"We’re very excited about the season ahead, especially with now having four world final ‘punches’ to issue," said Louis-Philippe Gelinas, Series’ Manager. "Our goal is to once again elevate the structure of the ECKC to provide the best National competition platform, and also create must-see events for families and spectators! We have a great lineup of circuits, and with the return of a street event for the finale we have not only great challenges to the drivers and teams, but also much more visibility for our sport. The season is already taking shape very well!"

Just as with season two, the upcoming Championship will contest six races over four rounds, alternating between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The rounds in Ontario will be doubleheader events, while those in Quebec will be single race events on Sundays that follow rounds of the Quebec Cup on Saturdays. Goodwood Kartways and Mosport International Karting will host Ontario events, while both Quebec events will be at new venues with Circuit ICAR hosting round two, and the season finale returning to Le Monaco de Trois-Rivieres, this time at its new location in Exposition Park.

"The new version of Le Monaco at GP3R is awesome!" Gelinas continued, and with first-hand knowledge having raced the event last season. "The track will be longer than last year, and the layout has good flow with a mix of technical corners and high speed. The paddock space is up to GP3R spec, so plenty of space for everyone. And racing in front of a pair of packed fifty-foot grandstands might just be the best part! The season finale is going to be just an awesome event this year."

The 2012 Championship will once again be an official Rotax Max Challenge series, and all involved were tremendously excited to confirm that it will indeed now award four tickets to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, this year to be contested in Algarve, Portugal, from November 28th to December 1st. Along with the champions from Rotax Junior, Senior, and DD2, this season the ECKC Champion in Masters DD2 will also be awarded a ticket to Grand Finals.

It’s the beginning of what promises to be an exceptional awards package, and though little else can compare in the mind of a Rotax racer, additional awards and testing opportunities are already in the works and will also be announced over the course of the winter. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.eckc.ca

Friday, May 25, Practice

Saturday, May 26, Race One

Sunday, May 27, Race Two

www.goodwoodkartways.com

Friday, June 15, Practice

Saturday, June 16, Quebec Cup*

Sunday, June 17, Race Three

www.circuiticar.com

Friday, June 29, Practice

Saturday, June 30, Race Four

Sunday, July 1, Race Five

www.mosportinternationalkarting.com

Friday, July 27, Practice

Saturday, July 28, Quebec Cup*

Sunday, July 29, Race Six

www.monacokarting.ca

The ECKC wishes you a Good and Happy new Season 2012, To see the 2012 Calendar click here

Following its first season, six drivers who contested the entire ECKC as their home series qualified to represent Team Canada at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, and ten of fourteen drivers on Team Canada had starts in the series. Following its second season, twelve drivers who contested the entire ECKC as their home series qualified to represent Team Canada at Grand Finals, and sixteen of a record-setting twenty-one drivers had starts in the series. It’s helped to quickly define the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship as one of the most competitive Rotax Max Challenge Series’ in the world, and certainly the most competitive in North America during the summer season.

Of the ECKC drivers that contested Grand Finals this year, the most notable of course is PSL/CRG driver Pier-Luc Ouellette, who after winning the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship DD2 crown, went on to win the Canadian National Championship and the Rotax World Championship. In fact, every Canadian National Rotax Champion was an ECKC competitor, and others scored additional championships as well. Intrepid drivers Marco Di Leo and Jesse Lazare joined CRG driver Tyler McEwan in claiming a Pan American Championship, while Michael Vincec and Nicholas Latifi earned championships this year in the Florida Winter Tour and Gatorz Challenge of the Americas respectively. The ECKC is certainly delivering on its promise, and the second season proved even better than the first.

Of course, much excitement around the ECKC in 2011 was the fact that its Awards Package contained three tickets to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. In the end, those tickets were awarded to Olivier Bedard, Reid Arnold and Christophe Boisclair, and each took some time to look back on the experience when they returned home to Canada.

