Pittsburgh Season Finale Beckons for Series Leader Scott Andrews

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Exclusive Autosport heads to the Pittsburgh International Race Complex this weekend, 16th-18th October, in the hopes of wrapping up its first title in the United States as the F1600 Formula F Championship Series concludes with Rounds 19-21.

Scott Andrews has led the charge for Exclusive Autosport, the official North American factory Spectrum team, with the Australian holding the points lead from the opening round in April at Road Atlanta.

His seven wins to-date is a single season record and it’s a tally the 24-year-old is keen to add to in Pittsburgh having gone winless at the 2.8-mile track back in August.

Andrews leads his nearest title rival, Skylar Robinson, by a margin of 683-571 before dropped scores and by 671-571 with dropped scores. Exclusive Autosport, together with Scott, is taking nothing for granted and their goal in Pittsburgh is to lead from the front. While the Australian recorded one DNF last time out at the track, he also scored a second and fourth place finish to add to his points haul.

Canada’s Thomas McGregor will again pilot Exclusive Autosport’s second F1600 entry, the Saskatoon racer keen to elevate himself in the standings. Currently fifth in the points, a solid weekend in Pittsburgh could see McGregor climb the order to close his season on a high. August’s trip to the circuit netted the Canadian three top-ten finishes, with a high of fifth place.

This weekend also sees the series finale of the F2000 Championship Series with Exclusive Autosport’s Trent Walko seeking a maiden win in the category. The American teenager has matured into a front-runner and scored his second podium of the season in Pittsburgh two months ago. With four-straight front-row starts to his credit, Walko’s pace indicates that his first win is close.

“Our mission is simple heading into the weekend. We want to win the F1600 Championship,” stated Michael Duncalfe, Exclusive Autosport Team Principal. “We’ve led the Driver Standings since the opening round with Scott and we’ve put ourselves in a good position to capture the title in Pittsburgh. We have a comfortable cushion in the points but that doesn’t mean we’ll take it easy either. Scott wants to win more races and especially at this track. He had some bad luck last time we were here but his results were far from horrible.

“This has been a great season showcasing the Spectrum chassis and I’d personally be thrilled to emulate our title successes in Canada by taking our first American F1600 crown. It’s long been a goal of mine and together with Scott we’ve worked hard to get ourselves within reach of achieving that. At the same time we want strong performances from Thomas to bolster his position in F1600 and of course Trent in F2000, a win at his home track and his first in the class would be phenomenal.”

F1600 Formula F Championship Series - Exclusive Autosport Driver Quotes:

Scott Andrews (@scottandrews44): #94 Exclusive Autosport / Exclusive Management Inc. / Automobility PTY Ltd / Andrews Automotive / Spectrum / Sparco / Honda Racing HPD
Championship Position: 1st (683pts)

Quote: “This is a big weekend for me. I’m very much looking forward to the F1600 finale at Pittsburgh. I’m leading the series by 100 points, which really takes the pressure off.

"We’ve done a great job this year, as a collective group, to get in the position where I don’t have to risk anything unnecessary going into the last three races. I would like to extend my gratitude to Exclusive Autosport, Spectrum, my supporters back home in Australia as well as in the United States. They all make it possible for me to pursue my dreams. I expect if everything goes according to plan, we should capture the series championship this weekend.”

Thomas McGregor (@TMacRacing): #93 Exclusive Autosport / Exclusive Management Inc. / Dairy Queen / Spectrum / Sparco / Honda Racing HPD
Championship Position: 5th (495pts)

Quote: “I can’t wait to get back into the car to be honest. It’s been a long wait given the gap in the schedule from New Jersey at the end of August to this weekend. Our last visit to Pittsburgh wasn’t too bad and had it not been for some contact in the final race, a podium could have been there for the taking. We’re always in the mix, the team always gives me a great car so hopefully we can finish strong and get back on the podium.”

F2000 Formula F Championship Series - Exclusive Autosport Driver Quote:

Trent Walko (@twalko91): #91 Exclusive Autosport / Spectrum / Zetec
Championship Position: 6th (303pts)

Quote: “I really don’t want the season to end. We’ve been making real progress in the second half of the year. Our qualifying pace has been fantastic and I’ve been pushing up at the front in the races. I’d love to grab a win to cap my first full-time season in F2000 and I think we’re close. Exclusive Autosport have been tremendous to work with and I know we’ll do all we can to close out the season on a high.”

Round 7 of the SCCA sanctioned F1600 Formula F Championship Series and F2000 Championship Series at Pittsburgh International Race Complex gets underway with practice on Friday. Saturday 17th October hosts Race 1 of F1600 at 1:20pm EST followed by Race 1 of F2000 at 2:25pm EST. Sunday 18th October hosts Race 2 and 3 of F1600 at 8:30am and 1:20pm EST respectively and Race 2 of F2000 at 2:25pm EST – www.pittrace.com

Formed in 2013, Exclusive Autosport has quickly forged a reputation as one of North America’s premier junior formula outfits. Championship success came quickly under Michael Duncalfe’s leadership with notable achievements including back-to-back driver titles in 2013 and 2014 in the Canadian Toyo Tires F1600 A-Class Championship and in the Quebec Formula Tour 1600 Pro-Class Championship.

Exclusive Management Inc. is the official North American Importer and Distributor for Spectrum Chassis, designed and produced by Borland Racing Developments in Australia.

Series Links:
F1600 Formula F Championship Series: www.f1600championshipseries.com
F2000 Championship Series: www.f2000championshipseries.com
SCCA Pro Racing: www.sccaproracing.com