Mixed Conditions Challenge Briggs Racers in Tremblant on Saturday

The weather continued where it left off from the previous round of the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship as rain and cold temperatures took over the Jim Russell Karting Academy in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec on Saturday for round two of the series.

All throughout the first half of the day, rain would fall on and off wreaking havoc on chassis setup and tire pressure selection. It wasn’t until halfway through the Prefinal races where a dry line would form and slick tires were used. Thankfully, the sun began to shine through the clouds as the Final races of the day progressed, ending the day on a much brighter note than when it started.

Saturday Results | Live Timing

Briggs Junior Lite

Leaving the grid for their final, Briggs Junior Lite rolled out on dry tires for the first time of the day.

Nicholas Christodoulou grabbed the early lead while Connor Pritiko slid back to fourth after starting off-pole. It took him a couple laps to move back up to second and then put he the pressure back on the leader.

By halfway the two leaders were trading the top spot and did so until the final tour. Holding on for dear life, Pritiko managed to keep Christodoulou at bay and drive home his first ECKC victory. Nicholas Gilkes and Anthony Boscia fought hard for the final podium position with Gilkes taking the position by 0.08 seconds at the line.

Connor Pritiko (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

Briggs Junior

Immediately it was a three-kart race in the Junior Briggs Final as pole sitter Jordan Prior led the way with William Chayer and Gabriel Savoie is tow. Behind, a second pack of three formed led by Kelsey Hann.

The lead didn’t change until three to go when Chayer slid under Prior in turn three and kept his competitor on the outside, forcing Prior to the dirt and allowing Savoie to follow to second. When Prior returned to the track, he was too far back from the leaders and lost the draft, leaving the REM teammates to finish the race on their own.

On the final lap, Savoie went by in corner three but overshot his entry and Chayer countered right back by. But Savoie didn’t give up and he tried again in corner nine and made it stick, this time for good and he went on to win. Chayer settled for second while Kai Dalziel took advantage of Prior on the final lap to take third.

Gabriel Savoie (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

Briggs Senior

The Energy Kart duo of Alex Da Silva and Marco Signoretti got off to a great start and took control of the race while the pack chased them through the first lap.

Kevin King was the first to try and get by Signoretti, but instead he was hung out on the outside of corner four and slotted back in line in sixth. As the shuffling continued, Da Silva was able to pull away and managed to keep the gap to the checkered flag, even with a hard charging Gavin Sanders catching up to the leader. Signoretti held on to third while Frederic Sylvestre, the fast qualifier, enjoyed his best showing at the ECKC in finishing fourth.

Goodwood winner Joshua Conquer had a less than enjoyable day, ultimately withdrawing from the final after only three laps.

Alex Da Silva (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

Briggs Masters

Mathieu Demers may have missed the Sunday race at Goodwood but he is proving that he is still a championship contender in Briggs Masters. On Saturday he was lights out, sweeping all three sessions on track, including a stellar drive in the Final.

While he went unchallenged in the PreFinal, he had to hold off Scott Jefferies, Eli Yanko and a handful of others in the Final. Nose to tail, the group bumped and banged around the Tremblant circuit for the majority of the race until it got really dicey and ultimately spread the group apart.

But even with Jefferies looking everywhere for an opening on the final lap, there was no opportunities as Demers celebrated the victory. Jefferies held on for second with Yanko third with Corey Walsh a close fourth followed by Rich Folino.

Mathieu Demers (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

Saturday marked the halfway point of the ECKC season and the drivers will do it all again on Sunday back in Mont-Tremblant. Don’t forget, you can follow the live timing on CKN throughout the race day.