Arscott won three races, including the final round of the Rotax COTA to earn the championship and Team USA spot
(Photo: Sean Buur - Go Racing Magazine)

Thanks to the new partnership between MAXSpeed Group and eKartingNews.com, a monthly program has been devised to promote outstanding drivers in the Rotax Max Challenge. The new program – GoRotax.com Driver of the Month presented by eKartingNews.com – is based off a similar program the leading karting website offers each month, focused on the United States ‘Rotaxians’. Each month, the staff at MAXSpeed and EKN will determine one driver to profile who promotes Rotax and karting in general in a positive fashion, along with standing out on-track. Each driver’s accomplishments will be highlighted, in addition to getting to know the Driver of the Month.

At age 23, Phillip Arscott is among the most well-rounded racers still competing in karting today. The Oregon driver developed at the local and regional level, expanding to the national scene in the mid 2000’s. From sprint racing to road racing, including a number of international events under his belt, Arscott has experienced it all. In 2009, Arscott scored the United States Rotax Grand Nationals victory at the Oklahoma Motorsports Complex and has been part of Team USA twice before. With the goal of earning a third trip back to the Rotax Grand Finals, Arscott took on the full Rotax Challenge of the Americas program for 2013 in search of the ticket for the series championship. With poise and strong confidence, Phil secured the championship last month at the series finale and will once again be part of the Team USA roster at the Rotax Grand Finals – earning him the GoRotax.com Driver of the Month Presented by eKartingNews.com.

Arscott entered the final weekend leading the championship after two wins in two weekends, leading by 60 points over his Rolison Performance Group teammate Parker McKean. The interesting factor on the weekend for Phil was his solo performance as both the driver and the mechanic, with his father John away on vacation in Hawaii. Arscott was among the fast drivers during Friday practice, and sat second after qualifying on Saturday for the opening round of the weekend. A runner-up in the Prefinal, Phil was shuffled back to fifth in the opening lap of the Final. As he had done before, he knifed his way forward back to the second spot while earning the fast lap of the race. While the day was a solid one for the point chase, you could tell he was unhappy with second. He came back the following day to earn the pole position in qualifying, transitioning that into a two-second win in the Prefinal. The only thing that slowed down Arscott in the Final was lap traffic, as on the penultimate lap, he was nearly taken out by one of the drivers but continued on to victory by three seconds to claim the Rotax Challenge of the Americas championship.

This will be Arscott’s third trip to the Rotax Grand Finals. In 2008, Phil was runner-up to Arie Ouimet at the US Grand Nationals in Shawano, WI. He finished 25th that year in Italy. In 2009 after scoring the title in the United States, Phil was an impressive 7th behind Joey Wimsett, who recorded the highest finisher by an American placing fourth in Egypt. That year, Arscott joined Nick Neri and Cody Hodgson on the podium of the Nations Cup for a third place finish, the first time Team USA was recognized on the podium. Phil was in position for a podium finish after driving from the tail of the field at the 2010 US Grand Nationals before contact on the final lap took him out of contention. He came back in 2011 to earn a third place finish at the US Grand Nationals, but was unable to attend the Rotax Grand Finals that year.

Last season, he had a limited race schedule due to school commitments, including being part of the Oregon State University Formula SAE program. The Rotax Challenge of the Americas program was the only chance for Arscott to earn a spot at the Rotax Grand Finals, as he will be spending the summer in Germany with the team. In 2011, Arscott also earned a spot to be on the GT Academy television show – a driver development program taking drivers from racing online to the real thing.

GoRotax.com Driver of the Month Presented by eKartingNews.com
March 2013 – Phillip Arscott

GoRotax Driver of the Month – March 2013 – Phillip Arscott
(Photo: Sean Buur – Go Racing Magazine)

Bio

Born: 9/17/1989
Hometown: Portland, OR
Marital Status: Single
Children: N/A
Height/Weight: 5’ 9” / 135lbs.
Education: Mechanical Engineering – Oregon State University
Occupation: Student

Racing Resume

Chassis: OTK/Swiss Hutless
Engine Service Center: CMC
Sponsors: CMC, Rolison Performance Group
United States Rotax Max Challenge Home Series: Can-Am Rotax Max Challenge
Years Karting: Lots
How did you get started in karting? With my Dad watching for a year, we decided to both get karts
What has been the high point in your racing career? 2009 United States Rotax Grand Nationals
What are your goals in racing? Have fun, go as fast as possible
In a few words, how would you describe your driving style? Fast
2012 Accomplishments: N/A

Likes

Favorite Track: Moran Raceway – Beaumont, CA/ US AIR Motorsports Park – Shawano, WI
Favorite form of professional motorsports: Formula One
Favorite karting driver: Bas Lammers
Favorite professional driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Favorite website: eKartingNews.com
Favorite movie: Top Gun
Favorite actor/actress: Adam Sandler
Favorite music/group: Above and Beyond
Favorite vacation/activity spot: At the track or skiing
Favorite food: Pizza

The Real Deal

What do you do when not at the track? School, skiing, biking, designing and building Formula SAE cars at Oregon State
What are your goals outside of karting? Live comfortably enough to do the things I enjoy
What type of street car do you drive? 02 WRX Wagon
What type of street car would you like to drive? McLaren F1
What are your pet peeves or things that irritate you? When roommates don’t clean up their dishes
What is your favorite aspect about racing in the Rotax Max Challenge program? Level playing feel and great regional/national/international competition

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