Calling FRP F1600 Masters Drivers

[problemchild]

Attachment 65285
Watkins Glen, October 2012.
Three Van Diemens battling for 4th place. Sergip Pasian in his VD-Kent (now for sale as a F2000), Keenan Harris in my RF97-Honda, and Jim Gaughary in his VD-Honda (now run by Rob Albani). The Citation-Hondas of Steve Oseth and Jeremy Grenier, VD-Honda of Roberto Lorena, and VD-Kent of Art Foster were close by.

[Mike Scanlan]

Okay, this isn't a knock on Majors, they're great and a logical and well run upgrade from the National program they've replaced. But, like most of my fellow Apex racers, I race for the pure enjoyment. For me, that enjoyment comes primarily from the on track experience, tempered with the actual cost. So, I went to the trouble of breaking the cost of both options down and it's become a no-brainer for me to run the Series.
So, let's look at the two options Side by side:
-Format, the series is a legimate 3 hours of track time, with 3 races and we always get the full
Three hours, the races seldom see a FCY and we are only single class racing. At a Major, at
least the events I've run the past few seasons, the posted track time is between 2.25 and
2.5 hours and I've never gotten that much. There are 2 races, not 3 and it's always multi
class racing, which usually guarantees FCY's.
-Travel & Time, travel between the two should be a wash. 2 day vs. 3 day events, I've always
considered a wash, because' let's face it, who doesn't do the test day on a Major weekend.
-Cost, tires are higher in the series but they pay contingency for placing. Under the current
Major tire package, no contingency is paid. Entry fees are higher for the series, but now that
they've rolled that back to $875 for the 3 day, 3 hours of time it usually comes out to less
Than a Major entry/test day entry. Plus, if you do well the Series contingency's are better.

When I laid this all out in a spreadsheet, and broke the cost down to a dollars per lap, the series is less expensive to run. I get more track time, single class racing, far less crowded paddocks and if I do well enough on a given weekend it's actually less expensive overall. Plus I'm on track with some of best up and coming Driver's in the country every event, whether you're talking Masters or overall. The people running the series take their job very seriously and run a very tight ship both on and off track.
Just my 2 cents. I haven't spent any more running a series season than a Major season, and that doesn't even include the cost of a week at the Runoffs. Enjoyment vs. Cost, I continue to run the series and I hope to see more of you guys out there.

[jchracer]

I couldn't agree more with everything Mike said. To me, the FCY point is spot-on. I ran some FRP events last year and given the age and aggressiveness of many of the drivers, I was expecting many FCYs. I don't remember ANY in the twelve races that I participated. When I compare that with the amount of time I have spent following a pace car in the majors events, the cost per "racing" lap does not even come close.

[Hartley]

Are there going to be races this winter at Sebring and Palm Beach? Joel are you racing at these events? Who else is going? Last year (2016) at Sebring there was a very small field.

[problemchild]

There are no FRP winter events, although some FRP racers will be at the SCCA events in January.

The FRP F1600 Series starts April 29-30 at VIR.

[Hartley]

Yes we definitely have great fields at Homestead (13+) and Sebring (14+) next month. Thanks for the info.

[problemchild]

Atlanta 2014.
Attachment 65508
The club racers took it to the young pro racers.
Franklin Futrelle, prepped by Sam Lockwood, and Jim Gaughary, prepped by Jeremy Grenier, shown leading in his Van Deimen, won the two races. Steve Bamford was top 5 both days. 25 entries. Masters drivers Joe Colasacco, Art Foster, and Jason Clunie had top 10 finishes.

[scott fairchild]

Anyone ever considered going vintage racing as a compliment to the pro series for added track time and competition? Contrary to popular belief, vintage racing is very competitive and usually fields are strong along the Mid-Atlantic. Oh, and the lap times are very respectable considering treaded tires (think 2:05.s at VIR by multiple drivers in CF cars).

[problemchild]

Lime Rock 2012
Attachment 65528
Jeremy Grenier (2014 National Champion) finished 2nd and 3rd. Here he is shown ahead of Art Foster, Steve Oseth, and current Indylights driver Garret Grist.

