CKN 2014 ECKC Preview: Rotax Mini-Max

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.

Rotax Mini-Max

This years Mini-Max lineup is almost a complete new class as many drivers have joined from Micro-Max or are competing full-time in the ECKC for the first time.

Although the entry count is a little shorter than we hoped, the quality of drivers who will be at Mosport give us high hopes for some excellent racing. Alexandre Légaré proved last weekend at the Coupe du Quebec that he is an immediate challenger for the championship and William Chayer wasn’t far behind him on track. From Ontario, Xavier Harris and Matthew Barry have some international experience that they gained over the winter that will help them as does Ryan MacDermid.

A foursome of drivers from the USA are joining the action this weekend as the d’Orlando brothers of Nicholas and Michael look to continue their early season dominance as they enter into Canadian territory. Both boys do have some Canadian blood in them, however they will not be competing for the overall championship. The second pair of drivers hail from Florida as Lachlan Defrancesco and David Morales will debut the BENIK Kart on Canadian soil this weekend in Mosport. Defrancesco is actually from Toronto, but he too will not be competing for the full championship as there is a scheduling conflict with rounds two and three.

CKN Championship Contenders:

Alexandre Légaré: He’s wasted no time getting up to speed in the Mini-Max category and if he performs with the same attitude and presence he used last weekend at SH to vault him to victory,

Légaré will be tough to beat this season.

William Chayer: Last years Micro-Max Canadian Champion has made the jump to Mini-Max and although he has his work cut out for himself this weekend, a consistent season of solid finishes and progression could put him into the championship chase come September. Having a world champion in your corner helps too as Chayer works very closely with KMS North America team manager Ben Cooper.

Xavier Harris: Harris impressed many at the Micro-Max Invitational last year in New Orleans and he’s been riding a high ever since. He was only able to compete in one Florida Winter Tour event this off-season and he used the chance to shake down his new Intrepid ride and get back into the swing of things. Hopefully he can convert that into some podiums and possibly victories this season.

CKN Dark Horse Selections:

Xavier Dorsnie: It’s his first full season of competition and he already has a podium finish to his name. The amount of competition is much steeper this weekend at Mosport, but we feel Dorsnie could find himself on the ECKC podium at some point this season.

Ryan MacDermid: He spent a lot of time this past winter in Florida gaining seat time and experience, racing against the best Mini-Max drivers from the Americas at the FWT. He still has a ways to go, but he too could find himself on the ECKC podium by years end.

CKN Unofficial Rotax Mini-Max Entry-List:

Championship Poll:

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