Atlantic: Bruce Hamilton to Defend Atlantic Masters Title

Salem, NH – 2017 Atlantic Championship Series Masters Class title winner Bruce Hamilton will be back in 2018 to defend his crown over the 14-race, seven-weekend Atlantic season.

Hamilton triumphed over a thrilling season-long battle with Bob Corliss in 2017, and will again be back for K-Hill Motorsports in a Swift 014.

This year, however, there will be a big change as Hamilton has opted to move to a new powerplant in the chassis with the season opener at Road Atlanta, April 21-22.

“Although competitive enough to get us the Masters championship last year, the 1600 cc Toyota powerplant just was not competitive with the Swift 016 cars,” Hamilton said. “So, we spent the offseason putting the Mazda MZR 2-liter powerplant in the yellow 014. Initial tests show that we may be on to something.”

Hamilton credited Mike Duncan from K-Hill Motorsports, who took the lead on the challenging offseason project.

“Our goal in 2018 is to finish more races and show that this car can compete with the Swift 016s,” Hamilton said.

“Our biggest challenge will most likely be the same one any new design faces. Long-term reliability. We think we’ve got a great formula but the 2018 season will be the real test,” he continued. “I am personally looking forward to the challenge and being back on the track with some great racers.”

Also keeping the Masters Class racer busy are vintage events, where he pilots either a 2008 Indy Lights car or his 1970 Brabham BT36.
2018 Formula Race Promotions Schedule:

Road Atlanta: April 21-22
Watkins Glen: May 11-13
VIR: June 1-3
Mid-Ohio: June 29-July 1
PittRace: August 3-5
Summit Point: August 24-26
New Jersey: Sept. 14-16

August 26, 2017 | For Immediate Release

Summit Point, WV – Matthew Cowley, John McCusker and Peter Portante won races in F1600, F2000 and Atlantic Championship Series competition on a perfect summer Saturday afternoon at Summit Point Motorsports Park.

F1600

Matthew Cowley took the checkered flag for the win in round 15 of the 2017 F1600 Championship Series season as the Team Pelfrey driver extended his Championship lead in the No. 80 Mygale/Honda. Cowley triumphed over K-Hill’s Zach Holden, who charged back from last to second after an unscheduled pit stop. Jonathan Kotyk finished third and a fight of the race in the Masters Class division was won by Mike Scanlan.

Quotes from the Top Finishers:

Matthew Cowley:

“At the start we managed to break away and there was a safety car period. After that I managed to keep my nose clean for the first few laps and bring the win home.”

Zach Holden:

“It was a bit disappointing. I had to pit because the radiator was filled with grass. Once we came out I knew it was head down and go for them. One more lap and I think we could have had him.”

Jonathan Kotyk:

“It was a pretty tough fight for the Gap Guard Team Pelfrey car. There was a lot of defensive driving in we unfortunately lost the leaders.”

Mike Scanlan (1st – Masters):

“I had a feeling Joel was hanging back for the last lap. I had just enough to stay ahead there at the end.”

Joel Haas (2nd – Masters):

“I gave it my best shot and Mike had a bit more. We’ll try again tomorrow, and thanks to Greg Rice and Rice Race Prep.”

Dave Petzko (3rd – Masters):

“We keep chipping away at the speed and it’s good to be back here. It was a blast. I didn’t have anything for them, I was just hanging back.”

Results | Photos | Video

F2000

John McCusker, in the No. 01 DotWorks Racing entry, prevailed to win in the Glenn Phillips Memorial Classic, in an action-packed Saturday afternoon F2000 Championship Series race at Summit Point. Tim Paul and Tim Minor completed the podium in round 11 of the 2017 season.

McCusker won the race run in honor of late team owner Glenn Phillips, taking the lead with an outside move in turn one on lap one. He then had his hands full on a restart with Paul, as the two went side-by-side for the lead, with McCusker coming out ahead. Then Paul spent the rest of the race fending off Minor in a heated battle for second.

The result also throws a major twist into the Championship standings. Points leader Brandon Dixon only finished tenth, while McCusker surges even closer to Dixon with a major points haul following his second victory of 2017.

Steve Jenks finished fourth in a loaned car from ADSA/Wright racing, which he got his first laps in during the race. Davy D’Addario completed the top five.

