Goughary Returns for Championship Bid

Goughary returned mid-way through 2012 with a Van Diemen at Mid-Ohio, battling through car issues, and coming back to finish fourth at Watkins Glen during the season finale weekend.

“In qualifying I followed one of the Spectrums and I felt like I was right there until the clutch broke,” Goughary said. “I feel pretty good about this coming year.”

Since Watkins Glen, Goughary has put some miles on his chassis/engine combination, contesting SCCA Majors events in Florida.

For 2013 he said Raceworks was doing everything to make the cars as fast as possible, including new parts, gearbox work and more.

“The goals for me are always the same,” Goughary continued. “The Championship is the ultimate goal and a realistic one. We are going to take it one race at a time. We will go to every event with the idea that we are capable of winning and do our best to try and make that happen.”

While he was a front-runner in 2011, the Series has taken a dramatic turn with aspiring drivers and factory teams.

“I am not convinced that the young guys are much different than anyone else with a lot of ability and desire,” Goughary added. “The fact that they are very good combined with very good equipment and very good teams, that is what is so hard to beat, the whole package. It will force everyone else to step it up.”

The veteran’s racing resume is page upon page, so why does he come to F1600?

“For me, I just love to race in big competitive fields. It is most of what I have done my entire career,” Goughary answered, from his Florida home.

“There is no other class in pro racing now that is as cost effective. In addition, open wheel racing keeps you incredibly sharp as a driver, especially F1600. Racing is all about momentum, set up and car control. This type of racing forces you to be good at all of that in order to be at the front.”

The 12-race/six-weekend season starts in Virginia, April 11-14.