Pocono Race : August 22
Round 8 brought the competitors of Formula Pro Racing to the 2.5mi pro-course at Pocono International Raceway. The early morning rain gave way to blue skies and dry track by the qualifying race which eased the minds of the drivers who had opted for very low downforce set-ups for their winged formula cars.
Gregory Jezarian’s pole setting lap was disqualified due to his shortcut through the chicane which put Ric Baribeault’s RF95 in P-1 followed by Jezarian, Doug McKechnie and Len Amato. Baribeault quickly pulled away at the green and Jezarian tucked under his tail while Amato took the 3rd spot away from McKechnie. Nose to tail through the infield, Jezarian forced an outside pass on Baribeault to take the lead and Amato set his sights on the #2 position.
Baribeault and Amato teamed up on lap three and bumped drafted on the superspeedway section to catch Jezarian who’d moved to the center of the track to desperately try and break the draft. Baribeault sling shot his car on the outside and Amato made a brilliant pass on the inside as they rocketed three wide on the fastest section of the track into the very narrow turn one. As the trio braked heavily while three abreast, tire smoke engulfed Jezarian’s Van Diemen and he spun blocking the entrance to turn 1 as Amato made his pass stick with Baribeault hot on his tail. Jezarian kept the car running and nearly collected the Van Diemen of Tony Williams as he entered the track again in 6th place.
Amato and Baribeault took turns filling each others mirrors while McKechnie patiently waited in 3rd. Williams put the pressure on 2003 series champion Bruce Kafenbaum on the infield section only to be out motored on the straight.
Amato and Baribeault took turns filling each others mirrors while McKechnie patiently waited in 3rd. Williams put the pressure on 2003 series champion Bruce Kafenbaum on the infield section only to be out motored on the straight.The Amato, Baribeault and McKechnie battles and Williams-Kafenbaum dog fight slowed the field just enough to allow Jezarian to put his head down and set his sights on them all as he handily got past Kafenbaum and Williams before drafting past McKechnie on the straight into third place. He watched as the leaders swapped position in exciting fashion, using the entire width of the front straight to try and shake each other’s draft. By lap 9, Amato relinquished his lead to Baribeault as electrical gremlins sidelined his Van Diemen.
Amato and Baribeault took turns filling each others mirrors while McKechnie patiently waited in 3rd. Williams put the pressure on 2003 series champion Bruce Kafenbaum on the infield section only to be out motored on the straight.The Amato, Baribeault and McKechnie battles and Williams-Kafenbaum dog fight slowed the field just enough to allow Jezarian to put his head down and set his sights on them all as he handily got past Kafenbaum and Williams before drafting past McKechnie on the straight into third place. He watched as the leaders swapped position in exciting fashion, using the entire width of the front straight to try and shake each other’s draft. By lap 9, Amato relinquished his lead to Baribeault as electrical gremlins sidelined his Van Diemen.Baribeault added another win to his resume followed 3 seconds behind by Jezarian and McKechnie.
Reynard 90H Tested
Still undecided about class and chassis change for the 2007 season, G. Jezarian Racing were given the opportunity to test the fastest SCCA class, Formula Atlantic. Thanks to Shelton Lindsay and race engineer David Nuefeld of Shrimp & Peas Fabrication, their completely re-engineered Reynard 90H was offered for a test session. In the same way the Zetec car was much different from our current Formula Continental, the Formula Atlantic felt amazing.
The fresh Toyota engine was still undergoing it’s break-in period so our max-revs were limited to 8500rpm but the power was tremendous. I found driving a “ground effects” car a lot different from the flat bottomed FC car; the faster I drove the better and smoother it felt as the aero began working. Coming down the hill in 4th, the car felt more solid and planted than any car I’ve driven and I found myself overcompensating for the massive brakes which, along with the larger tires, allowed for much deeper and shorter braking zones. Ultimately, even with the fresh engine’s lowered rev-limit and worn out Hoosiers, I still managed to get a better idea of where I want to be for next year; there’s simply nothing like the feel of an Atlantic car. Thanks again to Mr. Lindsay and Mr. Nuefeld!
Pocono Race : August 8th
Formula Pro Racing ran their seventh race of the season under the sunny skies of Pocono International Raceway’s tight and technical East Course on August 8th. Fran Honeywell in his DB4 Swift Formula Atlantic led the 15-car field to the green flag and never looked back. The FC1 pole sitter, Len Amato had a first turn spin in his Van Diemen FC which gave the lead to Chris Terranova followed closely by Ric Baribeault, Doug McKechnie and Gregory Jezarian.
By lap 3, Jezarian dove under Baribeault’s RF95 in the high speed turn one and quickly took Terranova under braking at the hairpin. Lap traffic helped Baribeault sneak by Terranova by lap 5 but allowed Jezarian to widen his gap and take his first win of 2006. Baribeault took second followed by Doug McKechnie for the final podium spot.
In FF, Jim MacNicholl handily piloted his VanDiemen to victory followed by Arnie Levine and Gary Valone.
