Jerry Andersen-World
Cheng Completes Weekend Sweep with Victory from Pole in Round Ten at Infineon
Raceway
Sonoma, Calif. (September 25, 2011) – Round ten of the Pacific F2000 Series Presented by Corsa Car Care began in overcast, drizzling conditions but ended with the sun shining on David Cheng as he claimed his second win of the weekend from pole position. In the Pacific Formula F Super Series round six, Jon Brandstad took his second win.
Between the mornings warm-up, held under a light drizzle, and the qualifying session rain fell off and on and at the 12:55pm start time teams were scrambling trying to decide between wet or dry tires as the damp 2.520 mile track was beginning to dry. When the session began all teams and drivers settled on slicks hoping for improving conditions as the cars set out on their qualifying laps. The drivers were anxious to get in a good lap early in case the conditions worsened. They actually
improved as the session wore on and Bob Negron, Fengshuimebaby.com/Terri Negron, Negron Racing Van Diemen nearly edged David Cheng, PR1 Motorsports, Van Diemen for the pole as the PR1 driver only completed a handful of laps before fourth gear broke and he was to sit out the remainder of the session hoping his best lap of 1:36.573 would hold up. Negron got within .048s and for the second time this weekend Cheng would start on pole.
Jon Brandstad, BJF Racing, Swift DB6 again led the Formula F group take the pole in the lone kent powered car at 1:42.267, again besting Alex Schutte in a Piper DF5/Honda.
By race time the skies had cleared and the field took the green and David Cheng took the lead followed by Negron, Peter West, Frank Monise Motors, Wendricks Real Estate, DFR Van Diemen and Les Phillips Swiss Racing Mygale. Cheng again managed to ease his way from the field finishing 10.351s ahead of second place.
The race for second saw Bob Negron’s mirrors filled first by West, who timed the start perfectly to lead Phillips in the opening laps, and later Phillips. West Harried Negron for the first several laps before being caught by Phillips and passed. Phillips then proceeded to close on Negron during which he set the fastest race lap which ultimately led to a last lap passing attempt at turn eleven. Negron held his ground and finished in second and took another Master Class (drivers 51+) win.
Les Phillips’ inspired drive resulted in another third place, .405s behind Negron, and his fastest lap was the first for the French car several seasons.
Fourth place again went to Peter West, after an excellent start finally finished 20.565 seconds back.
Jon Brandstad led the Formula F group for the second successive day and again used his pole position to gain an advantage at the start. Brandstad drove a mistake free race as any bobble would have allowed Alex Schutte through into the lead. Schutte hounded Brandstad for the entire 12 lap race and was ready to pounce at any opportunity. Brandstad also claimed the Master Class win.
Alex Schutte also drove exceptionally always providing pressure and waiting for the mistake that never came did set the fastest lap of the group and with it two bonus points and the $300 contingency from Honda.
Doug Brenner in his Brenner Fabrication Van Diemen RF99/Honda finished third and claimed the $200 Honda bonus.
John Robinson II in his Fast Forward Piper DF5/Honda finished in fourth after starting third, lost two positions on lap 4 and gained one back with a pass of fifth place finisher Will Gallaher in the First Community Bank/Piper DF5/Honda on lap eight. Robinson did claim the Expert Class (drivers 35-50) win.
The series now moves to Las Vegas Motor Speedway October 8-9 for the season finale.
F2000 Qualifying: 1. David Cheng (Van Diemen), 1m36.573s; 2. Bob Negron (Van Diemen), 1m36.621s; 3. Les Phillips (Mygale SJ04), 1m37.824s; 4. Peter West (Van Diemen), 1m38.630s. (All use Zetec/Quicksilver engines unless otherwise noted.)
F2000 Round 9 (12 laps): 1. Cheng, 19m39.162s; 2. Negron, +10.351s; 3. Phillips, +10.756; 4. West, +20.565s.
FF Qualifying: 1. Jon Brandstad (Swift/Ford), 1m42.267s; 2. Alex Schutte (Piper/Honda), 1m42.593s; 3. John Robinson II (Piper/Hoonda), 1m43.058s; 4.Doug Brenner (Van Diemen/Honda), 1m44.154s; 5. Will Gallaher (Piper/Honda), no time.
FF Round 5 (12 laps): 1. Brandstad, 20m43.075s; 2. Schutte, 20m43.565s; 3. Brenner, 20m59.152s; 4. Robinson, 20m59.558s; 5. Gallaher, 21m12.508s.
Margin of victory: 10.351s.
Winner’s average speed: 92.323 mph.
Fastest race lap: Phillips, 1m37.164s, 93.368 mph.
Expert class winner (35-50): F2000; None, FF; Robinson.
Sierra Tire Masters class winner (over 50): F2000; Negron, FF; Brandstad.
Williams Racing Developments Hard Charger Award: None.
