F1600 Mid-Ohio Weekend Notebook
The first sweep in Series history didn’t come easy for rookie Wyatt Gooden, driving a Van Diemen/Honda for Quantum Racing Services, who had to fight Mitch Martin on two straight days to take home two first place trophies.
Gooden’s career started at age 10 in karts, he discovered the growing world of online racing in 2004 and then got his first big break while taking part in the iRacing Jetta TDi Series
“The Van Diemen/Honda was great, and it was a fun race with Mitch [Martin],” Gooden said at the finish.
“We had a real battle, but we both raced clean and respected each other, which made it even more enjoyable. I can’t believe we pulled off two wins in our first weekend of Formula F racing. This is such a strong series, and the racing was everything I hoped it would be. Thanks to the guys at Quantum, Chris Miles and iRacing.com. None of this would be possible without them.”
Martin/Spectrum
Speaking of Series debuts, Mitch Martin, from Australia, was in the spotlight just like Wyatt Gooden. While both drivers, with limited experience, made their debuts with established prep shops, Martin was in a new Spectrum chassis from Australia with a freshly fitted Honda.
The Spectrum chassis was delivered to the Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing St. Petersburg, Fl. race shop just days before the race. It was essentially taken out of the crate and put in the transporter.
“This was a superb debut for the Spectrum, and we couldn’t have been more pleased,” said team owner Dominic Cape. “Mid-Ohio is a difficult track, and for the Spectrum and Mitch (Martin) to do so well during the debut weekend, it speaks volumes about the car and the driver. It was a pleasure to work with Mike Borland (Borland Racing Developments) and Mitch. We would also like to thank Honda Performance Development for a great engine and their support all weekend.”
Contingency Programs
For competitors that haven’t signed up for the Honda and Ford contingency programs, click here to get the details.
Honda and U/S Sports Advisors
Two days of catered Honda Performance Development (HPD) lunch fed some 300+ people in both the F2000 and F1600 paddocks. The HPD hospitality setup was a big hit, providing good food, TV, shade, and a great meeting place.
Additionally, an hour-long sponsor seminar put on by Ken Ungar, president of U/S Sports Advisors, was well received by drivers and teams. Learn more about U/S Sports Advisors by clicking here.
Hard Charging
Jim Oseth took CellMark Paper Hard Charger honors in the first race of the weekend, advancing 13 positions to finish 12th, and on Saturday, it was Jacob Carpenter winning the CellMark Hard Charger. Carpenter advanced 10 positions.
Jim Oseth’s weekend performance ties him with Ric Baribeault for the current season-long CellMark Hard Charger points lead with 19 position improvements. Check out the standings here.
Corrections and Amplifications
Tim Kautz was running third and had passed Ryan Leach on Saturday (race two) before Ryan Leach spun on oil.