A Carrying Place teen continues to chase his dreams on the track even if he still is too young to drive himself to school.
Early last year Quinte News profiled Ryder Brown, 13 at the time, who was enjoying success in karting with aspirations of someday becoming a race car driver.
This year Brown, who recently turned 15, has made the leap to cars, racing in the Miata Canada Cup.
The grade nine student at East Northumberland Secondary School is driving against people of all ages.
“I always wanted to do cars. So, I mean I didn’t know it was going to be this year but everything sort of played together. My dad found a race car in Boston. So we picked that up last spring. And I’ve been, you know, learning to drive stick because the car is standard. And then I got out on track twice last year just for test days. And then this year I’ve been starting racing.”
There are four race weekends in the series, with three races each weekend.
He’s completed two of the weekends already, finishing with a seventh and two eighths at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville last month.
Brown was technically still too young to participate in the first races but says they found a way to bend the rules so he could participate in the first races.
“They changed the rules so I could race the first race because I was still 14. I’m 15 now. But they changed it to, you had to be 15 before and they changed it to ‘with experience’ so any age.”
He says it’s been a big learning curve making the jump from karting to car racing but he’s loving it so far.
When karting, Brown could reach top speeds of 95 km/hr.
In his Miata, top speeds are between 160 and 180 km/hr.
At the recent SMP Cup at Shannonville Motorsport Park, Brown finished eighth, fourth and fifth despite a collision in one race that resulted in a very badly bruised wrist.
Each race he’s competed in has featured more than 20 drivers.
Ryder Brown in his Mazda Miata at Shannonville Motorsport Park. (Photo: submitted)
He’ll race at Calabogie in August and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park again in October.
But perhaps the most exciting opportunity for Brown is the chance to participate in a race during Toronto’s Indy weekend in July.
His father Jeff Brown says it’s not lost on them that this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“That could be the pinnacle of his driving. I mean to have that many people lining the streets and getting to whip around there. It’s pretty cool. I am extremely jealous.”
Jeff is also very proud of his son.
He says their 1.6 litre engine Miata may make them a little lighter – most of the rest of the field Ryder drives against have 1.8 litre motors with more power – but adds you wouldn’t know it by the way his son drives even at this young age.
Father and son continue to bond over their shared love of racing.
A mechanic by trade, Jeff has been working on his son’s vehicles since he started karting.
Ryder says he still aspires to be a professional race car driver, perhaps driving under the International Motor Sport Association (IMSA).
An IMSA race that his dad took him to when he was six years old inspired his passion for racing.
