Rotax Winter Trophy: Canadian Karters Shine in Florida

The highly anticipated Rotax Winter Trophy kicked off its first of two weekends at the Orlando Kart Center in Florida, promising fierce competition and coveted tickets to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. The event drew over 150 competitors from around the world, with Canadian karters making up more than 25% of the grid and finding success in every race category. After enduring a cold and wet week of testing, racers were treated to a weekend of Florida sunshine, making for much more enjoyable racing conditions.

Rotax Senior: Ayden Ingratta Dominates, Canadians Impress

With 48 competitors in Rotax Senior, the field required two PreFinals and a Last Chance Race to set the grid for the main events. The spotlight belonged to Ayden Ingratta, who claimed a double victory in commanding fashion.

Saturday’s Final saw Ingratta lead every lap, showcasing control and pace that left his competitors in the dust. Joining him on the podium was Laurent Legault, who secured a strong second-place finish with consistent race pace.

Timothy Pernod battled to a P4 finish, while Jensen Burnett and Arnaud Sabourin also impressed with top-ten results, finishing eighth and ninth, respectively.

Sunday brought more action, with Jensen Burnett making a bold push for the race lead. Unfortunately, contact with a fellow competitor in corner two with just three laps remaining ended his race prematurely. This opened the door for another thrilling battle between Ingratta and Legault, with Ingratta once again emerging victorious.

Sabourin continued his strong weekend with a P5 finish, while Pernod and Lucas Nanji rounded out the Canadian top-ten results in P7 and P10.

Rotax Senior Sunday Podium. Laurent Legault (left) and Ayden Ingratta (center). – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

Rotax Junior: Drama and Comebacks Highlight the Weekend

In Rotax Junior, Rayan Ghandour delivered a dominant performance on Saturday, pulling away from the pack to claim victory by an impressive 7.7 seconds.

Behind him, an intense battle unfolded, with Alexis Baillargeon finishing fourth after showing great resilience. Edward Kennedy initially crossed the line in second, but a five-second penalty for contact relegated him to P10.

Sunday’s Final provided even more drama, with multiple lead changes and thrilling wheel-to-wheel racing. Baillargeon crossed the line first after executing some impressive overtakes in the final laps. However, a pushback bumper penalty dropped him to P6. Ghandour, who crossed the line next, also faced the same penalty, leaving him in P7.

Nathan Dupuis had an eventful weekend, starting Sunday’s PreFinal in 35th position and making his way to the race lead in the Final. Unfortunately, contact with fellow Canadian Cole Medeiros midway through the race dropped both drivers down the order. Despite the setback, Dupuis and Medeiros finished P9 and P10, rounding out a challenging weekend for the Canadian drivers.

Rayan Ghandour celebrating his Saturday victory – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

Rotax DD2: Close Finishes and Penalty Drama

Lucas Pernod and Matthew Taskinen finished P3 and P4 in the Rotax DD2 Final that saw the battle for second place after the race leader checked out early. After 16 laps of racing, the pair crossed the finish line only 0.3 seconds apart, with Pernod earning a trip to the podium celebration.

Recovering from an accident in the PreFinal, Gianluca Savaglio advanced up for P6 in the race. Canadians filled most of the places on the grid in DD2 this weekend as Ludovic Sabourin finished P7, Lucas Nanji P8, and Antoine Lacharité in P9.

Sunday’s Final was a little more dramatic at the front. After the initial race winner was penalized five seconds for contact, those who thought they were racing for P2 were actually going for the win. Matthew Taskinen, who travelled all the way from Edmonton, Alberta, was third to cross the finish line, but his pushback bumper was activated, relegating him to P7 in the final results.

When all the dust and penalties settled, Gianluca Savaglio was awarded third place on the podium while Lucas Nanji was just behind him in P4. Pernod was P6 in the classification, Taskinen P7, and Lacharité P8.

Racing with the DD2 drivers, Tyler Givogue was the lead DD2 Masters driver of the weekend, accepting the victory on both race days.

Tyler Givogue – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

Rotax Micro Max: Young Talent on Display

The youngest competitors of the weekend, some as young as 7 years old, took to the track in the Rotax Micro Max category.

Jayden Francisco was the highest-finishing Canadian on Saturday, driving to a P4 finish. Brodie McDonell and Lincoln Lima were also in the top ten, finishing P8 and P10, respectively.

Lima improved his form on Sunday and was racing with the leaders with a chance at the podium. The intense battle resulted in Lima slipping back to P6 at the finish line, but it was a great effort from the youngster.

Starting the final from the rear, Jayden Francisco advanced forward to finish P9 with the fastest lap of the race. He was one position ahead of Max Koutsoukis in P10.

Jayden Francisco in action – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

Rotax Mini Max: Stories of Determination

Massimo Lorusso put Canada in the top five in Mini Max, carving his way to a P4 finish on Saturday. He had to navigate some intense racing in the final laps to secure the result. His brother, Nicholas Lorusso, was also right in the action, finishing P7 on Saturday.

Taking home a P10 result was Christian Sanguinetti. Travelling all the way from Calgary, Alberta, Sanguinetti flew to Orlando with his complete go-kart, disassembling and packing it strategically in boxes. Racing as a privateer for the weekend, this effort was rewarded with a top-ten result.

Sunday’s race was a tough one for the Canadians. Only Massimo Lorusso was able to finish in the top ten, in P6. Notable efforts went to William Dion, Melville Dos Santos, Nicholas Lorusso, and William Rossetti, who finished just outside of the top ten.

Massimo Lorusso – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

Rotax Masters Max: Experience on Full Display

Most of the attention in Masters Max was drawn to former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello of Brazil, who was back competing at the Rotax Winter Trophy. He finished runner-up on Saturday but saved his best for Sunday’s race, taking the lead midway through and holding on to secure the victory. Barrichello is the defending Max Masters Champion and looks to add another title to his resume.

Dominic Legrand led the Canadians in the Saturday Final, finishing P5. On Sunday, Michel Legrand, father of Dominic and the oldest driver of the weekend, was the highest-ranking Canadian, finishing P4, one position ahead of his son.

Rubens Barrichello on top of the podium and joined by Michel Legrand – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

The opening weekend of the Rotax Winter Trophy delivered on its promise of thrilling racing and showcased the skill and determination of Canadian karters. With one more weekend of competition to determine the tickets to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, the stage is set for even more excitement. As the sun sets on Orlando Kart Center, the Canadian drivers can be proud of their performances and eager to build on their momentum in the second event.