PROFILE

Rising Star

Jonathan discovered karting by chance during the summer of 1989, while his family was camping by the shore of Lake Simcoe, near Sutton, Ontario. With older brother, Francis and father, Ferdinando, Jonathan visited a kart track which was also home to a shop selling racing karts. Quite taken by the sight of the racing machines, they sought information about competition karts and the sport. The following day, they went back and Jonathan was the proud owner of a sleek racing machine.

In 1990, at age 7, Jonathan began racing in the Novice class with the Simcoe Kart Club (SKC). This category provided an excellent learning environment at safe speeds. Here, young Macri learned the ropes and showed the qualities of a talented racer. In his first year behind the wheel, competing with several experienced drivers, he drove quickly and consistently to take many good finishing positions, including a 2nd place. In his debut season, he claimed a well-earned 4th in the overall points standings.

The following year, again in the Novice class, he raced with the SKC and participated in a regional series run by the Ontario Kart Racing Association (OKRA). Jonathan stamped his name all over the Novice division. By the end of the 1991 season, he had won the SKC championship and "Hard Charger" award, the OKRA championship, the East-West Challenge (an inter-club challenge), and a Canadian Grand National Championship.

In 1992, Jonathan did not return to karting. He had been influenced to pursue a life-long passion; soccer. A very talented player, he came under strong pressure from the Glen Shields Soccer Club - the Town of Vaughan's representative team -- to devote his time to their effort. They wanted him badly and, eventually, he gave in to their pressure. Jonathan's stint in soccer was undeniably successful - Glen Shields rose to become Ontario's top team.

Jonathan is a multi-talented and well-rounded athlete. He learns very quickly and soon succeeds in all his pursuits. Further to being an accomplished soccer player and showing great promise as a racer, he is a top track & field competitor. At Cardinal Carter Catholic High School, he was voted "Athlete of the Year" in 1996.

While he impressed many with his soccer and track & field skills, Jonathan began to have other thoughts. The memories of racing played through his mind, and after a two-year absence, he returned to karts in 1994.

Any sporting comeback is tough to accomplish, however for Jonathan, several factors made the challenge even greater. First, he was returning to a sport in which he'd had only two years of experience -- many of his competitors now had several years of racing under their belts. In addition, he was driving a much faster machine in a very competitive class.

Racing in a Junior two-cycle class with engines producing more than twice the power of the karts he'd previously raced, Jonathan came back without missing a beat and was immediately on pace with the top contenders. At the SKC year-end banquet, he took home the trophy for 2nd place in the championship, while on the regional front, he took 3rd in the OKRA Super Series.

In 1995, Jonathan earned a very prestigious opportunity: he qualified to race in the Junior Intercontinental A (JICA) class of the CIK (Commission Internationale de Karting) World Championships in Braga, Portugal. Unfortunately, during the biggest event of his young racing career, Jonathan struggled with mechanical problems. Despite all the set-backs Macri somehow managed to make the cut and compete in the final.

His crew sorted out the troubles just in time for the big race. Starting well back in the field, Jonathan drove superbly, showing a mature blend of speed and patience. By the end of the race, he had clawed his way to 18th place. It is without question a fantastic accomplishment of which Jonathan is very proud.

The following year proved very busy. Now running regularly in the JICA division, Jonathan competed in the OKRA's regional championship series and ran a three-race national series, the Canadian National Championships. In June, he went to Pointe-du-Lac, Quebec, to compete in the Coupe de Quebec. Racing in the F-100 class, he came 2nd in an incredibly competitive class. July was spent in Genk, Belgium, where he competed in his second CIK World Championship event. Sadly, a mistake forced Jonathan to sit out the qualifying sessions, but once on the track, he dazzled everyone with his speed and "never-give-up" spirit. From rock bottom, he made his way to 40th of 82 entries. It was a remarkable performance, but only the top 34 make the final and Jonathan had to settle for a seat in the grandstands.

The highlight of the year came in November at the North American Karting Championships held at the famous Charlotte Motor Speedway. Racing against drivers from around the globe in the JICA class, Jonathan was embroiled in a terrific battle for the podium places, eventually finishing a hard fought 2nd.

In 1997, Jonathan, now competing as a senior, moved up to the premier Formula A class. Although it was a learning year in a new class, he still managed to win races and capture championships leading into an incredibly successful 1998 in which Jonathan competed in two classes all over North America.

Nineteen-ninety-nine was a year of transition. As one of North America's most skilled karters, Jonathan was set to begin testing the waters of competition in cars. He spent a year competing in both karts and cars before making the step up complete. While he is certain to win many more kart races during this transition period, his record is already one that speaks for itself. There are thousands upon thousands of kart racers in North America, most of whom will never win a championship. Jonathan Macri, meanwhile, has his fistful. It is a success story that is destined to continue.