Gianfranco Mazzaferro, a member of the Ferrolati Corse Karting Team and the 2013 Canadian National Junior Rotax Max Champion, made a strong statement at the opening weekend of Canadian kart racing as he took top spot in all the racing action at the Mosport International Karting Complex, site of the first two rounds of the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship (ECKC). GF and coach/tuner Will Allen showed impeccable preparation and flat out speed as they earned the prefinal and final wins on both Saturday and Sunday. Even though the double-header weekend was run under unseasonably cold temperatures, the duo set the pace in the hotly contested Junior Rotax class to secure maximum points to kick off a championship run.
“Mosport could not have gone better,” smiles Mazzaferro. “We learned a ton coming out of winter tour and we were able to apply that to our run at ECKC. We knew scoring points early in the championship would be important, as there are so many good drivers in the field. I can’t thank Will (Allen) and the team enough for all their support.”
With just days to prepare Mazzaferro headed to Europe to finalize preparations for round two of the Rotax Euro Max Challenge taking place at the Casteletto kart track in Italy. Mazzaferro and Allen took the opportunity to test at the Casteletto track this past weekend to get acclimated and tuned in for the event. The massive international event runs from May 26 to June 1 as the best from around the world converge on one of Europe’s top karting tracks.
Ferrolati Corse Karting have teamed up with Dan Holland Racing for the Rotax Euro Max Challenge rounds and GF will pilot an FA Kart giving him a familiar platform from which to work. The dynamic paring is looking to take their homegrown momentum to the international stage and secure top results through the long, five-day event. While this weekend marks the first event for 2014, this is not GF’s first taste of Euro Max action. The Montreal-based rising star ran select events in 2013 as part of a massive racing program in his rookie year of Junior competition.
“This past weekend at Casteletto went well and was really good preparation for the upcoming race,” states GF. “Will and I are ready to go up against Europe’s best. It will be tough as they already have a weekend under their belts, but we are looking forward to the challenge. It should be good.”
Event testing takes place on Wednesday May 28 and Thursday 29 followed by qualification on Friday. Heat races kick off on Saturday with prefinals and finals taking place on Sunday.
For more information about Gianfranco, visit his website at gianfrancomazzaferro.com. For more information about the Ferrolati Corse Racing team, visit their website at ferrolaticorse.com.
