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The 2017 Formula 2000 Championship is an open-wheel series for Formula 2000 race cars organized by Formula Race Promotions.
Formula Race Promotions was formed in 2006, with their race weekends sanctioned by USAC.
The cars competing in the Formula 2000 Championship Series conform to the Sports Club of America's (SCCA) Formula Continent class. They are single-seat, rear-engine, open-wheel vehicles constructed with a tube frame chassis and fitted with front and rear wings. Manufacturers producing series chassis include Radon, Mygale, Metrik, Piper and Citation, and RFR (Firman Cars), but the most popular choice is Van Diemen. The suspensions are independent – both front and rear. Shock absorbers and sway bars are adjustable. Most competitors use the Ford Zetec engine, a four-cylinder, double-overhead camshaft, fuel-injected, two-liter motor, which produces 150-horsepower. Some teams have switched to the 2.0-liter Mazda engine for 2017. A four-speed, non-synchro gearbox is used. Sequential transmissions are not permitted. In addition to Hoosier Tires, the championship receives support from Anze Suspension, Elite Engines, K-Hill Motorsports, REV Branding, Polestar Motor Racing, Intercomp Racing Systems, Racing Electronics, Martini, Quicksilver RacEngines, Williams Racing Development and Mathisen Media. The championship consists of seven doubleheader weekends, each contested on road courses. The season begins in April at Virginia International Raceway and ends with the final two races at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
The 2017 F2000 Championship Series opening rounds were held at Virginia International Raceway. Drivers would compete in two races around the seventeen-turn 3.270-mile road course.
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The first lap of Sunday's race for the F2000 cars. Leading the fourteen starters through Virginia International Raceway's turn two is the second-place starter, Matt McDonough, driving a Ford Zetec-powered Radon. Behind McDonough is the pole-sitter and round-one winner, Nick Palacio driving a Van Diemen. Following these two in the No. 5 Citation is the fifth-fastest qualifier and eventual winner, Brandon Dixon. |
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Brandon Dixon underwent back surgery during the off-season but returned to the series in 2017, driving the No. 5 Ford Zetec-powered Citation. Dixon qualified eighth and retired after six laps in the season opener. On Sunday, he fared much better. Dixon started fifth but was dueling for the lead with the Radon of Matt McDonough by mid-race. On the last lap, he passed McDonough and won by a margin of 0.233-seconds. |
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Nicolas Palacio qualified on the F2000 pole for the first race of the 2017 season in the No 25 Van Diemen. Palacio's advantage was short-lived, as he was passed by Reece Everard. Everard led the contest until the last lap when he encountered a mechanical issue - this allowed Palacio to take the victory. On Sunday, he started from the pole but retired mid-way through the race and finished twelfth. |
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Matt McDonough drove the No. 69 Ford Zetec-powered Radon. During the qualifying session for Saturday's race, he was the sixth fastest. Unfortunately, McDonough finished eleventh after completing just eleven of the fifteen laps. The next day, he was gridded in the second position. McDonough grabbed the lead on lap-5 from Nick Palacio but lost the place to Brandon Dixon on the final lap and finished second. |
