TORONTO, ON (September 9, 2013) – The Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series is back at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the BEMC Indian Summer races, rounds 11 and 12 of the Championship.
The Title fight for A Class honours has two combatants nearly neck-and-neck at the top of the points with only four races remaining.
Zach Robichon of Ottawa, Ontario and Jack Mitchell, Jr., of Clarendon Hills, Illinois have almost equal statistics on paper at this point in the season. Before drops Robichon is the points leader based on his consistent finishing record and three wins. Mitchell, Jr. is on top of the points after drops so far based on his outright pace and four trips to the top step of the podium.
After missing the Calabogie round, fourth place Shane Jantzi returns and will be very strong. It is not known at this time whether third place Jesse Lazare will be competing as he just finished up back-to-back weekends in Calabogie with F1600 and last weekend in USF2000 at Laguna Seca.
Wisconson’s Max Hanratty could be the dark horse in A Class as his pace and confidence have risen steadily as the season has worn on. He was very strong last time out at CTMP and was in contention for a win. This could be his weekend to break through. He will be joined by teammate Thomas McGregor in a Spectrum Honda.
We are excited that Bob Perona, an Indycar mechanic from Indiana will be taking advantage of an off weekend and making the trip north with his Piper and competing in this weekend’s event. Marc Bishara will also be entered in his Van Diemen.
Craig Willis has been smashing records all season long and sits atop the “B” Class Championship points standings with a comfortable margin over Rookie Connor Wagland and Mike Lee.
Willis may not have all things his way this weekend as ultra-quick Andrew Mason is entered and will be looking for nothing but a win.
A surprise entry is Stephen Adams, a former Esso Protec series front runner and father of last season’s A Class champion Michael Adams. He has made it clear he is just out for some fun but suspicions are he will be a great storyline once the green flag is waved.
Steve Bodrug, Bruce Kitchen and Bill Tebbut will also be back to compete in the always intense B Class battle.
“This season has seen some of the closest racing action I can remember,” said series promoter Jason Sharpe. “In the last four rounds you could have thrown a blanket over the top four or five cars at the end of every race and that is a real testament to the talent these racers are displaying and the quality of the cars they are competing in,” he added. “Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is a very fast circuit and ideally suited to Formula 1600 cars. We marvel at the start finish line every lap as we see a new leader and sometimes forget that these drivers are making several passes per lap for position. I personally enjoy watching all of the drivers emerge from their cars after the race as there are always lots of happy faces and some great stories. I suspect this weekend will be no different.”
Cars will hit the track on Friday for a full day of testing and the racing will begin with Round 1 on Saturday and Round 2 on Sunday afternoon.
RACE: BEMC Indian Summer Trophy Races
TRACK: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
DATE: Saturday September 14 & Sunday September 15, 2013
TWITTER: @ToyoTiresF1600
SERIES HASHTAG: #ToyoTiresF1600
SERIES CONTACT: Jason Sharpe, (416) 557-5451 or jasons@movemotorsports.com, Twitter: @jasonsharpe
NOTABLE FACTS
The Race: This is round 11 and 12 in the Championship.
The Format: Both A and B Class cars race together, with an equalization package for the Honda and Ford motors. There is one practice and one qualifying session for each of the weekend’s races.
Gaining Momentum: With a renewed enthusiasm and new marketing partners the Series is enjoying a large increase in grid size and exposure. There are several competitors returning to the series and over the next few rounds several new competitors will make their series’ debut.
Smashing Records: At the last event, the Ted Powell Memorial races at Calabogie Motorsport Park, all new track records were set in both classes. Jack Mitchell, Jr., set new A Class qualifying and race records in his Spectrum Honda and Craig Willis smashed the B Class qualifying and race records.
The Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series is the premiere open wheel series in Ontario, sanctioned by CASC Ontario Region and proudly supported by Toyo Tires, MG Homes, Cove Dentistry, MK Technologies, Braidan Tire and Rod Ends Mechanical. The series is comprised of a seven event, double-header format and competes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Shannonville Motorsport Park and Calabogie Motorsport Park.
From: Jason Sharpe/ Move Motorsports
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