Rotax Grand Finals Thursday Heat Race Updates

The pressure continues to build here in Joao Pessoa, Brazil at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. As the official competition got underway yesterday, today’s action resumes with two more heat races for all the competitors. These heats will determine where the drivers will start their respective Pre Final, to decide who will make it to Sunday’s Grand Finals.

Watch the action live on CKN courtesy of the Rotax Grand Finals Live Stream, and follow along with our updates on the North American contingent of drivers.

On top of the live stream, Rotax has been doing a great job producing some superb videos of their competitors. Check out this clip of former Formula 1 driver Alexander Wurz of Austria, who is here supporting his two kids both racing in the event.

If the name sounds familiar, Charlie Wurz was the Mini-Max winner at the Canadian Open this summer in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec.

We’ve updated our Photo Gallery from the event. Check it out here!

Rotax DD2 Heat B vs C

1. Xen De Ruwe (SVN)
2. Claudio Pagliarani (ITA)
3. Ryan Wood (NZL)
4. Cristian Trolese (ITA)
5. Benjamin Habig (RSA)

13. Davide Greco (CAN)

Davide Greco has kept himself inside the top-half of the results, but will need another good run in tomorrows PreFinal to make the Grand Final.

Rotax DD2 Heat A vs D

1. Daniel Formal (CRI)
2. Ryan Kennedy (NZL)
3. Taylor Greenfield (USA)
4. Xander Przybylak (BEL)
5. Paolo Besancenez (FRA)

Rotax DD2 Masters Heat B vs C

1. Matthew Hamilton (NZL)
2. Michael Stephen (RSA)
3. Antti Ollikainen (FIN)
4. Jonathan Pieterse (RSA)
5. Antonio Pizzonia (BRA)

12. Derek Wang (USA)

20. Etienne LaSalle (CAN)

22. John Bonanno (USA)

Rotax DD2 Masters Heat A vs D

1. Christiano Morgado (RSA)
2. Robert Pesevski (AUT)
3. Fraser Hart (NZL)
4. Lucas Souza (BRA)
5. Fernando Guzzi

33. Luis Schiavo (USA)

Rotax Senior Heat B vs C

Bryce Choquer had his best drive thus far and Coltin McCaughan finished a heat! For the roller coaster weekend these two have had, it’s a good way to end the day.

1. Manaf Hijjawi (JOR)
2. Zac Stichbury (NZL)
3. Petr Bezl (CZE)
4. Szabo Boldizsar (HUN)
5. Rhys Hunter (GBR)

9. Hannah Greenemeier (USA)

20. Bryce Choquer (CAN)

27. Coltin McCaughan (CAN)

31. Mathias Ramirez (USA)

Bryce Choquer had his best drive of the weekend thus far, moving up nine spots to 20th in his third heat race.

Rotax Senior Heat A vs D

1. Hannes Morin (SWE)
2. Senna Val Wastijn (NDL)
3. Mick Nolten (BEL)
4. Mario Novak (AUT)
5. Josh Hart (NZL)

Rotax Junior Heat B vs C

1. Noel Leon (MEX)
2. Lewis Gilbert (GBR)
3. Vigor Hjorvard (SWE)
4. William Seal (AUS)
5. Luca Mars (USA)

22. Jason Leung (CAN)

31. Justin White (USA)

Rotax Junior Heat A vs D

Thomas Nepveu led again for a few laps in this wild heat race, but a hard lunge by second place forced Nepveu to slow up and regain back in fifth position. He charged back to third, showing he has the pace to race for the win this week. Townes Allen finally had a positive run, getting as high as sixth in the middle stages, but he got a little too aggressive with his defensive driving and it would eventually cost him positions at the finish.

1. Jaiden Pope (AUS)
2. Riss Mads (DNK)
3. Thomas Nepveu (CAN)
4. Robert De Haan (NDL)
5. Victory Bay Frost (DNK)

9. Townes Allen (CAN)

Thomas Nepveu led in both of his heat races today and will start near the front tomorrow in the Prefinal.

Micro and Mini Max Rankings!

Since the Micro and Mini-Max categories only run two heat races, their heat race ranking has been released. Kieran Hartley will start tomorrows Prefinal from eighteenth on the grid, three spots up from where he qualified!

James Egozi of the USA ranked twenty-second and hoping his engines will be resolved for the two most important races of the week.

In Micro Max, the lone North American is Brent Crews and he ranked ninth after his two heats after qualifying seventeenth!

