The Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series was scheduled to hold eight race weekends during the 2020 season. But, it appeared that the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus would prevent any racing this year. However, track management at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Shannonville Motorsport Park, along with the Canadian Automobile Sports Clubs – Ontario Region, were able to work with all levels of government to make events possible.

The abbreviated 2020 Toyo Tires F1600 Championship calendar kicked off in July at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The series returned to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park at the end of the month for a second race weekend. This event was followed by the SMP Summer Challenge at Shannonville Motorsport Park. The season ended where it started with a pair of race weekends at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. A total of fifteen contests were conducted during the season.

The single-seater, open-wheel race cars in the series are powered by a four-cylinder, 1600-cc Ford engine or a 1500-cc Honda motor, which produce approximately 120-horsepower. A mixture of European and North American chassis is used by competitors. Drivers are competing in one of two classes - the ‘A’ class is for the newer chassis, whereas the ‘B’ category is for cars constructed prior to 1995. Teams were required to use a spec tire from Toyo.

The final three contests of the 2020 Toyo Tires F1600 Championship were held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during an event titled the Celebration of Motorsport. Drivers would collect points in three races.

The start of the weekend’s second race – Sunday morning - was red-flagged after a multi-car incident in turn one, which eliminated several competitors. The pole-sitter, Mac Clark, in the No. 64 Britain West Motorsport Mygale SJ13, leads the field through Moss corner after the second attempt to get the contest underway. Trailing Clark on the first lap is the Brian Graham Racing Piper DL7 of Megan Gilkes and Jack Polito.
Mac Clark dominated the weekend as he has done all season long. The driver of the No. 64 Britain West Motorsport Mygale SJ13 topped the timesheets in the practice and qualifying sessions. Clark would go on to lead all three races flag-to-flag. During the season, the new F1600A champion won all but one of the fifteen rounds and set new lap records a Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Shannonville Motorsport Park.
Chasing Mac Clark at the Celebration of Motorsport, as she has done for much of the 2021 Toyo Tires F1600 Championship season, was Megan Gilkes. Gilkes, driving the No. 3 Brian Graham Racing prepared Piper DL7, qualified second for the weekend’s first contest. She went unchallenged for a runner-up finish and delivered the same performance in the next two races. Gilkes would end the year second in the final standings.
Like the new F1600A champion, Mac Clark, F1600B competitor, James Lindsay was very quick. The reigning class title holder drove the No. 35 Van Diemen RF91 and was third fastest during the qualifying session for Saturday’s contest. Unfortunately, his race ended on lap-10. On Sunday, Lindsay would win both rounds – finishing third overall in the finale. Despite a couple of DNFs during 2020, he retained his crown.
Rookie Jack Polito was the top newcomer, finishing fifth in the final F1600A standings for this year’s Toyo Tires F1600 Championship. At the Celebration of Motorsport, Polito started Saturday’s contest in the fifth position. After battling with Dean Baker, Graham Lobban and Connor Wagland, he finished third. In race two, Polito claimed another third-place result. His season came to an end on lap-9 of the finale.
Finishing second in the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship F1600B category was another newcomer and third-generation driver, Connor Clubine. Clubine piloted the No. 6 Van Diemen RF91 prepared by his family’s company, Britain West Motorsport. He scored his second class victory of 2020 in the weekend’s first race. Unfortunately, he was eliminated in the second contest but ended the year in an F1600A Mygale SJ12.
The series 2017 and 2018 F1600B champion Graham Lobban moved to the F1600A ranks last year, driving the No. 12 Van Diemen RF94. Lobban was gridded fourth for the start of the weekend’s first race and finished in fifth. In Sunday’s opening contest, he delivered the same results. Lobban fared much better in the final event of the season. He moved from the fifth spot and captured the final position on the class podium.
2020 was Steve Bodrug’s fourteenth season in the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship. Since his first event in 2007, the veteran has campaigned the No. 41 Van Diemen RF93. Bodrug qualified fourth in class for the weekend’s first event and finished in the fifth position. He was a beneficiary of the corner one incident in race two and finished second. Bodrug ended 2020 with another runner-up result in the F1600B class.

