Alberta’s Jared Freeston is one of many Canadian drivers taking part in the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals for the first time. Competing in Rotax DD2 Masters courtesy of his title in the Western Canadian Karting Championship, Freeston has travelled to southern Italy to drive on the famous Napoli International Circuito against 71 other DD2 Master drivers from around the world.
Taking in the first couple days of a Grand Finals can be very overwhelming, from arriving at the circuit for the first time and seeing all of the drivers from more than fifty nations, to the kart raffle, the giant tent that becomes home for the week. Just about everything a driver experiences early in the event is brand new to them and that is until it’s time to hit the track for practice.
Monday was that day as Freeston and the rest of Team Canada took to the track for three unofficial practice sessions. It was a chance to ensure their kart and engine run well, to see the track from the driver’s seat point of view and to get up to speed and see where you rank on the charts. Tuesday is much of the same, helping everyone get ready for the most important session of the week aside from the Final: Qualifying.
We tracked down Jared to get his thoughts on the opening days of the event, his first impressions of the Sodikart, the track and some of the unique driving styles he’s seen on track so far. Here’s what he had to say.
“The experience so far has been incredible! A little overwhelming for a first-timer like me, but after getting the nerves out in the first session I am having a ton of fun. The track is super fast, definitely fun in a DD2. I saw some other driving styles out there today that made me scratch my head a bit. Overall, very happy with the Sodikart so far. It seems to be a quality kit with what little time I’ve had with it so far.”
Jared is teamed up in DD2 Masters with Alexandre Gauthier, another first-time driver at the Grand Finals. They have been working together to help to get up to speed as quickly as possible, with a better expectation tomorrow on where our drivers will rank on the speed charts.
That is all for now. Goodnight from Italy.