Quotes from the Top Finishers:

John McCusker:

“I had a really good start, braking deep and opening up a gap. I was let down by the full course caution but on the restart we opened it back up after Tim tried to pass me.”

Tim Paul:

“I would have loved to win for Glenn but I’m happy with the pole and result. The racing was really hard. Tim and I were close and running each other hard. People ran super close, super tight and clean.”

Tim Minor:

“The setup I chose for this morning was not the right call. I went the right direction, but these cars are so even you really need to hit the mark. John and Tim did a good job. They raced clean. This is a great Series, more people need to come out and race. We were nose to tail, we give and take. I got a great start, Tim came over, and gave me just enough room.”

For F2000, it was the second annual Glenn Phillips Memorial Classic, run in memory of the late team owner from GTP Motorsports. Matt McDonough won the first annual race in 2016, which was held in May at Watkins Glen International. McDonough failed to finish Saturday’s race with an overheating issue on the No. 9 entry.

Results | Photos | Video

Atlantic

Peter Portante charged through the field to win the 11th round of the 2017 Atlantic Championship Series held on Saturday at Summit Point Motorsports Park. Portante, driving the No. 24 for K-Hill Motorsports, joined the pace lap late and could not start from pole, having set the absolute track record in morning qualifying. Starting from the back, the points leader moved through the field quickly, taking the lead from David Grant on lap 13. Grant finished second for Polestar while Matt Miller completed the podium in his season debut.

Quotes from the Top Finishers:

Peter Portante:

“This is great. You can put a monkey in that car and make it go fast, so all the credit goes to the boys at K-Hill Motorsports and Guinness. It was an amazing race. We caught the field on the pace lap and then battled with Keith (Grant) and David. I didn’t get to battle much with Keith, something happened to him. But David, he is always fun to battle with.”

David Grant:

“We went one direction with the car this morning, and went the other way this afternoon. The car just wasn’t there like it was earlier. Hopefully we’ll get it back right and do it again tomorrow.”

Matt Miller:

“It has been a good weekend so far, I hope it continues. I was here three years ago and it’s great to be back in the Atlantic Championship Series.”

John Burke (1st – Masters):

“It was a fun race. Forty minutes went by faster than I thought. The Company Motorsports car was hooked up and ran well the entire time.”

Of note, Championship contender Keith Grant ran as high as second early in the race but retired with a reported mechanical problem.

Results | Photos | Video

The Summit Point weekend continues for Formula Race Promotions on Sunday with double races for F1600 and single races for F2000 and Atlantic.

 

On the Web: F1600: www.F1600Series.com | Facebook | Twitter F2000: www.F2000Series.com | Facebook | Twitter Atlantic: www.AtlanticChampionshipSeries.com | Facebook | Twitter

August 25, 2017

Summit Point, WV – Zach Holden, Tim Minor and David Grant led Friday practice in F1600, F2000 and Atlantic Championship Series competition at Summit Point Motorsports Park ahead of a full weekend for Formula Race Promotions at the 10-turn, 2.0-mile road course.

F1600

F1600 Championship competitors saw two lengthy morning test sessions by twin afternoon practice sessions following the lunch hour in West Virginia.

K-Hill Motorsports driver Zach Holden set the fastest overall time over the two official free practice sessions, running 13 laps in the No. 96 Mygale/Honda with a best time of 1:15.183 in the early afternoon practice.

The K-Hill pilot led Jonathan Kotyk, who is coming off a weekend sweep at Pittsburgh for Team Pelfrey. Kotyk was six tenths off Holden’s lightning lap, with points leader Matthew Cowley third quick.

Cowley was followed by Pelfrey teammate David Osborne, while Yuven Sandaramoorthy was fifth and Thomas Schwietz led the Masters Class drivers in sixth overall.

In the second official practice session, it was Kotyk at the top of the time sheets after 30 minutes of green flag track time at Summit Point. Kotyk led Sundaramoorthy by .263 seconds, while Osborne was third quick, another .075 back. Cowley followed in fourth while Mike Scanlan led the Masters Class with a top five performance.

Full Results | Photos

F2000

Tim Minor was out front over two F2000 Championship Series practice sessions at Summit Point on Friday afternoon. Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2017 season are on tap at Summit Point this weekend, with just one more doubleheader weekend remaining following the Summit Point event as the Championship continues to tighten.

