Report by: RTD Media
Photos by: Canadian Karting News
Under near-perfect weather conditions, the 2025 ROK Vegas event has come and gone with eleven champions crowned. Taking place in the shadows of the RIO Hotel and a beautiful backdrop of the Las Vegas Strip, five days of on-track action are complete as some drivers relish in the feelings of victory, while others in defeat. It was a packed grid of VLR racers and the debut of the SV Pro engine in the United States, as more than 315 ROKKERs navigated the temporary barrier-lined circuit over Halloween weekend.
“A huge thank you to all the teams, competitors, families, and supporters of the ROK Cup USA program, and ROK Vegas,” explained Mike Burrell. “It is an exciting time for the ROK product, and we will take a few days to relax before getting to work on the 2026 edition of the ROK Vegas event and put the finishing touches on the 2026 Florida Winter Tour and ROK Sonoma programs. Congratulations to our 2025 ROK Vegas Champions!”
AM Engines – ROK GP Junior
Qualifying:
- Leonardo Serravalle – Racing Edge Motorsports
- Travis Petit – Rolison Performance Group
- Edward Kennedy – Speed Concepts Racing
- Sarah Bradley – Ryan Perry Motorsport
- Jose Alejandro Halphen – Rolison Performance Group
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Leonardo Serravalle – Racing Edge Motorsports
- Theo Salomao – Orsolon Racing
- Sarah Bradley – Ryan Perry Motorsport
- Marco Summut – Brandon Jarsocrack Racing
- Isaac Malcuit – Mike Doty Racing
Main Event:
Leonardo Serravalle led the strong ROK GP Junior field to the green flag as he maintained his pole position in qualifying through the heat races to lead the field into turn one. To his outside, Theo Salomao started second with Sarah Bradley and Marco Summut in row two, with Isaac Malcuit and Tristan Murphy occupying row three. Salomao had an epic start and hung around the outside to take the lead early, pushing Serravalle back to second ahead of Bradley. Two incidents on the opening lap saw one kart upside down, but it stayed green. Serravalle took the lead at the end of the back straight on lap two, but Salomao was back by a corner later, bringing Malcuit with him to second. Malcuit signaled to Salomao to push and pull away, but on the very next corner, Salomao was wide, opening the door for Malcuit after some slight contact. Malcuit led from Serravalle and Salomao after four laps, but Serravalle was back to the lead on lap five, with a Canadian leading an American and a Brazilian. Erik Doan joined the part, moving into P5 ahead of Bradley as Serravalle led Salomao up front. The action settled down up front during laps seven and eight, but Bradley used lap nine to make a move into third, bringing Doan along with her. After ten laps, the top-ten were separated by 3.1 seconds as it was still any driver’s race. Salomao took the lead at the end of lap ten with Doan going by everyone into second ahead of Serravalle in third. Salomao led Serravalle and Doan at the end of lap 12. Salomao defended hard on lap 13, bringing many drivers back into the fight, with the top-13 drivers less than three seconds apart. With three minutes to go plus two laps, Salomao continued to lead with Travis Petit moving into the top-five in fifth. It was full-on defense for Salomao up front with Serravalle pushing hard, but they lost momentum, opening the door for Bradley to move into second. With three laps to go, Salomao led Bradley, Doan, and Serravalle. Doan was by Bradley into second at the end of the lap as drivers started the penultimate lap. The third and fourth-place drivers got together, opening a gap for the leaders as they battled hard. Salomao led, Doan led, and Bradley led, but when the white flag flew, Doan was the leader and on the defensive. Marco Sammut took the lead halfway through the final lap and never looked back. Marco Sammut took the win ahead of Doan, Malcuit, Murphy, and Elie Steinbruch. Salomao ended up in the wall and out of the race after leading the majority of the wheel-to-wheel action. Following the race and on-track penalties, Doan was awarded the win ahead of Malcuit, Murphy, Travis Petit, as Sammut was pushed back to fifth on the results sheet.
