Kicking off it’s sophomore season, the Rotax CAN-AM ProKart Challenge hit the track this past weekend at the Horn Rapids Kart Track in Richland, Washington, USA. The series offers the best of both world as a full lineup of Rotax and SKUSA classes are offered to it’s competitors in the North West region of North America.
A handful of Canadian kart racers were on track in Washington to help kickoff the championship, with a select few standing on the podium on both Saturday and Sunday. Here’s our notes from the event.
Choquer on Rotax Senior Podium
The largest class on track this weekend was of course Rotax Senior. The division routinely provides excellent action and this weekend was different with many players in the game.
Canadian Bryce Choquer (BBR/Kosmic) was on a tear on Saturday, Qualifying on the pole-position and winning the PreFinal. However he came up just short of the daily sweep, ultimately settling for second place in the Final. On Sunday, Choquer again posted the quickest time in qualifying, but fell to eighth in the PreFinal and fifth in the Final.
Also competing in Rotax Senior was Jordan Redlin (CRG West/CRG) and Bradley Dezell. Redlin made his Senior debut earning tenth and ninth place results while Dezell was fourteenth on both days.
Podium for Kacic in Mini-Max
Marco Kacic continues to race up front with the best of the best. After an impressive Rotax Challenge of the Americas campaign to kick off his first year in Mini-Max he arrived in Richland ready to challenge for a championship. The youngster from British Columbia was on point and earned a trip to podium on Saturday with a third place result. Sunday however didn’t go as well as he was forced into a DNF in the Final.
Four Canadians in Rotax Junior
It was a tough weekend for the four Canadians competing in Rotax Junior. The class featured plenty of new talent from the north west region along with a few hotshots from further south.
Ryan Martin was able to score the best result with a fifth place showing on Sunday after posting a DNF in Saturday’s Final. Kellen Ritter joined Martin on sidelines on Sunday, but recovered to finish eighth on Sunday. Jessica Dezell had an eighth and a thirteenth, while Christina Dezell had a ninth and a DNF.
Notably absent from the event was our CKN Brand Ambassador Coltin McCaughan. Waiting on his 2014 chassis to arrive, he was forced to sit this round of the CAN-AM out.
Micro, DD2 and Shifter
Ryan Dezell, the fourth Dezell from Alberta competing on track this weekend earned sixth and fifth-place results in Rotax Micro-Max.
As the lone driver in Rotax DD2, John Buzza left the weekend with a pair of wins. It is slightly disappointing to see that the DD2 class just can’t seem to gain the entries it deserves out west.
In the shifter divisions, BC’s Sara Brinkac was runner-up both days in S5 Junior Stock Moto while Mitch Kirkpatrick had a challenging weekend in S4 Masters earning a DNF and a DQ on Sunday.
The four round championship will resume in just over a months time with round two scheduled for the May 30 weekend in McMinnville, Oregon. Round three hits the track on July 4-6 in Canby, Oregon before the champions are crowned in Canada at the Greg Moore Raceway in Chilliwack, BC on August 15-17.