Minor, the 2013 and 2014 F2000 title-winner, ran a fast lap of 1:11.561 to lead the session over John McCusker.

Davy D’Addario was third quick in the No. 37, followed by Steve Jenks and Brandon Dixon who completed the top five. Tim Paul followed.

The first official session of the Friday practice day was led by points leader Dixon, followed by McCusker and Jenks, with Dixon topping the mid afternoon charts at 1:11.638. Paul and Guibord completed the top five.

A late addition to the field came in the form of 2006 F2000 Champion Matt McDonough, who will pilot the No. 9 Kevin Kelly Racing Radon/Zetec.

Full Results | Photos

Atlantic

David Grant led the Atlantic Championship Series day at Summit Point over two Friday afternoon practice sessions with the fastest lap at 1:04.667 in the No. 29 Polestar Racing Group Swift 016/Mazda.

Grant, who won at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, set his time in the early afternoon session, besting points leader Peter Portante from K-Hill Motorsports by .630 seconds.

Keith Grant was third quick in that session, followed by K-Hill’s Matt Miller, with Chris Fahan and John Burke following.

Later in the day, it was Portante at the top of the time sheets in a late session, fastest over David Grant by just .035 seconds. Keith Grant, Matt Miller and John Burke followed.

Of note, Matt Miller and Chris Fahan are making their 2017 Atlantic Championship Series debuts.

Full Results | Photos

Drivers and teams next take to the challenging Summit Point for Saturday morning qualifications, followed by races on Saturday afternoon.

August 8, 2017 | For Immediate Release

Salem, NH – The 2018 Atlantic Championship Series run by Formula Race Promotions (FRP) intends to expand its entrant base to include Pro Mazda entries. The Pro Mazda class will run for their own Championship and in their own class, while sharing FRP’s trademark abundance of track time with the Atlantic cars. In addition, Hoosier Racing Tire is working closely with FRP to develop a spec Pro Mazda tire.

FRP intends to run a 14-race, seven-weekend Atlantic calendar in 2018, similar to previous seasons.

A trial Pro Mazda program was run at Mid-Ohio in July, with two entries successfully sharing the track with the Atlantic cars as Series officials closely monitored how it would affect competition.

“After a thorough review of adding Pro Mazda into the Atlantic field, including observing two guest entries at Mid-Ohio, we are confident that it will seamlessly integrate into our operation,” said Al Guibord and Robert Wright, co-owners of Formula Race Promotions. “The Atlantic cars will still be the class of the field, with the Pro Mazdas running their own competitive pace at the same time.”

“There are quite a few cars out there not being utilized, sitting in prep shops or garages. Our message to their owners is to come and sample an FRP weekend. We offer three hours of track time and two races per event,” added Guibord and Wright.

Long-time Series partner Hoosier Racing Tire intends to conduct a tire test in the near future with the goal of developing a stable spec tire for Pro Mazda entries.

