2025 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals – Team USA – Tuesday Report
DD2 drivers Massimino and Williams lead USA squad in final day of practice in Bahrain
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Day two of the 2025 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals was completed on Tuesday at the Bahrain International Karting Circuit. The final sessions of a total of five for all categories and the 394 drivers from over 60 countries were contested in a shifted schedule on the day, which began roughly at 2pm local time and ran up to about 9pm local time. This was the first time competitors of this year’s event were able to take to the Bahrain circuit under the lights.
The E20 Senior, E20 Master, Micro MAX and Mini MAX ran their final two sessions for non-qualifying practice while Junior MAX, Senior MAX, DD2 Master and DD2 took to the circuit three times on Tuesday.
The nine drivers for Team USA were led on the day by DD2 pilots Pauly Massimino and Macy Willliams. Each were P2 at one point on the day in the very competitive 72 driver field. The trio of Senior drivers stayed in the mix all day as well as Enzo DiGennaro in Mini MAX and Ellis Spiezia in E20 Senior. Speaking with members of Team USA, the squad is having a positive start to this year’s event with chemistry beginning to jive within the team.
Below is a breakdown of each driver’s results and some comments on the day’s action.
Be sure to follow CanadianKartingNews.com to follow the action of Team Canada.
DD2 – Birelart (72 Drivers)
#467 – Pauly Massimino
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Qualified: RMC US Trophy Final Runner-Up (Senior MAX)
RMC Grand Finals Appearances: 0
Practice 3 (odd): 7th – 53.120 +0.258
Practice 4 (odd): 10th – 53.008 +0.420
Practice 5 (odd): 2nd – 52.736 +0.058
“Day 2 went pretty well. It started off a little slow. We definitely have made some decent changes throughout the day and I feel it has helped. But I think the biggest thing that we have improved on is my driving. I’m still trying to figure out how to maximize the braking. I think what we are missing now is in me. I need to keep working and improving on using the front brakes. Running under the lights was definitely very cool. It felt a lot faster out on track. And the lighting was very good so it wasn’t too big of a change.”
#466 – Macy Williams
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Hometown: Littleton, Colorado
Qualified: Max Karting Group Canada Final Winner
RMC Grand Finals Appearances: 1 – 2021 (Senior MAX)
Practice 3 (even): 3rd – 53.032 +0.128
Practice 4 (even): 19th – 53.233 +0.405
Practice 5 (even): 2nd – 52.888 +0.064
“Today went well. We worked out some issues we were having and are feeling good for tomorrow. It is super fun running at night here. The track lights are really nice and there’s no real dark spot on the track. The facility is absolutely awesome!”
Senior MAX – Sodi Kart (72 Drivers)
#367 – Oliver Hodgson
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Qualified: RMC US Trophy Final Winner
RMC Grand Finals Appearances: 4 – 2012, 2013, 2023 (Team GBR), 2024 (Team USA)
Wins: Senior MAX (2013)
Practice 3 (odd): 16th – 53.936 +0.279
Practice 4 (odd): 5th – 53.703 +0.213
Practice 5 (odd): 35th – 55.025 +1.471
“We got the carburation closer to my liking today. Driving under the lights here is similar to daylight which reflects off the tarmac.”
#366 – Cooper O’Clair
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Qualified: RMC USA West Champion
RMC Grand Finals Appearances: 4 – 2021, 2022 (Junior MAX), 2023 (Senior MAX), 2024 (DD2)
Practice 3 (even): 21st – 54.037 +0.278
Practice 4 (even): 8th – 53.869 +0.255
Practice 5 (even): 20th – 53.913 +0.271
“I sort of made a mess of my final session. I think I have a lot more to offer tomorrow. The biggest challenge is managing your track position when all 36 drivers are trying to do a lap in the 5 or 6 minutes you have at pace. We’re most definitely quick enough to see that it’s not worth ‘playing the game’ with the large group of drivers and better to be more on my own. The track changes from day to night, especially with the heat and all the rubber laying down, the oils from the tires, just makes the track greasy during the day. At night, that rubber becomes a lot more useable and I find the kart a lot less work to drive. Regardless, the night sessions are always a spectacle and something I look forward to regardless of how the kart is to drive.”
#347 – Charlie Smith
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Hometown: Orange County, California
Qualified: BNL Karting Series Championship – Fourth Place
RMC Grand Finals Appearances: 0
Practice 3 (odd): 9th – 53.783 +0.126
Practice 4 (odd): 3rd – 53.641 +0.151
Practice 5 (odd): 14th – 54.060 +0.506
“It was another solid day, top three almost all the time. I just got into some situations out of our control with the waiting. I’m happy with it so far and looking forward to the rest of the week. Driving under the lights for me was very cool and enjoyable.”
DD2 Masters – Barrichello Kart (36 Drivers)
#535 – Christopher Mann
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Hometown: Vancouver, Washington
Qualified: RMC USA West – Third Place
RMC Grand Finals Appearances: 0
Practice 3: 29th – 54.249 +0.972
Practice 4: 27th – 54.003 +0.786
Practice 5: 27th – 53.991 +0.861
“Today’s sessions were a solid continuation of figuring out the package and understanding how it reacts as we go from the hot afternoons into the cooler night runs. I’m seeing improvements, and I’m hoping that trend continues, especially once new tires come into play. This facility is world-class, and running under the lights in Bahrain is genuinely remarkable. The changing conditions from morning to dusk really put us through the wringer, and adapting session by session is part of the challenge and the fun.”
Junior MAX – Praga (72 Drivers)
#212 – Davin Roberts
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Qualified: Rotax Winter Trophy Champion
RMC Grand Finals Appearances: 1 – 2024 (Junior MAX)
Practice 3 (even): 31st – 55.024 +0.610
Practice 4 (even): 22nd – 54.852 +0.401
Practice 5 (even): 33rd – 55.204 +0.808
“Today’s results do not show the speed I am capable of. Most of today was spent working through some engine concerns with the Rotax team. The team was great to work with. We made noticeable gains in the second session. The final session I needed to have better track positioning. The draft is super crucial to a fast lap here and I lack this with the karts around me. I attempted to back off and would catch the karts around me too quickly. Since I’ve raced under the lights in the states it didn’t feel any different to me.”
Mini MAX – Formula K (72 Drivers)
#136 – Enzo DiGennaro
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Hometown: Poughkeepsie, New York
Qualified: Rotax Winter Trophy Champion
RMC Grand Finals Appearances: 1 – 2024 (Mini MAX)
Practice 4 (even): 6th – 58.555 +0.300
Practice 5 (even): 11th – 58.614 +0.190
“Track position hasn’t been the best to get perfect laps but good enough to know what we have and what we need to improve on. Driving under the lights was cool. Really bright. We tested some new things during the evening sessions today. Looking forward to Qualifying and finally getting to start racing!”
E20 Senior – Sodi Kart (19 Drivers)
#609 – Ellis Spiezia
(Photo: Hellofoto Motorsports Photos)
Hometown: Hoboken, New Jersey
RMC Grand Finals Appearances: 1 – 2021 (E20)
Practice 4: 13th – 54.524 +0.608
Practice 5: 9th – 54.443 +0.385
“Two sessions today, both great. Kart is feeling good and I’m saving my tires for the last practice tomorrow before qualifying. I stayed in the top 10 and the whole field is separated by only 0.8 which is insane. Running under the lights is always something special and tonight was no exception. Ready for qualy and our first heat tomorrow.”
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