The new BGR Team Grote Piper DL7/Honda made it's debut at Calabogie this past weekend with Zacharie Robichon behind the wheel.
Calabogie Motorsports Park and the penultimate round of the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship finally saw the debut of the teams new 2014 Piper DL7/Honda. It was late in the afternoon when the car first made its way onto the circuit for an installation lap with Zacharie Robichon at the wheel. After an installation lap and then a short run to bed in the brakes and gearbox it was back to the trailer to prepare for the final session of the day.
Some technical gremlins in the morning cut the test day track time to only two sessions but in the final session, Zach was able to post some very competitive times. For a car that had never turned a wheel it was a successful first run. With no time to test prior to the weekend as the bodywork arrived just days before the weekend, it was straight into competition. With one of the largest fields of the year and some very stiff competition, the results from the first day were very encouraging.
Saturday's qualifying went very well with a solid 3rd place on the grid. The start went well and Zach moved up to second but contact on the second turn had left the car with a less than optimum alignment. Nevertheless he carried on and fought for a podium spot the entire run but with an ill handling car he chose to play it safe and brought the car home in 4th for a great result. The plan was to use the whole weekend to log laps and learn the new car.
Sunday yielded another 3rd spot on the grid and high hopes for a podium. When the green flag waved Zach was again quickly up to second and the fight was on. Ultimately 4th would be the result again as water temp would hinder the ability to really go for it and Zach was forced to drop back into clean air to keep the temps at a manageable level. Still, in the end it was a very successful debut for the car and with some small improvements to some air ducting the temp issues will be solved easily.
Bruno Chapinotti was making his first visit to CMP and qualified his Piper DF5/Honda in a solid 7th place. He moved up and was running in 5th when contact from behind sent him spinning and he fought hard to come back for a top 10 result in the FFA class. Sunday saw the continued progress of the likeable Brazilian and he netted a superb 5th starting spot. He ran just behind his teammate Zach for the first half of the race before making a small mistake that resulted in a quick spin. He once again recovered well to finish 10th in the FFA class but took the 4th fastest race lap.
"We are so happy to finally get one of our new cars to the track! It certainly was a baptism of fire with no testing at all but it was important for us to get some miles on the new car and start learning. It was immediately very quick and with virtually no time on it we are fighting for podiums. We should have the second car finished and ready for the final rounds of the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship and also hope to bring them both to the final weekend in the Formula Tour 1600 Series.
It is all about learning and preparing for 2015 at this point. It has been an extremely difficult season for us with the delay of the new car but we are more than confident that in the end it will be a very successful car. I am so thankful for our drivers Zacharie and Bruno and the patience they have both showed and loyalty to BGR Team Grote. Zach did us proud this weekend and never put a wheel wrong and took care of the new car when he really could have attacked but kept the big picture in mind and nursed a hot car to a solid debut finish. Bruno continues to get better and will definitely be ready to contend for a championship in 2015." Comments team owner Brian Graham.
Next up for the BGR group is CTMP September 12-14th. Driver announcements are coming shortly for the remaining races of 2014. Plans for testing after the season wraps up are being finalized and any drivers interested in getting into a BGR Team Grote Piper DL7/Honda are encouraged to contact team owner Brian Graham.
BGR Team Grote has put more drivers in the winner's circle than any other team in OFFC history and continues to strive to provide the perfect environment for karters to make the transition to the open wheel ranks. The winners of the past 7 consecutive years of Rookie of the Year will be
looking to continue that tradition this season. To learn more about the team visit www.briangrahamracing.com and follow us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/144083092268782/