Ryder Brown isn’t your typical 13-year-old.
Instead of playing video games he is practically living one – the Carrying Place teen is a professional kart racer.
Ryder, who is in grade 8 at Murray Centennial is getting ready for his third full season on the professional circuit.
His new season starts this week with the Cup Karts Spring Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ryder says he’s grown up in a motorsports house and racing has been in his blood his entire life.
“So my first word was car and my second was wheel, as an infant. And my dad took me to an IMSA race. So IMSA stands for International Motor Sport Association. And while we were sitting on the bleachers I saw a go-kart track. And I instantly knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
He was just six years old.
While he’s karting right now, Ryder has aspirations of becoming a professional race car driver.
Ryder began his karting career participating in the Arrive and Drive series at Mosport.
Arrive and Drive is a program where new drivers can learn the ropes using karts and equipment provided by the track.
In 2021 he got his first kart and raced in a half dozen races.
While he struggled his first season, especially when it came to the mechanical side of karting, his second season in 2022 was much more successful as he was on the podium in 12 of his 16 races including three wins.
Ryder Brown, 13, of Carrying Place on top of the podium in a Cup Karts Canada race. (Photo: submitted)
He took four podiums as well as one win last summer with the victory coming at a Cup Karts Canada Race at Lombardy Raceway near Smiths Falls.
Ryder also participated in the Ron Fellows series last summer, eight races held over four weekends.
He finished fourth overall in the championship and ended the series on a high note with a second place finish at Mont Tremblant Kart Track and winning the Team Spirit award, a $500 prize.
Ryder Brown (l) and dad Jeff Brown (r) at Mont Tremblant Kart Track, 2023. (Photo: submitted)
He also had a great experience last fall racing at New Castle Indiana.
Ryder reaches speeds of around 95 km/hr in his kart.
Why does he do it?
“I just love the feeling. I’m not doing it for the win but I’m doing it for the feeling of the win. That surreal feeling of coming in first.”
Ryder’s dad, Jeff, says he couldn’t be prouder of his son and that he is relentless in pursuing his dream.
Jeff is amazed at how driven Ryder is, noting he is never scared, not even after an accident.
Jeff adds that he experiences every emotion there is watching Ryder and while racing can be a dangerous sport, others like football, and rugby can be just as risky.
Ryder Brown of Carrying Place avoids two karts colliding in front of him at a Cup Karts Canada race in 2023. (Photo: submitted)
Though he admits that he and Ryder’s mom, Kelsey White, a local teacher, are still nervous when their son goes out on the track and he’s not sure he even breathes until the checkered flag.
“Every time that Ryder leaves we, you know we have a little system to keep him out of his head and to keep his nerves down. And we do a fist pump and a hand shake and I always say to him I love you and just have fun.”
This has also been a great bonding activity for father and son.
Jeff is the pit crew for Ryder at his races but Ryder has also been in the pit for his dad who races a stock car at Shannonville.
Ryder can win a few hundred dollars for a podium finish, money that goes right back into his kart or towards his next race.
They work on Ryder’s kart together getting it ready for every race.
Ryder Brown, with his dad Jeff. (Photo: submitted)
Jeff, a former military member, is a mechanic but says they’ve been lucky to connect with other helpful people on the kart circuit who have guided them along the way.
And while it is not an inexpensive activity, Jeff says he and Ryder’s mom, though no longer together, are fully committed to helping Ryder reach his dreams of becoming a professional race car driver.
Ryder has a full season coming up, participating in three different series of professional karting being run in Canada this year.
And he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, but Ryder is already excited for the 2025 season when he will make his first jump from kart to cars.
He will be racing in a series spearheaded by Kingston’s St. Lawrence Auto Club meaning he’ll be racing cars before he is legally allowed to drive.
“It’s called the Mazda Canada Cup. So it’s Mazda Miatas and there’ll be racing at Shannonville, Mosport and Calabogie. And it’s kinda like an entry level racing series that’s similar to kart.”
But he’s still got a full year of kart racing ahead.
Ryder and Jeff leave Tuesday for Charlotte.
Ryder Brown, 13, of Carrying Place (#286) leads the pack during a Cup Karts Canada race in 2023. (Photo: submitted)
