PR: Team PSL Karting Again Victorious at Eastern Canadian Karting Championship

PR by: Team PSL Karting/Race Tech Development.

Taking to the Goodwood Kartways facility just north of Toronto for the third and fourth rounds of the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship (ECKC), Team PSL Karting would be back in full force with another strong line-up of drivers. Battling hot, humid conditions at the pristine 0.72-km track, PSL/CRG drivers would claim two victories and several podiums as series action heats up at its midway point.

“This year at Goodwood, we had over 180 entries at the ECKC; proof that the series is really moving in the right direction,” explained Andrew Campbell, PSL Karting Race-Team Manager. “Not only is PSL putting pressure on the Briggs & Stratton program, but so are the other teams. It’s the most competitive and driver-orientated class in the championship, with relatively affordable yearly operating costs.”

Three Team PSL Karting drivers would take on the Rotax DD2 category, with the trio continuing to post strong results in the two-speed class. Canada’s Alessandro Bizzotto and Jeffrey Kingsley would both post blistering laps in Saturday’s qualifying session, with Bizzotto edging out his teammate by a scant 0.002 seconds to take the pole position. The two would swap positions during wheel-to-wheel action in the prefinal, with Kingsley going on to score a third place podium result in the day’s final. Bizzotto’s promising day came crashing down in the final however, as he was out of contention by lap four with a mechanical failure.

Mexican pilot Sebastien Alvarez dominated the Mini Max class at Goodwood Kartways (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CanadianKartingNews.com)

Kingsley was then on a tear Sunday. Claiming pole position and the prefinal win, Kingsley then went on to score another clean sweep with his main event victory. Adding to his success, the rising talent also broke the Goodwood Kartways track record by more than fourth-tenths. Bizzotto would again suffer disappointment, as a strong start of third in qualifying led to another DNF this time with an electrical failure. The Netherlands Milan Dontje would recover from a DNF in Saturday’s final to claim the second step of the podium on Sunday, putting PSL/CRG 1-2 on the day.

“PSL was strong in all categories of competition as a result of our preparation and testing,” continued Campbell. “In DD2, Kingsley, Bizzotto and Dontje were way ahead of the field early on in the week, and continued to carry this momentum with a big win on Sunday’s main event. We knew we were heading in the right direction when Kingsley broke the DD2 track record by nearly four tenths in qualifying.”

Paul Carvalho added another podium result with his second place finish in Saturday’s DD2 Masters final, while the PSL/CRG driver posted a fourth place result Sunday. ACM Karting’s Etienne LaSalle claimed sixth overall Saturday after a strong second place finish in the prefinal while Martin Verville moved nicely through the field to score fourth and fifth place results.

After claiming a victory in Coupe du Quebec action, Mexican pilot Sebastian Alvarez would be back in Canada showcasing more impressive racing in the Mini Max category. Quickly adapting to the Goodwood circuit, Alvarez claimed the pole position, prefinal win and final victory to sweep Saturday’s action in only his second event in Canada. Back on track Sunday, the young gun narrowly missed out on a complete weekend sweep as he fell 0.002 seconds off pole time. Racing action however would see Alvarez back on top, taking both the prefinal and final wins to stand atop the podium twice on the weekend. Alex Legare would add two top-ten results with seventh and fifth place finishes in the two finals.

The PSL/CRG package continues to post strong results in all categories during 2014 ECKC action (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CanadianKartingNews.com)

In Micro Max action, Justin Arseneau improved from his ECKC round one and two top-ten finishes to claim third place podium results both days. Posting second in qualifying and the prefinal on Saturday and fourth in both sessions on Sunday, Arseneau will soon be a threat for victory in the youngest Rotax class. William Michaud would just miss the podium on Sunday with his fourth place effort.

ACM Karting’s Christophe Paquet added two top-ten results while at Goodwood, claiming eighth and seventh in the massive field of 31 drivers. Two Rotax Junior competitors added more strong results, with Alex Murphy coming home sixth on Saturday and was just outside the top-ten on Sunday, while Thierry Cote posted ninth in the final on Saturday.

In the burgeoning Briggs & Stratton categories, Team PSL Karting pilots would show promise on the weekend. In Senior, the duo of Tommy Lemaire-Ouellet and Abby Bolton were up front in qualifying both days with Lemaire-Ouellet fifth on Saturday before claiming the pole position on Sunday. Bolton clocked fourth and third, but wheel-to-wheel action proved disappointing for both drivers. In Masters, Corey Walsh added his third podium result in 2014 ECKC action, with his second place finish and fast lap honours in Saturday’s action.

“Briggs is a category I personally have put my own sweat and effort into with assistance from our new engine partner, Steve Legare,” added Dominic Labrecque, President of PSL Karting. “We were really hoping to come away with the win on Sunday with Tommy, but a racing incident in the last lap ended our goal. Overall, Abby Bolton and Ouellet demonstrated the potential and speed of the 2014 PSL RS-5. The kart is free on the engine, even with variable grip through the day. We really have the best Briggs chassis on the market today.”

Tommy Lemaire-Ouellet earned pole position in Briggs Senior, showcasing the strength of the 2014 PSL RS-5 chassis (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CanadianKartingNews.com)

ECKC action will resume August 2-3 at the glamorous Monaco de Trois-Rivières, with Team PSL Karting next on track this coming weekend at PSL Montreal for the Rok Cup event with the Cold Stone US Grand Nationals to follow in mid-July.

Team PSL Karting will be trackside in 2014 at the SKUSA Pro Tour, the United States Rotax Grand Nationals, Eastern Canadian Karting Championship, Coupe de Quebec and the Canadian National Championships. Team PSL Karting is associated with CRG, Maxter Kart Engines, Rotax, Tillett Racing Seats, Sniper, Unipro, Douglas Wheels, Vega, MG Tires, Arai, Freem, Alfano, D.I.D. Racing Chains, Briggs & Stratton, KG and ORG.

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.