There’s a new karting team from British Columbia looking to make a big impression in their first appearance. Catalyst Driver Develop was formed by Remo Ruscitti, Scott Hargrove and Stefan Rzadzinski, all very successful kart and car racers, as a part of the community with the new KartPlex at the Area 27 Race Circuit in BC’s Okanagan region and help develop future racing stars.
Their first race as a team will see CDD tackle the Rok the Rio event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Three drivers will compete, including Ruscitti in Rok Shifter. He will have Cole O’Connor suit up with him in the Shifter category, while Mario Gil will compete in Rok Junior. All three drivers will utilize Italkart chassis with engine support from OverDrive Motorsports.
“With the recent opening of KartPlex at Area27 we decided to start a program doing the same things that we learned throughout our early careers with the Valiante family,” explained Remo Ruscitti. “This included the basics from early age training, working on our own karts, developing race craft and eventually progressing into cars.”
He continued. “With Catalyst Driver Development we want young drivers to follow the same footsteps we have taken and we feel the three of us together make a very strong package; Hargrove with his open-wheel and sports car resume, Rzadziński with his resume practically driving everything and myself with my sports car and prototype background.”
Gil is the 2019 ICP Cup Junior TaG Champion and won his way to Las Vegas. His strong season will put him as a contender amongst North America’s strong Junior continent of drivers.
O’Connor is the 2019 Vice-Champion in the ICP Cup Shifter division and he too will be one to watch after quickly getting up to speed in the gearbox category this season.
Finally, Ruscitti is no stranger to competition karting, winning in his ICP Cup start earlier this season and consistently driving a kart to keep his skill set active.
“We are excited about our launch event in Las Vegas. It’s great for young talents like Cole and Mario take on some of the best in North America, and we are proud to represent Italkart in our efforts,” said Rzadzinski.
“KartPlex and Area 27 have created a new hub for Western Canadian motorsports. We want to be a part of the growth of the sport in our region and this is just the start.”
Following Rok the Rio, CDD will confirm their plans for 2020. Interested in joining the team for next season? Contact team@catalystdrives.com for more information.
