Regional karting gets underway this coming weekend as Round One of the KartStars Canada Karting Championship is set to take place at Canada’s most historic karting venue – Goodwood Kartways. Leaders on the Regional and National scene for the last decade, the management team at Goodwood has been extra motivated in preparing the KartStars Canada program, and they believe that this year’s product offers an unprecedented bang for the buck.
“We have been very fortunate to host Canada’s biggest events over the last several years,” commented Goodwood Kartways’ President Daniel Di Leo. “And while quite successful, some of those events were organized under the influence of others, which made it difficult for us to balance their priorities and what we feel karters and teams would prioritize. This year, though, we had a fresh slate. Simply put, we went back to the drawing board, paid close attention to feedback from the past and the end result is a product that we are extremely excited about.”
Highlighting the changes, here are five reasons the team at Goodwood believe you should come race with KartStars Canada this weekend:
- Regional Racing at Club Pricing: With the challenges the world is facing today, we are fortunate to be able to continue doing what we love. Yet at the same time, the cost of entry is a definite factor. The cost to enter a club race across the province averages from $90-$100. A typical club race includes four on-track sessions at roughly 10 minutes per session. Over the course of the day, the expectation is therefore close to $25/session. We understand that the foundation of karting is club racing, and last year’s model of ‘pricing out’ the average club racer at the Regional level wasn’t an option going forward. The KartStars format therefore includes six on-track sessions for a Single-Day class. The cost of entry is $150, matching the same rate of $25/session as club racing. With KartStars Junior and KartStars Senior options at 50% off, the cost per session even falls below that of club racing! For years we have heard that Regional racing is too expensive, so this year we have done something about it.
- National classes offered with a format specifically tailored to each: Speaking in general terms, Rok racers in Canada expect a weekend-long competition at the highest level, similar to events run around the world. Briggs racers on the other hand, are often more conscious of costs, and that includes the cost of being away from work or home for an extra day. The bottom line is that both groups of racers are equally important to our program and this year’s KartStars format is tailored to both. Briggs’ racers get a full day of racing action in a single-day format: Warm-up, Qualifying, Heat 1, Heat 2, Pre-final and Final! Rok racers get a two-day format with longer lap counts as they work towards Finals on Sunday. For Briggs’ racers looking for more track time, consider entering KartStars Junior or KartStars Senior and get a second full day of racing for only $75! We think this was important and judging from the feedback we got it right.
- Regional Racing demands experienced staff – and we have it: You can’t argue with the experience of the KartStars team. From our experience in hosting Canada’s largest events to the retention of the most important personnel, our team has the experience to do it right and we do it efficiently. Rob Oakman is back in control of the on-track racing action and with a familiar cast of characters you can expect a controlled environment. New to the team, Wrex Roth is on board as the Rok Technical Director. Wrex is well known from his time in the sport. A familiar face in the paddock for over 50 years, Wrex brings a wealth of experience to the table. Serving on club, Regional and National boards in the past, he is well versed in the sport of karting and definitely knows the ins and outs of a kart racing engine. Not many can claim that they acted as a CIK Homologation Inspector. Wrex can, and he is another valuable asset to our team.
- Money can buy speed, but we are curbing that: To compete against the best, you need to be on equal footing, and oftentimes that means fresh equipment and more specifically fresh rubber! KartStars has implemented a strategy to help. First off, Rok racers are limited to one set of tires for the entire weekend. Right off the bat that cuts the tire costs of last year’s model in half. The cherry on top: that one set of tires is offered at a discounted price – 15% off retail when purchased through pre-registration. And in Briggs’ classes – bring what you’ve got! As long as your tires meet class requirements, run new or used, it’s your choice. No tire purchase required. For those who are in need of a new set, the same 15% off applies if you choose to buy a new set while registering. Just to put tire pricing into perspective, 15 years ago Dunlop SL4 was the spec tire in Ontario. Back then, retail was $220/set. Today, while registering for Round One, the cost of your race tires with a KartStars Canada discount is $216. We are confident that this will help and our hope is that it will increase participation as well.
- An impressive Prize Package and random prizes as well: Prizing and awards are always important when trying to attract the large fields we all look forward to at Regional events. But the fact of the matter is not everyone can win. For those who do, we have trips! Trips to represent Canada at the Rok Superfinal in Italy, trips to compete against the world’s best at Rok The Rio in Las Vegas, and a trip to Shannonville Motorsports Park for four deserving drivers to test the New Speed Motorsports Nascar Pinty’s Car in October! And we have random prizes as well, even if you didn’t reach the podium. Show up to the podium presentations and you could win free entry to the next round or new racing tires as we raffle off these valuable prizes to random participants. A full list of prizes and awards is posted on the Series’ website.
KartStars Canada is very much looking forward to our inaugural season. We appreciate your consideration and hope to have you race with us at our opening round. For further information, please visit www.kartsportcanada.ca. Questions? Email info@kartsportcanada.ca
Ready to register? Here’s the link: https://kartsportcanada.ca/event-registration-2020/
