(6/12/23 – By Michael Gilmer) … Karl Hoffmans is a delivery driver by day and a sprint car driver by night.  More importantly, he is a talented Australian driver looking to make his name known in America. 

The 26-year-old driver was born in Ipswich, a city in South East Queensland, Australia, with a population of 232,000. He got his start behind the wheel in 2006 at just seven-years old racing dirt go-karts. He did that for seven-years before making the switch to Junior Cars for a couple of more seasons. At the age of 17, he finally made his sprint car debut. Now at age 26, Karl is looking to expand his sprint car career, looking to place well in the states. 

Karl has already enjoyed some open wheel racing success in Australia. He earned fast time in Toowoomba against some of the best drivers in Australia and qualified for the front row of the feature. Australia features some very fierce open wheel competition, and earning a spot on the front row is never easy.  He looks to continue to succeed in the US aboard the Passma Motorsport-powered sprint car owned by his father Clem Hoffmans. 

Karl is looking forward to racing with NARC King of The West series in some upcoming events.  He plans to race for most of the month of June, and return again in August to race with the World of Outlaws on their west coast swing. We asked Karl how this opportunity was even possible. He said it couldn’t have been done without his “mum and dad.”  In racing language, that usually means financial support.

Racing so far away from his base camp, we wondered how he got all his equipment to the United States. “We purchased everything in the USA and only shipped our two 410 motors from Australia via sea freight, which took eight-weeks,” said Hoffmans.  Showing this type of commitment shows that Karl isn’t here to play. He is fully committed to his time in the US and is ready to race.

Karl plans on racing during the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports, which is four races, at four different venues, in four days, across Oregon and Washington (June 15-18).  He will follow that up with four races at Skagit Speedway for the $62,000 to win Super Dirt Cup. 

Karl is very eager to step down on the loud pedal on American soil for the first time. And with this being Karl’s first trip to the US to race, we asked him which track he was most excited to race at. “Southern Oregon Speedway, as this will be my first track that I will race at in the USA” stated Hoffmans. “And [I’m] also looking forward to racing at Skagit.”

As Karl prepares to race with King of The West and the World of Outlaws, we asked him which drivers inspire his career.  More specifically, which drivers have pushed him to make it to where he is now. He chose two drivers, one being fellow Australian, James McFadden. McFadden has eight World of Outlaw feature national wins to his credit and is a frontrunner in every race. Since James and Karl come from the same country, you can understand why he is one of Karl’s favorites. He also picked “Young Money” Kyle Larson. Karl admires the talents of the Elk Grove, California driver because he just loves to win. He’s won in just about anything with wheels.

As he watches his idols in preparation, we asked him if he had any goals set for his upcoming races. “To run in the top five and a dream is to be on the podium at any one of the NARC 410 series races,” states Karl, who will be running the number 3AU on his car.

In other words, he isn’t backing down from the challenge. Racing with NARC 410 isn’t an easy proposition. Having to face the likes of Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Justin Sanders, or Bud Kaeding will definitely be a battle. But Karl seems ready as he looks to make his name heard while racing here in America. 

So as we approach the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports, look out for the Australian driver, Karl Hoffman, as he debuts in America.

ED NOTE:  Michael Gilmer is our guest aspiring writer for this edition of NARC Pit Personalities.  He is a 16-year old high school student and sprint car fan from Placerville, CA.