HPD Blog

Friday, June 21, 2013

Formula F Competition Heats Up For Summer



The 2013 Formula F season continued to build momentum through May and June, highlighted by a “triple-header” Pacific F1600 Championship Series race weekend at Auto Club Speedway near Los Angeles; preparations for the annual June Sprints SCCA Majors weekend at Road America in Wisconsin; and a wet weekend of close racing at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut for the F1600 Formula F Championship Series.

Two More Victories Boost Herta in Pacific F1600 Championship

In California, the Pacific F1600 Championship continued with a triple-header weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.  Colton Herta was the big winner, with the son of former IndyCar and ALMS driver Bryan Herta taking the first two of the three rounds to extend his lead in the championship. 

But Joey Bickers posted his second Formula F win of the season in the third race of the weekend to hang tough in the season-long championship battle, now second with 214 points to 245 for Herta.

Herta and Bickers both drive Mygale Hondas for PR1 Motorsports, but continue to race each other hard and close as each seeks his first auto racing championship.  They also face strong competition from the Lynx Racing Spectrum Hondas of Alex Keys and Andrew Evans and all four “young guns” raced at the front throughout the Auto Club weekend.  Alex Kirby and his Fast Forward Components prepped Piper DF5 also made their first appearance at Fontana, and expect to compete in the remaining championship events.

The Pacific Formula F Super Series next returns to Buttonwillow Raceway for a July 27-28 doubleheader weekend.  More information on the series is available at www.pacificF2000.com. 

SCCA Majors Head to Road America

New for 2013, the U.S. Majors Tour provides a means for the best SCCA club racers from across the country to compete at classic race tracks including Sebring, Watkins Glen, the Circuit of the Americas and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Divided into four geographic conferences – East, North, Mid-States and West – the Majors have gotten off to an encouraging start, with large fields and close racing throughout the 11 events held so far.  Lewis Cooper III currently leads the Eastern Conference with the highest Formula F points total nationwide, scoring 111 points to-date with a near-perfect record of five race wins and a second out of six starts. 

A traditional highlight of the summer racing season, the June Sprints at the historic Road America circuit in Wisconsin is now part of the Majors program.  More than 20 Formula Fs are expected at the 2013 Sprints, including reigning national champion Tim Kautz in his Piper-Honda, Majors race-winner Steve Bamford in a Mygale-Honda, and the Van Diemen-Honda of local favorite Jeff Bartz.

Additional information on the June Sprints and SCCA Majors Tour can be found at www.scca.com. 

Eidson Vaults to Top of F1600 Formula F Championship Series

Back in the eastern U.S., after six rounds of the 12-race F1600 Formula F Championship Series, Cape Motorsports’ Jake Eidson has vaulted to the top of the driver’s championship with three consecutive victories and 249 points, including the second race at Road Atlanta and a pair of wet-weather wins at Lime Rock Park May 24-25 in his Cape Motorsports Spectrum Honda. 

Aaron Telitz has combined one win at Road Atlanta with a series of podium results to run second in the championship in his Wisko Racing Mygale Honda, with 234 points.  Also in a Mygale Honda, Adrian Starrantino swept the opening weekend at Virginia International Raceway, and lies third in the championship with 230 points. 

Next on the schedule for the Eastern U.S.-based Formula F series is the first of two double-header weekends at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, July 26-28.  Additional information on the F1600 Formula F Championship Series can be found at http://www.f1600series.com/.

Video Webcasts Promote Formula F Competition

Produced by Mathisen Media with the support of Honda Performance Development, the first in a series of webcasts has debuted on Honda Racing/HPD TV – YouTube, and can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_bg_Xm31Q&feature=share&list=UUdrPIcwSMJ0SKCmsnCEO1jQ.

The video series provides American Formula F race highlights, coupled with testimonials from Honda-powered IndyCar drivers touting the virtues of Formula F competition and the lessons learned from Formula F racing earlier in their careers.

The first “F1600 In Focus” webcast featured race in-car footage from the opening F1600 Formula F Championship Series weekend at Virginia International Raceway, Pacific Formula F1600 Series action from Thunderhill Raceway, SCCA Majors competition from Circuit of the Americas; and, an interview with Indy 500 champion Scott Dixon, who recalled his time winning the FF championship in his native New Zealand.

Formula F Action Continues in Canada

A large, 36-car Formula F field arrived in Montreal for the June 7-9 Canadian Grand Prix weekend, the premier event of the Quebec-based Formula Tour 1600 Championship Series.  Twenty-one-year-old Thomas McGregor swept both races in his Exclusive Autosport Spectrum Honda, with his 17-year-old American teammate, Jack Mitchell, finishing second each day.

In the Ontario, Canada-based Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series, Zach Robichon has coupled podium finishes at the season-opening races at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park with a sweep of the DAC Trillium Trophy races at Shannonville Motorsports Park to take a commanding championship lead in his BRG Grote Racing Piper Honda. After four rounds, Robinson holds a large, 356-240 points lead over his BGR Grote teammate, Jason Bedasse.  Veteran Shane Jantzi lies third, with 236 points.

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