Weekend two of the 2014 Florida Winter Tour is officially underway with the Rotax classes getting their chance to hit the asphalt at Homestead-Miami Speedway. What started off as a cool day, heated up just as the Qualifying action hit the track. Friday’s action set the grids for both Saturday and Sunday’s prefinals with two separate qualifying sessions.
Rotax Senior is another very internationally decorated class this weekend with many strong Europeans crossing the atlantic to take on North America’s best. With 41 drivers on track on Friday, there will be some great racing including a morning LCQ each day to cut the grid down to 34.
Saturday Qualifying
As the sun was beginning to lower and the temperatures cooling off, Rotax Senior was the final class to hit the track Friday to set the grid for Saturday’s prefinal.
Having a stellar FWT thus far, including
a victory last weekend in TaG Senior, Ed Brand of the UK put his Goodwood Intrepid on top with a blistering lap time. Three Americans filled out positions 2-3-4 with Oliver Askew (OGP/TonyKart), Kyle Kirkwood (OGP/TonyKart) and Dan Roeper (BN Racing/TonyKart) with Canadian Steven Szigeti (SH Racing/FA Kart) capping the top-five.
Positions six through ten has some stars that will be looking to advance to front as Jordan Lennox (PSL/CRG), Zachary Claman DeMelo (Goodwood Intrepid), Luke Varley (KMS/Birel), Alessandro Bressan (J3/Kosmic) and AJ Myers (TonyKart) complete the top-ten.
As for our remaining Canadians, Christophe Paquet (CRG) was 13th, Ben Cooper (KMS/Birel) 16th, Zach Scalzo (KGK/TonyKart) 20th, Johnny Flute (Mosport/Kosmic) and Marco Di Leo (Goodwood/Intrepid) 21st.
Sunday Qualifying
Ed Brand made it two for two as he also posted the fastest time in the first Qualifying session, with fellow Brit Lennox completing the front row. The TonyKart trio of Roeper, Kirkwood and Askew again were in the top-five, while Jamaican Thomas Issa (J3/Kosmic), Varley, Brennan, Szigeti and DeMelo filled out the top-ten.
Cooper was slightly better posting the 13th best time with Paquet right behind in 14th while Di Leo, Scalzo and Flute were 16th, 19th and 21st respectively.