[problemchild]

Updated FRP F1600 Participant List:
Mike Scanlon
Joel Haas
Lew Cooper 3
Chris Smith
Dan Pyanowski
Kevin Brumbaugh
Andy Brumbaugh
Sam Lockwood
J.D. Reims
Steve Bamford
Greg Rice
Rick Payne
Ken Bouquillion
Cliff Johnson
Doug Voss
Rob Albani
Wes Allen
Steve Roux
Chris Horan
Dave Petzko
Rob Deitz
John Dole
Joe Colassaco
K-Hill 1
K-Hill 2
K-Hill 3
Pelfrey 1
Pelfrey 2
Pelfrey 3
Executive 1
Executive 2
Executive 3
Rice 4

Probable/Possible (Unable to contact):
Tom Schweitz
Scott Rubenzer
Dexter Czuba
Ryan Bjerke


Anybody else working on joining us, please contact me.

[problemchild]

Attachment 65579
Art Foster (red Spectrum) in the middle of the action at Pittburgh 2014.

Ten F1600 cars in one corner. That is more cars than most SCCA F1600 races have spread through the entire event.

[Mike Scanlan]

HPD posted a Facebook video for anyone still not convinced about this series. Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacing...6779541004945/

[problemchild]

I will be leaving for VIR 3 months from tonight.
Get those cars ready!

[cooleyjb]

I will be leaving for VIR 3 months from tonight.
Get those cars ready!

Still waiting on my kit from HPD.

[problemchild]

http://www.f1600series.com/2017-f1600-registration.html

Registration is open!
93 days until the cars go on track at VIR.
Entry fees are $850 per double event ($675 for Indy).
Racers can now do two events before registering for the Series.
The Series will have some programs in place to help part-timers meet any of the Pro rules that they may not comply with already. Please don't let any such concerns scare you away.

Even if you are not sure which other races you will do, if you are doing Indy, please go to www.FRPEntry.com and enter the Indy race. Lots of entries will help the Series negotiate the best possible run groups and schedule.

If anybody needs help finding info, people, parts, service, etc to make it to VIR or any other event, please contact me, and I will do my best to hook you up.

As I have said before, the quality of the racing at these events depends on the support of the F1600 racing community. Get your cars done, build your best budget, clear your schedule, help your friends get their cars ready, challenge your enemies ..... whatever it takes ..... lets get those 20+ car F1600 fieds going again!

Attachment 66639

[problemchild]

http://www.f1600series.com/2017-f1600-registration.html

Even if you are not sure which other races you will do, if you are doing Indy, please go to www.FRPEntry.com and enter the Indy race. Lots of entries will help the Series negotiate the best possible run groups and schedule.

Note from the Series. It would be so cool to fully subscribe a grid with good modern F1600 cars. Register now and pay later.

Indy Event
The event at Indy with SVRA is a unique opportunity to run the "Brickyard", and run it on what the SVRA organizers promise to be a weekend full of competitors, spectators, and media. However, it will be different from a normal FRP event.
If you are planning to attend the SVRA race at Indianapolis in June and want to be part of FRP, it is very important that you let us know now. It is better if we register with SVRA as an FRP block, not individually.
With enough FRP entries in our three classes, we may have some say in both the run groups and the weekend schedule. If we don’t get enough, we will have little or no influence.
Go to our race entry website, www.FRPentry.com and sign up for the Indy race. If appropriate, check the box for “…one or two races” and either the box for CC or ‘pay by check’. We will hold all payments (fully refundable) until we submit them to SVRA in a block, at which time they become non-refundable. We will let you know in advance of this date.
Please do this as soon as possible.
Contact Bob Wright with questions. robertw@formularacepromotions.com

[Roux]

Signed up for Indy event yesterday. Lets have a good amateur turnout.

Steve

[CF56]

I have entered for Indy.

[Dan Pyanowski]

I'm in, signed up today for Indy and plan to run the whole series. In the middle of a frame up rebuild of the ole Van Diemen.

[jchracer]

Signed up for Indy and the season. Looking forward to the single class racing!

Is there a way to look at the entry lists?

[F1600nut]

I wish this group would come to Mosport. Canadian dollar is cheap. Come and see us!

[problemchild]

Great to see all this positive energy. I am hearing about new drivers buying and building cars so we should see some new names and faces. Keep them coming!

[Bob Wright]

Quick update: while we generally don't post entry lists until the week before an event, I will say we have over 50 drivers already signed up for hardcards on our USAC license website (all classes). There are any number I know about who haven't signed up yet as well.

Indy: I have indications (phone calls and entries) for more than 50 cars that want to run under the FRP banner in our three classes. Again, I know of more who will most likely go. That event will be unique and not look like a normal FRP weekend; I suspect we won't get the final schedule or run groups from SVRA for a while.

