2025 ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour – Orlando Kart Center – Round 2 – Race Report

Report by: RTD Media
Photos by: Canadian Karting News

Round two of the 2025 ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour was completed this past weekend under mixed conditions in Central Florida. Taking place at the Orlando Kart Center (OKC), the OKC facility hosted its sixth national event in as many weeks as drivers had come accustomed to the nuances of the racy facility. With race winners crowned, the championship battle in all eight Florida Winter Tour classes has taken shape as the series heads to their first event outside the state of Florida in FWT history.

“Congratulations to all-round two winners,” expressed Mike Burrell, Director of Operations for ROK Cup USA. “We had another successful event weekend and saw some of the best racing action ever at the FWT. Now, we will go off script for the final race of the championship and move the Florida Winter Tour outside the state and battle at the Speedsportz Racing Park just north of Houston in Texas.”

Round three will occur March 20-23, and registration will open in the coming weeks. Read all about round two of the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour weekend action below:

Briggs 206
Qualifying Results

1. Dylan Amundsen – 1:04.99
2. Owen Mccarthy – 1:05.23
3. Eli Yanko – 1:05.62
4. Franco Cariati – 1:06.08
5. Michael Coggins – 1:06.23

Main Event Starting Grid

1. Owen Mccarthy
2. Dylan Amundsen
3. Eli Yanko
4. Michael Coggins
5. Riley Mcdill

Main Event:
It was the first time in nearly two complete Florida Winter Tour weekends that Dylan Amundsen found himself somewhere other than on the top step of the podium or in the pole position. Falling into the clutches of Owen Mccarthy in the 206 Senior prefinal, Amundsen finished second and started his quest for another main event win from the outside of the front row with Mccarthy to his inside. Behind them, Eli Yanko slotted into third alongside Michael Coggins and Riley Mcdill, who rounded out the top-five, just ahead of Franco Cariati in the sixth position.

Coming from fourth on the grid, Yanko took the lead on the start as Amundsen slotted into the second position ahead of Mccarthy and Eric King after Michael Coggins had a half spin falling to the tail of the field. Amundsen took the lead on lap three as he aimed to go two-for-two in FWT main events in 2025, but Yanko was keeping him honest in second. Amundsen continued to lead Yanko as they stretched a gap of more than 1.5 seconds over Mccarthy, and the duo worked together to pull away from the rest of the field. Blake Masche was a new name in the top-five as he filtered in behind King, who ran fourth. Masche dropped a chain on lap nine, forcing him to retire as Amundsen and Yanko continued to lead up front. As the running order remained static, it was a two-kart race as Yanko continued to push Amundsen away from the field as the gap to P3 was up to 5.5 seconds. Mccarthy ran alone in third with Coggins and Riley Mcdill rounding out the top-five with three laps remaining. Yanko began to look a little more aggressive with two to go as Amundsen began to go on the defensive. Yanko dropped a wheel on the exit of turn four, losing momentum and throwing away a chance at the win. Dylan Amundsen scored his second win in as many races as Yanko and Mccarthy rounded out the podium. Fourth and fifth on track were Michael Coggins and Riley Mcdill.

Orsolon Racing ROK Micro
Qualifying Results

1. Alvaro Medeiros – 1:00.04
2. Bernado Kluppel Gubert – 1:00.06
3. Alvaro Medeiros – 1:00.04
4. Dutch Westbrook – 1:00.26
5. Aidan Go – 1:00.37
6. Zev Godschalk 1:00.38

Main Event Starting Grid

1. Bernardo Kluppel Gubert
2. Alvaro Medeiros
3. Mauro Nario
4. Aidan Go
5. Liam Francisco

Main Event:

With a battle that raged on during the last lap of the prefinal, Alvaro Medeiros led with one corner to go before Bernardo Kluppel Gubert made a bold outside-inside move to take the win and pole position for Sunday’s ROK Micro main event. Medeiros was forced to settle for second and earned a P2 starting spot for the main event while Mauro Nario and Aidan Go occupied row two. Liam Francisco and Samuel Chaverri started the main event from row three in the fifth and sixth positions.

