Savaglio and Bazinet Earn Top-Ten Starts on Elimination Day in Portimão

Friday was elimination day at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Portimão, Portugal. The remaining heats set the grids for Saturday, with only 36 drivers advancing in each of Mini Max, Junior Max, Senior Max and DD2.

Gianluca Savaglio and Antoine Bazinet led the Canadian qualifiers in those divisions, earning ninth and tenth on their respective grids.

Team Canada also picked up a win away from the track. The drivers’ parade, group photo and team contest took over the lunch break, and Canada won the award for the loudest team in the grandstand for the second year in a row.

There was plenty of sunshine on Friday, but showers kept changing the conditions. Drivers went from rain tires to slicks and back again, and one Mini Max field got caught on slicks just as the rain soaked the circuit.

Rotax E10

A timing issue brought out the red flag on the first attempt to run the second E10 heat, moving the race to the end of the day. By the time the field returned to the grid, the sun was setting, and the track was dry.

Maddox Pelletier recovered from a slow start to gain seven positions and finish 25th. Giulio Berlinguet got away well before slipping to 29th at the flag.

Pelletier’s two heats earned him 18th on the grid for Saturday’s Final, a substantial gain from qualifying. Berlinguet will start 35th.

Maddox Pelletier and Giulio Berlinguet (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

Micro Max

Zachary Losier made the most of a damp track in the morning, gaining 12 positions to finish 19th in the second heat. Tyler Chan lost ground after early trouble and crossed the line 35th before being disqualified for having a tire mounted in the wrong direction.

Losier will start Saturday’s Final from 22nd, with Chan lining up 36th.

Mini Max

Yousef Adi opened his day on rain tires and crossed the line 16th, moving up to 15th after penalties. The track was dry for Lincoln Lima and Francesco Cosco’s morning heat, and Cosco made the most of the switch to slicks. He gained 12 positions to finish 19th on track and was classified 18th. Lima recovered from a slow start to take 21st after penalties.

Light rain returned before Adi’s afternoon heat, and the field stayed on slicks. Adi gained a few positions early before slipping back, then moved up to 14th in the final results. The next group also left the grid on slicks, but the rain intensified shortly after the start. Lima climbed to 17th before losing ground in the wet, while Cosco fell to the back and fought his way past several karts. After penalties, Lima was classified 22nd and Cosco 30th.

Adi will be Canada’s sole representative in the Mini Max Final, starting 21st. Cosco ranked 47th after the heats, with Lima 49th.

Antoine Bazinet (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

Rotax Junior

Marco Fazari finished 15th on track in his dry morning heat, while Olivier Chasse gained seven places to cross the line 24th. Penalties moved Fazari up to 11th and Chasse to 19th.

In the next heat, Bazinet and Leo Da Silva both avoided a major first-corner crash. Bazinet spent the race in the battle just outside the top five and crossed the line eighth, earning fourth after penalties. Da Silva ran as high as 14th before finishing 19th on track and moving up to 16th in the results.

All four Canadians raced together on rain tires in the afternoon. Bazinet went from eighth to fourth at the start and crossed the line sixth, dropping to eighth after a pushback bumper penalty. Da Silva also gained ground early before a bumper penalty left him 18th. Fazari lost 13 places on the opening lap and finished 29th, while Chasse finished 31st.

Bazinet’s consistency earned him tenth on Saturday’s grid. Da Silva secured the 36th and final spot, putting two Canadians in the Junior Max Final. Fazari ranked 40th and Chasse 62nd.

Rotax Senior

Ayden Ingratta led the four Canadians in the dry B vs. D heat, climbing from 20th on the grid to run inside the top ten. He crossed the line 12th and was classified eighth after penalties. Arnaud Sabourin finished 22nd in the final results, while Ryan Maxwell was classified 26th after late contact cost him ground. Noah Landry was 32nd.

Back on rain tires for A vs. C, Ingratta had reached 12th when contact sent him spinning as he tried to pass for 11th. He recovered to 18th on track and was classified 22nd. Maxwell gained nine places to cross the line 21st and moved up to 17th after penalties. Sabourin spun off on the opening lap and worked his way back to 25th on track, ending up 26th in the results.

Landry saved his strongest drive for B vs. C, gaining 15 positions to cross the line tenth. A pushback bumper penalty moved him to 12th.

Ingratta is the lone Canadian advancing to the Final, starting 24th.

Unfortunately, Sabourin, Maxwell and Landry failed to advance, ranking 43rd, 46th and 54th.

Ayden Ingratta (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)

DD2 Masters

Noel Dowler made a strong start in the dry morning heat, moving from 18th to 13th and finding fellow Canadian Zephyrin Dupain in the same battle. By the final laps, both were part of a ten-kart fight for eighth. Dowler finished 12th and Dupain took 16th.

Dowler will start the Final from 13th, with Dupain lining up 18th.

DD2

William Bouthillier took advantage of his first race on slicks this week, gaining five positions to cross the line sixth and moving up to fifth after penalties. Savaglio ran strongly early and was classified ninth, while Griffin Dowler fought forward from the back of the grid and was classified 20th.

Alexis Baillargeon gained 12 positions to reach eighth by the midpoint of his morning heat and was classified 13th. Alex Marcil Perron climbed as high as 17th before a collision with two laps remaining knocked him back. He was classified 30th.

Rain tires returned for the late heats. Baillargeon gained seven places early and was fighting for 12th when contact at the exit of Turn 7 sent him spinning. He finished 26th, with Bouthillier classified 21st and Dowler 27th. Marcil Perron was disqualified for improperly rejoining the track.

Savaglio was the lone Canadian in the last DD2 heat. He moved up to sixth early and held the spot to the flag, securing ninth on Saturday’s grid. Bouthillier advanced in 27th, and Baillargeon grabbed the second-last transfer spot to start 35th.

Saturday brings longer races and the first chance all week for the Canadians to see how much ground they can gain over a full Final distance.

Alex Marcil Perron (Photo by: Cody Schindel / CKN)