FWT
ROTAX MAX CHALLENGE
As predicted, the entry list set an all time record for Florida Winter Tour Rotax MAX entries making it still the largest Rotax MAX Challenge program in the world. With no fewer than 586 entries, it’s no wonder people have come to Florida from around the world to experience the biggest and best MAX Challenge on the planet. Professional racing drivers from Formula One, NASCAR and Indy Car, as well as karting stars who have amassed a total of nine World Championships between them highlighted the entry list.
One such karting star who attended was South Africa’s Caleb Williams. Caleb made a big impact on the karting world when he won the DD2 class at the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals at Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt in 2009. A year later he was back at the Grand Finals in Italy. But, in 2010 he had switched over to the Senior MAX category. Repeating as Rotax MAX World Champion wasn’t going to be easy. Caleb had experienced troubles in the heat races that placed him at the back of the pack in the Pre-Final. As Caleb puts it, “I was starting so far back, I didn’t even have a grid girl!.”
Setbacks like that take a toll on most people, but Caleb set himself to the task of winning and that’s just what he did in what can only be described as a truly inspired drive. When asked why he switched from DD2 to Senior MAX he said he felt it was where the toughest competition was. And, that’s the same reason he gave for why he came to the FWT. “They’re the biggest Rotax MAX events in the world, I wanted to come here to race against the best competition I can find.” As for now, Caleb is undecided if he can finish out the 2012 Tour. He’s in his graduation year at school and has his studies to attend to. We’re hoping everything works out so Caleb can return for more Florida Winter Tour action this year.
Even with all the experienced and accomplished drivers at this year’s Tour, that’s not the only attraction to the FWT. 16-year-old Nikki Maratto attended her second Winter Tour as a participant in the Junior MAX category. Nikki is often seen in the pits with a smile on her face and says “you don’t have to be #1 to have a lot of fun!” And she is having fun. She and her father both said they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t having a great time. As far as the competition, Nikki says, “The Winter Tour is great racing and a great opportunity to learn how to race with the best competition in the world.”
So far Nikki is learning and getting better. She’s showed in the past that she has the will to succeed. When asked of her best karting accomplishment, the young competitor from Somers, NY said, “I ran a 3 hour Ironman kart race, I was the only girl and a lot of guys were making fun of me, saying I’d never finish. But I was determined to prove them wrong. In fact, I was leading the race until my seat broke. By the time I got another kart I had fallen way back, but I worked my way back up to finish third. In the end no one was laughing anymore!”
Although this is the first Florida Winter Tour Rotax MAX Challenge race of the season, it’s the second FWT event of the year. The previous weekend Formula Kart Productions kicked off 2012 with the FWT Formula Kart program. Even in that short length of time, there’s always something new and for the Rotax MAX event the 16-channel video monitoring system used for FWT LIVE! and the video marshaling system has been upgraded to wide screen Hi-Definition cameras courtesy of Direct View Video Systems. This takes the production video quality to an entirely new level.
Although the old cameras have been replaced, one aspect that needs no replacement is “The Voice of Rotax”, England’s own Ken Walker. Ken returns again this year from England and is as popular as ever as he calls the races from FWT LIVE! Command Central.
Every FWT weekend thousands of people around the world log onto FWT LIVE! to see some great racing action. Saturday’s action started with the SH Karting DD2 class. 2010 DD2 Grand Finals World Champion Daniel Morad (Canada) started the Pre-Final on pole position and battled mightily with Cody Hodgson (USA). Cody came out on top in the Pre-Final and looked set to do the same in the Final. After a lengthy battle again with Daniel Morad, this time joined by Nicholas Latifi (Canada), Cody Hodgson won the DD2 Final as he set his sights on a Florida Winter Tour championship.
It’s worth mentioning that Cody always races with a purpose, but this year it’s something even more special. The ride he’s in was originally intended for the late Dan Wheldon. After the tragic events last year at the IndyCar finale, Cody was asked to take over the #226 kart to race in Dan’s honor. Wearing a special driving suit and a new helmet adorned with tributes to a friend and a hero, Cody intends to do justice to Dan’s memory and hopefully bring home a championship.
