RMCGF: Carlos Gil Wins Rotax Senior Title on Home Turf; DeMelo Finishes Third

After watching the Rotax Junior drivers tackled the tricky and very wet Kartodromo International Lucas Guerrero for their Grand Final, the Rotax Senior drivers were immediately to follow.

The heavy rain continued and with no PreFinal we knew it would be a wild one with many drivers coming from the rear of the grid.

Even before getting to corner one Canadian Bryce Choquer came into contact with an errant kart forcing him into the outside wall as the visibility was just so low for the drivers deep in the field. This along with a few other incidents warranted a full course yellow, but it took drivers nearly a lap to get slowed down given the conditions.

When the green flag waved again it was Carlos Gil (Spain) who took the lead over Jack Bartholomew (Great Britain) and Zachary Claman DeMelo (Canada). Bruno Borlido (Portugal) and Oliver Askew (USA) were on an early charge and were able to track down the lead three, with Gil holding a small advantage out front.

The four waged a solid battle for second until Borlido was able get away. Askew and DeMelo exchanged contact on track a couple times until the two entered a very wet section wide enough for one kart. The result sent Askew off the track.

Things settled in from there as Gil had built a significant lead over Borlido and DeMelo while Bartholomew had lost the leaders.

Gil claimed the victory at the line and the title on his home turf, even after a lengthy discussion by the stewards in regards to the leaders passing under the full course caution. Borlido came up short after having a very successful week while DeMelo stood on the podium full of smiles. It is the first Rotax Senior podium for any Canadian driver and the only Rotax Grand Finals class Canada had not scored a podium result in.

Bartholomew and Viktor Oeberg (Sweden) completed the top-five while Askew was left with a disappointing sixth place result. Fellow Team USA teammates Phillip Arscott and Jake Craig found themselves in trouble often finishing 22nd and 30th respectively while Choquer was a DNF.

Zachary Claman DeMelo earned Team Canada their first podium ever in the Rotax Senior category at the RMCGF. ABOVE: Carlos Gil of Spain celebrates his Grand Finals title. (Photos by: Cody Schindel/CKN)