F2000 Points: Ford, 245; Cheng, 219; Negron, 211; Kuntze, 175; Fierberg, 169; Phillips, 139; West, 133; Thomas, 94; Hastrup, 57; Pinkman, 34; Kincaid, 28; Murphy, 24; Podlesni, 2.
FF Points: Brandstad; 64, Sakowicz, 62; Erlandson, 51; Schutte; 48, Wittrock, 47; Brenner, 47; Robinson II, 41; Gallaher, 34; Andersen, 19.
For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com.
Cheng Takes Pole and Victory in Round Nine at Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, Calif. (September 24, 2011) – Infineon Raceway is the site for rounds nine and ten of the Pacific F2000 Series Presented by Corsa Car Care. In addition to the 2-liter cars this weekend, the Pacific Formula F Super Series, it its inaugural season, will hold rounds five and six.
Qualifying began under sunny skies with temperatures in the low seventies and that began a spirited duel for the pole between Bob Negron, Fengshuimebaby.com/Terri Negron, Negron Racing Van Diemen and David Cheng, PR1 Motorsports, Van Diemen. Negron made an overnight gear change and Cheng just retuned from Malaysia where he competed in the 12-hour Scirocco R-Cup Enduro, finishing second 12 seconds back. Cheng finally seized the pole with a lap of 1:43.039 on his eighth lap with Negron also posting his best time on his eighth lap but .895s off the pole time.
The Formula F group saw Jon Brandstad, BJF Racing, Swift DB6 take the pole in the lone kent powered car at 1:41.495, besting Alex Schutte in a Piper DF5/Honda by .459s.
When the green flag fell for the 2:40pm race, David Cheng took the lead and led the tight pack of cars through the first few corners but when they reached the carousel Bob Negron spun causing Peter West to take avoiding action around the outside allowing Les Phillips through into second place. Phillips was also balked leaving a sizable gap to Cheng who was able to cruise home to his first win of the season and second overall. The Sammamish, WA, resident drove a measured consistent race increasing his gap with each lap finally finishing 24.266s ahead of second place. Cheng also took the 2 points for the races fastest lap and this maximum points haul vaulted him into second place in the standings.
Bob Negron having spun to the rear of the field recovered to work his way back through the field to claim the second step on the podium. The second place finish also gave Negron another Master Class (drivers 51+) win and moved him into third in the overall standings.
Les Phillips drove his Swiss Racing Mygale to third place, the final step on the podium and stubbornly fought to hold back Negron during his charge. Les was back in his familiar seat in the French car having resolved his engine difficulties and finished only 3 seconds behind Negron.
Fourth place went to Peter West, his best series finish, in his Frank Monise Motors, Wendricks Real Estate, DFR Van Diemen. West held on to third for a majority of the race but was unable to fend off the challenge of Negron though he did manage to keep up with him for a couple laps before finishing 21 seconds back.
Meanwhile in the Formula F group, Jon Brandstad used his pole position to gain an advantage at the start taking the lead and inching ahead with every lap to finish 13 seconds clear of second place finisher Doug Brenner in his Brenner Fabrication Van Diemen RF99/Honda. Brandstad did not appear to be seriously challenged throughout the race and also claimed the Master Class win.
Brenner’s second place finish was hard fought when he slipped behind John Robinson II in his Fast Forward Piper DF5/Honda at the start and used a late race pass to secure his second place which also earned him $300 contingency from Honda as the highest Fit engine finisher.
John Robinson II in a one off drive in the Fast Forward Piper DF5/Honda, a former Formula Ford National Champion used the opportunity to claim third place at a track he had seen for the first time during Friday’s test day. This gave Robinson the Expert Class (drivers 35-50) win and $200 in Honda contingency money.
Alex Schutte who had qualified second had difficulties and was late to grid and thus started with a sizable disadvantage clawed his way back to finish fourth and take the two bonus points for the fastest lap.
Will Gallaher in the First Community Bank/Piper DF5/Honda finished fifth 4 laps in back.
Sunday’s round ten gets started at with morning warm-up at 8:40am, qualifying at 12:55pm and the race at 4:30pm.
F2000 Qualifying: 1. David Cheng (Van Diemen), 1m34.039s; 2. Bob Negron (Van Diemen), 1m34.934s; 3. Les Phillips (Mygale SJ04), 1m37.096s; 4. Peter West (Van Diemen), 1m37.519s. (All use Zetec/Quicksilver engines unless otherwise noted.)
F2000 Round 9 (12 laps): 1. Cheng, 19m38.710s; 2. Negron, +24.266s; 3. Phillips, +27.247; 4. West, +48.851s.
FF Qualifying: 1. Jon Brandstad (Swift/Ford), 1m41.495s; 2. Alex Schutte (Piper/Honda), 1m41.954s; 3. Doug Brenner (Van Diemen/Honda), 1m44.154s; 4. John Robinson II (Piper/Hoonda), 1m44.185s; 5. Will Gallaher (Piper/Honda), 1m44.342s.
FF Round 5 (12 laps): 1. Brandstad, 20m49.409s; 2. Brenner, 21m01.914s; 3. Robinson, 21m03.370s; 4. Schutte, 21m09.963s; 5. Gallaher, 4 laps.
