In Photo Finish it's Green on Top!

 For the final race of the VIR weekend, it is again Josh Green and Jonathan Kotyk holding the top two spots. They are followed to the line by Bryce Aron, Dexter Czuba, Scott Rubenzer, and Charles Anti. At the start of the race, Green got a mighty jump and led cleanly into turn one. Kotyk followed closely. At the end of the first lap, it was Bryce Aron in second, Kotyk to third, and Czuba in fourth. Ryan Bjerke, again showing up near the front, ran in fifth. Charles Anti was the big loser at the start, he fell all the way back to tenth, he has some work to do as a result.

With two laps completed, a pack started to form at the front. Green, Kotyk, Aron, and Czuba pulled out over a second on fifth place Bjerke. Scott Rubenzer follows in sixth and leads the master’s category. It didn’t stay that way for long though, Rubenzer lost some ten seconds somewhere on course, meanwhile Jonathan Lee in a Kent powered Swift got around Bjerke to take the fifth spot. Lee’s performance proves that in the right hands even older equipment can be competitive, it’s a true testament to the thoroughness of the Formula Ford recipe.

 Out front, it’s the usual suspects playing the game we all love to watch. Kotyk leads, his K-Hill teammate is in second, Josh Green is third with this Pelfrey crony on his tail in fourth. The shakeups continue though, Green soon back in the top spot, Kotyk to second, Czuba to third, and Aron to fourth. The four gentlemen continue to drive with precision, the draft ever present.

Six laps are now left to race. Jonathan Lee continues to march forward in the fifth spot, he’s running times within a few tenths of the fastest laps thus far. Ayrton Ori and Ryan Bjerke continue to hound him.

With two laps remaining, the top four had been biding their time, the order is Green, Kotyk, Aron, and Czuba. Down the front straight, Kotyk attempts the outside on Green into the turn one brake zone, it doesn’t work. In fact his teammate, Aron, gets the jump on Kotyk and takes over the second spot off the exit of turn one. They come back into sight in the turn fourteen complex, It’s K-Hill, Pelfrey, K-Hill, Pelfrey. They reach the timing strip, it’s the last lap of the race, they go three wide into turn one! Kotyk leads now! Green is second, Czuba third, and Aron is fourth. Certainly more passing is happening on the back half of the course, who will lead into turn fourteen?

It’s Green out front, Kotyk in second has a strong tow down the final straight, they go side by side to the line! It’s too close call! The finish was a literal photo finish. When a finish is this close, the race win cannot be decided via transponder, slow motion footage from the finish line must be reviewed. This accounts for any discrepancies in transponder placement. Via transponder, Jonathan Kotyk won, but after review of the footage it was ruled that Josh Green won by a margin of three inches. This is the closest race finish in F1600 Championship Series History! Bryce Aron is third, Dexter Czuba fourth, Ryan Bjerke is fifth, and Jonathan Lee sixth. Keith Grant won the master’s division, he finished eighth overall.