SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Florida karting star Dominic Tesoro contested the United States Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals at the Michiana Raceway Park in South Bend, Indiana. The four-day event (August 8-11) put Tesoro against the best Rotax racers in the country, competing for the Junior Max championship along with three tickets to the Rotax Grand Finals in Portugal as a member of Team USA. Following a solid outing at the Rotax Summer Shootout at the 6/10-mile course in late June, which resulted in two top-five finishes over the weekend, Dominic had realistic chances at both the title and a spot on the American team. A mechanical issue kept him from obtaining either, though the overall performance further emphasized the talent Tesoro possess.

The 15-year old began the event practicing within the top-15 of the 50 driver field, all vying for the Junior Max title. Most of the practice sessions were contested in dry weather, and when qualifying came up in the schedule, rain had covered the area for some time. Tesoro battled through the session but found himself well off the pace, coming in 43rd on the time sheets. With work to be done, Dominic set forth a battle plan to move forward in the heat races from his row 11 starting position. The opening heat race, on Thursday afternoon after the qualifying session, saw Tesoro advance in wet conditions. At the end of 14 laps, Dominic was 12th in the order. Friday brought on a new challenge as the day began with a DNF in his second heat race. Involved in an opening lap wreck, Tesoro was unable to continue and was classified 25th. The third heat was Dominic’s best, as dry weather returned and his pace was similar to that of the leaders. Starting 21st, he was up to ninth after 14 laps. While the result was solid, it was not enough to directly qualify Tesoro for Saturday’s Prefinal race, coming up eight spots sort as he was classified 36th.

The day ended with his final effort to move on, the Last Chance Qualifier. Gridded P8 for the event that transfer the top-six, Tesoro inched his way into the top-five and stayed out of trouble for the remainder of the 10-lap race. Starting the Prefinal from 33rd, Dominic did exactly what he had done previously in the heat races, advance his position. With some quick work around a number of opening lap incidents, Tesoro was 16th when crossing the stripe for the first time. Dominic showed patience in the 20-lap event, taking chances when needed and gaining four more positions en route to a 12th place finish. The result placed him outside row six for the main event. Another great opening lap put him inside the top-10 for the first time all week. That was until lap three when a brake issue hampered his pace. Even at a reduced speed due to the loss of his brakes, Tesoro muscled on to finish 14th.

“Dominic did a great job this week. Qualifying sets the tone for the week, and unfortunately we went the wrong direction when the rain came. Behind the wheel, Dominic continues to improve and coming from the back of the pack all week proved it. We’ve had him on three different brands of karts this season, and he’s adapted to them all very well. The Kosmic chassis certainly fits his driving style, and it showed as he made his way forward through the field all week. It’s not the exact improvement we wanted to make on his 18th place finish last year, but considering the obstacles we had to hurdle, we’ll take it for now,” stated team manager Tony Tesoro.

Dominic would like to thank his family and friends for their support, team manager Tony Tesoro, mechanic Andre Pedrosa and his current sponsors: Kosmic Racing Karts, Jose Castro at CMW Engines, and Enterprise Products Company. To find out more about Dominic Tesoro and sponsorship opportunities available, contact Tony Tesoro at 813.707.4512.