The build-up to the Rotax Grand Festival continues at pace with the international race meeting, one of the Big Three within the Rotax Racing calendar, set to be held at Karting North East – Warden Law near Sunderland, United Kingdom on the weekend of September 20th-22nd.
As part of our previews ahead of the first visit of the Rotax Grand Festival to the United Kingdom, here’s what’s on offer for the drivers who compete across the four categories set to go racing at Warden Law; MicroMAX, MiniMAX, Junior Max and Senior MAX.
Without doubt the largest prizes on offer come in the form of tickets to the year-ending Rotax Grand Finals (RMCGF), being held this year at the renowned Circuito Internazionale Napoli in Sarno, Italy. The headline acts for the Rotax Grand Festival – the MicroMAX and MiniMAX classes – both have a ticket to the Grand Finals on offer to the winner in the Final.
By winning, those drivers will earn the opportunity to represent their nation amongst a field of competitors from around the globe. 2023’s edition saw 35 nations across 6 continents represented across the MicroMAX and MiniMAX classes.
Drivers between the ages 8 and 11 will compete within the MicroMAX class upon the popular 950mm chassis platform. Whilst in MiniMAX, drivers from the ages of 10 to 13 will be racing against one another with the challenge of increased power, , in a key stepping stone along the journey of Rotax Racing.
However, the tickets to the Rotax Grand Finals don’t end with the younger-age categories. In addition to the Rotax Grand Festival classes competing for their path to Sarno, the winner of the Senior MAX class will be awarded with a ticket into the MAX DD2 entry for October’s trip to Italy, along with the Motorsport UK ‘E’ Plate. The home drivers competing at Warden Law in Senior MAX will undoubtedly be looking to take the opportunity to compete against the world’s best in the DD2 category, often described as the ultimate Rotax class. For inspiration, drivers need only to look at the achievements in 2022 of British driver Mark Kimber who become the first driver to win at RMCGF across three separate classes.
In Junior MAX, the winner will also receive the Motorsport UK ‘E’ Plate for their efforts and due to the success of British drivers across continental and international Rotax competitions earlier this year, two tickets to the Grand Finals will also be available. To receive either of the tickets, drivers must hold a British racing license and be between the ages of 12 and 14, with their 15th birthday not until 1st January 2025 at the earliest.
Complimenting the tickets to RMCGF, prize engines will be up for grabs in both of the Rotax Grand Festival categories for the top Privateer entries. Drivers in all classes will be entered for the race tyre giveaways held on race weekend with a random draw to decide the winners. Multiple sets of tyres will be up for grabs for each class running across the weekend. T-Shirts marking the Rotax Grand Festival will also be available for all drivers who compete at Warden Law.
From everyone at MotorsportUK, our thanks go to the whole team at Karting North East, as they prepare to welcome competitors and officials to the Rotax Grand Festival, and to JAG Rotax, the official UK distributor for all Rotax products, for their continued support and dedication to Rotax customers and competitors across the country.
There’s just over one week to go before the 2024 Rotax Grand Festival. Entries remain open via the Motorsport UK race entry platform and will close at noon on September 16th
For more information on the history of the event, travel arrangements, weekend format and event infrastructure, make sure you are following our social media platforms or head to the website – www.motorsportuk.org/the-rotax-grand-festival-2024.
