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| July 10, 2012 News |
| EFCN One-on-One: F1600 Formula F Championship Leader Brandon Newey |
 | Brandon Newey has used two early season wins to lead the championship fight as a rookie
(Photo: F1600 Formula F Championship Series - Valet) |
Brandon Newey is enjoying a great first season of F1600 Formula F Championship Series competition, leading the title fight at the mid-way point. The American racer recently took the time to speak with the eFormulaCarNews.com editorial staff about his early season success.
EFCN: Let's commence things off by discussing your expectations entering the 2012 season. Being as you are a F1600 Formula F Championship Series series rookie and you are driving for series newcomers Bryan Herta Autosport, what were your goals for the season as a whole, and the opening few races?
BRANDON NEWEY: Our goal coming into the F1600 Formula F Championship Series was, and still is, to win the championship. Even though we are new to the series we knew we would be able to compete for the championship straight away. The Mygale Chassis has been so great right off the bat, and the BHA Curb Records crew works really hard and they do a great job. Knowing all of this going into the first race gave me the confidence to know that we could win, even in our first couple races.
EFCN: You commenced the season in fine form, winning in the season-opening event at VIRginia International Raceway. How important was that in building momentum and chemistry within the team?
NEWEY: That was very important because we were all still trying to gel as a team. Being able to perform well that quickly really set the bar for the rest of the season, and everyone on the team wants to perform at the level we know we can. VIR was key to getting some momentum behind us to kick start our season.
EFCN: You are piloting a new Mygale chassis as part of a factory effort this season. What has then been like, being as you are not only looking for good results, but also developing the car?
NEWEY: The Mygale chassis has been awesome to develop this season. The car is very responsive to changes, and I know that if we continue to develop the car we will keep finding speed. I believe as long as we properly develop the car, the results will take care of themselves, and we will be right up front.
 | Newey has helped develop the new Mygale chassis while at the same time battling for a championship title
(Photo: F1600 formula F Championship Series - Valet) |
EFCN: What do you think has been the key to your early season success (two wins in the opening four races)?
NEWEY: The key to the early season success has been a combination of how fantastic the Mygale has been right out of the box and the strength of our team. These guys have worked so hard all season to make sure our performance is at the highest level it can possibly be at. Thanks to these two things, I always feel like I have an advantage going into the race weekend.
EFCN: Thus far your biggest challenge for top honors has come from an accomplished SCCA F1600 racer (Jeremy Grenier) and two rookies (Matias Koykka and your teammate Garret Grist). What has that been like? Is it easier racing, or more difficult having your teammate challenging you session after session?
NEWEY: All of those guys are really great to race against. They always race me clean and hard, which as a racer is exactly what you want. The F1600 Championship Series is definitely stacked with talent this year. Having Garett as a teammate this year has been extremely beneficial to me. He already has had a year of Formula 1600 racing experience, so he has taught me a lot and has helped out on the development side immensely.
EFCN: Looking ahead, what races are you most looking forward to, and which do you think will be the most challenging?
NEWEY: I am definitely looking forward to Mid-Ohio, our next race. Mid-Ohio is such a fantastic track and after having a challenging weekend at New Jersey, I look forward to our team bouncing back. I think the most challenging will be Summit Point and Watkins Glen, since I have never been to either of those tracks before. I hear those tracks are a lot of fun, so I am definitely excited to race on them.
EFCN: Finally looking at the big picture, what do you think will be the key to potentially winning the F1600 Formula F Championship Series title?
NEWEY: I think the key to winning the title is just taking it all race by race. It can be hard to do that at times, but if we just focus on the things that really matter, then that will give us a big advantage. There is still a lot of racing to do, which means anything can happen, and we cannot lose focus especially since the competition is so good this year.
EFCN: Thank you for taking the time to speak to us.
NEWEY: Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity. I look foreward to speaking EFCN and its readers again the future.
For additional EFCN One-on-One features, please visit HERE |
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