1986 was the third year of Canadian Tire`s involvement in the Canadian F2000 series. The company`s involvement demonstrated its support of car racing and the development of Canadian racing drivers.

This season`s championship begins on the weekend of May 31-June 1 at Mosport Park during the Budweiser Can Am event. Next on the schedule is the most prestigious event on the calendar when drivers compete at Circuit Gillies Villeneuve in conjunction with the Labatt Grand Prix of Canada. Then it is back to Ontario for the second of four stops at Mosport. The teams return to Quebec for the Quebec Nationals Weekend at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. Back to Ontario, the series runs as a support event for Budweiser GT Weekend at Mosport. Round six sees competitors race on the Sanair Super Speedway tri-oval. Still in Quebec, the championship visits the temporary street circuit at Trois-Rivieres. The penultimate round is at Mosport, with the finale being held at Mont-Tremblant.

Cars in the Formula 2000 category are powered by a four-cylinder 2.0-liter overhead-camshaft Ford engine, which produces approximately 150-horsepower. Mounted to the engine is a Hewland Mk 9 gearbox with four forward speeds and one reverse. The single-seater chassis is a tubular spaceframe design fitted with an aluminum floor pan and fiberglass bodywork. The cars also use wings mounted at the front and rear. The whole package weighs just under 1,200-lbs.

The third round of the Canadian Tire Formula 2000 Series was held at Mosport Park during the CRDA President`s Trophy Races. Drivers would compete on the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course for fifteen laps.

A field of nineteen drivers head down Mosport Park`s front straight for round three of the 1986 Canadian Tire Formula 2000 championship. On the pole is the winner of the first two races, Richard Spenard in the No. 4 Pulsar Quartz sponsored Reynard 86SF. Sharing the front row with Spenard is John Dekker in the No. 51 Cesaroni Group Swift DB-3. Behind the leaders are Paul Tracy and Claude Bourbonnais.
Just two races into the 1986 Canadian Tire Formula 2000 championship and Richard Spenard was already favoured to win the title. Spenard, driving the No. 4 Reynard 86SF, beat a field of over twenty-five starters to win round one. He was equally dominant at Montreal, leading flag-to-flag and claiming the victory by a margin of 1.664-seconds. Spenard would capture another win in the series second visit to Mosport.
Early in round three at Mosport Park, Paul Tracy driving the No. 20 Rothmans Van Diemen RF86, is pursued by the No. 14 Cardinal Swift DB-3 of Claude Bourbonnais. Tracy was the third-fastest during the qualifying session and Bourbonnais was gridded beside him for the fifteen-lap contest. Bourbonnais would cross the finish line in third-place while Tracy would finish in the fifth position.
American John Dekker entered his second season of the series with a wealth of motorsport experience obtained in drag and road racing. Dekker also had a not-so-secret weapon in his talented crew chief John Hayes. In the year`s opening round, he captured the final spot on the podium and was seventh at Montreal. Dekker started second in race three but fell out of contention and finished seventh.
After a successful stint in karting, Paul Tracy moved up to F1600. 1986 would be his first year in the Canadian Tire F2000 series. Tracy was competing in the No. 20 Van Diemen RF86 with back from Rothmans cigarettes. In his debut at Mosport Park, he failed to finish but redeemed himself with a fourth-place finish at Montreal. Upon the series return to Mosport, Tracy qualified third but finished fifth.
Richard Laporte entered the third weekend of the Canadian Tire F2000 series second in the title chase. Driving the No. 5 Rotisserie Laurier sponsored Swift DB-3, he finished 2.7-seconds behind Richard Spenard in the opening round. During the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, Laporte captured a fifth-place result. But, his luck ran out during the President`s Trophy Race weekend when he could not take the Starter`s flag.

FINISHDRIVERCAR / SPONSORLAPSRETIREMENTS
1Richard SpenardReynard 86SF / Pulsar Quartz15-
2Geoff FosterVan Diemen RF85 / Castrol/AFCO15-
3Claude BourbonnaisSwift DB-3 / Cardinal15-
4Brian MalcolmReynard 84SF / Cardinal15-
5Paul TracyVan Diemen RF86 / Rothmans15-
6Alan LabrosseReynard 85SF / Spenard-David Racing15-
7John DekkerSwift DB-3 / The Cesaroni Group15-
8Stuart CrowSwift DB-3 / -15-
9John CaridiReynard 83SF / Demrac Engineering15-
10Chris SmithSwift DB-3 / Earl's Supply15-
11Peter SouchVan Diemen RF85 / Marigold15-
12Len CampbellReynard 85SF / TCK Services14-
13David DoskiCitation 85 / -14-
14Albert YueVan Diemen RF85 / -14-
15D'Arcy KennedyReynard 84SF / Signature Racing14-
16Molly ElliottSwift DB-3 / -13-
18John McCrakenCrossle 86 / HFC4Did Not Finish
19Dave HoustonReynard 84SF / Lexan3Did Not Finish
17AJ CesaroniSwift DB-3 / The Cesaroni Group1Did Not Finish
-Richard LaporteSwift DB-3 / Rotisserie Laurier-Did Not Start

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