Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship --
Round #1 Preview
May 11, 2007
The Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship presented by Toronto
Star Wheels begins its sixth season today as drivers and teams
converge on the perennial start point North/East of Toronto,
Ontario. Goodwood Kartways is the venue for the first of six rounds
and a few new faces will be on hand to challenge for karting
supremacy in what has become one of Canada’s most fabled Series.
Competition comes in three main forms for 2007
as Rotax Max, F1-K and four-stroke Honda categories add a trio of
each to headlining Formula Senior (ICC). This season marks the first
in Series’ history where a driver will attempt a full defence of
the senior shifter championship as Michael Vincec leads a massive
Cameron Motorsports/CRG charge. Joining him for Sunday’s standing
start will be teammates Curtis Fox, Gianmarco Raimondo, and Michael
Di Meo. Numbers are expected to hit double digits in the class and
two in particular are looking to break the Cameron/CRG stranglehold.
3S GoKarts brings a tandem to the table as Ryan Horses returns to
karting action for the first time in years with tuner Paul Lapierre
at the wrenches. Horses has been refining his form through the
preseason in picking up some club wins, as has Kenny Riedmann, who
makes the jump to senior in a season where he will also kick start a
motorcycle racing career. The line of champions to date includes:
Matt Champagne, Juliana Chiovitti, Mike Roth, Robert Wickens, and
Vincec.
Rotax Max Challenge
Three Rotax classes will take to the track as
the Series is a qualifying region for the massive Canadian Rotax Max
Challenge program. While events in Hamilton, host venue for the 2007
ASN Canadian National Championships, and the streets of Barrie will
bring heavy hitters from Quebec, the ‘regular’ fields are strong
as well. In Rotax Senior, five big guns bring five different marques
to the table in looking to knock off defending champion Eric Gerrits
of FirstKart.com. Vincec will challenge for CRG, as will past
champion Marco Di Leo for Intrepid, Michael Glaze for CMP, Brad
Forbes for Tony Kart and Pearce Herder for Awesome. The Rotax Senior
race will headline the Saturday schedule.
Rotax Junior will be equally as tight with a
number of National level racers in the paddock. David Ostella (CRG)
and Michael Furfari (First Kart) will be in action fresh from the
WKA JICA podium in Indiana, as will Anthony Furfari (First Kart) who
jumps from US-based Cadet to Rotax Junior in Canada. All will be
looking to knock off TKC superstar Kevin Monteith (First Kart), who
has been toying with junior fields through preseason primers at the
Goodwood-based Toronto Kart Club. Cory Luciano (Intrepid) is also a
sure title contender over the course of the season, as is Jonathan
Treadwell (Tony Kart).
New for this season will be the Rotax DD2 class
where a number of senior drivers will be running double-duty. Vincec
and Di Meo will have CRG’s on the grid, Gerrits will grid First
Kart, Di Leo will lead an Intrepid charge and Jason France has been
testing a Birel through the preseason.
Honda / F1-K
A bastion for four-stroke Honda racing, two
junior and a single senior class will return to the SRFKC for 2007.
Always a sure bet for nose-to-tail draft action, karting’s version
of NASCAR will once again have a massive senior field looking to
take the title. A quick scan of the pre-registered numbers reveals
the usual suspects can be expected: Marco Di Leo, Darryl Timmers,
Pearce Herder, Marc Stehle, Michael Glaze, Greg Rempel, Dave Patrick
to name a few. Evan Hayden will be there if injured ribs from a
tune-up race can take it, as will Kelly Wood, who has run 1-2 in the
last pair of TKC club events.
The Junior Heavy version will bring many names
from Junior Rotax back on track, and add in Justine Treadwell,
Neelan Nadesan and Reid Arnold to those who will threaten at the
front with Monteith. Junior Light should also provide very close
action, with Nico Fattore, Austin Milwain, Artem Korolev and Garett
Grist sure contenders. Many of the same names will dot the front in
F1-K Cadet where Korolev and Grist will be running with Gio
Pizzale-Rhead, Vanessa Ostella and Julius Makos.
F1-K Junior will have the field chasing David
Ostella, who last year made SRFKC history with tuner Mike Roth in
going six-for-six for a perfect season. Vincent Rago, Addison Rayner,
and Scott Laporte are expected to lead the hunt. Perhaps the most
wide open class will be F1-K Senior where 2007 lead dogs Vincec and
Di Leo have departed for Rotax DD2.
Schedule
Today brings pre-event practice by class from
10am - 6pm, followed by five classes each on Saturday and Sunday.
The day one lineup includes: Rotax Max Senior, Canada Junior Heavy,
F1-K 60cc, Canada Senior, and F1-K Junior. Sunday will follow with:
Formula Senior (ICC), Canada Junior Light, Rotax DD2, Rotax Max
Junior, and F1-K Senior to close the day. Timed practice and Pfaff
qualifying takes to the track mornings with prefinals and finals
coming in the afternoon.
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