First Victory for Auriemma in Classic Finish
Alton, VA - The second F1600 race of Sunday and the third and final F1600 race of the weekend at VIR saw another improbable photo-finish that had Ben Auriemma score his maiden F1600 Formula F Championship Series win alongside teammate Trenton Estep and a charging Steve Bamford. The top three cars were separated by .053 seconds.
"We were struggling in the beginning. Had a good start and kept falling back. There was crazy stuff on the last lap, I got a little lucky and pulled it off. I can't thank the Exclusive Autosport guys enough, they stayed up all night sorting out the car," said Auriemma, who pilots the No. 92 Spectrum entry, and is in his sophomore F1600 campaign.
Series officials had to go to video for both Sunday races at VIR to determine winners, with the margins of victory next to nothing.
Estep, after his morning victory, finished second without an engine cover, while Bamford fell back and came back, completing the podium and missing out on a third win in F1600 at VIR.
"I wasn't sure who was first, second or third," said Bamford. "It was interesting come to the line. I got knocked off in turn one, lost some spots and climbed my way back." Bamford's third place run also wins him the Masters Class.
Hans Ada, for K-Hill Motorsports, finished fourth, while Calvin Ming rounded out the top five. Those involved in the lead battle that went off in a small incident on the last lap included a number of drivers such as Peter Portante, Neil Verhagen, Phillippe Denes and Kaylen Frederick, as most took evasive action in turn one and lost the lead group.
The race saw one short full-course caution for a stranded Max Mallinen, while the lead back fluctuated around nine cars in a traditional F1600 sprint battle at VIR.
Full results are available on www.F1600Series.com, www.F2000Series.com, and www.AtlanticChampionshipSeries.com.
Formula Race Promotions next resumes from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, July 1-3.