The Canadian karting season is coming to a close for the crew at Goodwood Kartways after the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship raced its finale and the Toronto Racing Association of Karters did the same recently. All that remains now is the last rotation and finals of the Canadian Rookie Karting Championship at the track before winter will once again be on the doorstep.
“It’s been a very fun and successful year for team Goodwood Kartways,” said Team Manager Marco Di Leo as things wound up for the National team. “Right from the get-go we had the 2015 Intrepid chassis dialled in through all conditions, and I can’t thank the team enough for keeping spirits high in the tent and filling it with smiles and trophies. It was great to see both first timers and veterans find success, and especially to have Tyler emerge and get his dream ticket to the worlds. Luis and I are excited to be heading to Portugal with him, and we’re already planning and looking forward to next season.”
The first of the finales saw members of the Goodwood/Intrepid National Team travel to the Jim Russell Karting Academy in Mont-Tremblant for races seven and eight of the ECKC two weeks ago. Dave Anderson in Briggs & Stratton Masters and Di Leo in Rotax Senior were working the math on championship bids, and they were joined by Lorenzo Morsillo, Cole Hooton, Austin Riley and Andrew Calabrese at one of the nation’s top tracks. Both Intrepid title contenders produced double-podium runs and season-high point totals, yet in the end came up shy of adding to the team’s championship roll.
Di Leo worked himself to a one-on-one showdown at the Sunday finale after he qualified on pole and won the Prefinal, but after leading the first half of the Final his title hopes were lost after contact from behind. A podium result wasn’t enough to close the deal and he was forced to settle for second in both the race and championship. Still, the Canadian season was an incredibly consistent one for Di Leo as he never missed the podium in his home and native land. Along with winning the National Championship in August, he finished on the podium in eight consecutive ECKC starts.
Looking at a much tougher order to fill heading in, Anderson edged only marginally closer through Saturday in the Briggs Master class and needed a perfect run Sunday to have any chance at all. It started rough with P7 in qualifying, but he found a groove in race action and won both the Prefinal and Final on Sunday to score maximum points. In the end he was thirty points shy of the title, and after finishing third in the championship in his return to karting last season Anderson recorded second in 2015 on the strength of a win, five podiums and seven top tens.
Andrew Calabrese made the trip to Mont-Tremblant and claimed third in the DD2 Masters Championship. John Cariati was fifth in the same class over the full campaign and Tyler Kashak was fifth in final DD2 points despite missing the final round while beginning his second year at McMaster University. Goodwood/Intrepid will now have a trio of drivers headed to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portugal as along with Kashak and Di Leo, who qualified with victories at the Canadian National Championships, Luis Schiavo earned a spot on Team USA with a US National win in DD2 Masters with Goodwood/Intrepid trackside support.
Earning Championship honours at the TRAK final round last weekend at Goodwood were: Marco Signoretti, Alex Mankovski, Russell Boyle, Stefano Lucente, Dale Curran, Kolby Twa, Gianluca Savaglio, Tanner Hamilton, Alex Murphy and Eli Yanko. Congratulations to all the club champions for 2015!
Coming events for Goodwood/Intrepid include the US Open of Rotax October 27-31, the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals November 8-15 and SKUSA SuperNationals XIX November 18-22. For more information on the team and to learn how it can assist you in karting, please email marco@goodwoodkartways.com, visit the new goodwoodkartways.com and like it on Facebook.
Goodwood/Intrepid Driver Results – ECKC 4, Mont-Tremblant
Briggs & Stratton Masters
Dave Anderson – 3rd, 1st
Rotax Micro-Max
Lorenzo Morsillo – 9th, 10th
Rotax Junior
Cole Hooton – 13th, 14th
Rotax Senior
Marco Di Leo – 2nd, 2nd
Rotax DD2
Austin Riley – 7th, 7th
Rotax DD2 Masters
Andrew Calabrese – 2nd, 2nd
*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.
