Sunoco stars light up the streets of Barrie!
Roth, Di Leo, Morad, Herder, Usher, Patrick, Wright, Pelletier, Keatings and de Heus all get class wins at Barrie Grand Prix

For the second straight year, the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Presented by Toronto Star Wheels has paid a visit to the streets of Barrie, and no one in attendance would argue that the 'Sunoco stars' put on a show to remember. Ten classes were contested over the two-day weekend, and this year the action was second to none.

Ironically the last race of the weekend, Formula Senior - the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship headline class - was probably the best. Newmarket's Mike Roth overcame everything that 30 of the best shifter kart drivers in Canada could throw at him - including blocking the track with hay bales - to take a huge win for his First Kart team. While Roth was the headline class winner, he was by no means the only winner on the weekend.

Markham's Daniel Morad (Formula Junior), Stouffville's Pearce Herder (Canada Junior Heavy) and Woodstock's William Keatings (World Formula Junior) all kept their win streaks alive at Barrie. Other Junior class winners included Cambridge's Ben Wright in Canada Junior Light, Longueuil, Quebec's Maxime Pelletier in RotaxMax Junior.

Uxbridge's Aaron de Hues won Canada Senior Light, while Belle River's Dave Patrick took home Canada Senior Heavy honours. Woodstock's Corey Usher won the World Formula Senior final, while Markham's Marco Di Leo won kept his RotaxMax Senior win streak alive - he has won every round so far.

GM Racing Winner's Circle Award  Roth, who was celebrating his 21st birthday "for the third time" on Sunday, was also awarded the GM Racing Winner's Circle Award, which goes to a driver judged to have displayed outstanding competition skills and sportsmanship. The assembled crowd sung happy birthday to Roth while he accepted the award.

The Pratt & Miller Team Spirit Award, which awards teams that are judged to exhibit the highest levels of teamwork in the areas of presentation, preparation and results.

"I have never seen a more professional group," claimed ASN Canada FIA Vice President of Competition Paul Cooke as he presented the award to the volunteer corner workers dubbed "The Tiffen Turn Crew".

A huge round of applause from the competitors accompanied the announcement, and the workers of the 'Tiffen turn' had their 'turn' in the spotlight.

These workers were honoured for their three-day service of constantly rebuilding the hay bale walls at the south end of the track.

"They refused to let the racers win," Cooke said. "Everytime the karters knocked down the hay bales, the Tiffen crew went right back to work rebuilding the wall - under some very trying conditions."

 

PHOTOS BY ED GATNER
 

Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Sunday Classes

Roth and roll in Barrie!

Mike Roth wins Formula Senior street fight

The majority of the Senior class action at the Barrie Grand Prix, site of the third round of the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Presented by Toronto Star Wheels was run on Sunday. The only Senior class that ran on Saturday, Canada Senior Light, was won by Aaron de Heus. Newmarket's Mike Roth took the coveted Formula Senior win on Sunday. Other Senior class winners were Woodstock's Corey Usher in World Formula Senior, Markham's Marco Di Leo in RotaxMax Senior and Belle River's Dave Patrick in Canada Senior Heavy.

Formula Senior - Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier; Mike Roth, Newmarket, Ontario
A huge field of 31 Formula Senior drivers turned up a Barrie, and the top 15 drivers were all within one second of the pole. Roth took the win in the pre-final over Wasaga Beach's Cale Meeks and Orillia's Cale Mead. In the final, Roth was able to thwart several threats to his lead and take the win over Mead and Fonthill's Matt Champagne.

RotaxMax Senior - Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier; Marco Di Leo, Markham, Ontario
Barrie saw the most entries ever for a Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Presented by Toronto Star Wheels class - an amazing 78 entries for RotaxMax Senior. Di Leo took the pole, but the top 18 were all within one second of the fastest qualifier. In the last chance race, Hamilton's Devan Matkovich took the win and the top 14 transferred to the final. Di Leo fouled a plug on the original start, but a red flag on lap two caused a complete restart, and Di Leo got his pole position back. He converted that into a win over Fonthill's Matt Champagne and Etobicoke's Robert Wickens.

