Western Canadian Team Preps Three Drivers For Rotax Grand Finals

press release

GBR Kart Racing Inc of Chilliwack, British Columbia will be represented at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals by three drivers. With only two weeks to go until the big show, GBR is hard at work preparing three drivers for the biggest Rotax race of the year.

GBR started the year on a new product, which could have gone either way, but as soon as they got the Lewis Hamilton Karts on the track in Phoenix in January, the team knew they had something special. Though the team results were mixed during those first few races at the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas, they did show serious speed and matched that effort as they rolled into the Western Canadian Championship.

Daniel Burkett - Photo by: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media Group
Above: Daniel Burkett's 2nd place at the Pan American Challenge Finale earned him his first Team Canada berth
pic - Cody Schindel, Autosports Media Group

GBR drivers making Team Canada will be Chris Glover from Vancouver, British Columbia in Senior Max, Kyle Herder from Toronto, Ontario in DD2 Max and Daniel Burkett of Winnipeg, Manitoba also in DD2 Max. With three drivers from three different parts of the country, the national scale of the GBR Karting program is not hard to see.

"To be represented at the World Finals by three drivers, I think says GBR had an extremely successful year," states Kevin Glover, GBR Team Principal. "Kyle (Herder) and Chris (Glover) have been before and will add some real experience to Team Canada. This is really awesome for Daniel (Burkett). He's worked hard this season and it shows. Amazing that he did it in his rookie year in DD2."

The success though, was not a surprise to GBR Karting. The team garnered a series of successes with Glover and Herder wrapping up Western Canadian Championship titles, both coming with seats to the Rotax Grand Finals. Burkett earned his first trip with a second place finish at the Pan American Challenge Finale. Daniel will be in good hands at his maiden event with the experience of Herder and Glover beside him as this will be Kyle's third appearance and Chris' second.

"I'm really glad to have Kyle there too actually as he raced the track in 2007 so Daniel and I should be able to get a few tips and tricks out of him," comments Chris Glover on is return to Team Canada. "Since the karts we have to run at the Grand Finals are different than what we run here, we planned ahead and got some basic testing in."

The CRG DD2 karts are similar to the Lewis Hamilton Kart so Daniel and Kyle will be pretty much at home. Chris though, is another matter as the Senior Max chassis is a Sodi Kart this year. Never ones to be unprepared, GBR contacted The Race Lab to obtain a Sodi Kart for a weekend in order to try it out. With only four practice sessions at the Grand Finals, it's important to get a few basic things sorted out when on an unfamiliar chassis, like pedal positions, steering wheel height, basic seat position, just so you're at least close for the first session.

"Thanks to Steve Rickman at The Race Lab for letting us test out a chassis," continues Kevin Glover. "Next year I want to have a driver in every class! I'm partly kidding, but I think it's doable and sounds like a nice goal, so I think we'll work on that."

Glover, Herder and Burkett hit the desert nation of the United Arab Emirates in two weeks time along with the rest of Team Canada.

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