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The 2003 Canadian Formula Ford Championship kicks off on the Victoria Day weekend at Mosport International Raceway.
Next, the teams head south of the border to compete at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.
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.
Round four represents the series second high-profile event, the Molson Indy at Toronto’s Exhibition Place.
Next teams stop in Quebec for the series only doubleheader weekend at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres.
Teams make their second visit to Mosport as a support event for the American Le Man Series.
The championship concludes in late September with a visit to Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant.
To attract participants and spectators, there are high-profile venues and a TV package. Returning supporters include Autosport Basi Racing School, Team Players, Ford Canada, Hankook Tires, A.N. Deringer 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. Sportsnet will televise thirty-minute programs that will feature race coverage, interviews with drivers and team owners, behind the scenes segments and technical reviews. The RDS network will provide similar content, but their shows will be sixty-minutes in length. The single-seater, open-wheel race cars in the Canadian Formula Ford Championship 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 fuel from Imperial Oil (Esso) and a spec tire (Hankook Z2000). Round four of the 2003 Canadian Formula Ford Championship was held at Toronto’s Exhibition Place during the Molson Indy weekend. Drivers would compete for twenty laps around the eleven-turn 1.721-mile temporary street circuit. |
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After finishing sixth in the opening round of the 2003 Canadian Formula Ford Championship, David Clubine claimed podium results at Lime Rock Park and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. At Toronto, the driver of the No. 5 Britain West prepared Van Diemen RF02 qualified fourth fastest. In the race, he traded the lead with the pole-sitter, Didier Schraenen. Contact forced Schraenen to retire and Clubine claimed his first series victory. |
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Finishing in the runner-up spot, 3.311-seconds behind the winner, David Clubine, was Chris Guerrieri. Guerrieri won the opening round of the season at Mosport International Raceway but hadn’t been on the podium since that event. He was the second-fastest in qualifying, driving the No. 11 Scuderia LM prepared Vector MG-93. Late in the race, Guerrieri fought with Walter Koller and Ashley Taws to finish second. |
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Walter Koller was a series regular in the mid-90s but only made periodic appearances since then. Koller usually participated in the Toronto event. His best result was a third in 2000 before being disqualified when his car was too light. The 2003 race was an opportunity for Koller to redeem himself and he did. He qualified seventh and despite damage to the No. 7 Van Diemen RF92, Koller earned the final position on the rostrum. |
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The biggest story of the event was the return of Ashley Taws to the series. Taws recently recovered from a traffic accident back in December. Doctors cleared her to compete a week before the race. She was ninth fastest in the qualifying session, driving the No. 72 Be Anything with Barbie sponsored Aero II. Retirements and passes on Lew Mackenzie and her teammate, Dan Burchill, gave Taws a fourth-place result. |
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Rookie Dan Burchill was having a spectacular season. Burchill drove the No. 88 AIM Motorsports prepared Aero II with backing from Haldex. In his first Canadian Formula Ford Championship event, he finished third. But in round two, Burchill outdid himself and claimed the victory. At Toronto’s Exhibition Place, he qualified sixth and lost positions to Walter Koller and Ashley Taws but finished fifth. |
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In round four at Toronto, Canadian Formula Ford veteran Didier Schraenen qualified on the pole in the familiar No. 94 Dynatec sponsored CMV. In the race, he found himself battling with the Britain West Van Diemen of David Clubine. The pair traded the top spot three times before Schraenen made contact on lap-18 with a slower car and retired from the event. He was classified as a non-finisher in thirteenth position. |
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The podium for round four of the 2003 Canadian Formula Ford Championship at Toronto’s Exhibition Place. In the center, from Britain West, is the winner, David Clubine. This was Clubine’s first series victory. Standing on the right side of the rostrum is the runner-up, Chris Guerrieri. Guerrieri won the opening round at Mosport International Raceway. Completing the podium is the third-place finisher, Walter Koller. |
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| POS | START | DRIVER | CAR | ENTRANT | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | David Clubine | Van Diemen RF02 | Britain West | 20 | - |
| 2 | 2 | Chris Guerrieri | Vector MG-93 | Scuderia LM | 20 | - |
| 3 | 7 | Walter Koller | Van Diemen RF92 | Dupont | 20 | - |
| 4 | 9 | Ashley Taws | AERO II | AIM Motorsports | 20 | - |
| 5 | 6 | Dan Burchill | AERO II | AIM Motorsports | 20 | - |
| 6 | 13 | Mathieu Audette | CMV | Novatech | 20 | - |
| 7 | 12 | Michael Forest | Van Diemen RF01 | Britain West | 20 | - |
| 8 | 8 | Lew Mackenzie | Van Diemen RF91 | Rogers High Speed Internet | 20 | - |
| 9 | 10 | Steve Pickering | Van Diemen RF93 | Transmission Unlimited | 20 | - |
| 10 | 14 | Michel Bonnet | Harfang 2000 | Harfang Motorsports | 20 | - |
| 11 | 16 | John Wagner | Van Diemen RF97 | Adams Racing | 20 | - |
| 12 | 3 | Frederick Lelievre | Vector MG-93 | Scuderia LM | 19 | Did Not Finish |
| 13 | 1 | Didier Schraenen | CMV | Dynatec | 18 | Did Not Finish |
| 14 | 15 | David Thilenius | Van Diemen RF98 | Corsa Motorsports | 16 | Did Not Finish |
| 15 | 19 | Dan Denison | Van Diemen RF98 | Danison Consulting | 15 | Did Not Finish |
| 16 | 5 | Eric Paradis | Van Diemen RF97 | Art Italia | 4 | Did Not Finish |
| 17 | 18 | Ryan White | Van Diemen RF94 | Basi Autosport | 1 | Did Not Finish |
| - | 11 | Olivier Lambert | Van Diemen RF92 | Lambert Racing | - | Did Not Start |
| - | 17 | Brian Nielson | Van Diemen RF94 | - | - | Did Not Start |
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