Pacific Formula F2000 Round 3

Round Three Sees Hope Earn Victory with Last Lap Pass

Buttonwillow, Calif. (April 26, 2014) – Round three of the Pacific Formula F1600/F2000 was held Saturday at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on the 3.020 mile, 25A road course in Buttonwillow and was won by Tom Hope with a last lap run from third to first passing Andrew Evans at Sunrise and following that up with a pass of race leader Yufeng Luo into Cotton Corners and holding on for the victory.

After nearly three months since the opening rounds in Fontana the teams and drivers have put the time to good use to be able to put forth their best effort in a season that boasts nine races in four event weekends. The series is running with the SCCA U.S. Majors Tours events this season as drivers prepare to qualify for the SCCA National Championship Run-Offs to be held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

In previous seasons the series has had their own run group and been able to run the F2000 and F1600 cars in the same group. Because of running with SCCA, the F2000 group will run as FC along with FA, FB, FM, P1 and P2 in the run group established by Cal Club while the F1600’s will race in a separate group.

After a season fraught with mechanical unreliability, Tom Hope decided to switch from the Carbir to the Van Diemen chassis during the break allowing ample opportunity for testing. This would enable him to have the car sorted and ready when the season continued.

Dave Freitas Racing took the time to bring teenager Yufeng Luo, from driving school graduate to Majors race winner having claimed victory two weeks earlier in the Saturday sprint race at Thunderhill Raceway Park.

Defending Series Champion Bob Negron was also victorious at Thunderhill claiming the Sunday race, which also featured several other series regulars.

Qualifying began at 8:35 in the morning under cloudy skies and cool conditions, an overnight rain having washed the track clean with drivers eager to get on track and post a top time before traffic became an issue.

Leading the way was young Lufeng Luo in the #6, DFR Van Diemen with a time of 1:46.997. Luo was closely followed by Bob Negron, #8, Terri Negron Web Design, Van Diemen; Andrew Evans, #27, PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen and Tom Hope, #18 H & M Racing Van Diemen. Michael Manning, newcomer to the series was fourth in his #25 Cypress Lane Racing, Fast Forward Racing Components, Dauntless Racing Cars, Van Diemen followed by Peter West, #99 Frank Monise Motors, Zombo.com, DFR Van Diemen; James Hakewill, #88 Van Diemen; Zach Craigo, #27, Rocky Mountain Medical Lasers, Van Diemen; Peter Thomas, #7 Refrigeration Control Co., PR1 Van Diemen; Harindra de Silva, #22 DFR Van Diemen; Les Phillips, #2, Swiss Implants, Porterfield Brakes Van Diemen; Nick Kodenko, #3, Kodenko Jeans, Kodenko Engines, Van Diemen and Chuck Raggio, #14, Apex Orthopedics of California, Inc., Scuderia Raggi Van Diemen. Unfortunately for Bill Kincaid’s, #46, La Curva, Van Diemen, a bolt from the diff carrier came loose and exited the sideplate of the housing and was unable to qualify.

The series was able to get a split start enabling their group to start behind the remaining classes in the group and settle into their race before encountering traffic.

The green flag fell on the first group and at the first turn there was an incident involving as many as five cars and almost completely blocking the track. Race control called for a full course caution before the F2000 cars took the green flag, which had the effect of bunching up the field for the restart and negating the advantage of having the split start.

After three laps behind the pace car, the green waved again and Yufeng Luo in the DFR Van Diemen, having the advantage of a single file re-start surged into the lead and at the end of the first racing lap Luo led Evans, Negron, Manning, West, Hope, Hakewill, Craigo, Thomas, DeSilva, Kodenko, Raggio, Kincaid in Pietz’s car and Phillips having spun.

The field was already encountering traffic and Luo was most efficient in working his way through and built himself a gap, while Hope was recovering from his poor start passing West, Manning and Negron on lap five to move into third position.

Evans, Hope and Negron were locked into a tight battle that brought them closer to Luo as his advantage diminished and West now in fifth place tried desperately to maintain his position eventually lost out to Hakewill, Manning and Craigo on lap seven and dropped to eighth.

With three laps remaining Luo’s advantage had been eaten up by the trailing cars as Hope, Evans and Negron closed and these four were to battle for the top three positions to the end.

On lap 12 Evans got by Hope, and as they began the final lap all three cars were now nose to tail. Hope moved inside Evans at the end of the front straight to claim second place, closed on Luo and when Luo was balked by traffic Hope pounced, the two running side by side into Cotton Corners. Hope was through into the lead when Luo’s car lost some rear grip which enabled Evans to grab the runner-up spot from Luo as they headed for the long back straight.

Tom Hope claimed the victory coming from as far down as sixth place with an outstanding drive and later commented, “It was a great way to christen the new car.” Hope’s victory also meant that he also took Expert Class honors.

Andrew Evans finished second, his third podium finish of the season, set the fastest race lap and maintains and eight point advantage in the point standings.

Rookie Yufeng Luo claimed the final step on the podium, a fine result for his first outing in the series.

Bob Negron finished in fourth place which also gave him the Master Class victory.

Series newcomer Michael Manning finished in fifth followed by Peter West in sixth, Peter Thomas is seventh, Harindra DeSilva in eighth and Nick Kodenko in ninth and the final car on the lead lap. Les Phillips having survived two spins finished in tenth with Chuck Raggio eleventh and the final car running at the finish.

F2000 Qualifying: 1. Yufeng Luo, (Van Diemen-H), 1m46.997s; 2. Bob Negron, (Van Diemen-H), 1m47.836s; 3. Andrew Evans, (Van Diemen-G), 1m48.013s; 4. Tom Hope, (Van Diemen-A), 1m48.031s; 5. Michael Manning, (Van Diemen-H), 1m48.464s; 6. Peter West (Van Diemen-H), 1m48.501s; 7. James Hakewill, (Van Diemen-A), 1m49.172s; 8. Zach Craigo (Van Diemen-G), 1m49.481s; 9. Peter Thomas, (Van Diemen-G), 1m49.887s; 10. Harindra DeSilva (Van Diemen-H), 1m50.082s; 11. Les Phillips, (Van Diemen-G), 1m50.185s; 12. Nick Kodenko, (Van Diemen-G), 1m53.170s; 13. Chuck Raggio, (Van Diemen-H), 1m55.726s; 14. Bill Kincaid, (Van Diemen-A), no time. Tires: A-Avon, C-Cooper, G-Goodyear, H-Hoosier.





F2000 Round 3 (13 laps): 1. Hope; 2. Evans, +0.076s; 3. Luo, +1.556s; 4. Negron, +9.927s; 5. Manning, +18.364; 6. West, +19.296s; 7. Thomas, +19.504s; 8. DeSilva, +40.941s; 9. Kodenko; +48.882s; 10. Phillips, +1 lap; 11. Raggio, +1 lap; 12. Craigo, +5 laps; 13. Hakewill, +6 laps; 14. Kincaid, +8 laps.

Fastest race lap: Evans, 1m46.368s.

Expert class winner (over 35): Hope.

Master class winner (over 50)

: Negron.

The series can be followed at http://ift.tt/1kHupu2 and http://ift.tt/1kHupu4.





For more details go to www.pacificf2000.com or contact Les Phillips at 661-764-5333, or by email, lesrace@aol.com