"We were really happy with our result because many people who had done the Grand Finals told me the first time made it very difficult to be totally focussed and the pressure of the event often slowed down the drivers," said Bedard, who placed eleventh and was Canada’s top Junior. "I’m glad I was able to control the pressure and focus on the racing. That allowed us to qualify in the top fifteen."

Heat runs of 9-8-26 followed, and from there Bedard transferred directly to the Prefinal, where he lined up P24.

"The first two heats generally went well except for the first two laps each time when I lost a lot of positions," he said of his first two race runs. "The third was much worse, as I was hurt two times in corner one when I was pushed out. I was stressed all day until they posted the rankings, because I did not want to go through the Last Chance race. Finally, we qualified!"

The Prefinal wasn’t what the Team Canada rookie was hoping for, as once again he was bounced around by those in the mid-pack looking to barge their way to the front. In the end, he finished P23, one spot better than where he had began eleven laps earlier. An eighteen lap final was then the only race left, and the SRA/Birel driver produced a great one. Rounding Al Ain Raceway in eighteenth through one, Bedard then climbed to thirteenth through five, and P12 when the race hit halfway at nine laps. He was bounced backward three positions shortly afterwards, yet set his best lap of the race on fifteen and came forward to eleventh by the final flag.

"I wanted to finish this first experience with a good result and I wanted to prove I could overtake and come forward," he said. "I wanted to challenge myself and grow as a driver. We found a setup that worked well and we had almost no tire degradation, which helped me too. I returned the kart with absolutely no scratches, exceptional according to the Birel guys, so next time I can be a little more aggressive!

"I also have to thank all the people that allowed for me to go to the Grand Finals: My parents, JC Perreault, SRA Karting, Max Karting, and the ECKC. I’m now looking to go to next year’s Grand Final in Portugal, and plan to win!"

"The event was amazing. It was professionally run and the facilities were great," said Arnold once back on home soil. "Everything ran like clockwork and every aspect was executed with a high calibre of efficiency and professionalism. I would have liked more sessions, as the format was quite relaxed with none of the typical frantic pace that is normally associated with events, but I always prefer to be on track as much as possible!"

For the sixteen-year-old senior driver making his first start at world finals, dialling into the perfect setup was a challenge that put him a step behind early, and as he knew as well as others, it was a step that was very difficult to make up once heat racing began.

"It is hard to say what happened with me, but I just didn’t seem to get on pace," Arnold said. "Certainly there were areas of my driving that I could have improved on, but I took a while figuring it out. And when you add up all the little things that contribute to being off the pace with chassis, carburetion, tire pressure... it was easy to be a second off. And that was all there was between P1 and P61!"

Things didn’t get much better when Arnold was forced to retire from the first heat, but he was dicing in the second heat and put ten karts behind him as things began to improve. Heat three was delivering more of the same as he was quickly moving forward, but contact sent him backward twice, and a third and final blow ended his week outright. Still, at just sixteen, Arnold has a return to the Grand Finals firmly planted on his to-do list for the season ahead.

"It was a tough crowd to be competing against and with over half the class not even making the finals, you need a lot of luck, driving skill and setup to be there," he said in concluding. "I had hoped to be a bit further up the list, but regardless of my results, I think myself and everyone on the team was honoured to be there. Although I made the team through the trickle effect, I had been very close in all the events I participated in and next year I want to ensure that there is no question. With anything in life, you have to have a goals and that will remain one of mine for the upcoming year.

"I can't thank everyone enough for the opportunity to go. The team was a combination of terrific drivers, families and friends, who helped make the trip that much more memorable. I have to specifically thank Patrick Moreau and SRA for all their help and support in the organization, and Chere Cooke from ASN for her assistance. And all the sponsors, especially the Latifi's and David Tennyson for the amazing team suits and clothes, and all the others: Canadian Tire, Ron Fellows, ASN, Jim Russell Karting. Without these people and sponsors, none of this would be possible. We made a huge impact with our presence and professionalism there and that goes a long way in representing our country. Thank you to all my teammates and everyone involved."