Gubert led early over Medeiros as Aidan Go moved into P3 at the expense of Mauri Nario. Dutch Westbrook settled into the fifth position, and the race was on for the ROK Micro competitors. It was a five-kart breakaway up front as Nario went on the attack sneaking by Go for P3. With five laps in the books, it was still a five-kart battle up front as the sixth and seventh-place competitors were in a heated battle and losing time to the leaders.  Gubert, Medeiros, and Nario were working together and had stretched a gap over Go and Westbrook to make it a three-kart race up front. Medeiros made his bid for the lead on lap seven and brought Nario with him, pushing Gubert back to third. Westbrook was by Go for the fourth position on track as he had his head down to try and catch the lead trio. Medeiros continued to lead his Orsolon Racing teammate Nario, and Gubert at the end of lap nine as Westbrook and Go were now organized and running nose to tail behind. Gubert moved by Nario at the start of lap ten to move into the second position with Medeiros leading up front. Gubert was back to the point on lap 12, pushing Medeiros to second. With two laps remaining, the battle started to heat up at the front between Gubert and Medeiros as Nario ran close behind. With the white flag in the air and the last lap on track, Gubert was immediately on the defensive as he looked for a Florida Winter Tour win. In a wheel-banging run to the line, Nario was able to take the win ahead of Medeiros and Gubert, who battled hard all the way to the finish line. Aidan Go crossed the line fourth, holding off Dutch Westbrook in the fifth position. Following post-race penalties and tech, Nario kept the win with Medeiros, Go, Westbrook, and Ayax Capitan Garduno rounding out the top-five.

PSL Karting ROK GP Junior
Qualifying Results

1. Cole Medeiros – 53.37
2. Arthur Cordeiro – 53.54
3. Sarah Bradley – 53.55
4. Edward Kennedy – 53.57
5. Jose Schirmer – 53.61

Main Event Starting Grid

1. Cole Medeiros
2. Edward Kennedy
3. Arthur Cordeiro
4. Alexander Vanchev
5. Sarah Bradley

Main Event:
While it all kicked off behind him, Cole Medeiros handily drove to a 13-second victory on the ROK Junior prefinal and scored the pole position for the main event. Edward Kennedy crossed the line second and will start the main event from the front row ahead of the third and fourth place starters of Arthur Cordeiro and Alexander Vanchev. Sarah Bradley, who was in an incident early in the prefinal, kept her head down to battle back to P5 before the checkered flag and was set to start the main event from the inside of row three.

Medeiros was able to jump to the lead early as the field behind him battled hard and, in just two laps, had opened a gap of nearly two seconds over Kennedy and Fion Shi, who had rocketed his way up to third. Vanchev ran fourth after two laps, just ahead of Bradley and Arthur Cordeiro. Vanchev was by Shi on lap three for the third position as he set the fastest lap of the race early on. Kennedy was running slightly faster than the leader Medeiros, closing the gap to 1.4 after lap five, but Vanchev in third was the fastest kart on track. Kennedy was two tenths faster than Medeiros again on lap six as it quickly became a race for the win up front. Feeling the pressure, Medeiros responded to match the pace of Kennedy behind him and keep the gap at 1.2 after lap nine. Medeiros led Kennedy, Vanchev, Cordeiro, and Bradley after ten circuits as Shi fell to sixth after a great start early on. Kennedy began to chip away at Medeiros’ lead and shrunk the gap to .93 with just under six minutes remaining. Medeiros was quicker the next lap to open it up to just over a second again at the end of lap 13. Shi, Jose Shirmer, and Nathan Dupuis were engulfed in an epic battle for sixth before Dupuis had an issue, taking him out of contention for a top-five finish.  With two minutes remaining on the clock, Medeiros’ gap was back up to 1.35 as it was now his race to lose. Bradley made a move by Cordeiro for fourth on lap 17 to put herself one position closer to a podium result. Cordeiro was back by Bradley on lap 19 as the front three remained unchanged. Bradley went by Cordeiro in turn five to retake the position on the penultimate lap. Medeiros went on to take the win ahead of Kennedy, Vanchev, Bradley, and Cordeiro.

SodiKart / Velocity Racing ROK GP Pro
Qualifying Results

1. Blake Nash – 52.46
2. Caden Mcqueen – 52.79
3. Victor De Alencar – 52.70
4. Ayden Ingratta – 52.71
5. Diego Ardiles – 52.76

Main Event Starting Grid

1. Blake Nash
2. Caden Mcqueen
3. Diego Ardiles
4. Victor De Alencar
5. Dominik Karai

Main Event:
Blake Nash was untouchable in the ROK Pro prefinal as he converted his pole position into the prefinal win and pole position for the main event. To his left would be his most formidable challenger in Caden Mcqueen, but behind him on row two were Diego Ardiles and Victor De Alencar, with Dominik Karai and Felipe Carvajal occupying row three.