Margin of victory: 24.266s.
Winner’s average speed: 92.359 mph.
Fastest race lap: Cheng, 1m36.559s, 93.953 mph.
Expert class winner (35-50): F2000; None, FF; Robinson.
Sierra Tire Masters class winner (over 50): F2000; Negron, FF; Brandstad.
Williams Racing Developments Hard Charger Award: None.
F2000 Points: Ford, 245; Cheng, 187; Negron, 186; Kuntze, 175; Fierberg, 169; Phillips, 115; West, 114; Thomas, 94; Hastrup, 57; Pinkman, 34; Kincaid, 28; Murphy, 24; Podlesni, 2.
FF Points: Sakowicz, 62; Erlandson, 51; Wittrock, 47; Brandstad, 32; Brenner, 25; Robinson II, 22; Schutte, 21; Andersen, 19; Gallaher, 17.
For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com.
Row 2 was again comprised of Ira Fierberg who recorded a 1:45.970 and David Cheng with a time of 1:46.143. Ira is driving the Pinnacle Performance, Sparco, DFR Van Diemen while David is in the PR1 Van Diemen
Row 3 was Bob Negron, Fengshuimebaby.com/Terri Negron, Negron Racing Van Diemen and Les Phillips driving in his second outing in a Van Diemen, followed by Peter West, DFR, Frank Monise Motors, DFR Van Diemen and Khyle Pinkman.
With the temperature creeping up, the field took the track behind the Ford GT pace car driven by CalClub’s Steve Lowery. With the green flag waving the field held station down to turn 1 where Conner Ford with the inside line eased ahead of Kuntze followed by Fierberg, Cheng, Negron, Phillips, West and Pinkman. Negron moved past Cheng and the order at the end of lap one was Ford with a sizable advantage, Kuntze, Fierberg, Negron, Cheng, Phillips, West and Pinkman.
Conner was never challenged from there on and cruised to his second victory of the weekend and sixth out of eight for the season and opened up a 70 point lead in the championship with four races remaining and again set the races’ fastest lap to cap another excellent performance for the Carson City native.
Poway’s Kyle Kuntze had no problem with brakes today but his charge to the podium on Saturday may have taken too much out of his tires making it hard to make any inroads into Conner’s lead. Still he drove a measured race and managed to distance himself from the battle for third that raged behind him, finishing 10 seconds behind Ford and moving him to second in the points race.
“I learned a lot this race, how to deal with the tires as they were going off.” Kyle stated, “I think we are inching closer to Conner.”
The battle for third place was thrilling as Fierberg, Negron and Cheng were so close as to never be out of each others’ shadow with Fierberg initially holding the position followed by Negron chased by Cheng. David passed Bob for fourth on lap eight and then managed to get by Ira three laps later. Ira then lost fourth position to Negron on lap twelve. The three remained this way until the final lap when the trio came up to lap Pinkman in the Pinto powered National class car. They caught him entering Cotton corners which slightly balked Cheng and Negron and set up a drag race down the back straight through the kink and heading into the high speed Riverside turn. The three cars headed in with Cheng slightly ahead, Ira next with a full head of steam having eased by Negron and going for David on the inside. The gap closed, Ira ran out of room, there was contact, Ira spun into Negron and David escaped to claim the final podium position 32 seconds back while Fierberg and Negron were left to wait for tows to return to the paddock.
A surprised Les Phillips took fourth place after a steady race and a brief off in the borrowed DFR Van Diemen and with it his first Master Class victory of the season and co-Hard Charger with Peter West, who was fifth, both having improved two positions. Peter was thankful to have had the opportunity to race today as the DFR team did an excellent job of repairing his car from Saturday’s crash.
Bob Negron was classified sixth with Ira Fierberg taking seventh and the Expert Class win.
Khyle Pinkman recovered from the brake issues of Saturday and claimed National Class honors having come all the way from Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the event.
The series now moves to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California on October 24-25.
Qualifying: 1. Conner Ford (Van Diemen), 1m44.260s; 2. Kyle Kuntze (Van Diemen), 1m45.492s; 3. Ira Fierberg (Van Diemen), 1m45.970s; 4. David Cheng (Van Diemen RF05), 1m46.143s; 5. Bob Negron (Van Diemen RF99), 1m46.237s; 6. Les Phillips (Van Diemen RF02), 1m47.916s; 7. Peter West (Van Diemen), 1m47.962s; 8. Khyle Pinkman (Van Diemen-Pinto), 1m52.332s. (All use Zetec/Quicksilver engines unless otherwise noted.)
Round 5 (15 laps): 1. Ford, 28m22.144s; 2. Kuntze, +10.322s; 3. Cheng, +32.728; 4. Phillips +1:12.522; 5. West, +1:34.296, 6. Negron, 1 lap; 7. Fierberg, 1 lap; 8. Pinkman, 1 lap.
