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The 2017 Toyo Tires F1600 Championship schedule consists of six race weekends.
Each event would be a tripleheader.
The season kicks off in May at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) during the BEMC Spring Trophy Races. In June, the series returns to CTMP as a support event for the VARAC Canadian Historic Grand Prix event. In mid-July, competitors race at Shannonville Motorsport Park during Peter Jackson Trophy Races. Then the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship makes its third of four stops at CTMP for the BARC Canadian Touring Trophy races. In late August, teams travel to Calabogie Motorsports Park for rounds thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. The BEMC Indian Summer Races is the series’ final weekend of competition and determines class champions. Series entrants are also eligible to participate in the Formula 1600 Super Series, which includes drivers from Quebec. Points toward the Super Series championship are awarded at four events.
The single-seater, open-wheel race cars in the championship are powered by one of two engine options - a four-cylinder, 1600-cc Ford engine or the 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 R888. Drivers collect championship points in one of two groups.
The manufacture date for the individual car and not the model is used to determine the year split and whether a vehicle is categorized as F1600A or F1600B. As has become a tradition, the 2017 Toyo Tires F1600 Championship’s opening rounds were held during the BEMC Spring Trophy Races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Drivers would compete in three races around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.
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Britain West Motorsports driver Gord Ross dominated the opening weekend of the 2017 Toyo Tires F1600 Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Driving the No. 63 Mygale SJ14, Ross won all three rounds and started each contest from the pole. He also set the fastest race lap in each round. However, it wasn’t easy as Ross was challenged by the No. 3 Piper DL7 of Ben Hurst during the weekend. |
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Enjoying similar success to Gord Ross on the first weekend of competition was the F1600B competitor Graham Lobban. Lobban started third overall and first in class for Saturday’s contest and went flag-to-flag for the victory. In the second event of the weekend, he fell to ninth overall before battling back for the win. The driver of the No. 12 Van Diemen RF94 led from start to finish in the finale. |
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Keeping the new F1600A points leader, Gord Ross, honest all weekend was Ben Hurst. Hurst returned for his third season driving the No. 3 Brian Graham Racing prepared Piper DL7. Hurst qualified second fastest for round one and swapped the lead several times with Ross before finishing in the runner-up spot. Hurst finished the next two races in second place despite challenging Ross in the weekend’s final race. |
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F1600B competitor David Graham was no match for Graham Lobban in the opening rounds of the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship. However, Graham earned some valuable points during the event. In the weekend’s first contest, he qualified second in class but lost a position and finished third. Graham started on the category pole for round two and finished second. He captured another runner-up result in the finale. |
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Graham Lobban was joined by his brother, Keith, during the opening weekend of the 2017 Toyo Tires F1600 Championship. Keith piloted the No. 42 Van Diemen RF94 in the F1600A category. He qualified ninth fastest for Saturday’s contest and finished in the fourth spot. In the opening race on Sunday, Lobban captured a third in class. And, he ended the event with another third-place result. |
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Series veteran Mike Lee joined the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship for another season in the F1600B division. For many years, Lee has raced a Lola T-540E; however, he appeared at the first weekend with the No. 25 Van Diemen RF92. The change of machinery didn’t negatively impact Lee’s performance. He ended the weekend with a record that included a runner-up result and two third-place finishes. |
