hpd-mid-ohio-school-lend-support
New York, NY – Honda Performance Development (HPD) and The Mid-Ohio School, corporate partners to the F1600 Formula F Championship Series and the F2000 Championship Series, are lending major support to the double weekend for both championships at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, June 30 – July 2.
HPD has arranged for a hospitality bus to be on hand Friday July 1, and Saturday July 2. Both F1600 and F2000 drivers and crew will be offered lunch in the early afternoon. The bus' covered area will remain open throughout the rest of the afternoon as a paddock meeting place; offering drinks and coffee.
Additionally, HPD has arranged a sponsorship workshop with Ken Ungar of U/S Sports Advisors. The one-hour seminar will be held on Friday afternoon, July 1.
"Honda Performance Development is pleased to be involved in the F1600 Formula F Championship Series,” said Marc Sours, general manager and chief engineer, HPD. “Our company believes that the Formula F class offers affordable open-wheel racing for long time competitors as well as those just entering the sport.”
For F1600 drivers, The Mid-Ohio School will be lending coaching advice and professional instruction.
Tommy Byrne and one other instructor from The Mid-Ohio School will be offering coaching. Byrne raced briefly in Formula One in addition to claiming 10 wins and 30 top five finishes in 55 career Indy Lights’ starts.
He recently co-authored an autobiography on his career dubbed “Crashed and Byrned” and has been an instructor at The Mid-Ohio School since its inception in 1993.
“The Mid-Ohio School is proud to be official school of the F1600 Formula F Championship in its inaugural season,” said Steve Bidlack, director, The Mid-Ohio School. “Joining Honda Performance Development in supporting this new grassroots racing program was a natural fit for us. The goal of our training and racing programs is not only to develop talent, but also to attract more drivers to enter the sport.”
Friday’s tentative schedule shows a 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. classroom instruction and chalk talk, from 2 p.m to 3 p.m. there is a question and answer session with the instructors, and following that, instructors will be on hand for trackside observation during official practice, qualifying and race sessions.
Additionally, each driver will receive a Mid-Ohio Track Manual.
F2000 and F1600 Series Managing Director Michael Rand added: “We are all anticipating the Mid-Ohio weekend along with HPD’s hospitality and The Mid Ohio School’s participation. The weekend is shaping up to be a busy time for all participants, regardless of which series they may be competing in.”
The Mid-Ohio School is the Official School of the F1600 Formula F Championship Series. F1600 and F2000 competitors are eligible for a 10 percent discount on any driving program offered by The Mid-Ohio School during the 2011 season.
The Mid-Ohio School offers 16 programs in all from defensive driving to racing programs including a Competition Course and Open Testing & Tuning Twilight sessions. Visit www.midohioschool.com to see all the programs available.