Qualifying for Keane Racing’s DD2 Masters belonged to Alan Rudolph (USA), but he lost his advantage at the start of the Pre-Final when he inadvertently put four wheels over the line. The 16-channel video marshaling system misses nothing, but Alan admitted his mistake right away saying that he’s not used to rolling starts and he just wasn’t paying attention. The Pre-Final was eventually won by Stuart Clark (Canada), 2011’s Pan-Am DD2 Masters Champion. Stuart was running very strong all weekend and was determined to win.
In the DD2 masters Final, Alan Rudolph came from the back to second in two laps. He then spent the bulk of the race in a battle with Ryan Horses (Canada). Just after midway, Rudolph broke free but with a few laps to go, Ryan reeled him back in and eventually took back the lead for a 0.339 second victory. Also on the move in the DD2 Masters Final was reigning FWT Champion Rene Martinelli (USA) who went from 10th at the start to fourth. Rene was a late addition to this year’s Tour and it’s great to have him back.
What can you say about Micro MAX? The Florida Winter Tour is known worldwide for huge competition in Micro and Mini MAX and this year was no exception. These classes hit their maximum number of entries early and the waiting list is long to get into this class. Micro MAX, sponsored in 2012 by PSL Racing, is proof that a class doesn’t have to be the fastest to put on a great show. Year-after-year these young kids provide some of the best action anywhere.
Justin Sirgany (Jamaica) had the pole position but fell to 10th in the Pre-Final after being assessed a 10-second penalty at the start. The Pre-Final was won by Antonio Serravalle (Canada) who also won the Final, but not without being hounded for 12 laps by Sirgany who had worked his way back to the front. In the end, it was Serravalle, Sirgany and Dylan Tavella (USA) who stood atop of the podium.
In ZCD Autosport Rotax MAX Masters, Thomas Radivoy (USA) started on pole position. Jason Heffner (USA) qualified in the top-five but found himself starting at the tail end of the Pre-Final field after a non-compliance issue in tech. At the end of the Pre-Final, won by Robert Maler (USA), Heffner was 15th. Halfway into the Final Heffner was up to third and with a couple laps to go he took the lead for a excellent win by one second over Alejandro Galvan (Mexico).
People who attend the Winter Tour know to come out and watch when the Ocala Gran Prix Junior MAX class hits the track. Today was no exception as the fences, grandstand and haulers were filled with spectators to see the battle that took place. Juan Manuel Correa used his pole position to good use early on in the Pre-Final, but problems after nine laps knocked him out. Oliver Askew (USA) used the experience he gained as part of Team USA at last year’s Grand Finals to bring home the win in the Pre-Final.
In the Junior MAX Final it was Grand Finals experience to the front as 2010 Grand Finals Junior MAX Champion Jordi Van Moorsel got out in the lead and stayed there for a terrific win. But, perhaps the best Junior MAX performance on the day came from Kyle Kirkwood (USA). Kyle failed to turn in a time in qualifying and thus started the Last Chance Race from the tail of the field. After moving up through the LCQ to transfer to the Pre-Final, he was able to work his way up to sixth in the Pre-Final and then get onto the podium with a well-earned third place in the Final. So in the end, it was Van Moorsel first, Parker Thompson (Canada) second, and Kirkwood third.
As with Micro MAX, RYSA Racing’s Mini MAX is one of those hotly contested battles that the FWT has gained a great deal of fame around the world. In qualifying for today’s racing action, Joshua Sirgany (USA) qualified fastest in a session that saw the top three clock in within one half a tenth of a second from first to third. Unfortunately for Sirgany, a 10-second penalty at the start of the Pre-Final dropped him back in the results.
After all was said and done, 2011 Mini RoK World Champion Logan Sargeant (USA) got the win in the Mini MAX Pre-Final over Devlin DeFrancesco. It was the same combatants at the front again in the Mini MAX Final, as Sargeant and DeFrancesco were joined by Pedro Tavarez, de Moraes Cardoso (Brazil). Lap-after-lap the three fought a fierce battle nose-to-tail and it looked like any one of them could win. With a lap to go, Sargeant grabbed the lead and held off his pursuers for a very popular win.
The final class on the schedule was Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid North America Rotax Senior. As previously mentioned, this is the class many feel is the most competitive, not only in Rotax MAX competition, but, in all of karting. To that end this is the class that this weekend features no less than three double world champions and many multiple national champions. During qualifying it was recent Red Bull Kart Fight champion Danny Formal (USA) taking it to the other 68 competitors by setting the fastest time of 50.601 seconds. 
