COTA Round Two This Weekend in the Desert

Month two of 2015 is well underway and with it comes the second stint for the Rotax Challenge of the Americas. After a successful opening weekend in Tucson, Arizona a month ago the series has transitioned down the interstate to neighbouring Phoenix for round number two of the popular west coast winter karting championship. This weekend will set the tone for the championships in each category where valuable tickets to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals are up for grabs in Junior, Senior, DD2 and Masters.

The PKRA karting circuit will push drivers to their limits this weekend with the technical track layout a favourite among many drivers for its ability to challenge the driver mentally and physically.

Throughout the opener at the Musselman Kart Circuit just outside of Tucson, there was plenty of excitement especially in the Rotax Senior Max category where the racing was white-knuckling to watch. Ultimately it was Canadian Cedrik Lupien and American Brendon Baker who scored the victories, while championship hopefuls Louie Pagano and Mason Marrotta took championship blows with technical infractions hampering their points totals on Saturday. Bad luck also found Canadian Bryce Choquer who had a weekend to forget in Tucson. He looks to get back on the podium this weekend.

Cedrik Lupien (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CKN)

In Junior Max it was Nicholas Brueckner and Sting Ray Robb who gained early season victories while David Ilavia and Kellen Ritter showed their presence as potential threats for the 2015 season.

Both Junior and Senior Max featured solid grids in Tucson which we anticipate will transition to Phoenix this weekend.

Other race winners in Tucson included Canadian Griffin Dowler and Mexican Sebastien Alvarez in Mini-Max, Michael Ilavia and Sabre Cook in DD2, while Diego LaRoque (Micro-Max) and Paul Bonilla (Masters) swept their respective categories.

Warm temperatures in desert are expected this weekend and for those of us escaping our great country cannot wait to get out of the bitter cold that is crushing Canada as of late.

We will be trackside this weekend in Phoenix covering all the action. Be sure to tune in for race reports, photo galleries and more!