#RMCGF
RMCGF Wednesday: Qualifying is Complete and Heat Racing Begins!
Team Canada gets a reality check in Qualifying and some recover beautifully in the first heat races!
Wednesday at the 2024 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals meant it was time to go racing as Team Canada drivers took on the world at the Circuito Internazionale di Napoli in Sarno, Italy as the heat races began today. After some rain on Tuesday that saw Micro MAX, Mini MAX, and MAX DD2 Masters qualify in wet conditions, the remainder of the classes qualified today under sunny and clear skies. Following qualifying in the morning, the first heat races of the week-long event were underway this afternoon, providing a precursor for what is to come when we get to the Grand Finals on Saturday.
For RMC Grand Finals Results – Click HERE
Mini MAX
Qualifying Heat #1 – A + B
Qualifying heat A and B saw Jeremy St-Cyr start 12th on the grid and move inside the top ten, before eventually finishing in the eleventh position. Finishing 3.764 behind the leader, St-Cyr did not have the pace to move forward and used his race craft to hold his position. Christian Sanguinetti had a spirited drive in his first heat, finishing 21st after gaining thirteen positions. Fellow countryman Massimo Lorusso finished two positions behind in 23rd, also gaining thirteen positions.
Following the heat and a rash of penalties, St-Cyr was elevated to the eighth position, with Sanguinetti earning three more spots post-race to be classified 16th. However, when the final classifications were posted, Lorusso was on the wrong end of the penalty slips and fell from 23rd to 33rd.
With heat one in the books, St-Cyr, Lorusso, and Sanguinetti will shift their focus to heats two and three tomorrow.
Qualifying Heat #1 – C + D
Alexis Baillargeon’s heat was over as soon as it started, as his P6 starting position saw him backwards into turn one in an eventual 36th-place finish. Hit from behind, and taken out of contention, Baillargeon will look to rebound in heat two. Team Canada’s Leo DaSilva gained eight positions in his first heat to cross the line 24th but was elevated to 20th after post-race penalties were calculated.
Jeremy St-Cyr had a solid run is his first RMCGF heat race – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN
MAX DD2 Masters
Qualifying Heat #1
It was a solid MAX DD2 Master heat for Team Canada as all three drivers finished in the top fifteen, led by David Laplante. Gaining five positions after starting eleventh, Laplante kicked off his heats in fine form. Behind him, Marc-Andre Levesque was eighth when the checkered flag flew, gaining four positions to finish two positions behind Laplante. Jared Freeston also gained positions in the nine-lap heat, earning himself a P14 result as the trio of MAX DD2 Masters will shift their focus to heats two and three on Thursday.
Courtesy of another driver’s misfortune Levesque was moved to seventh in the final classification while Freeston was moved to 12th. After finishing 6th on track, Laplante was on the wrong end of the penalty chart, falling to 18th after a five-second time penalty for a pushback bumper.
David Laplante drove up to sixth in the DD2 Masters heat race, but a pushback bumper penalty knocked him down to 18th – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN
Junior MAX
Overall Qualifying Results
- 240 – Antoine Lemieux – 25th
- 241 – Cole Medeiros – 52nd
- 242 – Pearce Wade – 57th
- 244 – Nathan Dupuis – 65th
- 228 – Ty Fisher – 67th
Qualifying Practice
It was a difficult qualifying session for a lot of the Team Canada Junior MAX drivers as some difficult track positions hindered fast laps. In the Even-numbered group, the #240 of Antoine Lemieux led the way, going 13th quick with Nathan Dupuis in the #244 22nd on the time sheets. Ty Fisher, who showed speed in Non-Qualifying Practice, was 23rd in his group, while Pearce Wade, who was upfront early in the session, fell to 31st when the checkered flag flew. In the Odd-numbered group, the #241 entry of Cole Medeiros was 27th on the time sheets.
Following the sessions, a host of penalties were handed out including one to both Fisher and Dupuis for slowing down and impeding that relegated down the overall official qualifying results sheet.
Qualifying Heat #1 – A + B
Antoine Lemieux and his #240 entry led Team Canada in the Junior MAX heat A and B as he turned one of the race’s fastest. Gaining two positions to finish in eleventh and gaining two more positions post-race due to penalties to others to finish ninth, Lemieux will aim to build on that result tomorrow in heats two and three. Pearce Wade was also a position gainer in his quest to move forward. Gaining five positions in the seven-lap race, Wade came home 24th before a post-race penalty dropped him to 27th in the results. Nathan Dupuis’ Grand Finals got off to a bad start as a tough crash on the front straight on lap two forced him to retire in 36th.
