Missing out on a race at Grand Junction, Colorado last month wasn’t what local racer Aidan Keel was planning. A scheduling conflict took the 13-year-old out of the race, but he’d be in his current position even if he could make it because of his performance in Dallas in May. He needs to win in Kershaw, South Carolina to make the 2015 Rotax World Finals in Algarve, Portugal.
Things are looking good after Keel made the podium at a recent shootout run. He just needs to capitalize on the third-place finish with another podium finish at the Rotax Grand Nationals to make the cut, and he’s going into the next race feeling confident about his odds.
“I did pretty well,” Keel says. “I got my first podium of the season. I’m really happy about that. Feeling prepared for Nationals.”
KERSHAW
Carolina Motorsports Park, the site of the Grand Nationals competition, is what Keel describes as a simplistic track. The task of reaching the podium won’t be simple in of itself, but navigating the course sounds like it should be.
Keel began the shootout by placing third Saturday, July 18, but finished closer to the back Sunday, July 19, after going through a few crashes. Though things could have played out a little more in his favor that day, Keel was good enough Saturday that his bottom line wasn’t affected.
It was his best finish of the season so far, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. He’ll be back in Kershaw in two weeks for Grand Nationals, which runs from Wednesday, August 5, through Sunday, August 9. He can’t wait to get back on that track with his newfound knowledge of its layout and features.
“It wasn’t one of the most complicated, but I really adapted very well,” Keel says. “I had speed the whole weekend, and I’m looking forward to the next race there … It flows really nicely. It’s not that technical of a track, so I like that aspect. It didn’t take that long to learn, so you really have to focus on your kart.”
He’ll also have to focus on the other drivers. While he went up against a field of about 25 over the weekend, Keel will see it nearly double for the real deal. The core group of drivers that Keel has mentioned in the past, the drivers who always seem to finish at or near the front with him, should grow larger
“That group of kids is going to extend a little bit to a top 10 this time,” he says. “So many people can win it, and they want to. It’s gonna be a fun race.”
Should Keel finish anywhere but the podium at Grand Nationals, he can say goodbye to that trip to Portugal, but if the Plant City native is nervous at all about the upcoming races, he’s doing a fine job of not showing it.
Keel couldn’t be much happier with the track and says that he just needs to make a few adjustments to his kart going into the next competition.
“Maybe just little things,” he says. “Certain places on the track, fine-tuning the kart … We’ve already gotten a good result, but we just need to work for first place.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
GRAND NATIONALS
Where: Carolina Motorsports Park, Kershaw, South Carolina
When: August 5 to 9
Stakes: Seven American drivers will be crowned national champions — one for each Rotax division. Tickets to the 2015 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals will also be awarded, and Aidan Keel can earn a spot in the 2015 World Finals with a podium finish.