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| December 01, 2012 |
| EKN Trackside: 2012 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals - Championship Saturday |
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For complete coverage, visit the EKN Event Page
The final day of competition at the 2012 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals produced another historic day of racing for Rotaxians from around the world. Clear blue skies surrounded the Kartodromo Internacional do Algarve circuit in Portimao, Portugal for a full day of action to decide this year’s Rotax world champions in DD2, Senior Max, DD2 Masters and Junior Max. A colorful driver presentation displayed the over 250 drivers from 53 countries displayed the essence that is Rotax racing around the world. For Team USA, it was a challenging day as the top finisher for the squad was Danny Formal in the 15th position, with podium hopes diminished throughout the day. Team Canada secured three podium finishes in three class, including the DD2 championship by Ben Cooper (read more at eKartingNews.ca coverage). Using the results from the Finals, Team USA ended the 2012 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals seventh in the Nations Cup, which was won by Great Britain.
JUNIOR MAX
Championship Saturday commenced with the talented Junior drivers taking to the high-speed course in Portugal for a 11-lap Prefinal, that would set the grid for the Grand Final. Leading the field to the start were Bruno Borlido and Josh White, while Team USA's Oliver Askew and Juan Manuel Correa got the green from 16th and 21st respectively. The opening few turns proved chaotic, with multiple karts spinning and going off-course, including the polesitter. The American duo managed to avoid the carnage, with Correa completing lap one in 12th, while Askew took over 15th. Unfortunately for Askew this proved to be the high point of his race, getting shuffled back to 26th by the completion of lap two. Given what was on the line, it came as no surprise that every position was hard fought, with both Team USA drivers involved in multi-kart fights to the checkered flag. Correa in the end crossed the stripe in 15th, ahead of Askew in 20th. Australia's James Golding captured the win, leading Finland's Samu Kylmala and Great Britain's Ross Gunn.
James Golding and Samu Kylmala lined-up on the front-row for the Junior Max main event, ahead of Team USA's Juan Manuel Correa and Oliver Askew in 15th and 20th. While the race got underway in orderly fashion, it was not long before karts were bumping and banging. The American duo was in the middle of the chaos, with contact sending Correa down to 28th by the completion lap one. Askew managed to avoid the worst of it as he immediately started to look for ways to move up the order. He did just that, steadily moving into the top-12 before contact sent him down the order as well. Refocusing, the Team USA racers spent the second half of the 18-lap race fighting for positions. When the checkered flag waved, Askew had earned a 17th place finish, which was later made 16th. Correa ended his world final in 22nd. The battle for the win was very intense early on, with multiple racers taking a turn out front. Great Britain's Harry Webb had other ideas though, steadily pulling away in the later portions of the race, adding a World Championship title to his 2012 European crown. Netherland's Janneau Esmeijer and Canada's Parker Thompson completed the podium, leading Great Britain's Ross Gunn and Spain's Jon Del Valle-Iltuur to the line.
EKN Team USA Driver Paddock Pass
 | Askew fought his way back to 16th in the Junior Max final
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Oliver Askew - #113
Hometown: Jupiter, Florida
Mechanic: Mike Maurini
Twitter: @ollietrollie38
Results:
Prefinal Start:16th
Prefinal Finish: 19th
Final: 16th
Notes:
The start of the Prefinal was clean for the reigning Florida Winter Tour champion as he began the 11-lap battle from the 16th position. Jumping into the top-15, Askew quickly lost a number of spots as he was pushed off course by a couple competitors. He dropped outside the top-20, but managed to move up to the 20th position by the checkered flag. Following penalties, he was moved up to 19th for the start of the Prefinal. Between races, mechanic Mike Maurini took the chassis to the Birel tent to have the front end squared as the contact bent the frame rails a few millimeters. With the chassis now fixed, Askew was on a mission to move forward once the green lights went on to begin the 18-lap event. As he did previously, the Florida driver was gaining positions lap after lap. He reached the 12th position but during a fight for position he was pushed off the track in turn eight. This dropped him outside the top-20 and out of contention for a top-10. He never gave up, crossing the line in 17th, gaining one more spot after penalties were handed out. He also recorded one of the fastest laps of the race on his final circuit.
