2014 CKN Year in Review Awards: Briggs & Stratton Driver of the Year

For the second year in a row we present the CKN Year in Review Awards. We here at Canadian Karting News decided to create our own set of awards, all pertaining to categories we feel worthy and throughout the final weeks of 2014, we will highlight an award for categories such as Junior and Senior driver’s of the year in both the Rotax Max and Briggs & Stratton divisions, helmet design of the year, Canadian event of the year among many others.

To see the full list of awards and announcement dates, click here.

While these are all the opinion of CKN, you can let us know who you think deserved each award. Using the comments below each article, let us know who you feel was worthy of the award and a short blurb why you believe so.

**2014 Briggs & Stratton Driver of the Year**
2013 Winner: Jean-Francois Lafontaine

Nominees:

– David Anderson
– Marco Di Leo
– Michael Glaze
– Jean-Francois Lafontaine
– David Patrick
– Jonathan Treadwell

Winner: Jean-Francois Lafontaine

For the second straight season no driver delivered more clutch performances in the Briggs & Stratton classes like Jean-Francois Lafontaine. The Terrebonne, Quebec driver defended his ASN Canadian National title in Mont-Tremblant in a thrilling battle with Canada’s best four-cycle racers, claimed the Coupe du Quebec Championship even after missing an event and when he was able to compete in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship, he won races there too.

Lafontaine races alongside his sister in a small family team, working closely with his father turning the wrenches making his successes that much sweeter and promoting exactly what the Briggs & Stratton LO206 program is all about. It was also confirmed that he won the National title with the same engine he utilized last year in Goodwood to win Canada’s biggest prize, another feat that Briggs & Stratton is very proud to promote. And on top of everything else, Lafontaine is a leader in his Universities Formula SAE program.

While Lafontaine made our winning decision a little easier, there were other drivers that were nominated for our CKN Briggs & Stratton Driver of the Year award and a few more that could have been. In the ECKC, Michael Glaze and Jonathon Treadwell engaged in an epic battle all season long for the title while Marco Di Leo turned in his Rotax engine for a Briggs after the first round and he proved that he’s still got the smooth and sleek driving style that is demanded in four-stroke competition. A pair of David’s from the Masters division really caught our eyes as David Patrick finally earned his first Canadian title while Anderson returned after a lengthly karting hiatus to become a consistent podium threat by seasons end.

It is so great to see full grids in the four-cycle divisions in Canada again and we are stoked for even better racing in 2015!

Jean-Francois Lafontaine (c) celebrates on the top of the Canadian National podium for the second straight year. (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)