2013 RMCGF Team Canada Preview: Rotax Junior

The 2013 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals is just around the corner and for the first time in Grand Finals history, the event will be held in North America. The beautiful and brand new NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA will host 280 of the worlds best Rotax Max competitors, plus an additional 72 racers in the Micro-Max and Mini-Max Invitational races as this years event will boast a RMCGF record number of competitors.

Canada will send 14 drivers to compete in the four headline classes (Jr, Sr, DD2, DD2 Masters), with an additional 20 drivers in the invitational classes.

Breaking down the drivers in each class, CKN will provide class-by-class previews, continuing today with our all-rookie Rotax Junior lineup.

2013 Team Canada Driver Stats:

Rotax Junior Max

With all of our 2012 Canadian Juniors moving up or on after last years Grand Finals, it opened the doors for a new crop of young drivers to represent Team Canada in 2013. The team has some big shoes to fill after Parker Thompson earned Canada our first podium in the Junior division at the Grand Finals last year in Portimaõ, Portugal, but they are all up for the challenge and full of confidence.

Four drivers will wear the maple leaf in New Orleans, and interestingly they all qualifying aboard a TonyKart chassis at events across the country. From Western Canada, Coltin McCaughan will represent Alberta while Canadian Champion Gianfranco Mazzaferro calls the province of Quebec home. Completing the team are Ontario drivers Jeffrey Kingsley and Devlin Defrancesco.

The Rotax Junior class will race aboard identical Energy Kart chassis, the first time at the Grand Finals for the Italian brand.

Gianfranco Mazzaferro is ready for the Grand Finals
(Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)

Gianfranco Mazzaferro, Montreal, Quebec

Qualifying Series: ASN Canadian National Karting Championship

2013 Stats: ASN Canadian National Karting Championship Rotax Junior Champion, Eastern Canadian Karting Championship Rotax Junior Vice-Champion

After travelling as a special guest to Team Canada the last two years, Gianfranco Mazzaferro finally gets his chance to drive this year. Mazzaferro had a very busy season in 2013, travelling to events around the world, gaining as much as experience as possible. This years Canadian Champion will be no stranger to the massive amount of competition the Grand Finals features, and racing at the Rotax Euro Challenge has definitely been a benefit.

He will have his work cut out for him though. Racing at the Pan American Challenge last month will help Mazzaferro come to grips with the track but he will need to step up and adjust to the Energy Kart.

“I believe the Team Canada entries in the Junior class this year have a great chance of doing really well. I’ve been fortunate enough this year to have raced in Europe, so I know how difficult the competition there is, so I am mentally prepared. Having raced with all three of the other team members, I feel we all have a great chance to prove ourselves.”
– Gianfranco Mazzaferro on his 2013 Team Canada Junior Max teammates

CKN Prediction: Rotax Junior is a very unpredictable class and if the Pan Am was indication, Mazzaferro will have his hands full all week in New Orleans. But a good qualifying effort will go a long way in helping him survive the heats and reach the Final, and we see him starting on Saturday, albeit maybe via the LCQ.

Coltin McCaughan can’t wait for New Orleans (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)

Coltin McCaughan, Calgary, Alberta

Qualifying Series: Western Canadian Championship

2013 Stats: Western Canadian Championship Rotax Junior Champion

McCaughan burst onto the scene this year and made a name for himself after winning the Western Canadian Championship Rotax Junior title. It was an impressive event for the Junior from Alberta. Not shying away from competition, McCaughan travelled east for the Canadian Championships, earning a top-five result. He then used the Rotax Pan American Challenge to get a shake down of the NOLA facility scoring some mixed results.

It will be very interesting how things go for McCaughan in New Orleans, as it seems the more competition he faces, the better he gets.

“Since there is only four practice sessions, we’re going to need every lap we can get in order to dial-in for qualifying. Even though I’ve already been to NOLA for Pan-Am, we face a new challenge in learning the Energy Kart effectively before qualifying. This makes it even more important to not waste any laps on the track. I plan on approaching each session the same way as I do for every event; focused on driving every lap perfect.”
– Coltin McCaughan how important getting up to speed in practice will be

CKN Prediction: As we mentioned, it seems the tougher the competition, the better McCaughan does. Working with his teammates will help him get up to speed quickly, and he has shown a great ability to score solid results in heat races, so we fell he will make the main event without the need of the LCQ.

Jeff Kingsley is riding momentum gained at the Pan American Challenge
(Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)

Jeffrey Kingsley, Port Hope, Ontario

Qualifying Series: Eastern Canadian Karting Championship

2013 Stats: Eastern Canadian Karting Championship Rotax Junior Champion, Western Canadian Championship Vice-Champion

It was a long road to the Grand Finals for Jeffrey Kingsley. He tried qualifying at the Westerns and Nationals, coming very close at both before he finally qualified for Team Canada via the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship.

Like Mazzaferro, he has been to the Grand Finals before as a special guest, we know he is amped to get on track. Especially after earning a podium result at the Pan American Challenge last month.

CKN Prediction: Kingsley has been very impressive in adapting to tough situations and different chassis brands over the past few years and that bodes well for him in an event like the Grand Finals. We feel he will excel in New Orleans riding the momentum gained at Pan Am and race up front with the worlds best.

Devlin Defrancesco is eager to get on track in New Orleans and take on the world
(Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)

Devlin Defrancesco, Toronto, Ontario

Qualifying Series: ASN Canadian National Karting Championship

2013 Stats: Canadian National Karting Championship Rotax Junior Vice-Champion

The final member to qualify for Team Canada may have only raced a few events in Canada this year, but when he competed he was always a threat for victory. A dominating performance at the Canadian Championships was overshadowed by a questionable penalty, but nonetheless Devlin Defrancesco earned a well deserved ticket to the Grand Finals. Like Mazzaferro, Defrancesco has raced all over the globe in 2013, most of the time in the European KFJ division, but as a Junior rookie he has impressed many.

It is yet to be known how his recent surgery will effect him in a kart, but racing the Canadian Championships with a broken wrist shows that he can adapt. It may also be a benefit to him that he has raced on multiple different chassis in 2013, in many different engine categories as getting up to speed quickly at the Grand Finals is so important.

“My expectations are to be extremely competitive and finish at the front. Is it going to be tougher with a cast, yes, but I won the Canadian Nationals with a broken wrist and didn’t let it stop me coming from behind so I’m confident I can race at the front for the worlds.”
-Devlin Defrancesco on his personal expectations at the Grand Finals

CKN Prediction: If the cast does not hamper his ability to drive we see great things from Defrancesco in New Orleans. Although he hasn’t been in a kart lately, we know he is eager to get back in the seat and prove that his is capable and that type of determination could be what vaults him towards the top of the time charts. However, he will need to stay out of trouble in the heat races if he wants to transfer to the main event without the LCQ.

 Loading ...