Beautiful weather welcomed everyone to Ocala Gran Prix for Saturday’s competition of the 2014 Florida Winter Tour. It was round three of the sixth race championship setting the official halfway point and helping display some of the championship favourites.
Like race two in Homestead, it was the same two drivers duking it out for victory in Rotax Junior on Saturday in Ocala. Homestead winner Austin Garrison (OGP/TonyKart) and double runner-up Pedro Cardoso (PSL/CRG) squared off again in the fight for Junior Rotax supremacy.
Cardoso grabbed the pole for the Final after winning the Prefinal and immediately went to work taking the lead into corner one and through lap one. A big first lap crash ended Gianfranco Mazzaferro’s race early along with a couple others. Initially it was Jose Enrique Brito (TonyKart) who slotted into second, but Garrison made quick work of him before settling in on the bumper of Cardoso.
Garrison eventually went by for the lead and in doing so allowed Brito and Luis Forteza (J3 Competition/Kosmic) to make it a four kart race for the lead. Racing on the defensive, Garrison surrendered the lead back to Cardoso with two laps remaining as the Brazillian made a great move in corner five. Not letting anything happen like in Homestead, Cardoso made no mistakes in the remaining laps to the checkered and scored his the win, to add to his overall points championship total. Garrison was second and Brito third.
