Goughary Leads Friday Glen Practice
Watkins Glen, NY – Jim Goughary led Friday practice at Watkins Glen International on a track getting faster by the minute following heavy morning rain that forced a shortened session due to a power outage. As things dried out the Road Atlanta winner set fastest time in the afternoon in the No. 7 Van Diemen/Honda out of the Ski Motorsports stable while Sam Chastain was second quick, ahead of Jack Mitchell Jr., Steve Bamford and Garth Rickards.
Heading into rounds three and four of the 2014 F1600 season, Goughary owns the points lead off two strong finishes and a win at Road Atlanta in the season-opening doubleheader weekend in April.
Chastain was on top of the time sheets for most of the session as he looks to bounce back from a Road Atlanta crash after leading Thursday testing in Georgia. Meanwhile, Mitchell Jr. in the Spectrum for Exclusive Autosport is coming off a second place run in April and Bamford continues to look for his first win. In fifth, Rickards was on pole last month and led into the last lap in his Team Pelfrey Mygale/Honda.
A late addition to the field was Mikhail Goikhberg, in the No. 98 K-Hill Motorsports Mygale/Honda. Goikhberg has run in the F2000 Championship Series in the past and looks to gain track experience at Watkins Glen ahead of another pro event he is running later this year. He was sixth quick.
Evan Mehan was P7 in his Series debut for Chastain Motorsports. The 19-year-old was second quick for most of the session before a late string of fast laps as the track got more rubbered-in.
Road Atlanta race one winner Franklin Futrelle was eighth, right ahead of the highly anticipated Series debut of SCCA standout Reid Hazelton, in a Van Diemen/Honda for Front Range Motorsports. Art Foster completed the top ten in afternoon practice.
Bill Valet was 18th as he logged his first official laps of 2014 in his 2011 Championship-winning Swift DB-6, although with a four-day old Honda powerplant installation.
23 cars completed laps in afternoon practice at Watkins Glen. Goughary's quick lap was 2:01.070 on a relatively slow race track.
Qualifying and races follow Saturday and Sunday, rounds three and four of the 2014 F1600 Formula F Championship Series season.