Solid Weekend of Formula Race Promotions Action at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Formula Race Promotions delivered another memorable weekend of competition at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with strong fields, close battles, and standout performances across every category on the event schedule. From qualifying through the final checkered flag, drivers in F1600, Atlantic, F2000, S2000, FFCS, and CCS showcased the depth of talent and competitive spirit that continue to define FRP competition, making the Lexington, Ohio facility the perfect backdrop for an exciting spring weekend of racing.
“Mid-Ohio is always one of the highlights of our season, and this weekend once again showed what Formula Race Promotions is all about,” explained Bob Wright. “We had excellent car counts, competitive racing in every class, and a paddock full of drivers, teams, and families who make this series so special. It was a fantastic event from start to finish, and we’re proud of everyone who helped make it such a success.”
SATURDAY
In F1600 qualifying on a damp but drying track, Boss Patel set the pace with a lap of 1:34.953 to earn the top spot, narrowly edging David Ybarra, who was second overall at 1:35.950. Christian Menezes and Cooper Travis were close behind in third and fourth, while John P. Dole completed the top five. In the F1600M class, Scott Rubenzer was the quickest entry with a 1:36.717, good for sixth overall in the session.
The Atlantic and F2000 classes delivered a strong qualifying session. Harbir Dass led the way overall in his Swift 016 with a fast lap of 1:18.655. Dudley Fleck made it a K-Hill Motorsports front row lockout by qualifying second at 1:19.775, while Nicho Vardis was the top Atlantic Open entry in third overall. John McAleer added another Swift 016 to the top four, and Jeremy Swank paced the F2000 field with a 1:26.615 lap. Carter Sheets and Robert Wright followed second and third in F2000.
In S2000 qualifying, Brent Gernert was the class of the field, posting a 1:32.290 lap to secure pole position. Robert Dusek III qualified second, just over a second back, while John Thompson put himself third on the grid. Chip Vance and Glenn Jividen Jr. rounded out the top five, with the rest of the field led by Jim Shanel, Jim Huizenga, Eric Pickering, and Jim Kelley.
In FFCS qualifying, Mark Kingham led the way with a quickest lap of 1:35.351 to claim the top spot for Kingham Racing. Patrick Flynn secured second in his Van Diemen RF81, just over a second back, while Glenn Brooks qualified third. Jim Hallman and Mike Wirrick rounded out the top five.
In CCS qualifying at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Mike Lawrence topped the group with the quickest lap of 1:42.058 to secure the pole position in his Protoform P2. Brian Farnham was second overall, just over a second back, while Matt Clark and Trevor Carmody were close behind in third and fourth. Sherman Engler completed the top five in a tightly contested session.
In FFCS Race 1, Mark Kingham took the victory after completing ten laps and setting the fastest lap of the race at 1:35.327. Patrick Flynn kept the pressure on throughout the event and finished second, just 6.582 seconds behind. Jim Hallman completed the podium in third, followed by Glenn Brooks in fourth and Donald Baggett in fifth.
In F1600 Heat One, Boss Patel claimed the win edging David Ybarra as the race finished under caution. Cooper Travis completed the overall podium in third, while Phil Kingham was the top F1600 Masters finisher in fourth overall and Scott Rubenzer followed closely behind as the second F1600 Masters entry. Christian Menezes, John Dole, and Bob Reid were all in the mix inside the top eight. Bob Reid rounded out the Masters podium in third.
Brent Gernert delivered a dominant drive in the first In S2000 race of the weekend, leading all 12 laps and setting the fastest lap of the race at 1:29.483 on his way to victory. John Thompson finished second, 13.966 seconds behind, while Chip Vance completed the podium in third. Jim Kelley and Mark Coombs rounded out the top five, with Lee Brahin charging to sixth in the 16-car field.
The first Atlantic/F2000 Heat saw Harbir Dass take command after lap one and go on to score the overall victory for K-Hill Motorsports. Teammate Dudley Fleck finished second to give K-Hill a one-two result, while Nicho Vardis was third overall and the top Atlantic Open finisher. In F2000, Carter Sheets claimed the class win in fourth overall, with Dave Weitzenhof and Robert Wright following behind in the class order. Ryan Saari came home fifth overall.
In CCS Race 1, Mike Lawrence came out on top after nine laps, leading most of the race and taking the win by 11.608 seconds over Trevor Carmody. Matt Clark completed the podium in third, just behind Carmody, while Sherman Engler and William Hannum rounded out the top five.
SUNDAY
Back on track Sunday, Patrick Flynn came away with the win in the second FFCS race of the weekend in a thrilling finish, edging Mark Kingham by just 0.225 seconds after 10 laps of racing. Kingham had the speed to record the fastest lap of the race at 1:37.986 and led the middle portion of the event, but Flynn reclaimed the top spot late to secure the victory. Jim Hallman completed the podium in third, while Donald Baggett and John Filios rounded out the top five.
