Saturday at the Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy in Cremona Circuit was entirely dedicated to the qualifying heats, which determined the starting grids for tomorrow’s Prefinals.
A total of 22 heats were completed over the course of the day, in conditions that evolved significantly, particularly in the afternoon when rain reshuffled the order across several categories.
In Mini MAX, Mik Klinkers (Bouvin Power) on Energy Corse equipment emerged at the top of the standings after the heats, moving ahead of Friday’s pole sitter Joshua Cooke (KR Sport). Cooke leads a strong British contingent that also includes James Roots (Dan Holland Racing) and Austin Oman (Sam Pollitt Racing), both firmly in contention heading into Sunday.
The Junior MAX category saw several changes at the front throughout the day. At the end of the heats, Emerson Macandrew-Uren (Dan Holland Racing) leads the standings, followed by Poland’s Marcel Popakul (RS Competition). Strong recovery drives marked the day: Kai Clarke (Strawberry Racing) climbed from 13th to third, while Jack Collison (Hunter Motorsport) produced one of the standout performances of the day, gaining 26 positions from 30th to fourth. Another notable comeback came from Luca Holmes-Balac (Strawberry Racing), who progressed from 22nd to fifth. It proved to be a more difficult heat phase for Friday’s pole sitter, Majus Mazinas (KR Sport), who currently sits 27th.
In Senior MAX, it is Scott Marsh (Strawberry Racing) who leads the highly competitive field of 110 drivers at the end of the qualifying heats. The British driver adapted particularly well to the slippery track conditions, advancing from 19th place in qualifying to the top of the standings. Fellow Briton Lewis Gilbert (Potenza Racing) holds second and will start from pole in Prefinal B, while the surprise of the category so far is Nik Trobec (KSB Racing) in third overall, ahead of Brad Vanderveken (Bouvin Power). A consistent Harry Freeman (KR Sport) completes the top five.
In the combined DD2 / DD2 Masters category, local driver Michael Rosina (MKC Motorsport), a well-known specialist of the Cremona circuit, secured pole position for the Prefinal. Rosina will start ahead of Jakub Bezel (Kraft Motorsport) and fellow Italian Leonardo Baccaglini (Schepers Racing). In DD2 Masters, Nicolas Picot (Privateer) remains the one to beat.
With the grids now defined, attention turns to Sunday’s Prefinals and Finals, which will decide the winners of the opening round of the 2026 Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy.
Sunday, March 15: 8:45 AM Warm-up; Live on TV and Live Streaming from 10:40 AM for Pre-finals and 1:40 PM for Finals (DD2-Masters at 1:40 PM, Mini MAX at 2:10 PM, Junior MAX at 2:40 PM, Senior MAX at 3:10 PM).