Two Arcadia residents competed in the first Race Rotax United States Trophy Final in New Castle, Ind. on Oct. 7 and Oct. 9 at the New Castle Motorsports Park.

Giovanni Santora and Copper O’Clair came in second place and first place, respectively, according to an email from George Santora, father of the second-place winner.

This race welcomed competition from the U.S., Canada and Spain with racers ranging from 12 to 15 years old. According to George, the local boys performed “incredible,” earning the second and first-place titles.

The Rotax Go-Karts go over 70 miles an hour and the participants race within inches from one another, requiring a certain level of bravery, George added.

Giovanni and O’Clair’s home track is in Glendale at Phoenix Kart Race Associates.

Giovanni is sponsored by SaltLife, an activewear brand with a focus on aquatic sports. Both he and O’Clair race on the J3 Competition Team and are coached by a multi-world champion from London, England.

At this Rotax race, there were two tickets at stake for the World Cup in Portimao, Portugal in November to represent the American team. O’Clair got a ticket for first place, but due to the qualifying rules, Giovanni was unable to secure a guaranteed ticket.

George said in his email that although Giovanni came second in the national race, the scoring also took into account scores from the East Regional and West Regional races to qualify for the World Cup.

Totaling the scores from the three races, Giovanni came in third place overall and was named the first alternate to represent Team U.S.A.