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Reece Everard made his series debut in the No. 61 Affinity Van Diemen. And it was an impressive debut as Everard qualified on the outside of the front row for race one and finished 0.237-seconds behind the winner, Nicolas Palacio, in the runner-up position. Unfortunately, the final did not go as well. Everard started in the sixth position but retired on lap-8 and was classified with an eleventh-place finish. |
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Masters competitor Steve Jenks drove the No. 68 Tumenas Motorsports Van Diemen, one of three entries using the Mazda engine. Jenks finished sixth overall in last year's championship and fifth in the Masters' category. He was impressive in the season opener at Virginia International Raceway. In the weekend's first contest, Jenks qualified and finished third. On Sunday, he started fourth and collected another third. |
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The Formula 2000 podium for Sunday's finale at Virginia International Raceway. In the center is the race winner, Brandon Dixon. To Dixon's right is Kevin Kelly Racing's Matt McDonough, who was the early race leader and captured the runner-up position. Rounding out the rostrum and scoring his second, third-place finish of the weekend is Steven Jenks from Tumenas Motorsports. |
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| FINISH | START | CLASS | DRIVER | ENTRANT | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | F2000 | Nick Palacio | Van Diemen / Zetec | 15 | - |
| 2 | 2 | F2000 | Reece Everard | Van Diemen / Zetec | 15 | - |
| 3 | 3 | F2000 | Steve Jenks | Van Diemen / Mazda | 15 | - |
| 4 | 19 | F2000 | Robert Allaer | Van Diemen / Zetec | 15 | - |
| 5 | 4 | F2000 | John McCusker | Van Diemen / Mazda | 15 | - |
| 6 | 11 | F2000 | Peter Gonzalez | Radon / Zetec | 15 | - |
| 7 | 13 | F2000 | Robert Wright | Van Diemen / Mazda | 15 | - |
| 8 | 17 | F2000 | Connor Gawry | Van Diemen / Zetec | 15 | - |
| 9 | 5 | F2000 | Alan Guibord | Van Diemen / Mazda | 15 | - |
| 10 | 16 | F2000 | Chris Gumprecht | RFR / Zetec | 15 | - |
| 11 | 6 | F2000 | Matt McDonough | Radon / Zetec | 11 | - |
| 12 | 12 | F2000 | Bob Reid | Metrik / Zetec | 10 | - |
| 13 | 8 | F2000 | Brandon Dixon | Citation / Zetec | 9 | - |
| 14 | 9 | F2000 | Tim Paul | Van Diemen / Zetec | 7 | - |
| 15 | 14 | F2000 | John Dole | Citation / Zetec | 5 | Did Not Finish |
| 16 | 7 | F2000 | Davy D'addario | Van Diemen / Zetec | 0 | Did Not Finish |
| 17 | 10 | F2000 | Dave Weitzenhof | Citation / Zetec | 0 | Did Not Finish |
| - | - | F2000 | Alex Barron | Van Diemen / Zetec | - | Did Not Start |
| FINISH | START | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | F2000 | Brandon Dixon | Citation / Zetec | 14 | - |
| 2 | 2 | F2000 | Matt McDonough | Radon / Zetec | 14 | - |
| 3 | 4 | F2000 | Steve Jenks | Van Diemen / Mazda | 14 | - |
| 4 | 7 | F2000 | Tim Paul | Van Diemen / Zetec | 14 | - |
| 5 | 12 | F2000 | Peter Gonzalez | Radon / Zetec | 14 | - |
| 6 | 8 | F2000 | Dave Weitzenhof | Citation / Zetec | 14 | - |
| 7 | - | F2000 | Dan Denison | Van Diemen / Zetec | 14 | - |
| 8 | 14 | F2000 | Robert Wright | Van Diemen / Mazda | 14 | - |
| 9 | 17 | F2000 | Connor Gawry | Van Diemen / Zetec | 14 | - |
| 10 | 16 | F2000 | Chris Gumprecht | RFR / Zetec | 14 | - |
| 11 | 6 | F2000 | Reece Everard | Van Diemen / Zetec | 8 | - |
| 12 | 1 | F2000 | Nick Palacio | Van Diemen / Zetec | 5 | - |
| 13 | 9 | F2000 | John McCusker | Van Diemen / Mazda | 0 | Did Not Finish |
| 14 | 13 | F2000 | Bob Reid | Metrik / Zetec | 0 | Did Not Finish |
| - | 10 | F2000 | Davy D'addario | Van Diemen / Zetec | - | Did Not Start |
| - | 11 | F2000 | Alan Guibord | Van Diemen / Mazda | - | Did Not Start |
| - | 15 | F2000 | John Dole | Citation / Zetec | - | Did Not Start |
| - | 18 | F2000 | Robert Allaer | Van Diemen / Zetec | - | Did Not Start |
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