International News
Mackenzie Clark Soaking Up Every Opportunity as a Rookie Junior
Two years ago, Mackenzie Clark was preparing for his first full season of Rotax Mini-Max racing. Next weekend, he will take on the world as a member of Team Canada at the Rok Cup International Final in South Garda, Italy. It has been a rapid rise for Clark, who is following in his fathers footsteps of representing his home country on the international level.
Moving up to Junior in 2017, it was another chance to learn and grow as a driver, but early on in the season, Clark showed that he wasn’t only a rookie, but he was also a competitor and found himself right in the thick of things in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship. While he came up short of that title, he had a great shot at the Canadian Championship and the international ticket that came along with it, but a crash early in the final ended all hopes of that. So two weeks later, Clark and his father decided to trade in one of their Rotax engines and try out the Rok Cup Canada event at Goodwood, a last chance at glory for his rookie season.
Clark delivered all day long and when it mattered most, he put down fast laps and ran away with the Rok Junior Final race, earning the ticket to Italy and extending his 2017 season.
So we asked him, what exictes you most about competing in the Rok Cup International Finals?
“The level of competition and skill of my competitors. And also that I get to represent Canada at an International event.”
Short and sweet, but right to the point. Clark knows he is up against the toughest competition he’s ever seen and he’s going to absorb every moment of it while in Italy.
“I hope to grow as a driver by soaking up the experience of a more aggressive race! But most of all I just want to do my best and make my country proud.”
He will take part in this weekends Trofeo D’Autunno Final, the Autumn Trophy, at South Garda Karting in Italy to come to grips with his BirelART and Rok Cup package and gain as much information as he can for next weeks big event. Neither race will be easy, with a very large number of competitors expected, including 100 entries in Rok Junior at the International Final.
CKN will be trackside at the Rok Cup International Finals. Be sure to follow along with all the action as a number of Canadian drivers will be in attendance.
