Thomas Nepveu launches 2022 kart season over the next two weekends

Thomas Nepveu is eager to get back behind the wheel over the two coming weekend aboard top-level karts where he is aiming for podium results every time out. The new season, his 10^th in karting, will be a reprise of his 2021 season, when he took part in 18 top-level SuperKarts! USA (SKUSA) and ROK Cup USA (ROK) kart races even while changing support teams, kart manufacturer and engine supplier midway through the season. 

"I'm super excited to get back to racing so quickly after our excellent result at the last race of the 2021 season and I expect that we will be competitive right from the start of the season. I know that the kart is quick at Homestead as that machine has already won there. We have some work to do for Pompano Beach to find one or two tenths of a second in order to move up to the lead pack and go for a solid top-5 finish or better. We know the kart will be good, we just need to work harder and find that extra speed in a very competitive field," said the young professional driver ready to apply 2021's lessons and learn new one in this coming season.

Thomas Nepveu and his Sporting Manager, Coy Arbour, worked hard in practice sessions and in races to make the team into a competitive entity in the latter part of the season after discovering the characteristics of their new Kart Republic machine and engines in the X30 Senior class, the most competitive one in top level kart racing in America. The team closed out the season on a promising note, as Thomas Nepveu won two qualifying Heat races and finished 5^th in his last kart race of the season, against an entry of more than 80 kart in his class.

The young driver plans to participate in at least 11 kart races over the coming season, starting over the next two weekends with the SuperKarts! USA "Winter Series" in the X30 Senior class (January 8 to 10, two rounds - SKUSA) and followed with the ROK Cup USA "Florida Winter Tour" in the ROK Senior class (January 15 to 17). His program in the USF2000 series has already been announced separately.

Weekend Schedules

1. SuperKarts! USA "Winter Series" - Senior X30 class (January 7 to 9, two rounds - SKUSA)

• January 7: Practice 9:10 AM - 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM - 2:10 PM - 4:05 PM
• January 8: Warm Up 8:56 AM | Qualifying 10:50 AM | Pre-Final 1:20 PM (12 laps) | Final #1 4:30 PM (22 laps)
• January 9: Warm Up 8:56 AM | Qualifying 10:50 AM | Pre-Final 1:20 PM (12 laps) | Final #2 4:30 PM (22 laps) 

Live timing: app SKUSA or RaceHero | superkartsusa.com/live.html

2. ROK Cup USA "Florida Winter Tour" - Senior ROK class (January 13 to 16 - detailed schedule to follow on ROK)

• January 13: Official practice
• January 14: Official practice sessions, Qualifying & Heat 1
• January 15: Warm Up, Heat 2 - 3 & Pre-Final
• January 16: Warm Up & Final

Live timing: app ROK Cup USA

Karting Championships

Participating in the two to four days of a major karting event normally involves more than ten on-track sessions. The driver and the team use warm-up and practice sessions to find the best settings and manage the tires to optimize the qualifying session(s), and then take part in the pre-final(s) and final(s) as appropriate. The significant time spent on the track, in addition to the time spent on the simulator, accelerates Thomas Nepveu's learning process and the accumulation of high-level experience.

As part of his development as a professional racer, Thomas Nepveu also ran the full 18-race season in the USF2000 series, a part of the IndyCar Road to Indy Program. As a rookie in single seaters, Thomas Nepveu moves another step up his learning ladder, as he discovered the effects of aerodynamics and adjustability of the sophisticated USF2000 race cars, as well as the overall discipline and competitive level in a first level professional series. Thomas demonstrated his increasing skills and knowledge every time out in both race cars, even winning a race in USF2000 at Elkhart Lake (June 20, 2021, Road America circuit, Wisconsin, USA) at his first visit there, as well as securing three top-5s, ten top-10s finishes in his rookie season in the class.

Thomas Nepveu is looking forward to continuing to develop his skills over the coming season, once again in kart with his burgeoning team and in USF2000 with a top-level team, always aiming at a top-3 finish with wins as a stretch objective.

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.

2022 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