Photo courtesy Rory Van der Steur
Junior Rory Van der Steur drives in a shifter kart race on the streets of Las Vegas. A shifter kart is a type of go-kart raced on closed circuits at approximately 100 miles per hour.
Speeding toward victory
The smell of burning rubber engulfs junior Rory Van der Steur as he starts his engine and begins to drive around the track. The drone of running motors buzzes constantly in his ears. Within two seconds, he feels the thrill of accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour.
Van der Steur started racing shifter karts when he was just seven years old. He initially got behind the wheel to follow in his father’s footsteps, who raced cars professionally for six years from 2003 to 2009. Shifter karts are go-karts that are raced on closed circuits at speeds around 100 miles per hour. “Like in any sport, we race against kids in our age group with the addition of engine size. My age group is 15-18, and the engine size is 125cc,” Van der Steur said.
Van der Steur views shifter kart races as a stepping stone to more professional racing. “Every professional F1, IndyCar, and any sports car driver stems from karting,” Van der Steur said. “I still do it because I hope one day I can become a professional race car driver for some factory team.”
Although Van der Steur loves the track, shifter kart racing consumes a significant amount of time. “Just like in any other sport, practice makes perfect, so to prepare for races, I go to our local track in Millville, N.J., to practice for any upcoming races,” he said.
In the past month and a half, Van der Steur has missed 15 days of school due to racing. “I think the problem is people think I go to the beach when I say I’m missing school, but it’s way more than that,” he said. “I literally woke up this morning at 3:30 to get a flight back here and fly by myself.”
Van der Steur races with a team based in Florida called Musgrave Racing Company. He travels across the country with his team for races. “My favorite memory is probably racing in the streets of Las Vegas this past year,” he said. “I have won a handful of money over the years and a couple test days in a racecar.”
Christina Giovanazi is a Sports Editor and Ianna Pirozzi is an In-Focus Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.