When Aristeides “Ari” Theodoropoulos and his kart spun out during the preliminary race for the Dash for Cash charity event last year, he thought a podium finish was an impossibility.
His dad, Tony, in an effort to cheer up the young kart-racer, made him a deal.
“I told him I’d give him $10 for every kart he passed,” Tony said, with mom Stephanie jumping in and saying that they knew he wasn’t going to win the actual race, being so far back in the lineup.
When the actual race started, 13-year-old Ari wasn’t as disappointed as he might have been.
“Every time he passed he’d be smiling … giving Tony the wink and the finger pointing. Just kind of goofing around,” Stephanie laughed. “All of a sudden he was like ‘holy crap, I could actually win this.’”
Ari went from middle-of-the-pack to first, winning the whole race and the $1,000 prize – and managed to get a crisp $150 from his father too.
For Ari, it's all about speed.
“My first word was car,” Ari said. “I've always really liked cars and racing. So when I discovered I could do it myself. I was actually very interested and wanted to keep going and progress as far as I can. And I still do want to do that.”
Ari lives in Stratford. He is a member of the Hamilton Regional Kart Club, a group of over 100 serious amateurs and veterans of kart racing, ranging from ages eight to 65.
He started racing in a rookie series in 2020, getting interested in the sport after driving “birthday karts,” as Stephanie called them.
“He did a year of racing his own stuff and won everything that year,” Stephanie explained. “Then it was after that he was invited to be part of the team.”
Stephanie and Tony both said that it was a no-brainer to accept, after they drove to the closest track to them: the Canadian Mini Indy, near the Cameron Speedway in Hamilton. He had so much fun and was so talented that it just made sense.
That being said, there were some concerns early on.
“There’s times when it’s nerve-wracking, especially the first few laps when they’re all clumped together,” Tony admitted.
But Stephanie and Tony both said that once they realized that Ari had the proficiency to handle what was on the track, they became more concerned with what they did prior to Ari hitting the tarmac.
For this class of racing, the parents act as mechanics, making sure the karts are suitable for each race. Both Stephanie and Tony described their mechanic skills going into the endeavour as negligible.
“Now I’m nervous that I’ve set up his kart that is going to give him the most success,” Stephanie said.
Despite that nervousness, both said that Ari has an incredible skill and is able to handle anything thrown at him.
Ari won a national championship in 2022, a career-highlight at this point, and he is still developing his skills as a racer.
When asked what has been the biggest challenge in developing, like on the track Ari was quick to answer.
“Finding ways to optimize my racing line,” Ari said. “And I'm still doing that. I'm still figuring out, should I be a little wider here, should I be a little tighter.”
Ari does that through reference points, a spot on the track as innocuous as a crack in the asphalt, where he knows he needs to begin braking.
“Even though he’s going over 100 km at that point, he’s trying to hit the brakes exactly that same spot, every single time,” Tony explained. “Everyone can drive, but driving and racing aren’t the same thing.”
Tony said that even now, Ari leaves him – and other adults for that matter – in the dust anytime they go out on the track together.
This year’s season began last Saturday.
Tony and Stephanie want to thank all of their sponsors as the new season begins. It is an expensive endeavour they have undertaken as a family, they said, and having the community help Ari’s journey is very meaningful and makes all the difference.
“Stratford’s very much a car and racing community,” Stephanie said. “Racing’s not an inexpensive sport so it’s lovely to have the help of a bunch of people in town, and even out-of-town sponsors.”
