FRP Weekend at Watkins Glen Filled with Last-Lap Passes and Close Racing
Formula Race Promotions (FRP) continued with their second half of the season at Watkins Glen International (WGI) this past weekend, featuring five races across three series. This WGI event saw multiple championship battles intensify as the series progressed, and the points' championship began to take shape.
Additionally, fans from around the world got the chance to watch plenty of FRP action from home through live streaming with both of the weekend’s F2000/Atlantic races and the second F1600 races on the challenging three-mile circuit. Traveling in support of the Trans Am series, fans got access to the paddock, meeting drivers, being able to witness podium celebrations in person, and also having the opportunity to run laps themselves on the SpeedTour simulator.
Drivers first hit the track on Friday for morning testing sections and afternoon practice, followed by Saturday qualifying for both groups and racing throughout Saturday afternoon and Sunday. F2000/Atlantic drivers also got a second qualifying session on Sunday morning.
Weekend Racing Recap:
F1600
Qualifying (Overall):
- Wesley Gundler – 2:00.374
- Ayrton Cahan – 2:00.577
- Cooper Travis – 2:00.735
- Timothy Steele – 2:00.762
- Gabriel Cahan – 2:00.889
Qualifying (Masters):
- Joe Colasacco- 2:02.070
- David Livingston – 2:02.315
- Phil Kingham – 2:02.493
- Michael Scanlan – 2:03.649
- John Thompson – 2:03.834
Race 1 (Overall):
- Ayrton Cahan
- Wesley Gundler
- Timothy Steele
- Gabriel Cahan
- John Dole
Race 1 (Masters):
- Joe Colasacco
- Phil Kingham
- David Adorno
- David Livingston
- Bob Reid
Race 2 (Overall):
- Gabriel Cahan
- Wesley Gundler
- Cooper Travis
- Ayrton Cahan
- Timothy Steele
Race 2 (Masters):
- David Adorno
- Phil Kingham
- Joe Colasacco
- David Livingston
- John Thompson
Race 3 (Overall):
- Timothy Steele
- Wesley Gundler
- David Adorno (M)
- Joe Colasacco (M)
- Michael Dowden
Race 3 (Masters)
- David Adorno
- Joe Colasacco
- Phil Kingham
- David Livingston
- John Thompson
Race 1 Recap
Ayrton Cahan took victory in F1600 on the final lap of the race by making a move past Timothy Steele to grab his third victory of the 2025 season.
Cahan entered the race weekend with an eight-point lead after drops over his brother Gabriel Cahan, who took fourth position. Wesley Gundler, the primary rival in the championship to the Cahan brothers, claimed the second position ahead of Steele, who drove an impressive result for his return to the series for his first appearance of the season.
“It was super hectic and an awesome race with Timothy and Wes,” said Ayrton Cahan. “It was a good result, I can’t complain, and it was some good points.”
Fifth in the F1600 Masters standings, Joe Colasacco scored the class victory over Phil Kingham and F1600 Masters championship leader David Adorno.
Race 2 Recap
In a race that saw nearly a half-dozen cars lead from start to finish, Gabe Cahan bested the pack in a six-car scramble at the front to take his F1600-leading fifth victory of the year.
Cahan made a last-lap move on K-Hill’s Wesley Gundler to secure the victory after the race saw multiple two-wide battles throughout the field in many sections of the track, including the always-treacherous bus stop.
“Our race was fantastic, and we led most of it,” said Gabe Cahan. “It was amazing driving this track, and thanks to FRP and Hoosier Tire for putting this on.”
Cahan’s victory allowed him to close the gap in the championship standings while F1600 Masters points leader David Adorno continued to build his spread at the front of the Masters field. Cooper Travis landed on the overall podium, marking the second podium of the season for the series rookie.
Race 3 Recap
Timothy Steele, the 2024 runner-up in the F1600 championship, claimed his first victory in his return weekend of the series as he survived a chaotic finish to the final race of the weekend.
Steele took the lead on the final lap and led in front of Wesley Gundler as chaos ensued behind. Taking third on the overall podium after a last-lap crash where all drivers were okay was David Adorno, marking the second time in 2025 a F1600 Masters driver got on the overall podium. It was Adorno’s first overall podium of his Formula Race Promotions career.
“I have always wanted to podium, and it was a dream that would never happen,” said Adorno. “To get a podium finally is just a beautiful feeling.”
The win allows Adorno to continue to build his lead in the F1600 Masters championship standings as the weekend concludes.
