CKN 2014 ECKC Preview: Briggs & Stratton Senior

The Eastern Canadian Karting Championship is celebrating its fifth season of competition in 2014 and it is looking to be one the best seasons to date. The first of four rounds hits the track this weekend at Mosport International Karting and the CKN will be trackside as part of the CKN Summer Tour. The championship class structure remains the same for 2014 with Rotax Grand Finals Invitations up for grabs in Rotax Junior, Senior, DD2 and DD2 Masters once again. For the ever-growing Briggs & Stratton classes, Florida Winter Tour prize packages are available with more prizes to be announced.

ECKC Officials added Tim Hannan over the off-season as the new Series Director as he intends to grow the numbers on track and the presence of the series across North America. With over 150 drivers expected at Mosport, the series is off to a great start and we hope to see the numbers remain throughout all four events in 2014.

As the official media partner for the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship, CKN has prepared class by class previews for this weekends event along with the championship perspective. With over 150 participants expected at Mosport this weekend it will surely be an action packed event!

Wednesday will feature previews for: Rotax Senior, Rotax Mini-Max, and Briggs & Stratton Jr.

Thursday will feature previews for: Briggs & Stratton Senior, Rotax Junior and Rotax Micro-Max.

Friday will feature previews for: Rotax DD2, Rotax DD2 Masters and Briggs & Stratton Masters.

For those who cannot attend this weekends event, CKN will be covering the event online via our CKN Live page where viewers can watch live timing, see results, view updates, and ask questions to the CKN panel all weekend long. Daily race reports will also come with photo galleries and video interviews from the event.

Briggs & Stratton Senior

It is back and bigger than ever! Briggs & Stratton Senior was easily the most exciting class in 2013, as the simple Briggs & Stratton LO206 platform allowed drivers of all ages and experiences an equal playing field and an easy and cost effective alternative to two-stroke racing.

Race after race the class grew and things appear the same for this year. Thus far we have accumulated 28 drivers committing to race this weekend and we know there are more coming as it will give Rotax Senior a run for the largest class of the weekend.

Looking at those entries, where do we start? Last years class champion Jonathon Treadwell is back and looking to double up on his K&K Kart ride. Marc Stehle was an exciting one to watch last year so we will have to keep an eye on him as he returns to his familiar TonyKart chassis. David Patrick has purchased a new FA Kart and is part of four-kart Derek Michaud Racing team, while Tommy-Lemaire Ouellet is one of few drivers from the Quebec region making the trek to Mosport. Lemaire was the Quebec champion in 2013 and is now driving a PSL CRG chassis.

Further down the list we see names such as Zach Boam, Charlotte and William Lalonde, Kyle Edgar, Steve MacVoy, Michael Glaze, Corey Walsh and last years Briggs & Stratton Junior Canadian Champion Christopher Proietto. All of these drivers have proven that anyone can win in this class and it is wide open and surely all of these drivers will be in the hunt this weekend.

One driver who is absent this weekend is defending Canadian National Champion Jean-Francois Lafontaine. Due to commitments to his University Formula SAE program, he was unavailable to race this weekend.

The one thing that the Briggs LO206 classes have shown is that most drivers in the category don’t like to travel too far. Last weekend we saw 18 karts in the Briggs Senior at the Coupe du Quebec and only a handful of them are going to be in attendance this weekend at Mosport giving us a feeling that Canadian Championships could be a huge showing in Mont-Tremblant!

CKN Championship Contenders:

Jonathon Treadwell: One of the most committed four-cycle racers in the country, Treadwell ended last year with a huge victory in Mont-Tremblant to score the championship. While his fleet of K&K Kart teammates has shrunk for 2014, if he gets out front early in the points, it will be hard to catch this driver from Huntsville, Ontario.

Tommy Lemaire-Ouellet: If Treadwell is the most committed four-cycle racer from Ontario, Lemaire is definitely the most committed from Quebec. Opting to only race Briggs at the ECKC shows he is focused on the championship and he was very quick out of the box last weekend at SH for the Coupe du Quebec, leading much of the Final.

Marc Stehle: Last year he proved he’s still got it and has no intention on moving to Masters anytime soon. Stehle can race with the best of them but he just needs to let his emotions get a little less of him on track and focus more on steering his TonyKart to victory in order to win the championship.

Zach Boam: Boam is a diehard racer and last year he qualified on the front row multiple times, rain or shine. A little more consistency will go a long way in his bid for a championship but he can and will be up front this weekend in Mosport.

Abby Bolton: She ran under the radar last season and that is how she likes it. But with solid results it is now time to break into the top-five and to stand on the podium for Boltin.

CKN Dark Horse Selections:

Charlotte Lalonde: Helping Margay get their chassis up to speed for most of 2013, Lalonde showed continuous improvement all season long. She’s back and focused in 2014 and has her brother to support her under the Quyon Karting tent.

Kyle Edgar: While he was very fast last season on a K&K Kart, Edgar has switched to a Birel for 2014 and could just use that vault towards the podium this season.

Michael Glaze: Heeeee’s back. Glaze has been earning four-cycle karting championships for years but ran outside of the spotlight for the past two. But he is confirmed to race at Mosport with the support of Marc Stehle and we can’t wait to see what he’s still got in the tank.

CKN Unofficial Briggs & Stratton Senior Entry-List:

Championship Poll

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