June 10, 2017 | For Immediate Release Speedway, IN – Saturday afternoon race victories at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway went down to the wire as Yuven Sundaramoorthy  won by .039 seconds in F1600, John LaRue took the victory by .010 seconds in F2000 and Peter Portante won in the Atlantic Championship Series. All three Championships saw tight and exciting races as drivers battled to cross the yard of bricks first. F1600 The F1600 Championship Series race again came down to the last lap after a race-long battle at the front of the field as Yuven Sundaramoorthy crossed the line first for K-Hill Motorsports, taking his first ever F1600 victory in an iconic setting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sundaramoorthy won by a mere .039 seconds ahead of Team Pelfrey’s Jonathan Kotyk, while Matthew Cowley was third and Joe Colasacco won the Masters Class. Podium Finishers Recap: Yuven Sundaramoorthy: “At the start of the race I thought I had no chance. I was in sixth place and I got really lucky. There was a tangle at the front and I caught up. I went to the outside and did a bit of deep braking to get the lead.” Jonathan Kotyk: “The last lap was pretty crazy. I was sitting back waiting and once Holden was off I knew I had a chance to move to the front. I got pinched at the line, and am happy to bring home second place. The slip stream is pretty big here, especially down the back straight due to the head wind.” Matthew Cowley: “It’s a great feeling to be on the podium but it’s a shame it’s not the top step. Things were out of my hands in that race and I can’t control what other people were doing.” F2000 The F2000 Championship Series Saturday race at Indianapolis came down to the last lap. After a race long duel, John LaRue got a run on the front stretch and beat Matt McDonough to the checkered flag, crossing the bricks first by just .010 seconds in one of the best F2000 races to date. LaRue becomes the first multiple winner in the 2017 season, with McDonough second and Brandon Dixon in third. Steve Jenks was fourth and Tim Paul finished fifth. Top Five Recap: John LaRue: “I didn’t know if we’d have a shot or not, I thought we were handling better than Matt,” said LaRue. “Out of turn one, I was able to close but didn’t have a shot on the back stretch. We had a nice series of corners in seven, eight and nine. I had a nice run coming onto the short chute. I was able to tuck in behind him and pull the underneath pass. Matt was very professional. We went through two corners side-by-side, it was pretty fun.” Matt McDonough: “It was a good race,” added McDonough. “I spent my tires early on and was fighting that. The full course caution certainly didn’t help. I am a little disappointed as our organization has been through difficulty in the last few weeks. We lost the founder and designer, Nathan Ulrich. All the guys are feeling it and I wanted to do it for them. Tomorrow is another day and we’ll give it another try.” Brandon Dixon: “I got a good jump at the start, and some other people didn’t,” noted Dixon. “Rob Allaer got a little crossed up in turn one and I had to avoid him. I touched him and when I got going again I was back in the pack. I passed a few people but that is about all I had.” Steve Jenks: “I spent time beside Dixon, I spent a lot of time beside Tim Paul, it was a fun race,” Jenks said. “That start won’t go down as one of my best ever.” Tim Paul: “That was a draft fest. It was  getting a good run on the straights and then playing with the car,” Paul commented. “The car was under steering quite a bit so I was concentrating on getting really good exits for top speed, and that brought us through the field. We need to get the car to turn better tomorrow.” Atlantic Peter Portante took the checkered flag first in the Atlantic Championship Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday evening, completing a flag-to-flag drive from pole position for K-Hill Motorsports. It’s Portante’s fourth win in a row, and he finished ahead of Keith Grant and David Grant from Polestar, who completed the podium at Indy. Dudley Fleck won the Masters Class for K-Hill. Podium Finishers Recap: Peter Portante: “It’s not a bad feeling to win here. It’s quite a good result. I was praying for a boring race and David challenged me on the start. I was in the right place at the right time on the restart. I was only there because I was in a good car, and that’s because of the K-Hill boys. Hopefully we can do it again tomorrow.” David Grant: “We had an Atlantic car that was slow between Peter and I on the restart. Peter did what he should have and he took off. Unfortunately the rest of the crowd got screwed. We were all stuck behind him.” Dudley Fleck: “Anytime you can come to Indy it’s a special day. To win something here for me is a milestone and a bucket list item. We overcame a bad shock yesterday and the car is really starting to handle well now.” Full results are available on www.F1600Series.com, www.F2000Series.com and www.AtlanticChampionshipSeries.com. The weekend from Indianapolis Motor Speedway continues on Sunday with afternoon races for the F1600 Series, F2000 Series and Atlantic Series.

Photos: 1. Zach Holden 2. Keith McCrone 3. David Grant Photos: Jeff Loewe On the Web: F1600: www.F1600Series.com | Facebook | Twitter F2000: www.F2000Series.com | Facebook | Twitter Atlantic: www.AtlanticChampionshipSeries.com | Facebook | Twitter About Formula Race Promotions: Formula Race Promotions (FRP) operates the F1600, F2000 and Atlantic Championship Series. Starting with F2000 in 2006, FRP added F1600 in 2011 and Atlantic in 2012. The Series’ philosophy is to offer a vertical integration between club and professional racing, while offering some of the best race tracks and significant amounts of track time in single-class running. The 2017 schedule is composed of seven-points paying weekends. FRP is privately owned and sanctioned by USAC.

May 13, 2017 | For Immediate Release

A rundown of the action from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, featuring three F1600 races, two F2000 races and a single Atlantic Championship race.

F1600: Cowley Three for Three

Lexington, OH – Matthew Cowley made it three wins in one day in F1600 Championship Series competition at Mid-Ohio on Saturday. Cowley becomes the first F1600 driver to win three races in one day.