In the Pre-final it was Mason Chelootz (USA) crossing the line first. But, a three-position penalty for a driving infraction knocked him back to fourth. This opened the door for Jesse Lazare (Canada) to win the Pre-Final over IndyCar’s Jay Howard (USA) and current Rotax MAX Grand Finals DD2 Champion Pier-Luc Ouellette (Canada).
In the Senior MAX Final, Lazare and Howard got out front early and smartly stayed together without trying to race each other. With the speed advantage of working together on PBIR’s long straights, the two were able to pull out an advantage over third place.
With just a couple laps to go, the pack in third settled down just as the two up front started to race each other. The end result was five karts running five-wide down the backstretch on the last lap with one turn to go. Jay Howard led going into the turn, but Nick Neri (USA) had the lead coming out. As Nick sped towards the finish line, Mason Chelootz used a side draft maneuver to just barely pip Neri at the line by just 0.040 of a second.
After an intense day of racing Saturday at Palm Beach International Raceway, Formula Kart Production’s Florida Winter Tour presented by SPORTALITY continued to be “THE Winter Place To Be” as the world’s largest Rotax MAX Challenge program entered it’s second day of the 2012 season. It was a history making weekend as a record number of 293 drivers accounting for 586 entries made the weekend’s event officially the largest Rotax MAX Challenge event ever held. Seeing as how multiple classes hit their entry cap, one could only wonder just how big these FWT events would be if we weren’t forced to turn people away.
Up for grabs in four of the seven classes is the coveted invitation to the 2012 Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals. This year’s Grand Finals is set to take place in Algarve, Portugal this November. The Grand Finals invitation is just one of the many reasons given for the attraction of the Florida Winter Tour. When we asked drivers why they come to the FWT, we hear answers ranging from the intense competition and the ability to raise their competitive skills to a higher level, to it’s a fun place to be with friends and family in the beautiful Florida sunshine. 
For those that come purely for the chance to go to the Grand Finals, we’re happy they’re here and we’re proud of all our FWT Grand Finals qualifiers. But, lest anyone think this would be an easy place to earn their invitation. Be forewarned, the competition here is extremely fierce and the fields are stacked with quality drivers. There’s no better example of this than the plight of 2010 Junior MAX Grand Finals champion Jordi Van Moorsel. After a great run Saturday to narrowly take the victory in Junior MAX, the young Dutchman did not have the same good fortune Sunday and did not even make the Finals. In the end he had to settle for 14th in the Consolation race. Such is the level of competition here in Palm Beach this weekend.
The Palm Beach International Raceway is actually a kart track and a car track in one facility. As such there’s almost always another event going on and this weekend the FWT crowd was treated to the sounds of one of the new IndyCar engines. The Lotus Team was there to test their new engine for the upcoming season and the sounds of the turbo was heard throughout the facility. Many of the drivers ventured over towards the IndyCar test. It’s no secret that most of the drivers here aspire to race something like that in the future and we have no doubt a few of them will get their shot.
During Sunday’s lunch break, it was time for the drivers to get together on the track for the annual FWT group photo. This weekend’s event had an all-time Rotax MAX Challenge entry record of 293 entries. With 293 drivers and 30+ race officials, the event created quite a spectacle. It’s not often that many people get together for a group photo so some pre-arranging needed to be done. But, once in place everything went very smoothly and the drivers were quickly back in their pits preparing to race.
After the driver’s photo, it was time for the SH karting DD2 class to take to the track for their Final. Qualifying fastest on Friday for this group was 2010 Rotax Grand Finals World Champion Daniel Morad (Canada). Nicknamed “Hollywood” for his effervescent personality and history of sensational on track actions, Daniel started the Final from the second row after finishing fourth in the Pre-Final won by Michael Vincec (Canada).
As the DD2 Final got underway, Cody Hodgson (USA) and Nicholas Latifi (Canada) made a break away from the pack. Cody led for the bulk of the race but Nicholas assumed the top spot with two laps to go. On the last corner of the penultimate lap Hodgson set up Latifi on the final corner and executed a nice outside-under move on to the front straight that allowed him to retake the lead. It was not to be Cody’s race however because in the twisty section of PBIR’s far end Latifi knocked him off the track in an attempt to get by. 
