It’s been six years since Marc Stehle last topped the podium at the Canadian Karting Championship but he was back in victory lane on Sunday at the Mosport Karting Centre after winning his fourth National title in the Briggs Masters division.
All weekend long it was a battle up front between Stehle (Ricciardo Kart) and Ian MacIntyre (CL Kart). The pair worked together in each of the heat races to pull away and the Final on Sunday was no different.
After linking up at the start, they left their competitors behind to fight for third.
Stehle remained on the rear bumper of MacIntyre until there were eight laps to go. With a big gap to third, the pair started trading the lead.
Back and forth the pair would pull off passes in corner five and corner ten on almost every lap without scrubbing too much speed so the pack couldn’t close back in.
With three laps to go, the pair started taking defensive lines when they were in the lead forcing the other to get creative. Stehle tried the outside pass in corner five, but MacIntyre crossed over and won the race back up the hill to six. But Stehle came back in corner ten and regained the lead for the final time.
MacIntyre tried, but it was perfect defence on the final lap from Stehle and he scored the Nationals glory.
The race for third went to Greg Scollard (TonyKart) who held off Eli Yanko (TonyKart) and Levon Beaudin (BirelART) in the second half of the race.
Following the race, MacIntyre was excluded for his carb and that elevated Scollard to second place and Yanko onto the podium with Jamie MacArther (TNT Kart) completing a comeback from the rear of the starting grid to rank fifth.
The fourth Nationals victory for Stehle is his second in Masters in addition to the two he had in Senior (2003, 2005).
Motomaster Canadian Karting Championships – Briggs Masters Final Results