Speedsense Motorsports – ROK Mini
Qualifying:
- Christian Damianidis – Privateer
- Nico Salazar – Orsolon Racing
- Maxwell Macha – Parolin USA
- Lawrence Peremen – Brandon Jarsocrack Racing
- Joshua Wheeler – Parolin USA
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Maxwell Macha – Parolin USA
- Santiago Orioli – Velocity Racing
- Asher Pavan – Parolin USA
- Cameron Johnson – Nash Motorsportz
- Lawrence Peremen – Brandon Jarsocrack Racing
Main Event:
Maxwell Macha and Santiago Orioli led the field to the green flag, but it was Asher Pavan and Lawrence Peremen who closed the first lap in second and third behind Macha. Five drivers were looking to pull away as they stayed organized and in line to open a gap of nearly two seconds over the driver running in sixth. Macha opened a small gap to the second and third place runners as Peremen made the move for second and began his hunt to chase down Macha. Hudson Hidalgo moved into P4 on lap five, disposing of Pavan as Macha led by six-tenths of a second up front. Peremen and Orioli ran nose to tail and closed the gap to half a second at the end of lap six, and then to four tenths at the end of lap seven. Peremen and Orioli broke away from Hidalgo and Pavan as it was a pair of two kart groups chasing down Macha. The gap continued to decrease slowly he was now within .399 of Macha up front. Two laps later, Peremen and Orioli had reached the bumper of Macha, making it a three-kart race for the win. Orioli snuck past Peremen for second as Koa Saito was into sixth after gaining 13 positions in just eleven laps. With two laps to go, Macha was able to stretch the lead to .484 over Orioli and Peremen, who were engaged in their own battle. Macha drove to the win, taking the checkered flag by .764, scoring a perfect weekend as Orioli, Peremen, Pavan, and Hidalgo rounded out the top-five.
Velocity Racing – ROK Shifter Pro
Qualifying:
- Jacob Gulick – GFC
- Cooper Becklin – Neliton Race Concepts
- Adrien Renaudin – Velocity Racing
- Massimo Valiante – Italian Motors
- Matteo Papis – PSL Karting
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Jacob Gulick – GFC
- Adrien Renaudin – Velocity Racing
- Cooper Becklin – Neliton Race Concepts
- Massimo Valiante – Italian Motors
- Scott Hargrove – Italian Motors
Main Event:
Jacob Gulick was the driver to beat in the ROK Shifter Pro class, as it was anticipated to be a four-kart battle for the win. Gulick got the holeshot ahead of Adrien Renaudin and Masimo Valiante with Lars Olander stalling off the line. Tough start for Matteo Papis, who fell from fourth to seventh on the start as Valiante began to pressure Renaudin for second. Getting by at the end of the back straight, Valiante overshot the corner, letting Renaudin back by. Gulick led Renaudin, Valiante, Cooper Becklin, and Scott Hargrove after three laps, with Valiante the quickest driver on track. Resetting the fastest lap on lap six, Valiante was the man on the move, moving by Renaudin and into second. Gulick led by .777, but Valiante was on a charge. Papis was able to move to fifth as Becklin fell down the running order and was ninth. Matching the pace lap for lap, Gulick was .029 faster on lap nine, but was .023 slower on lap ten. On lap 11, Renaudin reset the fastest race lap as he was able to chase down Valiante, with the top three separated by just over a second. Gulick looked comfortable up front and stretched his lead to .863 after 13 circuits, as it was now his race to lose. Gulick’s lead was static as he was matching the pace of his challengers behind him, with Renaudin putting heavy pressure on Valiante. Valiante ran a personal best lap with three laps to go and pushed the gap to below seven-tenths of a second with two laps to go. Gulick held on to score the win with Valiante, Renaudin, Hargrove, and Papis rounding out the top-five.
