#CanadianOpen
Canadian Open Preview: Rotax Junior Max is Wide Open!
This weekend, we’re about to find out who will join the Team Canada roster for the 2025 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Final.
The RMC Canadian Open hits the track at SH Karting to culminate both the RMC Quebec and the RMC Ontario to award tickets to 10 drivers across five categories, each winning the opportunity to compete at the Rotax Grand Finals in Bahrain and represent Team Canada at the 26th running of this spectacular event.
Rotax Junior Max has been a treat this season as these young drivers have battled their hearts out in RMC competition this year, and two drivers will be rewarded for their efforts this weekend.
These two drivers will join Cole Medeiros on Team Canada in Bahrain. Medeiros is having a season of his own and currently leads the points in both the RMC Ontario and the RMC Quebec, but thankfully for his competitors, he secured his ticket to the Rotax Grand Finals via the MKG Canada Final in Edmonton, meaning this weekend, he is only chasing trophies.
Cole Medeiros (207) and Jeremy St-Cyr (297) – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN
Behind him, it’s anybody’s race to take. Let’s have a look.
RMC Quebec Standings
| Pos | Num | Driver | Team / Chassis | Total | Diff | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 207 | COLE MEDEIROS | REM / KOSMIC | 745 | ||
| 2 | 292 | JACKSON MORLEY | PRIME / BIRELART | 730 | -15 | -15 |
| 3 | 204 | JACKSON LACHAPELLE | HM PROPELA / KR | 715 | -30 | -15 |
| 4 | 287 | LEONARDO SERRAVALLE | REM / KOSMIC | 621 | -124 | -94 |
| 5 | 277 | OLIVIER CHASSE | HM PROPELA / KR | 582 | -163 | -39 |
| 6 | 297 | JEREMY ST-CYR | PSL / BIRELART | 553 | -192 | -29 |
| 7 | 225 | NOAH LANDRY | PREMIER / TONYKART | 507 | -238 | -46 |
| 8 | 215 | ANTOINE BAZINET | PREMIER / TONYKART | 492 | -253 | -15 |
| 9 | 202 | AHMED MOSTAFA | REM / KOSMIC | 480 | -265 | -12 |
| 10 | 243 | STEFANO LANZILLOTTA | PRIME / BIRELART | 364 | -381 | -116 |
Please note: These standings are unofficial.
RMC Ontario Standings
| Pos | Num | Driver | Team / Chassis | Total | Diff | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 207 | COLE MEDEIROS | REM / KOSMIC | 670 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 297 | JEREMY ST-CYR | PSL / BIRELART | 598 | -72 | -72 |
| 3 | 292 | JACKSON MORLEY | PRIME / BIRELART | 585 | -85 | -13 |
| 4 | 287 | LEONARDO SERRAVALLE | REM / KOSMIC | 574 | -96 | -11 |
| 5 | 204 | JACKSON LACHAPELLE | HM PROPELA / KR | 425 | -245 | -149 |
| 6 | 218 | ROMAN DORIA | REM / KOSMIC | 392 | -278 | -33 |
| 7 | 221 | ARISTEIDES THEODOROPOULOS | PRIME / BIRELART | 374 | -296 | -18 |
| 8 | 263 | OLIVIER CHASSE | HM PROPELA / KR | 355 | -315 | -19 |
| 9 | 243 | STEFANO LANZILLOTTA | PRIME / BIRELART | 318 | -352 | -37 |
| 10 | 209 | LEO DA SILVA | REM / KOSMIC | 317 | -353 | -1 |
Please note: These standings are unofficial.
Jackson Morley has two solid shots this weekend at a ticket. He enters the weekend second to Medeiros in the RMC Quebec standings and third in the RMC Ontario. He had a bit of a rough go at Nationals, but salvaged a P4 finish to keep him near the top. We’re looking for him to bounce back this weekend with a trip to Bahrain for his first Rotax Grand Finals on the line.
Coming off a solid podium at Nationals, the other Jackson, Jackson Lachapelle, has picked up steam ever since he joined HM Propela, and that’s put him in a great position entering the Canadian Open. He ranks P3 in RMC Quebec, only 15 points back of Morley, and P5 in RMC Ontario, albeit with a bigger margin to overcome. He’s another driver seeking his first Grand Finals appearance and will surely put the pressure on the front-runners.
Jackson Lachapelle – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN
Victory at the Canadian National Championships showed Leonardo Serravalle isn’t done impressing just yet in his debut Rotax season. He enters the weekend ranked P4 in both RMC Ontario and RMC Quebec and well within striking distance, especially with 1.5x points up for grabs. He’s having a dream rookie season so far, and a solid weekend at SH could see him join teammate Medeiros in Bahrain.
Jeremy St-Cyr enters the weekend in position to grab the RMC Ontario ticket. While he’s had some tough luck in his home province this season, three solid races in Ontario have him ahead of Morley, Serravalle and Lachapelle. St-Cyr isn’t out of the running in RMC Quebec either, entering the weekend sixth in the standings.
Another driver having a solid first season in Junior is Olivier Chasse. He enters the weekend P5 in RMC Quebec, 148 points back of Morley for the de facto lead. While consistency has been an issue for Chasse this year, he’s kept his best races of each race weekend for the Finals and secured some decent points to keep him in contention.
On the outside looking in:
A number of drivers mathematically have a shot this weekend, but will need some luck to go their way as well against their rivals. Noah Landry, Antoine Bazinet, Ahmed Mostafa and Stefano Lanzillotta enter the weekend inside the top-ten in the RMC Quebec standings, but all over 200 points back of the leader.
It’s a similar story in RMC Ontario as Roman Doria, Ari Theodoropoulos, Chasse, Lanzillotta, and Leo Da Silva hold positions six through ten and will need stellar weekends to vault up the standings.
One driver to keep an eye on this weekend to play spoiler: Alexis Baillargeon. Unfortunately, out of championship contention, he’s been in contention to win every race he’s entered this season and should be in the mix for victory again this weekend at SH.
As the final round of the championship, the Canadian Open is worth 1.5x championship points for both the RMC Ontario and the RMC Quebec, keeping more drivers in the running for the overall championships and amping up the competition for the weekend. A perfect weekend could score a driver 450 points, which theoretically puts any driver in the top ten within striking distance.
The Canadian officially begins on Friday, August 29, with SuperPole Qualifying. Drivers will compete in three heat races on Saturday, followed by the all-important PreFinal and Final races on Championship Sunday. There is some rain in the forecast, adding a little spice to the weekend, too.
Stay tuned to CKN throughout the weekend to see who will come out on top and join Rotax Team Canada!
