Dowler Brothers Equipped for Rotax Grand Finals Debut

For many seasons, the Dowler family of racers has been chasing their dreams of competing in the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals and representing their home province and country. Finally, after more than a decade of close-calls and missed opportunities, they are members of Team Canada and competing on the grand stage. They qualified through the Western Canadian Karting Championship in which Griffin was Rotax Senior Champion and Noel took the top honours in Rotax DD2.

This week both Griffin and Noel Dowler will compete in the Rotax Grand Finals in Sarno, Italy. While Griff has had a taste of the event, competing in the invitational Mini-Max race in New Orleans, this is their first official entry into the event that draws more than 360 drivers from over 50 countries around the world. They will compete on identical equipment provided by Rotax, A SodiKart for Griffin and a BirelART for Noel, and are on a team of ten Canadian drivers.

After getting to the track, checking out the surroundings and taking part in the chassis raffle, we caught up with Griffin to hear his initial thoughts about the event and the atmosphere so far.

“This is truly unique, the whole experience has been seamless and efficient so far and I’m just really proud to represent my country and be a part of the event. The circuit is a fast, flat out track with three prime passing spots. The chassis preparation today was easy and left little to the imagination. The day overall was more about working out the jitters and painting a smile than getting into the grit of the event, which should change tomorrow when we go on track.”

Following the raffle day, the brothers joined the rest of Team Canada at the official welcome party and judging by the photos, it looks like they are having some fun in Italy.