10 Jul MRFKC Briggs Report: Very Challenging Conditions for MRFKC3 at Mosport – Part 2
Da Silva and Herder Win in Senior; Miller Time returns in Masters
The MotoMaster Ron Fellows Karting Championship crossed the halfway point on Saturday as round three took the track at Mosport Kartways. Hosted on the same weekend as the popular Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, karting was on display to the large crowd of motorsport hungry race fans on hand and with a full day of racing on tap, there was no shortage of excitement.
Just like the year prior, the first stop for the MRFKC of the summer at Mosport Kartways was under extremely hot and humid conditions. To stay hydrated and prepared for the races, the entire paddock was consuming bottles of water and Gatorade like beer at a frat party and we’re happy to report there were no incidents of dehydration this time around. With the extreme heat came extreme competition, as the double-final race format meant plenty of track time and racing and a late finish to the day’s activity.
Briggs Senior – Da Silva makes a great charge to victory in Final 1; Herder tops Final 2 after a little confusion
The largest grid on the track again this weekend, Briggs Senior was wicked to watch. After a number of accidents brought out the red flag in the PreFinal, the group settled down just enough to keep the red from flying again in their two Finals.
In Final 1, Pearce Herder (Karts & Parts/Awesome Kart) and Jon Treadwell (VRS/Intrepid) jumped out to an early lead. Pushing away from the field only lasted about half the race as the chasing pack, featuring Alex Da Silva (Energy Corse/Energy Kart), Tyler McCullough (VRS/Intrepid) and Spencer Todd (REM/Kosmic) was closing in quickly. Todd’s chances ended on lap eight when he received the mechanical flag for a broken rear bumper, making it a four-kart battle up front.
Treadwell took his chance at the lead when Da Silva arrived on his bumper, but his turn at the front lasted only one lap as the Energy Kart slid by just under two laps to go. Herder tried to follow suit into second, but Treadwell held on that was enough for Da Silva to open a gap that he held to the finish line. Treadwell wound up second, Herder third and McCullough fourth with the fastest lap. Further down the road, Khloe Drummond (VSR/TonyKart) put forth a great charge to advance from twelfth of the grid to fifth at the finish.
With the grid for Final 2 set by the times of Final 1, McCullough led the group into turn one later in the afternoon. It would quickly turn into the same four-kart battle up front, this time with McCullough leading Da Silva, Treadwell and Herder, while Avery Miller (Energy Kart) and David Barnes (Prime/BirelART) did everything they could to stay within a few lengths of the lead pack.
Da Silva jumped to the lead on lap two and stayed there until McCullough returned the favour on lap seven with Treadwell helping push him through. Da Silva fought back on the same lap, attempting a pass into turn ten. The two ran wheel-to-wheel through the first part of the corner, but made contact in the second part, sending Da Silva spinning and slowing up Treadwell enough that Herder rolled by and he lost the draft of the leaders.
Herder then jumped to the lead and from there, a little confusion between the officials meant no last lap board was shown. McCullough stayed with the leader but didn’t mount a charge, waiting for the sign. When the two rounded the final corner and saw the checkered flag waving, both drivers looked at each other a little puzzled with Herder the first to cross the line ahead of McCullough. Treadwell narrowly held on to third, while Miller stayed ahead of Barnes for fourth.
For his efforts, Herder was awarded the Pfaff Motorsports Senior High Performer of the Weekend award.
Jordan Prior (Prime/BirelART) was the points leader entering the weekend, but he had a rough go in both Finals, finishing seventh and eighth. His gap to Herder and Treadwell is sure to shrink the updated points become available.
Briggs Masters – It’s Miller Time again!
David Miller (FA Kart) swept the Finals in Briggs Masters at Mosport, but it wasn’t easy.
In Final 1, it all came down to a hectic final lap battle. Under pressure from Jamie MacArthur (K&K Kart), Corey Walsh (REM/Kosmic) and Quinn Dewsburry (REM/Kosmic) the quadrant scrambled exiting the hairpin turn five and ran two-by-two up the hill to corner six. MacArthur was trying up the inside but was tagged by Walsh, spinning as he hit the apex and collecting Duesburry in the process. Miller escaped unharmed, as did Walsh, albeit he was accessed a penalty for the contact.
Benefitting from it all was Levon Beaudin (BirelART), who jumped up to the second step of the podium behind Miller, while Dan Skilton (Karts & Parts/Awesome Kart) joined them on the podium in third. MacArthur salvaged fourth, Walsh fifth after the penalty, and Duesburry tenth.
In was a battle of two in Final 2 as MacArthur and Miller were able to break away from the pack. Miller jumped to the lead on lap three and the pair cruised until the final lap. MacArthur looked left and right and even saw an opening entering the final corner at the top of the hill, but he wasn’t able to completely get inside the leader and had to back out of the throttle and settle for second as Miller scored the sweep. Stephen Goebel (Karts & Parts/Awesome Kart) edged out Beaudin and Dewsburry for the final step of the podium.
It wasn’t a good weekend for the championship leaders as Walsh, Eli Yanko (VSR/TonyKart) and Rich Folino (Prime/BirelART) all struggled to score results inside the top-five.
All in all, there were eleven hours of on-track activity and everyone from the corner workers to the trackside officials to the competitors is commended for helping keep the schedule rolling and ensuring the racing was complete before the sun finally set.
Round four of the MRFKC returns to Mosport Kartways on July 27-28.