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Category: Karting

Oka, Quebec - Thomas Nepveu will be back on track at the AMR Homestead-Miami Motorplex this weekend for the second SKUSA Winter Series event.

Like in January, the Oka native will return with Kart Republic in the X30 Senior class. If the first weekend didn't go as well as hoped, the driver of the #324 kart is eager to get back in the Top 5 in rounds 3 and 4.

"During the last event, we made some good changes which allowed us to finish in 4th place during the Final on Sunday," explains Thomas. Indeed, he went from 16th to 4th place thanks to a fast and perfect kart.

"We did some testing today, so we have more track time than at the last event," said Nepveu. "Also, the setup was perfect in the final back in January, so I hope to repeat the Top five in each session and climb on the podium."

He concludes by saying, "the talent of drivers on track is remarkable; racing here sharpens my senses for the rest of the season. I will never stop saying it; karting is the best discipline to stay in shape!"

Click here to follow the action live: https://www.youtube.com/c/KartChaser

X30 Sr. Class Schedule

Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15
|Warm-up: 8:56am | Qualifying: 10:50am | Pre-Final: 1:20pm | Final: 4:30pm

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Category: Karting

Fresh off a solid month of racing in January, Canadian Anthony Martella will head south to Florida for a pair of events in the coming weeks. Set to take on the Superkarts! USA (SKUSA) Winter Series at the AMR Motorplex with Ryan Perry Motorsports, Martella will rejoin Speed Concepts Racing for the second round of the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour at the Piquet Sports and Entertainment Complex.

“I am looking to build from the results from the past two events and continue to fight for race wins and podium results,” expressed Martella, who earned his first Florida Winter Tour pole position in St. Petersburg just a few weeks ago. “I am confident that this will be a great year for me in both Canada and the United States and can’t wait to fight for the podium in Homestead and West Palm Beach.”

Trying out a pair of teams to start the season, Martella competed with Ryan Perry Motorsports at the SKUSA Winter Series and Speed Concepts Racing in ROK competition in January. Set to do the same in February, Martella will strive to better himself both on and off the track.

Martella added, “Both teams have their strengths, and I look to learn from both as much as I can. I am not sure what the rest of the 2023 season holds for me, but I do know we will be competing at a lot of events as it is my final year of junior and I want to win.”

With the SKUSA Winter Series and Florida Winter Tour underway, Martella will also see action at the Ron Fellows Karting Championship and the Canadian Karting Championships north of the border as well as the United States Pro Kart Series (USPKS), SKUSA Pro Tour, SKUSA SuperNationals, ROK Vegas and other select events.

Anthony Martella and Anthony Martella Racing would like to express their sincere gratitude to NIN Transport for their continued support. Stay tuned for more information, news, photos, and results from the Anthony Martella racing program.

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It was another winning weekend for BirelART North America at the final event of the 2023 Rotax Winter Trophy as the team earned three victories, five podium results, and two invitations to the Rotax Grand Finals later this year in Dubai. 

Leading the way with a pair of race wins was Rubens Barrichello in the Rotax Masters class while son Eduardo Barrichello earned a victory on Sunday to steal the championship and accompanying Rotax Grand Finals ticket.

With the two-weekend, four-event series ending at the Orlando Kart Center this past weekend, it was former Formula One driver and NTT INDYCAR Series pilot Rubens Barrichello who earned a pair of victories. Dominating the series and adding two additional wins in Orlando, Barrichello earned his trip to Dubai and the Rotax Grand Finals in December. 

Like father like son, Barrichello will be joined in Dubai by his son Eduardo Barrichello who managed to grab top honors in the Rotax Senior category. After finishing on the podium on Saturday with a third-place result, Eduardo drove to the win on Sunday. 

Needing luck to punch his ticket to the Rotax Grand Finals, Eduardo received just that and will fight for supremacy in Dubai. Fernando Barrichello had some issues on Saturday but returned Sunday to fight his way through the talented field of Senior drivers to put a pair of Barrichellos in the top-ten with a seventh-place finish. 