Although this allowed Nicholas to take the checkered flag first, he 
was to receive a time penalty for the maneuver which shuffled him back to sixth. All this promoted Morad and Vincec up into first and second from third and fourth. Cody Hodgson managed to get going again to take third place. Although it was not the type of win Daniel Morad was aiming for, a win is a win and this time it was his.
Stuart Clark (Canada) was the fastest qualifier for Keane Racing’s DD2 Masters class and had been running well all weekend. Starting fourth was Alan Rudolph (USA) and it wasn’t long before the two were nose-to-tail in a fight for the lead in the Pre-Final. In the end it was Rudolph taking the win by less than half a second. In the Final, it was Rudolph and Clark on the front row. Clark jumped the start just a little bit but it was enough to warrant a 10-second penalty. The penalty was moot however as he dropped out after 12 laps with mechanical problems.
With Stuart out, It all seemed like it was going to be easy for Alan Rudolph but Jean Valerio (Costa Rica) and Mike Jones (USA) came on strong towards the end to keep Alan honest. In the end the top three were Rudolph, Valerio and Jones followed by defending DD2 Masters FWT Champion Rene Martinelli in fourth.
During our spotlight interviews we has a chance to talk with Alan Rudolph about his decision to race at the Florida Winter Tour. He said a while back MRP’s Garry Lobaugh planted the seed in his mind about representing the USA at the Rotax MAX Grand Finals. Over time that seed started to grow to where it became a goal he had to achieve. After a first and a second on the weekend he seems well-placed to make a run at it, but it’s early in the season. Still, if anyone has the qualifications, it’s Rudolph.
Alan has been in karting for 32 years and is a legend in the shifter kart community where he won the coveted RIGP King of the Streets race five times between 2001 and 2007. For the past 13 years he’s been the lead instructor at the Bob Bondurant Karting School and he’s also designed his own shifter chassis, the RBI. With all that experience, it’s hard to believe this weekend was the first time he’d ever driven a DD2. With a little more testing under his belt he should definitely be one to watch for the rest of the season.
Justin Sirgany (Jamaica) was all kinds of fast at PBIR in PSL Karting’s Micro MAX. As such, it was no surprise to see him starting on pole position in the Pre-Final after being the fastest qualifier. However, in the Pre-Final the win went to Dylan Tavella (USA) while a 10-second penalty from the start dropped Sirgany back to sixth. For those that notice a common theme here, the message is clear, the 16-channel video marshaling system makes it impossible for someone to jump or otherwise misalign their start without getting caught. 
In the Micro MAX final, Sirgany and Tavella paced the field once again. But this time, Saturday’s Micro MAX winner, Antonio Serravalle, joined the mix. Lap after lap the three fought over the top position but managed to do it smartly which allowed them to actually put some distance on the battle for fourth place. With a couple laps to go, Serravalle took the lead and never looked back. At the checkered flag it was Serravalle with the win followed by Sirgany in second and Tavella third.
ZCD Autosport Rotax MAX Masters took to the track after the Micro MAX race. Thomas Radivoy (USA) had proven his early speed by qualifying fastest during the Friday qualifying sessions. Never the less, it was Pedro Troncoso (Dominican Republic) who came through in the Pre-Final to take the victory. In the Master’s Final, the lead seemed to change ownership just about every lap as drivers were using the draft down PBIR’s long straightaways.
At the white flag it was Scott Falcone (USA) leading but the pack drafted by going towards turn three. After a few more shuffles, it was Thomas Radivoy once again on top with the victory followed by Christiano Piquet (USA) and Falcone.
Next up on track after the Masters was the Ocala Gran Prix sponsored Junior MAX class. Although all the Florida Winter Tour classes feature tough competitors, there are a few that stand out even more. Junior MAX is one of those. Everywhere you look you see champions from other divisions, Rotax MAX Grand Finals veterans and more. To win Junior MAX at the FWT you will have proven you can run with the best. During qualifying and through the Pre-Final, the best was Parker Thompson (Canada) who used his pole position to take the early win.
In the Junior MAX Final, Kyle Kirkwood (USA) got the jump at the start and for a while looked like he would check out on the field. Unfortunately for Kyle, PBIRs long straights made drafting a priority and before long the field caught him like they were running a NASCAR restrictor plate race.
