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This year’s Ontario Formula Ford Championship schedule consists of seven weekends, for a total of fourteen contests.
The points system has changed for this year - a competitor’s two worst finishes will be dropped from their total -
meaning a driver is collecting points in twelve of their best fourteen races.
The season kicks off in May at Mosport International Raceway during the BEMC Spring Trophy Races. The series returns to Mosport in June for a doubleheader event during the Vortex Brake Pads 200 Weekend. The next two rounds are part of the DAC Trillium Trophy Races at Shannonville Motorsport Park. In early August, competitors make their third of six visits to Mosport during the BARC Canadian Touring Trophy Races. This is followed by another BARC event called the Labour Day Grand Prix. The penultimate weekend of competition occurs in mid-September as part of the BEMC Indian Summer Races. The CASC-OR Celebration of Motorsport ends the season in Ontario and determines class champions. The single-seater, open-wheel race cars in the championship are powered by a four-cylinder, 1600-cc Ford engine or the newly introduced 1.5-liter HPD Honda L15A7. Both motors produce approximately 120-horsepower. A mixture of European and North American chassis is used by competitors. Minimum vehicle weight is determined by the suspension design and ranges from 1050 to 1125-lbs. Teams are required to use a spec tire – the Toyo Proxes 888. For 2011 the FFC class was rolled into FFB. There were two groups for this season.
The date of manufacture for the individual car and not the model is used to determine the year split and if a vehicle is categorized as FFA or FFB. The 2011 Ontario Formula Ford Championship’s opening rounds were held during the British Empire Motor Club’s Spring Trophy Races at Mosport International Raceway. Drivers would compete in two heat races around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.
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The start of race one for the 2011 Ontario Formula Ford Championship at Mosport International Raceway. Running side by side into corner one is the pole-sitter, Garett Grist in the No. 65 Britain West Motorsports Van Diemen RF03 and the No. 71 Van Diemen RF02 of the other front-row qualifier Shane Jantzi. Behind the leaders are Steve Tzountzouris and the rookie Michael Adams. Eleven drivers started the race. |
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Former Ontario Formula Ford champion Shane Jantzi returned with his familiar No. 71 Jantzi Racing prepared Van Diemen RF02. Jantzi missed securing the pole for the first race of the season by 0.056-seconds. He grabbed the lead on lap-1 of Saturday’s contest and went flag-to-flag for the victory. The next day, Jantzi was the second-fastest qualifier and again led from start to finish for his second win of the event. |
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Rookie Garett Grist demonstrated great promise in the opening rounds of the season at Mosport International Raceway. Grist topped the timesheets in the second practice session and captured the pole for race one. Unfortunately, he was unable to hold off the more experienced Shane Jantzi and finished second. Grist repeated his performance on Sunday but was just 0.327-seconds behind Jantzi at the checker. |
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Another driver making an impressive debut was Michael Adams, the son of successful racers Stephen Adams and Penni Barker-Adams. Adams competed in the FFB category with the No. 59 Flagship Racing Services prepared Van Diemen RF92. In the first race of the weekend, he started fourth overall but retired on lap-11. On Sunday, Adams finished fifth overall, but more importantly, he won his class. |
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Ayrton Triolo returned to the first weekend of the 2011 Ontario Formula Ford Championship driving the No. 6 Brian Graham Racing prepared Van Diemen RF01. The highlight of his rookie season was a pair of fourth-place finishes at the High Octane and BARC Canadian Touring Trophy events. This year, Triolo started race one in seventh-place and finished fourth. On Sunday, he earned his podium result of the first series. |
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Steve Tzountzouris made his Ontario Formula Ford Championship debut in 2006. 2011 would be his best start to a new season. The driver of the No. 66 Haugen’s BBQ sponsored Van Diemen RF00 was third fastest in qualifying for Saturday’s race. After a battle with Ayrton Triolo, Tzountzouris grabbed the final spot on the podium. In the finale, Triolo got the ‘upper hand’ and Tzountzouris finished fourth. |
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| POS. | START | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | A-1 | Shane Jantzi | Van Diemen RF02 | 15 | - |
| 2 | 1 | A-2 | Garett Grist | Van Diemen RF03 | 15 | - |
| 3 | 3 | A-3 | Steve Tzountzouris | Van Diemen RF00 | 15 | - |
| 4 | 7 | A-4 | Ayrton Triolo | Van Diemen RF01 | 15 | - |
| 5 | 5 | B-1 | Gord Ross | Van Diemen RF91 | 15 | - |
| 6 | 9 | A-5 | Mackenzie Clare | Van Diemen RF99 | 15 | - |
| 7 | 8 | B-2 | Steve Bamford | Van Diemen RF93 | 15 | - |
| 8 | 10 | B-3 | Mike Lee | Lola T-540E | 14 | - |
| 9 | 11 | B-4 | Andrew Celovsky | Reynard 82SF | 14 | - |
| 10 | 4 | B-5 | Michael Adams | VanDiemen RF92 | 11 | Did Not Finish |
| 11 | 12 | B-6 | Kieran Murphy | VanDiemen RF91 | 4 | Did Not Finish |
| - | 6 | B | Steve Bodrug | Van Diemen RF93 | - | Did Not Start |
| POS. | START | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | A-1 | Shane Jantzi | Van Diemen RF02 | 15 | - |
| 2 | 1 | A-2 | Garett Grist | Van Diemen RF03 | 15 | - |
| 3 | 5 | A-3 | Ayrton Triolo | Van Diemen RF01 | 15 | - |
| 4 | 3 | A-4 | Steve Tzountzouris | Van Diemen RF00 | 15 | - |
| 5 | 4 | B-1 | Michael Adams | VanDiemen RF92 | 15 | - |
| 6 | 6 | B-2 | Gord Ross | Van Diemen RF91 | 15 | - |
| 7 | 7 | A-5 | Mackenzie Clare | Van Diemen RF99 | 15 | - |
| 8 | 8 | B-3 | Steve Bamford | Van Diemen RF93 | 15 | - |
| 9 | 9 | B-4 | Mike Lee | Lola T-540E | 15 | - |
| 10 | 10 | B-5 | Andrew Celovsky | Reynard 82SF | 14 | - |
| 11 | 11 | B-6 | Kieran Murphy | VanDiemen RF91 | 14 | - |
| 12 | 12 | B-7 | Steve Bodrug | Van Diemen RF93 | 9 | Did Not Finish |
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