R2ENDALZ Fundraiser a Huge Success!
Article written by Daniel Demaras
www.demaras.com
After a month of planning, the “Racing to End Alzheimer’s” charity go-kart race took place on Saturday, September 14th at K1 Speed Toronto. It was a great day of racing and fun activities, jam packed with competitors from all over Ontario.
Between the front counter and the track entrance, in the heart of the facility, the R2ENDALZ display was set up. Everyone entering K1 Speed could see something special was happening. The No. 12 PRO / Intrepid / Briggs & Stratton kart raced by Daniel Demaras was on display next to a huge banner of ‘Violet’ the No.23 R2ENDALZ Audi RS3 LMS driven by Vance and Galante in the IMSA series.
Visitors to the kart track stopped by to make their donations to the event, and proudly wore their purple R2ENDALZ wristband, hats and buttons, to show their support. There were even delicious purple frosted cupcakes, courtesy of Nostalgia Coffee Company, which the junior racers ate up in a hurry, while playing a virtual karting game on the big screen TV. While waiting for their turn on track, visitors took part in the fun off-track activities, including a Pit Stop Challenge. Amateur mechanics put their wrenching skills on display at they tried to change two tires on the No. 12 kart quicker than anyone else, with the winner taking home a Google Home Mini courtesy of High Definition Installations.
The main event was the Race to End Alzheimer’s. Divers arrived early and raced hard all day to qualify, by setting one of the the day’s quickest times. At 5:00 pm, qualifying was done and the top drivers were announced; Daniel Chu, Jason Wong, Sebastian Leung, Paulo Fonseca, Logan Goz, Alexander Chong, Dale Goz, Asif Sattaur, Kasper Titus, Junhao Lu and Ryan Dupont. The racers were briefed before their race, and lined up in order of fastest qualifying time.
When the green flag dropped it was a 12 lap dash for glory. Regardless of whether they’re competing for charity or just bragging rights, racers at K1 Speed go all out! Jason took the lead on the first lap from polesitter Daniel, then found himself then locked in a battle with Paolo. Dale and Ryan made contact early on, as Paolo got past Wong with a late braking maneuver into Turn 8. Paulo began to extend his lead as Alexander got past both Jason and Kasper. Paolo Fonseca took the win, with Alexander Chong in second and Jason Wong rounding out the podium. Dale fought hard to finish fourth, Kasper recovered to fifth after a collision. Ryan finished in sixth, while Asif put on a show moving up from last to finish seventh, followed by Daniel, Junhao, Logan and Sebastian.
At the awards presentation, all drivers received a Swag Pack with prizes from Goodwood Kartways, Scarboro Subaru and Carts & Coffee. The Top 3 podium finishers were joined by all the competitors who raced hard to make the R2ENDALZ fundraiser so spectacular. Event organizer Daniel Demaras stood on the top step of the podium, and announced to all gathered that the event had raised $1036.55, far surpassing the day’s fundraising target (and that’s before the online donations had been counted). All racers went home happy, knowing they had raced their hardest, all while helping do something good for charity.
All proceeds from the Racing To End Alzheimer’s event were donated to the Baycrest Foundation in Toronto.
Daniel Demaras is a 15-year-old karting enthusiast who shares his passion for karting on both the outdoor and indoor tracks, including K1 Speed. Daniel races for Professional Racing Ontario. Learn more about Daniel on his website www.demaras.com