Barrichello Masters the Rain in ROK Shifter Final; Championship Decided by 1 point!

A brief but heavy rain shower interrupted the second half of the Final races at the Florida Winter Tour ROK Cup Championship Finale in Ocala forcing a last minute switch for the ROK Shifter categories.

While the rain stopped falling it wasn’t enough for anyone to even gamble by the time the ROK Shifter classed rolled off the grid and when the flag dropped, Rubens Barrichello quickly made his way into turn one with the pack in tow.

Slipping and sliding, the action was greasy in the opening laps as Gary Carlton pressured Barrichello for the first two laps. However that was all he could muscle as for former Formula 1 driver mastered the conditions and built up a big lead, ultimately taking the victory at ease.

Carlton held his own in second all race long while Jack Hawksworth lost the battle for third to Jimmy Cabrera on lap six. Mathias Ramirez would also take advantage of Hawksworth before the race was over, relegating the former Indycar driver down to fifth at the finish.

With Barrichello hauling in big points on Sunday, the championship gap was eliminated and with the final tally of points, Carlton and Goodwood Kartways claimed the title by only one point over Barrichello with AJ Myers a distant third.

Canadians Gianfranco Mazzaferro, Antonio Serravalle and Ethan Simioni claimed top-ten championship finishes placing seventh, eighth and tenth overall.