Cane First at PittRace; Andrews Champion
Wampum, PA – Jordan Cane scored his fifth F1600 Formula F Championship Series victory, battling his teammate Robert Megennis to the checkered flag at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in round 19 of the 2015 F1600 season. Megennis finished second for Team Pelfrey while points leader Scott Andrews spun from pole on the pace lap, bouncing back to finish third and clinch the 2015 F1600 title.
“Rob and I managed to pull gap from Skylar (Robinson),” said Cane. “The last three laps were a dogfight really.”
The race was mainly a three car battle between Cane, Megennis and Championship contender Skylar Robinson, who went off after contact on the last lap in his No. 79 K-Hill Motorsports Mygale/Honda while fighting for the lead.
Megennis and his Team Pelfrey Mygale/Honda led the majority of the race, but the aspiring racer failed to take his first victory.
“It was a great battle. It was really good to break away with those guys,” said Megennis. “It was a fun race. I love racing moments. There was a little incident on the last lap that managed to get me second, but it was a lot of fun.”
Andrews meanwhile spun coming out of the pits on the pace lap, forcing him to start last. He recovered to drive to a third place finish, which combined with Robinson’s DNF, makes him the 2015 F1600 Champion.
“I managed to run out of talent coming out of pit lane,” said Andrews. “I spun it warming up the tires. As much as I wanted to go back through the field to regain my starting spot I imagined I would get a penalty after that. So I decided against it. Hopefully with a few new parts in the car I could have got close to the win, which we did. I didn’t quite get there, but I am absolutely stoked with the team.
“I saw the front three battling very hard,” he continued. “I thought if they were going three wide somewhere I might get an opportunity to maybe snag a win. Unfortunately, there was a bit of contact with Skylar who was still in the running for the championship. I hate to see him go out like that, but I think that means we clinch it. So I could not be happier.”
Steve Bamford finished fourth, winning the Masters Class and setting the fastest race lap in his Rice Race Prep Mygale/Honda, which will see him start from pole in race two on Sunday morning.
“I got stuck behind a few cars early on and was able to get by them,” Bamford said. “I had to put my head down and keep driving, but I couldn’t catch up with the front group, unfortunately.”
Thomas McGregor and Ben Auriemma completed the top six. Calvin Ming was a strong seventh in his Series debut with Team Pelfrey.
In the Masters Class, Jim Goughary and Tom Schwietz completed the podium, ninth and 11th overall, respectively.
Full results are available on www.F1600Series.com under the Results tab.
Sunday concludes the 2015 F1600 Formula F Championship Series season with rounds 20 and 21 taking place at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
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: Monty Mathisen/Formula Race Promotions