Qualifying Heat #1 – C + D
Due to his penalty and classified 67th in qualifying, Ty Fisher started his heat 33rd but managed to climb forward and finish 15th. Keeping his kart clean and out of trouble, Fisher took advantage of the opportunities that were presented to him, gaining eighteen positions in seven laps. With momentum on his side after a disappointing qualifying result, Fisher will need a pair of similar drives tomorrow to achieve the best starting position possible for the prefinals. Unfortunately, Cole Medeiros went the wrong way on the results sheets. After a tough race, he lost five positions, crossing the line 31st. Medeiros will aim to rebound tomorrow.
Following the heat, Fisher was awarded more positions at the expense of penalties to others and was officially classified ninth.
Senior MAX
Overall Qualifying Results
- 327 – Timothe Pernod – 36th – Group D
- 332 – Mark Newson – 39th – Group C
Qualifying Practice
A pair of Team Canada Senior MAX drivers took to the track for Qualifying Practice with Timothe Pernod in the Odd-numbered session, and Mark Newson in the Even-numbered group. Competing in one of the most challenging Senior MAX fields in recent years, the duo qualified 18th (Pernod) and 19th (Newson) in their respective groups and shifted their focus to the heat races for the remainder of the week.
Qualifying Heat #1 – C + D
Both Canadian Senior MAX drivers fell into the same heat race for heat one as Timothe Pernod and Mark Newson went wheel-to-wheel for the first time at the 2024 RMC Grand Finals. While both had hoped their first heat would provide better results, Pernod lost one position in the nine-lap race to finish 19th while Mark Newson was knocked off track on lap one and fell to last place. Climbing back to the tail of the pack, Newson picked up a few positions before being run over with two laps to go, knocking his exhaust off, and resulting in a disqualification post-race. However, Pernod gained two positions after all was sorted to be classified 17th.
Timothe Pernod – Photo by Cody Schindel / CKN
MAX DD2
Overall Qualifying Results
- 434 – Olivier Bedard – 22nd
- 432 – Ludovic Sabourin – 32nd
- 436 – Gianluca Savaglio – 34th
- 430 – Lucas Pernod – 38th
- 440 – Griffin Dowler – 44th
- 438 – Arnaud Sabourin – 46th
Qualifying Practice
All six of the MAX DD2 Team Canada drivers were from the second and Even-numbered qualifying group and most went on track together, with the #434 of Olivier Bedard leading the quintet with the eleventh fastest lap. Behind him, Ludovic Sabourin and Gianluca Savaglio were 16th and 17th quick, just ahead of Lucas Pernod in 19th. The #440 entry of Griffin Dowler crossed the line 22nd in his group, slightly faster than fellow Canadian Arnaud Sabourin in 23rd.
Qualifying Heat #1 – A + B
In the premiere Rotax MAX class at the RMC Grand Finals, Team Canada had four in heat one. Putting three drivers inside the top twenty at the end of Heat A vs B, the #434 of Olivier Bedard led the way, finishing 13th as Lucas Pernod and Gianluca Savaglio crossed the line close behind in 17th and 18th, respectively. Unfortunately, Arnaud Sabourin is fighting a huge uphill battle after finishing 26th in his first wheel-to-wheel action.
Bedard was awarded one more position post-race due to a penalty to a fellow competitor and finished 12th, while Savaglio was eventually classified in P15. On the wrong end of the penalties was Arnaud Sabourin, who fell to 20th, and Lucas Pernod, who dropped to 22nd when all was complete.
Qualifying Heat #1 – C + D
Ludovic Sabourin had a challenging first MAX DD2 heat as contact early in the race forced him to retire and way down on the results sheets in 36th. Griffin Dowler managed to hold his own in the talent-laden field, gaining one position in the nine-lap affair but turning a lap time that was only 0.005 slower than the race winner. Following penalties, Dowler was classified in 29th as both drivers will take what they were given today and focus on heats two and three on Thursday.
Olivier Bedard led the Canadian DD2s in Qualifying – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN
With qualifying and the first heat race for all classes now in the books, the focus shifts to tomorrow and heats two and three (for Mini, Junior, Senior and DD2). Strong results in the heat races will provide a better starting position in the prefinal as drivers look to be consistent in their quest to fight for the title of RMC Grand Finals Champion on Saturday.
