A Merlin family with a deep love for racing is continuing to turn a COVID-19 loss into something positive for themselves and the community.
Brenda Smolders' sons Alex and Spencer have been involved in competitive go-kart racing for over a decade. Along with their father, Dan, the family frequently crossed the border and travelled to the U.S. for competitions and to learn more about the sport.
When the COVID-19 pandemic halted cross-border travel in 2020, the family had to think outside the box to find a way to keep participating in the sport they love.
In order to do that, the Smolders family decided to build a 1/10th mile track on their property, located on Finn Line near Cooper Road in Merlin.
"When COVID hit, we couldn't go-kart across the border anymore, so the boys wanted to build a track to keep their skills up and maybe learn some new things," Brenda explained. "So, that's how it all started and it grew from there."
Brenda said they originally only intended to use the track during their spare time. However, word quickly got out about the project and the family started getting inquiries from other go-kart enthusiasts in the area who were unable to race due to the pandemic.
According to Brenda, they never imagined it would get as much public interest as it did.
"We didn't plan to open to the public. We didn't even think about that," she said. "It was just mainly to give the boys something to do because we couldn't do anything, we couldn't go anywhere. They couldn't work on their cars, they didn't have school, my oldest son got laid off from his job. It was mostly just to give them something to do and have a little bit of fun."
A few months after building the track for themselves, the Smolders opened Route 1 Raceway for public go-kart competitions in August 2020.
Route 1 Raceway was an almost instant hit, holding eight competitive race events in 2020.
"We average around 60 go-karts a show last year," said Spencer. "On our two-day shows, we had karts coming from basically all across Ontario. Anywhere from Windsor from up to Quebec."
Brenda said besides helping to address a gap in the local competitive go-kart community, the success of Route 1 Raceway is largely due to the passion that people have for the sport.
"I think we helped a lot of families last year," she said. "Racing is a family thing. It's not just going and watching your kid kick a ball around or something. It's the whole family working on the kart, getting it to the grid, getting it out there and cheering the competitor on. It involves everyone."
Before opening, the family was inspected by the health unit, got the necessary insurance and got proper guidance for COVID-19 restrictions. However, a misunderstanding about the property's zoning resulted in a complaint being lodged and the issue going to council.
During a planning meeting earlier this month, council ultimately voted in favour of a bylaw amendment to allow the go-kart facility to continue to operate.
Now that the issue is behind them, Spencer said the family has big plans for Route 1 this year with over a dozen race days scheduled.
He said they are currently just waiting for guidance from the province on when the track will be allowed to reopen.
"As soon as they let us open, we're just going to jump into racing and we're going to go at it until the weather doesn't allow us anymore," he said. "It's going to be a pretty big year."
The track welcomes all ages of racers. Route 1 is only for competitive go-karting and people who own their own kart, but Spencer said they do have race classes with lower entry requirements that are better suited for people who are just getting started in the sport or for parents who want to see if their child enjoys it before investing a lot of money into a kart.
He added the best way to learn more, is to come in person and check out a race day.
"Basically just bring your kid out or bring your family out. Let them have a look around, and then you can go from there," he said. "Talk to some of the racers around you, everyone's willing to help out."
Racing rules, schedules and COVID-19 updates can all be found on the Route 1 Raceway Facebook page.