Saturday in Homestead, Florida, USA was race day for the 2013 Florida Winter Tour. The Rotax Max classes finally competed in wheel to wheel competition after qualifying on Friday afternoon. The warm temperatures and sunny skies in south Florida put fatigue into play as drivers and everyone in the paddock needed to stay hydrated. With a Pre Final and Final for every class, things were very busy at Homestead-Miami Speedway and the racing was exciting in every division as round three of the FWT saw some new and returning winners after the opening rounds in West Palm Beach.
Thomas Issa (Kosmic) was able to convert his pole position to lead the Rotax Junior Pre final with Kyle Kirkwood (Tony Kart), Ignacio Salvucci (AM Kart), Darren Keane (Tony Kart), and Juan Manuel Correa (Praga) in tow. Issa gapped away from Kirkwood as Salvucci would get passed by Keane and Correa. Keane would then drop down to fifth as both Correa and Salvucci got by the Keane Racing driver. Salvucci then passed Correa for the third spot just past halfway as he would start to pressure Kirkwood for second. Meanwhile behind the trio Keane would come under severe pressure from round one winner Jack Weprin (FA Kart) for the fifth position. Correa took third back from Salvucci with three laps to go but up front, Issa would take the win by five seconds ahead of Kirkwood, Correa, Salvucci and Keane who held off Weprin for fifth.
Thomas Issa took the lead out of the first corner in the Final but was then was passed by Kyle Kirkwood for the lead and would be sent down the order to fourth as both Keane and Weprin took advatange. On lap four Weprin would fall down the order to fifth as he was passed by Issa and Salvucci. Issa then took second place from Keane in the first corner on lap six, and now set his sights on closing the gap to leader Kirkwood. At halfway Issa would take the lead back from Kirkwood as Salvucci would go into the third after passing Keane. A lap later, going into the first corner Keane took second from Kirkwood, with Salvucci trying to make a move on Kirkwood for third but contact would send both drivers spinning and with Weprin making contact with the two drivers forcing him to retire promoting a hard charging Devlin Defrancesco (CRG) to third after starting twenty-seventh. However, Defrancesco would surrender the final podium position to Ashley Rogero (TonyKart) on final lap. At the front Issa would take the win followed by Keane, Rogero, Defrancesco, and Correa finishing in fifth.