**********************
 | 22nd at the Grand Finals was a great accomplishment for the first year Junior Max driver Correa
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Juan Manuel Correa - #121
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Mechanic: Bryn Nuttall
Twitter: N/A
Results:
Prefinal Start: 21st
Prefinal Finish: 14th
Final: 22nd
Notes:
Up, up and up. That’s been the story for most of the on-track sessions for Correa, making his first Rotax Grand Finals start after just one year in the Junior Max category. He began the 11-lap event starting 21st and gained a number of positions in the opening laps. The field is so competitive, the laps times were within just a few tenths from the leader down through to 25th position. Correa held on finish the race in 15th, advancing to 14th in the official results after penalties. Talking with his mechanic Bryn Nuttall, the tire pressure was set to low for JMC, and they will adjust moving into the Final. Hopes for a solid finish in the main event went away quickly as the Florida driver was involved in an opening lap incident at turn three. Falling down the order, Correa recovered to finish 22nd overall in his first Rotax Grand Finals.
DD2 MASTERS
Going from youngest to oldest, the DD2 Masters drivers were next on track for their 14-lap Prefinal. Cristiano Morgado and Scott Campbell started on the front-row, with Team USA represented by Alan Rudolph, Mike Jones, and John Crow in 10th, 23rd, and 28th. In a repeat of the opening affair, the first few turns witnessed multiple karts sliding off the track. This led to mixed to results for the Americans after the first tour, with Crow enjoying the best success by advancing up to 20th. Just ahead, Jones was immediately involved in a spirited dice for 17th. It was Rudolph who became the Team USA driver worth watching, charging into a fight for a top-10 position by the midway point. As expected, the order shuffled repeatedly right until the final few corners. Rudolph ultimately secured a hard fought 10th place, besting Jones in 18th, and Crow, who lost multiple places in the closing stages, to end up 28th. Portugal's Morgado took home a comfortable victory over Great Britain's David Griffiths and Ireland's Martin Pierce.
The DD2 Masters drivers were the next to take to the Portuguese track in search of a world title. Two-time champion Cristiano Morgado and David Griffiths were the two racers at the front of the field when the green flag waved, with Team USA's Alan Rudolph, Mike Jones, and John Crow launching from ninth, 18th, and 27th. Making the most of the opportunities through the opening sequence of corners, both Rudolph and Jones were among the top-10 after lap one, holding eighth and ninth place respectively. Rudolph was not done going forward, taking over sixth by lap five. Jones, though wasn't quite able to match his teammates progresses, losing a couple positions while dicing among a multi-kart pack. Rudolph's hard work came undone on lap 10, when a spin dropped him down to 19th. While the American veteran battled for the remainder of the race, he never recovered, coming home in 18th, just ahead of Jones in 20th. Both moved up one spot following official review, while Crow, who had been part of good dice throughout the 21-lap encounter was classified 29th. Morgado, having overcome a spirited fight for the win, made history by claiming his third Rotax World Championship, becoming the first driver to accomplish the feat. Canadian Scott Campbell and Great Britain's David Griffiths joined in the podium celebrations, beating Portugal's Goncalo Gaivao and Ireland's Martin Pierce.
EKN Team USA Driver Paddock Pass
 | Though the final result was not as hoped, Crow secured his goal of making the show in DD2 Masters
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: John Crow - #419
Hometown: Long Beach, California
Mechanic: Brian Robson
Twitter: N/A
Results:
Prefinal Start: 27th
Prefinal Finish: 27th
Final: 29th
Notes:
Happy to be in the show on Saturday, Crow went into the Prefinal with an open mind and get a chance to race against the best in the world. Quickly he realized the entire field now together instead of split in the heat races was tougher to gain position. After earning a good start, he began fighting with a number of drivers, but moved the wrong direction on the scoring monitor. He ended up placing 27th, the same as he began the 14-lap event. With nothing to lose, they threw the book at the chassis to see if it would help him progress in the main event and finish inside the top-20. The changes did not improve Crow’s pace as he was a few tenths off of where he would have liked to have been, and contact in the opening lap at the turn one kink did not help. In the end, the Californian finished in 29th, and capped off his first experience at the Grand Finals - already thinking about clinching another trip back.
