The Race to the Rotax Grand Finals Starts This Weekend!
News and notes leading into this weekend’s Canada Final at Stratotech.
The first of three opportunities in Canada this season to qualify for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals hit the track this weekend as the Max Karting Group Canada Final will host their first race at the Stratotech Race Park near Edmonton, Alberta.
The Canada Final is a two-race championship to award six invitations to the Grand Finals, one of the most popular karting races on the calendar each year and the only race that requires an invitation to compete in.
Being a member of Team Canada is prestigious and qualifying is always a challenge with this year being no different. Drivers will need to race smart, stay near or on top and be consistent to earn the championship over two race weekends.
In total, there will be 16 tickets to be won in Canada this summer and the Canada Final will be the best chance for racers in Western provinces to qualify. In the East, the Canadian Open, which will take place on July 28-30 in Mirabel, Quebec, awards four tickets to race winners in Mini, Junior, Senior and DD2 and will also serve as the first of a two-race mini championship with Canadian Karting Championships in Hamilton, Ontario to award six more invites.
This year’s Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals will take place in Bahrain, the spectacular host of the 2021 event that was held during the pandemic. With no restrictions in place, we’re expecting the host country and Rotax to pull out all the stops at the unbelievable circuit located on the grounds of the Formula 1 race track.
Karting Returns to Stratotech Park
If the name Stratotech sounds familiar, that’s because it was once a popular spot to race karts. Located just northeast of Edmonton, Stratotech Park hosted the 2006 ASN Canadian Nationals but hasn’t hosted a proper kart race in more than a decade. That all changes this weekend when karts return to the high-speed circuit for the Canada Final.
There will be new Champions in 2023
Three drivers will return to defend their Max Karting Group Canada Final titles from 2022. James Bedard is back in Micro Max for another season while Matthew Taskinen hopes to defend in Rotax DD2. Jared Freeston has his eyes set on his third straight Canada Final title in DD2 Masters. There will be a new champion in Mini Max, Junior Max and Senior Max as Antoine Lemieux, Ziming Wang and Kevin Foster will not return.
Rotax Senior is packed!
There are currently 32 drivers registered in Rotax Senior for this weekend at Stratotech. That is the largest field the Canada Final has ever seen with the Senior Max grid growing year after year.
The talent is strong too with a mix of Canadian and American drivers. We first must mention Oliver Hodgson, an English driver who has scored major race wins all over the world. Griffin Dowler is coming off a win at the EDKRA Summer Challenge and will look to return to the top of the pedestal in Western Canada after only finishing sixth overall last year.
Unfortunately, the top-four finishers in last year’s championship are not set to return, but thankfully the remainder of the top ten are. Skylar Dunning was P5 last year is spoke with us about his dedication this summer to return to the Grand Finals again. Josh Finer, Ian Qui, William Oliver and Spencer Perreault were 6th, 8th, 9th and 10th last year and will be gunning to move up in the standings this year with a new opportunity.
From the USA there will be some strong contenders to put the pressure on our Canadian drivers as Macy Williams and Cooper O’Clair are proven race winners.
With 32 hitting the track this weekend, we could easily be in for a surprise or two as well. We’re excited to report on the action and keep you posted on who comes out on top.
Micro, Mini and Junior exceed 10
Overall, the numbers are growing in most classes as Junior Max has taken the largest jump with 12 lining up on the grid this weekend so far. Micro and Mini Max are also in the double digits with 11 in Micro and 10 in Mini.
The two classes that have taken a hit are DD2 and DD2 Masters with only 5 and 6 entries so far set to take the track. However, with Dowler, Taskinen, Williams and the Ludwig brothers, it could be one of the closest battles of the weekend in DD2. Last year, Freeston and Wang waged an awesome battle in DD2 Masters and we expect to have Kozakowski in the mix this time around too.
Briggs Senior and Shifter join in on the fun
The Max Karting Group has included a category for Briggs racers as well as Shifters as they will compete alongside their Rotax counterparts this weekend.
Photo Package and Merch Available from CKN!
We are very excited to arrive in Edmonton for this race. Our weekend photo packages are available and we kindly ask you to order in advance of the weekend through our online store. The package includes a 13×19 photo print from the weekend along with a Dropbox folder of images of your driver from the event.
We will also have a limited number of our new CKN T-Shirts available for purchase. Reserve yours now by purchasing from our online store, or by sending us a message and we will deliver at the track. T-shirts are $30.00 each and we currently have all sizes available including Youth Medium and Large.
PROMOTION: Any driver that signs up for a photo package for both Canada Final races for $300.00 will receive one of our new CKN T-Shirts for free!
Order now: https://www.canadiankartingnews.com/store/2023-Single-Race-Photo-Package-CKN-Summer-Tour-p549348795
New weekend format for 2023
There will be a different race format from last year for the Canada Final and an updated points chart.
All classes will Qualify and compete in three heat races on Saturday to determine the starting grid for the PreFinal. On Sunday, all classes will run a Pre-Final and a Final race to determine the single weekend winner.
While last year every session was equal points, this year drivers will be awarded points for their ranking after the heat races, along with the Pre-Final and Final with Sunday’s races being weighted heavier.
It’s going to be a great weekend and we can’t wait to see our Western Canadian karting friends again! See you there.
We want to thank Overdrive Motorsports for their support this weekend as our CKN Coverage Partner. Overdrive Motorsports is your #1 source for kart racing products and services including Tony Kart/OTK chassis, Briggs and Stratton & Rotax Max engines. Visit their website, http://odkarts.com to learn more and support this great operation.
