Holden, Everard, Grant Lead VIR Practice
Alton, VA – Zach Holden, Reece Everard and David Grant led the first practice sessions of the 2017 F1600, F2000 and Atlantic seasons, respectively, at VIR on Thursday.
F1600
After 30 minutes of green flag track time, it was Zach Holden with the fastest free practice lap for F1600 Championship Series competitors in the first session of the 21-race, seven-weekend 2017 season held on Thursday afternoon at VIRginia International Raceway.
Holden’s best lap of 2:00.813 set the mark ahead of both of his K-Hill Motorsports teammates, Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Lance Fenderson, who like Holden, are making their pro Series debuts this weekend in the USAC-sanctioned F1600 Championship organized by Formula Race Promotions.
Holden started on a local level, karting in 2007 and amassing multiple Championships around the way; and most recently competing in Rotax karts.
The drivers are benefiting from recent running at VIR as the team took part in a regional event at the track earlier in the month, with Holden taking a victory.
With three K-Hill cars in the top three spots after the first practice session, the team is putting together a solid title defense with 2016 Champion, Neil Verhagen, off to RedBull’s Formula Renault program in Europe.
F1600 competitors had to wait close to an extra three hours after a six-month-long off-season, as VIR delayed track activities to let water levels recede around the course, following rain earlier in the week.
Overall lap times were a bit off from 2016, as the track remained green and is expected to pick up speed as the four-day weekend continues. F1600 is joined by F2000 and Atlantic in addition to all classes of the Pirelli World Challenge for a major spectator weekend.
Ryan Bjerke, driving a Raceworks Spectrum/Honda, was fourth fastest while Dexter Czuba and Scott Rubenzer, also in a pair of Spectrum/Hondas, followed in fifth and sixth, respectively.
David Osborne was seventh fastest after signing with Team Pelfrey earlier in the week to become the third Pelfrey F1600 entry in the No 82 Mygale/Honda. Osborne started his karting career at the Motorsports Country Club of Cincinnati in 2007. He’s now turning to F1600 while also pursuing a degree in Bio-medical engineering at the Miami University.
Teammate Matthew Cowley followed Osborne on the time sheets with the eighth fastest lap while Masters Class drivers Mike Scanlan and Joel Haas completed the top ten.
F2000
It was F2000 Championship Series newcomer Reece Everard at the top of the time sheets in Free Practice 1 on Thursday afternoon at the 2017 season opening weekend at VIRginia International Raceway. Everard, driving the No. 61, only put in four laps but flew to first position in the 30-minute session with a lap of 1:54.578.
Nick Palacio, in the No. 25 entry, was second quick after a double podium result at VIR to close out the 2016 F2000 season last October.
Those two were followed by a trio of Mazda-powered Van Diemens, with Steve Jenks, Al Guibord and John McCusker completing the top five ahead of the opening weekend of the 14-race, seven-event 2017 Championship calendar.
“Each year we have been in the series we have moved a few places forward in the standings. I want this to be the year we are in the mix for the podium throughout the year,” said Jenks, who drives the No. 68 entry. “We bought a new car, invested in testing, I’ve been working out and Tumenas Motorsports has put in the car preparation, so we are all in this year.”
Conditions at the 17-turn circuit were mixed, with some cloud cover and temperatures approaching 80 degrees.
Connor Gawry was sixth on the practice time sheets, and said the biggest challenge would be shaking the winter rust off, as he has his sets sight on improving over a strong 2016 debut in F2000 competition.
“We have come a long way in understanding the car’s setup with good results from last year and we are planning on continuing that momentum in 2017,” Gawry commented.
Seventh on the time sheets was Matt McDonough, in the cockpit of the No. 69 in place of Paul Farmer. McDonough last raced at Watkins Glen in 2016, where he grabbed a victory in the Radon chassis on the last lap of the race as the skies opened.
Davy D’Addario was eighth quickest at 1:56.957 despite never having turned a lap at VIR.
“My biggest challenge will be learning the track,” D’Addario commented. “We’ve never run at VIR. I know much of the field is very familiar with the track so I’ll have to be on a quick learning program during the practice sessions. I need to be up to speed when it’s time to qualify. I’ve got a bunch of laps in iRacing, but – as good as simulations like that are – there’s always some difference from the real thing.”
Rounding out the top ten were Brandon Dixon and Dan Denison, respectively.
Atlantic
David Grant, in the No. 29 Swift 016/Mazda from Polestar, led the season-opening Atlantic Championship Series practice session on Thursday morning at VIR. Grant is coming off a 2016 that saw him close the season with a win at the same track, with the 2012 Series Champion getting up to speed over brother and teammate Keith Grant. Series newcomer Peter Portante was third-quick for K-Hill Motorsports.
“Other than kart races, I have not been on the track since the end of last season at VIR. My biggest challenge is getting up to speed after being out of the car for over six months,” said Grant, who is expecting to be a title contender over the 14-race, seven-weekend season.
Practice got going after a two-and-a-half hour delay, with the track pushing back scheduled activities to allow run off areas to continue draining after heavy rainfall earlier in the week.
Keith Grant was second fastest, as the 2015 Series Champion also got up to speed quickly in the No. 40 Polestar entry. Grant’s focus is on a solid qualifying position.
“It is important at VIR to qualify on the pole in order to win here,” he said.
Portante, runner up in last year’s F1600 Championship, was third quick during his first-ever flying laps in an Atlantic car as he runs the No. 24 Swift 016/Mazda in competition this weekend.
It was also an encouraging debut for Spencer Brockman, fourth quick in the opening practice in the newly combined Swift 014/Mazda.
Comprent’s Chris Ash rounded out the top five at a track that brought him podium results in 2016 as he returns for his third season of Atlantic Championship action in the No. 67 machine.
He was followed by Jenna Grillo, another K-Hill Motorsports driver making her Atlantic debut after competing in Formula Race Promotion’s F2000 Series in 2016.
Richard Zober was seventh quick in the 30-minute session.
“The goals for VIR are to run every session to reduce laps times, I had a very inconsistent season last year and getting more laps should help with improved results,” said Zober.
2016 Atlantic Challenge Champion Bob Corliss was eighth in the No. 17 Robert Talbott Swift 014/Toyota.
Corliss said his goal for the season was to improve in all areas.
“Better physical and mental preparation and focus, and I also want to work on racecraft and better management of all race-related assets,” Corliss noted.
Mike Jacques and Lee Alexander completed the top ten.
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Full results from all three sessions are available on www.F1600ChampionshipSeries.com;www.F2000ChampionshipSeries.com; and www.AtlanticChampionshipSeries.com.
Photos:
1. Zach Holden
2. Reece Everad
3. David Grant
Photos: JDS-Photos.com
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.
Sources: Monty Mathisen/MathisenMedia PR