Margin of victory: 10.322s.
Winner’s average speed: 108.287 mph.
Fastest race lap: Ford, 1m45.715s, 108.972 mph.
Expert class winner (35-50): Fierberg.
Sierra Tire Masters class winner (over 50): Phillips.
Williams Racing Developments Hard Charger Award: Phillips, West.
Points: Ford, 245; Kuntze, 175; Fierberg, 169; Negron, 161; Cheng, 153; West, 96; Thomas, 95; Phillips, 94; Hastrup, 57; Pinkman, 34; Kincaid, 27; Murphy, 25; Podlesni, 2.
For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com.
Buttonwillow, Calif. (September 3, 2011) – When qualifying for the Pacific F2000 Series Presented by Corsa Car Care at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, at a little after 8:00am, temperatures were already pushing eighty degrees and the action on the track was just as hot as the top three qualifiers finished within .3 of a second. Leading this group was Conner Ford in his Les Schwab, Western Nevada Supply, Keniston, JF Excavating & Grading, PR1 Van Diemen with a time of 1:44.441 on the 3.2 mile 16 turn course. Starting next to Conner is Kyle Kuntze driving the DFR, Crow Enterprises, Oktane
Visual, Acceleration Karting, DFR Van Diemen. Kyle is a rookie in the series and posted an excellent 1:44.441, just .157 off the pole time.
Behind the pole sitter is Ira Fierberg who is coming off a win in the last event at Fontana recorded a 1:44.730. Ira is driving the Pinnacle Performance, Sparco, DFR Van Diemen. Next to Ira will be David Cheng in the PR1 Van Diemen turning in a time of 1:45.699. The Sammamish, WA driver doing well with a bit of throttle lag exiting corners.
Bob Negron, Fengshuimebaby.com/Terri Negron, Negron Racing Van Diemen and Les Phillips driving a Van Diemen for the first time after suffering an engine failure in practice on Friday make up row three with Peter West, DFR, Frank Monise Motors, DFR Van Diemen and Khyle Pinkman next up.
One hundred degree temperatures greeted the drivers as they lined up on the grid and prepared to head out for the pace lap. The field took the green flag and although there was a lot of movement and shuffling for positions, the order through turn 1 was just as they had qualified with Conner Ford taking the lead closely followed by Kuntze, Fierberg, Cheng, Negron, West, Phillips and Pinkman. As they rounded Riverside and headed towards Phil Hill, Kuntze had his brake pedal go to the floor and nearly collected Ford as they crested the hill. Kyle went off track, managed to control the car and rejoined the track in sixth place which enabled Conner to complete the first lap with a huge advantage. From that point on Conner was never threatened thereafter driving flawlessly, setting the fastest lap and taking his fifth win of the season by a 22 second margin.
The race for second place between Ira Fierberg and David Cheng was close throughout with neither driver showing much of an advantage on the other. They ran nose to tail until lap fourteen when approaching Cotton Corners David optimistically dove to the inside; Ira tried to leave enough room, seeing David come alongside as he downshifted and began to turn in for the corner. The cars touched with Ira spinning out of second and by the time he got going found himself in fifth place.
Sitting in sixth place, Kyle Kuntze wanted to atone for his off and set about his quest to finish on the podium. He first passed Peter West on lap 3, then Bob Negron on lap 6 and was closing on the battle for second between Ira Fierberg and David Cheng. Kyle moved into third when Ira spun and finally managed to pass Cheng into turn one on the penultimate lap thus completing a storming drive and setting the second fastest lap of the race.
“I knew there might be a brake issue but when the pedal went to the floor, I nearly hit Conner and tried to keep it on the track but just went off left” Kyle said, then added, “I had a lot of fun today driving through the field and it is good to be on the podium”
David Cheng took the third step of the podium and after his race with Fierberg reflected, “I had a good race with Ira, I had a run on him from turn two and tried inside three, Ira left room, I had my right front in the dirt, we touched a little and he went off.”
Bob Negron drove a steady race and took fourth place and with it the Master Class victory.
Behind Negron was Ira Fierberg who had to settle for fifth but did earn the Expert Class win and commented, “I saw David move out but I didn’t think he would try it there and when I turned in I saw him and tried to give him room but knew he wasn’t going to make it and we touched.”
Les Phillips came home in sixth place in the borrowed Van Diemen and was the final finisher as Khyle Pinkman lost his brakes on lap five and Peter West crashed out on lap eight.
Qualifying: 1. Conner Ford (Van Diemen), 1m44.441s; 2. Kyle Kuntze (Van Diemen), 1m44.598s; 3. Ira Fierberg (Van Diemen), 1m44.730s; 4. David Cheng (Van Diemen RF05) 5. Bob Negron (Van Diemen RF99), 1m46.451s; 6. Les Phillips (Van Diemen RF02), 1m47.651s; 7. Peter West (Van Diemen), 1m48.409s; 8. Khyle Pinkman (Van Diemen-Pinto), 1m452.520s. (All use Zetec/Quicksilver engines unless otherwise noted.)