F2000
Qualifying:
- Carter Sheets – 1:52.741
- Jonathan Farmer – 1:52.995
- Robert Wright – 1:54.012
- Joe Colasacco – 1:54.484
- Dave Weitzenhof – 1:55.621
Race 1:
- Carter Sheets
- Jonathan Farmer
- Joe Colasacco
- Gabriele Jasper
- Robert Wright
Qualifying 2:
- Jonathan Farmer - 1:53.596
- Carter Sheets - 1:53.948
- Joe Colasacco - 1:53.983
- Gabriele Jasper - 1:54.315
- Robert Wright - 1:54.986
Race 2:
- Carter Sheets
- Joe Colasacco
- Robert Wright
- Dave Weitzenhof
Race 1 Recap
Jonathan Farmer jumped into a rental F2000 MZR as his normal Radon F2000 wasn’t ready for the weekend and was immediately in contention for the win, leading all but the last lap. In one of the most impressive overtakes of the entire season, Carter Sheets made a last-lap move through the boot to get past Jonathan Farmer and secure the F2000 class victory as well as the lead in the championship standings.
Sheets stayed within a second of Farmer throughout most of the race and made multiple attempts at the lead through the bus stop and the boot. His luck finally drew on the final lap when he positioned himself at the inside of Farmer and stuck the move to get the win.
“It was an amazing race with Jonathan the whole way through,” explained Sheets. “Being able to catch him at the end was a great end to the race.
It gave him a championship lead after drops over Robert Wright, who finished fifth. Joe Colasacco rounded out the podium on a day when he saw the class win in F1600 Masters and stood on the F2000 podium as well.
Race 2 Recap
What appeared to be a tightly contested but drama free F2000 race changed when light rain appeared on half the circuit creating a late-race incident that ended the race of class leader and ADSA/Wright Racing driver Jonathan Farmer. Carter Sheets ended up taking class victory to cap off the weekend at Watkins Glen. Gabriele Jasper crossed the finish line first but failed post-race inspection.
Joe Colasacco picked up second place and Robert Wright, second in class standings, was promoted to third, and Dave Weitzenhof finished fourth.
ATLANTIC
Qualifying (ATL-016):
- Matthew Butson – 1:41.377
- John McAleer – 1:42.863
- Richard Zober – 1:43.827
Qualifying (ATL-Open):
- Brandon Schwarz – 1:46.376
- Charles Livingston – 1:47.782
- Paulie Gatto – 1:49.217
Qualifying (Atlantic JRs):
- Justin di Lucia – 1:50.997
Race 1 (ATL-016):
- Matthew Butson
- John McAleer
- Richard Zober
Race 1 (ATL-Open):
- Brandon Schwarz
- Charles Livingston
- Paulie Gatto
Race 1 (Atlantic JRs):
- Justin di Lucia
Qualifying 2 (ATL-016):
- Matthew Butson – 1:41.317
- John McAleer – 1:43.800
- Richard Zober – 1:44.898
Qualifying 2 (ATL-Open):
- Brandon Schwarz – 1:46.828
- Charles Livingston – 1:47.718
- Paulie Gatto – 1:48.817
- Bob Corliss - 1:52.802
Qualifying 2 (Atlantic JRs):
- Justin di Lucia – 1:50.997
Race 2 (ATL-016):
- John McAleer
- Richard Zober
Race 2 (ATL-Open):
- Brandon Schwarz
- Charles Livingston
- Paulie Gatto
- Bob Corliss
Race 2 (Atlantic JRs):
- Justin di Lucia
Race 1 Recap
Matthew Butson took a commanding victory in the Atlantic-016 class as he built up a gap of 20 seconds over championship leader John McAleer, who extended his points lead with a second-place finish.
Speaking of championship leaders, Havoc’s Brandon Schwarz pulled off a fantastic performance to secure his seventh win of the season in the class in just nine races as he continues his domination of the Atlantic-Open class.
Justin di Lucia ran at the front in the Atlantic JRs class and secured the class victory as well as the lone participant, his fifth-class victory of the year.
Race 2 Recap
Mechanical issues derailed the bid for a second consecutive win for Matthew Butson as championship leader John McAleer took class and overall victory for the second Atlantic Championship race of the weekend.
McAleer’s win allowed him to build out his gap over Richard Zober, who finished behind him in second place.
In the Atlantic-Open class, Brandon Schwarz took his second victory of the weekend ahead of Charles Livingston, who made a mid-race move to get past Paulie Gatto to secure second position. Schwarz extended his championship lead over Gatto and could clinch the Open title in the next race in New Jersey.
Justin di Lucia finished sixth overall as the only Atlantic JRs car with a 1:51.995 fastest lap on lap 6.
Next up for FRP teams and competitors is a trip to New Jersey Motorsports Park from August 1 to August 3. Visit www.RaceFRP.com to register.
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