Fellow Senior driver Timothy Pernod showed speed in his BirelART, driving to third and sixth place results but was a victim of on track penalties that classified him in tenth and fourteenth in the results. Showing their pace on new Mojo tires, Barrichello and Pernod qualified first and third on Saturday and improved their performance on Sunday claiming the top-two positions and complete front row for the heats.

In the Rotax Mini Max class, Alexis Baillargeon looked poised for a podium result running second until the very final lap on Saturday, only failing to reach the checkered flag due to contact. Returning to the track Sunday, Baillargeon fought for redemption and secured a fifth-place finish. The Micro Max class saw Olivier Chassé cross the line fifth on Saturday and 11th on Sunday while Mathis Lacroix had a troublesome weekend and failed to finish both main events but will be back to fight again. Thomas Pelletier overcame a DNF on Saturday to score a top-ten result Sunday.

“Congrats to the Barrichello family on a terrific Rotax Winter trophy program,” expressed Kevin King. “They fought tooth and nail to be at the front of the field and accomplished their goals. We had several other BirelART North American drivers who were in contention and while they showed speed, many did not have the luck they deserved. It was great to have a lot of our drivers at the front of the field, and we will look to do it again in two more events this month.”

King continued, “There are few major points that presented themselves this weekend. First off, our in-house Rotax engine program is firing on all cylinders claiming several race wins, podium results, and championships at the Rotax Winter Trophy. We look forward to expanding this program more in the future. Also, a huge shoutout to Timothy Pernod during his first event south of the border in which he proved to have the speed to compete with some of North America’s top drivers. He has a very bright future, and we can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Next up for the BirelART North America contingent will be a return trip to the AMR Motorplex for rounds three and four of the SKUSA Winter Series.

BirelART North America (PSL Karting) is the National Importer and Distributor of BirelART products and accessories, including Ricciardo Kart, Kubica Kart, and Freeline accessories. BirelART North America is also a new North American importer for the TM Racing line of products. Visit www.pslkarting.com to find a retailer near you. Follow our racing team and product updates via our social media @pslkartingofficial.

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Category: Karting

Making the trek from his home in Ontario, Canada to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Canadian Anthony Martella was back in the seat of a Kosmic Kart for rounds five and six of the United States Pro Kart Series (USPKS). Taking place at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex on the grounds of Road America, Martella improved throughout the weekend against a stout field of competition to earn himself a top-15 result on Sunday.

“The competition in USPKS is tough, but it is good to go there and get beat up a little as it will make me better for my events in Canada,” expressed Martella, who competed in the X30 Pro Junior class. “The drivers in USPKS are much more aggressive and quicker and the officiating is a lot different. We improved through the weekend for sure, but I am hungry to do it all over again.”

After claiming a solid 12th place result in Saturday morning’s qualifying session, the outside row six starting spot proved to be a brutal one for the Canadian as contact forced him to the sidelines and out of the race. Classified in 23rd and forced to start near the tail of the field, Martella was able to advance forward and earn himself a position in the top-20.

Back to the track Sunday, qualifying for the second race day of the weekend was like that of Saturday as the Racing Edge Motorsports (REM) driver clocked the 14th quickest lap of the session. Relegated back to finish 17th in the prefinal, the 13-year-old battled back in the main event to finish in the top-15, which was the goal for the weekend. While the race was slowed early on by a major incident that brought out a red flag, Anthony Martella, like Formula One superstar George Russell did last week, hopped from his kart to run to the aide of his competitor. Against the rules, Martella was able to continue in the race but was forced to the tail of the field for the restart.

Martella added, “I wanted to come here and win but know that I am behind on experience and race craft to some of the high profile national level drivers. We reset goals after the practice day and achieved them on Sunday. Now, we will look forward to the next event and come back with a new set of objectives and work to achieve them as well.”

Set to take on several more events in the United States and Europe in 2022, Anthony Martella is continuing to build the framework and gain the necessary knowledge and experience for his 2023 championship season.

Leaving Road America immediately following the event, Anthony Martella is on his way to Quebec Canada for the Canadian Open. Taking place at the Jim Russell Karting Academy in Mont Tremblant, Martella will aim to put the experience gained this past weekend into his event this coming weekend.