Drops of sweat trickle down Freshman Aidan Yoder’s face as he leans his body to the right inside of his Go Kart, in hopes of passing his opponent at the next corner. With a steady grip on the wheel and his heart racing, Yoder smoothly steers to the left, rounding the final corner as he overtakes his opponent and taking first place.
“My favorite part about Go-Kart racing is the adrenaline rush,” Yoder said. “If you’re going down a straightaway at 100 miles per hour and you are bumper to bumper with your opponents, it’s a race to see who’s going to break first.”
Yoder’s passion for racing started when he was three years old. He would go to race tracks such as SpeedZone, K1 Speed and Boomers to drive Go Karts for fun. Yoder began professional kart racing three years ago when he met someone at the Lancaster Grand Prix, who introduced him to the owner of the Doran Motorsports Group. Yoder was then offered a tryout to join the racing group, which he passed.
“My first time racing was wild,” Yoder said. “I didn’t know what to expect. It was raining which made it even more challenging. I was scared; however, I ended up taking third in my group.”
Three months ago, Yoder was given the opportunity to join the Formula Works Team, a team based in Fontana. The team wanted to give him the proper equipment for racing, so he could improve his time. Although the team is fairly new, it is one of the best racing teams that practice there.
Some of Yoder’s accomplishments include going to nationals and finishing 22nd out of 44 drivers. Last year, he raced in the X30 Intermediate group, the second highest class and is consistently winning that division. This year, he began racing in the professional class, the highest tier, and earned first place in his second race.
Yoder typically practices on weekends in order to avoid conflicts with school. However, if there is a race on Saturday, he and his team would have a mandatory practice session on Friday with his teammates at the Auto Club Speedway. Because the track is a replica configuration of the track used during races, Yoder pushes his limits so that he is prepared for what is to come during the actual race.
“I hope to get out of Go-Kart racing soon,” Yoder said. “My dad and I are looking to get a test drive with an actual car from there I will start racing that series and hopefully I will get noticed and scouted and if all goes well, that will just take me up. My ultimate goal is to be a World Champion in FIA Formula One, which is the highest motorsport that you can get.”
Yoder’s parents have been Motorsport fans since they were young. Their passion of Motorsport racing has influenced Yoder to pursue his dream and ensured that he has every opportunity to do so.
TCHS School Newspaper