Missing his own engine, local kart driver still has strong finish...Stefan Rzadzinski finished in 19th place out of 51 competitors in Ialy after airport hassle in Edmonton

Journal Sports Staff EDMONTON
Photo by CODIE MCUCHLAN, The Journal

Stefan Rzadzinski left Edmonton without an engine for his kart, worried through the longest flight of his life and still managed to finish 19th, out of 51 drivers, in the recent International ROK Cup final in Lonato, Italy.

The 14-year-old kart driver hit his first headache at the Edmonton airport when he was told he would not be allowed to fly his engine overseas.

"My husband spent days getting it ready for this event, preparing it and then cleaning it so it was spotless, wrapped up in bubble wrap and placed in a special case," his mother, Magda, wrote in a letter to The Journal. "Even though we were assured it would not be a problem ahead of time ... despite our explanations and pleas the airport security refused to let us bring it with us, declaring our package dangerous goods."

Writing on his website, www.RzadRac-ing.com, Stefan said the flight overseas was the longest of his life as he worried whether he would be able to find an engine in Italy. Luckily, local organizers and manufacturers were able to provide an engine that he, his dad and engineers got into the kart in time for him to hit the track on Thursday.

"Then Friday was the real first day out on track. It was a huge learning curve driving on such a high grip track against champions from all around the world who have done it for years. I felt as if l was ... learning how to drive a kart for the first time. Getting used to the package was also very critical if we were to have any hopes for the weekend.

"I was driving a CRG for the first time ever, on a completely foreign track, and with an engine that we did not know the performance of."

He had some anxious moments in the two qualifying races, finishing 17th and th to make it to the pre-final. He overcame a dangling carburetor, a fuel spill on his rear tire and a half spinout to finish 21th and advance to the final. In the final, he avoided an early wreck that dropped him to 29th and then fought his way back to finish 19th overall.

"I felt good about how the kart felt in that session, yet with every one of these drivers being a champion somewhere throughout the world, the lap times were too close to catch the group in front of me. With some better luck in my heats, I could have stayed out of the mid-pack messes and managed to hold on to a spot in the top 10."

It was a long flight home, doing the laundry, two sleeps in his own bed and then off to Las Vegas for last weekend's Stars of Karting National Finals. He started slowly, finishing 22nd and 20th in the first two heats, going out after five laps of the third heat and retiring just seven laps into the semifinal. But in the final he ran much stronger, beginning near the back of the 30-kart field and working his way up to finish 16th.