Rocket Racing Company – ROK VLR Master
Qualifying:
- Renato David – Orsolon Racing
- Ben Cooper – Rolison Performance Group
- Kyle Hayner – HRT Driver Development
- Eric Molinatti – Speedsense Motorsports
- Ryan Casner – Privateer
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Renato David – Orsolon Racing
- Ben Cooper – Rolison Performance Group
- Laurentiu Mardan – Tecno USA
- Eric Molinatti – Speedsense Motorsports
- Kyle Hayner – HRT Driver Development
Main Event:
Renato David came away with the lead after the first corner as Ben Cooper hung tough around the outside, slotting into the second position. Cooper took the lead at the end of lap one, pushing David back to second with Erik Molinatti in the third position. Laurentiu Mardan passed Eric Molinatti for third as he pushed forward, hunting for the ROK VLR Masters win. Charlie Fonseca followed Mardan through and into fourth, with Molinatti back to fifth. David was stalking Cooper as he was locked to his rear bumper at the conclusion of lap eight, as Mardana and Fonseca were bumper to bumper, looking to keep pace with the leader. Fonseca set the fastest race lap on lap nine as the top-four were separated by .668. David was by Cooper for the lead on lap nine, with Cooper losing momentum and falling to third behind Mardan. The close racing brought Molinatti back into the mix as it was a five-driver race for the win. Lap 13 saw Fonseca move into third as David led by .292 over Cooper. A lap later, the gap was .180, as the two drivers were joined by five others running nose-to-tail for the win. Laps 15 and 16 saw the drivers remain stationary as anticipation rose for what was to come. Lap 18 saw Cooper take the lead from David and immediately was on defense. David was in turn four but last in momentum as he and Fonseca made contact and were into the barriers with additional contact coming from Molinatti. Fonseca took the lead ahead of Mardan, Ryan Casner, Kyle Hayner, and Cooper. Cooper moved to fourth with two laps to go as the top-three were even spaced. Fonseca took the win ahead of Mardan, Casner, Cooper, and Hayner.
Orsolon Racing – ROK VLR Super Master
Qualifying:
- Scott Falcone – Orsolon Racing
- Mario Barrios – Rolison Performance Group
- Joshua Daley – Nash Motorsportz
- Miguel Mier – Orsolon Racing
- Erik Jackson – Team VemmeKart
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Mario Barrios – Rolison Performance Group
- Erik Jackson – Team VemmeKart
- Alexander Del Bon – LFB racing
- Junaid Din – Orsolon Racing
- Joshua Daley – Nash Motorsportz
Main Event:
Mario Barrios was at the head of the ROK VLR Super Masters field as he had several karts between him and the second-place runner in class, but some hard racing up front pushed Barrios to the tail of the lead group, and just ahead of Erik Jackson and Tim Meyer in the Super Masters category. Barrios led by 2.5 seconds over Tim Meyer, who was able to get by Jackson on lap seven for second. The top-three remained unchanged after 11 laps, with Barrios leading Meyer and Jackson. Scott Falcone was on a charge moving to ninth in class after starting very deep in the field. Barrios led handily over Meyer as he was more than three seconds clear of Meyer as he and Jackson were locked in an epic battle. It was an easy race for Barrios, who went on to take the win by five seconds over Meyer. Meyer, Jackson, and Daley were separated by just six-tenths of a second with Miguel Mier rounding out the top-five.