Even with an incredible eighth appearance at Grand Finals, Boisclair was still revelling in the atmosphere in the paddock while in Al Ain. "It’s always the same excitement!" he said of the event. "It’s always really fun at the RMCGF as you have the opportunity to work with people from Team Canada that you don’t normally work with and the competition is really strong. We had a good start with a top-five in first practice, but then we tried some setup and it just didn’t work out at all. We were going backwards in every practice. After the qualifying we decided to make a radical change and it worked out for the best."

That is certainly true, as after starting from P16 in every heat the SRA/Birel driver posted P9 in both the first and second heats. Trouble then came in the third, but Boisclair was still off to the prefinal on a direct transfer.

"The first two heats went well but in the third I got pushed out on the second lap," he said. "I went back on track and finished P21. I was still happy with the result because we ended up qualifying P24 on points and I didn’t have to run the Last Chance even with the third heat result."

A brilliant prefinal then followed, one where Boisclair never took a backward step and was one of only four karts in the field to reach the 55.4 second mark. He then took two more spots post race when jump-start penalties were assessed, and was in position to shoot for the podium in the Grand Final.

"In the prefinal everything was perfect," Boisclair said of the incredible charge. "I had a good start, never lost time when passing people and never got passed. I didn’t have the fastest lap, but it was close enough which gave us a lot of hope to go up front in the final. But the final was at 4:30 and the temperature dropped about 7̊C and it wasn’t good for my setup. I lost a lot of speed and I wasn’t able to catch everyone like I did in the prefinal. I was there fighting for my place and ended up P12.

"Still, I have to thank my mechanic Christian and everyone from Team Canada DD2. We had good team work in Al Ain."

The sophomore season of the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship has now come to a close, but details for season three are already being confirmed. Watch for details early in the New Year, as the third season of Canada’s premiere Rotax Max Challenge begins to take shape.

"It was a great experience, about so much more than just getting to drive the cars," Robichon said upon his return to home and the University of Ottawa. "The amount I learned in the marketing and media side of the sport was really great. The USF2000 car was really fun to drive, and even though the track we were at was a kart track you were still able to feel the downforce!"

After an orientation day Sunday, the ten participants were on track Monday for practice and Tuesday participated in a five-lap qualifying session and a ten-lap race simulation. Under the watchful eyes of Firestone Indy Lights’ driver Anders Krohn, motorsports writer and commentator Jeremy Shaw, Director of Mazda Motorsports John Doonan and Director of Business Development for Firestone Indy Lights Tony George Jr., the ten drivers were vying for the chance to race the St. Petersburg rounds of the 2012 USF2000 Championship this March.

"It’s quite a weird feeling when you feel the car slide, and then when you decide to take it faster it actually makes it easier!" Robichon said of his time on track with wings and slicks. "Adapting to this I struggled a bit and I was never really able to get into a rhythm. I never felt comfortable really pushing the limits of the car, so I mostly concentrated on being smooth and hitting my marks. Since we only had a total of 30 laps, I never really pushed for speed, but I know with more time I would have been able to go faster."

While the Hinchtown.com Canadian Karting Shootout selected individual drivers from across Canada, the Mazda Road to Indy Scouting Combine had each of its ten representatives selected by Championships across North America. As the ECKC representative, Robichon was joined by drivers from the World Karting Association, International Karting Federation, Florida Karting Championship Series, Cal State Karting Series, SKUSA Central States Challenge and the TaG World Championship, among others.

"It’s been great to get the chance to try all these new things during the ‘off-season’ from karting," Robichon said. "I wasn’t expecting any of these opportunities, so it’s been wonderful to get the chance to learn at these shootouts and gain a lot of experience. I just can’t thank everyone involved enough."

