Adi Completes Remarkable Comeback to Win Rotax Mini Max at Mosport

Few drivers endured a tougher start to the weekend than Yousef Adi, but by Sunday afternoon at the Mosport Karting Centre, the Rotax Mini Max driver had completed one of the most impressive recoveries of the season, charging to victory in Round 2 of the Rotax Max Challenge Ontario championship.

Adi’s weekend nearly unravelled before it ever got started. After qualifying third fastest on Saturday, disaster struck in the opening heat race when he lost his chain guard and was shown the mechanical flag, resulting in a last-place finish. Things went from bad to worse in Heat 2 when he was excluded following technical inspection, leaving him buried at the bottom of the standings heading into Sunday.

Rather than dwelling on the setbacks, Adi (Prime/RedSpeed) returned with a fresh outlook and immediately began working his way forward. While a fifth-place result in the final heat race meant he would start the SuperHeat from fourteenth on the grid, he produced one of the drives of the weekend, storming to third position while also recording the fastest lap of the race.

That performance elevated him to seventh on the grid for the Final, but Adi was far from finished.

At the drop of the green flag, Adi immediately went on the attack, climbing to fourth through the opening corners before ending the first lap in third. One lap later, he slipped past Aiden Kishun (Ultra Kart) for second position and began chasing race leader Tristan Francisco (Francisco Racing/Nitro Kart).

It took five laps for Adi to erase the gap, but once he arrived on Francisco’s rear bumper, he wasted little time making his move. Taking over the lead, Adi immediately stretched his advantage and controlled the remainder of the race, completing an incredible comeback victory after starting the day deep in the order.

Behind him, brothers Tristan and Liam Francisco (Francisco Racing/Ultra Kart) spent much of the race battling to remain within striking distance. Tristan appeared to secure the runner-up position with a decisive last-lap pass, but post-race technical inspection changed the final outcome. Tristan’s engine failed inspection, resulting in a disqualification that dropped him to the bottom of the results.

The penalty elevated Liam Francisco to second place in the official standings, while Saturday’s CKN Fastest Qualifier Award winner, Max Koutsoukis (CD3 Motorsports/Kart Republic), completed the podium in third after a consistently strong weekend.

Luke Bulpitt (Firano Racing/TonyKart) and Nathan Stockwell (REM/Kosmic) also impressed throughout the event, earning well-deserved top-five finishes in fourth and fifth, respectively.

The result gives Adi a memorable victory and valuable championship momentum as the Rotax Mini Max competitors continue their 2026 RMC Ontario campaign.

Round three travels to Toronto Motorsports Park in 3 weeks, where racers will get their first taste of a new circuit.

Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN