Brian Graham Racing driver Zacharie Robichon took home the trophy after a hard fought victory at the Canadian Grand Prix support event. The Formula Tour 1600 featured 38 competitors from across North America and after the dust settled the top step of the podium belonged to the Piper DL7 Quicksilver/Honda with two teammates also scoring top 10 results. It was almost a double podium for the team as Reid Arnold entered the final lap in 3rd but a small mistake saw him drop two spots at the checkered. Mikhail Goikhberg made his first trip to the Montreal circuit and ran as high as 4th and ended the day in a strong 7th place.

The fourth BGR car was also chasing a top ten but bad luck struck as rookie Ben Hurst was the victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. With a car that had lost an engine sitting on the exit of the corner and boxed in, Hurst was forced onto the oil left by the stricken car and slid straight off with no chance of recovery and unfortunately collected the unmanned car. Strangely the yellow flag was pulled from the corner once the driver had cleared the safety barrier but not everyone had yet been through that area to know there was a car sitting in a bad spot.

The factory supported team of Piper Racecars showed great pace all weekend as Robichon snagged the pole position by over a second in the Friday qualifying session. Goikhberg lined up in 7th with Arnold 11th, Hurst had an early exit after a spin and would have to start in 33rd. The Saturday race featured a great start by Robichon as he held the lead with the field in pursuit. Half way through the first lap he would however run into an issue as the car developed an electrical issue that left him with no power. He was forced to pit lane and the awaiting crew.

Arnold, Goikhberg, and Hurst where all involved in a cut and thrust race with Hurst making his way forward and putting on a great charge that saw him move from 33rd to 17th as the final lap started. That good run would come to an end when a last lap spin as he challenged for a top 15 run left him in a run off area unable to get turned around. Both Arnold and Goikhberg were fighting for positions with Arnold in the lead group till the checkered and posting a 7th place finish while Goikhberg coming home 10th.

“It was a great way to end the weekend with a win and fastest lap in the books for BGR and Piper Racecars. The pole for Zach was a clear indication of just how competitive the all new Piper DL7 is and only a cruel circumstance robbed us of a possible sweep of the weekend. Zach rebounded strongly as he started back in the field and simply ran them down and grabbed the top spot. Despite losing the lead twice on the long straight towards the final chicane he made the moves that would reward him with a great victory.

Reid is getting stronger every weekend and turned the fastest race lap Sunday and was so close to the podium, he now sits 2nd in the Super Series points, Mikhail also had a strong weekend and is 5th not far behind his teammate. Zach was not alone with some bad luck as Ben had two great runs come to an early end after two very impressive runs. He may have passed more cars than anyone else all weekend with his run from 33rd to 17th then again on Sunday all the way up to 11th before dropping out on the last lap of both races.

A big thank you to Marcel Lafontaine of Formula Tour 1600 and Jason Sharpe and Diane Dale of Toyo Tires F1600 Championship who make up the Super Series for the F1600 group.” Comments team owner Brian Graham.

Next up for the team is the VARAC Vintage Festival which is featuring F1600 this year. CTMP is hosting the event which will also feature a separate race for older F1600 cars as well as some past champions and historic F1600 cars which shaped the future of the class. It is a must see event for the true F1600 fan.

BGR is the Canadian distributor for Piper Racecars and is a factory supported team of the popular chassis which is built in California, USA. The all new Piper DL7 debuted late last season and grabbed its first win at CTMP winning the Al Craighead CanAm Cup. BGR has put more drivers in the winners circle than any other team in OFFC history and had a lock on the Rookie of the Year for 8 season in a row. With an alumni list that boasts drivers who have gone on to Championships all over North America to several starters in the Indy 500, BGR is well known as the place to begin a career in open wheel racing. To learn more about the team visit www.briangrahamracing.com and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/144083092268782