Quebec Karting Showdown at the Jim Russell Karting Academy

The final stop of our 2019 CKN Summer Tour is here and while we are sad that the summer has flown by, we’re always excited to travel to the beautiful Mont-Tremblant, Quebec for a race.

This year’s event at the Jim Russell Karting Academy has a special title. Being the final race of the Coupe de Montreal and the Quebec Karting Championship, the Mont-Tremblant organizers have followed suit with the big track and have named it their Fall Classic (Classique d’Autumn), hoping to build on tradition and continue year after year with great events.

The anticipation for this one has been building all summer and the online registration has shown that. As of typing this article, the entry has already exceeded 100 drivers and we must remind all drivers that online registration is mandatory and must be completed by Friday, Septemeber 20 at 5:00 PM. Registration can be completed on the http://coupedemontreal.com website.

It’s the only two-day race format on the Coupe de Montreal calendar, with Qualifying taking place on Saturday afternoon and racing throughout the day on Sunday. In addition, in collaboration with La Maison de Roti, the AKJR is hosting a hot dinner on Saturday evening and everyone is invited. There will be music and entertainment and even a few games to keep the mood light.

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We’ve taken a few moments to look at the Coupe de Montreal championship standings in each of the classes and there are some showdowns going down in Mont-Tremblant.

Update: We’ve made a mistake and forgotten that each driver has one drop to give, altering the standings completely. Our apologies, the standings below are before drops.

Kelsey Hann (700) and Sabrina Caron (797) lead the way in Briggs Senior

In Briggs Senior, a pair of ladies lead the way after superb race seasons. Nova Scotia’s Kelsey Hann (BirelART) holds a 136-point advantage over Sabrina Caron (Kosmic) while Brandon Stephens (Ricciardo Kart) is only 15 points behind Caron in third. These three have delivered some great battles this season will give it their all to close out with a victory. Briggs Senior has been one of the largest categories this season and we’re expecting a few wildcard entries this weekend to try and steal away the top of the podium from the regulars.

Only three points separate the top-two in Briggs Junior as Yu Chen Ye (BirelART) used his first race win of the season at SH Karting to vault into the lead, overtaking Isaac Teed (Ricciardo Kart), who has three race wins to his credit. In third, Mathieu Cousineau (BirelART) is the only other race winner this season, sitting 164 points behind the leader. The Junior Briggs racing has been very unpredictable so far and we’re not counting our a fourth different race winner this weekend with the likes of Zack Lalonde (FA Kart), Matthew Robideaux (Robi Kart), and Callum Dunbar (Ricciardo) always in the mix.

Briggs Cadet will be a showdown between Lucas Deslongchamps (BirelART) and Ethan Lowther (Ricciardo Kart). Both have found the podium in every race but one this season, with Deslongchamps leading by 135 points entering the weekend. In the race for third, Zachary Hitchcock (Ricciardo Kart) is just narrowly ahead of Bronson Heatherington (FA Kart) and Ilie Crisan (BirelART).

Rounding out the Briggs classes is the Master’s division. All season long we’ve witnessed Serge Boisvert (BirelART) and Eric Beltrami (BirelART) go toe-to-toe and that should continue this weekend. The pair are separated by only 55 points. In third is Simon Pepin (Kosmic), who has a very outside chance at the championship sitting 211 points behind the leader.

Rotax Senior leader Vincent Desautels

In the Rotax Max divisions, each class has a two-driver showdown going for the championship. Junior Max has Callum Baxter (BirelART) up against Maude Grenier (BirelART) with 146 points separating them. Marie Soleil Labelle is third but is too far back to have a chance at the title.

Senior Max sees Vincent Desautels (Kosmic) up against Nalin Shah (FA Kart) with a 189 point advantage for Desautels. Christophe Horant (BirelART) is third. The closest of the battles is in Rotax DD2 with Frederick Sylvestre (BirelART) leading Isaac Marritt (BirelART) by only 10 points. Marritt has been on a run lately, winning the last three races of the Coupe de Montreal. Kevin Ignatiwicz (BirelART) is third, 188 points behind the leader with a long shot at the title. Finally, in Rotax DD2 Masters, Etienne LaSalle (BirelART) has a comfortable 200-point advantage over Alexandre Gauthier (BirelART) and looks to defend his title.

The Shifter classes wrap up the eleven divisions taking to the track this weekend. Henry Knox (BirelART) has the Shifter Senior title locked up, leading Sebastian Parmasad (FA Kart) and Davide Greco (BirelART). In Shifter Master, Nicholas Bedard (Ricciardo Kart) is ahead of Simon Jobin by 85 points, while recently crowned ASN Canadian Champion Dany St-Hilaire (BirelART) is 160 points behind the leader.

In addition to the trophies for race winners and championships, a number of prizes will be drawn for at the podium ceremony, including a test day in an F2000 car on the main circuit and gift certificates for car tires from Groupe Touchette.