Pole Position and Front Row for Canadians at ROK SuperFinal!

Team Canada has made an impressive start to the 2026 ROK Cup SuperFinal at South Garda Karting in Lonato, Italy, highlighted by a historic pole position, a near-perfect qualifying performance and several strong results as the Canadians began their pursuit of international glory.

With seven Canadian drivers competing across six categories, there was plenty to celebrate on Wednesday as qualifying and the opening round of heat races kicked off the competitive portion of the prestigious international event.

Leading the Canadian charge was Roman Doria, who etched his name into the SuperFinal record books by becoming the first-ever pole-sitter in the VLR Senior ROK division, making its debut at the event this year.

Doria saved his best for last, delivering a blistering 51.443-second lap on his final flying lap around the challenging South Garda Karting circuit. The effort secured the top spot on the timing sheets and gave the Canadian the honour of leading the field to the green flag in the category’s inaugural heat race.

It was a tremendous way to begin his second consecutive appearance at the SuperFinal, particularly against a talented international field.

Just a few sessions earlier, defending Mini U10 SuperFinal Champion Jayden Francisco came agonizingly close to delivering another Canadian pole position.

Francisco was sensational in his qualifying group, posting the fastest lap and putting himself in prime position to begin his title defence. However, American driver Dutch Westbrook matched Francisco’s lap time exactly in the other qualifying group, leaving the pole position to be decided by their second-fastest laps.

The tiebreaker went Westbrook’s way, leaving Francisco second overall by the narrowest of margins. Nevertheless, the Canadian will start all of his heat races from the front row as he looks to capture a second consecutive SuperFinal crown.

Jayden Francisco (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

The positive results continued in VLR Junior ROK, where Canadian teammates Roy Chang and Thomas Du both delivered competitive performances in the category’s first appearance at the SuperFinal.

Chang broke into the top ten with the ninth-fastest qualifying lap, while Du was just three positions behind in twelfth. Both drivers have been enjoying their first taste of international competition at South Garda Karting, and their qualifying performances provided an encouraging start to their European debuts.

In Junior ROK, Robert Tronchi Jr. produced one of the most dramatic moments of the Canadian qualifying sessions.

With the clock winding down, Tronchi narrowly crossed the start-finish line before the checkered flag appeared, earning himself one final opportunity to improve his position. He made that lap count in a big way, jumping from 25th to eighth in his qualifying group.

The late improvement placed him 15th overall and gave the Canadian a much more favourable starting position for the heat races. It was an impressive recovery under pressure when it mattered most.

For reigning Canadian Mini ROK Champion Luke Bulpitt, qualifying proved more challenging than anticipated.

Bulpitt led a group of his teammates out of the pit lane and remained at the front of the train throughout the session, leaving him without the benefit of a slipstream around the fast Italian circuit.

Without a tow to help maximize his lap time, Bulpitt could only manage the 19th-fastest time in his group, placing him 38th overall.

The result certainly wasn’t representative of the pace he had demonstrated throughout practice, leaving the Canadian with plenty of work to do in the heat races. However, with his speed already established, there was reason to believe he could make significant progress once racing began.

Rounding out the Canadian contingent, Kevin Ye qualified 12th in Expert ROK, where he is discovering just how competitive the experienced Masters drivers are on the international stage.

Ye has continued to improve with each session, adapting to the different driving styles and aggressive racecraft that characterize competition in Italy. His steady progress has been encouraging as he gains valuable experience against some very accomplished competitors.

Opening Heats Bring Mixed Fortunes

Following the excitement of qualifying, all seven Canadians returned to the circuit Wednesday afternoon for their opening heat races, with the setting sun providing a spectacular backdrop at South Garda Karting.

Francisco once again demonstrated why he is the defending Mini U10 champion, racing to the front and crossing the finish line first in his opening heat.

Unfortunately, a penalty for contact during an overtaking attempt dropped him from the victory to third in the official results. While disappointing after taking the checkered flag first, the performance reinforced that Francisco has the speed to fight for another SuperFinal title.

Doria also spent time at the front of the field in VLR Senior ROK, leading the opening laps from pole position before slipping back to fourth by the checkered flag. It was still a solid start to his heat racing campaign, keeping him firmly in contention.

In VLR Junior ROK, Chang surrendered just one position from his qualifying result, finishing tenth in his opening heat. Teammate Du, meanwhile, endured a difficult start to his racing campaign and was unable to finish.

Bulpitt was one of the biggest Canadian movers of the afternoon, putting his disappointing qualifying result behind him with an excellent charge through the Mini ROK field.

Starting 19th, the Canadian gained seven positions in the short heat race to finish 12th, demonstrating the race pace that had been evident throughout practice. It was exactly the type of recovery he needed as he begins working his way toward the front of the field.

Tronchi also made progress in Junior ROK, although it took a few laps for him to settle into the rhythm of the race.

Once comfortable, the Canadian began closing the gap to the drivers ahead, eventually chasing down and overtaking his rival for ninth position late in the race. He held the spot through to the finish, adding another encouraging result to his SuperFinal debut.

Finally, Ye completed his opening Expert ROK heat two positions behind where he started, continuing to build experience in the highly competitive division.

The Battle for Saturday’s SuperFinals Intensifies

With qualifying complete and the first heat races in the books, the intensity is only going to increase over the next two days.

All seven Canadians will return to the circuit for two additional heat races on Thursday, giving them further opportunities to improve their positions and build momentum.

The fourth and final round of heats will take place Friday, determining the starting grids for the PreFinals, which will be contested Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

From there, the remaining contenders will battle for their places in Saturday’s all-important SuperFinals, where the 2026 ROK Cup SuperFinal champions will be crowned.

For Team Canada, the opening day has already delivered plenty of reasons for optimism. With a historic pole position for Doria, front-row speed from Francisco and encouraging performances throughout the lineup, the Canadians have shown they belong among the international competition.

Now comes the real challenge: turning that early speed into results when the stakes are at their highest.

CanadianKartingNews.com is on-site at South Garda Karting throughout the week, following Team Canada’s progress as the drivers chase SuperFinal glory in Italy. Be sure to follow our social media for updates, photos and more.