Two hundred and fifty two drivers from 61 countries converge in the small Southern Italy town of Muro Leccese for the biggest Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in the history of the international event. Already known as the Olympics of karting, the addition of the DD2 Masters class pushed the limits of the event further by adding another 36 drivers from all five continents.
Through their national success in 2010, Team RPG racers Derek Wang (DD2) and Mike Daniel (DD2 Masters) were selected to be part of Team USA in the invitation only event.
“Reaching the Rotax Grand Finals is the goal of every Rotax racer. Being here again in 2010 with Mike and having Derek here for the first time is very special for me. I’m very proud of these guys and this is a testament to their hard work and the success of RPG’s race team. We set our goals high in the beginning of the season and it’s a great feeling to have reached it” Said Mike Rolison while overseeing his race team at La Conca.
2010 is the forth time that RPG has reached the Rotax Grand Finals. In 2006, Mike Rolison himself reached the Grand Finals in Portugal by winning the US National title in the senior category. Since then, RPG has been producing nationally winning drivers and sent two drivers to the Grand Finals in 2009 and 2010.
Recapping on a tremendous experience at La Conca, Derek Wang commented: “Although it was an up and down week here in Italy, this has really been an experience of a life time. We were very competitive from the first session and started our races in a good position. However, bad luck in the third heat put us out of contention. We’ll keep working hard in 2011 and hope to have another shot at the Grand Finals in Dubai”
Representing Team USA for the second year in the in a row, Mike Daniel also had a good run at the event until contact with another kart ended his Grand Finals run. “I felt much more prepared this year compared to 2009. There facilities here are awesome and it is quite a bit of fun to race against 30 other guys in the DD2. “
With the team back in the USA, it is now time to prepare for the rapidly approaching 2011 season. Racing will resume in January with the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas.
Rolison Performance Group provides a range of services from complete race-weekend support to one-on-one driver development through instruction, on-track practice, testing, and training. Race weekend support packages and driver instruction days are available in 2010 and 2011. For more information, please visit https://rolisonperformancegroup.com and join the RPG Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rolison-Performance-Group/127186247319642