Round 1 of the RMC Winter Trophy is officially in the books, and “wild” is probably the best way to describe it. The planned format was a busy one: Thursday practice, Friday morning practice, followed by two qualifying sessions Friday afternoon (one setting the grid for Saturday, one for Sunday), then a Saturday Pre-Final and Final for Race 1, and a Sunday Pre-Final and Final for Race 2.
Mother Nature had other ideas.
With significant storms forecast to roll in on Sunday, event organizers made the call late Friday to postpone all Sunday on-track activity to the following week. Qualifying had already been completed, so when we return it will be straight into the Pre-Finals and Finals for Race 2, scheduled for the Friday of Round 2. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution, both for driver safety and to protect the integrity of the racing. With RMC Grand Finals tickets on the line, it’s critical that those spots are earned through proper competition, and this call ensures exactly that.
The result is that next weekend will be a busy one, with three full race days on the schedule. Fingers crossed for better weather.
Friday qualifying itself was far from ideal, but it was still a significant improvement over Saturday. Saturday was cold, wet, and only deteriorated as the day went on, with rain intensifying for many of the finals. Lap times were more than 10 seconds slower than qualifying, off-track excursions were common, and DNFs were plentiful. Fortunately, the championship format allows for one drop round (best 3 of 4), so while some drivers may already be using this as their drop, the pace shown across the board gives us a lot of confidence heading into next week.
Before diving into the race action, we were also excited to debut our new Prime Powerteam liveries, driver suits, and team wear this weekend. They looked sharp in the paddock, even in less-than-Texas weather. Keep your eyes posted for a dedicated post on that coming soon.
Now, on to the racing, broken down by category, starting with our youngest drivers.
Micro Max
Lincoln Lima was our lone Micro competitor and was pulling double duty, racing both Micro and Mini. That’s never easy, especially with class changes throughout the day, but Lincoln is no stranger to the challenge. He was supported by DB302 on the mechanical side, ensuring both karts were always ready and properly dialed in.
In a very competitive Micro field, Lincoln qualified solidly inside the top 10 for both Race 1 and Race 2, with P6 and P10 respectively. Saturday’s wet conditions made things especially difficult, with the worst of the rain arriving during the finals. Lincoln delivered a strong Pre-Final, finishing P4, but ran into trouble in the Final. He showed excellent pace, but the conditions eventually caught him out, resulting in an off-track moment that dropped him down the order. He ultimately finished P12 after a hard-fought drive.
Mini Max
Mini Max was a standout category for the team, with three strong drivers and real expectations going into the weekend. James Roots led the charge, and it was great to welcome him back to Prime Powerteam. We first worked with James at last year’s RMC Winter Trophy, and he picked up right where he left off.
Just like last year, James set double pole position—this time by nearly two tenths for Race 1 and over three tenths for Race 2. Once racing began, he was in complete control, leading every lap of both the Pre-Final and Final in tricky wet conditions to secure a dominant victory. A flawless performance.
Lincoln Lima and Mateo Pai also had excellent outings, finishing P4 and P6 respectively in an extremely stacked Mini Max field. Both are firmly in the championship fight and showed they have the pace to contend all season long.
Junior Max
Junior Max kicked off with real promise and gave an early glimpse of what could be a very strong year for Prime in the category. Experience is starting to show, and it’s paying dividends.
In Qualifying for Race 1, Ava Cabral led the team with a strong P5. Aidan Hammond and Chassé were left slightly disappointed with P9 and P10, knowing there was more pace in hand, but both were ready to fight forward.
Qualifying for Race 2 told a different story. Hammond put together a flyer on the final lap to take pole position by more than two tenths, making a clear statement that he’s here to compete at the front. Chassé followed up with an excellent P4, while Ava settled into P11, setting the stage for what should be a very exciting Race 2 when we return.
In the wet Pre-Final, Hammond continued to show his speed, charging from P9 to finish P3 and putting himself in prime position for the Final. Chassé and Cabral followed closely in P6 and P7, both well within striking distance.
As the drivers sat on the grid waiting for the Final, the rain intensified dramatically. The track, already soaked, became flooded in sections, and visibility dropped to a minimum. It was going to be a survival race. In the end, only 12 of the starters made it to the finish. Unfortunately, Hammond and Cabral were among those classified as DNFs, with Hammond retiring from second place at the time.
Chassé, however, put his wet-weather experience to work, keeping it clean and composed to bring the kart home in an impressive P5 under extremely difficult conditions. The Junior group showed tremendous promise, and we’re excited to see what they can do with three full race days next weekend.
Senior Max
Senior Max proved challenging. Qualifying just outside the top 10 was a decent start, but the races themselves were tough. Adapting to constantly changing conditions became the main battle, and at times it was simply about survival. Sabourin finished P14 with Maxwell in P17. Both drivers are capable of much more, and with their RMC Grand Finals experience, they remain early-season contenders. We’re expecting a strong rebound over the next three races.
DD2
Arnaud Sabourin was our lone DD2 entry and delivered a solid weekend. He ran consistently inside the top five, qualifying P6 and P7, and finishing P5 in both the Pre-Final and Final. A good foundation to build from as the championship progresses.
Masters
Rounding out the weekend was our lone Masters driver, Antonio Squillante, whom we were happy to welcome to the Prime Powerteam tent. While Antonio is no stranger to karting, it had been roughly 20 years since his last competitive event, and the conditions were anything but forgiving. Despite that, he delivered a respectable performance, finishing P8 in the Final after racing bumper-to-bumper throughout. A strong showing that brought plenty of optimism to the team. Well done, Antonio—keep pushing.
Overall, Race 1 was a cold, wet affair—certainly not what we envisioned when booking flights to Texas—but it delivered some impressive performances and valuable lessons. We’re looking forward to getting back on track next week and continuing the fight.
