Blok and Pelletier Developing Healthy Team Rivalry

Calabogie, Ontario - Round 3 of the F2000 Canada Championship, the May Madness Races at Calabogie Motorsports Park, was all Nathan Blok as he grabbed the win in front of a hometown crowd.

Blok has been on top of the time sheets all weekend in his Tenaquip Van Diemen. Not even an on-track altercation with a bird could keep him from snagging the pole and setting the pace.

The 30-minute race started with Blok taking the early lead over Britain West teammate Chase Pelletier and newcomer Jim Hallman. The leaders were side-by-side into the first corner but Blok was able to get position on Pelletier in corner 2.

Hallman had an off-track excursion on the first lap but continued only to have a throttle cable break and strand him on the track, his race finished.

Pelletier stayed right with Blok early in the race but was having some difficulty with Blok’s fuel overflow making the track slick in front of him. The slippery conditions made for a couple of big moments and when Blok was able to establish a gap Pelletier just concentrated on keeping it smooth and bringing it home.

Blok would cross the line 7 seconds clear of Pelletier and secure his 2nd victory of the season. Blok would also secure the fastest lap of the race with a 2:01.798.

It has been a weekend of attrition for many F2000 competitors. Points leader Zacharie Robichon was forced to withdraw from the event due to a blown motor in yesterday’s test session and Tom Drake had a practice session crash that sidelined him for today’s race. Drake and his crew have been working on the car feverishly and will be ready to go for tomorrow’s event.

Winner Nathan Blok – “It feels great getting my 2nd win of the season. I have a lot of friends and some of my sponsors here so to be able to win on home soil is really rewarding. The car was great and I am really happy we got that race in before the skies opened up. I just want to put my head down for tomorrow and see if we can sweep the weekend.”

2nd Place Chase Pelletier – “I got a great start and was able to stick with Nathan through the first couple of corners but when his car started to blow off a little bit of fuel through the overflow it made it very slick on the track. I had a couple of big moments due to the conditions and that allowed Nathan to get a gap on me. I am really starting to come to grips with the car here. The track was worse but I felt more comfortable so I can’t wait for tomorrow to try and grab my first win.”

Race 2 goes green Sunday afternoon and the grid will be set by a 15-minute qualifying earlier in the day.

Follow the series at www.formula2000.ca on facebook.com/F2000Canada on twitter @F2000Canada and Instagram @f2000canada

The F2000 Canada Championship is the premiere wings and slicks series in Ontario, sanctioned by CASC Ontario Region and proudly supported by Hoosier Tire, Stäubli, Lincoln Electric, and Move Motorsports Management. The series is comprised of a six event, double-header format and competes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Shannonville Motorsport Park and Calabogie Motorsports Park.