2000 Mosport - Canadian Formula Ford Championship

2000 marked the third 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 2000 season opened on the May long weekend at Mosport International Raceway. This event was followed by the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and another popular venue on the calendar, the Molson Indy Toronto. Rounds four and five were the series only doubleheader weekend. Competitors would race on Saturday and Sunday at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. The next two events took place at Mosport, with races being conducted on August’s the first and last weekend. The championship concluded in early September at Autodrome St-Eustache.

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).

The sixth race of the 2000 Canadian Formula Ford Championship was held at Mosport International Raceway during the American Le Mans Series weekend. Drivers would race around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course for sixteen-laps.

The start of round six for the 2000 Canadian Formula Ford Championship at Mosport International Raceway. The front of the grid looks identical to the opening lap four-months earlier during race one. Leading the field into the first corner is the pole-sitter, Jonathan Macri in the AERO II. Hot on his heels is the No. 7 Vector MG-93 of the second-fastest qualifier, Jean-Sebastien Bedard and Matt White in the No. 4 Van Diemen.

Jean-Sebastien Bedard was having an ‘up and down year.’ Until this weekend, the high was a second-place at the Toronto Indy and the lows included three retirements. As he had done earlier in the season, Bedard qualified second-fastest driving the No. 7 Vector MG-93. In the race, he battled with Jonathan Macri and Matt White. A caution late in the contest gave Bedard the advantage and victory.

Frederick Martel started his 2000 campaign driving a Team Scalzo prepared Van Diemen. Prior to round three, he joined Scuderia LM to drive the No. 33 Vector MG-93. There was an immediate improvement in Martel’s results. He finished fourth in Toronto and collected a pair of runner-up finishes at Trois-Rivieres. Martel’s podium streaked continued at Mosport with another second-place and a shot at the title.

The driver of the Britain West prepared Van Diemen RF00, Matt White, was one of the quickest drivers in the series, but he was having a problem finishing on the podium until rounds four and five. At the Trois-Rivieres double-header weekend, White showcased his talent with a pair of victories. A week later, at Mosport International Raceway, he qualified third and finished behind the Scuderia LM Vectors.

The points leader, Jonathan Macri, had a miserable outing at Trois-Rivieres; he failed to finish both rounds. Back at Mosport International Raceway, Macri was back on form and put the No. 31 Mopal Construction AERO II on the pole. The race started as a repeat of the May event, but in addition to Jean-Sebastien Bedard and Matt White, the battle included Frederick Martel. This was not his weekend and he finished fourth.

The reigning Canadian Formula Ford Champion, Didier Schraenen, also had a difficult weekend at Trois-Rivieres and failed to finish both races. To date, the highlight of his season was a pair of runner-up results in the first two rounds – Mosport and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. At the American Le Mans event, Schraenen qualified sixth fastest in the No. 1 Radio Energie sponsored CMV and finished in the fifth position.

In round six at Mosport International Raceway, the highest finishing rookie was the series points leader’s brother, Francis Macri. Macri also drove an AERO II prepared by AIM Motorsports with backing from Mopal Construction. He finished a season-high second place in race two at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Macri was seventh fastest in the qualifying session and was in seventh place at the checkered flag.

The round six podium for the 2000 Canadian Formula Ford Championship at Mosport. In the center is the winner, Jean-Sebastien Bedard. This was Bedard’s first victory of the season after coming close on a couple of occasions. Capturing the runner-up position for the third consecutive time is Frederick Martel standing on the right side of the rostrum. The final position is occupied by the third-place finisher Matt White.

POS	START	DRIVER	CAR	ENTRANT	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	2	Jean-Sebastien Bedard	Vector MG-93	Scuderia LM	16	-
2	4	Frederick Martel	Vector MG-93	Scuderia LM	16	-
3	3	Matt White	Van Diemen RF00	Britain West	16	-
4	1	Jonathan Macri	AERO II	AIM Motorsports	16	-
5	6	Didier Schraenen	CMV	Dynatec	16	-
6	8	Gerry Kavanaugh	Van Diemen RF91	EDJ Packaging	16	-
7	5	Francis Macri	AERO II	AIM Motorsports	16	-
8	10	Louis-Philippe Dumoulin	Van Diemen RF90	CHB Forest	16	-
9	7	Ryan Horses	Van Diemen RF98	Basi Autosport	16	-
10	13	Robert Boyer	Van Diemen RF98	Spasco	16	-
11	12	Brett Osler	Van Diemen RF92	SPOC Telecom	16	-
12	11	Jon Adams	Van Diemen RF98	Adams Racing	16	-
13	16	Edouard Aube	Van Diemen RF94	Team Scalzo	16	-
14	9	Melanie Paterson	Van Diemen RF97	Sunoco/Pennzoil	16	-
15	17	Dan Denison	Van Diemen RF91	Adams Racing	16	-
16	18	Eric Seguinard	Van Diemen RF91	Revi Motorsport	16	-
17	15	Michael Gayowski	Van Diemen RF92	Monarch Automotive	15	Accident
18	14	Tom Reinsel	Van Diemen RF97	Broken Bones Racing	14	Accident
19	19	Alex Michie	Van Diemen RF98	Tooling & Equipment	9	Did Not Finish
20	20	Steve Pickering	Van Diemen RF90	Transmissions Unlimited	5	Did Not Finish
21	21	Eric Paradis	Van Diemen RF97	Amusement 222	0	Did Not Finish