Andrews Prevails at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen, NY – Scott Andrews took his second win and fifth podium in five starts, battling a four-car train at the front of the F1600 Formula F Championship Series field to take victory in race two of three at Watkins Glen. Steve Bamford finished second while Skylar Robinson completed the podium, narrowly edging Ben Auriemma in the closing stages of the race.
“I’m really stoked. Thanks to Exclusive Autosport and Spectrum. I did my thing and came away with the win, it was a really good race,” said Andrews, who drives the No. 94 Exclusive Autosport Spectrum/Honda. Andrews may have emerged as the driver to beat for the 2015 title, and leads the points standings through five of 21 races thus far. He becomes the only repeat winner in 2015 so far, a feat that didn’t happen well into the 2014 season.
Steve Bamford scored yet another podium finish and Masters Class victory with a strong second place run after starting on pole.
Robinson made it two third places in two days at Watkins Glen in his F1600 race debut in the United States. The 2014 F2000 Series runner-up will look to improve a further two spots in the No. 12 K-Hill Motorsports entry in the third race of the Watkins Glen weekend, set to take place later on Sunday.
“The draft is so critical here,” said Robinson. “It’s a long run from turn one to the bus-stop, so whoever is in the lead is pretty much going to get passed. We lost the lead pack on that restart so I’m happy we were able to run them back down.”
An opening lap incident took out Saturday winner Austin Mack and also involved Robert Megennis, who started second, and Will Harvey, producing a full-course caution that lasted a handful of laps. Megennis was able to rejoin the field.
Ben Auriemma put in his best showing of the season for Team Pelfrey, battling for the lead throughout the race and finishing fourth.
Exclusive Autosport teammates Thomas McGregor and Jack Mitchell Jr. completed the top six with Andrew Hobbs seventh for Pelfrey.
Completing the Masters Class were Art Foster and Jim Goughary in eighth and ninth overall. Goughary has had a rough weekend, with an electrical miss limiting his pace during the race after an engine change on Saturday cause by a rock hitting his radiator.
Andy Lewis rounded off the top ten for Chastain Motorsports.
Race three will be gridded based on race two’s fast laps, with Hobbs set to lead the field the green flag alongside McGregor.
Full results are available at www.F1600Series.com under the results tab.
The F1600 triple-header event from Watkins Glen concludes with a late afternoon race on Sunday, May 17, round six of the 2015 season.
About F1600:
The F1600 Formula F Championship Series is an entry level pro series owned by Formula Race Promotions and sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. The Series features a wide variety of Formula F (formerly Formula Ford) chassis using both Honda Fit and Ford Kent engines. The 2015 schedule features seven points weekends and is expanding to a triple-header format for 21 total races, in addition to a winter test weekend in Palm Beach. A spec tire from Hoosier along with ample track time at all events provides a level playing field, attracting the latest aspiring drivers and savvy veterans from all over the globe. Learn more at www.f1600series.com.
Sources: Formula Race Promotions PR