Round 5 (15 laps): 1. Ford, 28m13.304s; 2. Kuntze, +22.348s; 3. Cheng, +24.261; 4. Negron, +32.983s; 5. Fierberg, +47.823s; 6. Phillips; +1:19.066s, 7. West, 9 laps; 8. Pinkman, DNF.
Margin of victory: 22.348s.
Winner’s average speed: 108.852 mph.
Fastest race lap: Ford, 1m45.311s, 109.390 mph.
Expert class winner (35-50): Fierberg.
Sierra Tire Masters class winner (over 50): Negron.
Williams Racing Developments Hard Charger Award: None.
Points: Ford, 153; Fierberg, 155; Kuntze, 150; Negron, 146; Cheng, 131; Thomas, 95; West, 79; Phillips, 75; Hastrup, 57; Kincaid, 27; Murphy, 25; Pinkman, 21; Podlesni, 2.
For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com.
Fierberg Takes Hard Earned Victory after Wresting Lead Away from Ford
mere 0.083 of a second with a 1m39.612s lap.
Kyle Kuntze, Oktane Visual, Acceleration Kart Racing, Wiener Racing, DRF Van Diemen continued his fine form taking third on the grid followed by David Cheng, PR1 Van Diemen, Bob Negron, Feng Shui Me Baby.com, Van Diemen, Peter Hastrup, Western Building Materials, DFR Van Diemen, Peter Thomas, Refrigeration Control Co., Hytech Exhaust, Church Automotive Testing, PR1 Van Diemen and Peter West, Frank Monise Motors, DFR Van Diemen.
The field took the green flag and headed on the long run to the first corner where they all managed to get through save for Peter Thomas who was a little early on the power and spun himself to the rear of the field. As they filed through Conner held a slight advantage over Fierberg, Kuntze, Cheng, Negron, West, Hastrup and Thomas.
Ford and Fierberg eased their way ahead of the rest and staged a furious battle with the cars mere inches apart at several points on the track with neither driver holding a clear advantage. Lap after lap the car circulated nose to tail until on lap eleven Ira having a good run out of turn nine and with a long run to the braking zone for turn twelve managed to clearly overtake Conner for the lead, a position he would hold to the end scoring his second series win and second Expert Class victory of the weekend and setting the fastest lap of the race to put an exclamation point on his weekend.
Ira later exclaimed, “I knew we were going to be strong, so my only worry was avoiding a first corner crash. After that, I just pushed Conner as hard as I can and tried to put as much pressure on him as possible. I managed to pass him at the end of the back straight, which I think caught him off guard, and then it was just a matter of putting my head down and driving clean laps.”
With two laps remaining Conner spun in turn 12 dropping him to third having taken a long time getting the car re-fired and just nipped Kyle Kuntze at the flag. Kyle drove another strong race and finished in fourth.
David Cheng drove a steady race to finish second and earned the Hard Charger Award, a nice recovery after his Saturday DNF.
Following Cheng were Peter Hastrup, Peter Thomas, Peter West and Bob Negron having suffered an early spin, then losing the draft was unable to make any progress.
The series takes a mid-season break before rounds 7 and 8 at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, September 3 & 4.
Qualifying: 1. Conner Ford (Van Diemen), 1m39.612s; 2. Ira Fieerberg (Van Diemen), 1m39.695s; 3. Kyle Kuntze (Van Diemen), 1m40.086s; 4. David Cheng (Van Diemen RF05), 1m40.248s; 5. Bob Negron (Van Diemen RF99), 1m40.349s; 6. Peter Hastrup (Van Diemen RF02), 1m41.228s; 7. Peter Thomas (Van Diemen), 1m41.460s; 8. Peter West (Van Diemen), 1m42.696s. (All use Zetec/Quicksilver engines.)
Round 6 (15 laps): 1. Fierberg, 28m03.962s; 2. Cheng, +13.046s; 3. Ford, +19.466s; 4. Kuntze, +19.480s; 5. Hastrup, +30.766s; 6. Thomas, +31.723s; 7. West, +35.497s; 8. Negron, +36.018s.
Margin of victory: 13.046s.
Winner’s average speed: 92.354 mph.
Fastest race lap: Fierberg, 1m39.755s, 103.935 mph.
Expert class winner (35-50): Fierberg.
Sierra Tire Masters class winner (over 50): Hastrup.
Williams Racing Developments Hard Charger Award: Cheng.
Points: Ford, 177; Fierberg, 138, Negron, 127; Kuntze, 125; Cheng, 109; Thomas, 95; West, 78; Phillips, 60; Hastrup, 57; Kincaid, 27; Murphy, 25; Podlesni, 2.
For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com.
