Closing out their 2012 Canadian karting season, Team PSL Karting would head to Karting Grand-Mere in Grand-Mere, Quebec for the Coupe du Quebec season finale. With seven drivers contesting five of the Rotax categories, Team PSL Karting pilots could be seen at the front of the pack during the Sunday, September 9 event with two coming home with vice-championship titles and Sarah McKay earning the class title in Briggs & Stratton Junior.
In Rotax DD2, Alessandro Bizzotto looked to be the driver to beat after posting fast lap in qualifying to earn the day’s pole position. Prefinal action would see the Coupe du Quebec Round #2 winner succumb to pressure on lap four, falling to second despite posting fast lap of the race. In the final, Bizzotto momentarily fell back one position in the opening stages of the 18-lap race, but managed to recover his second place quickly. Working to catch the leader, Bizzotto would have to settle for another second place result, his second podium result of the 2012 Coupe du Quebec championship. With the final points calculated, Bizzotto would earn vice-championship honours in the DD2 class, just missing out on the overall title by a mere five points.
Three Team PSL Karting drivers would contest the Rotax Micro Max category at the 1.1km Grand-Mere circuit. Leading the way for the championship CRG team would be Patrick Woods-toth. The young talent would post fourth place results in qualifying and the prefinal before making his charge in the 14-lap feature. In a fierce fight for the final podium position, Woods-toth would make his move for the spot in the late stages of the race. A post-race penalty on the second place finisher moved Woods-toth up a spot on the podium, his first series podium in 2012. William Michaud and Julien Jones would also take on the challenging Micro Max ranks, earning sixth and seventh place results respectively.
In Rotax Mini Max, rising talent Thierry Cote would look to add another podium result in 2012 after earning third place honours in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship event during Le Monaco de Trois-Rivieres. Posting fourths across the board, Cote would again miss out on a Coupe du Quebec podium but his strong showing and fourth place in the overall championship proves that he will be a driver to beat in 2013 and beyond.
Rounding out the Team PSL Karting driver line-up were DD2 Masters pilot and PSL Montreal’s own Louis-Philippe Gelinas, who finished eighth overall, and Rotax Junior competitor Charles Regimbal, who posted 13th in the feature.
PSL Atlantic’s Sarah McKay claimed top honours in the Briggs & Stratton Junior championship, while CRG Factory driver Zachary Claman-DeMelo would miss the final Coupe du Quebec round, but was another Team PSL Karting pilot to earn the vice-championship in the regional series.
Up next for PSL Karting is a trip to the western United States for the Pan American Rotax Max Challenge. As the final opportunity to earn trips to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, Team PSL Karting will look to add drivers who will represent their countries at the “Olympics of Karting” later this year in Portimao, Portugal. The Pan Am event is set for September 20-23 at The Track at Centennial in Englewood, Colorado.
Team PSL Karting will be trackside in 2012 at the Pan American Rotax Max Challenge and SKUSA SuperNationals. Team PSL Karting is associated with CRG, Maxter Kart Engines, Rotax, Tillett Racing Seats, Sniper, Unipro, Douglas Wheels, Vega, MG Tires, Arai, Bell, ULV, Mir, Freem, Elf Fuels, Alfano, MaxJet Software, D.I.D. Racing Chains, KC and Power Mist.
To learn more about the World’s #1 CRG distributor, sales & service, arrive & drive opportunities, PSL racing engines or dealer opportunities, please visit www.pslkarting.com or www.pslkartingusa.com.
