday victory in Rotax Max, racing each weekend with an Intrepid/HRS Rotax. It’s a combination the former British Junior and Senior Champion definitely pegs as a winner.

“I raced Intrepid/HRS last year with the factory and developed the kart over the year, so it was great to get on the 2014 kart and race it in competition to see how we compared with other manufacturers,” Brand said. “The development we did last year has paid off, as now we are right at the front and fighting for wins again.”

Also fighting for wins again, Schiavo was outstanding in sweeping Rotax Masters over three days and adding another pole, win and podium in DD2 Masters. It was a dominant display, if not one that was completely planned.

“We registered in both classes planning to race where I showed the most pace, but the Intrepid was such a good kart right out of the box we did well in both and raced both,” Schiavo said. “So now we are committed to both classes for the rest of the championship! I use the warm-up laps in each class to get used to switching from one kart to the other. Braking points, turning points and different speed in the corners is a bit of a challenge, however, after a couple of laps it’s all good!”

The Venezuelan driver was especially strong in Masters, taking both poles and winning both Prefinals and Finals with fastest laps. He also scored a pole in DD2 Masters, winning both Prefinals with fastest lap before earning a third-place result and a Sunday victory.

Luis Schiavo scored three poles and three wins at the opening round
(Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)

“HRS Engines are so consistent that I managed to get almost exact RPMs on each lap!” Schiavo said afterward. “Not to talk about very close lap times during the race! We are indeed very pleased with the performance of our power plants, and Intrepid has always been my favourite kart. I began racing one in 2004 when I ran a Silverstone chassis in the ICA 100 class, and from then on I’ve been a big fan of the brand. The new Intrepid is just as good as the brand has always been.”

Also putting a mark in the win column on Sunday was ‘Koko’ Kozlinski, sweeping the day in DD2 after coming to terms with his Intrepid/HRS Rotax package with a third-place result on Saturday. Kozlinski also added fastest lap in the Final on his way to a near three-second win, and leads the class championship, just as Schiavo does in both DD2 Masters and Rotax Masters. The combined efforts of the trio led to five wins and eight podiums, while Canadian Joshua Cunha was just off the podium in Micro-Max finishing sixth on Saturday and fourth on Sunday in his first FWT action. It was an opening event that has the group filled with confidence going forward in Florida, and anxiously awaiting the start of the racing seasons in Canada and Europe.

Goodwood Kartways, importer of both Intrepid and Praga racing karts, can assist you with all your racing needs. To enquire about dealer network opportunities, please contact Team Manager marco@goodwoodkartways.com and visit goodwoodkartways.com. The 2014 FWT resumes February 7-9 in Ocala, Florida, with a Formula Kart weekend preceding the second round of the Rotax Max Challenge.

Goodwood Kartways Team Results – FWT, Homestead Karting

Rotax DD2 Masters
Luis Schiavo – 3rd, 1st – Championship Leader
Henry Martin – 6th, 6th
Paulo Gomes – 11th, 12th

Rotax Masters
Luis Schiavo – 1st, 1st – Championship Leader
Miguel Spina – 15th, 18th

Rotax DD2
Arnaud Kozlinski – 3rd, 1st – Championship Leader
Christian Cornejo – 25th, 16th
Max Preston – 24th, 22nd

Rotax Senior
Ed Brand – 3rd, 1st
Zach Claman DeMelo – 11th, 6th
Marco Di Leo – 34th, 18th
Clemente Ruidiaz – 42nd, 42nd

Rotax Junior
Lorenzo Morchio – 42nd, 51st

Rotax Micro-Max
Joshua Cunha – 6th, 4th

TaG Senior
Ed Brand – 4th, 1st – Championship Leader
Zach Claman DeMelo – 6th, 3rd
Santigo Lozano – 18th, 19th

TaG Cadet
Lochie Hughes – 24th, 5th

*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 Manufacturers’ 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.