On the eve of the Canadian Karting Championships, we just experienced one of the best karting events of the season.
KartFest, co-organized by BSC Ontario and KartStars Canada, brought together more than 200 drivers and 500 race entries to the Hamilton Karting Complex for a weekend of jam-packed action.
Three days of wheel-to-wheel racing, a celebration of speed, 15 KartStars National Bear trophies, thousands of laps completed and a facility so full that organizers had to play Tetris to get everyone in. There were prizes galore, more than 20 rounds of podium celebrations, including the crowning of the inaugural BSC Ontario Champions, and so many celebrations.
So what made KartFest so much fun? Atmosphere, competition for everyone, so much racing and two great programs coming together to host the event of the season. Even a little Saturday afternoon rain couldn’t cool off the vibe of the weekend.
To win a KartStars Bear this weekend meant a driver had to put all the pieces together. For the ROK and ROTAX racers, that meant building everything towards Sunday afternoon’s main events. For BRIGGS racers, they had to be great in both Saturday and Sunday’s Finals, survive the chaos and make it to the finish line twice ahead of the competition.
Briggs Senior continues to be the most competitive category in the country right now, and this weekend featured 63 drivers vying for every position. Just making the Final on both days was a task, with both B PreFinals filling the fences with roars from the crowds. When the A Finals took to the track, only a few tenths of a second per lap separated being at the front and being buried in the 20s or 30s.
For Briggs racing, this was the provincial championship for Ontario, and all the heavy hitters were on the premises from Cadet to Masters, and the racers delivered.
Some found the podium multiple times, some even in multiple classes, but only one driver in each category could take home a Bear, a coveted trophy in Canadian karting that goes back decades.
The Final races were long; the battles ran from start to finish, and with it, 12 drivers ended their weekend with the title of KartStars Champion and one of the most unique trophies in our sport.
2026 KartFest KartStars National Bear Champions
- Briggs Cadet: Blaine Donovan
- Briggs Junior Lite: Tyler Del Bel Belluz
- Briggs Junior: Blake Fregeau
- Briggs Senior: Mitchell Morrow
- Briggs Masters: Zach Boam
- ROK Mini: Nate Stockwell
- ROK VLR Junior: Robert Tronchi Jr
- ROK VLR Senior: Roman Doria
- ROK VLR Masters: Mark Pavan
- ROTAX Mini: Yousef Adi
- ROTAX Junior: Edward Kennedy
- ROTAX Senior: Ryan Maxwell
- KartStars Cadet: Ricky Ramdin
- KartStars Junior: Jamie Stewien
- KartStars Senior: Owen McCarthy
2026 KartFest Race Winners
- Briggs Cadet Saturday: Blaine Donovan
- Briggs Cadet Sunday: Ricky Ramdin
- Briggs Junior Lite Saturday: Nathaniel Preventis
- Briggs Junior Lite Sunday: Tyler Del Bel Belluz
- Briggs Junior Saturday: Robert Tronchi Jr
- Briggs Junior Sunday: Blake Fregeau
- Briggs Senior Saturday: Dylan Reny
- Briggs Senior Sunday: Mitchell Morrow
- Briggs Masters Saturday: Zach Boam
- Briggs Masters Sunday: Zach Boam
Now, with KartFest complete, the focus shifts to the big one, the Canadian Karting Championships, where racers from across the country will battle it out for the title of being the Canadian Champion. We’re back at Hamilton starting on Wednesday, building towards Championship Sunday, where national glory will be on the line.
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