Ford Extends Win Streak to Three at Auto Club Speedway
Fontana, Calif. (June 11, 2011) – The Pacific F2000 Series Presented by Corsa Car Care arrived at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana for rounds 5 and 6 and was greeted with morning overcast for the first session of the day. It was the first appearance at Auto Club Speedway for Conner Ford and Rookie Kyle Kuntze, who had a fine podium finish in his last event, and it showed in the morning warm-up times with the two being fifth and ninth respectively with Ira Fierberg, Barry I. Goldstein, CPA, Sparco, DFR Van Diemen, taking the morning honors with a lap of 1:40.430 followed by Bob Negron, Feng Shui Me Baby.com, Van Diemen, Peter Thomas, Refrigeration Control Co., Hytech Exhaust, Church Automotive Testing, PR1 Van Diemen and Les Phillips, Swiss Implants, Porterfield Brakes, Mygale.
By the time qualifying began it appeared that Ford, Les Schwab Tire Center, Western Nevada Supply, Keniston, JF Excavating & Grading, PR1 Van Diemen and Kuntze, Oktane Visual, Acceleration Kart Racing, Wiener Racing, DRF Van Diemen had gotten things figured out as they moved to the head of the time sheets with the youngster from Carson City taking the pole with a time of 1:39.853 and Kyle just .345 back as they were set to lead the field for the start of round five.
The surprise of qualifying was Les Phillips in his Mygale posting third fastest time just .374 off the pole time. Phillips was followed by Negron, David Cheng, PR1 Van Diemen, Peter Thomas, Peter West, Frank Monise Motors, DFR Van Diemen and Peter Hastrup, Western Building Materials, DFR Van Diemen and Fierberg who had spun and damaged his car without posting a time.
By race time the overcast had burned off, the drivers set off under sunny skies with Conner taking the lead from the start demonstrating the kind of domination that has vaulted him into the series points lead. Though he was never headed Kyle Kuntze managed to provide some pressure through the opening stages of the race and slowly dropped back but still finished less than four seconds behind for an excellent second place finish in only his fifth outing, and Ford taking his third consecutive victory and gaining maximum points by also taking the fastest lap.
Phillips maintained his third position through the opening lap followed by Cheng, Negron, West, Thomas, Hastrup and Fierberg, Ira having an early spin after having picked up a couple of places.
On the second lap Cheng misjudged his braking while trying to defend his position and punted Phillips into a spin dropping Les to the rear of the field and ending David’s race on the spot with damage too severe to continue leaving Thomas in third, having gotten by Negron, chasing the leading duo. Phillips managed to continue until lap 10 when his engine expired.
On lap 4 Fierberg began a drive that would net him not only the race’s Hard Charger Award, but the Expert Class win and third place on the podium. He began by overtaking both West and Hastrup on lap 4, then in a daring move swept by both Negron and Thomas in turn 3. Once in third he continued to press on finishing just over 15 seconds off the lead and well clear of the fourth place Thomas.
Negron finished fifth followed by Peters’ Hastrup and West who were having a grand dice with positions changing nearly every lap eventually settling in Hastrup’s favor.
Qualifying: 1. Conner Ford (Van Diemen), 1m39.853s; 2. Kyle Kuntze (Van Diemen), 1m40.198s; 3. Les Phillips (Mygale SJ04), 1m40.227s; 4. Bob Negron (Van Diemen RF99), 1m40.495s; 5. David Cheng (Van Diemen RF05), 1m40.992s; 6. Peter Thomas (Van Diemen), 1m41.130s; 7. Peter West (Van Diemen), 1m41.867s; 8. Peter Hastrup (Van Diemen RF02), 1m42.008s. (All use Zetec/Quicksilver engines.)
Round 5 (15 laps): 1. Ford, 27m12.898s; 2. Kuntze, +3.925s; 3. Fierberg, +15.542s; 4. Thomas, +22.320s; 5. Negron, +23.962s; 6. Hastrup, +44.184s; 7. West, +47.568s; 8. Phillips, 5 laps; Cheng, DNF.
Margin of victory: 3.925s.
Winner’s average speed: 95.242 mph.
Fastest race lap: Ford, 1m39.921s, 103.762 mph.
Expert class winner (35-50): Fierberg.
Sierra Tire Masters class winner (over 50): Negron.
Williams Racing Developments Hard Charger Award: Fierberg.
Points: Ford, 153; Negron, 114; Fierberg, 106; Kuntze, 106; Cheng, 84; Thomas, 80; West, 64; Phillips, 60; Hastrup, 40; Kincaid, 27; Murphy, 25; Podlesni, 2.
For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com.
F2000 Championship Presented by Corsa Car Care at Buttonwillow Raceway in central California. The 14-year-old
phenom from Carson City, Nev., qualified his #77 PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen on pole for both 25-minute races by a
comfortable margin and was never seriously challenged on either day.
Ford’s two victories, allied to another win in the opening race of the season at Willow Springs International Raceway, has
vaulted him into a clear lead in the championship standings.
“It’s pretty cool to be leading the championship,” said Ford. “I’ve never actually been a in a real championship [chase]
before because even when I was in karting I used to race at different tracks all the time; but it’s really fun and different
because I’m actually trying to be consistent and put more thought into it without just trying to win every time.
