US Rotax Trophy Series West Round 2 & Championship Winners

The final round of the 2021 Rotax US Trophy Series West took place at Phoenix Karting Racing Association in Glendale, AZ this past weekend.  The renowned karting facility, which has played host to some of the continents top karting events since its inception played a critical role in the Trophy West series as drivers had to navigate the challenging circuit. With a freshly resealed track surface coupled with warm temperatures the conditions were elevated for all the competitors making an already exciting series more challenging.

PKRA controlled practice, which started on Friday with the .7 of a mile challenging “Full Clockwise” layout creating a high level of grip from the remarkable MoJo D2xx and D5 tires.  The final round offered an elevated 30% increase in points up for grabs which brought three of the five championships down to the wire in Sunday’s finals.

“PKRA provided the perfect backdrop and challenge to end the Trophy Series West program as the fast and high-grip circuit gave the competitors an exciting experience. The championship points structure really ratcheted up as predicted and being able to crown five champions as well as two wild card ticket winners to join Team USA Karting at the 2021 Rotax Grand Finals in Bahrain was exciting for everyone involved. — Justin Stefani

Micro Max

The Micro Max category had continued participation with pole position being snatched by series points leader Jaxon Porter.  Porter took a commanding weekend by winning both heat races and the final on Sunday.  The battle all weekend was for second place as Braylon Underwood, Ryan Queen, and Ethan Steele swapped positions throughout the heat races with Ethan Steele ending up in second and Ryan Queen on the final step of the podium. The final championship top three finishers in order:  1. Jaxon Porter 2. Braylon Underwood 3. Isaac Payn

Mini Max

The drivers aged from 10-12 years old provided excitement with the top five driver’s times separated by a couple tenths in qualifying with Kyle Drysdale taking pole position as the remaining positions were closely guarded.  The heat race activity was close between all the drivers with Alexander Jacoby taking the heat race one win as polesitter Kyle Drysdale took the final heat race win. The final had a strong battle between Drysdale, Jacoby and Chartier as all three exchanged the lead until the later stages of the race when Drysdale secured the lead where he was followed by Chartier in second and Jacoby in third. The final championship top three finishers in order:  1. Gage Korn 2. Alex Chartier 3. Alexander Jacoby {Mini Max Wild Card Winner – Kyle Drysdale}

Masters Max

The event started out with multi-time Team USA member Derek Wang collecting pole position, which he was able to parlay into a perfect weekend with two heat wins and the final win.  In second place in both heats and the final was Christopher Mann followed in third place by Antonio Williams. The final championship top three finishers in order: 1. Derek Wang 2. Christopher Mann 3. Rene Bine

Jr. Max

The final round was nothing short of intense with Alex McPherson leading the series in a close battle against  Cooper O’Clair.  O’Clair managed a perfect weekend with pole position, two heat race wins and the final win, however McPherson did what he needed to do as he finished second in a close battle, which secure the championship in his final year of junior competition.  The battle for third was mixed between several drivers and in the end local driver Johnathan Schwyn as able to secure the final spot on the podium. The final championship top three finishers in order: 1. Alex McPherson 2. Cooper O’Clair 3. Johnathan Schwyn

Sr. Max

With a strong lead in the championship heading into the final round Macy Williams had to only stay out of trouble to clinch the championship.  However, straight out of the gate the pressure was on as Canadian’s Griffin Dowler and Matthew Taskinen were immediately at the front as well as championship contender Ethan Ho. The weekend turned out to be a clean sweep for Dowler as he captured the heat race wins and final.  The battle for second was tight and in the final Ethan Ho was able to best Mathew Taskinen which proved pivotal for the wild card ticket to the Grand Finals.  Macy Williams was able to secure the championship with a fifth-place finish as fellow Colorado driver David Williams put in a stellar drive to take fourth place.  The final championship top three finishers in order:   1. Macy Williams 2. Ethan Ho 3. David Williams

“The inaugural Trophy West series proved extremely successful as we returned the Rotax Racing platform to its core.  With the most reliable engine/tire package across the karting platform we are excited for the future as the momentum continues to build.  We would like to thank all our competitors, staff, families and the fantastic race tracks we visited during the 2021 season as we aim to have the 2022 calendar available shortly!” – Justin Stefani

Official TEAM USA Members

• Jaxon Porter

• Gage Korn

• Alex McPherson

• Macy Williams

• Derek Wang

• Kyle Drysdale

• Ethan Ho

About J3 Competition:

J3 Competition is an American based distribution and competition product resale company that focuses on the sector of high-performance kart racing. With a tenure being recognized as a world leader in the development of the karting industry, J3 Competition is the United States distributor of BRP-Rotax products designed for kart racing including; Rotax, XPS lubricants, MoJo tires.
Contact: info@j3competition.com | +1 (814) 864-1846