TROPHY WINNER … Montpelier’s Alex Geren shows off with his championship trophies after winning the Predator Heavy and Light Colome classes in the recent O’Reilly Auto Parts National Kart Championships held in Batesville, Mississippi.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
Racing go-karts has been an important part of Alex Geren’s life, and for the soon-to-be Montpelier High School graduate, he has enjoyed plenty of success on the racetrack.
From a very young age, the 18-year-old go-kart driver has experienced the highs and lows in the sport with the support of his parents, A.J. and Jaimi Geren, both of whom have played a big role for him.
His interest in go-karts began when he was just four years old through his father, who was 15 years old when he began his own racing career.
“My dad started me when I was really young,” said Geren. “It’s just kind of been everything that I knew really about it. I’ve raced, raced, and raced, and I loved doing (it) and never wanted to stop.”
He would eventually follow in his father’s footsteps in go-kart racing, where he’s been taught some valuable lessons.
“He taught me a lot of different things,” he pointed out. “The biggest thing growing up, moving from juniors to adult divisions, the way the class structure is now.
“Now I’m racing against guys of his age and way older than me. The biggest thing he told me was to be patient and kind and not (stick) your nose (somewhere it doesn’t belong), somewhere where it can get in a lot of trouble quickly. That’s one of the bigger points he taught me.”
The younger Geren has competed in go-karts since he was six years old, but within the last several years, he and his family began to travel all over to pursue his own go-kart racing dream.
“When I was really little, we kind of stayed around the house and didn’t really travel as much because it doesn’t really matter when you’re five or six years old,” he admitted.
“You’re just trying to get seat time and have fun. But it really started to matter to me when I was 13 years old, and that’s when we started to travel a little bit more.
“We got our teeth kicked in at the beginning because it was so much different than anything else. We’re adapting now.”
He and his family would eventually venture to various go-kart tracks in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee to compete in big prize money racing shows.
“It’s really important even if you don’t end up doing your best or even having one good run,” said the younger Geren. “It’s kind of just let you open your eyes like OK, and it kind of opens other people’s eyes, especially when you’re doing good.
“It can be difficult when you’re traveling and doing all that stuff because you’re racing against the best guys.”
On Thanksgiving weekend, he and his family drove 12 hours to Batesville, Mississippi, to compete in the 35th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts National Indoor Kart Championship.
“It was our first trip to Batesville because I had wanted to go there for years,” he said. “My dad went to the nationals in the day when it was held in Tunica, Mississippi.
“I was a little bit nervous on the way down because you didn’t know what to expect after riding for 12 hours.”
The experience he gained in Batesville was a successful one for Geren because he says that it’s now his favorite track to compete on.
“I would almost say over your head before you start. It was kind of like I would go in here and do the best I can,” he commented.
“I had never raced against these guys and really don’t know what the best that I could was going to be.”
On the first day, he competed in six different classes, and the result was a pair of championships in the Light Colome and Predator Heavy classes. He also placed fourth in the Pro Colome and eighth in the Elite Light classes.
Geren then claimed a pair of third-place finishes in the Predator Medium and Predator Heavy classes the next day.
He qualified in the 12th position before his third-place finish in the Predator Heavy class. In the elite heavy class, he finished fifth to compete in his nationals weekend.
“The only difference is that you’re competing against 60 or 70 guys in a class,” said Geren. “So, it’s not much different other than racing against different people.
“Getting down to go down there, and Tony Huard helping us with tires was neat for me. I think we did good down there (Batesville). You must learn things a lot quicker because you’re on the track two times per class and only one time before it matters.
“You must adapt to the way the track changes and the way the go-kart changes and must roll with it.”
His own go-kart racing experiences in the region have helped him prepare for the nationals.
“The more race tracks you can go to, big tracks, small tracks with different dirt, and it races different,” said Geren.
“The more experience of changing from weekend to weekend, I think, it really helps you. That’s why you see like these national-level guys like NASCAR that they don’t stay at one track weekend after weekend.
“They travel around, and that’s why they’re your best guys because they must adapt to every single track.”
The success with which Geren has enjoyed is attributed to the financial support of numerous area sponsors who have made it possible for him to keep going in the sport.
Geren noted the total cost for him, along with his family, who made the trip to Batesville, was around $4,000.
It also included nearly $1,200 in race entry fees for nationals, along with travel and host costs, as well as other expenses for his go-kart.
“It gets very expensive traveling in this sport because sometimes you travel 200 or 300 miles one way,” said Geren.
“Then you get entry fees for each class because we’re running three or four classes per weekend. And you must buy new tires every other weekend.”
He appreciated the support from local businesses, including the Auto Parts Center in Bryan, Industrial Metal Processing in Delta, Woolace and Johnson of Stryker, and Studer and Son of Edgerton, along with Charity and Josh Shenkel, Duane Hancock, and Barrett Tomsaovich.
Once he graduates from high school, Geren will continue with his go-kart racing career.