“The PR1 team has been great,” added Ford. “They have so much experience and they have really taught me how to work
on managing tire wear and things like that.”
On Saturday, Ford was chased home by Bob Negron, who once again proved to be the top Masters contender (over 50
years of age) in his self-run Van Diemen RF99. Negron, from Morgan Hill, Calif., who won the second race at Willow
Springs in April, enjoyed a battle virtually throughout Saturday’s race with leading Expert (aged 35-50) Ira Fierberg until
the Manhattan Beach, Calif., attorney collided with a lapped Formula Ford car at the Esses on the final lap. The resulting
brief off-course excursion caused Fierberg to slip to fourth behind Dave Freitas Racing teammate Kyle Kuntze.
Kuntze, 21, from Poway, Calif., continued his rapid learning curve by finishing a clear second in today’s race. The rookie
took advantage of a rare mistake by Negron, who spun at Turn One on Lap 2, costing him the opportunity to claim a
fourth consecutive podium finish this season. Negron instead had to be content with sixth.
“I just tried too hard,” admitted Negron. “I overcooked it. I thought I caught it, and then I was backwards.”
David Cheng, from Sammamish, Wash., rounded out the podium today in another PRI Motorsports Van Diemen. Cheng,
who finished second in the championship last year, took the position after a race-long battle with Fierberg’s #27 Pinnacle
Performance/LDF/DFR/Quiksilver Van Diemen and the rapidly improving Peter Thomas, from San Juan Capistrano, in
the #7 PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen.
“I had two epic races this weekend,” said Fierberg. “I was bummed to get taken out yesterday and a bit frustrated that I
didn’t managed to get onto the podium, but it was great to battle so hard with these guys and a lot of fun.”
Ford now holds a 22-point advantage over Negron, 119-97 after four races. The Pacific F2000 series will continue with
two more races at the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California at Fontana on June 11/12.
The debut of the Pacific Formula F Super Series, for 1600cc cars, saw Jeff Sakowicz, from Sonoma, Calif., claim a pair
of victories in his Van Diemen. Ed Erlandson (Swift DB-6) and Paul Wittrock (Swift DB-1) shared the runner-up spoils.
For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com.
Score One For Youth and One For Experience at Willow Springs
Rosamond, Calif. (April 3, 2011) – As expected, this weekend’s opening two rounds of Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Corsa Car Care at Willow Springs International Raceway boiled down to a battle of youth vs. experience.
Honors ended up being shared equally as Conner Ford – at a mere 14 years of age – and top Masters (aged 50 and above) contender Bob Negron each claimed a pole and a win.
The first race on Saturday afternoon saw youth take the upper hand as Ford qualified his #77 PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen on the pole. He then made a perfect start, led the entire race and set fastest lap to earn a maximum 34 points.
"That was the perfect day," said Ford, from Carson City, Nev., who started four races last year, winning once, and, surprisingly, had not been able to conduct any off-season testing. "I didn’t expect to be doing this good, this early in the season, but everything came together really well. The team gave me a great car and it made me very happy."
Negron, from Morgan Hill, Calif., qualified second but made a poor start and fell to fourth on the first lap. He battled back, passing David Cheng (#2 PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen) and Ira Fierberg (#27 Pinnacle Performance/LDF/DFR/Quiksilver Van Diemen) to reclaim the runner-up spot in the updated Van Diemen RF99 he prepares and runs almost entirely by himself....along with some help from wife Terri.
Veteran Les Phillips, from Bakersfield, Calif., enjoyed one of his strongest races in a while to finish fifth in the only Mygale chassis in the field, although he was pressed every inch of the way by F2000 debutant Kyle Kuntze. The 21-year-old from Poway, Calif., was especially impressive when considering the fact he hadn’t so much as sat in Dave Freitas Racing’s #5 Van Diemen RF02 prior to the weekend.
Windier and cooler conditions for qualifying on Sunday morning saw Negron emerge with the fastest time to secure his first-ever F2000 pole position. Furthermore, Negron sensibly completed a bare minimum of laps to ensure his Hankook tires would be in good shape for the race on Willow Springs’ notoriously abrasive surface.
Nevertheless, Negron once again made a poor getaway, allowing Ford to claim the lead going into Turn One.
"I guess I caught him sleeping both times," said Ford with a twinkle in his eye.
Negron remained unflustered.
"I thought, OK, fine, let’s just him and I pull away from everybody else and then I’ll see what I can do," related Negron. "But after a couple of laps I realized we weren’t pulling away from the others, and then I thought, wait a minute, I’m faster than him, let’s have a go!"
Ford, meanwhile, was struggling.
"My car was really loose in just about every corner," said Ford. "I over-did it a bit in qualifying and used up my tires a little more than I should have done. He kind of out-smarted me, I guess."
On Lap 5, Negron timed his run out of the ultra-quick Turn Nine to perfection, used the draft to pull alongside his rival on the front straightaway, then braked a little deeper into Turn One. It was a textbook pass. Once into the lead, Negron gradually inched away to score a long overdue maiden victory.
