The 2001 Canadian Formula Ford Championship kicks off on the Victoria Day weekend at Mosport International Raceway. This event is followed by the biggest race on the series calendar - the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Montreal round will take place in front of over 100,000 spectators and the winner will receive a cheque for $7,000. The championship returns to Mosport at the end of June to support the CASCAR series. Round four is on Canada Day at Autodrome St-Eustache followed by the series only doubleheader weekend at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. The next event takes place at Mosport in conjunction with the American Le Man Series. The championship concludes in late September with a second visit to Autodrome St-Eustache.

To attract participants and spectators, there are new sponsors, venues and a TV package. A.N. Deringer has signed a two-year contract to become the presenting sponsor. Also joining the championship are Ansell Healthcare Canada, Autosport Basi Racing School and Team Players. Some of the returning supporters include Ford Canada, Hankook Tires and Cardinal Watches.

The television coverage will be provided by CTV Sportsnet and RDS. They will broadcast five magazine-type shows starting in the Fall. Each thirty-minute program will feature race coverage, interviews with drivers and team owners, behind the scenes segments and technical reviews.

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 Imperial Oil (Esso) and a spec tire (Hankook Z2000).

The first race of the 2001 Canadian Formula Ford Championship was held at Mosport International Raceway on the Victoria Day weekend. Drivers would race around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course for fifteen-laps.

During the offseason, Matt White left the Britain West team and joined Montreal’s Scuderia LM. It appeared to be the right decision as White dominated round one of the 2001 Canadian Formula Ford Championship. During the qualifying session, he put the No. 4 www.youngdrivers.com sponsored Vector MG-93 on the pole. In the fifteen-lap contest, White would go unchallenged as he led flag-to-flag.
There was a healthy rookie crop entered in this year’s Canadian Formula Ford Champion. The fastest rookie in the opener was Josh Schreiber, who started on the outside of the front row. Schreiber was just 0.154-seconds slower than the pole-sitter, Matt White. During the race, he chased White in the No. 23 AIM Autosports prepared Aero II and finished in the runner-up position by a margin of 7.128 seconds.
Another rookie joining the series from the U.S. was Andy Brumbaugh. The successful kart racer drove the No. 86 Key Motorsports prepared Van Diemen RF01 with backing from Isola and Insulectro. Brumbaugh qualified eleventh but used his superior race craft to move through the field. He crossed the finish line in fourth but inherited third-place when Edouard Aube was disqualified for a technical infraction.
Edouard Aube returned to the series for his first full season. Last year he did seven races with Team Scalzo. In 2001, Aube joined Britain West driving the No. 22 Van Diemen RF01. He was fast in qualifying and started in the third position. In the race, Aube ran as high a second-place but finished third. Unfortunately, he was disqualified after a valve train irregularity was discovered during the post-race technical inspection.
Another driver returning to Canadian Formula Ford Championship was Gerry Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh competed in the No. 56 EDJ Packaging Van Diemen RF91. His car was prepared by veteran Formula Ford racer Stephan Adams. During the qualifying session, Kavanaugh recorded the eighth fast time. In the race, he moved to fifth but was also a beneficiary of Edouard Aube’s disqualification and awarded fourth-place.
One of five rookies finishing in the top-ten was Jesse Mason. Mason was an Ontario Region Formula 1200 driver making the switch to the Formula Ford category. He piloted the No. 49 Van Diemen out of the Britain West stables. Mason started the fifteen-lap event in the seventh-position and inherited a fifth with the demise of Edouard Aube. He also had the distinction of setting the fastest race lap.

POSSTARTDRIVERCARENTRANTLAPSRETIREMENTS
11Matt WhiteVector MG-93Scuderia LM15-
22Josh SchreiberAERO IIAIM Motorsports15-
311Andy BrumbaughVan Diemen RF01Key Motorsport15-
48Gerry KavanaughVan Diemen RF91EDJ Packaging15-
57Jesse MasonVan DiemenBritain West15-
612Didier SchraenenCMVDynatec15-
710Louis-Philippe DumoulinVan Diemen RF90CHB Forest15-
85Mark WilkinsAERO IIAIM Motorsports15-
913David LopezVan Diemen RF92Adams Racing15-
1015Robert BoyerVan Diemen RF97Basi Autosport15-
1114Tom ReinselVan Diemen RF92Broken Bones Racing15-
1217Francois BellemareEuroSwift SC92Thomas Bellemare15-
1318Jean-Philippe PapineauCMVEquipe de Course Mahoney15-
1419Isabelle RoyVan Diemen RF94Basi Autosport15-
1520Eric ParadisVan Diemen RF97Dynamic15-
1616Melanie PatersonVan Diemen RF97Adams Racing15-
176Brett OslerVan Diemen RF92EDJ Packaging11Did Not Finish
189Ryan HorsesVan Diemen RF97Basi Autosport2Did Not Finish
194Josh BeaulieuVector MG-93Scuderia LM2Did Not Finish
-3Edouard AubeVan Diemen RF01Britain West0Disqualified

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