ESTERER OUT WEST! Rotax RM1 Karts have first Canadian race!
Special to Inside Karting

On May 14, the Rotax RM1 race premiere took place in Edmonton, Alberta The ROTAX RM1 kart is a real evolution in karting. This kart has been developed on the Rotax Max engine philosophy: power, low maintenance and reliability. More than just a very good looking kart, the RM1 has many features which are completely new even for the most experienced karters.

First, this kart has a unique powertrain: the rear axle runs through the engine. The DD2 engine, the name of the RM1 kart engine, has a two-speed gearbox, plus reverse! This 32-hp engine produces thrills beyond every racers need. The chassis of the RM1 kart has been developed by Rotax in collaboration with one of the biggest European chassis manufacturer and is equipped with four disc brakes. Rotax developed many security features, including a rear bumper able to resist a 12 km/h impact and a roller system to prevent take offs in case of contact between two competitors.

This race was Canada's first RM1 race, if not the World's. Daniel Lamothe and Patrick Moreau from SRA Karting International, national Rotax kart distributors, were on site to help the organizers and assist drivers. Eighteen drivers registered for this event, which was held at Stratotech Park (www.stratotech.ca). This great multi-function facility (auto, moto and kart) was perfect for this premiere. The configuration used for the race was 1450 meters long. The weather was perfect with 24 C and mostly sunny.

The race day schedule gave drivers plenty of track time. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., drivers had free practice. Practices were action packed - Jay Esterer hit the protection wall at the pit entry. His kart was severely damaged but it could be repaired with a few good hammer hits in time for qualification session.

At 4 p.m., it was time for the drivers' meeting, and from that moment on, only one thing was important: being the fastest! The pack was split into two groups for the qualifying session to make sure every driver got plenty of space on the track. The pole sitter was Jay Esterer, the same guy who crashed during practice.

Many of the RM1 drivers had racing experience in various cars and motorcycles, but few had any karting experience. With such a wide track, we expected many passing attempts during the race and especially in the amazing first corner, which is a long and super-fast sweeper.

The race began without problem, but many battles took place between the drivers. The battle for the lead was mostly between the prefinal winner Kevin Dowler - yes, the CASCAR Super Series driver who has won the Molson Indy Toronto CASCAR race - and Jay Esterner. This was only a warm-up before the battle in the final.

In the final, everything was still possible. The hot battle between Dowler and Esterner flared again, but this time, the winner was Esterner. "The race was very exciting," he said. "Kevin was attacking the corners more aggressively than me but think my line was a bit better. This probably made the difference."

One word about the great racing facility of Stratotech: this track is really devoted to racing. Dan Beith, the owner and RM1 kart race participant, is putting a lot of energy to develop racing in the best environment possible.

He also imports the Arcobaleno Formula, which is very well adapted to this racetrack. This small racing car is made in Italy. Its engine develop 148 hp, while the whole car weights only 370 kg and can reach a top speed of 230 km/h. Daniel Lamothe was very impressed and he thought driving this car is almost as exciting as driving a RM1 kart!