Oliver Hodgson won Heat 2 and the Prefinal to start the Senior Max Final from pole position (Photo: EKN)

The inaugural Race Rotax US Trophy Final kicked off the first day of racing at the New Castle Motorsports Park in New Castle, Indiana on Saturday. A full day of action took place around the 1-mile ‘Reverse National’ course, including qualifying, two rounds of heat racing and a Prefinal to set the grid for Sunday’s Finals. Weather was typical of October in Indiana, with a crisp chill in the air yet sunny skies provided the perfect backdrop for the five categories competing on the weekend.

The largest field of the event is Senior Max at 26 driver battling for the tickets on the line. A total of two drivers were able to dip below the 1:04 mark in qualifying with Yash Rampal (CompKart) setting the quick lap of 1:03.954. A wild opening 12 laps in Heat 1 allowed Griffin Dowler (Tony Kart) to come up from ninth to earn the race win ahead of fellow Canadian Adam Ali (SodiKart). UK pilot and 2013 Rotax Grand Finals winner Oliver Hodgson (CompKart) took control for the rest of the event. Hodgson won Heat 2, coming from fifth on the grid and then once again in the 14-lap Prefinal to drive away to the win for the pole position in the main event. Daniel Ali (Kosmic) drove to second with brother Adam in third. Aidan Fox (Alonso Kart) drove to fourth with Santiago Biagi (Exprit) up 17 spots to fifth to end the day.

Derek Wang has set the benchmark in Masters Max (Photo: EKN)

It was a battle all day up front in the Masters Max division. 10-time Team USA driver Derek Wang (LN Racing Kart) began with fast time in qualifying. The opening heat race went to former Team USA pilot John Bonanno (CompKart) after a last lap skirmish Wang able to hold off the field in Heat 2. More excitement at the front shuffled up the order with Wang able to escape with the race win and the pole position for Sunday’s Final. Mundy Loyer (EOS) advanced three spots to second with Harold Watson (SodiKart) up five to third in the final classification. Bonanno was involved in early contact but fought back to fourth with Michael Burton (Tony Kart) set to start fourth. Laurentiu Mardan (TecnoKart), Danillo Ramalho (Kosmic) and Billy Cleavelin (Kosmic) were all in the top-five throughout the day but will start the Final from seventh, eighth and 10th respectively.

A sweep on the day in Junior Max for Cooper O’Clair (Photo: EKN)

Arizona driver Cooper O’Clair (CompKart) was the dominant player in Junior Max all day, topping qualifying over Archer Eversman (CompKart) before winning both heats and the Prefinal. Eversman was second in both heat races, but the man on the move in the Prefinal was Nixx Eggleston (Exprit). The Arizona driver DNF’d the opening heat race and then finished third in the second heat to begin a strong recovery. Starting 10th in the Prefinal, Eggelston powered through to finish an impressive second, putting himself back into the fight for the race win on Sunday. Giovanni Santora (CompKart) finished third ahead of Eversman and Ben Hernandez (Exprit).

Gage Korn is the driver to beat in Mini Max (Photo: EKN)

Race Factory’s Gage Korn swept all four sessions in the Mini Max category, pulling away from the field in both heat races after qualifying on the pole. The Prefinal was a different story as Lucas Delongchamps (Birel ART) and Kyle Drysdale (Nitro Kart) worked together to keep Korn within reach. A pack of six drivers raced hard, almost 10 seconds back, and it was Matteo Quinto (Tony Kart) who came out on top in fourth after sliding forward and backward within the pack throughout the 12-lap distance. For Sunday’s main event, Korn and Delongchamps will make up the front row ahead of Drysdale and Quinto. Teammates Oliver Mrak and Jackson Lachapelle will put their Birel ART machines side-by-side on row three.

Marco Sammut leads the way in Micro Max after Day 1 (Photo: EKN)

The Micro Max class quickly developed into a battle between US Trophy Series East point leader Marco Sammut (LN Kart) and US Trophy Series West top gun Ryan Queen (CompKart). Sammut qualified on pole and won both heat races and the Prefinal, but he was shadowed in each race by Queen. The Arizona driver did take over the lead for time in the second heat race, but Sammut exerted his strength and quickly retook the point. In the extended distance Prefinal, Queen pressured Sammut all race, but the East leader held onto the position to secure the pole for Sunday’s main event. Sterling Mulata (CompKart) jumped quickly into third at the start of the Prefinal and held the position from green to checker to lock in the inside of the second row for the main, when he’ll start alongside Cam Becker (Race Factory).

The drivers and teams will return to the track on Sunday morning for a warm-up session at 9:00 am ET, ahead of the first main event at 10:00 am. Tune into the live audio broadcast of the mains via www.ekartingnews.com/live and follow EKN on Facebook and Twitter for the immediate top-10s following each race.

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