In F1600 Heat Race 2, Boss Patel added another win to his Mid-Ohio weekend with a strong drive, taking victory by 1.050 seconds over John P. Dole. Christian Menezes completed the overall podium in third, while Cooper Travis finished fourth. Scott Rubenzer was the top F1600M finisher in fifth overall, followed by Phil Kingham and Bob Reid, while Jake LeRoy was the next-best K-Hill Motorsports entry in ninth.
Mike Lawrence once again led the field in the second qualifying session for the CCS class with a quick time of 1:43.492 to secure the pole position. Brian Farnham stayed close in second, less than four-tenths off the pace, while Matt Clark and Trevor Carmody completed the top four in another tightly contested session. Jeff Filipkowski rounded out the top five, with Dave Satterley, Sherman Engler, Dale Rader, and William Hannum, all keeping themselves in the mix inside the top ten, and will occupy the first five rows for Race 2 this afternoon.
In the second S2000 qualifying session of the weekend, Robert Dusek III put together the quickest lap of the session to take top honors, narrowly edging Brent Gernert by just 0.243 seconds. John Thompson made it three different drivers within less than a second of the pace in third, while Edward Guenther and Jim Kelley rounded out the top five. Chip Vance, Mark Coombs, Eric Pickering, and Jim Shanel also remained firmly in contention inside the top ten during another competitive S2000 session.
In the third and final FFCS race of the weekend, Mark Kingham returned to the top step of the podium with a dominant drive to win by a healthy margin. Glenn Brooks finished second, 49.140 seconds behind, while Jim Hallman completed the podium in third. Donald Baggett came home fourth, and John Filios rounded out the top five, with
In the Atlantic/F2000 Heat Two, Harbir Dass delivered another commanding performance for K-Hill Motorsports, leading all 16 laps and setting the fastest lap of the race at 1:16.420 on his way to victory. Dudley Fleck completed a K-Hill one-two finish in second, while Nicho Vardis was third overall and the top Atlantic Open entry. John McAleer finished fourth in Atlantic 016 machinery, while Jeremy Swank claimed the F2000 class win in fifth overall, just ahead of Carter Sheets and Dave Weitzenhof. Robert Wright followed in eighth overall, while Ryan Saari was the final classified finisher after completing 14 laps.
In the Atlantic/F2000 championship race, John McAleer drove to victory in his Swift 016 after taking over the lead for the closing stages and completing all 18 laps. Nicho Vardis finished second overall and was the top Atlantic Open entry, just 4.553 seconds back, while Jeremy Swank claimed the F2000 class win in third overall. Carter Sheets followed closely in second among the F2000 runners, and Ryan Saari rounded out the overall top five. After leading the opening 10 laps, Harbir Dass was the lone retirement from the eight-car field.
Robert Dusek III completed a perfect run at the front, leading all 11 laps and setting the fastest lap of the race at 1:27.706 on his way to victory in S2000 Race 2. Brent Gernert stayed close throughout and finished second, just 1.980 seconds behind, while Chip Vance completed the podium in third. Edward Guenther and Jim Kelley rounded out the top five, with the entire 14-car field taking the checkered flag in a clean and competitive contest.
The F1600 championship race, after the cleanup of a multi car incident in turn four, delivered one of the closest finishes of the weekend, with Christian Menezes taking the victory by just 0.285 seconds ver the top F1600M finisher, David Adorno. David, the 2025 Master Champion, clearly has his sights set on improving on his 2025 sixth-place overall finish. Robert Dietz, who was taken out in Race 2 in Lap seven through no fault of his own, stood on the third step of the overall podium only 1.162 seconds off the win. Robert Dietz completed the overall podium in third, only 1.162 seconds off the win, while Axel LeRoy came home fourth, and Scott Rubenzer was fifth overall as the second F1600M entry. The race featured multiple lead changes among Cooper Travis, Boss Patel, David Ybarra, and Menezes before the closing laps, while 20 of the 24 starters were classified as finishers in a hard-fought finale.
In CCS Race 2, Mike Lawrence once again proved to be the driver to beat, leading all nine laps on his way to another victory. Brian Farnham followed him home in second, 6.507 seconds adrift, while Trevor Carmody completed the podium in third. Jeff Filipkowski and Matt Clark rounded out the top five.
Next up for FRP will be a trip to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Road America over the June 25 – 28 weekend. Stay tuned to RaceFRP.com for registration information.
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For questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Bob Wright RobertW@RaceFRP.com or Clay Hutchison ClayH@RaceFRP.com. For media inquiries, please contact us via email at Media@RaceFRP.com.