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After a year’s absence, the 2015 F1600B series champion, Connor Wagland, returned driving the No. 23 the Burloak Cycle sponsored Piper DF5 in the A category. Wagland was fourth fastest in the qualifying session for race one and finished third. He started third for round two but finished fifth in class. In the final race on Sunday, he was gridded fourth in his group and finished in the same position. |
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| POS. | START | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | A-1 | Gord Ross | Mygale SJ14 | 15 | - |
| 2 | 2 | A-2 | Ben Hurst | Piper DL7 | 15 | - |
| 3 | 4 | A-3 | Connor Wagland | Piper DF5 | 15 | - |
| 4 | 3 | B-1 | Graham Lobban | Van Diemen RF94 | 15 | - |
| 5 | 9 | A-4 | Keith Lobban | Van Diemen RF94 | 15 | - |
| 6 | 7 | A-5 | Danby Crowder | Spectrum 014 | 15 | - |
| 7 | 10 | B-2 | Mike Lee | Van Diemen RF92 | 15 | - |
| 8 | 6 | B-3 | David Graham | Van Diemen RF92 | 15 | - |
| 9 | 8 | A-6 | Jason Sharpe | Mygale SJ14 | 15 | - |
| 10 | 5 | A-7 | David Taylor | Van Diemen RF99 | 15 | - |
| 11 | 12 | B-4 | Bill Tebbutt | Van Diemen RF82 | 11 | - |
| 12 | 13 | A-8 | J.D. Reims | Piper DL7 | 15 | - |
| 13 | - | B-5 | Kieran Murphy | Van Diemen RF91 | 15 | - |
| 14 | 15 | B-6 | James Lindsay | Van Diemen RF91 | 14 | - |
| 15 | 17 | B-7 | Brent McPhail | Hawke DL2 | 14 | - |
| 16 | 14 | B-8 | Byron Leis | Reynard 92SF | 10 | - |
| 17 | 11 | A-9 | Tony Cove | Van Diemen RF98 | 6 | Did Not Finish |
| - | 16 | A | Andrew Celovsky | Van Diemen RF97 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | 18 | B | Paul Hollister | Hawke DL2 | - | Did Not Start |
| POS. | START | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | A-1 | Gord Ross | Mygale SJ14 | 15 | - |
| 2 | 2 | A-2 | Ben Hurst | Piper DL7 | 15 | - |
| 5 | 3 | B-1 | Graham Lobban | Van Diemen RF94 | 15 | - |
| 6 | 9 | A-3 | Keith Lobban | Van Diemen RF94 | 15 | - |
| 10 | 5 | A-4 | David Taylor | Van Diemen RF99 | 15 | - |
| 3 | 4 | A-5 | Connor Wagland | Piper DF5 | 15 | - |
| 4 | 6 | B-2 | David Graham | Van Diemen RF92 | 15 | - |
| 7 | 7 | A-6 | Danby Crowder | Spectrum 014 | 15 | - |
| 9 | 8 | A-7 | Jason Sharpe | Mygale SJ14 | 15 | - |
| 8 | 10 | B-3 | Mike Lee | Van Diemen RF92 | 15 | - |
| 11 | 12 | B-4 | James Lindsay | Van Diemen RF91 | 15 | - |
| 12 | 14 | B-5 | Byron Leis | Reynard 92SF | 15 | - |
| 13 | 15 | A-8 | J.D. Reims | Piper DL7 | 15 | - |
| 14 | 13 | B-6 | Bill Tebbutt | Van Diemen RF82 | 15 | - |
| 15 | 17 | B-7 | Brent McPhail | Hawke DL2 | 14 | - |
| 16 | 16 | B-8 | Kieran Murphy | Van Diemen RF91 | 11 | Did Not Finish |
| 17 | 11 | A-9 | Tony Cove | Van Diemen RF98 | 4 | Did Not Finish |
| 18 | - | B-9 | Paul Hollister | Hawke DL2 | 2 | Did Not Finish |
| - | - | A | Andrew Celovsky | Van Diemen RF97 | - | Did Not Start |
| POS. | START | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | A-1 | Gord Ross | Mygale SJ14 | 15 | - |
| 2 | 2 | A-2 | Ben Hurst | Piper DL7 | 15 | - |
| 3 | 3 | B-1 | Graham Lobban | Van Diemen RF94 | 15 | - |
| 4 | 4 | A-3 | Keith Lobban | Van Diemen RF94 | 15 | - |
| 5 | 5 | A-4 | Connor Wagland | Piper DF5 | 15 | - |
| 6 | 7 | B-2 | David Graham | Van Diemen RF92 | 15 | - |
| 7 | 10 | A-5 | Jason Sharpe | Mygale SJ14 | 15 | - |
| 8 | 8 | A-6 | Danby Crowder | Spectrum 014 | 15 | - |
| 9 | 13 | A-7 | Tony Cove | Van Diemen RF98 | 15 | - |
| 10 | 9 | B-3 | Mike Lee | Van Diemen RF92 | 15 | - |
| 11 | 11 | B-4 | James Lindsay | Van Diemen RF91 | 15 | - |
| 12 | 12 | B-5 | Byron Leis | Reynard 92SF | 15 | - |
| 13 | 6 | A-8 | David Taylor | Van Diemen RF99 | 15 | - |
| 14 | 14 | A-9 | J.D. Reims | Piper DL7 | 14 | - |
| 15 | 16 | B-6 | Bill Tebbutt | Van Diemen RF82 | 6 | Did Not Finish |
| 16 | 17 | B-7 | Brent McPhail | Hawke DL2 | 6 | Did Not Finish |
| - | 15 | B | Kieran Murphy | Van Diemen RF91 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | 18 | B | Paul Hollister | Hawke DL2 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | - | A | Andrew Celovsky | Van Diemen RF97 | - | Did Not Start |
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