Gianfranco Mazzaferro Awarded Rotax Junior Canadian Championship

The 2013 ASN Canada FIA Canadian National Karting Championships presented by Canadian Tire hit the track for Championship Sunday at Goodwood Kartways, just north of Toronto, Ontario. The final day of competition meant nine new Canadian Champions would be crowned in their respective classes, while 10 drivers would join Team Canada for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, held this year in New Orleans, USA. It was a beautiful day at Goodwood, aside from a brief rain shower during podium presentations. The action on track was tense, exciting and everything it was expected to be as Canada’s best battled for National supremacy.

The Rotax Junior division never fails to disappoint. This week, Devlin Defrancesco (DFR/TonyKart) has been in cruise control when he is out front, simply driving away from his competition in the heat races and the Prefinal. In the Final, Defrancesco converted his pole-position into an early lead, with Jeff Kingsley (PSerra/TonyKart), Gianfranco Mazzaferro (Ferrolati Corse/TonyKart) and Coltin McCaughan (TonyKart) hot on his heels. As the field completed lap one, Kingsley got on the inside of Defrancesco in corner one, knowing he needed to get out front early. This pushed Defrancesco wide on exit and a trip through the grass in corner two and three, regaining down in seventh.

This left Kingsley and Mazzaferro with a nice lead while Christophe Paquet (CRG), Anthony Tolfa (SummitGP/TonyKart) and Taegen Poles (Summit GP/TonyKart) now held positions two, three and four. But Defrancesco was on a mission and charged back up through the field, first getting by Poles in corner four with some questionable contact. Then he tracked down Kingsley, Tolfa and Mazzaferro and moved into second setting his sights on the leader of Paquet. Once on Paquets bumper, Mazzaferro was able to catch up and when Defrancesco went by to regain the lead at halfway, Mazzaferro followed him by Paquet too. From there Mazzaferro tried everything to get close enough to make a move, but it was not enough as Defrancesco had one of the best drives of his young career.

However a call was made by the officials, first disallowing Defrancesco of his victory lap before assessing a penalty to him for his contact with Poles early in the race, moving him behind her in the results in 18th. This moved Mazzaferro onto the top of the championship box with Paquet and Tolfa joining him on the podium. Mazzaferro earns the trip to the Rotax Grand Finals to join Team Canada in the Junior division in New Orleans, USA in November.

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