2015 ECKC Preview: Rotax Max DD2

Season six of the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship is upon us and we here at CKN are very excited! Over the next three days we will break down all nine official ECKC classes utilizing a fun new format. For each category we have selected three drivers we think are championship favourites, three drivers who could play spoiler and one rookie who we feel could make an impact in their first campaign in the category. 

Kicking things off, Wednesday features all three Briggs & Stratton classes followed by Junior Rotax classes on Thursday and the Senior Rotax classes on Friday leading up to all the action at Goodwood. We will be trackside all weekend bringing you all the action on the site and our social networks. 

Rotax DD2

Will we see the Kingsley VS Woodley DD2 rivalry continue in 2015, or can someone else take over the reigns?

It is very sad to see the numbers continue to fall in Rotax DD2, as the field that only three season ago was near 30, now struggles to reach double-digits. That being said, the battle for the championship came down to the wire last year and with both contenders back for another season the rivalry continue.

The Favourites:

Jeffrey Kingsley
While there was some concern whether or not Kingsley was going to defend his championship in 2015, he has arrived in Goodwood is set to do so. Closing out the season with a tenth place result at the Rotax Grand Finals in Spain, we know he is eager to return to the Grand Finals and better his result.While Kinglsey hasn’t been a kart that much this season, he will definitely be fast.

Tyler Kashak
Kashak is going to be a force to be reckoned with this season in DD2 as the sophomore will be fast enough to compete with Woodley and Kingsley. Kashak recently dominated the Champion Ron Fellows Karting Challenge race a Goodwood and this weekend could be big for Kashak to showcase that this year will not be a two-horse race in DD2 and help create some more exciting races for the class.

Fred Woodley
Woodley hasn’t stopped racing since the Canadian season ended last year. After the ECKC Finale, Woodley competed in the Rotax Pan American Championships in North Carolina and the Rotax Grand Finals in Portugal where he brought home a solid fourth place finish in the Final, two spots behind countrymen Ben Cooper. From there the Maranello driver raced in Florida during the winter months to make a run for the championship, but his efforts came up shorter than anticipated. This weekend Woodley hopes to start off fresh with a win at Goodwood, the place where he scored his first victory only one year ago.

The Spoilers

Alessandro Bizzotto
The DD2 class veteran has shown he can be quick, just not a consistant basis. If Bizzotto can show the same pace this weekend that he displayed last year in Goodwood he will be battling for the lead and gunning for that elusive first ECKC victory.

Enrico Menotti
Menotti took a year off from the National circuit in 2014, but kept in a seat at the Ontario DD2 championship. This year Menotti will be on a brand new Intrepid kart to help take him to the front of the field. Menotti showed he has the potential to be a front runner after winning the first MIKA race of the season ahead of championship favourite Tyler Kashak. It should be an interesting weekend for Menotti and we know he is up for the challenge.

Dante Lerra
The kid who surprised many people in the paddock last year with his excellent qualifying pace, Lerra took the pole in DD2 ahead of Italian Alessandro Bressan at Mosport. This year Lerra will be back on the Energy Kartthat helped give him some great performances last season. If he can improve on his race craft from previous years he should be able to get better results and fight for podium finishes as well.

The Rookie

Didier Carre
Didier Carre is the new face in the Canadian DD2 field this season making his first start this weekend at Goodwood. He will be under the Ben Cooper Racing operation where he can learn a lot from the three-time Rotax Grand Finals champion especially being a rookie in the DD2 class. With the proper guidance Carre could be the next top DD2 drivers in Canada. For now we will need to see how fast it will take for him to get up to speed.

Don’t miss the rest of our ECKC Class Previews this week, only on CKN!