2021 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals – Friday Report
Eight drivers remain from Team USA to compete in main events in Bahrain
Team USA for the 2021 Rotax Grand Finals (Photo: CKN)
A ‘Frantic Friday’ indeed for a number of competitors at the 2021 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Day five of competition at the Bahrain International Karting Circuit was completed on Friday, December 17 with the Prefinal action held to determine the 36-driver main event grids for the seven categories. Not all 376 drivers from countries all across the world were able to move on, including six of them under the Team USA banner. For eight in five classes, they will carry the Red White and Blue colors into the Final with hope of competing for a chance on the podium at the ‘Olympics of Karting’.
Team USA / Race Coverage
Team Canada Coverage – CanadianKartingNews.com
DD2: Birel ART (72 entries)
Contact cost a better starting position for Team USA DD2 driver Ethan Ho. Holding inside the top-10 at the start of Prefinal A, Ethan was taken out by another driver while passing under yellow. The contact dropped him down to 20th, gaining one more spot before the checkered flag. A pushback bumper penalty added to the damage, taking away a possible top-10 start for the main on Saturday, now going from Row 11. One of the youngest drivers in the DD2 field completed his first weekend with the two-speed machine. Alex McPherson-Wiman was making progress all week long. He climbed up to 25th before dropping to 27th, losing more spots due to a pushback bumper penalty. He finished just outside the top-60 in final points to complete his second trip to the Rotax Grand Finals.
#458 – Ethan Ho
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series West (2nd – Senior Max)
RMCGF Appearances: 0
Qualifying: (even) 5th – 52.410
Overall: 10th +0.329
Heat Group: B (Row 3)
Heat Points: 13th – 25 points (Prefinal A)
Warm-up: No Time
Prefinal A: 26th +20.110 (PBB)
Total Points: 22nd – 51 points
#459 – Alex McPherson-Wiman
Hometown: Colorado
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series West (1st – Junior Max)
RMCGF Appearances: 1 – 2019 (Mini)
Qualifying: (odd) 30th – 53.088
Overall: 59th +1.007
Heat Group: C (Row 15)
Heat Points: 62nd – 83 points (Prefinal B)
Warm-up: (odd) 23rd – 54.472
Prefinal B: 30th +23.196 (PBB)
Total Points: 61st – 113 points
DD2 Master: Praga (36 entries)
The best chance at a podium or a victory for Team USA is in the hands of Derek Wang. The 10-time Team USA driver bounced around in the Prefinal, falling down to as low as 10th and crossing the line in 7th. A pushback bumper penalty, likely from the crazy start for the class, dropped him to 9th in the order. It actually helped Wang, as he will now start from the inside lane, rolling from Row 3. John Bonanno is on the verge of breaking into the top-20, finishing 24th on track but gaining four spots after penalty. He will take off from Row 12 in an effort to get into that top-20 or even top-15.
#522 – Derek Wang
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series West (1st – Masters Max)
RMCGF Appearances: 9 – 2010, 2011 (DD2), 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 (DD2 Masters)
Qualifying: 6th – 53.201
Heat Points: 4th – 10 points
Warm-up: 10th – 54.035
Prefinal: 9th +14.486 (PBB)
Total Points: 5th – 19 points
#533 – John Bonanno
Hometown: Thorofare, New Jersey
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series East (1st – Masters Max)
RMCGF Appearances: 1 – 2018
Qualifying: 22nd – 53.659
Heat Points: 26th – 50 points
Warm-up: 23rd – 54.788
Prefinal: 20th +19.954
Total Points: 23rd – 70 points
Senior Max: Sodikart (72 entries)
For only the third time in the 21-year history of the Rotax Grand Finals, Team USA will not have a driver in the main event. The inaugural event in 2000, 2004, and 2021 will be a void for the Senior Max roster. Justin White and Macy Williams put in a solid effort, coming up just short. White was on the provisional bubble entering Prefinal B with his heat points. He was running 21st when he was shuffled toward the back of the field at the halfway point. Had he held on, it would have put him in the main event on Saturday. For Williams, she did what was needed on-track after sitting outside looking in Thursday evening. The Colorado driver advanced to 16th on the opening lap and crossed the line in 13th. Losing seven positions due to a pushback bumper penalty left her two points too high and two positions away from racing on Saturday.
#331 – Justin White
Hometown: Hunlock Creek, Pennsylvania
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series East (1st – Senior Max)
RMCGF Appearances: 2 – 2013 (Mini), 2018 (Junior)
Qualifying: (odd) 25th – 53.782
Overall: 49th +0.490
Heat Group: A (Row 13)
Heat Points: 34th – 55 points (Prefinal B)
Warm-up: (odd) 7th – 54.227
Prefinal B: 28th +15.484
Total Points: 39th – 83 points
#368 – Macy Williams
Hometown: Littleton, Colorado
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series West (1st – Senior Max)
RMCGF Appearances: 0
Qualifying: (even) 26th – 53.990
Overall: 52nd +0.698
Heat Group: D (Row 13)
Heat Points: 40th – 62 points (Prefinal B)
Warm-up: (even) 4th – 54.394
Prefinal B: 20th +10.106 (PBB)
Total Points: 38th – 82 points
Junior Max: Sodikart (72 entries)
The roller coaster of a week in Bahrain for Cooper O’Clair continued. Starting with enough points to make the show on Saturday, O’Clair tried to keep his nose clean in the Prefinal. After bouncing around positions, he ended up down in the 19th spot. That finish would have kept him in the show, except for a pushback bumper penalty and another 10-second penalty for exceeding track limits. With the added penalties, O’Clair came up short in the total points and will not make the Final on Saturday.
