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On July 25-26, the British Automobile Racing Club - Ontario Centre organized the BARC-OC Open Wheel Invitational at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The event's Group 5 class was for the Canadian Formula 1200 Championship and American Challenge Cup Series.
The category provides competitive and low-cost competition for Formula Vee and Formula 1200 drivers in Canada and the U.S. This class 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 engine 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. There is a speed disparity between the two series. The American division allows more engine modifications than its Canadian counterpart. Also, the Challenge Cup drivers compete on Yokohama Advan A05 195/50R15 86V tires, which have been proven to be quicker than the Falken 195/60 R14 tires used by the Canadian teams. The 2026 Canadian Formula 1200 Championship consists of six weekends.
The 2026 Challenge Cup Series consists of five weekends.
The third round of the Challenge Cup Series and fourth weekend of the Canadian Formula 1200 Championship was held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the BARC-OC Open Wheel Invitational. Drivers competed in the three twenty-minute contests around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.
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The start of the weekend’s second race. Leading the field of twenty entrants into corner one is the pole-sitter and yesterday’s winner, Matt Clark driving the No. 92 RTJ-02. In the No. 95 Caracal D is Saturday’s runner-up and the other front row starter, William Hannum. Behind the leaders are Challenge Cup competitors Sherman Engler in the No. 701 Vortech and Emily Ryan in the No. 70 Mysterian. The first Canadian is Shepherd Aubry driving the No. 15 BRD. |
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Matt Clark competes in the No. 92 RTj-02, which is a car designed and built by Canadian Jay Mason. Clark was the fastest qualifier for Saturday’s race and started on the pole. He exchanged the lead with William Hannum several times before grabbing the victory. Clark was on the pole the next morning, but this time he had to contend with Hannum and Sherman Engler before taking the win. With his results, Clark takes the championship lead. |
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Shepherd Aubry leads the Canadian Formula 1200 Championship after nine races with a perfect winning streak. Aubry qualified on the class pole at the BARC Open Wheel Invitational and claimed the honours in race one. On Sunday, he was gridded fourth overall and finished second to Jason Abrams. In the final contest of the weekend, Aubry started behind Abrams. But fell down the lap chart before fighting back to a second-place finish. |
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Shepherd Aubry’s main threat for this year’s Canadian Formula 1200 Championship comes from Jason Abrams. Abrams drives the No. 19 BRD. His record this season includes four runner-up results after nine races. He qualified 0.143 seconds slower than Aubry for the first contest but could not maintain the pace in the race and finished second to Aubry. Abram’s fortunes changed in the next two races, and he claimed a pair of victories. |
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Emily Ryan is a second-generation racer who collected a victory the last time the Challenge Cup Series visited Canada. She made her first series appearance of the year at the BARC Open Wheel Invitational. Saturday afternoon, she was gridded fourth in the No. 70 Mysterian. Ryan finished fifth overall but fourth in class. The next morning, she was fourth much of the race but finished eighth. In the finale, Ryan redeemed herself with a win. |
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Veteran Formula Vee competitor Sherman Engler drives the No. 701 Vortech. He’s another driver with experience at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Engler lined up on the outside of the front row for race one but lost a position to William Hannum and finished third. He started third Sunday morning and exchanged the lead with Hannum and the eventual winner, Matt Clark. Hannum encountered an issue late in the contest, and Engler inherited second place. |
