Thomas Nepveu closes out great learning 2021 season at Las Vegas Karting Event

Thomas Nepveu and his team will be racing in his last event of his 2021 season over the December 1 to 5 extended weekend. He will compete in his new Kart Republic racer in the X30 Senior class at the 2021 SKUSA Supernationals 24 event held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This will be a return for Thomas Nepveu to the world-famous event where he was the first Canadian driver to win in the Mini Swift category, in 2016.

Thomas Nepveu's performance at the ROK Vegas event in early November was remarkable as he recovered from two unlucky off-track ventures and passed 59 competitors for position over two 12-lap heats and a 25-lap Final, ending up 11^th in the Final race. Such pure speed augurs well for the coming event as the small team of Thomas Nepveu and Sporting Manager, Coy, Arbour continue to fine-tune their new kart with the assistance of Kart Republic, Kartsport North America, and Trinity Karting Group,

Thomas Nepveu's Expectations

"I have raced twice on the original parking-lot layout twice, as a Junior in 2016 when I won in the Mini Swift category and as a Senior in 2019, and I was quick and at ease at these events. This year, the track has been moved to another parking lot but will use the same layout as when I raced on the old track there before. There may be some different bumps and irregularities on the new location, but I am sure we will be on the pace to achieve my weekend objectives: a pole position in qualifying and a podium finish. We certainly had a very quick machine for our last ROK event in early November, so we are in a good position for the coming event. I am working hard on my preparation for this important race and will be all-in for the whole five days," explained Thomas Nepveu.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE (EST) - ALL X30 SENIOR GROUPS TBD AT THE EVENT

• Wednesday, December 1: Practice P1: 4:50PM - 5:50PM - 6:50PM - 7:50PM | Practice P2: 5:00PM | 6:00PM | 7:00PM | 8:00PM
• Thursday, December 2: Practice Q2: 4:50PM - 6.00PM | Practice Q1: 5:00PM - 6:15PM | Qualifying: Q2 at 7:30PM, Q1 at 7:45PM
• Friday, December 3: Warm Up Q2: 4:50PM - Q1 5:00PM | Heat 1 AvsD: 6:00PM - BvsC: 6:15PM | Heat 2: AvsC 7:30PM - BvsC 7:45PM
• Saturday, December 4: Warm Up: Q2 at 4:50PM - Q1 at 5:00PM | Heat 3: AvsB 6:00PM - CvsD 6:15PM| LCQ: 7:30PM
• Sunday, December 5: Warm-up: 12:20PM | Final: 4:35PM

Special Qualifying Procedure for the X30 Senior Class.

You can check out the special qualifying procedure used this coming weekend to establish the grid positions for qualifying, for the qualifying heats, the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) race and the Final race on Sunday.

Last Race for Thomas Nepveu in His Intense 2021 Season

Taking part in 30 races aboard two very different types of cars in highly competitive series may appear to be a bit too much work as well as confusing for a younger driver learning his trade on his way up his career ladder but reality tells us it is not so. In fact, what you get out of each racing-related activity is in proportion to your commitment, as maximum seat time in any race vehicle is an essential element of learning: The more you drive yourself and the car at your maximum, the more quickly you learn and improve.

An essential element in the learning process is carrying out every activity to your fullest extent of your skills and abilities on- and off-track (actual driving, testing and racing, track layout knowledge, physical and mental training, simulation, communication skills, technical knowledge), and always with the support of your team to help analyze and improve the car's behaviour. "All-Out! All the Time! - No coasting!" 

Another important element is to plan all the above activities in every detail with the team, based on clear relevant targets and precise results management, to measure the effectiveness of your program and the attainment of specific and career goals.

Thomas Nepveu learned to apply this intensity all season and is ready to continue his development at the next level over the 2022 season.

Driving Instructor

Thomas Nepveu's personality and technical knowledge also make him an ideal driving instructor, capable of transmitting his knowledge while making the student and the family comfortable during these important and often emotionally charged moments. Thomas Nepveu began working with novices in the spring of 2019, when he was only 14 years old, and continues to do so for the BCR (Ben Cooper Racing) race team. Last winter, with he even helped some PSL Karting drivers at a track in addition to taking care of his own machine (track walks, debrief meetings after each track session).

Kart Republic

Founded in 2017 by Dino Chiesa, this Italian manufacturer has dominated kart racing at the international level since its inception. It quickly moved to American competition, taking its first win at the most competitive North American event, the Las Vegas SKUSA SuperNationals (1^st - X30 Senior class - Nov. 2018). The brand has recorded a multitude of wins since then and solidified its position at the top of the kart racing world. 

2021 Thomas Nepveu Karting Schedule

Photo Credit: On Track Promotions

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Thomas Nepveu Career Path and Results

Born in Oka (Quebec), Thomas Nepveu has always shown a great interest in extreme sports, starting with small motorcycles on dirt tracks. He quickly moved on to karts first in the Montreal area, then on to provincial and national series in Canada, on to the United States, Europe and other continents. 

2020

• Single seater debut in the Mexican F4 series at the Autodromo de Querétaro, Mexico
• 1 victory and 2 podiums out of 3 F4 races
• Victory in the ROK Fest East series - Charlotte (NC) (ROK Senior class)
• 6^th out of 52 entries, one pole from 3 races in ROK Cup Florida Winter Tour
• 6^th and 1 podium (3^rd) out of 4 races in the SKUSA Winter Series
• 8^th and 2 poles out of 6 races in the SKUSA Pro Tour 

2019

• Transition to Rotax Senior class
• Canadian Karting Champion
• Canadian Shifter Open Champion
• Two top-5 finishes in the SKUSA Pro Tour (Senior class)
• Qualified for the Final in the WSK Euro Series (Sarno, Italy) 

2018

• US Open Champion
• 3^rd in the ROK Cup USA Florida Winter Tour series
• 4^th in the Max Challenge class at the Rotax Grand Final (Brazil)
• 15^th in the CIK-FIA World Championship OKJ (Sweden)
• 5^th in the ROK the Rio (Las Vegas)

2017

• Transition year to the Junior class (12 to 16)
• 1st in the Florida Winter Tour (2^nd round)
• 2^nd in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship  

2016

• Debut with PSL Karting
• Youngest driver (11) on the Canadian Karting Team
• Champion in the Eastern Canadian Karting Championship with 7 victories in 7 races, a first in this event
• Champion at the Mini Swift Super Nationals
• Runner-up in the Mini Max world championship
• Team Canada finishes first of 54 countries in the Rotax World Championships with Thomas Nepveu the top Canadian finisher in the Mini-Max class

2015

• Transition year (11 to 13 age group)
• Quebec Cup runner-up
• 4^th in the Eastern Canada Championship
• 3^rd in the Canadian Championship

2014

• Quebec Cup champion
• Eastern Canada champion
• 3^rd in the Canadian Championship
• 3^rd in the Florida Winter Series (first podium for Thomas Nepveu in the United States)

2013

• Wins all Canadian championships in the 9-year-old class
• Quebec Cup champion
• Western Canada champion
• Eastern Canada champion
• 6^th in the Micro Max class at the Rotax Grand Finals in New Orleans, Louisiana

2012

• First year in racing, in the Micro Max class, in Quebec and Ontario
• 5^th in the Quebec Cup