Taskinen Capitalizes to Claim Rotax DD2 Victory at RMC Quebec

The Rotax DD2 category delivered a compelling battle between speed and experience at round two of the Rotax Max Challenge Quebec Championship, where Matthew Taskinen made the most of every opportunity to secure his first victory of the season.

Returning to Karting Mont-Tremblant for the halfway point of the championship, competitors tackled the circuit in reverse configuration from round one while enduring another weekend of sweltering temperatures and high humidity.

Although William Bouthillier (REM/Kosmic) showed the outright pace throughout the weekend, it was Taskinen (HM Propela/Kart Republic) who converted opportunity into victory.

Making just his second appearance in the two-speed Rotax DD2 category, Bouthillier earned pole position and looked poised to sweep the weekend. However, the learning curve of DD2 racing surfaced at the start of both the PreFinal and the Final.

On each occasion, Bouthillier was slow away from the line when the green flag flew, allowing Taskinen to seize the race lead before the opening corner.

In the PreFinal, Bouthillier recovered brilliantly. Using his superior pace, he hunted Taskinen down and reclaimed the lead to score the victory and retain pole position for the Final.

The feature race told a different story.

Once again, Taskinen launched perfectly from the front row to grab the lead as Bouthillier struggled to get his DD2 machinery up to speed. This time, Taskinen refused to leave the door open.

Despite constant pressure from the young Racing Edge Motorsports driver, Taskinen never put a wheel out of place. Lap after lap, Bouthillier remained within striking distance, but he was never close enough to attempt a decisive move. After 16 flawless laps, Taskinen crossed the finish line 0.928 seconds ahead to earn a well-deserved victory, bouncing back in style after suffering a DNF in the opening round of the championship.

Alexis Baillargeon (Premier/TonyKart) also enjoyed a strong recovery weekend. After recording a DNF in round one, he returned to the podium with a third-place finish, getting the better of opening-round winner Alex Marcil Perron (HM Propela/Kart Republic), who settled for fourth.

Derek Laroche (BCR/BirelART) completed the top five after another consistent outing.

While victory slipped away from Bouthillier, the weekend still served its primary purpose. Every lap in the DD2 kart provides valuable experience as he prepares to represent Team Canada at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals later this year. His speed throughout the weekend demonstrated that the pace is already there; now it’s simply a matter of continuing to master the unique starts and racecraft that make the DD2 category so challenging.

The championship now heads to the Canadian Open at SRA Karting Mirabel for round three of the four-race series, where the battle for the Rotax DD2 title and the opportunity to join Bouthillier on Team Canada at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals will continue to intensify.

The Rotax DD2 podium: William Bouthillier, Matthew Taskinen, Alexis Baillargeon (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

Rotax DD2 Final Results