The F1600 Championship Series was created by the

SCCA The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...

in 2011. The series is organized by Formula Race Promotions, the same organization which organizes the

F2000 Championship Series The F2000 Championship Series is a North American–based open wheel road racing series based on Formula Continental, a wings and slicks series that is designed to be the second step after Formula F 1600. The series utilizes the 2.0L powerplan ...

, and sanctioned by

SCCA Pro Racing SCCA Pro Racing is the pro racing division of the Sports Car Club of America. SCCA Pro Racing was formed in 1963, the company is a fully owned subsidiary of SCCA. Current Championships Since the beginning in 1963 SCCA Pro Racing sanctioned variou ...

. It is a series whose champion is eligible for the

Road to Indy A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

Shootout provided the driver is of an eligible age, and has the necessary skills to operate such machine.

The Series

The class operates under the same rules as the SCCA Formula F. Therefore, many drivers from the local club racing scene make their appearance in the national series.

2011 Season

The first year saw many club racers and well established constructors racing in the series. Most cars were

Van Diemen Van Diemen International, Ltd. was a British race car manufacturer based in Snetterton, Norfolk, United Kingdom. The company had a reputation for high-volume production runs of its cars, the most well-known of which is its series of Formula For ...

Piper Piper may refer to: People * Piper (given name) * Piper (surname) Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics * Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe * Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe Television * Piper Chapman, lea ...

Swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...

. Cape Motorsports began a collaboration with the Australian constructor

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

. Spectrum had already many years of

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...

experience in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. This also saw the introduction of Australian driver Mitch Martin who raced 2 races and scored a pole position and 2 second-place finishes. Volkswagen Jetta Cup graduate Wyatt Gooden made four appearances and scored 4 wins, this placed him sixth in the championship. Gooden went on to race in the

and

USF2000 The USF2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires is an American racing series using the American variation of the Formula Ford formula, "F2000", that resumed operation for the 2010 season. As of 2022, it is sanctioned by the United States Auto ...

. Bill Valet, who went on to win the inaugural championship, scored two wins but with seven podium finishes he outscored Tim Kautz (second) and Jim Goughary, Jr. (third).

2012 Season

2012 saw the addition of

Bryan Herta Autosport Bryan Herta Autosport is an American auto racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and the Michelin Pilot Challenge. It is owned by former IndyCar driver Bryan Herta. The team won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dan Wheldon. In 2016 ...

with drivers

Brandon Newey Brandon Newey (born August 18, 1992) is an American racing driver. He was classified second in the 2012 F1600 Championship Series season. In 2014 he is competing in the Pro Mazda Championship. Karting Brandon started his career in karts at Ne ...

and Canadian

Garett Grist Garett Grist (born April 9, 1995 in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada) is a racing driver. Grist made his professional debut in the 2013 U.S. F2000 National Championship from Andretti Autosport. In 2014 moved up the Road to Indy ladder into the Pro Mazda ...

. Bryan Herta Autosport became the official importer of

Mygale Mygale Racing Car Constructor (Mygale SARL) is a French racing car manufacturer that specialises in the production of single seater chassis for use in formula racing. It is most notable for its Formula Ford chassis. Mygale also produces the cha ...

cars in the United States. This saw the introduction of the Mygale SJ12 in the F1600 Championship Series. Brandon Newey went on to win four races and score a second place in the championship. Cape Motorsports won the drivers championship with Finnish Formula Ford graduate

Matias Köykkä Matias Köykkä (born November 23, 1994) is a Finnish racing driver. He won the 2012 F1600 Championship Series. Karting career Matias started karting when he was 8 years old in the Finnish 'Raket' class. His father entered him in races until 2 ...

. Köykkä won four races but due to more fastest race laps he won the championship over Newey. Australian

Shae Davies Shae Davies (born 8 March 1990) is an Australian professional racing driver. A Super2 Series veteran, Davies briefly drove for Erebus Motorsport during the 2016 V8 Supercars season. He currently competes in the S5000 Australian Drivers' Champ ...

, teammate of Köykkä, won three races out of six entries. A total of 46 drivers entered the 2012 season.

2013 Season

Carbir Carbir Race Cars is an American race car constructor. History Sports 2000 Carbir Race Cars was founded in 1995. The first car to be designed and produced was the Carbir CS2. The Carbir CS2 went on to dominate the American Cities Racing League ...

was to return in Formula F as a constructor with a factory entry. The Carbir was to be driven by SCCA Formula Ford stand out Reid Hazelton but was unable to enter any races in 2013. It is assumed financial setbacks hampered the Carbir factory. The season starts 13 April. 2013 also sees the introduction of a 'Masters' class. The Masters class will be available for drivers that are 40 years old and up.

Cars

All standard Formula Ford cars are allowed into the series. Due to rule changes in Formula Ford across Europe in early 2012 the F1600 Championship Series had to act. They acted in a way which allowed the Formula Ford Duratec car, when Ford Kent powered, into the series. Alongside the Van Diemen, Mygale and other cars there are also privately manufactured Formula Ford cars allowed like the 'Wiver'. Before the year 2011 the SCCA only allowed the Ford Kent engine in Formula Ford. As of 2011 the Honda Fit engine is allowed in the renamed Formula F.

Champions

References

External links

F1600 Championship Series
{{Formula Ford years Sports Car Club of America Recurring sporting events established in 2011