Klym Clinches Canada Final Title in Thrilling Micro Max Showdown

The Rotax Micro Max drivers delivered an outstanding performance at the Max Karting Group Canada Final this past weekend in Alberta, putting on a masterclass of clean, hard, and high-speed racing. With a ticket to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals on the line, the youngest Rotax racers showed skill and composure well beyond their years.

Competing with spec gearing on the long and fast Stratotech Racing Park circuit, the Micro Max field stayed tightly packed all weekend. The draft played a major role in the non-stop action, producing lead changes, dramatic passes, and some of the closest finishes of the entire event.

After three days of wheel-to-wheel racing, Saskatchewan’s Jack Klym emerged as the champion. The BBR Karting/Falcon driver never finished outside of the top three all weekend, and his consistency earned him his first invitation to represent Team Canada at the Rotax Grand Finals.

Friday

The opening race day was reminiscent of a Daytona-style pack race. All eleven drivers stayed in close formation throughout the Final, trading positions lap after lap with the lead constantly up for grabs.

In the closing stages, a four-kart breakaway formed, led by pole-sitter Klym, Lincoln Lima (Prime/BirelART), Yousef Adi (REM/Kosmic), and Felix Beauchesne (Prime/BirelART). Heston Jeffery (DDRS/CS55) and Max Koutsoukis (REM/Kosmic) also showed pace early on.

It all came down to the final lap between Klym and Lima. Timing it perfectly, Lima made his move and held off Klym to claim the win. Meanwhile, Adi was unable to finish the final lap, handing third place to Koutsoukis after Jeffery was excluded in post-race tech.

Saturday

Lima encountered trouble in the PreFinal and was forced to start the Final from the rear. That split the field into two groups: the lead trio of Klym, Adi, and Beauchesne, and a chasing pack featuring Lima, Joshua Wheeler (HM Propela/Kart Republic), and Jeffery.

This time, Klym controlled the pace, regaining the lead each time Adi or Beauchesne made a move. Once again, it came down to a sprint to the line, and Klym narrowly edged out Adi by just 0.047 seconds. Beauchesne joined them on the podium, while Jeffery bested the second group to secure fourth.

Adi, Lima and Klym draft down the back straight – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

Sunday

Drama struck when rain began falling as the Micro Max drivers were on the grid for their PreFinal. With a quick switch to MOJO rain tires, the field took to a wet track for the first time all weekend. Klym won his third straight PreFinal, extending his points lead, while Wheeler secured second and a front-row start for the Final.

Although the rain stopped before the main event, the track remained wet and all drivers opted to stay on rain tires. The front-runners this time were Klym, Lima, and Adi.

Adi and Lima swapped the lead multiple times, while Klym kept a watchful eye from third, knowing a solid finish would secure the title. And once again, it came down to the final drag race. Lima exited the last corner with the lead, Adi pulled out of the draft, and the pair blasted to the line, separated by only 0.051 seconds in Lima’s favour.

Klym crossed the line in third to officially lock up the Canada Final title, capping off a weekend of consistency and race craft. Lima’s win secured him second in the standings by just three points over Adi, who heartbreakingly came up just short on all three days.

Klym is the first driver from Saskatchewan to qualify for the Rotax Grand Finals since Scott Campbell, the 2010 Rotax DD2 Masters Grand Finals Champion, last qualified in 2016.

“It still doesn’t feel real. I worked so hard this year for this race, I still can’t believe I did it! I can’t wait to go to Bahrain and race again the worlds best micro drivers.”