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| May 25, 2012 News |
| F1600 Championship: Koykka Continues Pole Streak at Lime Rock |
 | Matias Koykka will lead the field to the green flag in race one of the Lime Rock Park doubleheader
(Photo: F1600 Formula F Championship Series) |
Matias Koykka made it three F1600 Formula F Championship Series poles in a row, remaining perfect in qualifying in 2012 and leading the way for race one qualifying around the 1.53-mile seven-turn Lime Rock Park road course on Friday (May 25).
Koykka, driving the No. 10 Spectrum/Honda for Cape Motorsports with Wayne Taylor Racing, will lead the field to green from the SOS Children’s Village Pole with a fast lap of 53.5, alongside Brandon Newey, who qualified second.
“It’s a good start to the weekend,” said Koykka, 17 year-old and from Finland. “It’s another new circuit for me. We tested here Tuesday and the learning process has been good. The guys are doing a great job.”
Following race one on Saturday morning, and race two on Saturday afternoon, Koykka will road-trip home, overnight, to Ohio, to graduate high school.
Koykka will look to bounce back in the doubleheader after leading in the second race at VIR, but failing to finish and surrendering valuable points after contact with another car.
Newey, the championship points leader with two strong finishes, including a win at VIR, battled through a steering issue which limited him in practice one, and a fuel pump issue that left his Bryan Herta Autosport Mygale/Honda in the paddock for practice two. But, the American hopeful bounced back, thanks in part to laps around Lime Rock from his Skip Barber days, qualifying second.
Lining up third in his best qualifying in 2012 by far will be Roberto Lorena, from Quantum Racing Services in a Van Diemen/Honda. Lorena, from Brazil, rebounded from a big spin on the downhill section during the opening part of the session, somehow not hitting anything.
Jeremy Grenier qualified fourth following two top-10s, including a fifth place, at VIR in April in the No. 12 Citation/Honda, under the Eric Langbein engineering awning.
Garett Grist, part of the Sofina Foods Driver Development Program, rounded out the top-five in the second of the Bryan Herta Mygale/Hondas. Grist finished second in the last series race at VIR.
2011 Lime Rock race winner and reigning F1600 Formula F Champion Bill Valet failed to turn a lap during the 25-minute session in the No. 83 Swift DB-6/Ford with gearbox issues. Valet also noted that the rubber compounds being put down from the Trans Am Series competitors were proving to be a “challenge” with car handling.
Valet’s team expects to have the No. 83 ready to go for both races on Saturday, and now can look forward to challenging for the CellMark Paper Hard Charger award, starting last in race one. Race two’s grid will be set on race one’s fastest laps.
John McCusker will start near the back of the field, incurring a series penalty after missing a checkered flag in practice.
In two morning practice sessions at Lime Rock, which is the northwestern corner of Connecticut, it was Koykka on top as the temperatures rose over the short road course. In fact, no one else got close to the Finnish driver in the Spectrum as he was well ahead of the field with a fastest practice lap of 53.038.
The aspiring driver set that time in the first practice, followed by Art Foster, Grist, Joe Colasacco and Valet. In the second practice he was slower, but still the fastest, on top of the timesheets with Colasacco, Grenier, Grist, and Foster following.
The weekend continues with a short warm-up on Saturday (May 26), followed by F1600 races at 11:00 am and 4:00 pm local time, both 30 laps or 30 minutes. Live audio will be available for qualifying and both races at http://www.livestream.com/F2000
The top-three will be posted following every session on the EFCN Facebook page, and EFCN Twitter page.
F1600 Formula F Championship Series
Round 3 - Qualifying Results
May 25, 2012
Lime Rock Park - Lakeville, Connecticut
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Fast Lap| 1. | Matias Koykka | Cape Motorsports/Wayne Taylor Racing | 53.573 | | 2. | Brandon Newey | Bryan Herta Autosport | 54.103 | | 3. | Roberto Lorena | Quantum Racing Services | 54.582 | | 4. | Jeremy Grenier | Ski Motorsports | 54.671 | | 5. | Garett Grist | Bryan Herta Autosport | 54.677 | | 6. | Steve Oseth | DBM Racing | 54.847 | | 7. | Art Foster | Art Foster Racing | 55.075 | | 8. | Joe Colasacco | Auriana Racing | 55.258 | | 9. | Bob Detrick | Leading Edge Racing | 55.557 | | 10. | Mike Scanlan | ONP Racing | 55.770 | | 11. | Ross Devoe | Red Racing | 55.837 | | 12. | Doug Stout | Front Range Motorsports | 56.837 | | 13. | John McCusker | Dotworks Racing | 57.442 | | 14. | Sean Maisey | Maisey Racing | 57.538 | | 15. | Ed Callo | RECON Racing | 58.509 | |
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