Local go-kart phenoms have a drive for speed, competition

Some kids play football, while others play basketball. Still, some kids might play little league baseball, while others play soccer. But for two local kids, their competition of choice has nothing to do with a ball, bat or goal.

The name of the game is speed for 12-and 10-year old Joey and Andrew Herques, both of Houma.

The Herques brothers have been racing go-karts for four years and say it is one hobby that they get the most enjoyment out of. “I used to play baseball,” said Joey, “but this is really what I love to do.”

While the brothers currently race go-karts, they hope to move onto bigger things—namely trucks—as they grow older. “We’re trying to get into trucks and cars,” said Andrew.

“It’s a couple of years for that,” chimed in the boy’s mom, Char Herques.

The brothers’ interest in racing came as a result of their dad, Tony Herques. Each year, the boys’ father races in M-Car races held at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. “Well, my dad,” said Joey about how they got involved in racing. “He races an M-Car at the Civic Center, every October. We were driving around the house, and then Eric Picou came up, talked to our dad, and just got us started in it.

“He bought us a go-kart, and we just started racing.”

Picou, also of Houma, maintains the boys’ go-karts and travels with them to races throughout the southeast region of the United States. “This is my job,” said Picou. “I work with these guys. That’s all I do. Take care of the truck, and take care of all of this equipment.”

Picou, 21, has been involved in “karting” for the past 15 years. “I used to race,” he said, “and I got out of it when these guys came along. I’ve just been working on their stuff and helping them out. It’s something I really enjoy doing.”

He added that the karts used in racing are more finely tuned than regular go-karts. “It’s a lot more precise,” he said. “Of course, they’re made a little differently. I guess the best way to say it, is that they’re just a little bit better engineered than your everyday go-kart.

Perhaps it is Picou’s assistance that helped Joey and Andrew to high finishes at the 26th annual Karting Dirt World Championships in Volusia, Fla. The championships took place Dec. 28 through Dec. 30, and saw Joey finish second in the 11-to 13-year old class, while Andrew took fifth place in the 8-to 10-year old class.

In all, 600 karters from around the nation participated in the weekend, with about 20 to 25 karters in each class. The brothers agreed that their top-five finishes at the national race has been their biggest accomplishment, so far. According to Joey, one mistake prevented him from taking first place. “Coming out of the corner, my back end slid out,” he said.

The brothers usually race every weekend, traveling mostly along the east coast for competitions. “We usually leave on Friday,” said Andrew, “and come back on Sunday.” Depending on the magnitude of the race, the boys miss school sometimes—but only for the important races that require long-distance travel.

Races take place throughout the year, with just a month-long break in January. The boys travel in a Winnebago to each race—usually with Picou. Char said that soon the World Karting Association’s Web site will offer live video of its races, allowing her to watch the kids compete over the Internet.

And the ultimate goal of the kids competing? “Nascar drivers,” said Char.

“Hopefully,” said Picou, “we can see them racing on Sundays, one day.”

Matt LeBlanc can be reached at matt@tri-parishtimes.com.

Staff photo by Matt LeBlanc * Tri-Parish Times * Joey (left) and Andrew (right) Herques stand next to their go-karts and trophies. The Herques brothers race in kart races nearly every weekend and recently placed in the top five of their classes at a national race in Florida.