Though there is a lot of uncertainty in the motorsport community right now, one thing that can be counted on is that when racing does resume, karters will now be Rokking in three Canadian provinces! As Ontario begins its third Rok Cup schedule based out of Goodwood Kartways and Alberta heads into its second Rok Cup season at the Calgary Kart Racing Club, British Columbia joins the fray with five events scheduled at Kartplex and the Area 27 Motorsports Complex!
“We are sincerely grateful for this opportunity to put our fantastic new facility onto the map of elite level kart racing in North America and we are committed to providing an exceptional experience for everyone involved,” said Craig Finer, Owner and Director of Operations at Kartplex. “In 2020 our event format will remain open to competitors using any motor package that fits within our class format, but we’re excited to begin the transition to Vortex Engines and add specific associated prizes for competitors on Rok equipment with our very own Rok Cup Championship.”
The trio of schedules from British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario will combine this season to produce Canadian representatives for the Rok Cup Superfinal at South Garda Karting in Lonato, Italy, and award entries to both Rok the Rio in Las Vegas and the next Florida Winter Tour. The worldwide platform continues to develop year-on-year, and participation numbers are expected to rise once again across the country and around the globe.
“The Rok program continues to grow and we now have over 400 Vortex engines in Canadian paddocks,” said Marco Di Leo, President and Director of Operations for Rok Cup Canada. “Once we can get started, we’re really looking forward to a great season of racing. KartStars Canada has some new and exciting venues on its schedule, CKRC is all set for season two and we are really pleased to be able to announce Rok Cup BC and help bring Rok Cup racing into the Okanagan Valley in partnership with Craig and the Kartplex Racing Corporation. When the time comes, we’ll all be ready to Rok.”
Of the championship awards mentioned, Rok Cup BC will send each of its five class champions to Rok the Rio this November in Vegas and Rok Cup Alberta will also do the same. The Rok Shifter race winner from the Western Canadian Rok Championships will be headed to the Rok Cup SuperFinal at South Garda Karting in Italy, and they will be joined by six class champions from Ontario and the race winners from all six classes at the Canadian Rok Championships hosted by KartStars. Second-place finishers in the overall KartStars program will be headed to Rok the Rio, while the second-place finishers at the Canadian Rok Championships will each be awarded tickets to the 2021 Florida Winter Tour.
All told there are a dozen Rok Cup events on the Canadian schedule with a pair of North American festivals as well. Rok Fest East takes place at the end of July at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, and Rok Fest West takes place in mid-September at Simraceway Performance Driving Center in Sonoma, California. All schedules lead up the largest Rok Festival on the continent: Rok the Rio 2020 from November 3-7 at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.