Rotax Pro Tour – What’s Going On?

Karting Australia has sent a statement to previous Rotax Pro Tour competitors regarding the 2021 Pro Tour and its take on driver eligibility for the World Finals.

Karting NSW announced on February 20 that it would be sanctioning this year’s Rotax Pro Tour and that it had discussed the matter of international licences with both Rotax and the FIA-CIK.

“(We) do not envisage any karter will be disadvantaged, nor prevented from obtaining an international licence, by KNSW sanctioning this event”, Karting NSW’s Ilona Alsters told KartSportNews at the time.

Today, Karting Australia says this is incorrect.

The Karting Australia statement is below.


IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ROTAX PRO TOUR COMPETITORS

Clarification of International Qualification for Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals (World Finals) by Competing in the 2021 Rotax Pro Tour (Australia)

Karting Australia would like to underline that the 2021 Rotax Pro Tour (Australia) is an Unrecognised Competition, because it is not sanctioned by Karting Australia1.



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Article 2.5.1 of the FIA International Sporting Code (“FIA ISC”) specifies that.
“a) Any Competition or proposed Competition not organised in conformity with the Code or with the rules of the appropriate ASN shall be considered as not being recognised.
c) Such (Unrecognised) Competition may in no way serve to qualify Competitors to take part in a Championship, cup, trophy, challenge or series validly registered on the calendar of an ASN (another country) or on the International Sporting Calendar.”

Therefore, the participation in the 2021 Rotax Pro Tour cannot qualify Competitors for the World Finals.

To avoid confusion for potential competitors in the recently announced 2021 Rotax Pro Tour, Karting Australia would like to address several recent statements made by RaceMax Pty Ltd (“RaceMax”) and/or Karting New South Wales Inc (“KNSW”).

BRP-ROTAX GmbH, the promoter of the World Finals requires competition in the World Finals to be conducted in accordance with the FIA ISC and its appendices. They also normally require each Driver to qualify for the World Finals by competing in (winning or placing) a national Rotax series or another international Rotax Max Challenge competition.

The statement made by KNSW in its media release dated 20 February 2021 mentioning that “With 9 x tickets available to the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Final to be held overseas” and the promotional material placed on the Rotax Pro Tour Facebook page by RaceMax stating that “Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals – 9 Grand Finals Tickets To Be Won” are not in accordance with the requirements of the ISC.

The statement attributed to Ms Alsters in the “Kartsport News” article published on 20 February 20212 is incorrect as the FIA CIK has confirmed that it had not discussed this matter with KNSW.

Statement3 Ends.

1 Karting Australia is the FIA and Motorsports Australia’s sole delegate for the regulation and control of Karting in Australia.
2 “KNSW and RaceMax Pty Ltd have discussed this matter at length with both Rotax and the FIACIK”.
3 This statement has been prepared by Karting Australia and approved by FIA.



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