The Eastern Canadian Karting Championship is the premiere kart racing championship in Canada, and one of the most competitive Rotax Max Challenge Series in the world. Twelve of its drivers competed at the most recent Grand Finals, including DD2 World Champion Pier-Luc Ouellette. Drivers from the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship are also reigning Florida Winter Tour Champions, Gatorz Challenge of the Americas Champions, Pan American Rotax Max Challenge Champions and Canadian National Champions. The Eastern Canadian Karting Championship begins each May and concludes in July. Contested in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, a championship season contests six races spread over four weekends.

"When the Indy Award was presented at the Mont-Tremblant finale, we made a point of selecting a driver who had not qualified for the Grand Final," said Series’ Manager Louis-Philippe Gelinas. "We knew of the scheduling of the events, and were very proud to select Steven Szigeti. Of course, we could not know he was about to win the Canadian Championship and a trip to the Rotax Grand Finals!"

While those involved awaited official details for the shootout with hopes Szigeti would be able to attend both, it soon became apparent it was impossible. The Rotax Grand Final will be on track Saturday, and the Indy Scouting Combine will begin Sunday with seat and car fittings for all the participants. The ECKC needed a new representative, and who better to fit the bill than the newest member of Hinchtown! Zach Robichon was fresh from winning the Third Annual Hinchtown.com Canadian Karting Shootout at the end of October, and was more than happy to step in and represent the ECKC on the Mazda Road to Indy.

"I was very surprised to get the call, but I was really happy to get it!" Robichon said this week as he prepared for the week ahead. "I hadn’t heard a lot about the shootout, but when I was invited to step in for the ECKC I read up on it and it seems like another great opportunity. I’ll be leaving early Saturday morning. I’ve been in contact with the organizers for the past few days and they really have a great program. After a seat fitting on Sunday, we have two days of on-track sessions mixed in with media and marketing sessions. Tuesday is competition day, and we have a five-lap qualifying run and a ten-lap race simulation in a Belardi USF2000 car before touring the Team Pelfrey Mazda shop and having the winner announced on Wednesday. I’m really looking forward to it!"

The fact Robichon was awarded the Hinchtown.com title with praise from Hinchcliffe himself suggests he is an ideal candidate to represent the ECKC at Andersen Race Park beginning Sunday. And if Robichon is able to win a second-consecutive shootout, this one will put him on the starting grid of the 2012 St. Petersburg Grand Prix in a USF200 race car!

"I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about it," Robichon said in a break from his studies at the University of Ottawa - a spot he’ll quickly return to next Wednesday. "Obviously it would be amazing. It’s a different car and I’ll have to get used to the slick tires, but I’m going to keep the same approach I had a Mosport: make sure I stay smooth and get the most I can from the car. The experience I gained from the Hinchtown event is definitely going to help me, but more than anything I want to go and learn as much as possible and we’ll see where that leaves me in the end!"

Rotax DD2 is the most straightforward of the three ‘Team Canada’ classes involved with the ECKC. Pier-Luc Ouellette captured the class title in short order, but once he went on to add the 2011 Canadian National Karting Championship to his resume, his ECKC position went to Christophe Boisclair, who finished second in the championship. Both will be on hand in Al Ain of course, Boisclair making his eighth trip to the Grand Finals and Ouellette his fifth - and in his case a return to the circuit where he captured the 2007 DD2 World Championship.

Other ECKC regulars on site prepping in Al Ain are Pan American Champion Tyler McEwan, Gatorz Challenge of the Americas Champion Nicholas Latifi, and Darren White, the runner-up in the Florida Winter Tour who stepped up once Michael Vincec declared his intention to run KZ2 at SuperNationals XV. They are joined on Team Canada in DD2 by Kyle Herder, the inaugural ECKC Champion who followed up this season with the Western Canadian Championship, and his teammate from the season Daniel Burkett, who crossed second at the Pan Am Championship.

Much the same as Vincec before him, ECKC Junior Champion Zachary Claman-DeMelo also passed on the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in order to attend SuperNationals XV, and that created another trickle-down effect. Series runner-up Cameron Morrison was unable to attend in 2011, so Olivier Bedard is representing the ECKC. Intrepid teammates Jesse Lazare and Artem Korolev are in Al Ain as well, and along with Bedard the trio also made up the 2011 National Championship podium.