Nash maintained his position at the front of the field as he took the lead from the pole position and looked to run away from the field. Knowing of his pace, the rest of the ROK Pro competitors would have something to say about that as Mcqueen was by Nash on lap three to take the lead with Ardiles trying to follow through. As the two battled and lost momentum, Nash maintained the second position ahead of Ardiles, Victor De Alencar and Dominik Karai. Mcqueen had a lead of 2.2 seconds at the completion of lap four, but that was down to 1.7 at the end of lap six as Nash was making a charge. The gap was down to 1.45 at the completion of lap eight as Nash pushed to keep his dominant weekend in check. Ardiles continued to run in the third position as the top-five remained unchanged. Nash was taking chunks of time out of Mcqueen’s lead and on lap 14, had reached the rear bumper of the kart in front. Mcqueen responded a lap later to open the gap to .40 as Nash made a small mistake in the infield section that cost him time. With the rest of the field equally spaced, the battle for the win was on. Nash took a few tenths of a second out of Mcqueen’s lead on lap 16 and on lap 17 was back on the bumper of Mcqueen. Mcqueen seemed to get out of the tight corners better and open just enough of a gap to keep Nash behind him where he was faster on the straightaways. Mcqueen held his own and showed he had what it takes to be a Florida Winter Tour winner as he kept Nash at bay to score the win. Nash and Ardiles rounded out the podium with De Alencar and Karai in fourth and fifth respectively.

AM Engines ROK Mini
Qualifying Results

1. Cooper Lorenzo Lopez – 58.96
2. Jayden Francisco – 59.16
3. Colton Schniegenberg – 59.25
4. Santiago Orioli – 59.26
5. Asher Pavan – 59.26

Main Event Starting Grid

1. Jayden Francisco
2. Cooper Lorenzo Lopez
3. Alex Chandler
4. Nico Salazar
5. Cameron Johnson

Main Event:
Looking for a Florida Winter Tour victory, Alex Chandler started the ROK Mini main event from the pole position and hoped he would stay there throughout the race. Cooper Lorenzo Lopez and Jayden Francisco started in row two, hoping to climb to the podium’s top step, while in row three, Cameron Johnson and Camila Canache started their quest for FWT podiums.

Chandler’s time at the front was short-lived as Francisco found his way to the lead by the end of lap one as the top-three of Francisco, Chandler and Salazar had opened a 2.5 second gap over Asher Pavan, who was up three positions to fourth and ran just ahead of Cameron Johnson in fifth. By the end of lap three, Francisco and Chandler were organized and stretched away from the Salazar in third. Opening a gap of 1.1 seconds, the front two ran locked together as they aimed to make it a two-driver race. By the end of lap seven, Francisco and Chandler were more than three seconds ahead of Salazar in third, as he had a 2.2 second gap on Pavan, and it was another 2.3 seconds back to Cameron Johnson. While running bumper-to-bumper, Francisco and Chandler traded fast lap after fast lap running only a few hundredths of a second in difference of one another. With not much racing going on through the pack, the focus was on the two front drivers as they were set to duke it out for the win with five laps to go. In a league of their own, Francisco and Chandler were more than three-tenths of a second faster per lap than any other driver in the field, and that was proven by their seven-second lead over Salazar in third. Francisco led with two laps to go and was still driving the normal racing line with no urgency to defend. When the white flag flew, the gloves were off, and Francisco pushed hard to open a small gap. Glancing over his shoulder on a few occasions, Francisco went on to take the win over Chandler, Salazar, Pavan and Johnson.

Rocket Racing ROK VLR Masters
Qualifying Results

1. Laurentiu Mardan – 57.08
2. Alexander Dal bon – 57.14
3. Scott Falcone – 57.17
4. Paul Elefonte 57.18
5. Ademar Calligaro – 57.23

Main Event Starting Grid

1. Paul Elefonte
2. Mark Pavan
3. Ademar Calligaro
4. Laurentiu Mardan
5. Andrei Isac

Main Event:
Taking the prefinal win by more than 12 seconds, Paul Elefonte rolled off the grid for the main event from the inside of the front row. Mark Pavan started to his outside while Ademar Calligaro lined up directly behind him in the third position. Laurentiu Mardan held the P4 spot for the start of the main event with fifth and sixth being occupied by Andrei Isac and Cristian Vomir.

Elefonte and Pavan were able to slot into first and second when the lights went out as the pair maintained their starting positions. Mardan was by Calligaro on lap one to take over the third position, as Vomir slotted into P5. Lap three saw Alexander Dal bon sneak by Vomir for fifth as round one winner Scott Falcone followed him through. Dal bon gained another position a lap later getting by Calligaro for fourth as he was in the hunt for a podium position. Mardan was the quickest driver on track and closed the gap to Pavan as he looked for a way by. Falcone was by Calligaro on lap seven as Mardan and Pavan were in a heated battle for the second step of the podium. Pavan went purple on lap nine as he found his groove, and by the end of lap 12, he had opened a gap to Mardan of 1.6 seconds, and he sat 1.7 behind Elefonte, who continued to stretch his lead. Mardan continued to fade and into the clutches of Dal bon as he looked for a way by to snag the third and final step on the podium. Up front, it was all Elefonte as he continued to push and reset the fastest race lap on lap 15 and opened the gap to P2 to more than 3.5 seconds. Mardan started his defense with three laps remaining as he aimed to keep Dal bon behind him. However, at the end of the back straight on the penultimate lap, Dal bon was able to make a slick outside-inside move to take over the third position. Paul Elefonte wins over Pavan, Dal bon, Mardan, and Lucas Bernabeu.