Rolison Performance Group – ROK VLR Junior
Qualifying:
- Leonardo Serravalle – Racing Edge Motorsports
- Tristan Murphy – Ryan Perry Motorsport
- Theo Salomao – Orsolon Racing
- Ryker Magro – JMF Motorsport
- Cole Medeiros – Racing Edge Motorsports
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Isaac Malcuit – Mike Doty Racing
- Cole Medeiros – Racing Edge Motorsports
- Leonardo Serravalle – Racing Edge Motorsports
- Tristan Murphy – Ryan Perry Motorsport
- Luca Popescu – Rolison Performance Group
Main Event:
In his second main event of the day, Isaac Malcuit was the driver leading the field to the green and through the first corner as Serravalle maintained his P2 starting position to slot into second. Luca Popescu closed lap one moving from fifth to second, passing three karts in the middle part of lap one, with Serravalle in third ahead of Ryker Magro and Theo Salomao. Lap three saw Serravalle and Magro by Popescu for second and third, respectively. Four laps in, Malcuit had opened his lead to 1.559 as he was looking to run away and hide for a ROK Vegas win. With battles raging behind him, Malcuit was now 2.499 ahead on lap six as he set fast lap after fast lap. Magro had moved his way into the second position ahead of Cole Medeiros, Doan and Salomao. Malcuit was gone, 4.735 ahead of Medeiros, who slotted back into the second position on lap ten. Magro was under attack from drivers behind him and fell back to sixth with Medeiros, Doan, Salomao, and Popescu running behind Malcuit in the top-five. Lap 12 saw Serravalle into the barrier and out of the race after running inside the top-ten. It was a 5.866-second lead on lap 14, but the battle was for second as P2 through P7 were separated by only one second. Medeiros and Doan were organized and opened a gap on the fourth-place runner of Popescu, and with no chance of catching Malcuit, they would fight for the second step of the podium. With two laps to go, Malcuit was more than seven seconds ahead of Medeiros, Doan, Popescu, and Salomao as the battle for the remaining podium positions was on. Medeiros was super defensive on the final lap after big contact on the final circuit. After the drama, Magro was second behind Malcuit but ahead of Tristan Murphy, Benym Abertnethy, and Brandon Wagner, as Medeiros, Doan, Salomao, amongst others, were either hard into the barriers or had fallen down the running order.
GFC – ROK VLR Senior
Qualifying:
- Jonathan Portz – Neliton Race Concepts
- Chase Hand – GFC
- Alessandro De Tullio – Rocket Racing
- Sebastian Garzon – Orsolon Racing
- Alexander Vanchev – Rolison Performance Group
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Jeremy Fletcher – Mike Manning Karting
- Sebastian Garzon – Orsolon Racing
- Chase Hand – GFC
- Jake Drew – Formula Works
- Dean Pedersen – Soren Motorsports
Main Event:
In a last-minute entry, Jeremy Fletcher was in the prime position to score his first ROK Vegas win as he started the ROK VLR Senior final from the inside of the front row. To his outside was Sebastian Garzon with Chase Hand and Jake Drew lined up third and fourth of 40. Fletcher jumped to the lead as he was 1.324 ahead at the close of lap one. Pedersen went from fifth at the start to second with Drew third, ahead of Aleander Vanchev and Garzon. Drew was by Pedersen on lap three, with Alessandro De Tullio jumping from seventh to fourth in just two laps. Fletcher had stretched his lead to nearly two seconds after four laps as the top-five settled in. Drew was on full defense, looking to have given up on the win as he fought for his life for a second. Fletcher led by 3.314 over Drew and De Tullio, who had managed to get by for third. De Tullio pressed the effort on Drew and got by for second, bringing Vanchev with him as Drew fell to seventh. Collin Lloyd was by Vanchev now for third, but Fletcher was gone, and it was now his race to lose. Lloyd snuck by De Tullio on lap nine for P2 with Jonathan Portz in fourth ahead of Chase Hand in fifth. After ten laps, Fletcher was 5.747 seconds ahead of the battle between Lloyd, De Tullio, Portz, and Hand. Portz was able to get by De Tullio, bringing Hand with him as they advanced to third and fourth. With the chase group now organized, Lloyd, Portz, and Hand were all faster than Fletcher, but the gap looked to be too much to close with the time remaining. On lap 16, Lloyd was four-tenths of a second faster than Fletcher, and it was the same a lap later. With the gap down to 3.963 with four laps to go, it was still Fletcher out front as a big accident in turn one saw a couple karts upside down. Portz went by Lloyd into turn one with three laps to go, which was done so under yellow and reported to the race stewards. Fletcher went on to take the win ahead of Portz, Lloyd, Hand, and De Tullio, who got by Jesus Vasquez Jr. on the final lap. Following post-race penalties, Fletcher kept the win with Lloyd and Hand classified second and third ahead of Pedersen and Portz who rounded out the top-five.
