Kotyk Wins at PittRace
Wampum, PA - The first of three F1600 Championship Series races at Pittsburgh International Race Complex was won by Team USA Scholarship candidate Jonathan Kotyk on a near perfect Saturday afternoon at the high-speed 19-turn road course. Kotyk, driving the No. 81 Team Pelfrey Mygale/Honda, held off Zach Holden with two corners to go, with Holden trying an outside move for the race lead. The K-Hill driver would go on to finish second, while points leader Matthew Cowley brought the No. 80 Team Pelfrey car home in third and Mike Scanlan won the Masters Class.
Quotes from the Top Finishers:
Jonathan Kotyk:
"It was definitely a tough last lap and came down to positioning the car right. Missing practice yesterday for the Team USA Scholarship at Mid-Ohio meant we didn't get as many laps in. I was thinking there would be more cars in the battle, but thankfully we were able to pull away with Zach and come home with the win."
Zach Holden:
"There was not enough grip on the outside on the track. As I got out there and got on the power the rear end came around on me and I had to get out of it. Hopefully we'll come back strong tomorrow and take two wins."
Matthew Cowley:
"What happened was I made a mistake on the brakes in turn 17. I dropped a wheel on the grass and it caused me to have a big moment. Zach played it smart and didn't attack Jonathan until three laps to go and I had no chance of catch them. Third is still a great position and I haven't dropped too many points, so it's not a bad day."
Mike Scanlan (First Place - Masters Class):
"It's nice to be back here on the top stop. It's so ultra-competitive in this Masters Class in F1600. Joel Haas and I had an absolutely phenomenal race up until that last corner. We were just two people looking for the same piece of real estate."
Chuck Horn (Second Place - Masters Class):
"My engine cover is out on the track somewhere. To tell you the truth I didn't even know it was missing. I am not sure where it all went wrong but it didn't affect the performance of the car."
Rick Payne (Third Place - Masters Class):
"I wanted to get out and get some track time and thankfully Greg Rice and Rice Race Prep had a car. I enjoyed Indy and wanted to get out and run in F1600 again."
Full results are available on www.F1600Series.com. Two more races for F1600 take place on Sunday from Pittsburgh International Race Complex.