**********************
 | Jones fought his way the entire week to end up top-20 in the world in DD2 Masters
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Mike Jones - #428
Hometown: Sachse, Texas
Mechanic: Yonny Alberto Pena Hernandez
Twitter: N/A
Results:
Prefinal Start: 23rd
Prefinal Finish: 18th
Final: 20th
Notes:
Jones received the new engine after practice and before qualifying, and progressed ever since. He began the 14-lap Prefinal in the 23rd position and avoided the opening lap wrecks to move forward. He spent much the race running with 2006 Rotax Grand Finals champion Luc Sauriol of Canada. At the checkered flag, Jones came home in 18th, putting in another positive result and focused on improving it in the Main Event. Jones got another great start and was into the top-10 after the opening lap. Some rough racing and a bit off on pace, Jones lost a majority of the spots he gained and a few more to end the race in the 20th position. He felt they were wrong on the tire pressure, but he was overall happy to be in the top-20 in the world.
**********************
 | One error cost Rudolph a chance at the DD2 Masters podium, still placing highest among Team USA
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Alan Rudolph - #448
Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona
Mechanic: AJ Whisler
Twitter: N/A
Results:
Prefinal Start: 14th
Prefinal Finish: 9th
Final: 18th
Notes:
Knowing he had work to do in front of him to have a chance at the podium, Rudolph was quick on the charge at the start of the 14-lap Prefinal. Able to work his way to the inside line in the opening corners, he advanced his way up to 11th. The entire race was a dog fight for position, as he would move his way forward. The final lap would be the deciding moment of the race when Rudolph was shoved off line on the exit of a corner. The result dropped him to 10th in the order, ninth after a penalty to another driver moved him up one position. Rudolph talked with the officials regarding his incident, and they ruled it as racing. The veteran looked strong in the first half of the main event, as he held his ground through the opening corners and went right to work advancing his position. Up to sixth, he was able to run down two drivers in fourth and fifth. The fight continued until about halfway when he attempted a late pass move into turn eight, clipped the curb and spun his kart around. He fell to outside the top-20 and ended up placing 18th. Certainly a disappointment for the Florida Winter Tour and U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals champion, but may no doubt drive him to return a year later.
SENIOR MAX
The chase for starting positions in the Senior Max Final was next up with a 14-lap Prefinal. Pierce Lehane and Charlie Eastwood were the two drivers who set the pace going to the green flag, with Team USA's Danny Formal, Sam Beasley, and Louie Pagano following in 16th, 28th, and 30th. Making the most of a clean start, Formal attacked through the first few corners to end lap one in 11th place. Behind, Beasley and Pagano held station initially, before working their way forward. Pagano in particularly showed good race craft in the opening half of the race, working his way pass not only his American teammate, but advancing up to 24th. For Formal, things weren't going quite as well, with a heated battle for places dropping him back down to 15th. The Team USA drivers, never one to give up, fought until the checkered flag waved. Formal in the end lead the trio, taking home 16th, not far ahead of Pagano and Beasley in 23rd and 24th. The back and forth dice for the win ultimately featured Japan's Ukyo Sasahara on top. Harrison Scott was second to the line, but was immediately penalized for an on-track incident, giving Ireland's Eastwood the runner-up spot over Australia's Lehane.
The penultimate Final in Portugal witnessed the Senior racers doing battle. Starting P1 and P2 were Ukyo Sasahara and Charlie Eastwood, with Team USA's Danny Formal, Louie Pagano, and Sam Beasley a few rows behind in 16th, 23rd, and 24th. Formal enjoyed the best start of the American trio, moving into 10th as his teammates retained their launching positions. Formal continued to press in the early stages working his way up to eighth, before a dice for positions shuffled him back to just outside of the top-10. Behind, Beasley was able to capitalize on assorted opportunities to advance up to 19th. Never able to break free of their respective multi-kart fights, the Team USA drivers final placing was only determined when the starter waved the checkered flag after 21 laps. Formal ended the Grand Final in 15th, not far in front of Beasley in 22nd, while Pagano crossed the line in 29th. The fight for the win initially appeared to be a straight forward affair, but an error by the leader resulted in an entertaining mid-race fight for the top spot. Eastwood in the end emerged from the duel and built a good gap in the closing stages to earn Ireland's first-ever world title. Great Britain duo of Ed Brand and Oliver Hodgson completed the podium, ahead of France's Alexandre Finkelstein and Australia's Pierce Lehane.
