Excited for a new season of racing, Hamilton, Ontario’s Maranello North America is kicking off their 2016 racing schedule this weekend in south Florida. Invading the Homestead-Miami Speedway, six drivers will represent Team Maranello in the Florida Winter Tour Rotax Max Challenge event pitting against some of the brightest international karting teams and stars.
The Maranello team is no slouch this weekend, especially in the Rotax DD2 category. DTM driver for Mercedes Robert Wickens and Formula Renault driver Luke Chudleigh have rejoined the team for another outing along with team regular Ethan Simioni, who kicks off his sophomore season in DD2. Wickens last raced for Maranello at the US Open of Las Vegas, finishing on the podium in third against a powerhouse DD2 field.
The team is excited to welcome John Cariati and Marcello Paniccia to the 2016 racing team. After competing at the US Open of Las Vegas and scoring the victory in Rotax DD2 Masters, Cariati has joined Maranello North America full-time for the 2016 season and hopes to continue the momentum this weekend in Homestead. 8 year-old Paniccia also tested the Maranello red late in the 2015 season and has high hopes for his second season of Micro-Max competition.
Rounding out the team is Justin Ovejero in Rotax Senior who is seeking international experience and new challenges.
To prepare for the Florida Winter Tour, a few of the team members travelled to West Palm Beach, Florida last weekend to take part in a team pre-season test. Shaking down equipment and coming to grips with the machines they will do battle with this weekend in Homestead. Check out the video below from inside the helmet of DD2 driver Robert Wickens.
Trevor Wickens, Maranello North America Team Manager:
“After a great 2015 season Maranello North America is exciting to once again kick things off in the FWT. We are proud to have some new faces under the tent and we are looking to expand our program even further in 2016.”
The event kicks off on Friday with Qualifying followed by three heat races throughout Friday and Saturday leading up to Sunday’s main events.
Interested in joining Maranello North America for 2016? Race team positions are still available for the remaining Florida Winter Tour rounds and all major Canadian events. Contact trevorwickens@gmail.com for more information.
