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| Features |
| Driver Spotlight – Miles Maroney |
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 | | Miles Maroney |
This month’s driver spot light shines on 10 year-old Miles Maroney of Topanga Canyon, Calif., where he lives with his parents Michael and Kimberly and younger sister, Kaitlin. As you will see below, Miles is pretty much all kid, but one who’s focused on racing and winning. While most kids his age watch Yu Gi Oh or Sponge Bob cartoons, Miles’ favorite program is F1 Decade on SPEED TV.
Miles has been on the radar this season taking the Western Region Stars of Karting Championship in Cadet with three wins and seven poles, a WKA Manufacturer's Cup West Grand National title, and has multiple wins in IKF Region 7 action. He was also the Cadet runner up in Stars regional action last season and earned a win in the 2003 California State Championships in Junior 1 competition.
Although he didn't land in the winner's circle, one of his most spectacular drives this year was at the IKF Sprint Grand Nationals at Button Willow that was also a big learning experience for him and his dad. This was his first attempt at a Duffy and scheduling conflicts had them showing up with zero practice. In HPV 1, Miles qualified off-pole 0.070 seconds, finished fourth in the 34-kart Pre-final and experienced an off track excursion in the final. In the last six laps, he moved back up from 23rd to finish a respectable eighth. In Junior 1, he qualified second again at 0.022 seconds off pole, experienced another off track excursion after contact and finished 23rd in the pre-final. In the final he moved up to a respectable ninth in the 34-kart field. His final shot for a Duffy came in Rookie Sportsman, qualifying in third (0.268 seconds off pole), finished fourth in the pre-final and sixth in the final.
 | | Miles Maroney - head down and focused for Moran showdown |
While he didn’t come home with the coveted Duffy, the event was a character builder as his father Michael recalled. “He was somewhat disappointed after qualifying so well, but I reminded him that it took Jason Bowles nine years to win his first and only Duffy and Joel Miller and other excellent kart racers have the same story. In the end, it will make it much sweeter if and when it ever happens and we both know it. In racing, it takes so many things to line up in order to win, that’s why we enjoyed the following string of good fortune at Stars’ events at Infineon and CartBC. We will continue to work even harder to keep it going while doing our best to remember to keep it light and have fun doing all of this. It has to be fun; especially for Miles... after all, he's just a 10 year old kid!”
Although somewhat bummed about the delay of the Stars finale in Orlando, he’s anxiously awaiting his trip to Disney World and giving his best shot at a Stars National title. Miles turns 11 Sept. 29 and starts middle school at Paul Revere next month. He’s a bright kid who displays good sportsmanship qualities and respects others on the race track. He’s been racing karts for four and a half years and focuses on being smooth and fast. “My favorite part about driving is the feeling you get when you’re hauling butt and driving away from the rest,” said Miles – words of veteran racer but beyond his years.
EKN salutes Miles for his dedication, his ability to respect others on the track and his sportsmanship. He’s an awesome kid and we hope to continue reading about his success through the years.
Date of Birth: September 29, 1993
Hometown: Topanga Canyon, California
Parents: Michael & Kimberly
Sibling: Kaitlin, age 8
Height/Weight: 4’7 at 70 pounds
Grade: Going into 6th
Other sports he likes Roller blading, street hockey, and baseball
How long he’s been racing karts: 4.5 years
When and how he started I was 4 years old when I started. My dad and grandfather (my dad’s dad) took me to Adams Kart Track in Riverside, Calif., to take a kid kart class from Jesus. I liked it so my dad bought me a Tony Kart (kid kart) chassis with a Comer 50cc so I could go out with him when he would go shifter karting and racing his trucks.
Team Name Maroney Motorsports
Crew Members: Dad - he drives the truck, maintains the karts and is my mechanic.
Chassis’ he competes with 3 Cadet Top Karts
Engines he competes with and engine builder: Jr.1 Comer 80cc, HPV1 100cc, Rookie Sportsman Yamaha KT100S. Engine builder is Josh Robertson (The “Horsepower King”) for Pitts Performance.
2004 Series Focus: Snap-On Stars of Karting
Accomplishments
● 2003 California State Champion in Jr.1 Comer
● 2003 Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow Western Division Runner up; #5 in Nation
● 2004 Snap-On Stars of Karting Cadet Western Division Champion, 3 wins & 7 poles in 8 events.
● 2004 I.K.F. Region 7 Sprint Multiple Race Winner
● 2004 WKA Manufacturer's Cup West - HPV 1Grand National Champion
Favorite Tracks: All of the ones I race on, Moran, Infineon, Cart BC in Canada, X Plex in Vegas.
Favorite kart driver he’s raced with: Garrison Masters #63
Favorite Pro-kart driver he admires: Jonathan Bomarito (karts and full size cars)
His favorite aspect about karting: Winning
Favorite TV Show: F1 Decade on Speed!
Favorite Music: Rock & Roll (Linkin Park)
Favorite Vacation Spot The Track its better than a vacation, but we have a home in Lake Tahoe so I like it there.
Participation in other sports: Just karting …as much as possible.
Miles’ heroes: My Dad
What goes through his head when he races: Be smooth and go fast – this pretty much sums it up
His favorite top level series: F1 all the way!
His favorite gaming system and games: Playstation 2 : NASCAR 2004, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, and Need For Speed Underground
What he likes best about racing with his family: The thought of knowing they are there
What he likes least about racing with his family: My mom Cheers too loud
Favorite Junk Food: Any fast food place
Favorite way to chill out: Play with my friends
Does he get stuck with homework at the races?: Not any more, I finish it before I get to the races.
Do he have a race he considers as his favorite?: I really don’t have a single favorite - I’m still working on my favorite race. I have had some good ones though!
Pet peeves or things that particularly irritate him My sister most of the time
What he thinks could be done to improve karting: Better trophies and prizes (money)
What he wants to be when he grows up: An F1 Racer
Other things he’d like EKN visitors to know about him: I love karting, I think it is a great sport because of the thrill of it … it is so cool. I just love to do it.
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