BJR Racing Team – ROK Micro
Qualifying:
- Alvaro Medeiros – Orsolon Racing
- Lenox Lockhart – Velocity Racing
- Dutch Westbrook – Team Benik
- Liam Francisco – Ryan Perry Motorsport
- Jack Kotowski – Trinity Karting Group
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Lenox Lockhart – Velocity Racing
- Chase Riddering – Position One Motorsports
- Alvaro Medeiros – Orsolon Racing
- Liam Francisco – Ryan Perry Motorsport
- Axel Tibbs – GFC
Main Event:
It was Velocity Racing’s Lenox Lockhart who started from the inside of the front row for the ROK Micro main event, as he prepared for the fight from second-place starter Chase Riddering. Alvaro Medeiros and Liam Francisco started third and fourth and would look to attack forward and keep the fifth-place starter of Axel Tibbs behind them. Lockhart opened his main event from the front after the first lap with Riddering and Medeiros. Tibbs slotted into the fourth position ahead of Aidan Go in P5. Go used the next two laps to move from fifth to third as Dutch Westbrook, who started outside the top-ten, was seventh and the fastest kart on the track. Go had caught the leaders and helped push Riddering by Lockhart for the lead. Riddering now led over Go and Lockhart with Medeiros and Westbrook, who was up to fifth. Lockhart moved back to the lead on lap seven as Riddering settled into the second position. Westbrook was on the hunt, running faster laps than the leader and up to fourth. A lap later, he was by Medeiros and into third with plenty of time to try and fight for the win. Westbrook was .619 behind the leader and, despite making passes, was still the quickest driver on track as the Team Benik driver was up for the challenge from 15th on the grid. A three-driver breakaway led by Lockhart saw him lead Riddering and Westbrook. Westbrook then made the move for second on lap 11 and then attacked for the lead a lap later. Lockhart went back by Westbrook in turn one, with the two swapping spots again in turn four with three laps to go. Dutch Westbrook opened the gap to .322 as he looked for the drivers behind him to battle one another, and not him. Riddering and Lockhart stayed in line to try and catch Westbrook, but it was not to be. Westbrook took the win ahead of Riddering, Lockhart, Medeiros and Aidan Go.
Speed Concepts Racing – ROK Shifter Master
Qualifying:
- Hunter Hagenbuch – GFC
- Luis Quinones – LFB Racing
- Sergio Rodriguez – LFB Racing
- Jesus Lopez – VTM Racing
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Hunter Hagenbuch – GFC
- Luis Quinones – LFB Racing
- Sergio Rodriguez – LFB Racing
- Jesus Lopez – VTM Racing
VTM Engines ROK Shifter Super Master
Qualifying:
- Kevin Woods – Ron White Racing
- Patrick O’neill – Ron White Racing
- Morne Van Taak – VTM Racing
- Ryan Coberly – VTM Racing
- Kori Matthews – VTM Racing
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Kevin Woods – Ron White Racing
- Morne Van Taak – VTM Racing
- Patrick O’neill – Ron White Racing
- Kori Matthews – VTM Racing
- Edgardo Ortiz – Privateer
Main Event:
In the ROK Shifter Super Master class, Morne Van Taak got a significant jump and looked to have the lead entering turn one, but Kevin Woods took it down the inside and maintained the point from his pole position at the close of lap one. In contrast, Hunter Hagenbuch had a terrible start, falling from third on the grid to sixth, but maintaining the point in the ROK Shifter Master class after getting back by Luis Quinones. Woods had stretched his lead to 1.294 over Van Taak in just six laps, with Hagenbuch by Kurt Matthews for fifth overall, as he still led his class. Van Taak earned the fastest lap of the race on lap eight as he closed the gap to Woods, but Woods reset the benchmark a lap later to open the gap back to 1.2. Ryan Coberly ran fourth in the Super Masters class, while Hagenbuch and him battled despite being in different classes. Hagenbuch was by Coberly on lap 11 to move to fourth overall and put a few karts between him and Quinones for the Masters class win, as Jesus Lopez and Sergio Rodriguez were running third and fourth in class, eighth and ninth overall. Lopez was by Quinones in the Masters class for P2 on the same track, and Patrick O’neill was by Van Taak for second in Super Masters. The gap upfront was 1.2 until lapped traffic slowed Woods as O’neill closed in and the gap shrank to .394. Woods set a personal best lap to open the gap back to .610. In the Masters class, Hagenbuch led Rodriguez and Lopez, who were both able to get by Quinones late in the race. Woods went on to take the Super Master victory, followed by O’neill, Van Taak, Coberly, and Matthews. Hunter Hagenbuch took the win in Shifter Masters with Rodriguez, Quinones, and Lopez joining him on the podium.
