Rotax Senior Championship Comes Down to the Wire

The Canada Final Championship and a ticket to the Rotax Grand Finals came down to the wire after a thrilling weekend of racing at the Rotax Mojo Raceway in Warburg, Alberta.

Round one winner Kevin Foster (RaceLab/JV Kart) entered the weekend with a healthy lead in the points championship over Jason Leung. However, through Qualifying and the heat races, Leung eliminated that gap and even held a 1-point margin going into the Final, with both drivers lining up on the front row.

With 18 laps to decide it all in the Final, we did not expect it to be determined before the completion of lap two, but surprises are common in karting and this one was quite the surprise.

From the outside with a solid jump and with a massive push from his teammate, Foster grabbed the lead into corner one while Leung slipped back to third.

The 21-kart field all compressed hard into the opening three corners and karts were bouncing in all directions, but everyone managed to keep it on track.

Foster and Josh Finer (RaceLab/JV Kart) held the early advantage while Mark Newson (OverDrive/Exprit) moved into third as Leung was shuffled back just trying to get in line.

On lap two, trouble struck for Leung. Newson was under pressure from Skylar Dunning (Kosmic) while, Aidan Carruthers (Alloy Racing/Kosmic) went for a move in corner two and Leung tried to follow, but he bounced up on top of Carruthers and the pair got stuck together. Coming to a near stop before they were released, Leung’s chances took another strike as he fell back to tenth while Carruthers’ race was over.

Out front, Foster maintained a good pace while Finer slipped back, eventually being overtaken by Newson.

Behind, the race was for fourth between Dunning, Coltin McCaughan (SodiKart), Griffin Dowler (Apollo/TonyKart) and Ian Qiu (BBR/Falcon Kart), while Leung wasn’t able to showcase the speed he had all weekend long, which we found out was due to a flat front tire from the incident on lap two.

Newson closed on Foster for the race lead as the laps wound down, but Foster played great defence on the final two laps to secure the race win, the championship, and the ticket to the Rotax Grand Finals.

Finer joined them on the podium while McCaughan and Dowler, who started 20th, completed the top five.

Leung crossed the finish line in eighth and had to settle for the vice-championship honour.

Some drama did unfold at the scale house and in the official’s office after the race, but no penalties were accessed and the results stood as they were.

Two great events with two very talented grids of Rotax Senior drivers showcased the strength of competition in Western Canada.

We spoke to Foster after the race to get his thoughts on the win.

“Honestly, I can’t put into words how elated I was when I crossed that line P1. Saskatoon went phenomenally well for me, but in Warburg, things were definitely made harder by an issue in Qualy. I knew that securing a win was the job I had to do and to come through on that to win the championship, it feels surreal.”

“People talk about how strong the Senior Max field is, five of the top-eight finishers have all represented Canada at the Grand Finals, so to finally be on that list, I am both honoured and excited.”

Max Karting Group Canada Final at Warburg Rotax Senior Final Results