Originally posted on Canadian Karting News – https://www.canadiankartingnews.com/pai-delivers-in-the-mini-max-final-at-rmc-ontario/
Travelling the farthest of any competitor, Mateo Pai made the cross-country trek from British Columbia to the Hamilton Karting Complex for the RMC Ontario opener, and proved it was worth every kilometre. In a tightly contested Rotax Mini Max Final, Pai rose to the challenge and delivered a standout performance to take the victory when it mattered most.
Throughout the race weekend, the field was controlled by Carlo Lot (Prime/BirelART), who qualified on the pole position Saturday and followed it up with two heat wins as the Lorusso brothers, Massimo and Nicholas, nipped at his heels.
On Sunday, Nicholas (Premier/OTK) was finally able to get ahead of Lot and win heat 3. He was also well in control of the Super Heat until he blew a chain with only a couple of laps remaining, allowing Lot to slip by and secure the pole position for the main event.
Carlo Lot (177) and Nicholas Lorusso (199) lead the field to green (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)
The Final saw Lot lead the field through the opening sequence of corners with Massimo (Premier/CRG), Nicholas, Pai (Prime/BirelART) and Joshua Wheeler (HM Propela/Kart Republic) in tow. Yousef Adi (REM/Kosmic) and Lincoln Lima (Prime/BirelART) were also within striking distance early.
Pai worked his way past the Lorusso brothers on laps three and four to move into the second spot and begin to pressure the race leader.
On lap eleven, he pulled the trigger with a pass in corner four to take the lead. Lot kept close through, looking for his opportunity to return the favour.
Just when it looked like Pai was starting to pull away, Lot put in some of his best laps of the race to close right back up to the leader, and the pair traded the lead with two laps to go. Pai didn’t let him lead for long before regaining the position, and on the final lap, he ensured that no pass would happen, driving the perfect defensive line to stay ahead.
Taking his first victory in Ontario, Mateo Pai showed why he travelled across the country to showcase his talents. Lot celebrated a solid second-place finish just behind.
In the battle for third, Massimo fought off Nicholas to stand on the podium, while Lima rounded out the top five. Wheeler did beat Lima across the finish line, but he was assessed a 5-second penalty for blocking, which moved him down to ninth in the results.
With 18 drivers in Mini Max this weekend showing some great racing, we can’t wait for round two on July 12-13, back at the Hamilton Karting Complex.
