MRFKC Rok Cup Report: Intense Heat and Competition at Mosport – Part 1

The MotoMaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship crossed the halfway point on Saturday as round three took the track at Mosport Kartways. Hosted on the same weekend as the popular Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, karting was on display to the large crowd of motorsport hungry race fans on hand and with a full day of racing on tap, there was no shortage of excitement.

Just like the year prior, the first stop for the MRFKC of the summer at Mosport Kartways was under extremely hot and humid conditions. To stay hydrated and prepared for the races, the entire paddock was consuming bottles of water and Gatorade like beer at a frat party and we’re happy to report there were no incidents of dehydration this time around. With the extreme heat came extreme competition, as the double-final race format meant plenty of track time and racing and a late finish to the day’s activity.

Rok Junior – New winners with the absence of Curran

News broke early in the week that championship leader Dale Curran had stepped up to Rok Senior, thus opening the doors for an epic championship showdown in his absence.

Stepping up and taking charge was a pair of drivers from Racing Edge Motorsports. Marcello Paniccia did everything he needed to do in Final 1 to secure maximum points, as he drove brilliantly to take the victory over his new REM teammate Gianluca Savaglio, posting the fastest lap in the process. Savaglio kept him honest, but wasn’t able to mount any type of charge to go for the victory and settled for second, while Nicky Palladino, another driver who moved over to REM before MRFKC3 advanced up four spots from where he started, including a final lap pass on Andrew Maciel (VSR/TonyKart), to stand on the podium in third.

In Final 2 it was once again Paniccia and Savaglio who broke away early as a lap one crash in corner six ended the chances for Austin Boyle (KGR/Exprit) and Jacob Miles (KGR/Exprit) and mixed up the running order early on. Savaglio went to the lead on lap four as Paniccia looked to be struggling for pace and heartbreak set in a handful of laps later as Paniccia’s kart slowed going up the hill after corner five, forcing him into retirement with an engine issue.

Savaglio was all on his own from there and cruised to the win, his first in Rok Junior this season. Palladino ended his weekend with another podium run, finishing second ahead of Maciel at the finish line. Lorenzo Morsillo (KGR/Exprit) took fourth while Miles had a great recovery run to finish in the top-five.

It will be very interesting to see the championship standings after round three as these results will surely see a shakeup in what will be a great battle for a ticket to Italy.

Marcello Paniccia (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

Rok Mini – Ingratta and Esposito continue their rivalry and split the wins

Last years duo that fought tooth and nail for the Mini Rok championship are at it again this summer and they have some company with them. Frankie Esposito (Prime/BirelART) and Ayden Ingratta (AI/TonyKart) continued the rivalry when the series got to Mosport for the first of two races this summer and they had Cole Newton (Energy Corse/Energy Kart) and Ashton Henckel (Prime/BirelART) keeping them honest.

The first Final went to Ingratta. He swapped the lead back and forth with Esposito and Newton for the opening five laps before settling in and opening up a lead. Esposito put in a late race charge and tried a pass in the hairpin, but he overshot the entry and Ingratta completed the crossover to regain the lead and take the win. Newton slipped back in the closing stages but still took third ahead of Henckel and Joseph Launi (TonyKart).

Final 2 was all Esposito. He led from start to finish, holding off any charges from Henckel and Ingratta, who were close all race long. Ingratta would overtake and score second at the finish line but was accessed a penalty for jumping the start and ranked third in the final results. Cooper Simpson (Prime/BirelART) and Jackson Pearsall (Prime/BirelART) rounded out the top-five after a collision between Michael Ricco (Prime/BirelART) and Newton, ended Newton’s race with two laps to go and earned Ricco a penalty.

Ayden Ingratta (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

All in all, there were eleven hours of on-track activity and everyone from the corner workers to the trackside officials to the competitors is commended for helping keep the schedule rolling and ensuring the racing was complete before the sun finally set.

Round four of the MRFKC returns to Mosport Kartways on July 27-28.