Championship Run Starts at Mid-Ohio
Sharon, CT – With the final six races of the F1600 Formula F Championship Series taking place in the next five weeks, three drivers are virtually tied on top of the Championship points standings. Coming off three straight wins, Jake Eidson leads the Championship over Aaron Telitz, with one win, and Adrian Starrantino, who opened the season with two victories at VIR.
While those three aspiring racers have set themselves apart, Ayla Agren and Steve Bamford are still within reasonable striking distance.
And coming to Mid-Ohio for rounds seven and eight of the 12-round 2013 season, the youngsters of the F1600 Championship will get the opportunity to go up against IndyCar’s Tristan Vautier, who is entered for the event in Quantum Racing Services’ Van Diemen/Honda and hopes to learn the track ahead of the IndyCar weekend.
It was Eidson who separated himself from the field during the month of May. First, he took a win at Road Atlanta, the first win of any driver in the 2013 season that did not involve a pass on the last lap, cruising to a four-second victory.
At Lime Rock, the Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing driver delivered a wet-weather performance to remember, sweeping the weekend in the rain with two wins on the same day.
Telitz scored the first win for WISKO at Road Atlanta, with a three-wide pass on the last lap on Starrantino and Bamford
Starrantino, driving for Bryan Herta Autosport in a Mygale/Honda, battled through a spin at Lime Rock in the rain, but still managed a double podium and hopes to return to his winning form seen during the season opener in Virginia.
Agren, in another Bryan Herta Autosport Mygale Honda, sits quietly in fourth place in the Championship. She put her car on the pole in Virginia and has had podium results, but suffered a DNF at Lime Rock and lost valuable ground.
Bamford, too, should not be discounted. The Masters Class racer was in contention for the win at Road Atlanta in his Mygale/Honda and is coming off a victory in the Formula F class at the June Sprints. He also continues to do double-duty, racing in both F2000 and F1600.
Mid-Ohio will provide an extra challenge for the field – with four races over three weeks, before the season concludes at Summit Point in late August. The driver who sets himself or herself apart at Mid-Ohio may hold the key to the 2013Championship.
After missing Lime Rock Lew Cooper returns in the Polestar Van Diemen/Ford in Ohio, and should also be able to stay with the youngsters, and Bamford, near the front of the field.
Track time is on tap this coming weekend at Mid-Ohio, with Thursday twilight testing leading into two practice sessions on Friday, with Saturday and Sunday both featuring an early-morning qualifying session and 12:15pm race start. A full schedule, live audio, results, photos and more are available on www.f1600series.com.