Growing as a team over the off-season, Maranello North America travelled to Mosport International Karting for the opening round of the 2014 Eastern Canadian Karting Championship not only with new drivers and faces but also an addition to the team tent. With eight drivers aboard Maranello karts powered by Prime engines, the team managed by Trevor Wickens was seeking victories of personal goals and on track results.
The mission was accomplished with every driver reaching their potential throughout the weekend, even in the very challenging conditions.
Headlining the teams results was a victory in Rotax DD2 Masters by defending class champion Stuart Clark. He paced the field in qualifying on both days, setting a new track record in the process, and scored the victory on Sunday. Had a conflict not arose on Saturday where Clark was forced to miss his Final, he could have swept the weekends event.
Fred Woodley and Brendon Bain have been staples in the Maranello tent for many years now and the two were back for another season of Rotax DD2 competition.
Woodley has shown great improvement over the winter and paced the Saturday qualifying session only to lose his fast lap for tire scrubbing. Nonetheless, he battled back and led a good portion of the Saturday Final, but a minor mistake pushed him to P3 at the finish. He finished fifth on Sunday in the very competitive DD2 class. After a long off-season, Bain made his first start of the year at Mosport. Shaking off the cobwebs, he found himself battling for a podium on Sunday, but wound up finishing sixth.
In Rotax Senior, Adam Martin and Michael Kundakcioglu consistently found themselves in the top-1o of a stacked Senior field. In his Senior debut, Martin drove himself into a podium battle on Sunday only to be pushed off track and not earn the result he deserved. Coming away from a weekend where both drivers showed that they have the potential to race against Canada’s best, both drivers are looking forward to the next race at Goodwood.
Finally, the team welcomed a pair of Rotax Junior drivers to the roster as Nico Siebert and Justin Luik made their ECKC debuts at Mosport. Both drivers consistently progressed throughout the weekend and on their way to become future podium threats as they hone their skills and race craft.
Trevor Wickens, Team Manager, Maranello North America
“The guys did a fantastic job all week. In motorsports it’s a rare weekend when each of your drivers all delivers to their top potential. There are simply too many other variables that can prevent them from reaching their deserved result on the day. With that said, although we could have had a couple more wins on the weekend, im very happy with our results and also our performance. We are a true team, everyone works hard together to improve and find every last tenth. We can’t wait to get to Goodwood with another full tent.”
For more information about Maranello North America and Prime Power, be sure to contact trevorwickens@gmail.com.
