The second half of the Motomaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship hits the track this weekend in Hamilton as racers will tackle the Canadian Mini Indy circuit on July 9-10. The challenging short track is always great for last-lap showdowns and close racing in the Briggs categories with unpredictable finishes.
It’s been a month since round two hit the track at Innisfil, but it still feels like it was yesterday as this 2022 season is full throttle and has no signs of slowing up.
With four races in the championship complete, some drivers have begun to separate themselves from the pack in the title races, while some classes are neck and neck and will surely come down to the finale, which takes place on September 10-11, back at the Mosport Karting Centre.
Many of the MRFKC regulars used this past weekend’s Canada Cup and CKN Dash for Cash as a chance to reacclimate themselves with the CMI circuit, and this weekend could be one of the last major races on the circuit before it changes. Rumour has it that the CMI circuit will be getting a much-needed repave this fall and an extension too and we’re very hopeful it happens. The group at CMI is one of the most supportive in Canadian karting and they deserve the upgrades for their efforts.
So what are we looking at when it comes to the championship pictures heading to Hamilton this weekend? After a look at the points standings for each class, here is what stands out.
Rok Cup ticket chases are very close
With each of the Rok Cup Canada classes awarding the MRFKC champions with a ticket to the SuperFinal in Italy, these divisions are hotly contested.
Mini Rok has Christian Papp leading Matthew Roach by only 10 points after four races, with each of them having a win to their credit. Decklan Deonarine is only 57 markers back and is also still very much in the hunt. CMI is a home track for Roach so this could be his weekend to take the lead.
Consistency has helped Eamon Lowe to the top of the Rok Senior standings after four races as he has stood on the podium in each of the finals so far. It’s been an up and down season so far for defending champ Patrick Woods-Toth, but he still sits second overall and 33 points back. With two wins, but also two DNFs, Robert Soroka is third overall, 41 points back of Lowe, while Nolan Bower is fourth, 60 points out of the lead. Anything is possible with this group as the races have been very unpredictable so far, leading up to think there could be a big shake-up of the standings come Monday morning.
The Rok Juniors have also been quite unpredictable this season, but a big win by Ryan Maxwell at Innisfil vaulted him to the top of the standings. He’s 56 points ahead of Joseph Launi, who had an unfortunate DQ in race four. Frankie Esposito is 97 markers back and has a bit of a hill to climb out of it he wants to get on top. He was pretty dominant a year ago in Hamilton, so if there is any place he could do it, it’s probably at his home track.
If it wasn’t for his rear bumper falling off, Davide Greco would probably have the Rok Shifter title in his hands after the first half of the season. Three wins in the first three races showed that he is in another dimension this season, but the DQ in race four has left him a little vulnerable. Lucio Masini and Dante Lerra are both within 100 points of the leader and could come knocking on his bumper this weekend.
Briggs title runs are also tight
The regulars are right where we expect them to be in some of the Briggs classes at he we hit the halfway mark.
Jordan Prior is on top and looking for another Briggs Senior title after a strong start to the season with three podiums in the last three races. He sits 65 markers ahead of last years Canadian Champion Logan Ploder. Jon Treadwell is also in the mix, 92 points back of the lead. The three haven’t been separated by much this season, so it could take a fault by one of them to shake up the running order.
With two wins and two runner-up finishes, Ian MacIntyre has put himself in the lead of the Briggs Masters division. His teammate and rival Marc Stehle has been on the podium with him in the last three Finals to keep in the running at only 64 points back, while the rest of the pack have some work to do if they want a chance at the title. Rich Folino is third, but a whopping 179 back of the lead.
The battle for second in Briggs Junior is extremely tight. While Jordan West heads the field by 80 points, the spread from second to sixth is only 53 points. Jackson Pearsall had a stellar weekend in Innisfil to move into second, two points ahead of Sebastian Day. Logan McMurray is a further 12 points back while Mitchell Morrow and Ryder Hare are also right there. These kids have been fun to watch this season and we expect more of the same this weekend.
Hudson Urlin is on a tear in Briggs Cadet, winning three of the four finals so far and taking third in the other. That has earned him a huge 146-point lead over Kaeleb Pinho, while Santino Fidani is a further 75 points back.
Heading to his home track, Aristeides Theodoropoulos leads the Junior Lite division over Will McCallum and Keaton Pipe while Christopher Mitchell is on top of the new Senior Heavy division, chased only by Patrick Lelievre.
It looks like plenty of sunshine is in the forecast, so if you’re on the fence about racing this weekend, we suggest you go for it and join in on the fun.
