After months of waiting, Race 1 at the Hamilton Regional Kart Club (HRKC) finally arrived — and it did not disappoint! We were treated to beautiful weather, with the sun breaking through for the afternoon sessions, setting the perfect stage for an awesome day of racing.
It was fantastic to see a strong turnout, featuring a great mix of rookies, drivers moving up into new classes, and experienced veterans leading the way. The day ran smoothly overall with plenty of clean, competitive racing. The one major exception was during the Briggs Junior start, where an over-eager pack of drivers tried to claim P1 off the line. It was a good reminder of the classic racing adage: “To finish first, first you must finish.”
Despite the incident, there was a highlight moment of true sportsmanship when Andrew Adams quickly jumped to the aid of his fellow racers, helping lift a kart off a trapped driver. A great candidate for “Sportsman of the Year” already! Jackson Morley’s 360 camera captured some fantastic footage of this — unfortunately, the camera was later launched during the Rotax races and has yet to be recovered. Side note: if you find it, or ever find lost items at the track, please bring them to the office so we can return them to their rightful owners!
The young racers in Briggs Cadet put on a hard-fought show all day long. Nathan Stockwell started out the day qualifying on pole but Yousef Adi was the standout, winning both the Pre-Final and Final. Nathan Stockwell and Lincoln Lima rounded out the podium after some intense battles. This class will definitely be one to watch all season long!
A field full of rookies meant the racing was a bit more spread out, but it was great to see everyone learning and improving. Cody Shaw took a commanding win — and delighted everyone by bringing his dog onto the podium with him! We hope Cody’s furry friend becomes a regular at HRKC; we love dogs at the track!
The experienced teenagers in Briggs Junior were ready for battle. Kaden Malik set the early pace by qualifying on pole, but it was Jackson Morley who showed his racecraft, winning both the Pre-Final and Final. Morley had to fight back from a tough start, falling to P5 before charging through the field. He and Malik worked together early to build a gap before Morley made his move. Malik started defending with several laps to go, but Morley’s patience paid off. A close finish at the line was impacted by a post-race bumper penalty that dropped Malik down the order.
With over 34 drivers, Briggs Senior was the class to watch! We had to run a B Final, where the top six would advance to the A Final. Dillon Coleman led the way in the B Final, joined by Conner Freer, Jackson Maytum, Samuel Gow, Gabriel Ferreira, and Noah Neil.
The A Final featured 25 drivers fighting it out. David Barnes and Alex Murphy pulled a small gap on the field and battled to the line, finishing just 0.068 seconds apart, with Barnes taking the win. Briggs Senior is going to deliver must-watch racing all season long!
In Briggs Masters, it was an OTK chassis showcase, with Eli Yanko taking the win closely followed by Christopher Mitchell. Patrick Lelievre completed the podium in a competitive field of veterans.
We were thrilled to officially welcome ROTAX racing to the club this year with Mini Max, Junior, and Senior classes — and the racing lived up to the hype!
It was all the Lorusso brothers with Nicholas qualifying on pole and Massimo Lorusso winning both the pre-final and final. Lincoln Lima and Nathan Stockwell rounded out the podium after solid drives.
A classic HRKC rivalry continued into Rotax Junior! Jackson Morley (pole and Pre-Final winner) and Aristeides Theodoropoulos have been battling since their Cadet days, and now in Rotax Junior it’s no different. This time, Aristeides got the last laugh, taking the win in the Final. Stefano Lanzillotta pulled off a great last-lap pass to secure the final podium spot.
Rotax Senior featured a deep field of talent. Jaden Hundal set the tone early by grabbing pole, but Michael Nickle was the story of the day, winning both the Pre-Final and Final. While Nickle led flag-to-flag, he was under constant pressure from William Adams, Jaden Hundal, and Nigel Longley. This class promises some epic battles all season long.
The action keeps coming fast with Race 2 set for next Sunday, May 4th!
We’ll have practice sessions available on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday this week. Make sure to get on track, dial in your setup, gears, and tire pressures to be ready for another fantastic race day.
Pre-Register For The Race Here
We can’t wait to see everyone back at the track!
Originally posted on Canadian Karting News at – https://www.canadiankartingnews.com/hrkc-supports-rmc-ontario-with-great-club-racing-action/ While the spotlight was on the Rotax Max Challenge Ontario opener,
This past weekend at Hamilton Karting Complex was one to remember. We hosted our first national race of the season—the
