Byrd and Minor Double Up on Wins while Ayrton Houk Scores Three Podiums in F1600 | Full Race Replays Included
It was a battle at the 14-turn, 4.048-mile Road America this past weekend as Formula Race Promotions (FRP) teams and competitors were back on track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. With F1600, F2000, and Atlantic competitors in action, Ayrton Houk was the driver to beat in F1600, while Scott Rubenzer flexed his muscles in F1600 Masters. Nathan Byrd dominated the Atlantic Open class, while 016 saw David Grant and Tonis Kasemets split wins. Timothy Minor showed speed in F2000, sweeping the weekend.
“Road America is always a blast, and we had three new track records to boot,” explained Bob Wright. “The park-like atmosphere makes it a favorite for families and friends, and sharing the track with Trans Am and other programs makes for a jam-packed, race-filled weekend. Congrats to all of our pole position winners and race winners. Only two events left to crown the 2024 FRP Champions.”
F1600
F1600 - Qualifying
1. Trevor Russell
2. Karsten Defonce
3. Sebastian Mateo Naranjo
4. Timothy Steele
5. Ayrton Houk
F1600 Masters – Qualifying
1. David Livingston Jr.
2. Scott Rubenzer
3. Bob Reid
4. Jay Messenger
5. Phil Kingham
Race #1
Continuing his winning ways and championship form, Sebastian Mateo Naranjo topped the results sheets in the first F1600 wheel-to-wheel race of the weekend for his sixth consecutive win and his eighth for the season. With continual lead changes throughout the circuit during the nine-lap race, it was still a battle coming into the final straight. With Mateo making his final pass to take the checker, it would be returning 2023 Champion Ayrton Houk on the podium in the second position, while veteran driver Scott Rubenzer crossed the line third, and first in the Masters category. David Livingston was fourth overall, second in the Masters ranks, while Theodore Burns crossed the line fifth. Rounding out the Masters class podium was Robert Stowell, for his first FRP podium.
Race #2
Setting the stage for the dramatic Race #2 battles, Aryton Houk, during the first lap, roared from his tenth-place starting position to lead the front pack of Karsten Defonce, Ted Burns, Mateo Naranjo, and Ethan Tovo. The customary F1600 position-swapping action ensued, and though tempered by a multiple-lap full course yellow, the final three laps were as dramatic as always. Contact on the final lap at station eight between Karsten and Mateo would put them out of contention, allowing Houk to take the checker handsomely. Theodore Burns, who earned a top-five result in race one, improved on that finish in race two to finish second ahead of Timothy Steele, winning with a photo finish for the third spot. Scoring the fastest lap of the race, Ethan Tovo showed the speed out of his K-Hill Motorsports entry to finish fourth, while the first of the Masters drivers, Scott Rubenzer, finished fifth. With Rubenzer taking top honors in the F1600 Masters class, the podium was completed by Phil Kingham in second and Bob Reid in third position.
Race #3
With a pair of podium results in races one and two, including a win in the morning race on Sunday, Ayrton Houk went on to cap off a triple podium, double race win weekend. Beating Theodore Burns by a scant .025 with a dramatic last-ditch pass at the finish, Houk claimed the checkered flag to cap off his single weekend return to FRP competition for 2024. Ted Burns was all smiles at the podium, having battled hard for the win in the high-speed chess game to finish second while Masters driver David Livingston Jr. and Scott Rubenzer finished third and fourth. Livingston celebrated on the overall F1600 podium in P3 before taking the top step for the F1600 Masters podium. Timothy Steele finished fifth overall as the top-four drivers were only separated by .671. With Livingston and Rubenzer on the top two steps of the Masters podium, Phil Kingham was able to join them in P3. While disappointed in his results for races two and three, Sebastian Mateo Naranjo posted a new track race record of 2:21.408 in Race #3.
ATLANTIC
016 – Qualifying
1. David Grant (new qualifying track record 1:57.528)
2. Tonis Kasemets
3. Matthew Butson
4. Dudley Fleck
5. Richard Zober
Open – Qualifying
1. Steve Hamilton
2. Charles Livingston
3. Paulie Gatto
4. Austin Holtgraewe
5. Robert Wright
Race #1
After scoring the pole position on Saturday morning, David Grant turned the fastest lap in the Atlantic 016 class in race one as he drove to victory. It was a Polestar Racing one–two finish as the second of the two Grants, Keith Grant, finished second in class. Dudley Fleck finished the nine-lap race in third, celebrating with David and Keith on the podium. Matthew Butson and Richard Zober were able to complete the top-five.
Nathan Byrd added a victory in the Atlantic Open category, while Charles Livingston finished second on route to the fastest lap in class. Steve Hamilton joined the top-two finishers on the podium as he salvaged a third-place result after scoring the pole position earlier in the day. Paulie Gatto finished fourth, while Austin Holtgraewe was fifth.
016 - Qualifying
1. David Grant
2. Tonis Kasemets
3. Keith Grant
4. Matthew Butson
5. Dudley Fleck
Open – Qualifying
1. Nathan Byrd
2. Charles Livingston
3. Steve Hamilton
4. Austin Holtgraewe
5. Paulie Gatto
Race #2
Sunday’s Atlantic 016 class was won by Road America master Tonis Kasemets with a new Atlantic race record of 1:57.998. After standing on the podium Saturday and qualifying second Sunday morning for race two of the weekend, Kasemets moved to the point and solidified the win, his first FRP win of the season, by .562. Crossing under the checkered flag in second was race one winner and race two pole position winner David Grant, with Matthew Butson rounding out the podium in third. Keith Grant put the second Grant name in the top-five in fourth, with Richard Zober securing a top-five result in fifth.
Nathan Byrd continued winning in the Atlantic Open category as he once again dominated the weekend, earning a pair of pole positions and two race wins. Left to battle for second, Charles Livingston was the best of the rest but managed the fastest Open race lap of race two, with Steve Hamilton in third.
F2000
F2000 – Qualifying
1. Timothy Minor (new qualifying track record 2:10.907)
2. Dane McMahon
3. Gabriel Cahan
4. Carter Sheets
5. Robert Wright
Race #1
Converting his pole position into a win, veteran and multiple championship driver Timothy Minor scored the first F2000 win of the weekend with current FRP points leader Gabriel Cahan in second. Still well within season championship contention, rival Dane McMahon finished third, while Robert Wright was able to gain one position in the nine-lap race as he moved to fourth before the checkered flag flew as he disposed of Carter Sheets, pushing him back to fifth.
F2000 – Qualifying
1. Timothy Minor
2. Gabriel Cahan
3. Dane McMahon
4. Cooper Travis
5. Carter Sheets
Race #2
Timothy Minor made his presence felt throughout the weekend at Road America as he managed to go two-for-two to earn a pair of victories and two pole positions. Dominating the weekend, Minor left the rest of the field to battle for second. Dane McMahon made a huge step forward in his championship chase by finishing second, while Gabriel Cahan had issues and fell to the tail of the running order after completing only six laps. With McMahon on the second step of the podium, Jonathan Farmer scored third in his first podium result of the weekend, with Vaughn Mishko and Robert Wright rounding out the top-five.
You can watch all the replays of the Livestreams this weekend:
FRP Atlantic/F2000 Feature Race 2 at Road America
Road America SpeedTour - Sunday Coverage F1600 Race 1
F1600 Race 2 starts at 5:16:30 - 5:42:53
Next up for FRP will be the penultimate event of the 2024 season over the July 25-28 weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Please visit www.RaceFRP.com for more information.
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