Doubleheader kart race makes noise at speedway

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The smell of gasoline and the sound of squealing tires was in the air last weekend, as a doubleheader kart race was held at the Strathmore Motorsports Park.

The event was held by the Calgary Kart Racing Club (CKRC), a non-profit member club that promotes karting, a motorsport featuring open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts. The event, held Aug. 8-9, included the organization’s sixth and seventh race for the year, featuring about 100 entries across six classes racing in nine groups.

The karts are small and fast. 

“We have pretty serious racers here,” said Franco Sartor, CKRC president. “We’ve got national champions, racers that race internationally, but also just kids who want to have fun and race.

“It’s a really family environment and I try to keep everything kind of relaxed here.”

The organization, which holds 13 races during the year in a tour out of Calgary and its sister club in Edmonton, is expanding, said Sartor. The club currently has 256 members, many of whom are from Strathmore, as well as Calgary.

“The club is growing fantastically, even through this COVID-19 crisis,” he said. “We’ve exceeded our numbers from last year.”

The morning of each race first featured a safety check, a driver’s meeting and a six-minute practice race. Then, qualifying rounds made up the rest of each morning. 

After lunch, the real races began, with two races for each group. The pre-final race varied in length, from between 10 to 12 laps, with up to 15 laps for the final race.

Restrictions because of COVID-19 meant there was no podium ceremony for winners, “but at least they allowed us to come out,” said Sartor.

The Strathmore Motorsports Park, constructed in 2014, features a 1,225 metre track that features 14 turns. The first SKRC race was held in May 2015. The organization recently received a $100,000 grant from the Alberta Facilities Enhancement Fund to further develop the site.

Finding a permanent home for CKRC took some time, explained Danny Simon, who races in the Masters class. There was racing near the Calgary Airport until the early 1990s, then the group raced at another site in Calgary until 2013, until “they kicked us out because they needed the property,” said Simon. Ultimately, the Town of Strathmore offered a site, and the rest is history. “Thank you Strathmore. We are happy – just look what we built here.”

The racetrack has been busy, explained Spencer Hogg, a driver for Allied Racing, who was not competing in the event. “They’ve had record turnouts here – they’re bringing in about 800 or 1,000 people a weekend for an event.

“On practice days, there will be like 50 to 100 drivers here every Tuesday and Thursday, and then there are private renters as well – it’s bumping to say to the least.”

Some racers have even moved to Strathmore to get closer to the track, said Hogg, who added the track provides benefits to the town.

“All the stores I’m sure are getting flocks of people every Saturday and Sunday grabbing everything from supplies and stacks,” he said. “Also, in terms of local business (impacts), all the fuel has to be from a local pump – everyone is prospering.”

Being a good racer takes “grit and determination,” said Brent Kadler, who races in the Rotax Masters group. “A lot of racing is learning: learning how to make the kart quick, how to drive, and then have the persistence to show up at six in the morning to prep and get ready.”

Most adult racers perform their own vehicle tuning and upkeep, explained Kadler. 

“We’re all wrenching our own maintenance,” he said. “Between races, it’s just tire pressure and gas, and making sure you’re on the right sprocket to gear ratio. But between sessions, we have to lubricate things and maintain your chain. At the end of the season, there’s usually a lot of engine and brake maintenance.

“It adds up to a lot of wrench time.”