 There were six classes at this year’s US Rotax Max
Grand Nationals held at Miller Motorsports Park in Toole, UT and Birel scored
podiums in three of them, using three different chassis models. The results
showcased the strong chassis line-up of the Birel C28 Cadet chassis, RY30-S6
and the CRY30-DD2 chassis all used to score fast laps, wins or podiums. Sebastian
Montoya, son of IndyCar driver, Juan Pablo Montoya, took the overall victory in
MicroMax. Dan Roeper and Jordon Musser each followed suit with podium finishes
in their respective classes, Senior and DD2 Masters.
“Even completely out-numbered in entry count, Birel
drivers, dealers and support teams showcased the abilities of the chassis very
well,” said Garry Lobaugh, MRP Motorsport President. “We wish to provide as
much technical support as possible for any teams or dealers wishing to utilize
Birel in their program. It is a successful chassis with a rich heritage in our
sport.”
 Kicking off the “Finals Day” was Montoya who spend
most of the week flying under the radar, qualifying in 7th while
fellow Birel pilot, Jak Crawford took a strong pole, over a half a second
quicker than his next competitor. During the heats, Crawford continued a strong
showing, winning heat #1 and coming from further back to score 2nd
in the Pre-Final while Montoya, continued to stay low-key, putting together a
string of Top-10 finishes until the final. That is when the young driver hit
his stride, moving from his 9th place starting position to the
front, capitalizing on others mistakes to score a 5+ second win. Crawford came
across the line in 5th, setting the fastest lap of the race, knowing
he had the speed to win.
It looked like Birel was positioned to score more
wins in other classes as well as Orsolon Racing’s, Dan Roeper, came close by
finishing 2nd in Rotax Senior on his RY30-S6 chassis. The young
talent qualified 5th and had some up and down results in the heats
but fought hard to ultimately claim a 7th place starting spot for
the pre-final. After 16 laps the driver had moved up to 5th, in a
4-way battle for 3rd, providing some positive energy for the finals.
Roeper sprung to action and after 20 laps, had scored a runner-up finish and a
ticket to the Grand Finals.
 In DD2 Masters, it was Jordon Musser, using a
CRY30-DD2, setting the pace early. The Texas-based driver had hoped to add a 5th
Rotax National title to his trophy case and led both practice and put his Birel
in pole position heading into the heats. Unfortunately some rough contact in
the heat races didn’t allow him to set the pace. The fierce 3-way battle for
the win in the final ended with Musser in 3rd and wishing for a few
more laps.
Other notable Birel drivers scoring Top-10 results
was Payton Durrant in MiniMax, qualifying in the top 10 and maintaining those
Top-10 results with a solid 8th place in the nation in the Final. A
pair of Top-10’s were taken in the Masters class by Birel drivers Joey McGuire (8th)
and Andy Seesemann (10th) in the 20-lap final. It was Seesemann,
however, that put on the show, scoring that 10th after starting in
the back of the field after a 28th place finish in the pre-final. In
Rotax Senior, Aiden Keel turned some bad luck in the pre-final into a mission
to get back to the front, working his way past 19 other drivers to finish in
the 14th position and score a GoRotax.com “Hard Charger Award”.
Montoya and Seesemann were also awarded with “Hard charger” awards for their
class.
The United States Rotax Max Grand Nationals are
equivalent to the “Team USA Olympic Trials” for kart racing as over 34 states
as well as Jamaica, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Mexico will be represented by
drivers seeking a position on the North American team with a chance to compete
against 44 other countries later this year at the World Grand Finals in Valencia,
Spain.
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