The final day of the 2013 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals brought excitement and ambience to the NOLA Motorsports Park facility as Saturday played host to six Grand Finals, crowning world and Invitational Champions. It was the best weather New Orleans has given us all week with off and on sunshine throughout the day. After a great opening ceremony in which Aretha Franklin sang the American National anthem, followed by a flyover from the local US Air Force it was time to go racing.
On display for the second time in two years, the Rotax Micro-Max class kicked off the Finals on Saturday afternoon. 35 drivers from Canada, USA and Mexico put on a great display with some incredible racing. At points there were over ten karts battling in the lead group, with a lead change almost every lap.
Canadian Matthew Latifi worked his way into the lead many times during the race, and on the final lap looked like he was en route to victory. Making a block down the back straight he looked over his shoulder and saw he had second place in control, but a huge draft by American Dylan Tavella moved him from fourth to first before the end of the straight and just like that Latifi’s chance of victory was over. Tavella completed the lap to take the win, while Maxwell Wraithmann of the USA took second. On an amazing charge in the closing laps, Patrick Woods-Toth would
complete the podium while Latifi was forced to settle with fourth.
Reflecting on the remaining Canadians, Thomas Nepveu was sixth, Marco Kacic fourteenth, William Chayer fifteenth, Joshua Cunha eighteenth, Xavier Harris nineteenth, Jordan Novota 21st, Alexandre Legare 26th, Jeremy Tallon 28th and Ryan Dezell 31st.
It was a great week for the Micro-Max racers as they added to the excitement that Grand Finals usually provides.