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Canadian Robert Patterson entered the Challenge Cup Series with the No. 38 BRD. He started on the pole for the event’s final race but lost two positions at the start. In an effort to move back to the front, Patterson spun between turns nine and ten, falling to seventh place. He got back on track and charged to a fourth-place finish. In race one, Patterson crossed the finish line in ninth place. Sunday morning, he started ninth and finished fourth. |
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Dhora Lee has successfully transitioned from Autoslalom competitions to the Canadian Formula 1200 Championship. The driver of the No. 10 BRD earned two podium results in her first nine races. Lee finished third in class during the weekend’s first race. The following morning, she repeated the performance. In the Invitational's final event, she earned another podium result. Lee is third in the points chase and leads the rookie standings. |
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| FINISH | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CCS | Matt Clark | RTJ-02 | 15 | - |
| 2 | CCS | William Hannum | Caracal D | 15 | - |
| 3 | CCS | Sherman Engler | Vortech | 15 | - |
| 4 | F1200 | Shepherd Aubry | BRD | 15 | - |
| 5 | CCS | Emily Ryan | Mysterian | 15 | - |
| 6 | CCS | Greg Davis | Protoform P-3 | 15 | - |
| 7 | F1200 | Jason Abrams | BRD | 15 | - |
| 8 | CCS | Daniel Piperato | BRD AFV-02 | 15 | - |
| 9 | CCS | Robert Patterson | BRD | 15 | - |
| 10 | F1200 | Dhora Lee | BRD | 14 | - |
| 11 | F1200 | Faiza Malik | BRD | 14 | - |
| 12 | F1200 | Robert Sombach | BRD | 14 | - |
| 13 | CCS | John Ferreira | Womer EV-3 | 14 | - |
| 14 | F1200 | Ryan Brooks | BRD | 14 | - |
| 15 | CCS | Daniel Wolfe | Caldwell D13 | 13 | - |
| 16 | F1200 | Ella Martin | BRD | 10 | Did Not Finish |
| 17 | CCS | Iqbal Bashir | Caracal | 10 | Did Not Finish |
| 18 | F1200 | Robert Murray | RBM 01 | 5 | Did Not Finish |
| 19 | CCS | Albert Spadin | Protoform P2 | 3 | Did Not Finish |
| 20 | F1200 | Chris Sadler | BRD | 0 | Did Not Finish |
| 21 | CCS | Desmond Ennis | Adams Aero | 0 | Did Not Finish |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CCS | Matt Clark | RTJ-02 | 13 | - |
| 2 | CCS | Sherman Engler | Vortech | 13 | - |
| 3 | CCS | Greg Davis | Protoform P-3 | 13 | - |
| 4 | CCS | Robert Patterson | BRD | 13 | - |
| 5 | F1200 | Jason Abrams | BRD | 13 | - |
| 6 | CCS | Daniel Wolfe | Caldwell D13 | 13 | - |
| 7 | CCS | William Hannum | Caracal D | 13 | - |
| 8 | CCS | Emily Ryan | Mysterian | 13 | - |
| 9 | F1200 | Shepherd Aubry | BRD | 12 | - |
| 10 | F1200 | Dhora Lee | BRD | 12 | - |
| 11 | F1200 | Robert Sombach | BRD | 12 | - |
| 12 | F1200 | Chris Sadler | BRD | 12 | - |
| 13 | CCS | John Ferreira | Womer EV-3 | 11 | - |
| 14 | F1200 | Ryan Brooks | BRD | 11 | - |
| 15 | F1200 | Ella Martin | BRD | 11 | - |
| 16 | F1200 | Faiza Malik | BRD | 10 | - |
| 17 | CCS | Albert Spadin | Protoform P2 | 9 | Did Not Finish |
| 18 | CCS | Iqbal Bashir | Caracal | 8 | Did Not Finish |
| 19 | CCS | Daniel Piperato | BRD AFV-02 | 8 | Did Not Finish |
| 20 | F1200 | Robert Murray | RBM 01 | 5 | Did Not Finish |
| 21 | CCS | Desmond Ennis | Adams Aero | 5 | Did Not Finish |
| 22 | CCS | Jack Herberger | Womer EV-3 | 0 | Did Not Finish |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CCS | Emily Ryan | Mysterian | 14 | - |
| 2 | F1200 | Jason Abrams | BRD | 14 | - |
| 3 | F1200 | Shepherd Aubry | BRD | 14 | - |
| 4 | CCS | Robert Patterson | BRD | 14 | - |
| 5 | F1200 | Dhora Lee | BRD | 14 | - |
| 6 | CCS | Daniel Wolfe | Caldwell D13 | 14 | - |
| 7 | F1200 | Ryan Brooks | BRD | 14 | - |
| 8 | F1200 | Ella Martin | BRD | 14 | - |
| 9 | F1200 | Chris Sadler | BRD | 7 | - |
| 10 | F1200 | Robert Sombach | BRD | 6 | - |
| 11 | CCS | Albert Spadin | Protoform P2 | 3 | - |
| 12 | F1200 | Robert Murray | RBM 01 | 3 | - |
| - | CCS | Matt Clark | RTJ-02 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | CCS | Sherman Engler | Vortech | - | Did Not Start |
| - | CCS | Greg Davis | Protoform P-3 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | CCS | William Hannum | Caracal D | - | Did Not Start |
| - | CCS | John Ferreira | Womer EV-3 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | F1200 | Faiza Malik | BRD | - | Did Not Start |
| - | CCS | Iqbal Bashir | Caracal | - | Did Not Start |
| - | CCS | Daniel Piperato | BRD AFV-02 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | CCS | Desmond Ennis | Adams Aero | - | Did Not Start |
| - | CCS | Jack Herberger | Womer EV-3 | - | Did Not Start |
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