Atlantic, F2000 and F1600 Set for Florida Winter Swing

By admin February 10, 2016 F1600 Formula F Championship Series, Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires

Salem, NH – Palm trees will greet teams for the second annual Winter Exhibition for the Atlantic, F2000 and F1600 Championship Series, organized by Formula Race Promotions. Drivers are set to begin testing this Thursday at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR) in Florida as part of a two-weekend winter season, with Sebring scheduled for Feb. 19-21.

With warm temperatures to look forward to for teams and drivers flocking south, the racy and confrontational Palm Beach layout will offer three days of track time with a pre-season feel, culminating in a spectator-focused Saturday with three races on the schedule.

Just like in 2015, the weekend will offer a glimpse into what will be a highly competitive F1600 Formula F Championship Series season.

Florida-based Team Pelfrey will enter at least two cars, with Kaylen Frederick and Phillippe Denes in the No. 80 and No. 81 Mygale/Hondas, respectively. Pelfrey has consistently run four cars in F1600 competition and won the 2014 F1600 Championship.

Thirteen-year-old Frederick will relish the winter weekends, as he will join the points-paying F1600 field at VIR in June, missing Road Atlanta and Watkins Glen due to age restrictions. His career highlights include claiming pole position at the 2013 Rotax MAX Challenge/Pan-Am Championships at NOLA Motorsports Park and second and third place finishes at the 2014 Rotax Summer Shootout at Miller Motorsports Park.

It was at this event last year that eventual race winners Jordan Cane, from Team Pelfrey, and Kyle Kirkwood, driving for Chastain Motorsports, clashed while fighting for the lead, with Tonis Kasemets taking the victory, while K-Hill’s Austin Mack showed off the pace that would give him a Watkins Glen victory, charging through the field for a podium finish.

K-Hill Motorsports is back after a strong race-winning season in 2015, entering Calvin Ming in the No. 4 Mygale/Honda, and Neil Verhagen in the No. 91, as well as fielding Joe Colasacco in the No. 3 entry.

At 14-years-old, Verhagen already has a year of racing under his belt, bringing five wins and a runner-up finish in the Skip Barber Winter Series to the grid.

In addition, Brian Graham Racing announced 15-year-old Roman De Angelis will compete in both Florida weekends in the team’s Piper/Honda. De Angelis is widely regarded as one of Canada’s karting standouts.

In the F2000 Championship Series, a growing entry list is highlighted by front-running Austin Mack, driving for K-Hill. Mack finished on the podium at Palm Beach last season.

As well, Black Mount will make his F2000 debut in a K-Hill Motorsports Van Diemen.

2015 PBIR winner Quinlan Lall has since transferred to BRDC F4 in the UK.

The fastest cars of the weekend’s activities, the Atlantics, will take to the track with Ryan Norman highlighting the entry list.

Another entry from a deep K-Hill Motorsports presence, Norman has been running strong at SCCA Majors events and looks to take that pace to the Atlantic Championship Series grid in his No. 48 Swift 016/Mazda.

Norman will be joined by Skylar Robinson, a late entry to the field. Robinson has race wins in both the F2000 and F1600 Series.

Official practice and testing begins on Thursday, Feb. 11, with Friday offering up more track time for teams to get back into the swing for 2016. Saturday becomes more focused, with morning qualifying sessions followed by afternoon races. Coverage will be available on www.F1600Series.com, www.F2000Series.com, and www.AtlanticChampionshipSeries.com.

Photos:
1. F1600 Start from PBIR in 2015
2. F2000’s Austin McCusker Racing at PBIR in 2015
3. Atlantic Action from PBIR in 2015

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 2016 schedule is composed of two winter events and seven-points paying weekends. FRP is privately owned and sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing.

Sources: Monty Mathisen/MathisenMedia