Lazare stood tallest at Nats, and once he added the Pan Am Championship as well - Korolev was packing for Al Ain due to his second-place finish at Nationals. They will be joined by Gatorz Champion Parker Thompson, Western runner-up Kyoichi Tsutsui and Pan Am runner-up Alex Guenette. Each will be making their first trip to Grand Finals.

The longest and most complicated road to issue an ECKC spot on Team Canada came in Rotax Senior. Marco Di Leo won the class championship for the second-straight season, but once he won the Pan American title his ticket upgraded. Then the tumble began. Kevin Monteith finished second in the series but was unable to attend. Steven Szigeti finished third in the series, but had a spot already after winning the National Championship. Austin Milwain was also unable to attend, Luke Chudleigh earned a spot finishing second at the Pan Am finale, and the offer then fell to Reid Arnold, the sixth-place finisher in the Eastern Canadian Championship. A competitor in multiple classes across the continent, Arnold was also fourth in Rotax Senior at Nationals and third in DD2 at the Pan Am Championship. Along with Di Leo, Szigeti and Chudleigh, they make four ECKC regulars competing in Al Ain. They will be joined in Senior by Western Canadian Champion Chris Glover.

After karts are issued Sunday, drivers will have a single practice session Monday before a pair on Tuesday. Final practice and qualifying take place on Wednesday, heats one and two Thursday, heat three and Last Chance races on Friday, and Prefinals and Grand Finals on Saturday. Follow the event at www.maxchallenge-rotax.com/event2011/grand_final.html

"It’s a pretty good feeling, especially since the decision came from such a successful guy like James Hinchcliffe," Robichon said over the weekend from home in Ottawa. "It makes it that much better! The shootout was a great opportunity and the feedback James had after the sessions was really helpful. As soon as you applied it on the track you felt that you could carry more speed."

One of three drivers on hand that races paddle-shifting Rotax DD2 through the Canadian karting season, Robichon was sitting in a race car for the first time last Tuesday and enjoyed the experience tremendously.

"I just went out there hoping to do my best and made sure all day to just stay calm and push the limits without making any mistakes," he said of the testing opportunity. "Before Tuesday, the fastest car I’d driven was my dad’s Golf!"

The methodical approach was befitting of a second-year Mechanical Engineering student from the University of Ottawa, and similar to one he utilized in working to the front of the ECKC DD2 field over the course of the 2011 race season. After coming to grips with a new SRA/Birel, he went fourth-third in a pair of Mosport starts before dominating at Mont-Tremblant to score his maiden ECKC win. The finish brought him to sixth in the standings, and propelled him to a very strong National Championship where he stood on the podium.

"I struggled at the beginning of the year in the new class and a new kart, but once I sorted myself out and adapted my driving style, the end of the year went pretty well," he said of his karting season. "Hopefully I can keep improving and have a strong six races next year instead of just three! The ECKC is in the plans again, as I’m definitely not ready to give up yet. I think with everything that I've learned this year with my driving, I'm hoping I can make a push for the championship next year!"

Zach Robichon races DD2 for SRA/Birel in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship, Canada’s premiere kart racing championship and one of the most competitive Rotax Max Challenge Series’ in the world. It alternates between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, contesting six race events in a championship season.

"I’m extremely excited to get an opportunity to compete for the Hinchtown Award," said McEwan over the weekend, sharing a view that is surely shared by all. "It will be my first time in an open-wheel car, but hopefully not my last!"

McEwan’s ECKC campaign got off to a rocky start, but the DD2 veteran rounded into form in the back half of the season when he scored a fifth at Mosport and a fourth at Mont-Tremblant. Those two races jumped him to eighth in the final standings, but more importantly they qualified him for the Pan American Rotax Max Challenge Championship Event in Indiana, where the CRG pilot had a karting dream come true.

