Rotax Senior: Mrak Delivers Perfect Weekend in Breakout Victory

The Rotax Senior category delivered an absolute thriller at SRA Karting-ICAR, capping off the second round of RMC Quebec with one of the most electrifying races of the weekend. With 40 of the top Senior drivers in the country entered and only 36 spots available in the Final, the competition was fierce from the very first session, and it was Olivier Mrak (REM/Kosmic) who stood tall when the dust finally settled.

Mrak was perfect all weekend long, putting together a complete sweep of the category. He set the fastest time in Qualifying, won PreFinal A, and held his nerve in a dramatic Final to claim his first Senior category victory in stunning fashion.

The format demanded sharp focus with two Qualifying groups and split PreFinals. Mrak took the win in PreFinal A ahead of Timothe Pernod (PSL/BirelART) and William Bouthillier (REM/Kosmic), while Laurent Legault (BCR/BirelART) narrowly beat Ayden Ingratta (Pfaff/Gillard) and Antoine Lemieux (REM/Kosmic) in PreFinal B.

But it was the Final that delivered an unforgettable spectacle.

Mrak leads through corner 1 (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

Drama erupted immediately as a big crash in corner three on the opening lap collected Lemieux, Pernod, and Ryan Maxwell (REM/Kosmic), all of whom had started inside the top ten. The incident dropped the trio to 31st, 32nd, and 33rd, respectively, and Jesse Lambert (PSL/BirelART) was forced to retire on the spot. Just a few corners later, Joshua Soumvalis saw his day end abruptly in corner six.

At the front, Mrak capitalized on the chaos and pulled a small gap while Legault and Ingratta quickly slotted in behind him. Carlo Sasso (CS Racing/TonyKart) moved into fourth early, with Arnaud Sabourin (Prime/BirelART) and Bouthillier running close behind.

By lap nine, the intensity at the front ramped up as Ingratta made his move, diving past Legault and reeling in Mrak before stealing the lead. But Mrak stayed calm under pressure and struck back just two laps later to retake control of the race.

What followed was an 8-lap dogfight between three of Canada’s best. Mrak, Ingratta, and Legault traded positions and defensive lines, thrilling the crowd with clean but aggressive racing. In the final laps, all three were locked together, drafting, dicing, and fighting for every inch of track.

The final run to the finish was as close as they come. Mrak held off Ingratta by a razor-thin 0.021 seconds, with Legault just 0.085 seconds behind the winner in an epic three-way photo finish.

Behind them, Sabourin cemented a solid fourth-place result, while Bouthillier crossed the line in fifth but was demoted to P8 after a pushback bumper penalty. That handed P5 to Sasso, who had quietly kept himself in contention all race long.

Despite being victims of the opening-lap pileup, both Lemieux and Pernod delivered impressive comebacks, Lemieux clawing his way back to P9 and Pernod not far behind in P11.

Round one winner Major Makovskis (REM/Kosmic) endured a frustrating weekend and never quite found the pace he needed, finishing P14 in the Final.

For Mrak, it was a weekend to remember. A flawless performance under immense pressure, in the biggest field of the event, with one of the most dramatic finishes we’ve seen all season. With the title race heating up, the road to Bahrain just got a lot more interesting.

The Rotax Senior Podium – Ayden Ingratta, Olivier Mrak and Laurent Legault (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

With two rounds of RMC Quebec in the books, the pressure is on heading into August’s championship-defining doubleheader.

Up next, the series heads to Ontario for the Canadian Karting Championships at Mosport Karting Centre (August 14–17) before returning to Quebec for the Canadian Open at SH Karting (August 29–31).

With Rotax Grand Final tickets on the line and tensions rising, the only thing guaranteed is more incredible racing.

Stay locked on CanadianKartingNews.com as we follow the road to Bahrain!