World Formula Senior- Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier; Paul Carvalho, Gilford, Ontario
Oshawa's Nick Narini won the pre-final over North York's Chris Martin and Woodstock's Corey Usher. In the final, Martin won on the track, but was dq'd in tech. That gave the win to Usher. Rounding out the podium was Maple's Adriano Bilotta and Simcoe's Lloyd Shearer.

Canada Senior Heavy - Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier; Aaron de Heus, Uxbridge, Ontario
De Heus was able to turn his pole into a pre-final win over Belle River's Dave Patrick, and Bowmanville's Eric Nielsen. In the final, Patrick took the win over Leamington's Dale Bonham and de Heus.

Canada Senior Light - Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier; Jennifer Rempel, Leamington, Ontario
Uxbridge's Aaron de Heus rebounded from a fourth place qualifying effort - 0.082 off pole - to take the prefinal win over Whitby's Justin Mascoll and Belle River's Dave Patrick. Rempel fell back to ninth, but in the final, she drove back to third, just behind Windsor's Marc Stehle and de Heus.
 

The third round of the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Presented by Toronto Star Wheels kicked off on Saturday at the scenic Barrie street course around Kempenfelt Bay. Four Junior classes highlighted the day's schedule. Markham's Daniel Morad (Formula Junior) and William Keatings (World Formula Junior) remained undefeated in their respective classes. Longueuil, Quebec's Maxime Pellitier (RotaxMax Junior) and Cambridge's Ben Wright (Canada Junior Light) also took wins on Saturday. On Sunday, Stouffville's Pearce Herder took the Canada Junior Heavy win.

Formula Junior - Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier; Daniel Morad, Markham, Ontario
Markham's Daniel Morad put in yet another dominating performance in Formula Junior. Morad clean swept the event with pole, pre-final and final wins. In the pre-final, Bradford's Curtis Fox and Victoriaville, Quebec's Jessy Labbe rounded out the top three. King City's Richard Boake and Fox finished second and third in the final.

Canada Junior Light - Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier; Christopher Lane, Markham Ontario
Bolton's Keenan Harris took the pre-final win over polesitter Lane by a minuscule 0.178 of a second. Third in the pre-final went to Cambridge's Ben Wright. Ajax's Cory Luciano came from 26th on the grid to finish an impressive fourth. In the final, Wright took the win over Harris and Luciano - only 0.402 of a second separated the top three.

Canada Junior Heavy - Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier, Curtis Fox, Brandford, Ontario
Stouffville's Pearce Herder won the pre-final - from 13th on the grid - and the final to remain undefeated in Canada Junior Heavy competition. Behind Herder in the pre-final were Fox and Tottenham's Michael Glaze. In the final, Glaze was second and Fox third.

RotaxMax Junior - Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier; Eric Barrett, Richmond Hill, Ontario
Barrett was unable to convert his pole into a pre-final win. Stouffville's Pearce Herder - from third on the grid - took the win over Barrett by the slimmest margin of victory this year 0.097 of a second. Third in the pre-final went to Tottingham's Michael Glaze, who came from eighth on the grid. In the final, Longueuil, Quebec's Maxime Pelletier took the win from his sixth place starting spot. Second on the track was Herder, but he was penalized five seconds for rough driving, which sent him back to seventh. Second went to Barrett and third was Markham's Evan Hayden.

World Formula Junior - Cameron Motorsports Fast Qualifier; William Keatings, Woodstock, Ontario
William Keatings continued his string of wins in World Formula Junior, but it wasn't easy. After taking the pole, Keatings slipped back to third - behind Toronto's Bart Trapani and Stouffville's Kevin Monteith - in the pre-final, but he rebounded to take the win in the final by 10.478 seconds over Brampton's Anthony Gibson and Thorold's Lindsey Brown.

The objective of the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Presented by Toronto Star Wheels is to help foster a professional environment for kart drivers; help create a positive attitude towards appearance, conduct and discipline; help foster the employment of the best practices for the safe and fair running of competitions; and help kart drivers to move up the racing ladder to automobile racing.

For more information, please contact:
Russ Bond, 905-852-2900 [email protected]
Brad Brown, [email protected] (416)-233-8727, Paul Cooke, ASN Canada FIA - 905-403-9000

Release prepared by Russ Bond Agency (www.russbondagency.com)