#260 – Cooper O’Clair
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series West (2nd – Junior Max)
RMCGF Appearances: 0
Qualifying: (even) 28th – 54.714
Overall: 55th +0.539
Heat Group: C (Row 14)
Heat Points: 33rd – 51 points (Prefinal A)
Warm-up: (even) 26th – 55.784
Prefinal A: 33rd +26.104 (PBB/+10-penalty)
Total Points: 41st – 84 points
Mini Max: Praga (72 entries)
Three of the five Mini Max drivers for Team USA will compete on Saturday in the Final. Korn and Drysdale had solid positions prior to the Prefinal races on Friday. Both were in Prefinal A, with Korn slipping back to 13th on the opening circuit but running fast lap of the entire day in the category to climb back to 10th. Drysdale had moved up to 11th early on but fell back to 14th by the checkered flag. Korn will lead the way for Team USA from Row 7. Joining them will be Jackson Wolny, who put in a solid performance in the Prefinal B race to put himself into the top-36. Wolny started his Prefinal 20th and was up into 14th after the opening circuit, driving into the top-10 to solidify a starting position on Saturday. Mneimneh recorded a DNF while Jacoby suffered a pushback bumper penalty that took him down after finishing 27th.
#148 – Kyle Drysdale
Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series West (1st – PKRA Finale)
RMCGF Appearances: 0
Qualifying: (even) 16th – 58.595
Overall: 31st +0.356
Heat Group: C (Row 8)
Heat Points: 23rd – 41 points (Prefinal A)
Warm-up: (even) 3rd – 58.617
Prefinal A: 14th +4.536
Total Points: 24th – 55 points
#158 – Gage Korn
Hometown: Aurora, Colorado
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series West (1st – Mini Max)
RMCGF Appearances: 0
Qualifying: (even) 9th – 58.500
Overall: 17th +0.261
Heat Group: A (Row 5)
Heat Points: 11th – 24 points (Prefinal A)
Warm-up: (even) 9th – 58.773
Prefinal A: 10th +3.172
Total Points: 13th – 34 points
#159 – Alexander Jacoby
Hometown: Washington DC
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series East (1st – Mini Max – 2020)
RMCGF Appearances: 0
Qualifying: (odd) 33rd – 59.373
Overall: 66th +1.134
Heat Group: B (Row 17)
Heat Points: 68th – 96 points (Prefinal B)
Warm-up: (odd) 33rd – 59.441
Prefinal B: 32nd +18.208 (PBB)
Total Points: 66th – 128 points
#164 – Jackson Wolny
Hometown: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Qualified: RTX Karting
RMCGF Appearances: 0
Qualifying: (even) 19th – 58.612
Overall: 37th +0.373
Heat Group: A (Row 10)
Heat Points: 40th – 63 points (Prefinal B)
Warm-up: (even) 7th – 58.734
Prefinal B: 8th +2.928
Total Points: 30th – 71 points
#169 – Rayan Mneimneh
Hometown: N/A
Qualified: Wildcard
RMCGF Appearances: 1 – 2018 (Micro)
Qualifying: (odd) 28th – 59.034
Overall: 56th +0.795
Heat Group: D (Row 19)
Heat Points: 44th – 67 points (Prefinal B)
Warm-up: (odd) 26th – 59.215
Prefinal B: 35th +5 Laps
Total Points: 54th – 102 points
Micro Max: Birel ART (36 entries)
Sebastian Rist, the lone Team USA driver in Micro Max, continues to show the speed, as he did in warm-up. Issues at the start dropped him down the order, eventually finishing 28th, and moving up one spot after penalties. Starting from the inside of Row 12, a good start will help him advance toward the top-15.
#21 – Sebastian Rist
Hometown: Crownsville, Maryland
Qualified: Rotax US Trophy Series East (2nd – Micro Max)
RMCGF Appearances: 0
Qualifying: 23rd – 1:02.202
Heat Points: 17th – 39 points
Warm-up: 13th – 1:02.168
Prefinal: 27th +13.393
Total Points: 23rd – 66 points
E20: Sodikart (18 entries)
Much like the opening two heat races, the racing for the Prefinal in the inaugural E20 class at the Rotax Grand Finals was heated. Spiezia started seventh, and held the position until the final two laps when things heated up. On the final circuit, Spiezia was able to cross the line in fifth, but was penalized for exceeding the track limits. He went off track due to some heavy racing at the downhill section of the track. The 10-second penalty dropped him to 13th in the final order, and with the final point calculations, will see him go from inside Row 5 for the Final.
#704 – Ellis Spiezia
Hometown: Hoboken, New Jersey
Qualified: N/A
RMCGF Appearances: 0
Qualifying: 7th – 53.822
Heat Points: 7th – 14 points
Warm-up: No Time
Prefinal: 13th +15.409 (+10-second)
Total Points: 9th – 27 points
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