Winter Warrior: Oliver Mrak’s Hot Start to Senior Karting
Oliver Mrak had his hands full this winter, taking on the trifecta of U.S winter championships: the SKUSA Winter Series, the Rok Cup Florida Winter Tour, and the Rotax Winter Trophy.
With an intense racing schedule in the books and no signs of slowing down, Oliver shared with CKN his thoughts about racing against some of the best in the business down south.
“Competing in SKUSA, Rotax, and ROK against some of the best drivers really pushed me to improve. The experience has been invaluable, and despite some bad luck, I showed great pace.”
After an impressive 2024 Junior season, winning the Ron Fellows Karting Championship and punching his ticket to the Rok Superfinal in Italy, it was finally time for Oliver to make the jump to Senior. Oliver took no time to make his debut, as he decided to kick his 2025 season off with racing in three major U.S winter championships in SKUSA, FWT and RMC.
Although excited for the chance to showcase his talent in Senior, Oliver made it clear that adjusting to one of karting’s most competitive classes doesn’t come overnight. This winter was merely his first step in successfully navigating what the class will throw at him.
“Racing amongst a bigger field of excellent racers meant that I wouldn’t always start in the front row like I did in Junior. It forced me to race better and smarter.”
Even without the same results he had in Junior, Oliver still delivered strong performances — In running just half a tenth off the fastest in SKUSA, leading sessions in Rotax, and pulling off a 15-position recovery drive to finish 4th in ROK. All while capping off his winter with a podium finish in Texas at the final round of FWT. Now, he’s looking to bring his improvements in race craft and consistency back to Canada and replicate his Junior success at the next level.
Olivier Mrak on the podium in Texas. (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
Supporting Oliver across his winter campaign was Racing Edge Motorsports (REM). No stranger to success, REM has been one of Canada’s premier teams, consistently fighting at the front every weekend. When asked how REM has been a difference maker for him, Oliver described the atmosphere as incredibly close, with the team constantly using their experience combined with data and video analysis to extract the best from him and the kart. Oliver plans to continue his success with REM this coming Canadian season.
“Although REM is a smaller team, they stand out to me as a driver because we are like a family. We work hard together and always want the best for one another.”
Looking beyond the winter, Oliver’s packed schedule shows no signs of slowing down. For the 15-year-old, summer can’t come soon enough as he continues to juggle the demands of racing and maintaining strong performance in school. He’s now preparing for a full slate of Canadian races, along with select U.S. events, including the Stars Championship, SKUSA Pro Tour, ROK Vegas, and the ROK Superfinal in Italy. One track that stands out above the rest for him is Circuit Mont Tremblant—luckily coming up soon at the end of May for round two of Coupe de Montreal.
“I say my favourite would be Mont-Tremblant as it is one of the best tracks, if not the best in Canada.”
Oliver’s winter campaign marked a strong start to his Senior career. Racing in three major U.S. series, he showed impressive pace and growth, specifically in his race craft and consistency. With no sign of slowing down, we’re excited to see what Oliver can accomplish this coming Canadian season.
