Molnar and Tanasic Clinch Titles; Lead Team Canada to Spain
The final two races of the 2026 FIM MotoMINI National Series took place on the infield Go Kart track at Shannonville Motorsport Park during the celebration event for the 50th Anniversary of the original Nelson International Raceway on September 26. In the popular 160 division for spec Ohvale GP-Os, Martina Cardenas, age 11, of Maple Ridge, British Columbia continued her recent strong form, earning a pair of victories.
However, her arch-rival, fellow west coast racer (and 11-years-old) Tommy Molnar went 2/3, good enough to clinch the overall crown. Also based in B.C. in Port Coquitlam, Molnar was feeling ill from travel and planned to skip the final race, having clinched the Title in the opener, but instead waged a war for second with American Xander Hilligas. At the finish, the pair wound up nine seconds behind Cardenas, with Hilligas just .2 seconds ahead for second after 13 laps.
“Things mostly went according to plan,” explained Molnar from the podium after getting his national number one plate from CMA President Todd Sharpless. “I wasn’t sure about the second race and my conditioning, but once we got racing, that was my focus.”
In practice, Cardenas had set the pace at 50.6 from Hilligas and Will Brown, as Molnar struggled with his health, only fourth best after several wins at this course earlier this season.
Then in Q1, Cardenas got down to a strong 49.2 and then was even better in the final Q3 at 48.6, earning pole for both races, having diced with Molnar early in the session.
Overcoming his discomfort, Molnar netted second on the grid at 50.1, followed by Hilligas at 50.29 and Tammer Chehade with a best of 50.50, good for fourth.
After struggling with her starts until the most recent national round at Lombardy, Cardenas was charging at Shannonville, getting into an early lead and pulling away from under-the-weather Molnar in race one.
Molnar netted second, guaranteeing his title, but barely held off Hilligas; the duo 16 seconds behind the still-pushing winner. Cardenas set the fastest lap at 48.6, Hilligas showing his form with a lap at 49.4 early in the action, while Molnar set a best of 50.3. In a busy, dicing pack, eventual fifth place finisher Chehade was actually fourth best in terms of best lap times at 50.2.
In 160cc race two, Cardenas got clear early and set a slightly less aggressive pace than in the opener, while Hilligas and Molnar diced for second. The duo wound up nine seconds back, an improvement from the opener, with Hilligas snatching second place, Molnar opting not to retire early due to his health, as he had suggested prerace.
Cardenas was the only racer in the 40 second range in part two, with a best of 48.39, while Hilligas was second best (49.25) and Molnar close at 49.4. In the final standings, Molnar earned the title with a total of 226 points after ten races, Cardenas working up to place second overall at 203 points. Will Brown capitalized on his early season pace to net third in the Championship standings with a 132 total, Hilligas pushing through late in the year for fourth at 111 points.
In the Ohvale 190 division for the 12-inch wheeled GP-2 machines, Jager Stockill has typically set the pace, looking to lead Team Canada’s first foray in the 190 class. So far, Stockill has twice travelled to Spain in November to race in the 160 division.
This season, 13-year-old Stockill has often faced off against Stefan Tanasic, age 15, including in regional racing on larger machinery. Both have battled through injury in 2026.
Both are Ontario based, near the S.M.P. venue: Stockill east in Stittsville, Tanasic west in Drayton.
On Friday at Shannonville, Stockill got down to a best lap of 47.1, Tanasic close behind with a tour of 47.6. For Q1 and Q2, Stockill stayed on the point, fastest in each session (46.94/46.06) from Tanasic (47.1) and Eric Sergi at a 49 second flat tour.
The first race offered another Stockill demonstration, the sometime Supermoto racer blasting away to win by almost 18 seconds from Tanasic, this pair pulling clear of the rest of the field by a full lap. Sergi held off ever-improving Cohen Byberg for third overall, with fastest lap going to Stockill at 45.99, a new class and overall lap record.
In the second 190 race, Stockill eventually ran away for a second time after a couple of close calls and again set a new lap record (45.81) while pulling ten seconds clear of an improved Tanasic. This time, the top four stayed on the lead lap, Sergi again holding off the charging Byberg for third.
Intriguingly, the Hard Charger Award, sponsored by Sergi’s grandfather Bob, went to Byberg, who had also shown well at the previous event at Lombardy.
In the final standings, Tanasic earned the number one plate with 210 total points, Stockill next up with 200 overall. Soon headed to Europe for a Red Bull Rookies tryout, Sergi was third at 168 points while Byberg netted 136 in his first full season racing.
Team Canada will join the rest of the top Ohvale Racers in the world at the Go Kart track at Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, November 23-26, in support of the final MotoGP event of the season.
Photos by Rob O'Brien
From a press release