Mosport: that track is one of my all time favorites and we worked very hard to have an event there in 2017. Scheduling is the hardest thing we do and we couldn't make it happen.

[problemchild]

No paddock parking fees. An hour of track time per day. Single class racing.
Just sayin ......

[problemchild]

Joe Colasacco

Scott Rubenzer
Mike Scanlan
Joel Haas
Sam Lockwood
Dan Pyanowski
Greg Rice
John Dole
Ken Bouquillion Thanks to these 8 Masters drivers who made it to Rounds 1-3 at VIR last weekend. I was hoping for 20 cars total and we made it to 18 with the Pelfrey, K-Hill, Bjerke, and Lockwood teams bringing multiple entries. We almost made it to 20, but LC3 and Albani's cars were badly damaged in recent SCCA events. Mike struggled with mechanical gremlins all weekend, and Dan went home early with mechanical issues. Joe stole the Masters glory with 3 wins, running in the lead pack with the "juniors" for most of the weekend, and Joel and Scott fighting to be best of the rest. The conditions were spectacular, and everybody was setting personal best times, often by seconds. While there were some off-course excursions, it was generally in pursuit of pace, rather than as a result of contact with other classes while running several seconds off pace, as at most SCCA events. There was a very positive atmosphere in the paddock and a lot of assistance extended between teams. I hear we have a few more coming for Mid-Ohio in 10 days, and more due for Indy and the second M-O. We should have more than a dozen Masters at some events. Thanks also to the 4 eams mentioned previously for bringing the other 10 cars. Jonathan Kotyk won overall on Saturday and Zach Holden won both Sunday events, after battling in lead packs of as many as 10 cars. Full results and pics at http://f1600series.com/.

[Mike Scanlan]

Joe Colasacco

Scott Rubenzer
Mike Scanlan
Joel Haas
Sam Lockwood
Dan Pyanowski
Greg Rice
John Dole
Ken Bouquillion Thanks to these 8 Masters drivers who made it to Rounds 1-3 at VIR last weekend. I was hoping for 20 cars total and we made it to 18 with the Pelfrey, K-Hill, Bjerke, and Lockwood teams bringing multiple entries. We almost made it to 20, but LC3 and Albani's cars were badly damaged in recent SCCA events. Mike struggled with mechanical gremlins all weekend, and Dan went home early with mechanical issues. Joe stole the Masters glory with 3 wins, running in the lead pack with the "juniors" for most of the weekend, and Joel and Scott fighting to be best of the rest. The conditions were spectacular, and everybody was setting personal best times, often by seconds. While there were some off-course excursions, it was generally in pursuit of pace, rather than as a result of contact with other classes while running several seconds off pace, as at most SCCA events. There was a very positive atmosphere in the paddock and a lot of assistance extended between teams. I hear we have a few more coming for Mid-Ohio in 10 days, and more due for Indy and the second M-O. We should have more than a dozen Masters at some events. Thanks also to the 4 eams mentioned previously for bringing the other 10 cars. Jonathan Kotyk won overall on Saturday and Zach Holden won both Sunday events, after battling in lead packs of as many as 10 cars. Full results and pics at http://f1600series.com/.

Actually, I don't know how Dan got a time posted. I spoke to him and he broke his wrist loading the trailer and never made it there. Best of luck recovering.

[problemchild]

Race 1, Lap 1, Corner 3.
Fenderson, Sundaramoorthy, Kotyk , Bjerke, Osbourne, Holden, Colasacco, Haas, Czuba, Rubenzer, Cowley, Kierce, Rice, Dole, Scanlon, Lockwood, Bouquillion

[Dan Pyanowski]

Thanks Mike. It's a mystery how they recorded a lap time when I was home watching on Race Monitor.
It's also a bit of a mystery how the heck I fell while loading the car. I pushed the car onto the trailer ramp, chocked the wheel to hook up the winch and took a step back and ended up the the ground with a badly bruised elbow and broken wrist - getting old I guess!
So, I will visit at the Mid-Ohio event, but probably won't be able to race until Indy.
Nice to see a nice turnout and great updates from Monty.
Greg - great job with the recent conversion, nice to see my old car still flying.
Also, Dave Petzko bought Art Foster's Spectrum and plans to be at Mid-Ohio. He's on a steep learning curve with the modern car and engine after racing his Reynard for about 25 years!

