ROK Cup Canada Stars Shine at Canadian Karting Championships

The 2026 Canadian Karting Championship crowned 12 National Champions this past weekend at the Hamilton Karting Complex, with three ROK Cup Canada divisions joining the battle for Canadian supremacy.

Mini ROK, ROK VLR Junior and ROK VLR Senior all competed during the morning portion of the weekend’s activities, producing three entertaining National Championship Finals and plenty of drama along the way.

Beyond the coveted Canadian titles, the stakes were even higher for the podium finishers. The top three drivers in each ROK Cup Canada division earned invitations and prizes to compete at prestigious ROK Cup events around the world, including the ROK Cup SuperFinal in Italy and ROK Vegas in the United States.

With picture-perfect weather throughout the Thursday-to-Sunday event, the Hamilton Karting Complex and Ron Fellows Karting delivered a memorable Canadian Karting Championship under the guidance of ASN Canada, the national governing body for motorsports in Canada.

Bulpitt Wins Last-Lap Thriller in Mini ROK

The opening ROK Cup Canada Final of Championship Sunday delivered an incredible finish in the Mini ROK division.

Luke Bulpitt (Parolin) led the field of 12 drivers into the opening corner, but Nathan Stockwell (LN Kart) quickly launched his attack and moved into the race lead through corner four.

From there, Stockwell, Bulpitt and Liam Francisco (Nitro Kart) broke away from the field and settled into a three-kart battle for the National Championship. Behind them, Angelo Launi (GP Kart), Tristan Francisco (Ultra Kart) and Max Koutsoukis (Kart Republic) remained in pursuit.

The three leaders remained locked together through the opening 16 laps of the 20-lap Final before Bulpitt reclaimed the lead on lap 17.

Stockwell responded immediately, taking the position back on the following lap and setting up a spectacular two-lap showdown.

The lead changed hands again and again, with Francisco remaining close enough to capitalize on any mistake.

On the final lap, Francisco made his move on Bulpitt for second through corner two. The battle allowed Stockwell to open a small advantage, but the race was far from over.

Bulpitt stayed within striking distance and, exiting corner ten, got a tremendous run. He pulled alongside Francisco, cleared him and then immediately dove to the inside of Stockwell for the lead.

Emerging from the final corners in front, Bulpitt held on to claim the Mini ROK Canadian National Championship in spectacular fashion.

Stockwell was just 0.089 seconds behind at the finish line, while Francisco completed the podium in third after setting the fastest lap of the race.

Launi enjoyed a relatively uneventful second half of the race after running fourth at the halfway mark to secure fourth position. Maddox Pelletier (SodiKart) edged Tristan Francisco at the finish for fifth.

It was a fittingly dramatic finish for the opening ROK Cup Canada Final of Championship Sunday.

Mini ROK Final Results

Pos	Driver	Chassis	Diff	Laps	Best Lap
1	Luke Bulpitt	Parolin	0.000	20	49.223
2	Nathan Stockwell	LN Kart	0.089	20	49.210
3	Liam Francisco	Nitro Kart	0.174	20	49.202
4	Angelo Launi	GP Kart	3.091	20	49.307
5	Madox Pelletier	SodiKart	10.251	20	49.649
6	Tristan Francisco	ULTRA Kart	10.356	20	49.674
7	Max Koutsoukis	Kart Republic	10.658	20	49.387
8	Boston Kargacin	LN Kart	12.809	20	49.857
9	Zackary Losier	Parolin	13.266	20	49.880
10	Mateo Ono	GP Kart	24.438	20	50.123
11	Aiden Mainville	SodiKart	7 laps	13	50.584
12	Natalie Hilliard	SodiKart	14 laps	6	50.526

Nate Stockwell, Luke Bulpitt and Liam Francisco (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

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Tronchi Jr. Completes Junior Breakthrough

Just one week after winning at the KartStars Nationals, Robert Tronchi Jr. (RT2/CS55) added another major victory to his 2026 campaign by capturing his first Canadian Karting Championship title in ROK VLR Junior.

But unlike his KartStars triumph, this one did not come easily.

Marco Fazari (REM/Kosmic) led the early stages of the Final with Tronchi tucked directly onto his rear bumper. As Fazari began defending his position, Nicholas Lorusso (Premier Karting/TonyKart) was able to close in and join the fight.

What followed was an intense three-way battle.

From lap 11 through lap 25, Tronchi, Fazari and Lorusso traded the top three positions virtually every lap, with each driver taking turns at the front.

The pivotal moment came on lap 22 when Tronchi secured the lead. Behind him, Lorusso and Fazari continued their battle for second, allowing Tronchi to create the breathing room he needed.

Over the final three laps, Tronchi was flawless.

The RT2/CS55 driver hit every mark and steadily extended his advantage before rounding the final corner with nearly two seconds in hand. He crossed the finish line with his arms raised in celebration, securing his first Canadian National Championship.

