8-Year-Old Go-Cart Phenom
By Sandy Cooch

Eight-year-old go-cart racer Jonathan Billow of Randolph made a big splash at Thunder Road in his second racing season this past summer—and has a pile of trophies to prove it.

Racing in the Junior II Sportsman Division, Jonathan brought home 11 trophies—10 of them for first-place wins—by end of the 15-week racing season.

Thanks to the points he racked up in all those winning heats and features, young Billow earned top honors at a November banquet, where he was named 2006 Track Champion for the 2006 North East Kart Company season at Thunder Road.

Not only that. Billow was called forward twice more at the banquet, to receive two "Rookie of the Year" awards, one for his division, and the other for being the top newcomer in all five youth divisions.

It should be noted, as well, that Jonathan was the youngest in his division, which is technically for 10-to-12 year olds. (Last summer he raced in the less competitive "kid cart" division.)

"Little Jonny B" earned so much recognition during the summer that he was featured on a WCAX-TV "Spotlight on Sports" interview, halfway through the season.

None of this fame, however, has gone to the head of this exceedingly polite and modest young driver. And, although he confesses to getting nervous before his races—"When they call my division up to the gate, my heart starts pumping and pumping"—he is a cool driver once the race gets underway.

Here is his winning strategy: "Stay next to the yellow (inside) line and push the pedal all the way down."

If someone passes him, Jonathan said, he doesn’t worry about it.

Later, "If they go a little to the right, I pass them on the left," he said.

Jonathan is so laid back as a driver that he actually sings—belting out his favorite country classics—while driving, his dad pointed out.

Matt Billow said he only learned about the singing after asking his son why it was that his helmeted head was bobbing away as he piloted left-hand turns, at speeds of up to 60 mph.

The wins, that pile of trophies, and the recognition are great, but when asked why he likes racing, Jonathan says it’s because it’s something that he does with his family. Race day is Saturday, and it is a full day for JMJ Racing (the initials stand for Jonathan, his dad Matt, and mom Jada.) With Jonathan’s shiny blue go-cart in tow, the Billows depart mid-morning and don’t get home until 7 or 8 p.m.

A faithful crowd of family members and friends regularly show up at the Barre track as well, to cheer their favorite racer on.

Jonathan’s dad, who operates Brookside Customs paint and graphic sign shop next to the family’s Dylan Drive home, has had fun tinkering with and spiffing up the go-cart. Working on the cart, powered with a 50cc, two-stroke engine, is becoming a father-son activity as Jonathan’s interest in the mechanical side of the sport grows.

Although his son is zooming around the track at fairly high speeds, the races are very safe, Matt Billow said. The fields are small (Jonathan raced against two or three other drivers this summer), the carts are very low to the ground, and the track is lined with styrofoam blocks, he said.

Jonathan is sponsored by NAPA of Randolph, and his go-cart bears the number 15, because that was, until recently anyhow, NASCAR star’s Michael Waltrip’s number.

Waltrip is the primary reason, after all, that Jonathan Billows is racing.

"It started when we were sitting in the living room and Dad said, ‘Jonny, what do you want to do—baseball or racing?’"

It was the spring of 2005 and Jonathan was 7.

"I thought a bit, and I thought of Michael Waltrip, and how I’d like to be like him." Jonathan recalled.

As it turned out, in 2005, Little Johnny B learned to drive a go-cart before he learned to ride his bicycle.

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