VITERBO CROWNS THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WINTER SERIES
The newly revamped Leopard Circuit Viterbo played host to the final round of the inaugural Rotax MAX Challenge Winter Series. A new concept introduced for 2025—two rounds instead of the traditional single-race Winter Cup—offered expanded prize opportunities and fresh venues.
There was no shortage of excitement on the 1,300-meter Viterbo circuit, located just an hour from Rome. Weather played a key role throughout the weekend: heavy rain from Thursday to Saturday gave way to clear skies for Sunday’s finals, setting the perfect stage to crown the first champions of the new season.
Victors of Round 2 were Oliver Spencer (KR Sport), Shun Sekiguchi (Dan Holland Racing), Sean Butcher (KR Sport), Lenn Nijs (Schepers Racing), and Nicolas Picot (Privateer). For Butcher, Nijs, and Picot, it was a double celebration as they also secured the overall Winter Series titles and their respective tickets. Meanwhile, Tom Read (Privateer) and Harry Freeman (KR Sport) claimed the championship crowns in Mini MAX and Junior MAX.
Spencer Takes the Race, Read Claims the Title
The weekend kicked off with Tom Read (Privateer) dominating the Mini MAX field—grabbing pole on Friday and winning two out of three heats on Saturday. Heading into Sunday, the main threats looked to be Alfie Mair (Privateer) and Alfie Ward (MLC Motorsport). But it was Oliver Spencer who ultimately stole the show.
Starting 11th in the Prefinal, Spencer climbed to 8th in a race won by Mair. In the Final, Spencer launched a stunning charge from ninth on the grid, culminating in a dramatic last-lap pass on Read to take the win and secure the vice-champion title. Marc Quessada (MKC Motorsport) claimed third in front of his team’s home crowd. Alfie Garrett (MLC Racing) impressed with a strong recovery to fourth, while Can Ozler (Bouvin Power) rounded out the top five. Read’s second-place finish was enough to lock in the title.
Mini MAX – Final
1. O. Spencer
2. T. Read
3. M. A. Quessada
Mini MAX – Championship
1. T. Read – 307 pts
2. O. Spencer – 301 pts
3. A. Ward – 286 pts
Victory Not Enough for Sekiguchi to Take the Title
In the rain-soaked sessions, Dan Holland Racing duo Mate Kobakhidze and Shun Sekiguchi emerged as the front-runners in Junior MAX, locking out the front row and delivering strong heat performances. However, Saturday saw title leader Harry Freeman (KR Sport) climb from fifth to second in the standings, then win the Prefinal to secure P3 on the Final grid, behind Sekiguchi and Kai Clarke (KR Sport).
The Junior MAX Final opened with drama as Clarke was handed a five-second penalty for a non-compliant start. Despite leading from lights to flag, the penalty dropped him to fourth, handing the win to Sekiguchi. Max Sadurski (SP Motorsport) finished second, with Kobakhidze in third. Dragos Avasilcutei (MKC Motorsport) completed the top five.
Junior MAX – Final
1. S. Sekiguchi
2. M. Sadurski
3. M. Kobakhidze
Junior MAX – Championship
1. H. Freeman – 302 pts
2. K. Clarke – 293 pts
3. S. Sekiguchi – 291 pts
Butcher Delivers a Masterclass in Viterbo
Consistency once again proved to be Sean Butcher’s greatest asset. The KR Sport driver remained composed across changing conditions, from wet to dry. But it wasn’t a walk in the park—rising star Lizzy Mentier (Dan Holland Racing), Friday’s polesitter, kept the pressure on throughout the week-end, along with Sebastian Hedin (AD Motorsport), and teammates Yort van Wijk and Cameron Nel-son (Dan Holland Racing).
Despite mounting pressure in the final stages, Butcher kept cool as Nelson and Mentier reeled him in. He crossed the line after 18 laps to seal both the race victory and the championship. Tino Sidler (Strawberry Racing) finished fourth, with Hedin in fifth.
Senior MAX – Final
1. S. Butcher
2. C. Nelson
3. L. Mentier
Senior MAX – Championship
1. S. Butcher – 321 pts
2. S. Hedin – 292 pts
3. T. Sidler – 291 pts
DD2/DD2 Masters - Nijs Dominates, Picot Shines
The DD2 and DD2 Masters fields were merged for this round, leading to thrilling action. Friday’s heavy rain saw Nicolas Picot (Privateer) storm to overall pole—an impressive feat for the DD2 Mas-ters driver—0.4s ahead of William Kristensen (RS Competition). Lenn Nijs (Schepers Racing) quali-fied third but quickly made his way to the front in the Heats.
Sunday belonged to the Schepers Racing team. Nijs, nicknamed “Mr. Viterbo,” completed the dou-ble: winning the round and the championship. Mika van de Pavert (SP Motorsport) and Will Els-wood (Kraft Motorsport) joined him on the DD2 podium. Nijs secured the overall title ahead of Rag-nar Veerus (Kartletix) and Jakub Bezel (Kraft Motorsport).
In DD2 Masters, Picot capped off an incredible run—his sixth win in the last seven races across the RMC Winter Cup, Euro Trophy, and Winter Series. Xen De Ruwe (SCC) and Fabio Cretti (Priva-teer) completed the podium, mirroring the championship standings.
DD2 – Final
1. L. Nijs
2. M. Van de Pavert
3. W. Elswood
DD2 – Championship
1. L. Nijs – 316 pts
2. R. Veerus – 301 pts
3. J. Bezel – 298 pts
DD2 Masters – Final
1. N. Picot
2. X. De Ruwe
3. F. Cretti
DD2 Masters – Championship
1. N. Picot – 324 pts
2. X. De Ruwe – 318 pts
3. F. Cretti – 299 pts
Champions Awarded with Prestigious Tickets
On the podium in Viterbo, the new champions were presented with their prizes—including several coveted tickets. Additionally, five lucky drivers were awarded free entries to the 2025 RMC Interna-tional Trophy via raffle, reserved for those who competed in both Winter Series rounds.
Free Entry for the RMC Euro Trophy:
• Tom Read (Mini MAX)
• Harry Freeman (Junior MAX)
• Sean Butcher (Senior MAX)
• Lenn Nijs (DD2)
• Nicolas Picot (DD2 Masters)
Free Entry for 2 Rounds of the RMC Euro Trophy:
• Oliver Spencer (Mini MAX)
• Max Sadurski (Junior MAX)
• Sebastian Hedin (Senior MAX)
• Ragnar Veerus (DD2)
• Xen De Ruwe (DD2 Masters)
RMC International Trophy Tickets:
• Alfie Ward (Mini MAX)
• Shun Sekiguchi (Junior MAX)
• Tino Sidler (Senior MAX)
• Jakub Bezel (DD2)
• Fabio Cretti (DD2 Masters)
Raffle Winners (2-Round Participants):
• Marc Quessada (Mini MAX)
• Mate Kobakhidze (Junior MAX)
• Sean Butcher (Senior MAX)
• Mika van de Pavert (DD2)
• Fabio Cretti (DD2 Masters)
With the Winter Series now in the books, teams and drivers turn their focus to the highly anticipated 2025 Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy, which kicks off at Germany’s Prokart Raceland in Wackersdorf during the week of April 27.
More information is available on the RMC Euro Trophy Website.
