2021 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

In 2021, FEL (Franczak Enterprises Ltd.), an automotive learning and promotion company, expanded its presence in Canadian motorsports.

FEL saw an opportunity to revitalize and reinvest in Canadian car racing. FEL’s foray into the 2017 Toyo Tires F1600 Series as a featured sponsor resulted in fields growing from twelve to fifteen entries to over thirty cars in just three years.

The company was now ready to make its mark in the Touring and Sports Racer categories. The new FEL Motorsports Sports Car Championship Canada is for vehicles prepared to GT4 and TCR specifications. Various models of the purpose-built Radical SR3 sports racers compete in the FEL Cup Canada.

Each race weekend, FEL Cup Canada drivers compete in two forty-minute contests. The inaugural season kicks off in June at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the 41st VARAC Vintage Grand Prix. This event is followed by the championship’s only visit to Calabogie Motorsport Park. Then the series travels to Quebec to compete at ICAR Mirabel as part of the NASCAR Pinty’s weekend. Teams return to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for the Celebration of Motorsports which is the final weekend of the championship.

The FEL Cup Canada series cars are built by the British manufacturer, Radical Sportscars. The company was founded by Mick Hyde and Phil Abbott in 1997. The early vehicles were road legal but were more popular as race cars.

There are two classes competing in FEL Cup Canada – Platinum and Pro 1340.

Platinum – This class is for the Radical SR8, which uses an RPE 2.7-liter RPX V8 engine fitted with a Powertec P-Tec six-speed sequential transmission. The setup produces 455-brake horsepower. The chassis is a space frame design with double wishbones, coil springs and adjustable shock absorbers and roll bars. Stopping the SR8 are four-piston calipers front and rear with vented rotors.
Pro 1340 – This is the slower of the two classes but the most popular. The Radical SR3 is powered by an RPE - Suzuki four-cylinder Double Overhead Camshaft engine with a displacement of 1340-cc, which produces 170-rear wheel horsepower. The SR3 is also a space frame chassis with a similar suspension and braking system. The Radicals use cast aluminum wheels fitted with 200/580/R15 tires on the front and 265/605/R16 on the rear.

Rounds one and two of the FEL Cup Canada were held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. During the weekend, drivers would compete in two forty minutes around the ten turn 2.459-mile road course.

The first lap through Moss Corner for the second race of the FEL Cup Canada during the inaugural weekend. At the head of the pack is the Platinum class competitor Bruce McIntyre driving the No. 67 Radical Canada prepared Radical SR8. Immediately behind McIntyre is the other front starter, Austin Riley, in the No. 20 Racing with Autism Radical SR3 RSX. A total of eleven drivers took the Starter’s flag.

Bruce McIntyre was the lone Platinum Cup competitor. McIntyre raced the No. 67 Radical Canada / Emzone Radical SR8. The SR8 model is equipped with a 2.7-liter V8 engine. As a result, he had a tremendous horsepower advantage over the Pro 1340 class drivers. McIntyre qualified on the pole for both contests, set the fastest race lap and led each event flag-to-flag.

Pro 1340 competitor Matt Graham has many hours behind the wheel of a Radical SR3. The successful Canadian Automobile Sports Club – Ontario Region racer drove the No. 31 Calabogie Motorsports Radical SR3 XX. In qualifying, he was second fastest in class, but the retirement of the pole-sitter, Austin Riley, allowed Graham to capture the victory. The next day, he was challenged by Riley but held on for the win.

Most of the Pro 1340 competitors benefitted from the retirement of the pole-sitter, Austin Riley, in round one of the FEL Cup Canada. Alan Shaw, the driver of the No. 99 Rilli Racing Radical SR3 RSX, qualified fourth in class for the weekend’s first contest and captured a runner-up result. On Sunday, he earned the final position on the podium in his category, albeit twenty seconds behind the leaders.

After a couple of successful seasons in the Nissan Micra Cup Championship, Austin Riley traded his Micra for the No. 20 Radical SR3 RSX. Riley won last year’s Canadian Automobile Sports Club – Ontario Region Radical class title. He qualified on the Pro 1340 class pole for the inaugural FEL Cup Canada race but retired with a mechanical issue. However, in race two, Riley redeemed himself, finishing a close second to the winner.

Another former Nissan Micra Cup competitor joining the FEL Cup Canada series is Peter Dyck. Dyck is campaigning the No. 73 NRW Rennsport Radical SR3 RSX. He was gridded fifth overall and fourth in Pro 1340 for round one and grabbed the final spot on the class podium when Austin Riley retired. In the finale, Dyck started in the fifth position and finished fourth in his category.

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	ENTRANT / CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	Platinum	Bruce McIntyre	Radical Canada / Radical SR8	28	-
2	PRO 1340	Matt Graham	Radical Canada / Radical SR3 XX	28	-
3	PRO 1340	Alan Shaw	Rilli Racing / Radical SR3 RSX	28	-
4	PRO 1340	Peter Dyck	NRW Rennsport / Radical SR3 RSX	28	-
5	PRO 1340	Nickoli Roussakov	Content Bloom Autosport / Radical SR3 RS	28	-
6	PRO 1340	Doug Allingham	Allingham Racing / Radical SR3 RSX	28	-
7	PRO 1340	Jim Hallman	Hallman Motorsports / Radical SR3 RS	28	-
8	PRO 1340	Brad Baker	Baker Racing / Radical SR3 RSX	28	-
9	PRO 1340	Andre James	KSP / Radical SR3	27	-
10	PRO 1340	Huw Leahy	TWOth Autosport / Radical SR3 RSX	27	-
11	PRO 1340	Don Dagenais	Rilli Racing / Radical SR3	27	-
12	PRO 1340	Austin Riley	Racing with Autism / Radical SR3 RSX	15	-

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	ENTRANT / CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	Platinum	Bruce McIntyre	Radical Canada / Radical SR8	29	-
2	PRO 1340	Matt Graham	Radical Canada / Radical SR3 XX	29	-
3	PRO 1340	Austin Riley	Racing with Autism / Radical SR3 RSX	29	-
4	PRO 1340	Alan Shaw	Rilli Racing / Radical SR3 RSX	29	-
5	PRO 1340	Peter Dyck	NRW Rennsport / Radical SR3 RSX	29	-
6	PRO 1340	Nickoli Roussakov	Content Bloom Autosport / Radical SR3 RS	29	-
7	PRO 1340	Doug Allingham	Allingham Racing / Radical SR3 RSX	29	-
8	PRO 1340	Huw Leahy	TWOth Autosport / Radical SR3 RSX	28	-
9	PRO 1340	Andre James	KSP / Radical SR3	28	-
10	PRO 1340	Don Dagenais	Rilli Racing / Radical SR3	28	-
11	PRO 1340	Brad Baker	Baker Racing / Radical SR3 RSX	25	-
-	PRO 1340	Jim Hallman	Hallman Motorsports / Radical SR3 RS	-	Did Not Start

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