2000 marked the third season that the Canadian Formula Ford Championship was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. Running as a support race for high profile events such as the Canadian Grand Prix and the Toronto Indy contributed to healthy grids and close racing.

The 2000 season opened on the May long weekend at Mosport International Raceway. This event was followed by the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and another popular venue on the calendar, the Molson Indy Toronto. Rounds four and five were the series only doubleheader weekend. Competitors would race on Saturday and Sunday at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. The next two events took place at Mosport, with races being conducted on August’s the first and last weekend. The championship concluded in early September at Autodrome St-Eustache.

The single-seater, open-wheel race cars in the series are powered by a four-cylinder, 1600-cc Ford engine, which produces120-horsepower. A mixture of European and North American chassis is used by competitors. Two of the most successful cars are constructed in Canada – the Aero and CMV. Minimum vehicle weight is determined by the suspension design and ranges from 1050 to 1125-lbs., with the driver. Teams are required to use a spec fuel from Sunoco (Ultra 94) and a spec tire (Hankook Z2000).

Round one of the 2000 Canadian Formula Ford Championship was conducted at Mosport International Raceway on the Victoria Day weekend. Drivers would compete on the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course for sixteen-laps.

The first lap into corner one for the opening round of the 2000 Canadian Formula Ford Championship. Leading the field of twenty-three starters is the pole-sitter, Jonathan Macri, in the No. 31 AIM Motorsports prepared AERO II. Behind Macri is the third-place qualifier, Matt White driving the No. 4 Britain West Van Diemen RF00 and the No. 7 Vector MG-93 of the outside front row starter, Jean-Sebastien Bedard.
Last year’s ‘Rookie of the Year,’ Jonathan Macri, joined the AIM Motorsports team to drive the No. 31 AERO II. In qualifying, Macri didn’t post his fastest time until the last lap, which earned him the pole. He led the opening lap of the race but lost the top spot to Jean-Sebastien Bedard, who would battle with Matt White. Bedard and White had issues during the contest and Macri would win by a margin of 21.66-seconds.
Louis-Philippe Dumoulin joined the Canadian Formula Ford Championship for his second full season of the series. Dumoulin piloted an older No. 99 Van Diemen RF90. During the qualifying session, he was only able to manage the fifteenth fastest time. In the race, Dumoulin charged to the front and benefited from the misfortunes of Matt White, Francis Macri and Jean-Sebastien Bedard to finish in the runner-up position.
Didier Schraenen was also able to advance due to his competitor’s bad luck and capture the final position on the podium. Schraenen was the fifth-fastest in qualifying but could not match the pace of the leaders or Louis-Philippe Dumoulin and Marc DeVellis. With Matt White, Francis Macri and Jean-Sebastien encountering issues and the disqualification of DeVellis, Schraenen inherited a third-place finish.
British Columbia’s Marc DeVellis started round one of the Canadian Formula Ford Championship in eleventh-place. An excellent performance and problems for Matt White, Francis Macri and Jean-Sebastien Bedard allowed the driver of the No. 67 Key Motorsports Van Diemen RF98 to cross the finish line in third place. Unfortunately, DeVellis’ car was underweight during the post-race tech inspection and he was disqualified.
Jean-Sebastien Bedard gave notice early in the weekend that he would be a contender. Bedard dominated the practice sessions and topped the qualifying timesheet until the final minutes of the session. He started second but moved into the lead on lap-2. Bedard traded first place with Matt White and Jonathan Macri until the sixth circuit when the No. 7 Vector MG-93 developed a mechanical issue. He finished eighteenth.
The No. 4 Britain West prepared Van Diemen RF99 was driven by Matt White, the son of the former Bulova Formula Ford champion, David White. He was gridded fourth for the start of the race and exchanged the lead with Jonathan Macri and Jean-Sebastien Bedard. On lap-12, there was contact between White and Francis Macri in turn eight. The incident took him out of contention and he finished in twelfth-place.
The podium for round one of the 2000 Canadian Formula Ford Championship at Mosport International Raceway. In the center is last year’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ and the race winner, Jonathan Macri. On the left side of the rostrum is the runner-up, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin. The final position on the podium is occupied by Marc DeVellis. DeVellis would be disqualified after his car failed the technical inspection.

POSSTARTDRIVERCARENTRANTLAPSRETIREMENTS
11Jonathan MacriAERO IIAIM Motorsports16-
215Louis-Philippe DumoulinVan Diemen RF90CHB Forest16-
35Didier SchraenenCMVDynatec16-
47Brett OslerVan Diemen RF92SPOC Telecom16-
513Gerry KavanaughVan Diemen RF91EDJ Packaging16-
617Melanie PatersonVan Diemen RF97Sunoco/Pennzoil16-
719Alex MichieVan Diemen RF98Tooling & Equipment16-
822Robert BoyerVan Diemen RF98Spasco16-
912Eric ParadisVan Diemen RF97Amusement 22216-
1020Steve PickeringVan Diemen RF90Transmissions Unlimited15-
1121Michel FournierVan Diemen RF94Simard Transport15-
123Matt WhiteVan Diemen RF00Britain West13Accident
138James YottVan Diemen RF98Groupe DKY Advertising13Did Not Finish
1414Michael GayowskiVan Diemen RF92Monarch Automotive13Did Not Finish
1518Tom ReinselVan Diemen RF97Broken Bones Racing13Did Not Finish
164Francis MacriAERO IIAIM Motorsports12Accident
1716Edouard AubeVan Diemen RF94Team Scalzo12-
182Jean-Sebastien BedardVector MG-93Scuderia LM12-
196Frederick MartelVan Diemen RF94Team Scalzo6Did Not Finish
209Ryan HorsesVan Diemen RF98Basi Autosport5Did Not Finish
2110Jon AdamsVan Diemen RF98Adams Racing4Did Not Finish
2223Hughes GuenetteVan Diemen RF97Basi Autosport0Did Not Finish
DSQ11Marc DeVellisVan Diemen RF98Key Motorsport16Under Weight


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