[Raceworks]

Actually, I don't know how Dan got a time posted. I spoke to him and he broke his wrist loading the trailer and never made it there. Best of luck recovering.

Ouch. Get well, Dan.

[problemchild]

Wow !
This Masters F1600 racing is shaping up to be everything it could be.
Yesterday was the toughest draw of the season, going against college graduations and Mothers Day, but 15 F1600 cars raced at Mid-Ohio on a spectacular spring day.
Nine Masters drivers raced with Rubenzer taking two wins and Colasacco taking the other. Haas was 2nd in all 3 races. Scanlon, Horn, Dole, Schweitz, Rice and Petzko filled out the field, all with pace to stay on the lead lap with Mathew Cowley who swept all 3 races overall. 2.3 seconds in fastest lap time covered the Masters field in race 2. Newcomer Chuck Horn kept his crew busy pulling grass out of his rads but was walking around with a big grin at the end of the day.When I asked him if he had fun, he just said "Yup!".
With LC3 and Pyanowski ready to return, we should have a shot at 20+ car fields at the next few rounds, and a dozen or more Masters.
Next race is June 9-11 at Indy.
Then Mid-Ohio June 30, July 1-2 and Pitt July 28-29-30.

[Mike Scanlan]

Just to add to Greg's post.....Wow. Another great FRP event, well run, single class racing, so here's another sales pitch. We all do this to have fun on track doing green flag laps. The probability of green flag laps goes way up with single class racing. This past weekend I did 108 green flag laps over two days and six sessions (3 of those sessions being races, even better). The cost per lap based on the entry fee broke down to $8.80/lap. If you add the extra cost of tires over the club tire to the entry fee, it broke down to $11.57/lap. At a Major with a $600 entry covering only two races with multi class racing, the breakdown of cost per lap would be: 20 green laps=$30/lap; 40 green laps=$15/lap; 50 green laps=$12/lap.
The 108 green flag laps I did last weekend is not unusual. How many green flag laps did the average FF do at its most recent Major? Come do an F1600 Series event and get more bang for your buck doing single class racing and go on track with some of the best up and coming young drivers out there.

[jchracer]

I want to add a big second and third to Greg and Mike's comments. It amazes me that more drivers do not take advantage of the FRP series. Great racing throughout the field, a professional organization focused on the customer (racer), and more quality track time in one event than I get in two or three "Majors" events.

[CF56]

I'll be there next month at Indy. !st time with FRP without the trusty old Crossle.

[Bob Wright]

Thank you for the compliments. We do try to make it a good experience. I've said it before, but I'll repeat: The F1600 racing is some of the best I've seen anywhere in the 40 something years I've been at this insane sport, bar none.

Indy will be different. We're not in complete control of the event. If you want the true flavor of a FRP event, come to Mid Ohio at the end of June, or PIRC at the end of July.

[bhayes]

I'd love to join....if only there was F1600 on the west coast.

[problemchild]

Clearly, the F1600 Series is the place to be for club racers.
At Mid-Ohio this coming weekend, there may be as many as a dozen Masters entries, with a few more entries, while not yet Masters, more "club" than "pro".

Still events left at Pittsburgh, Summit Point, and NJMP to finish out the season.
http://www.f1600series.com/schedule.html

Great job building our entry count by everybody involved!

[Roux]

Video from the Wyvern FF. Really had fun with these guys and still hope to find more speed in the car next time out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC4nAKUcGnc

If you are on the fence I suggest you get the car in the trailer and get out to enjoy single class racing at great venues with super people.

Cheers

Steve

[problemchild]

Two races remain.

August 25-27 Summit Point

Oct 6-8 NJMP

[problemchild]

I have been updating my notes, and see that, if a F1600 Series driver had run every lap available to them, they would have done over 1900 miles in the 6 F1600 Series events run to date. I don't have a stat to state, but I will project that over 1800 of those miles were green flag laps (and without FVs or F500/F1600s on track with them).

One more race at NJMP on October 6-8.

[Mike Scanlan]

Ditto what Greg just said. I actually do track my laps, miles and engine hours and his numbers are spot on. This season, 2017, in six F1600 weekends I've logged 787 laps, covering 1975 race miles, and, I only competed 1 lap in race 2 at VIR. Ive said this before, but it's worth repeating, I go racing for fun, that means green laps, lots of them, every weekend. The F1600 Series produces exactly that, making the dollars per lap the best bang for the buck anywhere.