2024 Press Release - FMGPC Race 5 Update
Scott, Galvis split second round of FIM MiniGP Canada Series in Strathmore
FIM MiniGP Canada Series points leader Lincoln Scott (41) extended his lead over reigning championMichael Galvis (83) on Sunday, with the pair splitting victories in Strathmore. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
The gap atop the FIM MiniGP Canada Series championship tightened and then swung wide open again on Sunday, as Michael Galvis and Lincoln Scott each took victories at the second round of the season in Strathmore.
Carrying an 18-point lead into his home race, Scott was the overwhelming favourite entering the weekend but struggled to match the initial pace of Galvis, settling in behind the reigning champion in both morning practice and combined qualifying.
Scott would top Q1 by 0.018 seconds over Galvis but the difference was provided in Q2, where Galvis blitzed the FIM lap record to claim pole position by 0.286 seconds over Scott with Jäger Stockill completing the front row for a second consecutive weekend.
The weather would stay dry for Saturday’s first race of the doubleheader, a contrast from the changing conditions in round one and much different than the rain that was forecasted for race two on Sunday.
Scott would get a decent launch in race one but missed a shift on the run to the first corner, allowing Galvis back into the lead and bunching up the pack behind. That would prove to be the last the field would see of Galvis, as he cruised to a dominant and much-needed victory by over nine seconds.
The reigning champion looked much more comfortable than in round one at Stratotech, posting the best lap of the race and holding steady to the end despite a late comeback bid from Scott.
After his poor start, Scott was shunted behind Roman Darby and Stockill in the early going, following the duo for the first four laps before he began to make his moves.
Scott would make a spectacular pass around the outside of Stockill between turn one and two, before diving up the inside of Darby later in the same lap to snatch second, beginning his march towards Galvis.
Unfortunately for the championship leader, he could only match Galvis’ pace once he got into clean air as the gap held firm the remainder of the way. As for the final podium spot, Darby would slip behind Stockill just moments after Scott’s moves, with Stockill taking third and preserving his same position in the standing.
That result would cut Scott’s championship advantage from 18 points to 13, with Galvis seemingly carrying the momentum into for race two on Sunday.
Reigning FIM MiniGP Canada series champion Michael Galvis won race one at Strathmore, his second victory of the 2024 season. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
Instead, things went wrong very early for Galvis, who crashed on the opening lap in the rain along with Darby, bringing out the red flag (both were thankfully uninjured).
After a brief pause, the race got back underway with the original grids, a significant help to Galvis’ chances as he returned to pole position. It wouldn’t matter though, as Scott again seized the holeshot and began to stretch his lead up front.
After Galvis tried and failed to reel in the championship leader, he would start to slip into the clutches of Stockill in the battle for second, a heap of pressure that ultimately proved to be too much as Galvis crashed again out of second place.
The eleven-year-old would remount and finish fifth, but it was another devastating blow to his championship hopes as Scott would fend off a charge from Stockill to claim his third victory in five races and extend his title advantage to 27 points.
As for Stockill, his fifth consecutive podium would move him into a tie with Galvis for second in the championship order, though Galvis owns the tiebreaker thanks to his pair of victories.
Completing the podium for the first time this season was Cole Reimche, as the local favourite made a beautiful early pass on Darby in the battle for fourth and held on the remainder of the way, being promoted to third following Galvis’ late crash.
The field will now enter their mid-summer break following the first five of ten races, with round three scheduled to return to Lombardy Raceway in Ontario from August 17-18, shortly before the fourth and final round at Lombardy from August 22-23.
More information can be found at the Super Sonic Road Racing School website.
2023 Press Release - FMGPC Final Results
Galvis crowned as inaugural FIM MiniGP Canada champion at Lombardy
The first season of the FIM MiniGP Canada Series came to a nail-biting conclusion on Sunday, with three different winners in each of the three feature races helping crown Michael Galvis as the inaugural champion at Lombardy Karting Club.
Galvis entered the last championship weekend of the season with just a one-point title lead over Treston Morrison, with only another 22 points separating the duo from a red-hot Ben Hardwick, the winner of both races one weekend ago at Lombardy.
While the series returned again to Lombardy for the season finale only seven days later, this time it was on the reverse counter-clockwise layout, though the change didn’t seem to faze Hardwick as he squeezed out pole position from Galvis in second and Morrison on the end of the front row in third.
Race one quickly negated that grid position advantage, as Morrison snatched the holeshot with Hardwick and eleven-year-old Galvis close behind, the lead trio running only marginally ahead of Ashton Parker in fourth.
With Galvis unable to launch an attack on Hardwick for second, Morrison seemed to be on the verge of snatching the top championship spot, but that quickly turned to disaster as the 13-year-old crashed out of the lead early on lap five.
The heartbreaking mistake promoted the battle between Hardwick and Galvis to the front, but it didn’t completely ruin Morrison’s race as he managed to quickly remount and begin a charge back up the field, ultimately salvaging much-needed points in fourth.
Galvis kept sustained pressure on Hardwick right to the finish, but was unable to find an opening as the 14-year-old out of Sudbury, ON won his third race in a row, moving himself even further into the title mix.
Parker would run a quietly solid race to a career-best third ahead of CSBK Scholarship rider Rhys McNutt in fifth, with Lincoln Scott closely behind in sixth from American newcomer Cooper Glover in seventh, with fellow debutant Cole Reimche and Mason Archer completing the field.
A short turnaround then led the MiniGP class into race two, where Hardwick again lost out on the start but this time to title leader Galvis. Hardwick would have more chaos into turn one, colliding not once but twice with Morrison as both riders got their elbows out in an aggressive early battle.
That opening showdown allowed Galvis to stretch out some breathing room, but it didn’t last long as Hardwick ultimately broke free of Morrison and began to reel in Galvis at the front, setting up another late battle for the race win.
Much like race one though, the buildup wouldn’t result in any last-lap heroics as Galvis would hold off Hardwick for his third win of the campaign, and a pivotal one that handed him a comfortable 17-point advantage after Morrison could only muster third.
Parker would continue his strong weekend in fourth with Scott moving up to fifth, while McNutt fended off Glover with Reimche and Archer again concluding the field.
The series then shifted it’s focus to the tenth and final points-paying race of the season, with Galvis hoping to avoid any drama and wrap up the title while Hardwick hunted down Morrison for the vice-champion spot and an invitation to the FIM MiniGP World Final in Valencia, Spain.
This time Hardwick would finally get a good launch, grabbing the holeshot as Galvis and Morrison bumped into turn one, the latter putting plenty of pressure on his former championship rival as he needed a spot in the top-two to preserve his standings advantage over Hardwick.
With the lead beginning to stretch, Morrison forced a daring move into the final corner that would unfortunately prove to be the final nail in the coffin of his weekend, crashing into the barriers and watching his Spanish hopes evaporate.
The drama didn’t end there, however, as a hard-charging Parker quickly caught the back of Hardwick and Galvis and promptly pulled off one of the most spectacular moves many in attendance had ever seen, taking both of the lead riders at once into turn one and moving from third to first.
Hardwick would put plenty of pressure back on Parker, but the weekend’s 14-year-old breakout star wouldn’t give an inch, snatching his first ever FIM MiniGP victory to close out the season, moving himself to fifth in the final standings in the process.