Rotax DD2 Heat B vs D

Strong start but a rough middle stage knocked Davide Greco down the running order, leaving him scrambling to recoup positions.

1. Taylor Greenfield (USA)
2. Claudio Pagliarani (ITA)
3. Ryan Wood (NZL)
4. Martin Mortensen (DNK)
5. Jan Malecek (CZE)

19. Davide Greco (CAN)

Rotax DD2 Heat A vs C

1. Xen de Ruwe (SVN)
2. Daniel Formal (HRZ)
3. Jonathan Buxeda (NZL)
4. Ryan Kennedy (AUS)
5. Mads Thomas (DNK)

Rotax DD2 Masters Heat B vs D

1. Matthew Hamilton (NZL)
2. Robert Pesevski (AUT)
3. Michael Stephen (RSA)
4. Jonathan Pieterse (RSA)
5. Fernando Guzzi (BRA)

36. (DNF) John Bonanno (USA)

Rotax DD2 Masters Heat A vs C

1. Christiano Morgatto (RSA)
2. Fraser Hart (NZL)
3. Lucas Souza (BRA)
4. Horacio Torres (CHL)
5. Antti Ollikainen (FIN)

7. Derek Wang (USA)

19. Etienne LaSalle (CAN)

Rotax Senior Heat B vs D

1. Petr Bezel (CZE)
2. Szabo Boldizsar (HUN)
3. Mark Kimber (GBR)
4. Anze Dovjak (SVN)
5. Mario Novak (AUT)

The three international drivers who snagged tickets at the Canadian Open in Mont-Tremblant are doing very well this week in Brazil, including Rhys Hunter from the UK, who just moved up 10 spots to finish P2 in the Senior Max heat. #RotaxGrandFinals

— CanadianKartingNews (@CKN_Live) November 29, 2018

Rotax Senior Heat A vs C

This week just isn’t going well for Coltin McCaughan at all. He scored another DNF in his second heat race, completing only three laps before trouble occured. From here, it will be very difficult for him to transfer to the Grand Final on Saturday. Bryce Choquer moved up one spot in the heat but seems to be lacking the speed we’ve been used to seeing from him at the Grand Finals.

1. Hannes Morin (SWE)
2. Rhys Hunter (GBR)
3. Manaf Hijjawi (JOR)
4. James Lowther (GBR)
5. Benjamin Jurczak (AUG)

8. Hannah Greenemeier (USA)

18. Mathias Ramirez (USA)

26. Bryce Choquer (CAN)

35. Coltin McCaughan (CAN)

Rotax Junior Heat B vs D

It was another rough go for Townes Allen as he’s learning quickly what it’s like to race internationally. He had a great start to jump up to sixth, but was pushed wide before the lap was complete and rounded in fifteenth. From there he was up and down nearly every lap before finishing fourteenth. Leung also had a good start until he slipped outside the top-20 before recovering a few spots before the end.

1. Riis Mads (DNK)
2. Robert De Haan (NDL)
3. Kobe Pauwels (BEL)
4. Mike Van Vugt (NDL)
5. Lewis Gilbert (GBR)

11. Luca Mars (USA)

13. Townes Allen (CAN)

17. Jason Leung (CAN)

Rotax Junior Heat A vs C

Thomas Nepveu jumped to the lead at the halfway point and led all the way to the final corner where he was forced wide and slipped to third at the finish. He got a little too defensive on the final lap which may have cost him that heat win. Regardless, a third place effort is another good points result.

1. Victor Bay Frost (DNK)
2. Jaiden Pope (AUS)
3. Thomas Nepveu (CAN)
4. Olli-Petteri Munne (FIN)
5. Noel Leon (MEX)

25. Justin White (USA)

Rotax Mini Max Heat #2

In their only competitive session of the day, the Mini-Max drivers delivered another great heat race. Kieran Hartley was on the move, advancing up six positions in nine laps.

1. Evan Giltaire (FRA)
2. Iakov Sokolov (RUS)
3. Tomass Stolcermanis (LVA)
4. Santiago Biagi (ARG)
5. Farin Megger (DEU)

15. Kieran Hartley (CAN)

18. James Egozi (USA)

Micro-Max Heat #2

1. Mitchell Van Dijk (NDL)
2. Obst Maksymilian (POL)
3. Douwe Dedecker (BEL)
4. Agustin Sepulveda (CHL)
5. Harry Hannam (ARE)

12. Brent Crews