37 Canadians Entered in Rok Cup Florida Winter Tour Opener!

Our Canadian snowbirds have flocked to Pompano Beach, Florida this week to compete in the Rok Cup Florida Winter Tour, the first of three rounds this winter. In total, 33 drivers covering 35 entries have entered this weekend’s competition, which takes place on a temporary circuit at the Isle Casino just north of Fort Lauderdale.

Canadians have almost every category covered this weekend, from Micro Rok to Shifter Rok, to Briggs 206 Junior and Senior and they are spread amongst eleven different race teams. PSL Karting, Prime Powerteam and Racing Edge Motorsports are full houses this weekend, while Team VSR, Powerhouse Racing, Goodwood Kartways, Premier Karting and Team La Maison de Roti have all made their way down from the Great White North as well to support their drivers. Also, a pair of Canadians will race with US outfits Speed Concepts Racing and Checkered Motorsports.

The venue is new to everyone including Rok Cup USA as the event organizer shifted away from the Hard Rock Stadium, which hosted two events in 2019. With the NFL Superbowl coming to town, that venue wasn’t available.

We will have our eyes on two drivers entering Senior ROK this weekend. Nicholas Hornbostel finished last year’s FWT in the top-five with consistent front finishes while Thomas Nepveu enters his second season of Senior competition and is coming off a podium finish at the SKUSA Winter Series this past weekend.

In Junior ROK we have four rookies all capable of making a great first impression. Callum Baxter and Marco Filice each have one ROK start under their belts and could easily be dark horses to upset the local Florida competition. After making their international debut in Las Vegas in the 100cc Junior division, brothers Daniel and Adam Ali have stepped up to Junior ROK and they too have the ability to leave their mark this weekend. The pair of brothers will also compete in Briggs Junior.

Davide Greco starts off the new season with his new digs at Goodwood Kartways aboard an Exprit Kart. He finished on the FWT championship podium in ROK Shifter last year and while the class continues to grow in numbers, he should remain towards the front of the grid. Greco is one of four Canadians entered in the category that will exceed 30 drivers this weekend.

In Briggs Senior, the two drivers who finished 1-2 at the most recent Canadian Karting Championships have entered. Jordan Prior and Kelsey Hann are no stranger to international competitions and should be mainstays at the front of the pack.

One more driver to keep an eye on is Marc Stehle. The veteran racer is back in a two-cycle kart as he will race in ROK Masters and is always capable of leading the charge.

Practice will start on Thursday when all drivers will get their first chance to test out the layout. Qualifying will take place on Friday as will the first round of heat races. Two more heat races, as well as the Pre Finals, will hit the track on Saturday before wrapping up the competition on Sunday with the Finals to determine the race winners.

Live timing will be available on CKN throughout the weekend, while updates will be posted on our social media channels. Race reports and results from our Canadian contingent will be posted on the website following the weekend.

**Update: Three more Canadians will be racing but were not on the initial pre-entry-list we received. 2019 SKUSA SuperNationals Champion Zachary Claman DeMelo will suit up in ROK Senior. Making his Senior ROK debut is Gianluca Savaglio while Marcello Paniccia will race in ROK Junior. All three will be with Racing Edge Motorsports.