"The ECKC didn’t go as well as I had hoped it would, but the Pan Am final in Indiana turned out a lot better than expected!" McEwan said of the weekend that qualified him for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Al Ain. "It was a hard fought battle in the heat races when it was dry, but I was just trying to stay consistent to get a good starting spot for the final. Then in the prefinal and final I took the lead out of the first corner and never looked back. Overall the weekend was one of the best I’ve had!"

Like McEwan, the other ECKC karters at the shootout are well known in Canada’s premiere karting championship, as together they compiled four wins, ten podiums and 21 top-five results this year. Along with Jean-Francois LaFontaine, who won the third round of the series in his only start, and Daniel Burkett, who competed at Mont-Tremblant, each will complete a one-day Bridgestone Racing School and look to win the Hinchtown.com Canadian Karting Award of a ‘Wheel-to-Wheel’ Race Licensing Course to be completed during the 2012 season.

Along with series’ wins and podiums, the group from the ECKC produced three podiums at the Canadian National Karting Championships. Robichon produced one of those, as much like McEwan, he came to the fore with his best performances late in the year. After coming to grips with a new SRA/Birel, the DD2 pilot went fourth-third in a pair of Mosport starts before dominating at Mont-Tremblant to score his maiden ECKC win. The finish brought him to sixth in the standings, and propelled him to a very strong National Championship where he stood on the podium.

The Junior drivers heading to Hinchtown from the ECKC finished second and third respectively in the 2011 standings, as GreenSpeed/TonyKart driver Morrison and SRA/Birel pilot Bedard each had a win among a pair of podium runs. Morrison opened the schedule with a win at Goodwood and repeated on the podium on day two finishing third. Three more top-five results came afterward, leading to a major points haul. Bedard scored his win in the rain at Mosport, and added a runner-up finish at Tremblant on his way to third in the standings. It’s also the same position he finished at Nationals, in a strong opening season for Birel.

Chudleigh was another driver to finish the season strong. After a runner-up result in the wet at Mosport, the rookie Senior was fourth a day later, and a very impressive second at the finale, beaten to the line only by visiting Ben Cooper, a former Rotax Max Challenge World Champion. Szigeti only had one start outside the top five in his ECKC campaign, the monsoon race at Mosport that caught out the front-end drivers on slicks, but he won the next day, finished third in final points.

The Hinchtown.com Canadian Karting Shootout takes place at the Mosport Driver Development Track on Tuesday, October 25. The Eastern Canadian Karting Championship is the premiere kart racing championship in Canada and one of the most competitive Rotax Max Challenge Series’ in the world. It alternates between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, contesting six race events in a championship season.

James Hinchcliffe Fast Facts - Born in Toronto, Ontario, James Hinchcliffe grew up racing go-karts in Ontario. Quickly moving up the karting ranks, Hinchcliffe found himself positioned at the top of some of North America’s largest karting events. Scoring victories in the 80cc Shifter Junior class as well as 125cc Shifter Senior, Hinchcliffe became a major name in every competition entered. After moving through the Junior Formula Car ranks, including finishing second in the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights Championship, Hinch now races for Newman/Haas Racing in the IZOD INDYCAR series, where he won the 2011 Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year Award after finishing twelfth in the championship. For more information about James Hinchcliffe, visit hinchtown.com

"It was a superb day!" recalled ECKC Series Manager LP Gelinas, who was on hand from his home base at PSL Montreal. "The morning started with great weather for October, sunshine and blue skies, and Lombardi Honda Racing was bright and early getting ready. ICAR Le club provided us with guest passes for the race track, and it was a great event to begin the partnership with ECKC and Lombardi Racing."

Marco Di Leo was up for the morning session, and though he had never driven a front-wheel drive race car, the Intrepid North America driver was quickly setting competitive times. After a few laps to tour the new Circuit ICAR and some pointers from Lombardi Honda Racing Team Manager Benjamin Distaulo, Di Leo was quick to settle in.

