14 Rok Shifters Breathe Life Back into the Category at Mosport

Davide Greco showcased his talents once again in the Rok Shifter category over the weekend at the Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship, but a number of new entries were the bigger storyline as there is finally some growth in Canada’s fastest category.

Fourteen senior drivers all on a single shifter engine platform is something we haven’t seen in Canada in some time. The newcomers showed they came to play too and it’s a momentum we really hope carries forward this season. We’re also aware of a number of other drivers currently getting up to speed in their shifter karts that we’re hoping to see at some point this season too.

Two busy racers this winter showed they were in mid-season form as Davide Greco (BirelART) and Joshua Conquer (Energy Kart) set the pace in Qualifying. Unfortunately for Conquer, his chances of a battle with Greco ended early in the PreFinal with a broken axle parking him on the side of the track.

In the Saturday Final, Greco got the holeshot but Dante Lerra (BirelART) kept pace with the race leader. As the laps ticked away, Lerra kept Greco within five kart lengths while Conquer was charging forward from the rear.

After eighteen laps, Conquer was able to close in on third-place driver Slavik Putiatin (PRO/CL Kart) but ran out of time to attempt a pass and just missed the podium. Greco saved some of his best laps for late in the race while Lerra did all he could to keep up but slipped back to cross the finish 1.2 seconds adrift. Marcello Paniccia (PRO/CL Kart) ended up fifth in only his second MRFKC shifter start.

ROK Shifter MRFKC Race #1 Final Results

On Sunday it was a familiar sight upfront as Greco was in cruise control again and this time he left everyone in his dust. He would pull out to a 3.7-second margin of victory to score yet another MRFKC weekend sweep and also earned the Pfaff Senior High Performer award for his efforts.

Behind, Conquer had to retire from second place with gearbox issues only three laps in.

After a solid start, Lucia Masini (VSR/TonyKart) had a much smoother Sunday as he was able to slide into second after Conquer’s retirement and he comfortably held on to the finish while Paniccia put forth a great effort to take third.

Lerra nursed a rib injury to finish fourth while Andrew Maciel (VSR/LN Kart) pulled off a late-race pass on Jared Ramnarayan (PRO/CL Kart) to score himself a top-five finish.

Unfortunately, Putiatin was unable to race with a rib injury while Daniel Ali (REM/Kosmic) opted not to race on Sunday.

ROK Shifter MRFKC Race #2 Final Results