Life in the Fast Lane

Eight-Year-Old Dane Idelson Speeds Towards Championship on Go Kart Circuit

A few years ago, Dane Idelson saw a picture of a race car on his dad’s computer and was asked   ‘Do you want to do that?’ His answer was “yes” and since then he has become one of the top junior Go Kart racers in the USA.

“I like it because it’s really, really fast,” says the 8-year-old Palisadian, who has been racing for three years. “I’m not really afraid of going fast, but when I crash I’m scared. One time I flipped, but I got back in.”

He may be young, but Idelson is on the fast track to success. He already knows where he wants to go and what he wants to do.

“I’m trying to do this so I can move up and up and up,” he says. “I’d like to be a Formula One driver.”

Asked what it takes to succeed in a sport that is physically and mentally demanding, the Marquez Elementary third-grader gave an insightful response:  “Good skill, good technique  with the steering wheel, strength, aggressiveness. Oh… and strategy.”

Idelson sits in second place in the Kid Kart Division (ages 5-8) standings heading into this weekend’s Los Angeles Karting Championships at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

Next year he moves up to the Cadet Division (ages 8-12), where he’ll handle a car with much more horsepower. Go karts have no suspension and no seat belts and racing one requires uncanny concentration and ironman stamina.

Dane is following in the footsteps of his father Howie, a lifelong Palisadian who has raced in 12 countries and has won 10 national titles. Now, he races go karts instead of playing golf. For he and his son, it’s more than merely a hobby, it’s a way of life.

“I started when I was 11,” recalls Howie, who went to Canyon Elementary, Paul Revere Middle School and even one semester at Palisades High. “What I love about go karts is the size and age you can do it at. It’s more physical than other car racing – the forces on your body  are comparable to a Formula One car. Every kid is different – some develop faster than others, but Dane is way beyond where I was at his age.”

Dane, who started driving at 4 years old, has gotten off to a roaring start in 2015, finishing second at the California state championships by three-tenths of a second and taking third place at the IKF Grand Nationals in Riverside.  He is currently in a three-way battle for the year-long championship in which 250 to 300 drivers across several different age groups from all over the Western states compete.

In November, he will compete for the first time at the SKUSA Supernationals – the largest kart race in the world.

Idelson’s success on the track is a truly team effort. His twin sister Darla, an aspiring dancer who formerly trained at Ballet Conservatory West and is now at Abby Lee in West LA. She steadfastly helps Dane maintain the mechanics on his go karts.

Idelson also trains four days a week at Max Impact, where he recently earned his orange belt in Jiu-Jitsu.

“We do push-ups and sit-ups  while we’re warming up and that  gets me stronger,” he says.

Although there is no prize money, his dad is well-connected in the sport and Dane has performed well enough to get sponsored by Praga, an Italian car company that provides him with karts and high-tech engines.

Races are 10-15 minutes in length and laps consist of 14 turns. Kid karts can attain speeds up to 45 miles per hour and Cadet karts can achieve 60 to 65 MPH.

— Steve Galluzzo