Close racing, with multiple lead changes, is a hallmark of Formula F racing, and the debut of the new Pacific Formula F Super Series at Buttonwillow Raceway in southern California was no exception.Jeff Sakowicz won both rounds of the new professional racing division, part of the West Coast-based Pacific F2000 Championship, but he had a fight on his hands all the way.
In the opener, veteran Formula F competitor Ed Erlandson qualified on the pole in his Swift DB-1, with Sakowicz second in his Van Diemen. The pair swapped the lead multiple times in the 13-lap race before Sakowicz went down in the record books as the inaugural Formula F Super Series race winner.
For the second round, Erlandson again claimed the pole, by just three-tenths of a second over Sakowicz. The two appeared ready to repeat their Saturday contest, but this time, Erlandson dropped back in the final laps, albeit after setting the fastest race lap, to finish third behind Sakowicz and the Swift DB-1 of Paul Wittrock.
“I have long been a proponent of Formula F, having started my own racing life in a Crossle 32F,” noted Pacific F2000 Series principal Les Phillips, who also serves as General Manager of Buttonwillow Raceway. “We hope to contribute in a small way toward rebuilding the class here on the West Coast.”
The Formula F Super Series runs as a separate class at four of the six Pacific F2000 race weekends, totaling a championship run of eight races. The fields will feature both the new Honda and traditional Kent powerplants.
More information on the Pacific Formula F Super Series Formula F is available on the web at www.pacificF2000.com; or by calling series coordinator Les Phillips at 661-764-5333.
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