5/9/2013
Max Hanratty
Toyo Tires F1600 Championship: Exclusive Autosport Captures 3rd, 4th and 5th in Championship
Exclusive Autosport, the Canadian Spectrum Race Cars factory team, made their racing debut this past weekend (May 4/5) at the BEMC Spring Trophy Races in rounds one and two of the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship. Exclusive Autosport drivers, Jack Mitchell Jr., Thomas McGregor and Max Hanratty are currently 3rd, 4th and 5th (respectively) in the championship standings after a successful opening weekend.
In Saturday’s opening round, series veteran Jack Mitchell Jr. (in the #90 Exclusive Autosport / Spectrum Honda) was the team’s highest finisher. He started the race in 5th position and skillfully navigated his way into 2nd position where he and Scott Hargrove battled for the lead. Jack fell a bit short and crossed the line a few tenths of a second after Hargrove in P2.
Thomas McGregor in the #93 Exclusive Management / Dairy Queen Spectrum Honda, finished just off the podium in P4 after putting in a solid and consistent drive. Meanwhile, Max Hanratty piloted the #91 SynerComm Inc. / Exclusive Autosport Spectrum honda to a respectable 7th position Saturday.
The team set out to capitalize on the success of Saturday’s race in Sunday’s qualifying session and second race. The three Exclusive Autosport cars were not able to put together a drafting lap, however each qualified in the top ten. McGregor (#93) qualified P4, Mitchell Jr. (#90) P7 and Hanratty (#91) P8.
On the first lap of green flag racing Sunday, Mitchell Jr. in the #90 Exclusive Autosport Spectrum Honda endured contact from another competitor in turn 5 of the 10-turn 2.5 mile road course. He remained in the race, gaining a few spots, however took the checkered flag in 5th position. Jack is currently 3rd in the overall championship standings.
McGregor had a solid start to the race Sunday and was in the hunt for a podium finish. Near the end of the race, he looked to gain position on a restart but made a slight mistake which let the top three pull a small gap. McGregor pushed to make up ground however ran out of time. He took the checkered in P4 and is currently P4 in the overall championship and 2nd in the Rookie-of-the-Year standings.
Max Hanratty, finished Sunday’s race in 6th position. He put together a solid drive, making a number of skillful passes to gain track position and capture valuable points in his championship run. Max, who is relatively new to the sport of racing (having only started racing in the summer of 2012), showed grit, determination and consistent improvement over the course of the weekend. He ran the fastest lap of the three Exclusive Autosport cars during Sunday’s race.
Team owner Michael Duncalfe was pleased with the team’s debut, however is not satisfied with the results.
“Our cars arrived from Australia nine days before the first race weekend. The crew worked incredibly hard to have them assembled and running smoothly for not only this race weekend but also the Spring Fling Test and Tune Days at Shannonville. The cars, along with our Honda engines ran flawlessly. We had the pace to win both races, however Saturday’s race was cut short due to the number of caution laps and Sunday’s race we got jumped on the re-start. All in all, I am pleased with our debut, however am not satisfied with 3rd, 4th and 5th in the championship. We will be coming back stronger for the next race weekend and will continue on our hunt for the championship,” said team owner Michael Duncalfe.
Submitted By: Admin Account
