Canada Finishes Runner-Up in Nations Cup After Difficult Final Day

With the curtain closing on the 2025 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Bahrain, Team Canada wrapped up an intense week of highs, heartbreaks, and hard-fought performances. Finals Day delivered every emotion imaginable: early promise, dramatic battles, costly penalties, and inspiring rebounds, highlighting the grit and determination of the Canadian drivers representing the Maple Leaf on the world stage.

From Micro Max to DD2, each category brought its own storyline as the Canadians pushed through one last showdown under the desert sun.

For RMC Grand Finals Results – Click HERE

Micro Max

The first final of the day for Team Canada was a tough one, as Jayden Francisco showed great promise after rebounding in qualifying. After jumping to fifth in the opening corner, his race began to unravel. By the end of the first lap, he was shuffled out of the top ten. He spent the entire race trying to recover positions, but the lack of patience among many of the young competitors kept him locked in battles outside the top ten, ultimately crossing the line in twelfth.

Oliver Aupry and Jack Klym were both part of an intense fight around the twentieth position, eventually finishing 27th and 28th, respectively. Aupry lost out as he dropped six positions from his starting spot. Klym, meanwhile, had to start near the rear after a rough run in the heats, which hindered his progress throughout the weekend. With this being both drivers’ first international appearance, they will take home plenty of valuable lessons as they look to return stronger if they qualify for future Grand Finals.

Once penalties were applied, Francisco gained four positions and was officially classified eighth in the Final. Aupry and Klym also benefited, being promoted to the twenty-first and twenty-second positions.

Jayden Francisco – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

Rotax Max Junior

It all came crumbling down for the Canadians in the Rotax Junior final, as the British drivers took control at the front, aggressively blocking and creating a massive train of karts, which led to questionable driving throughout the field. Baillargeon was the lead Canadian early on, making a strong start to reach second, but he was immediately shuffled back and dropped into the mid-pack. After some intense battling, he clawed his way back up to finish ninth on track.

Leonardo Serravalle had an up-and-down race as well, making his way into the thick of the top ten before being pushed off multiple times while battling through the pack. He ended the race eighteenth after a hard-fought run.

Rayan Ghandour and Cole Medeiros both failed to finish the race. Medeiros was taken out in turn one at the midway point and reversed hard into the turn-one wall. Ghandour, after starting on the outside of the front row, was driven over, damaging his exhaust pipe and ending a promising week in disappointing fashion.

After penalties, Serravalle was promoted all the way to ninth, while Baillargeon received a drop-down penalty that knocked him back to sixteenth.

Leonardo Serravalle – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

Rotax Max Senior

In the Max Senior final, Ayden Ingratta put together a solid performance, running in contention near the front in the early stages. The race turned out to be a relatively tame affair, as Macauley Bishop (UK) and Cian Geraghty (UK) drove away from the field and remained unchallenged for the top two positions. Ingratta was in the mix for third late in the race but ultimately fell just short of a top-five finish, crossing the line in sixth after being passed by a driver short-cutting the track in the final corners, something that was missed by the race officials.

Ryan Maxwell’s rebound from a challenging qualifying came undone early in the prefinal when he was involved in a lap-five incident that took him out of the race when a driver crashed hard into his side pod. It was a disappointing end to what had looked like a promising turnaround.

Rotax DD2 Masters

Noel Dowler had a very strong first half of the DD2 Masters final, capitalizing on contact at the front to climb into the top ten by halfway. However, as the race wore on, his pace began to fade, and he dropped to fifteenth by the finish, still an improvement on his starting position and a much better result than his last time in Bahrain.

Sebastien Bernier picked up nine positions in the final, showing excellent pace as the weekend progressed, and finished 22nd. With his first Grand Finals finish now complete, he will surely be eager for another opportunity to qualify for the Rotax Grand Finals in 2026.

Noel Dowler – Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN

Rotax DD2

The Canadian drivers in DD2 battled hard throughout the final. Matthew Taskinen led the group with a twelfth-place finish after fighting through intense midfield traffic. Taskinen applied pressure to Hannes Morin (SWE) for eleventh until the final lap but was unable to make a move.

Gianluca Savaglio charged through the pack to finish fifteenth after a weekend plagued by pushback penalties. Lucas Pernod’s race ended early after his exhaust fell off after being driven over.

After penalties, Savaglio was promoted to twelfth, while Taskinen dropped to fifteenth due to a pushback bumper penalty.

Nations Cup

After six days of intense on-track action, the 2025 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals have come to an end. A bittersweet end for our Canadian drivers in the Finals was rewarded with the runner-up trophy in the Nations Cup, something that showcases how strong we were as a nation throughout the entire event.

In addition, at the driver’s photo, Team Canada was acknowledged for being the loudest team in the annual cheering contest.

Team Canada can be proud of our efforts this week, both on and off track.