ROSSBURG – With entrants ranging in age from 4 to 74, Little Eldora Speedway will kick off its 2017 once-a-month go-kart racing season April 2.

The one-seventh mile clay oval, located on the grounds of the historic Eldora Speedway, has hosted 580 feature races since its inception in October 2010.

During that time span, there have been 204 different winners with local veteran Ron Osterholt (St. Henry) heading up the list with 22 feature victories. Looming right behind is his son, Philip, who is in a tie for second with Kasey Ziebold (Tiffin) with 19 triumphs. Completing the top five in yet another tie for position are Ron’s brother, Rick, and Francis Buck (Woodburn, Indiana) with 18 wins each.

Little Eldora has quickly become one of the major players among the Ohio go-kart scene with its offering of multiple divisions and fast-paced program.

“It is truly unique in design and requires phenomenal driving skills, not only because it is a daytime track on dirt, but also each end of the oval is different,” Ron Osterholt said. “You can’t drive flat out; you have to have some patience and finesse.”

It has also become the training camp for the next generation of racers on the neighboring Eldora half mile oval. Last season saw Eldora regulars Rusty Schlenk, Matt Westfall, Duane Chamberlain, Chris Douglas, Scott Orr, Luke Hall and Paul Pardo introducing their children to the world of racing through go-kart competition.

With free general admission, practice laps begin at 11:30 a.m., with the first of approximately 75 races set for 12:30 p.m.