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The Challenge Cup Series provides competitive and low-cost competition for Formula Vee and Formula 1200 race car drivers in the U.S. and Canada.
This category of racing has been around for over sixty years. Formula Vee (U.S.), or Formula 1200 (Canada), is a racing class based on a standard Volkswagen 1200 series Type 1, U.S. model sedan components. The engine, transmission, suspension and brakes are from these early Volkswagen Beetles. The motor used in this class is a four-cylinder with a displacement of 1,200 cc (73 cu.in.). Rule-limiting modifications allow the engines to produce approximately 50 horsepower. The cars use a tube frame design covered by a fiberglass body. To keep the costs down further, a spec tire, the Yokohama Advan A05 195/50R15 86V, is used by all teams. The minimum weight of the vehicle with the driver is 487.6 kg (1,075 lb). Series partners include Automotive Safety Consulting, Maloney Racing, Womer Race Cars, Carbaugh Tool Company, Autowerks Engines, Speed Secrets, Quixote Racing, Noble Engines, The V-Dub Store, Duck ‘N’ Monkey and Castle Packs Power. The 2024 Challenge Cup Series consists of five doubleheader weekends. All events are contested on road courses. The season begins in April at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and ends with the final two races at Summit Point Motorsports Park.
The first race weekend of the 2024 Challenge Cup Series was held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Drivers would compete in two contests around the thirteen-turn 2.258-mile road course.
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The first lap of Sunday's race and twenty-three Challenge Cup Series competitors stream through Mid-Ohio's 'Carousel' turn. The pole-sitter, Mike Lawrence, leads the pack, driving the No. 36 Mitchell Motorsports Protoform P2. Trailing Lawrence is the third-place starter, Matt Clark, in the No. 92 Quicksilver Race Engines RTJ-02 and Saturday's winner driving the No. 07 Autowerks Protoform P2, Sam Ryan. |
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Sam Ryan, in the No. 07 Autowerks Protoform P2, won round one of the 2024 Challenge Cup Series. Ryan brings a wealth of open-wheel experience to the series, not only in Formula Vees but also in Formula Fords and Formula 2000s. He qualified third fastest for Saturday's contest. Ryan jumped into the lead on lap 2 but spent most of the race in third place until he passed Matt Clark and Mike Lawrence on the final lap for the victory. In the finale, Ryan started and finished second. |
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This weekend's fastest driver was Mike Lawrence, who went home with the series point lead. Lawrence, who drove the No. 36 Mitchell Motorsports Protoform P2, topped the time sheets in practice and the two qualifying sessions. In the weekend's first race, he traded positions with Matt Clark and Sam Ryan before finishing in the runner-up spot. On Sunday, Lawrence led all but one lap on the way to the victory. |
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Another driver in the mix all weekend was Matt Clark. Clark piloted the No. 92 Quicksilver Race Engines RTJ-02. He won last year's season opener at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finished third in the points chase. In round one of 2024, Clark battled with Sam Ryan and Mike Lawrence. He was in the lead on the final last but lost positions to Ryan and Lawrence, finishing third. He started the second race on the outside of the front row but was not a match for Lawrence and Ryan and finished third. |
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The No. 7 Carmody Racing prepared Protoform was driven by Trevor Carmody, who comes from a long line of Formula Vee competitors. Carmody's only Challenge Cup Series weekend in 2023 was at Summit Point, where his best result was a win. In the first race of this year, he was gridded fourth and swapped positions during the contest with Mark Farnham and Tim Sager to come home fourth. Carmody ended the event with another fourth-place result. |
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Garrett Villano was one of the top competitors in last year's Challenge Cup Series, finishing fourth in the championship. Villano competed in the No. 65 Powerlab Racing BRD. In the first qualifying session at Mid-Ohio, he was seventh fastest. He fell to eighth on the opening lap of race one but moved forward and finished fifth. On Sunday, Villano was gridded in the tenth spot but advanced during the contest to take the checkered flag in the eighth position. |
