Milwain Scores Trip To Rotax World Finals
press release
GreenSpeed Karting Tony Kart driver Austin Milwain continued to roll through the 2010 season with another solid performance as he hit the podium at the 2010 Canadian Tire ASN Canada FIA Canadian National Karting Championship held at Le Circuit Karting de Mont Tremblant just north of Montreal, Quebec.
Above: Austin 'Ozzy' Milwain is another Canadian karter to qualify for the Rotax World Finals
Milwain, known as ‘Ozzy’ to friends and family, has been on a tear in 2010 logging solid finishes throughout a season that began back in January where he debut with the Tony Kart program at the Florida Winter Tour. A solid Florida Winter Tour gave the 15-year-old driver loads of momentum heading into the regional scene in Canada. Milwain was strong all week as he ran within the top ten in eight of nine timed sessions and inside the top five in seven of nine sessions. Ozzy would also run in the top three in four sessions including the final two races that got him to the podium ceremonies. Milwain was fast and consistent using his G-Force Engines prepared Rotax in the changing conditions as the team made adjustments and kept him at the front. The 2007 ASN Canada FIA Canadian National Canada Junior Champion has tasted national pride and was looking to repeat that feeling in 2010.
“We didn’t have the Nationals we had hoped for in 2009 at Goodwood,” commented tuner Rob Milwain. “Contact in corner one of the pre-final cost us a real shot last year so this year was time for some redemption. Getting on the podium was great, but getting onto Team Canada was our real goal.”
Leading into the Nationals, Milwain would finish third at the final round of the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship held at the Le Circuit Karting de Mont Tremblant just two weeks before to sit third in the final standings in the ultra competitive inter-provincial series. Milwain is also leading the Junior Rotax class in the Brian Stewart Racing Karting Championship as he has taken five wins in the five races he has run Ontario regional action.
On Wednesday timed practice Milwain would hold off on new tires and run fourteenth in the session, the only time he would sit outside the top ten for the rest of the event. In the second timed session, Milwain rocketed to P4 and set up for a solid qualifying run. In qualifying a great session had Austin in second place behind the local track favorite. A solid series of heat races would see Milwain cross in fifth for heat one, second for heat two and sixth in heat three. As one of only four drivers to complete all three heats in the top ten, Milwain earned a front row starting spot for the Sunday prefinal as he would sit outside row one. In the prefinal Milwain would recover from the tough start to take second place at the line. In the final, still in wet conditions as it had been of past two days, the first start was waved off despite a good alignment by Milwain. On the second start the inside row got a huge jump, but Milwain battled back to take P4 by turn two and then P3 by the end of lap one. The field would spread out quickly as drivers chased down the leader looking for a mistake to move forward. At the line it was Milwain in third earning an invite to team Canada, his first invitation to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals.
“I am really pumped to go to Italy with Team Canada for the Grand Finals,” smiled Milwain after the race. “We have a great team and I really like the guys in Junior I am racing with. We should be pretty strong.”
Up next for Milwain will be the final round of the BSRKC, followed by a trip to Brazil for the Granja 500 in October. Then the eleventh grade student will be off to Mauro Lacesse, Italy for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals. Milwain would like to thank Mike Morrison, Mike Roth and the GreenSpeed Team along with Rick Gerrits of G Force Engines for all of their support through out the year.