News
PR: Two Canadian National Titles for Team PSL Karting
Taking to the Jim Russell Karting Academy for the 2014 ASN Canada FIA Canadian Karting Championships, powerhouse Team PSL Karting brought their A-game in the hopes of adding more national titles to their already stout resume. With stacked fields and intense competition, the CRG/PSL outfit delivered, scoring two Canadian National titles with team drivers Alex Legare and Jeffrey Kingsley. Also posting numerous additional podium results and top-tens, Team PSL Karting also took home top honours in the new Rotax Teams Cup, thanks to their potent results across the board.
Starting with Micro Max, Justin Arseneau qualified third, moving up to second in the Super Pole session, and continued to roll his speed throughout the weekend. At this, his first ever ASN Canadian Karting National Championship, he finished in the top-four in all of his heat races, his best finish being second. Then, he held on through the final to finish just off the podium in fourth. Arseneau continues to show great talent, especially for only being nine years old. William Michaud, also in Micro Max qualified strong in fifth, moving up to fourth in Super Pole, and held on to top-ten finishes in all of his heats. Adding another strong result to the Team PSL Karting tent, Michaud took fifth place in the final.
Alex Legare began his Mini Max National title quest with PSL with a bang, from day one coming out one second quicker than the entire field on his in-house designed CRG chassis. At the Canadian Nationals event, he qualified in first, and retained his pole position after Super Pole qualifying. Legare then continued to finish first in all of the heats except the third, finishing second, with fast laps in all of the heats. Fast laps weren’t enough for Legare though, and he continued to dominate, finishing first in the final to claim the 2014 Mini Max Canadian title, with fastest lap of course. This CRG/PSL chassis has proved to be a winner, and is the same model the team used at the US Nationals with Alvarez, who was also fast all week.
Jeffrey Kingsley earned not only the 2014 Canadian National title, but also a coveted spot on Team Canada for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, with teammate Alessandro Bizzotto also on the podium in third (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CanadianKartingNews.com)
In Junior Max, Theirry Cote ran solidly in the top-20 all weekend against a tough field of competitors. Moving to Senior Max, Jordan Redlin struggled with some on-track incidents all weekend, peaking with a ninth place in heat one, falling to a DNS in the second, but finally picking it back up to come out with a strong ninth place finish in the final. Tommy Lemaire-Ouelett wasnt going to let a tough weekend, competing in two classes, get him down. Lemaire-Ouelett qualified eighth, had some bad luck in the first heat – out of contention on the first lap, but fought hard to finish just off the podium with a strong fourth place result.
Olivier Bedard finishes out Team PSL Karting’s incredibly strong showing in Senior Max at the 2014 ASN Canada FIA Canadian Karting Championships. He started off his weekend on a high note, qualifying first and winning the Super Pole, then continuing that winning streak through his first heat. His second heat he finished fourth, but had the fastest lap of the race, and then in the final Bedard fought hard after falling back to P4 at the start. He made his way back up to second, but with the eventual race winner having already cleared a second between them, Bedard held onto become Canadian National Senior Max Vice-Champion.
Alessandro Bizzotto earned his step onto the podium in Rotax DD2 this weekend after qualifying sixth, then moving up to fourth in the Super Pole session. He had the fastest lap in the second heat, and then finally finished in third in the final. Bizzotto was usually quickest on track, and definitely earned his podium result despite the difficult Mojo tire conditions. Jeffrey Kingsley, another talent from the PSL/CRG powerhouse, showed his speed in qualifying, finishing second, and in the Super Pole as well. Bringing it for his contention to win, he had the fastest lap in the first heat. After a technical infraction in the third heat he was ready to battle a two-time Rotax Grand Finals Champion for the victory, but after his rival went out with an equipment issue, Kinglsey swept the field for the DD2 Canadian Nationals victory and coveted spot on Team Canada for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Spain this November.
Alex Legare earned another title for team PSL Karting, taking the Mini Max class by storm in Mont-Tremblant (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CanadianKartingNews.com)
In Briggs & Stratton action, 17 competitors from PSL Moncton took on the stacked and competitive fields. In Briggs Junior, Ben Mundle has been showing promise during his rookie season. Growing as a driver and showing his talent and skill, be sure to watch for his name at future events. Briggs Masters pilot Jim Williamson put in a solid effort throughout the week, and worked hard to stay with the pack of nearly 30 Masters drivers. Michael Adams took on the demands of the Briggs Senior category, and also competitively competes in cars on the west coast. Working as a great coach and role model for drivers under the tent, Adams presence was a great asset to the entire CRG/PSL operation in Mont-Tremblant.
With such a positive weekend, it’s easy to see why the PSL tent was a happy one. “After weeks of preparation, engine development, chassis development, countless track days at our circuit in Point-Du-Lac, we really are quite happy with the results this weekend,” said Dominic Labrecque, President of PSL Karting.
Noting that a strong showing at the track isn’t as easy as it’s cracked up to be, team manager, Andrew Campbell, added, “It’s been a long road, with an enormous amount of time and effort put into the final stages of this year. Most people think we just show up Monday and build the tent and put the karts on track; what they don’t see are the 12-15 hour days laboring at the shop to find the speed necessary to win.”
He continued, “We’re really looking forward to the next few events, as should our drivers and competition. As well, pilots who are interested in Pan Am and Las Vegas packages are urged to contact us as soon as possible as we only have a few seats left in the tent.”
A hotly contested Briggs and Stratton Senior class saw numerous PSL/CRG entries, including PSL Moncton’s Gerald Caseley (Photo by: Cody Schindel/CanadianKartingNews.com)
Team PSL Karting will next be on track at the same Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant circuit to finish out the 2014 series of both the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship and the Coupe du Quebec September 19-21, before taking on the Rotax Pan American Challenge in October and the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals in November.
Team PSL Karting will be trackside in 2014 at the SKUSA Pro Tour, Eastern Canadian Karting Championship, and Coupe de Quebec series. 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 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.
