The 2025 Motul MiniGP tour was scheduled to open under the lights in conjunction with a Go Kart event at Brechin Motorsports Park on Saturday evening, July 26, but a variety of issues forced the cancellation of the event.
The scheduled activities were running according to plan until the second of two Qualifying sessions, when Tommy Molnar of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia fell from his REV Scholarship Ohvale and required medical attention. This delayed the schedule, and then rain arrived, flooding portions of the track.
Later, it was confirmed that Molnar had broken his wrist and ankle.
With events scheduled to run into the evening, under the track’s lights, the decision was made to cancel both the two-wheeled and four-wheeled activities.
MiniGP organizer Toni Sharpless, the Hall of Famer who runs the Super Sonic Road Racing School, confirmed that efforts would be made to replace the races, but a hectic schedule means this will be difficult, particularly with competitors travelling to events from across Canada.
As well, several of the front runners are competing in China this week as part of an Ohvale event to launch a new circuit in Guangzhou.
Prior to these unfortunate events, the planned two races were shaping up as a good battle between several young competitors. Ethan Reardon, age 10, of Calgary, Alberta, was fastest in Q1 with a lap at 40.45 seconds, just ahead of impressive first year racer Stefan Tanasic of Almira, ON, recent Shannonville winner, at 41.11 on the TAS Racing Ohvale.
Pre-race favorite, Arnprior, ON. based Jager Stockill, 12-years-old, a representative for Canada in Aragon, Spain last fall, was third best in Q1 at 41.5 with the 613 Motorsports Ohvale 160.
Fourth went to Martina Cardenas from Maple Ridge, B.C., a star of the west coast Mini Racing scene at Greg Moore Raceway in Chilliwack, B.C. Now old enough at age10 to join the series, Cardenas lapped in Q1 at 42.67, just ahead of Eric Sergi (age 14) of Aris, On., on the Surge Racing Ohvale at 44.00.
Q2 only lasted a few minutes, so a grid based on combined times was never created. Reardon was quickest in the early going, dropping the lead pace with a lap at 41.17 seconds – not quite to the Q1 pace. The running order for Q2 was completed at the front by Tanasic, Cardenas (already about a tenth of a second faster than in her opening session) and Mateen O’Brien of Etobicoke, ON.
MiniGP will participate at the RACEMoto Regional event at Shannonville Motorsport Park this weekend, on Saturday, August 2, with the next National round slated for Lombardy Raceway, north of Kingston, ON, August 22-23.
