After five days of intense action on the track at the 2021 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Bahrain, the grids for the final races of the event are finally set.
Drivers endured three intense heat races, along with a Pre Final to determine who would advance to the Grand Finals and who would, unfortunately, have to watch from the sidelines.
Our team of 17 drivers has been narrowed down a bit as eight of our drivers have failed to advance. It was a trying week for our guys and sadly not everyone can start the main events.
Still, more than half of our drivers enter the final day of competition with a chance at glory.
Starting off with the Rotax E-20 electric kart class, Teddy Sin has been enjoying his week in this special category, the first Canadian to do so. He will start the Final from 11th on the grid after battling mid-pack in most heat races.
Micro Max sees Alexis Baillargeon line up tenth. He had some tough luck in the two heat races but rebounded nicely in the PreFinal to earn himself a top-ten starting spot. A little luck and his pace could have him battling with the leaders on Saturday. Owen Pankewitz had to sit out the PreFinal after noticing a loose bolt on the grid. He starts from 32nd and will be looking to move forward.
It was quite the battle upfront in Mini Max this week and as the fastest qualifier, Jensen Burnett was under attack every time he took to the track. He fell back a few spots in his races and will start the Final from inside row three in fifth. Still, very much a position to challenge for the win. Unfortunately for Timothy Clarke and Lucas Deslongchamps, their race week is over, with both having accidents in the PreFinal.
Ayden Ingratta had a solid race in PreFinal as a last chance effort to make the main, but came up nine points short and unfortunately will not line up on the grid for the Final. Ian Qiu also did not make the Final after having some intense battles on track.
A pair of Canucks transferred to the Senior Max Final as both the Ali brothers raced their way in. Adam Ali lines up twenty-fourth while Daniel Ali just made his way into the Final in thirty-third. Even with his great pace this weekend, Callum Baxter was really challenged in the heat racing during his Senior debut and didn’t make the cut, nor did Griffin Dowler who just couldn’t seem to catch a break this week.
The racing in DD2 has been amped up this week and for sure the most exciting to watch. Gianluca Savaglio survived a number of onslaughts in his races and will line up for the Final in position five. It’s going to be a scrappy race to the finish and we’re hopeful he can find his way onto the RGF podium. On the opposite end of the charts, Lucas Pernod and Noel Dowler did not transfer to the Final after a tough week on track.
Finally, Pier-Luc Ouellette will start on the front row for the DD2 Masters Final. He was caught up in an early race battle during the Prefinal that could have ended badly, but he emerged from it in the third position and gives himself a great starting spot for the main event. Could he score RMCGF win number three? We will find out tomorrow. Rob Kozakowski was pretty consistent with his finishes in the heats and Prefinal and lined up twenty-seventh on the grid with nothing to lose.
You can watch the Finals live on CKN via the RMCGF event stream. The racing begins at 11:30 am local. That is 3:30 am Eastern time and 12:30 am Pacific time.