EKN Team USA Driver Paddock Pass
 | In his third straight year at the Grand Finals, Beasley finally made the show and finished 22nd
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Sam Beasley - #217
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Mechanic: Ben Beasley
Twitter: @sambeasley4
Results:
Prefinal Start: 28th
Prefinal Finish: 24th
Final: 22nd
Notes:
Beasley secured a position in Saturday’s action for the first time in the three years he’s competed at the Rotax Grand Finals. While he had that achievement locked down, he still has not found the speed to compete for a higher position. Sam made up most, if not all of his positions at the start and finished the race in 24th. The plan going into the Main Event was to keep pushing and to see what happens for the long 21-lap battle. After a great start to begin the Final, Beasley steadily lost positions as the race wore on to finish 22nd. The chassis was a bit more bound up then they would have liked, which cost Beasley some tenths in his overall pace. After three years straight at the Grand Nationals, progress was made by the Ohio driver with even more scheduled should he return to the event next year.
**********************
 | Formal's starts were awesome, but overall pace kept the Senior Max driver from finishing in the top-10
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Danny Formal - #230
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Mechanic: Donald Formal
Twitter: @DannyFormal
Results:
Prefinal Start: 16th
Prefinal Finish: 16th
Final: 15th
Notes:
The Prefinal for Formal was an up and down battle. He began the 14-lap race advancing his way up to 11th and battling inside the top-10 early on, mixed in with Canadian Marco DiLeo, who Formal drove for late last year. His pace however did not improve as he began losing positions toward the end of the race. At the checkered flag, he was back to the 16th spot and unhappy with the overall performance, running a fast lap a full half-second off the leaders pace. Danny came in complaining of no straight line speed, hoping the Final race would fair better. Another aggressive start by Formal placed him inside the top-10 once again, and early on was engaged in a fight for seventh. As that fight wore on, Formal lost speed and began losing positions. At the checkered flag, he finished 15th to record the best result of the Team USA contingent.
**********************
 | Pagano struggled in the main event, only placing 29th in Senior Max
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Louie Pagano - #254
Hometown: Camarillo, California
Mechanic: Chris Lobaugh
Twitter: N/A
Results:
Prefinal Start: 30th
Prefinal Finish: 23rd
Final: 26th
Notes:
Securing his way into Saturday’s action through the Prefinal, Pagano left nothing on the table in the 14-lap battle. His pace improved from previous sessions and he drove up to the 23rd spot. Talking with his mechanic Chris Lobaugh, they went to high on the rear sprocket and need to find better overall grip on the chassis entering the Main Event. With not much power being produced by his engine, Pagano stuggled throughout the 21-lap Final. He could not hang on to the draft and continued to fall down the order as the race wore on. In the end he would finish 26th to cap off his first Grand Finals start in the Senior category.
DD2
The last Prefinal had the always entertaining DD2 drivers dueling for supremacy. Ben Cooper and Simon Wagner had the honor of leading the field to the green, as Team USA's Cody Hodgson, Joey Wimsett, and Fritz Leesmann commenced their 14-lap affair in seventh, eighth, and 34th. After the first start was waved off due to an incident at the rear of the field, all three Americans got good launches. Hodgson was immediately battling for a top-five place, followed very closely by Wimsett, while Leesmann, having earned the final starting position via the LCQ was already up to 23rd by the end of lap one. While Hodgson was initially got up to P4, the intense fight among the pack chasing the runaway leader soon resulted in the American falling back to sixth. Wimsett, also part of the multi-kart dice, was shuffled back as well, dropping to 10th. This large pack of karts continued to squabble right until the closing few corners. Hodgson, having made the most of every opportunity, came with a superb third place result, while Wimsett just missed a top-10 in 11th. Leesmann was 23rd at the stripe. Canada's Cooper earned the Grand Final pole by holding off Belgium's Xen De Ruwe.
