NA-F2000: VIR round one preview

F2000 CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SEASON GETS UNDERWAY AT VIR
A mixture of veterans and rookies will battle for top honors in the doubleheader

ALTON, VA. (April 18, 2008) - The third season of the highly competitive F2000 Championship Series commences this weekend (April 19-20) with over 40 cars traveling to Virginia International Raceway for Rounds One and Two.

After a highly entertaining 2007 season and a long off-season break, a large and talented field of Formula Ford 2000 drivers has gathered at Virginia International Raceway for the start of the 14-race F2000 Championship Series campaign. Entering the season-opening doubleheader, the list of drivers expected to challenge for both race wins and the series title is a long one, with both seasoned F2000 veterans and class rookies among those to watch.

Returning to the series for another season of competition, Noah Bystrom, John Dole, Tim Dunn, Al Guibord Jr., Rob Nicholas, Doug Prendeville, Phil Lombardi, Keegan Van Sicklen, Ricardo Vassmer and Jesse Yorio all believe their experience and skill will lead them towards a successful year of racing. Bystrom, driving for series newcomers ZSports Midwest, scored a win in 2007, while John Dole, who operates a private outfit, finished among the top-10 five times last year. Piloting an R-Sport entry, Dunn captured a win in a limited campaign last season, whereas Guibord Jr., driving for ADSA/Wright Racing, finished ninth in the championship fight one year ago. Nicholas, a K-Fast Racing pilot, has been a title contender since the series inception, while Andersen Racing's Prendeville showcased his racecraft in '07 while developing a new chassis. Both GTP Motorsports' Lombardi and VS Racing's VanSicklen are former series race winners, as is Andersen Racing's Vassmer, while Yorio is a proven front-runner, piloting a Piper Racing entry.

Not to be outdone, the 2008 rookie crop features more than its share of talented pilots, with Remy Audette, Jonny Baker, Bobby Caldwell, Matthew Inge, Anders Krohn, Kyle Marcelli, Chris Miller, Brian Novak and Mirl Swan set to get behind the wheel. Audette, of Audette Racing, enters the 2008 campaign as the Quebec-based Formula Tour 1600 champion, while Andersen Racing's Baker raced in the Star Mazda Championship last season and was previously a FF front-runner in England. Caldwell, driving a family run car, is a SCCA Club Racing race winner, whereas Matthew Inge, racing with St. Clair Motorsport, is the reigning FCM FE Championship Series Southeast champion. Krohn, making his North American debut with Andersen Racing, enters the series as the Dutch and Benelux FF runner-up, while Brian Graham Racing's Marcelli was the Ontario Formula Ford Challenge champion in his rookie season of car racing last year. Both Novak and Swan are former SCCA National champions, with the Team Piper driver having captured the Formula 500 gold medal one year ago, and the Swan Racing pilot having earned the Formula Atlantic title in 2006.

The racing action at VIR commenced on Thursday (April 17th) with a series test day open to all the competitors. Today, the event officially gets underway with two 25-minute practice sessions around the 3.27-mile road course. Both Saturday and Sunday will feature a 25-minute morning qualifying session, followed by Rounds One and Two later in the day. Both races will be 14 laps or 30-minutes in length. eFormulaCarNews.com will be attendance at Virginia International Raceway, providing extensive coverage of all the action. Live news, notes and results from the track will be available in the official EFCN Trackside Live discussion thread, while reports will be available on eFormulaCarNews.com in the news section.

About the F2000 Championship Series:
The F2000 Championship Series is the most well-supported two-liter open wheel formula car series in North America. It is based on the simple concept of great tracks, ample seat time, affordability; and most importantly, fantastic competition. With its mix of seasoned vets and young up-and-coming talents, it provides some of the best open wheel racing in the country. The series runs a six-weekend, 12-race schedules that travels to facilities such of Virginia International Raceway, Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta, Mid-Ohio, Mosport International Raceway and the soon-to-open New Jersey Motorsports Park. For more information, please visit www.f2000championshipseries.com

-credit: f2000