It all comes down to this weekend at the Orlando Kart Center for the third and final round of the 2018 ROK Cup Promotions Florida Winter Tour.
Championships will be decided and with an approximate 33% increase in points, stakes are high. With perfect weather conditions expected at the Orlando hotspot, teams will be tested to perfect kart setups and give their drivers the best chance possible. Friday saw the first official on track action with qualifying and Heat 1 to get the excitement started.
Micro ROK
In Micro ROK, Parolin USA’s and championship leader Caleb Gafrarar was back on top the charts to start his weekend off right. Benik Kart’s Matias Orjuela was right on his heels, clocking second just 0.077 seconds shy of pole time. The same two finished Heat 1 on top, with Gafrarar taking the win over Orjuela by a slight gap. Currently second in points, Danny Dyszelski finished third.
Mini ROK
Speed Concepts Racing’s Alex Powell bested the field of 27 Mini ROK drivers to take the pole position. Having to go all the way to fifth on the time sheets to find a driver more than two tenths back, Mini is going to be ROKKING all weekend in Orlando. In the heat, Mike Doty Racing’s Jeremy Fletcher just edged out championship leader James Egozi, with Powell rounding out the top-three.
ROK Junior
In ROK Junior, PSL/BirelArt pilot Thomas Nepveu took the top spot in a tight qualifying session over championship leader Matheus Morgatto and Arias Deukmedjian. The heat race saw Morgatto overcome home track favorite Tyler Gonzalez, who is also in the championship hunt. RPM’s Jace Denmark-Gessel finished in third.
ROK Senior
Edurardo Barrichello put NF Piquet Sports on top in ROK Senior qualifying. Fellow Brazilian Arthur Leist was a mere 0.079 seconds back. The ten-lap heat saw the duo flip positions, with Leist taking the win over Barrichello with championship leader Ryan Norberg putting his PSL/BirelART in third.
ROK Masters
Magno Gaia put his Orsolon Racing Tony Kart on top in ROK Masters qualifying, a good start to the weekend for class championship leader. Gaia then walked away with the heat race win, finishing more than four seconds ahead of nearest championship rival, VSR’s Adrian Donkers. Gabriel Iemma completed the top-three.
ROK Shifter Senior
In an excruciatingly tight session, AJ Myers topped the charts in ROK Shifter Senior qualifying, besting former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello and current championship leader Mathias Ramirez, who posted identical times a mere 0.007 seconds off the TB Kart’s pole time. Austin Garrison was also not even a tenth off of the fast lap. Ramirez was able to add to his points total by taking the win in Heat 1 with Jimmy Cabrera moving up to come home second and Garrison third.
ROK Shifter Masters
Points leader in ROK Shifter Masters Farshad Bagheri put his TB Kart on pole over his nearest championship contender, Andres Hoffman. In the heat, Goodwood Kartways’ Hernando Sanchez took the win over Hoffman and Bagheri.
*Results unofficial
Micro ROK
In Micro ROK, Parolin USA’s and championship leader Caleb Gafrarar was back on top the charts to start his weekend off right. Benik Kart’s Matias Orjuela was right on his heels, clocking second just 0.077 seconds shy of pole time. The same two finished Heat 1 on top, with Gafrarar taking the win over Orjuela by a slight gap. Currently second in points, Danny Dyszelski finished third.
Mini ROK
Speed Concepts Racing’s Alex Powell bested the field of 27 Mini ROK drivers to take the pole position. Having to go all the way to fifth on the time sheets to find a driver more than two tenths back, Mini is going to be ROKKING all weekend in Orlando. In the heat, Mike Doty Racing’s Jeremy Fletcher just edged out championship leader James Egozi, with Powell rounding out the top-three.
ROK Junior
In ROK Junior, PSL/BirelArt pilot Thomas Nepveu took the top spot in a tight qualifying session over championship leader Matheus Morgatto and Arias Deukmedjian. The heat race saw Morgatto overcome home track favorite Tyler Gonzalez, who is also in the championship hunt. RPM’s Jace Denmark-Gessel finished in third.
ROK Senior
Edurardo Barrichello put NF Piquet Sports on top in ROK Senior qualifying. Fellow Brazilian Arthur Leist was a mere 0.079 seconds back. The ten-lap heat saw the duo flip positions, with Leist taking the win over Barrichello with championship leader Ryan Norberg putting his PSL/BirelART in third.
ROK Masters
Magno Gaia put his Orsolon Racing Tony Kart on top in ROK Masters qualifying, a good start to the weekend for class championship leader. Gaia then walked away with the heat race win, finishing more than four seconds ahead of nearest championship rival, VSR’s Adrian Donkers. Gabriel Iemma completed the top-three.
ROK Shifter Senior
In an excruciatingly tight session, AJ Myers topped the charts in ROK Shifter Senior qualifying, besting former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello and current championship leader Mathias Ramirez, who posted identical times a mere 0.007 seconds off the TB Kart’s pole time. Austin Garrison was also not even a tenth off of the fast lap. Ramirez was able to add to his points total by taking the win in Heat 1 with Jimmy Cabrera moving up to come home second and Garrison third.
ROK Shifter Masters
Points leader in ROK Shifter Masters Farshad Bagheri put his TB Kart on pole over his nearest championship contender, Andres Hoffman. In the heat, Goodwood Kartways’ Hernando Sanchez took the win over Hoffman and Bagheri.
*Results unofficial
Credits: Cody Schindel