Race Report: Cup Karts Canada at Mont-Tremblant
A CKN summary of the action from round one.
In very hot and sunny conditions, round one of the Cup Karts Canada division was hosted at the TAG Karting Academy in gorgeous Mont-Tremblant, Quebec this past weekend.
It was the first time Cup Karts Canada has competed in Mont-Tremblant, a middle ground between Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and Point Pelee, Ontario, and it was very welcomed by the dedicated group of racers, many of whom travelled between six and twelve hours to compete.
Here are the highlights from the race weekend.
Cadet
Kegan Irwin (CL Kart) dominated the Briggs Cadet category, securing two race victories over the weekend. On Saturday, Irwin faced a tough challenge from Brodie McDonnell (Formula K) but managed to lead every lap of the Final race, ultimately taking the win. William Choquette (Formula K) completed the podium in third place after Jackson Cadney (BirelART), who initially finished third, received a penalty for contact with Choquette, dropping him to fifth. Olivier Aupry (OTK) finished fourth.
Sunday’s race saw an early exit for McDonnell, who retired on the first lap, allowing Irwin to pull away and win with a 3.4-second margin. The second-place battle was intense, with Michael Patrick (Ricciardo Kart) narrowly edging out William Choquette at the finish line. However, a jump start penalty relegated Choquette to fifth, promoting Aupry to third and Mason McInnes (OTK) to fourth.
Irwin’s consistent performance throughout the weekend highlighted his dominance in the Briggs Cadet category.
Kegan Irwin (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
Junior
The kids from Goodwood continue to control the Junior Briggs categories everywhere we go this summer and this time it was Declan Black (Goodwood F4K) and Ethan Chan (Goodwood F4K) topping the podiums.
On Saturday, Chan led the early stages of the race until Nicholas Capilongo (Coyote Kart) took control during a mid-race shuffle of the lead pack. Hudson Jack Urlin (Kubica Kart) was right in the mix in second place until Black came charging for the race lead with three laps to go, moving by both Urlin and Capilongo. Quinn and Ethan Tyers (Goodwood F4K) were also right in the mix, as was Sebastian Day (CL Kart).
A final lap flurry of action resulted in Black staying ahead of the chaos and taking the race victory while Capilongo and Quinn Tyers joined him on the podium, with Urlin slipping back from second to fourth on the final lap.
Sunday’s race was a little less eventful as Chan controlled the field from the front all race long. Quinn Tyers was glued to his rear bumper in the opening laps to help the pair pull away and while Quinn tried on the final lap, he was unable to overtake Chan.
A two-kart race for third involved Ethan Tyers and Adam Saldana (Ricciardo Kart) until the pair duked it out with three laps to go, costing them both. Tyers tried to hold Saldana into the tight chicane in corner nine, resulting in Saldana being forced wide and through the grass. Benefitting from this was Black and Day, who were able to close in on Tyers and overtake him on the final lap. Malex Richard (BirelART) ended up in fifth place in the results after a penalty was issued to Ethan Tyers for the contact with Saldana.
Briggs Junior led by Declan Black. (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
Senior Light
Featuring 29 karts, Senior Light was the show to watch on the weekend. Simon Belanger (SodiKart) started the weekend off with the RLV Fastest Lap in Qualifying but it was Steven Szigeti (Kart Republic) and Vassil Tchiplakov (Synergy Kart) who took charge in the heat races and the Final.
Both drivers took a turn leading the Saturday main and like most Briggs races, it all came down to the final lap. Tchiplakov had the advantage and backed up Szigeti enough that the chasing pack became a threat. After a few crossover passes, Tchiplakov held the lead going into the penultimate corner until Szigeti threw it in a little too deep, ending both of their races on the spot.
Erupting from the final corner with the race lead was Mickael Aubin Poirier (BirelART) and he celebrated the biggest race win of his career thus far with Leopold Schrevel (Kart Republic) and Vincent Goulet (BirelART) in second and third.
On Sunday it was Szigeti once again in control but this time he had the PSL pair of Aubin-Poirier and Kevin King (BirelART) to contend with.
Szigeti did his best to stay in the lead, fending off a charge from Aubin Poirer at halfway, but King was able to get ahead with two laps to go. Szigeti looked in every corner to overtake, but King’s kart was perfectly placed and he held on for the race win. Szigeti settled for second place while Belanger completed the podium just ahead of Aubin Poirier.
Kevin King (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
Senior Medium
It was a very up-and-down weekend for Mike De La Plante (CL Kart) in Senior Medium. On Saturday, he won both heat races and led the early laps of the Final, but a mistake in the middle of the race took him out of contention along with Vassil Tchiplakov (Synergy Kart). This opened up the doors for Jason Rothman and Michael Ing (Kubica Kart) to take control and Rothman to score the victory with Zach Boam (BirelART) completing the podium.