Nash Motorsportz – ROK SV PRO
Qualifying:
- Jake Drew – Formula Works
- Gianluca Savaglio – Racing Edge Motorsports
- Alessandro De Tullio – Rocket Racing
- Caden Mcqueen – Velocity Racing
- Dean Pedersen – Soren Motorsports
Top-Five Ranking after Heat Races:
- Jake Drew – Formula Works
- Frankie Mossman – Speed Concepts Racing
- Gianmatteo Rousseau – AM Engines
- Turner Brown – Rolison Performance Group
- Gianluca Savaglio – Racing Edge Motorsports
Main Event:
After qualifying on the pole position and maintaining the premier starting spot through the heat races for the main event, Jake Drew looked to cap off his weekend with a title. Frankie Mossman started second and immediately tried to cover off Drew, but to no avail. Gianmatteo Rousseau led lap one, but Drew was by and back to the point in turn one, lap two. Mossman moved back to second on lap three with Caden Mcqueen, Turner Brown, and Blake Nash all nose-to-tail in the top-five. Hard-core racing in SV Pro saw veterans and rookies battle hard, with no quarter given. Drew had opened a gap to P2 by .500, but Mossman was faster than Drew a lap later to close the gap to .349. With the top-three separated by half a second, fourth through tenth were three seconds back and engaged in an epic battle. Mcqueen moved into second and scored the fastest lap of the race with the gap to Drew now .126. With a few incidents that saw karts upside down on lap seven, all drivers were ok and the racing continued. Mcqueen took the lead on lap eight in turn ten as it was a three-kart battle up front. Mossman settled into third and was watching the action in front of him, saving his equipment and giving himself a chance at the win. Nash was able to break free from the fourth through tenth battle to lock himself into fourth, but up front, it was Mcqueen, Drew, and Mossman for the win. Diego Ramos found himself in the top-five after 11 laps, just ahead of Turner Brown and Alexander Vanchev. The front three had separated a little as they were equally spaced by four-tenths of a second as everything settled down for a few laps. Mcqueen and Drew had seemed to drop Mossman from the lead battle as they aimed to make it a two-kart race for the win. Mcqueen was building his lead lap after lap as he stretched the margin to .639 as Mossman was more than two seconds in arrears. Driving for Velocity Racing and SodiKart, Caden Mcqueen stretched away. Nash had caught Mossman in a battle for third with three laps remaining. With Mossman’s kart seeming to be slowing due to handling issues, Nash was on the attack for third. Mcqueen went on to take the win in the debut of SV Pro, with Drew crossing the line in second after a great ROK Vegas weekend. Mossman was able to hold off Nash for third, as Nash was fourth and Ramos was fifth. The top three remained unchanged after penalties, but Ramos was elevated to fourth in the final results, with Turner Brown fifth after Nash was relegated to P6 in the end.
A huge thank you to our associate partners, Chris G Coaching for sponsoring the pole position awards for all classes, Axis Kartsport for supporting in the ROK Cup USA Live Stream efforts, Neliton Race Concepts for the Last Chance Qualifier Award, Holtz Driver Development for presenting the Hard Charger Award, and Team Benik for the ROK Micro and Mini Hard Charger Award.
Complete weekend results can be found HERE.
With ROK Vegas now in the books, it’s a short break until the 2026 ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour kicks off in January. Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon.