In race one, he broke away from the back; while in race two  and three, he emerged after battling with Zach Holden taking the checkered flag after a near race-long fight with Zach Holden.

Link: Race 1 Rundown  |  Video Recap

Link: Race 2 Rundown  |  Video Recap

Link: Race 3 Rundown

Full results are available here.

##Quotes From Race 1##

Matthew Cowley, Team Pelfrey:

“I felt I took to the track, it’s a great track. It’s got a Brands Hatch feel with ups and downs, wavy and slick. It was the plan to get a good start, to try to get into the lead early. I put in a few (big) opening laps to try to get momentum going and build a gap.”

Yuven Sundaramoorthy, K-Hill Motorsports:

“At the start I managed to gain a position on Zach Holden. From there I knew if I lost a few positions it was fine because the draft is so big here. I got lucky at the end, in the right position at the right time.”

Lance Fenderson, K-Hill Motorsports:

“It was a bad qualifying yesterday. We got to the lead pack. It took me a couple of laps to get there. The leader broke away. The last couple of laps were interesting with the K-Hill drivers second, third and fourth.”

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F2000: LaRue and McCusker Split Wins

Lexington, OH – John LaRue led every lap to win the Saturday morning F2000 Championship Series race at Mid-Ohio, round three of the 2017 season. Brandon Dixon finished second while Austin McCusker drove through the field to finish third and will start on pole for race two.

A little later in the day, from pole, Austin McCusker led every lap at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to win round four of the F2000 Championship Series season. McCusker put together a last-minute deal to drive the No. 95 Mazda-powered Van Diemen, and took the win over brother John McCusker. Brandon Dixon, Robert Allaer and Steve Jenks completed the top five.

Link: Race 1 Rundown 

Link: Race 2 Rundown  |  Video Recap

Full results are available here.

##Quotes From Race 2##

Austin McCusker, Dotworks Racing:

“Going one-two is good for my brother and I. I need to thank the teams and boys. I sure hope I am back in a F2000 car soon. I also need to thank ADSA/Wright for the car and Company Motorsports for all their support.”

John McCusker, Dotworks Racing:

“We had some trouble this morning with a dead battery in the first race. I need to thank the team for fixing it and we came back for a good race – with Austin and I finishing first and second.”

Brandon Dixon (Masters Class Winner), Citation Engineering:

“I was just struggling to keep pace the second half of the race and keep the tires under the car. I was doing all I could.”

Robert Allaer (Masters Class – Second Place), LTD Motorsports:

“It’s a good day at Mid-Ohio. I need to count my blessings as the car is going home in one piece.”

Steve Jenks (Masters Class – Third Place), Tumenas Motorsports:

“I made that race more fun than it needed to be going off early in Thunder Valley. I gave up spots to Tim (Paul) and Dave (Weitzenhof) but got around them again. I needed more laps to chase down Robert.”

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Atlantic: Portante Sweeps Mid-Ohio Weekend

Lexington, OH – Peter Portante pulled off a Mid-Ohio weekend sweep in Atlantic Championship Series competition, winning Saturday afternoon’s race with a third-to-first move on the opening lap. From there, the K-Hill Motorsports pulled a gap but had to fend off a charging David Grant in the closing stages. Portante narrowly took the victory, with a margin of just over a second back to Polestar’s David Grant. Keith Grant finished third.

Full results are available here.

##QUOTES##

Peter Portante, K-Hill Motorsports:

“If I didn’t get the lead on the opening lap, I wouldn’t have a shot, David is in another world. The first lap was all we had; we have been struggling with an electrical issue that is getting worse. The guys threw everything at it they could.”

David Grant, Polestar Racing Group:

“The car was great today. We changed the setup yesterday and it came into full force today. Peter gapped us by about 10 seconds and it took a lot of the race to catch him. It was a great run.”

Keith Grant, Polestar Racing Group:

“I just didn’t have the speed today. David was a lot quicker and pulled away.”

John Burke (Masters Class Winner), Company Motorsports:

“We were struggling all weekend and cracked a head in the No. 55. Fortunately we had another car because my son wasn’t here. We got that sorted out, got in the No. 19 and had fun, it was a good race.

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All Formula Race Promotions series next head to Indianapolis, June 8-11.