Rolison Performance Group ROK VLR Junior
Qualifying Results

1. Alexander Vanchev – 55.12
2. Ruben Gutierrez – 55.17
3. Drew Jensen – 55.27
4. Cole Medeiros – 55.29
5. Lourenco Varela – 55.42

Main Event Starting Grid

1. Alexander Vanchev
2. Cole Medeiros
3. Edward Kennedy
4. Nico Kotowski
5. Nathan Dupuis

Main Event:
In what was one of the most anticipated races of the weekend, the ROK VLR Junior class was led to the green flag by Alexander Vanchev ahead of Cole Medeiros courtesy of his prefinal win. Edward Kennedy, who has been near or at the front all weekend long, would start third ahead of Nico Kotowski, Nathan Dupuis, and Drew Jensen. Medeiros tried to go around the outside of the first corner, but Vanchev was able to maintain his position and slot into the lead. Kennedy ran in the third position ahead of Kotowski and Theo Salomao, who was up two positions on the start. Medeiros made a bold move for the lead on lap four but lost the momentum as Kennedy was able to get by both and to the front. Kennedy led from Medeiros, Vanchev, Kotowski, and Salomao after four laps. Vanchev was back by Medeiros on lap five to retake the second position, and a lap later, was by Kennedy for the lead. The top-five were separated by only nine tenths of a second as Salomao was next to get by Medeiros and into the third position. Kennedy was back to the lead on lap seven at the disposal of Vanchev as the passing was fast and furious in VLR Junior. At the completion of lap ten, Medeiros had found his way back to the front with Vanchev ahead of Kennedy in second. A lap later, Salommao was into second position as Medeiros continued to lead. With the leaders running more than two seconds a lap slower than a quick time as they were all driving defensive, eight karts were now in the fray for the win as they were separated by only 1.2 seconds. Medeiros led Salomao, Vanchev, Kotowski and Kennedy at the end of lap 14, and they remained in those positions on lap 15. It all kicked off in the last five laps as Medeiros fell from first to fifth in one lap and Vanchev took the lead after Salomao made a big move for the lead but lost all his momentum. Medeiros was back to second a lap later as Vanchev still led up front. As drivers sorted themselves out, there was some aggressive driving going on that let Vanchev sneak away up front. Vanchev won his second FWT race of the season finishing ahead of Medeiros, Salomao, Ruben Gutierrez, and Kotowski.

Nash Motorsportz ROK VLR Senior
Qualifying Results

1. Chace Gassiot-Lee – 54.97
2. Diego Ramos – 54.98
3. Sebastian Garzon – 55.06
4. Caden Mcqueen – 55.12
5. Mauricio Hernandez – 55.15

Main Event Starting Grid

1. Caden Mcqueen
2. Diego Ramos
3. Charlie Fonseca
4. Ayden Ingratta
5. Mauricio Hernandez

Main Event:
With one victory already on the day, Caden Mcqueen led the field of ROK VLR Senior drivers to the green flag with Diego Ramos on the front row as well. Charlie Fonseca and Ayden Ingratta lined up in third and fourth, while Mauricio Hernandez and Valeria Reyes were in row three. Mcqueen led from Ramos through the opening complex of corners, with the Canadian Ayden Ingratta asserting himself to third. A much tamer race compared to the Junior competitors, Mcqueen continued to lead from Ramos and Ingratta as Hernandez was able to get by Fonseca on lap three for the fourth position. Mcqueen would make a massive mistake on lap five, opening the door for Ramos to move to the point. Hernandez moved into a podium position on lap seven as he was by Ingratta in the braking zone for turn five with Jordan Di Leo by Fonseca for the fifth position. Mcqueen ran half a second behind Ramos at the end of lap ten as the front duo were more than a second ahead of the hard-charging Hernandez. Ingratta and Di Leo rounded out the top-five, just ahead of Chace Gassiot-Lee. Di Leo was by Ingratta on lap 11 to move into the fifth position. Ingratta continued to lose places as Gassiot-Lee moved by on lap 13 to push Ingratta to P7. The top-five remained unchanged as Ramos had opened a gap of 1.48 by the end of lap 17 over Mcqueen, while Mcqueen was .65 clear of Hernandez. Gassiot-Lee pushed past Di Leo for P4 with three laps remaining, but it was all Ramos up front. Ramos scored the win ahead of Mcqueen, Hernandez, Gassiot-Lee and Di Leo.

Complete weekend results can be found HERE.

Round three of the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour will take place at the Speedsportz Racing Park in New Caney, Texas, over the March 20-23 weekend. Stay tuned to the ROK Cup USA social media pages and ROKCupUSA.com for registration and event information.