Bazinet Captures Critical Rotax Junior Victory at Toronto Motorsports Park

The Rotax Junior championship delivered one of the most exciting races of the weekend as the Rotax Max Challenge Ontario visited Toronto Motorsports Park for the first time in more than two decades. With the championship entering its penultimate round, Antoine Bazinet, Marco Fazari and Olivier Chasse knew every point would be critical heading into the season finale.

On one of the fastest circuits in Canada, where Rotax karts reached speeds approaching 140 km/h at the end of the 600-metre straightaway, Bazinet (Pfaff KartSport/Gillard) once again proved to be the benchmark. For the third consecutive RMC Ontario event, he topped the qualifying charts, continuing his impressive streak of outright speed.

After the opening heat race was cancelled following a weather delay and track adjustments, Bazinet made sure not to leave any points on the table. He captured victories in both remaining heat races before completing the sweep with another win in the Superheat to secure pole position for the Final.

When the green flag waved, Bazinet immediately established himself at the front with fellow title contender Olivier Chasse (Prime Powerteam/RedSpeed) settling into second. The championship rivals quickly worked together, opening a comfortable gap over the rest of the field while behind them the battle for the final podium position intensified.

The race’s only major incident came on lap four when another title hopeful, Ryker Magro (Ultra Kart Canada/Ultra Kart), made contact with the barriers while running fifth, ending his afternoon and dealing a significant blow to his championship aspirations.

For much of the race, Bazinet maintained a narrow advantage over Chasse, but with just a few laps remaining, the pressure began to build. Chasse closed onto Bazinet’s rear bumper and set up one final attack entering the circuit’s massive back straight.

Using the draft perfectly, Chasse pulled alongside and briefly completed the pass entering the final corners. Bazinet refused to surrender, crossing back underneath his rival before the final turn to reclaim the lead. The two drag-raced to the finish line in spectacular fashion, with Bazinet hanging on by a mere 0.051 seconds in one of the closest finishes of the season.

While the lead battle stole the spotlight, the fight for third also came alive on the final lap. Ethan Tyers (Racing Edge Motorsports/OTK) and Stefano Lanzillotta (Prime Powerteam/RedSpeed) both found a way past round two winner Marco Fazari (Racing Edge Motorsports/Kosmic), securing third and fourth respectively as Fazari settled for fifth.

The victory was Bazinet’s second of the championship season and couldn’t have come at a better time. Heading into this weekend’s Canadian Open at SRA Karting in Mirabel, Quebec, he leads the standings with 870 points, ahead of Fazari (775) and Chasse (759). Magro sits fourth with 672 points, while Lanzillotta rounds out the top five with 581.

The championship, however, is far from over.

The Canadian Open will serve as the RMC Ontario finale while also counting toward the RMC Quebec championship, with 1.5-times championship points on offer. A perfect weekend could net 450 points, leaving the Rotax Junior title and the coveted Team Canada ticket to the 2026 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portugal still very much up for grabs.

If the battle at Toronto Motorsports Park was any indication, the championship showdown in Mirabel promises to be an unforgettable finish to the season.

Olivier Chasse, Antoine Bazinet and Ethan Tyers on the Rotax Junior podium (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)