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As was the case last year, the Ontario Formula Ford Championship schedule consists of seven weekends; for a total of fourteen contests.
The points system remains unchanged for this year - a competitor’s two worst finishes will be dropped from their total -
meaning a driver is collecting points in twelve of their best fourteen races.
The season kicks off in May at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) during the BEMC Spring Trophy Races. The next two rounds are part of the DAC Trillium Trophy Races at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Then the series returns to CTMP for races five and six. In early August, competitors make their third of five visits to CTMP during the BARC Canadian Touring Trophy Races. After a one-year absence, teams travel to Calabogie Motorsports Park, where they will share a pair of races with Quebec’s Formula Tour 1600. The penultimate weekend of competition occurs in mid-September as part of the BEMC Indian Summer Races. The CASC-OR Celebration of Motorsport ends the season in Ontario and determines class champions. The single-seater, open-wheel race cars in the championship are powered by one of two engines - a four-cylinder, 1600-cc Ford engine or the 1.5-liter HPD Honda L15A7. Both motors produce approximately 120-horsepower. A mixture of European and North American chassis is used by competitors. Minimum vehicle weight is determined by the suspension design and ranges from 1050 to 1125-lbs. Teams are required to use a spec tire – the Toyo Proxes R888. For 2012 the FFC class was rolled into FFB. There were two groups for this season.
The manufacture date for the individual car and not the model is used to determine the year split and if a vehicle is categorized as FFA or FFB. On the weekend of September 29-30, the Celebration of Motorsport closed out the 2012 Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region road racing season. It also meant that class champions would be crowned for the FFA and FFB categories. Drivers would compete in two heat races around CTMP’s ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.
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The first lap through corner three for the penultimate race of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship. Leading the field is the title contender Caitlin Johnston in the No. 68 Van Diemen RF97. Behind Johnston is the points leader, Michael Adams. She would lead the contest flag-to-flag for her third victory of the season. However, a thirteenth place finish on Sunday was not enough for her to win the title. |
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It would be another excellent weekend for Jesse Lazare. Lazare only completed one lap in qualifying for Saturday’s contest and started round thirteen last. He maneuvered his way through the field and grabbed the runner-up position - 3.791-seconds behind the winner, Caitlin Johnston. The next day, Lazare started on the pole and battled with Johnston and Michael Adams before claiming the victory. |
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Another rookie that ended his 2012 season on a high note was Jack Mitchell Jr. Mitchell had mixed results during the year, but a highlight was a victory in round five at CTMP. At the Celebration of Motorsport, he qualified fourth fastest for race one but finished seventh. On Sunday, Mitchell bounced back. After starting sixth, he drove through the field and finished 0.852-seconds behind his teammate, Jesse Lazare. |
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The top FFB competitor this weekend was Craig Willis. Willis was piloting a Canadian-built Aero II, a chassis which won the 1995, 1996, 2000 and 2002 Canadian Formula Ford Championships. He didn’t make his Ontario Formula Ford Championship debut until the penultimate weekend of the season, where he earned second and third-place finishes. At the Celebration of Motorsport, Willis collected two class victories. |
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It probably wasn’t the kind of championship-winning weekend that Michael Adams and his team had in mind. Adams competed in Saturday’s events driving the No. 59 Flagship Racing Services Van Diemen RF01. He qualified second fastest but retired on lap-6. Arrangements were made for him to drive David Clubine’s car in the finale. Adams started second and finished fourth, which was enough to secure the title. |
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The winner of the 2012 FFB championship was Paul Bollenbach. Bollenbach’s final weekend of the season was much better than his rival, Keith Lobban. The driver of the No. 7 Reynard FF90 qualified second in class for the penultimate race of the season and finished third in the FFB category. Lobban was involved in an incident and was unable to start Sunday’s contest, whereas Bollenbach captured another third. |
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| POS. | START | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | A-1 | Caitlin Johnston | Van Diemen RF97 | 15 | - |
| 2 | 18 | A-2 | Jesse Lazare | Van Diemen RF03 | 15 | - |
| 3 | 3 | A-3 | Shane Jantzi | Van Diemen RF02 | 15 | - |
| 4 | 6 | A-4 | Sergio Pasian | Van Diemen RF01 | 15 | - |
| 5 | 7 | A-5 | Zacharie Robichon | Piper DF5 | 15 | - |
| 6 | 8 | A-6 | David Clubine | Van Diemen RF03 | 15 | - |
| 7 | 4 | A-7 | Jack Mitchell Jr. | Piper DF5 | 15 | - |
| 8 | 5 | A-8 | Steve Bamford | Mygale SJ-11 | 15 | - |
| 9 | 12 | B-1 | Craig Willis | AERO II | 15 | - |
| 10 | 10 | B-2 | Andrew Mason | Van Diemen RF90 | 15 | - |
| 11 | 11 | B-3 | Paul Bollenbach | Reynard 90SF | 15 | - |
| 12 | 9 | A-8 | Marc Bishara | Van Diemen RF99 | 15 | - |
| 13 | 15 | B-4 | Mike Lee | Lola T540E | 15 | - |
| 14 | 16 | B-5 | Kieran Murphy | VanDiemen RF91 | 14 | - |
| 15 | 13 | B-6 | Keith Lobban | Van Diemen RF94 | 10 | - |
| 16 | 2 | A-9 | Michael Adams | VanDiemen RF01 | 6 | Did Not Finish |
| 17 | 17 | B-7 | Bruce Kitchen | VanDiemen RF92 | 2 | Did Not Finish |
| - | 14 | B | Alex Urbinati | Van Diemen RF92 | - | Did Not Start |
| POS. | START | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | A-1 | Jesse Lazare | Van Diemen RF03 | 15 | - |
| 2 | 6 | A-2 | Jack Mitchell Jr. | Piper DF5 | 15 | - |
| 3 | 3 | A-3 | Sergio Pasian | Van Diemen RF01 | 15 | - |
| 4 | 2 | A-4 | Michael Adams | VanDiemen RF01 | 15 | - |
| 5 | 5 | A-5 | Steve Bamford | Mygale SJ-11 | 15 | - |
| 6 | 8 | A-5 | Zacharie Robichon | Piper DF5 | 15 | - |
| 7 | 7 | A-7 | David Clubine | Van Diemen RF01 | 15 | - |
| 8 | 16 | A-9 | Shane Jantzi | Van Diemen RF02 | 15 | - |
| 9 | 9 | B-1 | Craig Willis | AERO II | 15 | - |
| 10 | 10 | B-2 | Andrew Mason | Van Diemen RF90 | 15 | - |
| 11 | 11 | A-10 | Marc Bishara | Van Diemen RF99 | 15 | - |
| 12 | 12 | B-3 | Paul Bollenbach | Reynard 90SF | 15 | - |
| 13 | 4 | A-11 | Caitlin Johnston | Van Diemen RF97 | 14 | - |
| 14 | 13 | B-4 | Mike Lee | Lola T540E | 14 | - |
| 15 | 14 | B-5 | Kieran Murphy | VanDiemen RF91 | 14 | - |
| 16 | 15 | B-6 | Bruce Kitchen | VanDiemen RF92 | 12 | - |
| - | 17 | B | Amy Castell | Zink Z10 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | - | B | Keith Lobban | Van Diemen RF94 | - | Did Not Start |
| - | - | B | Alex Urbinati | Van Diemen RF92 | - | Did Not Start |
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