 Samantha
Jansen
I began karting at the end of the 1997 season at
Bingeman Park in Kitchener. I managed to capture
a feature win in that short amount of time. I
also competed in the Octoberfest Grand Prix
where I won a heat race and managed to get 9th
overall, which was good for my first Grand Prix.
I continued to race karts throughout the 1998
season and I got 3rd in the championship in the
Jr. Sportsman class. I also attended the
Canadian grand Nationals where I finished just
outside the top ten. I also attended the Saugeen
Grand Prix where I qualified 3rd out of approx.
35 karts. I finished my first race in 2nd and in
the following heat I made the move for first but
was taken out of the race. I had a strong
comeback but not quite strong enough.
In 1999 I raced karts all over Ontario. My home
track was Bingemans in Kitchener. in 2001, I had
moved up to the Jr.Teen class where I got 4th in
the championship. I also competed in the OKRA
(Ontario Kart Racing Association) series where I
had a few top 5 finishes. Another track I
competed at ve ry
regularly was TKC (Toronto Kart Club) in
Goodwood. I almost always finished in the top
10.
In 2000 I raced karts in the Jr. Teen
class again except this time I managed to get
3rd in the championship. I also continued to
compete at TKC and I almost always finished in
the top five. I also competed in the Canada Cup
held at Goodwood (TKC) and I finished 1st in the
Jr. Pro class and finished 4th in the Jr. Heavy
class. In 2001 I raced karts for half the season
and I maintained 2nd in the championship until I
decided to move up to cars and discontinued
racing karts. I began to race a Canadian Vintage
Modified (CVM). I was also the youngest person
ever to race a Canadian Vintage Modified. My
first few races were a learning curve of what
was to come.
In my first full season in the new car I managed
to capture a few wins. I also won “Most Popular
Driver” voted on by the fans. I did have some
bad luck in that season which brought me from a
strong second in points at the beginning of the
year to a 9th in points by the end of the
championship. I am hoping to win the upcoming
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