For nearly twenty years, Canadian kart racers have chased their dreams of representing their home country at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. The annual event draws the most diverse paddock of racers to an invite-only event at circuits around the world. For some, the event takes places in a country of their family heritage and that pushes drivers and their families even harder to qualify for the big event. But when that event takes place in Italy, well-known as the most passionate motorsports country in the world, everyone wants to be there.
For Davide Greco, he is chasing the dream of competing in Italy, in front of his relatives, in their own backyard.
He’s been to the Grand Finals before, twice to be exact, and knows what it is like to compete on the grandest stage. Portugal and Brazil were two experiences the Toronto-born racer will never forget, but they won’t match up if he qualifies for Italy.
“The 2019 racing season will be exceptionally important because my goal is to win a ticket to attend the Rotax Grand Finals in Sarno, Italy. The two Rotax Grand Finals that I attended, in Portugal and Brazil, were a great experience, not only to participate in such an event but to race in these beautiful countries. This year the feeling is more heightened because it is taking place in Italy, my Dad’s birth country and my Italian heritage.”
With this passion in his veins, Greco has travelled to Salt Lake City, Utah this week to compete in the Rotax Stars and Stripes Trophy, with full intentions of securing his ticket to Italy.
Just a few short weeks ago, Greco adventured to Houston, Texas to compete in the RTX All Stars event, but came up just short, taking second place in the Rotax DD2 Final. It was a heart-breaker, given how well he drove all weekend and how close he came. Now in Utah, one of the last remaining events to qualify, Greco knows the pressure he’s facing again this weekend if he wants to win, and he really wants to do it for his family.
“If given the opportunity to attend, I look forward to my family members, who live in Italy, to come and see me race. Rotax has put a lot of effort every year to put an event like this together and that itself wins my support to come out and race Rotax. In addition, we love the product and would like to keep supporting them for as long as we can. My only hope is for Rotax to revise the weight for DD2.”
Following this weekends event in Utah, there will be only two more single-event chances in North America to qualify for the Rotax Grand Finals, the Canadian Open in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec (July 19-21), and the Stars and Stripes Open in Pittsburgh (August 1-4). Both are expected to be very competitive turnouts on the east coast, and events that Greco is hoping he won’t need to use in order to qualify for Team Canada.
In addition, Canadian drivers can qualify through the three-round Western Canadian Karting Championship, which kicks off this weekend in British Columbia.
We will keep tabs on Greco’s progress this weekend in Utah and hopefully, on Sunday, have some great news to share.
