The second championship series to hit the streets of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec this weekend was the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship. After Saturday’s Coupe du Quebec round, the inter-provincial series took their turn and provided the many fans on site some great racing action all day. Once again Mother Nature played games with everyone in the paddock as rain threatened all day and even drizzled down multiple times during the day but never enough to force drivers to rain tires.
The third round of the ECKC set the tone not only for their final round of the championship, held in September in Mont-Tremblant, but also it was the final major race before this years Canadian National Karting Championships, held at Goodwood Kartways in Ontario.
This season, Stuart Clark (Maranello) has been the class of the Rotax DD2 Masters division. The Ontario pilot has controlled every event this season from the front, disposing of any challenge he has been faced with. This weekend in Trois-Rivieres was no different as once again he dominated his competition.
Clark snuck in his fast time in Qualifying right at the end of the session after nearly missing it altogether.
A great battle was waged in the prefinal, albeit for second as Francis Mondou (IPK Quebec/OK1) and Martin Verville (Haase) went to war. Behind, John Cariati (Intrepid) and Michel Legrand (CRG) traded the fourth spot after Luc Sauriol’s heat was over on lap three.
Stuart Clark took the lead of the DD2 Masters Final as Verville got ahead of Mondou for second. Once in the lead Clark was gone as he checked out early.The closest battle on track was once again between Verville and Mondou, with Mondou getting by Haase pilot with on lap three and Verville slotting back behind Mondou’s rear bumper. The two raced hard and clean to the finish as Sauriol returned from the rear of the grid to get into fourth. At the line, Clark scored his fifth victory in as many races while Mondou held on for second ahead of Verville, Sauriol crossed in fourth but a penalty moved him to fifth in ranking and moving Francois Bellemare (CRG) to fourth.
