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2014 ECKC Championship Showdown: Briggs & Stratton Junior, Senior and Masters Previews
The 2014 season steps a little bit closer to completion this weekend as the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship will complete the final round of their 2014 campaign and mark the final major event of the Canadian season.
The ECKC wraps up their fifth season to date once again at the Jim Russell Karting Academy in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec only three weeks following a very successful ASN Canadian Championships at the same facility. It has been a very exciting season for the ECKC series, which competes in both Ontario and Quebec.
To preview the final round of the ECKC, we have broken down the championship race for each class, factoring in the drops and determining the remaining title threats.
Briggs & Stratton Junior
Roman DeAngelis has two ECKC victories and Canadian Title thus far in 2014. (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)
Roman DeAngelis (Birel) will enter the Mont-Tremblant weekend seeking a season sweep in Briggs & Stratton Junior. DeAngelis claimed the National title three weeks ago and currently leads the way in the ECKC as well courteous of two victories and five podium results thus far. His closest threat comes in the form of last years Canadian Champion Tyler McCullough (Goodwood/Intrepid) who sits only 42 points back of the leader and earned a win on the streets of Trois-Rivieres.
Andre Fiorini (K&K Kart) falls from second to third when the drop is factored in, but he remains only 72 points behind DeAngelis. Fiorini has also scored a win this season, in fact the only driver in the top-five not to have a win this year in Austin Bisschop (Birel) and he sits fourth entering the weekend. Nicholas Hornbostel (Intrepid) rounds out the top-five only 130 points back, making it a five-kart championship battle this weekend.
Hopefully the class can recover from the eleven entries it had in round three.
Unofficial Top-Five Briggs & Stratton Junior Standings
| Position | Driver | Total | Drop | Final | Gap | Gap to Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | DeAngelis | 1298 | 166 | 1132 | ||
| 2. | McCullough | 1197 | 107 | 1090 | -42 | -42 |
| 3. | Fiorini | 1250 | 190 | 1060 | -30 | -72 |
| 4. | Bisschop | 1197 | 170 | 1027 | -33 | -105 |
| 5. | Hornbostel | 1105 | 103 | 1002 | -25 | -130 |
Briggs & Stratton Senior
Jon Treadwell is seeking his second straight ECKC Briggs & Stratton Senior title (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)
With no less than 52 different drivers entering themselves into the Briggs & Stratton Senior division this season at the ECKC, it has not only been the largest class of the season but also the most entertaining.
Jonathon Treadwell (VRS/K&K Kart) leads the way and is in position to defend his ECKC title from a year ago. Treadwell Has a very impressive three victories this season, but a very challenging weekend in Trois-Rivieres helped Michael Glaze (DMR/FA Kart) close up the gap. Glaze and Treadwell are the only two drivers to really have a shot at the title as third place Simon Belanger (SH Racing/FA Kart) is 262 points behind the current leader.
Derek Michaud (DMR/FA Kart) has quietly kept himself in the top-five and he will surely do his best to help teammate Glaze win the title. Even after missing out on the opening two races, Marco Di Leo (Goodwood/Intrepid) holds the gift position in the standings although we are not sure if he will enter Briggs or Rotax Senior this weekend.
The second half of the top-ten features Tommy Lemaire-Ouellet (PSL/CRG), Canadian Champion Jean-Francois Lafontaine (KMS/Birel), Kyle Edgar (REM/Birel), and GP Kart teammates Zach Boam and Chad Campbell.
While the class has boasted excellent fields this year, there is good chance we could see a significant drop in entries this weekend.
Unofficial Top-Ten Briggs & Stratton Senior Standings
| Position | Driver | Total | Drop | Final | Gap | Gap to Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Treadwell | 1145 | 84 | 1061 | ||
| 2. | Glaze | 1009 | 38 | 971 | -90 | -90 |
| 3. | Belanger | 846 | 47 | 799 | -172 | -262 |
| 4. | Michaud | 820 | 50 | 770 | -29 | -291 |
| 5. | DiLeo | 683 | 0 | 683 | -87 | -378 |
| 6. | Lemaire-Ouellet | 724 | 50 | 674 | -9 | -387 |
| 7. | Lafontaine | 633 | 0 | 633 | -41 | -428 |
| 8. | Edgar | 591 | 0 | 591 | -42 | -470 |
| 9. | Boam | 638 | 66 | 572 | -19 | -489 |
| 10. | Campbell | 565 | 72 | 493 | -79 | -1061 |
Briggs & Stratton Masters
Keith Barrick has all but secured the Briggs & Stratton Masters title (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)
Rounding out the Briggs & Stratton classes, the Masters have been one of the most impressive surprises of the year. The largest growing class at the ECKC may not have much of a championship showdown this weekend but it has still provided us with some excellent racing.
Keith Barrick (K&K Kart) holds a commanding lead in the championship with three wins and second thus far. Corey Walsh (CRG) would be much closer to Barrick had it not been for the DQ he received at Goodwood, but he remains in second spot ahead of Greg Jewell (DMR/FA Kart) with Kyle Aulenback (K&K Kart) and David Anderson (Goodwood/Intrepid) rounding out the top-five when the drops are factored in.
Unofficial Top-Five Briggs & Stratton Masters Standings
| Position | Driver | Total | Drop | Final | Gap | Gap to Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Barrick | 1282 | 102 | 1180 | ||
| 2. | Walsh | 1170 | 205 | 965 | -215 | -215 |
| 3. | Jewell | 978 | 102 | 876 | -89 | -304 |
| 4. | Aulenback | 875 | 66 | 809 | -67 | -371 |
| 5. | Anderson | 787 | 0 | 787 | -22 | -393 |
