The Motul FIM MiniGP Canadian National series made a much-awaited debut in Quebec August 28, with wet conditions for all three races in round two of the Championship tour.
Jager Stockill on his 613 Motorsports/Lean Angle Ohvale was fastest in all but one of the dry Free Practices on Wednesday, then set the pace on the wet 17-turn, 1.3 km long venue on race day, taking pole in Q2 at 1:21.94.
Fastest dry lap in training belonged to Ethan Reardon at 1:08.07, but the top two so far this year, Stockill and Reardon, would be split of the grid by the on-form Stefan Tanasic at 1:28.03. Reardon was third best in the wet after missing time due to a practice fall, in a second session that also took down three other National racers.
Race one conditions remained cool and wet, with Stockill taking off from the blink of the lights as three of the front runners fell on the opening lap. Among the fallers was Tanasic, who pitted and then returned to the track only to suffer a stall – once again the wet conditions caused havoc with running of the Italian singles, with water getting into the combustion cycle in a variety of ways, including via the vent in the fuel cap.
At the front, Stockill quickly pulled clear of the rough-running Terraburst Trenchless supported entry of second overall Reardon. The departure of Tanasic, third in all three of the opening races less than a week earlier at Lombardy, meant that ten-year-old Martina Cardenas of British Columbia moved to third, confirming the top three.
Stockill did well in the worsening conditions, turning a best lap at 1:24.63, with Reardon next best with a tour of 1:28.20 of a second. Stockill competed for Canada in the wet at Aragon, Spain in late 2024, while Reardon has limited wet experience.
In race two, Stockill again took control at the start, with Reardon second from a charging Tanasic. Under pressure for runner-up honors, Reardon made a rare error and ran off track, dropping behind Cardenas to fourth. Now well back of the leader, the popular Tanasic was second as Reardon chased down the smooth-riding Cardenas. ventually Reardon would move past Cardenas for third overall after ten slippery laps.
Lap time wise, Stockill was again quickest with a best of 1:24.90, Reardon next up with a lap at 1:27,27, slightly faster than third best Tanasic at 1:27.87.
Conditions improved slightly for the third race, with the rain briefly stopping as the clouds in the famously mountainous ski-resort area continued to descend, restricting available light.
As the comfortable Stockill (“I was just trying to relax”) set the pace on the still very wet track, a good battle developed for second, with Reardon/Tanasic/Cardenas running close together, closer to the leader than in the earlier races. But Tanasic fell in the tight infield, setting Reardon loose for second as Cardenas pulled past to establish herself in third. Tanasic remounted and resumed in fourth.
Reardon had earlier been on the ‘phone with his riding coach in Spain,’ as Stockill later thanked his tutor, CSBK National star “T.V. Tommy” Casas.
The front runners finished in that order, Stockill completing an impressive display of rain work with his third win of the day and fifth of the 2025 National Championship series. His best lap was a slightly improved 1:2242, the next best tour belonging to Reardon at 1:27.76.
Cardenas, riding the Bridgestone CSBK National Scholarship entry, ended up with two third place finishes, the best results for a female on the Canadian MiniGP tour.
With one more triple header to run at Shannonville Motorsport Park on Saturday, September 6, Stockill heads the standings with 145 points, followed by Reardon at 121 and Cardenas in third at 84. Fourth is Tanasic with 81 points.
Reardon and Cardenas, as ten-year-olds, are in their first season of eligibility for the World Finals, while at 14 rookie racer Tanasic is about to age out.