Fazari appeared to secure the runner-up position after overtaking Lorusso on the final lap, but a post-race penalty for causing a collision dropped him off the National podium.

Lorusso was therefore promoted to second, while Leo Da Silva (REM/Kosmic) completed the podium in third.

Fazari was fourth and Thomas Du (Goodwood/Exprit) finished fifth.

For Tronchi, the victory capped off a remarkable two-week stretch and firmly established him as one of the standout ROK VLR Junior drivers in Canada this season.

ROK VLR Junior Final Results

Pos	Driver	Team/Chassis	Diff	Laps	Best Lap
1	Robert Tronchi Jr	RT2 Racing/CS55	0.000	25	45.845
2	Nicholas Lorusso	Premier Karting/TonyKart	1.900	25	45.966
3	Leo Da Silva	Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic	4.116	25	46.136
4	Marco Fazari	Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic	6.090	25	45.890
5	Thomas Du	Goodwood Kartways/Exprit	7.323	25	46.199
6	Roy Chang	Goodwood Kartways/Exprit	15.336	25	46.295
7	Melville Dos Santos	Dos Santos Racing/Exprit	16.825	25	46.382
8	Massimo Lorusso	Premier Karting/TonyKart	16.995	25	46.467
9	Nathaniel Preventis	Goodwood Kartways/Exprit	21 laps	4	47.301
10	Asher Pavan	AMP’D Racing/LN Kart	25 laps	–	0.000
11	Joshua Wheeler	Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic	25 laps	–	0.000

Nicholas Lorusso, Robert Tronchi and Leo Da Silva (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

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Soumvalis Dominates ROK VLR Senior

If the Mini ROK and ROK VLR Junior Finals were decided in dramatic fashion, the ROK VLR Senior championship belonged to one driver.

Joshua Soumvalis (REM/Kosmic) delivered a dominant performance to capture his first Canadian National title, leading the final 18 laps of the 25-lap Final.

Kristopher Goulet (REM/Kosmic) got away brilliantly from the outside of the front row to grab the early lead, while Alexis Baillargeon (Premier Karting/TonyKart) attacked Soumvalis for second on the opening lap.

Soumvalis quickly regained the position on lap two and immediately began hunting down Goulet.

The pair worked together for several laps, pulling clear of the field before Soumvalis made his decisive move on lap seven to take control of the race.

From there, the championship battle was essentially settled.

Soumvalis steadily increased his advantage lap after lap, eventually crossing the finish line after 25 gruelling laps with a commanding 6.6-second victory.

While Soumvalis drove away at the front, the battle for the remaining podium positions went right down to the final lap.

Ryker Magro (Firano Motorsports/TonyKart), making his Senior debut at the event, produced one of the drives of the weekend. Starting all the way back in 11th, Magro charged through the field and caught Goulet in the closing stages.

On the final lap, Magro made the move stick to secure second place.

Goulet held on for third and celebrated his first-ever trip to the Canadian Karting Championship National podium.

Romain Doria (REM/Kosmic), fresh off his KartStars Nationals victory the previous weekend, finished fourth, with Baillargeon rounding out the top five.

ROK VLR Senior Final Results

Pos	Driver	Team/Chassis	Diff	Laps	Best Lap
1	Joshua Soumvalis	Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic	0.000	25	46.209
2	Ryker Magro	Firano Motorsports/TonyKart	6.613	25	46.174
3	Kristopher Goulet	Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic	6.783	25	46.454
4	Roman Doria	Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic	12.722	25	46.487
5	Alexis Baillargeon	Premier Karting/TonyKart	13.486	25	46.478
6	Kevin Ye	Nolan Bower Motorsports/CS55	15.627	25	46.704
7	Quintin Murdoch	Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic	18.206	25	46.400
8	Anthony Raducanoiu	Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic	19.071	25	46.592
9	Franco Cariati	Goodwood Kartways/Exprit	26.135	25	47.347
10	Michael Nickle	Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic	8 laps	17	46.692
11	Muffazal Mahmud	Goodwood Kartways/Exprit	15 laps	10	48.539

Ryker Magro, Josh Soumvalis and Kristopher Goulet (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

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ROK Cup Rewards the National Podium

The Canadian Karting Championship titles were only part of the reward for the ROK Cup Canada competitors.

As part of the ROK Cup Canada program, the top three finishers in each of the three divisions received prizes and opportunities to continue their international racing journey.

The three National Champions, Luke Bulpitt, Robert Tronchi Jr. and Joshua Soumvalis, earned invitations to compete at the ROK Cup SuperFinal in Italy this October.

The runners-up and third-place finishers in each division earned prizes to compete at ROK Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, later this year.

With three champions crowned and nine drivers earning opportunities to compete on the international stage, the ROK Cup Canada divisions provided a fitting opening chapter to our coverage of the 2026 Canadian Karting Championships.

And with nine more National Champions still to be crowned, stay tuned to CanadianKartingNews.com for the next instalment of our three-part Canadian Championship category coverage.