The first two to catch Kirkwood were Oliver Askew (USA) and Zachary Claman DeMelo (Canada). The three battled for the balance of the race with parker Thompson in with a shot as well. On the last lap Oliver Askew took control and seized the victory for himself and his team. It was an especially sweet victory since his mother’s family was visiting from Sweden and they got a chance to see Oliver win. It was also sweet because Oliver drives for Junior MAX class sponsor OGP. As some know, OGP’s owner Jorge Arellano has been a bit under the weather lately and couldn’t make the trip to Palm Beach. We’re hoping Oliver’s win, as well as other wins for the team, sent good mojo his way so he can join us again soon.
In RYSA Racing’s Mini MAX class, Devlin DeFrancesco (USA) set the pace in qualifying and kept it through the Pre-Final to bring home a win. By the time of the Mini MAX Final, the sun was low on the horizon and the shadows were starting to grow long. Devlin grabbed the lead at the start and showed the way for the first handful of laps ahead of Pedro Tavarez de Moraes Carsoso (Brazil) and Logan Sargeant (USA).
After a few laps had been run, Pedro and Logan got by Devlin and started their own battle for the lead. The top spot changed hands a few times but on the last lap it was Cardoso out front and holding off Sargeant. Unfortunately for the young Brazilian, a small penalty knocked him back to third giving Sargeant the win and allowing Gianfranco Mazzaferro (Canada) to slip into second.
Goodwood Kartways / Intrepid North America Rotax MAX Senior; remember what we said about the entry list for Junior MAX? Well, take that and double it for Senior MAX. This weekend Senior MAX featured three double MAX Grand Finals World Champions, National Champions from multiple countries, previous Florida Winter Tour champions and a host of other accomplished drivers. One thing’s for sure, whoever is going to represent the Florida Winter Tour at this year’s Grand Finals in Senior MAX will need to go big.
Fritz Leesmann (USA) started the weekend off right by qualifying fastest for Sunday’s Senior MAX Pre-Final on Friday afternoon. In the Pre-Final he used the number one starting spot to do something nobody had been able to do all weekend. Fritz did the unthinkable and actually broke away all by himself to establish a four-second lead over the pack fighting for second. It was an amazing drive and all that was left was to see if he could repeat the feat in the Final.
By the time the Final was underway, it was Steven Szigeti (Canada) and Daniel Formal (USA) that paced the field from the front. Leesmann and Nick Neri (USA) were third and fourth but before long they were at the front with Nick holding a one second margin over the others while they battled for second. While this was going on, 2011 Senior MAX Grand finals World Champion Ben Cooper (UK) was making a charge from the tail end of the field, helped by a very aggressive start, up to an eventual sixth place finish.
As the checkered flag approached, Neri held a small lead over second and looked like he would take the victory. But going into the final corner, Nick overcooked it a bit as an attempt to block any down-the-inside passing. In doing so he missed his mark ever so slightly but that was enough to put him on the marbles and run wide at the exit to the corner. Waiting to take advantage was Fritz Leesmann who capped off the perfect race by taking the pole, the Pre-Final and Final wins. Behind Leesmann, Steven Szigeti came home second and Nick Neri held on for third.
After the last race, the podium celebrations were held while another beautiful Florida sunset faded into darkness. In addition to race trophies, FWT Presenting Sponsor SPORTALITY awarded a Replay XD video camera to Mini Max final winner Logan Sargeant. ULV Racing suits also provided extra awards by providing a custom fitted and designed driving suit to two “Hard Charging” FWT drivers. The ULV Hard Charger awards went to Mini Max driver Pedro Fonseca and DD2 Masters driver Renato Hidalgo, who had the biggest improvement in their finishing position during their respective finals. ULV also provided a drawing that awarded one lucky recipient with a fully customized suit, and Juan David Buitrago was the lucky driver.
Formula Kart Production’s florida Winter Tour presented by SPORTALITY continues to grow every year. As such there’s so much going on we can’t fit it in just one race report. However, before we sign off from Palm beach International Raceway, we’d like to remind our followers of the Nation’s Cup competition and Manufacturer’s Cup. These prestigious championships will be calculated throughout the year so log onto www.FloridaWinterTour.com to check the latest standings.
It was an extremely successful two weekends here in Palm Beach. With world record numbers of competitors during the FWT RMC events and an FWT record 746 entries during the combined January events, on-track action that was off the hook, and beautiful weather, it’s no wonder the Florida Winter Tour is “THE Winter Place To Be!”
Friday, March 9, 2012