FINISHCLASSDRIVERCARLAPSRETIREMENTS
1F1600AMac ClarkMygale SJ13 / Honda13-
2F1600AMegan GilkesPiper DL7 / Honda13-
3F1600AJack PolitoPiper DL7 / Honda13-
4F1600AConnor WaglandPiper DL7 / Honda13-
5F1600AGraham LobbanVan Diemen RF94 / Honda13-
6F1600AKeith LobbanVan Diemen RF98 / Honda13-
7F1600ADean BakerSpectrum 015 / Honda13-
8F1600BConnor ClubineVan Diemen RF91 / Ford13-
9F1600BAndrew MasonVan Diemen RF90 / Ford13-
10F1600BBill TebbuttVan Diemen RF90 / Ford13-
11F1600BMike DoddVan Diemen RF94 / Ford13-
12F1600BSteve BodrugVan Diemen RF93 / Ford13-
13F1600BSean JohnstonVan Diemen RF92 / Ford13-
14F1600BKari SaloVan Diemen RF90 / Ford13-
-F1600BJames LindsayVan Diemen RF91 / Ford3Did Not Finish
-F1600BJeff BatemanCitation 84F / Ford2Did Not Finish
-F1600AMike FranzaVan Diemen RF00 / Ford0Did Not Finish
-F1600AByron LeisVan Diemen RF98 / Ford-Did Not Start

FINISHCLASSDRIVERCARLAPSRETIREMENTS
1F1600AMac ClarkMygale SJ13 / Honda15-
2F1600AMegan GilkesPiper DL7 / Honda15-
3F1600AJack PolitoPiper DL7 / Honda15-
4F1600ADean BakerSpectrum 015 / Honda15-
5F1600AGraham LobbanVan Diemen RF94 / Honda15-
6F1600AConnor WaglandPiper DL7 / Honda15-
7F1600BJames LindsayVan Diemen RF91 / Ford15-
8F1600BSteve BodrugVan Diemen RF93 / Ford15-
9F1600AKeith LobbanVan Diemen RF98 / Honda14-
10F1600BJeff BatemanCitation 84F / Ford13-
11F1600BKari SaloVan Diemen RF90 / Ford13-
-F1600AMike FranzaVan Diemen RF00 / Ford4Did Not Finish
-F1600BConnor ClubineVan Diemen RF91 / Ford-Did Not Start
-F1600BAndrew MasonVan Diemen RF90 / Ford-Did Not Start
-F1600BBill TebbuttVan Diemen RF90 / Ford-Did Not Start
-F1600BMike DoddVan Diemen RF94 / Ford-Did Not Start
-F1600BSean JohnstonVan Diemen RF92 / Ford-Did Not Start
-F1600AByron LeisVan Diemen RF98 / Ford-Did Not Start

FINISHCLASSDRIVERCARLAPSRETIREMENTS
1F1600AMac ClarkMygale SJ13 / Honda15-
2F1600AMegan GilkesPiper DL7 / Honda15-
3F1600BJames LindsayVan Diemen RF91 / Ford15-
4F1600AGraham LobbanVan Diemen RF94 / Honda15-
5F1600AConnor WaglandPiper DL7 / Honda15-
6F1600BSteve BodrugVan Diemen RF93 / Ford15-
7F1600AKeith LobbanVan Diemen RF98 / Honda15-
8F1600AConnor ClubineMygale SJ12 / Honda14-
9F1600BSean JohnstonVan Diemen RF92 / Ford14-
10F1600BKari SaloVan Diemen RF90 / Ford14-
11F1600AJack PolitoPiper DL7 / Honda9-
12F1600ADean BakerSpectrum 015 / Honda9-
-F1600AMike FranzaVan Diemen RF00 / Ford6Did Not Finish
-F1600BBill TebbuttVan Diemen RF90 / Ford-Did Not Start
-F1600BAndrew MasonVan Diemen RF90 / Ford-Did Not Start
-F1600BMike DoddVan Diemen RF94 / Ford-Did Not Start
-F1600AByron LeisVan Diemen RF98 / Ford-Did Not Start
-F1600BJeff BatemanCitation 84F / Ford-Did Not Start

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