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Sherman Engler has extensive Formula Vee experience, having competed in eleven Sports Car Club of America Runoff events, with his best result being tenth place in 1996 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Engler opened his season by recording the tenth fastest time in qualifying, driving the No. 10 Noble Engine by Cox Vortech. But in the race, he could only manage a twelfth-place result. In the finale, Engler redeemed himself by starting and finishing fifth. |
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Tim Sager, driving the No. 5 Quixote Racing / Autowerks Edward Van Viper, finished fifth in last year's Challenge Cup Series standings. Sager was ninth fastest in the first qualifying session. During the season opener, he traded positions with Ray Qualis, Mark Farnham, and Trevor Carmody to come home in sixth place. Sager was gridded eighth for the finale but was the first competitor to retire and finished in the twenty-third spot. |
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Mark Farnham was fast in the first qualifying session and secured the fifth starting position for the first race of the Challenge Cup Series season. However, the driver of the No. 15 KC Racing Protoform P2/ 021 encountered problems during the contest and only completed nine of twelve laps to finish twenty-third. Farnham ended the weekend by starting in the ninth position. Passes on William Hannum, Ray Qualis and Garrett Villano were rewarded with a sixth-place result. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Samuel M. Ryan | Protoform P2 | 12 | - |
| 2 | 1 | Mike Lawrence | Protoform P2 | 12 | - |
| 3 | 2 | Matt Clark | RTJ-02 | 12 | - |
| 4 | 4 | Trevor Carmody | Protoform | 12 | - |
| 5 | 7 | Garrett Villano | BRD | 12 | - |
| 6 | 9 | Tim Sager | Edward Van Viper | 12 | - |
| 7 | 6 | Ray Qualls | Protoform P3 | 12 | - |
| 8 | 8 | Emily Ryan | Mysterian | 12 | - |
| 9 | 12 | William Hannum | Caracal D | 12 | - |
| 10 | 11 | Jack Herberger | Womer FV | 12 | - |
| 11 | 14 | David Thompson | Womer EV3 | 12 | - |
| 12 | 10 | Sherman Engler | Vortech | 12 | - |
| 13 | 15 | Alex Gee | Protoform P2 | 12 | - |
| 14 | 16 | Greg Davis | Protoform P-3 | 12 | - |
| 15 | 18 | Daniel Wolfe | Caldwell D-13 | 12 | - |
| 16 | 17 | Gary Grubb | Vector GB4 | 12 | - |
| 17 | 20 | Maggie Tally | DMS ML-1 | 12 | - |
| 18 | 19 | Dennis Potocki | BRD Flamingo C | 12 | - |
| 19 | 24 | John Ferreira | Womer EV-3 | 11 | - |
| 20 | 22 | Donald O'Keefe | Vortech | 11 | - |
| 21 | 25 | Joseph Churpek | Womer EW3 | 11 | - |
| 22 | 21 | Keith Lawrence | Protoform P2 | 11 | - |
| 23 | 5 | Mark Farnham | Protoform P2 | 9 | - |
| 24 | 23 | Chris Shoemaker | Citation XTC41 | 9 | - |
| - | 13 | Dean Curtis | Womer EV3 | - | Did Not Start |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mike Lawrence | Protoform P2 | 10 | - |
| 2 | 2 | Samuel M. Ryan | Protoform P2 | 10 | - |
| 3 | 3 | Matt Clark | RTJ-02 | 10 | - |
| 4 | 4 | Trevor Carmody | Protoform | 10 | - |
| 5 | 5 | Sherman Engler | Vortech | 10 | - |
| 6 | 9 | Mark Farnham | Protoform P2 | 10 | - |
| 7 | 7 | William Hannum | Caracal D | 10 | - |
| 8 | 10 | Garrett Villano | BRD | 10 | - |
| 9 | 6 | Ray Qualls | Protoform P3 | 10 | - |
| 10 | 11 | Emily Ryan | Mysterian | 10 | - |
| 11 | 13 | David Thompson | Womer EV3 | 10 | - |
| 12 | 12 | Jack Herberger | Womer FV | 10 | - |
| 13 | 14 | Greg Davis | Protoform P-3 | 10 | - |
| 14 | 17 | Alex Gee | Protoform P2 | 10 | - |
| 15 | 21 | Keith Lawrence | Protoform P2 | 10 | - |
| 16 | 20 | Dennis Potocki | BRD Flamingo C | 10 | - |
| 17 | 15 | Donald O'Keefe | Vortech | 10 | - |
| 18 | 22 | John Ferreira | Womer EV-3 | 10 | - |
| 19 | 18 | Daniel Wolfe | Caldwell D-13 | 10 | - |
| 20 | 23 | Joseph Churpek | Womer EW3 | 10 | - |
| 21 | 19 | Maggie Tally | DMS ML-1 | 10 | - |
| 22 | 16 | Gary Grubb | Vector GB4 | 7 | - |
| 23 | 8 | Tim Sager | Edward Van Viper | 1 | Did Not Finish |
| - | - | Chris Shoemaker | Citation XTC41 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | - | Dean Curtis | Womer EV3 | - | Did Not Start |
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