In Sunday’s Feature race, Tchiplakov was back out front and this time had to contend with Brodie Myer (SodiKart) after the two separated from the pack in the second half.
Their battle for the race lead started with three laps to go when Myer wanted to take control. This brought Ing, De La Plante and Boam back into the mix and the final two laps were epic.
Tchiplakov held the point until the final corner when Ing got alongside. The pair touched and it slowed their momentum. With a head full of steam, De La Plante made it three-wide coming up the hill to the finish line and was the first to arrive. Also with good momentum, Boam snuck by to take second place. Tchiplakov was the next to cross, but he was given a two-position penalty for contact with Myer, and that moved Ing up to third in the final results.
Mike De La Plante celebrating his victory (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
Senior Heavy
There was a photo finish in the Saturday Senior Heavy Feature after another great final lap duel opened the door for third place to sneak through and steal the victory.
The entire race was controlled by Levon Beaudin (Ricciardo Kart) and Jason Rothman (Coyote Kart). The pair worked together early, pulled a gap and then waited until the end to duke it out for the win. That final lap battle saw the pair run side-by-side through the final corner and with an uphill climb to the finish line, it slowed their momentum.
With a clean exit, Christopher Mitchell (BirelART) swung wide for momentum and then pulled to the inside, overtaking both drivers by the smallest of margins at the finish line, 0.028 seconds to be exact. It was so close that Mitchell didn’t even know if he won until he got to the scale line.
Rothman would be credited with second place while Tyson Wassink (TonyKart) was third with Beaudin fourth after a two-position penalty for ‘failure to leave racing room’.
Rothman got his revenge on Sunday, leading most of the Final and fending off Mathieu Martin (Formula K) for his second victory of the weekend. Mitchell notched his second podium of the weekend with a third-place finish over Brad Rogers (SodiKart).
Jason Rothman (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
Masters
There was a weekend sweep in Masters as Eric Lessard (Intrepid) dominated the top of the time sheets. Lessard took both RLV Fast Laps in Qualifying and recorded both race wins as well.
On Saturday Lessard held off Levon Beaudin (Ricciardo Kart), Mathieu Demers (Kart Republic), Corey Walsh (Kosmic Kart) and Kevin May (Synergy Kart) as the top five all crossed the finish line within one second.
Sunday’s Feature was a showdown between Lessard and May, but Lessard was just too strong and led every lap. Walsh took third place, eight seconds after the race winner, fighting off Demers and Mike Larouche (Formula K) for the last step of the podium.
Eric Lessard (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
Legends
The competition at the top of the Legends category was very close all weekend long but one driver stood out among the rest as Jamie MacArthur (CKR Kart) secured a pair of top-two results.
On Saturday it was MacArthur and Steve Lyons (BirelART) working together to separate themselves from Eli Yanko (TonyKart) and the rest of the chasing pack. After working together all race long, a feud on the final two laps brought Yanko back into the mix and when Lyons pounced on the lead, Yanko also attacked MacArthur. This allowed Lyons to cruise through the final corners and take the win while MacArthur fought off Yanko to secure the second spot.
A lead pack of seven karts formed in Sunday’s Feature and once again it was MacArthur and Lyons out front for most of the race. On the final lap, Lyons tried to get up the inside down the long back straight and the two touched briefly, sending tire smoke into the air and Lyons into the grass but everyone managed to slow in time for the corner and MacArthur kept the lead.
Stephen Goebel (Coyote Kart) utilized the contact to overtake Lyons and completing the rest of the lap out front, MacArthur was the first to the finish line, just ahead of Goebel, Lyons, Simon Pepin (BirelART) and Barry Nickerson (Coyote Kart).
Officials initially called a penalty on MacArthur for blocking, but the call was overturned after evidence was presented and he kept the race win.
Jamie MacArthur (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
Kid Kart
New for 2024 at Cup Karts Canada is the Kid Kart division. Providing an opportunity for the newest racers in the sport to get acclimated in a kart, the Kid Karts ran on a shortened version of the track within the rotation of the race day.
Both race victories went to Koah Dozet with Zak Beauchamp and Kyrie Dozet joining him on the Saturday podium and Chase McDonnell and Kyrie standing alongside on the Sunday podium.
In total, six Kid Karts powered by Briggs engines raced on the weekend with more expected at future Cup Karts Canada events.
Koah Dozet (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
Round two of the Cup Karts Canada Division will return to Lombardy Raceway in Smiths Falls, Ontario on July 12-14. Registration will open soon at http://cupkarts.com.
Cup Karts Canada has confimed they will once again run a ‘Dads Race’ in the Arrive & Drive Karts and there will also be a band performing on Saturday night at the circuit.