"It was fun," said Negron. "It’s been a long time coming; it’s been one hell of a long time coming. I’m hoping to get a few more (wins) this year, too."
Ford’s attempts to hold onto second, under intense pressure from Cheng and Fierberg, unraveled when he carried too much speed into Turn Five on Lap 12. The resulting off-course excursion relegated him to fifth at the finish.
"It was still a good weekend," concluded Ford. "I’m pretty happy with how it ended up."
Cheng took second, just over four seconds in arrears of Negron. Fierberg completed the podium, narrowly ahead of a fast-closing Kuntze.
"I was just getting more and more comfortable with every lap," said Kuntze. "Boy, that was so much fun!"
Negron leads the points standings by 57-51 over Ford, while Fierberg holds down third place on 46, two ahead of Cheng. The next two races will be held at Buttonwillow Raceway on May 21/22.
For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com.
Pacific F2000 Attracts Youngsters and Veterans to do Battle at Willow Springs
Buttonwillow, Calif. (March 30, 2011) – A new season of the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Corsa Car Care will commence this weekend on the fast and undulating 2.5-mile Willow Springs International Raceway near Rosamond, Calif., where a pair of 30-minute races will run as part of VARA’s High Desert Challenge.
The series has attracted its usual mix of seasoned veterans and ambitious youngsters, ranging from series promoter and long-time competitor Les Phillips, who will turn 70 later this year – and still shows no signs of slowing down – to 14-year-old phenom Conner Ford, who scored a sensational victory in his very first weekend of car racing at Willow Springs one year ago. The youngster from Carson City, Nev., made only a couple of appearances in 2010 but has been busy testing over the winter with the multiple championship-winning PR1 Motorsports team, from Fresno, Calif., and fully intends to challenge for top honors this year.
"I plan to get as much seat time as possible and improve both in and out of the car," says Ford. "I need to learn more about the car and prepare myself for what is to come in the future."
Chinese-American David Cheng is another young man to watch. A relative old-timer at age 21, Cheng won rookie-of-the-year honors in 2009 and finished second in the title-chase last year. This time his eyes are set firmly on winning the championship in another PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen.
"My experience is going to play a big part this year," says Cheng, who was born in Beijing and now makes his home in Sammamish, Wash. "During the off season, I’ve been able to analyze the success and mistakes from 2010 and I think this will only make me stronger going into 2011."
After enjoying some success in karting and the Skip Barber School Regional events, Kyle Kuntze, from Poway, Calif., is stepping up to make his Pacific F2000 debut this weekend, driving a similar Van Diemen for the rival Dave Freitas Racing team, which has relocated over the winter to Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
"I was looking to move up from Skip Barber and I want to be racing in the USF2000 National Championship next season," says 21-year-old Kuntze, "so this just seemed like the right place to gather experience. The series has been extremely competitive throughout the years and has helped develop some great drivers like Robert Podlesni, Patrick Barrett, Joel Miller, J.R. Hildebrand, Dane Cameron and a host of others.
"The first goal is to get through this first race weekend and learn as much as possible. It will be difficult because I haven’t done any pre-season testing but I know the DFR team will provide me with all the tools I need to be successful."
DFR also will continue to field a car for F2000 veteran Ira Fierberg, who last year scored two poles at Willow Springs and and followed that with his first-ever race victory at this level later last season.
"We are going to try to put the #27 Pinnacle Performance/LDF/DFR/Quiksilver Van Diemen on pole and win the race," says Fierberg, from Hermosa Beach, Calif. "I don’t want to get greedy and say we want maximum points for the weekend, but there are two distinct races and the goal is the same for each. Last year we were on pole both races and finished second both times, so for this year we have naturally set the bar higher. Sunday is my (49th) birthday and I would love to celebrate it on the top step of the podium."
Bob Negron is another veteran campaigner who is more than capable of challenging the youngsters. Cisco Systems engineer Negron, 55, from Morgan Hill, Calif., scored three overall podium finishes last year in his self-run #9 Feng Shui Me Baby Van Diemen while winning the Masters class, for drivers aged over 50, in every one of the 12 races.
F2000 is regarded as the first rung on the professional open-wheel racing ladder in North America. The concept originated in England in 1974 and has helped spawn the careers of many of the sport’s top names, including Formula 1 World Champions Ayrton Senna and Damon Hill. It has been equally productive in North America, producing such alumni as Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser, Sam Hornish Jr., Buddy Rice, Dan Wheldon and J.R. Hildebrand.
The single-seat, open-wheel Pacific F2000 cars are powered by 2-liter Ford Zetec engines and are capable of speeds in excess of 140 mph. All cars run on Hankook tires supplied by Sierra Tire. VP Racing fuels also is an official provider, along with Corsa Car Care, Porterfield Brakes, Wine Country Motorsports and Buttonwillow Raceway.
For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com.
