A consistent force in Canadian karting over the past three seasons, Andrew Maciel is well known around the karting circuit. Following a super season of competition in Rok Junior that saw him win the ASN Canadian Karting Champion, Maciel will represent Canada at the upcoming Rok Cup SuperFinal in Lonato, Italy.
Born in Toronto, Maciel has Brazilian roots through is parents and has traveled quite a bit in his early years. He’s lived in a number of different regions of the world and that means he was able to compete in a number of different countries as a young driver, including Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil and the USA before settling back into Canada.
The SuperFinal will be the first time Maciel has competed in Italy, but he reckons that he’s competed against nearly thirty percent of the competitors after looking at the provisional entry list.
A proud Canadian, Maciel is ready to take on the world. Taking a moment to chat with us, Maciel answered a few questions before he jets off to Italy for the big race.
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You worked very hard this season and were rewarded with the Canadian Championship and a ticket to Italy. How does that make you feel?
It makes me feel proud to be representing Team Canada, VSR racing and the other junior drivers that I raced against during this season. I truly believe that we had this season one of the strongest Rok Junior class series worldwide and I hope to be able to represent all of them well.
What do you think helped you grow as a driver in the past season that has allowed you to contend for race victories every time you hit the track.
The main thing for the successful 2019 season for me was to be able to move back to the Tony Kart Chassis and to have Terry Ventresca from VSR Racing Team guiding me during the season. His experience in karting and motor setup is second to none in Canada and this gave me the tools I needed to be competitive during this season. Thanks to them we were able to win several races, and championships.
You’ve raced internationally before, but this may be the biggest race you’ve competed in. What does that mean to you?
Yes, I have raced internationally before in several places like the USA, Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil, but the Rok SuperFinal is for sure a much bigger race then the other ones. There, we will have the opportunity to race against over 100 drivers from several countries. I have raced against probably 30% of them before and based on that we have hopes of representing Canada well.
Who are you bringing to Italy to support you and what your personal expectations for your first Rok Cup SuperFinal?
Terry Ventresca from VSR will be responsible for all chassis and motor setup. He has a lot of experience with the Tony Kart chassis and the ROK motor and our goal is to work hard in order to be one of the front runners since day one.
Finally, is there anyone you need to thank for their support of you to compete in this special event?
I would like to thank Rok Cup Canada, Marco and Daniel Di Leo for their hard work to put all these races together. ASN Canada, Terry Ventresca, John, Cody from CKN, The Bower’s and my family for all the everything they did for me during this year.
CKN will be trackside at South Garda Karting for the Rok Cup SuperFinal in Italy. Be sure to follow all of our content as we keep our readers informed on how our Rok Cup Canada contingent is doing at this spectacular event.