"What a fun day!" Di Leo said afterward. "The highlight was just learning how to adapt to a front-wheel drive race car after having raced formula cars and all kinds of karts. It was great to work with Benjamin and use his experience and coaching to accelerate my learning curve. The ICAR facility was great and the Lombardi Honda team was first class from beginning to end. I have to thank them for joining with the ECKC to provide such a great prize, and it was a very enjoyable half-day of lapping."

Ouellette then arrived at midday for the afternoon sessions, and after a seat fitting and tour of the track of his own, was also quickly off and running under the watch of Distaulo and the Lombardi Honda Racing Team. Just as with Di Leo, this was the first time Ouellette had been in a front-wheel driver race car, and also his first time on a road course, but he, too, was quickly on the mark in terms of times.

Gelinas reported that Distaulo was very impressed with both Di Leo and Ouellette, and notably their speed of adaptation and capacity to execute what they were being asked to do. The afternoon also provided an extra goodie for the pair, as they were able to test a new Lombardi Honda Racing Civic with a new race motor that had just been installed for break-in. The pair noted a huge difference, and the day came to a close.

"It was just a great event," Gelinas concluded. "It is next to impossible to get this kind of private testing, and the Lombardi Honda Racing Team offered much more than expected. On behalf of the ECKC we were all very thankful, and Benjamin was very happy to be able to provide the race cars for the champions to test. They will now look to continue their involvement in karting, with an eye toward getting more kart racing stars into touring cars and the Canadian Touring Car Championship."

The Eastern Canadian Karting Championship is the premiere kart racing championship in Canada and one of the most competitive Rotax Max Challenge Series’ in the world. It alternates between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, contesting six race events in a championship season. For more information on the above news item, please visit eckc.ca and lombardiracing.com.

First to turn the double play was PSerra/Tecno driver Antonio Serravalle in Rotax Micro-Max. Starting the weekend from pole position, Serravalle was third in the first heat before winning the next two, twice setting the fastest lap. He then maintained pole position for the National Final when he squeaked out a prefinal win by just 0.05 seconds, and commanded the final in winning by over ten seconds while others diced behind him. Serravalle dominated the ECKC season, winning each of the first five finals before taking a pass on the final event having already secured the championship, his first in ECKC competition.

The ECKC had its second championship in the very next class as Pier-Luc Ouellette gave PSL Karting/CRG its second-straight DD2 National Championship. Ouellette qualified fourth among five karts on 54.7 seconds Friday, and began with third in the first heat the same day. Trouble came in the second, resulting in P16, before fourth in the final heat on Saturday afternoon. He began to show his hand in the Sunday morning prefinal, finishing second with the fastest lap in the field, and dominated the final after taking the lead on three and marching nearly four seconds clear of the field. Ouellette claimed the ECKC championship after a brilliant start to the season. After finishing third in the opener, he won rounds two and three before crossing seventh in wet and wild conditions during race four. One day later he clinched the championship with a second-place finish at Mosport International Karting, leading to a DD2 pass on the final round.

Rotax Mini-Max was the final class to compete at Nationals and in a time-shortened race Jeffrey Kingsley became the third reigning ECKC Champion to become National Champion in 2011. Kingsley started the event earning pole position, and followed with wins in the first and second heat. The only thing that proved able to slow him down was rain, leading to P6 in heat three, but the PSL/CRG driver was right back on the point Sunday, winning the prefinal by five seconds. The final proved much tighter, and the field endured a red flag stoppage before Kingsley emerged by just 0.2 seconds over former Micro-Max National Champion Devlin DeFrancesco. Kingsley won the ECKC Championship on the strength of a pair of wins in Quebec. The first after a wild final lap at PSL Karting, and the second in the season finale at Mont-Tremblant. He opened with a double-podium performance at Goodwood and added a fourth-place finish at Mosport to his winning total.

In its two seasons of existence, the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship has now had five of its champions go on to Canadian National Karting Championships in the same season.