1999 Mosport International Raceway - Canadian Formula Ford Championship

1999 marked the second season that the Canadian Formula Ford Championship was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. Running as a support race for high-profile events such as the Canadian Grand Prix and the Toronto Indy contributed to healthy grids and close racing.

The 1999 season opened on the Victoria Day long weekend with the first of three visits to Mosport International Raceway. This event was followed by the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Then the championship returned to Mosport as a support race for the American Le Mans Series. The second high-profile event on the calendar was conducted in Toronto at the Molson Indy. Round five was at the popular Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. Teams made their final visit to Mosport during the last weekend of August. The championship concluded with the series only doubleheader weekend. Competitors would race on Saturday and Sunday at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant.

The single-seater, open-wheel race cars in the series are powered by a four-cylinder, 1600-cc Ford engine, which produces120-horsepower. A mixture of European and North American chassis is used by competitors. Two of the most successful cars are constructed in Canada – the Aero and CMV. Minimum vehicle weight is determined by the suspension design and ranges from 1050 to 1125-lbs, with the driver. Teams are required to use a spec fuel from Sunoco (Ultra 94) and a spec tire (Hankook Z2000).

At the end of June, the 1999 Canadian Formula Ford Championship returned to Mosport International Raceway for the second of three events at the facility. Competitors would race around the ten turn 2.459-mile road course for fifteen laps.

Rookie Billy Asaro won the opening round of the 1999 Canadian Formula Ford Championship at Mosport with very little pressure. After a dismal weekend in Montreal, he was looking to turn his fortunes around. Asaro started by qualifying on the pole in the No. 22 AIM Motorsports Aero II. Unlike last time, he traded the lead with his teammate, Sean Tenpow and Jean-Sebastien Bedard, before capturing the victory.

A botched start in round one forced Sean Tenpow to drive from thirteenth on the opening lap to a fourth-place finish. Tenpow fared much in Montreal as he inherited the victory when his teammate, Billy Asaro, encountered a mechanical issue. In his second visit to Mosport, he qualified better and hung onto Asaro. Tenpow led the final circuit, but Asaro passed him in corner eight, relegating him to a runner-up result.

A disagreement over performance led Jean-Sebastien Bedard to sever ties with Key Motorsports and join Revi Motorsports driving the No. 7 Digidyne Spector MG-93. Bedard addressed any issues surrounding his abilities by qualifying third fastest. During the race, he found himself in a three-way battle with AIM teammates Billy Asaro and Sean Tenpow. After having his turn out front, he finished third.

The defending series champion, Didier Schraenen, has yet to collect his first podium result of the 1999 season but is inching closer. Schraenen has two top-ten finishes but found himself much more competitive in round three at Mosport. He started in the sixth position and was able to run with the leaders, although not challenge for the top spot. The No. 1 RDS / CKMF CMV would cross the finish line in fourth place.

After failing to finish the first two races of the 1999 Canadian Formula Ford Championship, Frederick Martel set himself a goal of seeing the checkered flag in round three at Mosport. The No. 13 Team Scalzo Van Diemen RF94 of Martel was gridded eighth for the start of the fifteen-lap event. Like Schraenen, he was able to maintain the pace of the leaders but could not challenge for the win and finished fifth.

After two disappointing outings, which included a suspension issue at Montreal, Brian Fogt appears to have turned his season around. During the qualifying session, Fogt recorded the ninth-fastest time in the No. 66 Firsthand Distributing Van Diemen RF97. He advanced one position on the opening lap and collected another spot when Stephane Roy had problems. A pass on Bruno St. Jacques earned him a sixth-place finish.

FINISH	START	DRIVER	CAR	ENTRANT	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	1	Billy Asaro	AERO II	AIM Motorsports	15	-
2	3	Sean Tempow	AERO II	AIM Motorsports	15	-
3	2	Jean-Sebastien Bedard	Vector MG-93	Scuderia LM	15	-
4	6	Didier Schraenen	CMV	Dynatec	15	-
5	8	Frederick Martel	Van Diemen RF94	Team Scalzo	15	-
6	9	Brian Fogt	Van Diemen RF97	Firsthand	15	-
7	7	Bruno St-Jacques	Van Diemen RF97	Usinage St-Jacques	15	-
8	12	Walter Koller	Van Diemen RF98	Atoma	15	-
9	14	Jonathan Macri	Van Diemen RF98	Mopal Construction	15	-
10	10	Jean-Philippe Khoury	Van Diemen RF94	Team Scalzo	15	-
11	18	Brendan Kerin	Van Diemen RF98	Grafton Vitility	15	-
12	15	Kuno Wittmer	Van Diemen RF97	Basi Autosport	15	-
13	5	Stephane Roy	Vector MG-93	Scuderia LM	15	-
14	20	Etienne Borgeat	Van Diemen RF98	Key Motorsport	15	-
15	19	James Yott	Van Diemen RF99	Groupe DKY Advertising	15	-
16	22	Melanie Paterson	Van Diemen RF97	Sunoco	15	-
17	24	Noel Rabey	Van Diemen RF90	Sunoco	15	-
18	23	Isabelle Roy	Vector MG-93	Scuderia LM	15	-
19	13	Robert Boyer	Van Diemen RF87	Desjardins Marine	15	-
20	21	Joe Launi	Van Diemen RF94	ConLawn Construction	14	-
21	4	Dominic Jutras	Van Diemen RF94	Megatec	14	-
22	17	Matt White	Van Diemen RF98	Young Driver of Canada	13	Did Not Finish
23	11	Sylvain Champoux	CMV	Biere HEK	9	Did Not Finish
24	16	Louis-Philippe Dumoulin	Van Diemen RF90	NORMA	4	Did Not Finish
25	25	Kerry Cornelius	Van Diemen RF98	Cornelius Pools	0	Did Not Finish
-	26	Don Vallance	Swift DB-1	C.P. Tool & Die	-	Did Not Start
-	27	Simon Kirby	Van Diemen RF91	KCB	-	Did Not Start