Concluding the 2012 Rotax Grand Finals was the DD2 racers quest for a world title. Ben Cooper and Xen De Ruwe were the two drivers who got the honor of leading the field to the starter, with Team USA's Cody Hodgson, Joey Wimsett, and Fritz Leesmann giving chase from third, ninth and 23rd. Upon getting the green the Americans had mixed results initially, with Hodgson holding on to third, Wimsett falling to 15th, and Leesmann moving up to 21st. This ultimately set up where the trio dueled for the majority of the race. As the race progressed it appeared Hodgson might be poised to give Team USA its first podium in the Finals. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, as contact with another driver ended his race two laps prior to the checkered flag waving, placing Hodgson 29th in the final standings. Wimsett therefore led the Team USA effort at the line, taking home 16th place, just ahead of Leesmann in 19th. Canadian Ben Cooper in the end made history, becoming the second driver ever to win three Rotax world titles, battling through some mid-race dicing to score a comfortable win over Latvia's Konstantins Calko and Belgium Mathias Detige. Australia's Kyle Ensbey, having initially crossed the line in third, was moved to fourth in the final results, while Finland's Miika Laiho completed the top-five.
EKN Team USA Driver Paddock Pass
 | It was not meant to be for Hodgson as contact ended his chance at a podium finish in DD2
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Cody Hodgson - #329
Hometown: Escalon, California
Mechanic: Alex Speed
Twitter: @Chodgson55
Results:
Prefinal Start: 7th
Prefinal Finish: 3rd
Final: 29th
Notes:
Hodgson had been in position to contend for the DD2 title all week, fast out of the box and continuing to improve session by session. It showed in the 14-lap Prefinal as he fought his way to a row two start for the Final. Despite a spin on the warm-up lap, he was able to rejoin the field in time for the start. A good jump propelled him up to fifth and he continued to improve his position. A little adjustment of the brakes and he advanced to third by the checkered flag. Hodgson, solid all week long, was in the final battle for the podium. Despite a bog at the start, he retained the third position and continued fight among the lead group. At one point, the leaders broke away, but then as they diced for position, Hodgson was back in the thick of it. Unfortunately, during the hard racing for position, Cody was involved in contact on the penultimate lap in turn three. The result dropped him down the order and he was classified 29th. The result does not show the talent the Californian driver possess, as he showed once again that he is among the best in the DD2 category around the world.
**********************
 | Leesmann ended up 19th after almost not making the show
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Fritz Leesmann - #338
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Mechanic: Neil Hodgson
Twitter: N/A
Results:
Prefinal Start: 34th
Prefinal Finish:
Final: 19th
Notes:
Leesmann kept grinding as the event wore on, now working with an engine that was performing better. He started the Prefinal shotgun and had no where to go but up. The Challenge of the Americas champion gained roughly 11 positions on the start and stayed there for much of the race to end up 23rd. He complained about the kart not getting off the corner well and adjusted for the Final. Never giving up, Leesmann continued to charge forward in the Final. Another great start propelled him up the order quickly, but he was unable to move any further, ended up 19th overall to be classified among the top-20 in the world.
**********************
 | Wimsett led the DD2 contingent with a 16th place performance
(Photo: Ken Johnson - GoRotax.com) |
Driver: Joey Wimsett - #361
Hometown: Beavercreek, Oregon
Mechanic: Mike Rolison
Twitter: @JoeyWimsett27
Results:
Prefinal Start: 8th
Prefinal Finish: 11th
Final: 16th
Notes:
Wimsett started on the outside of Team USA’s Hodgson from row four to begin the 14-lap Prefinal. The defending U.S. Rotax Grand Nationals champion slotted in behind his teammate as they completed the opening corners. He completed the opening lap in seventh and followed Hodgson up to sit fifth at a point early on in the race. From there however he fell down the order as he could not get the kart out of the corner as quickly as he would have liked. At the checkered flag, Wimsett was 11th in the order about two tenths off the leaders pace per lap. It was not the start Joey was looking for in the main event, but contact in the third corner bunched up the field and he was 15th after the opening lap. From there, he tried to move forward but with the competition so strong, it was not an easy task. He made a couple mistakes that would cost him some positions, and he would finish 16th to lead Team USA. |
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