Jordan Di Leo (Intrepid Kart) capped off a very impressive weekend of racing at the KartStars Canada Nationals by scoring his second victory in as many days when he controlled the Mini ROK Final at Goodwood Kartways.
A slight sprinkle began to fall just as the Mini ROK division took to the track for their Final. It was a major difference to the sunshine and heat the competitors were used to through Friday and Saturday of the competition.
Battling the challenging conditions, Di Leo jumped out to an early lead but was immediately attacked by Santiago Ramirez (Intrepid Kart), while the Energy Kart trio of Stefano Picerno, Jensen Burnett and Ryan Maxwell also remained close.
With the drizzle coming down a little harder, the drivers had to be very cautious for a few laps, with Picerno and Maxwell spinning in corner one and collecting Ilie Tristan Crisan (CRG) in the process, ending all of their chances at the podium. Only Picerno was able to continue.
Even in the slick conditions, Ramirez and Di Leo traded the lead before the rain stopped falling at the halfway point of the race.
The leaders pulled away from Burnett, with Ramirez sticking close with Di Leo until the final three laps. The race leader then ran his quickest laps of the race to set the fast time and pull away to victory.
Burnett held off a late race charge from Christian Papp (Intrepid) to ensure he stayed on the podium and in the championship points battle. Rocco Simone (Intrepid) came home fifth.
Di Leo earned a ticket to the ROK Cup SuperFinal in Italy for his victory and will join Team Canada for the first time in his career, while Ramirez earned an entry to the 2021 ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour.
