News 2010

BARRIE, ONT. (August 11, 2010) - The BARC Touring Trophy Races this past weekend (August 7-8) at Mosport International saw BGR Team Grote's Stefan Rzadzinski add another pole and win to his list of accomplishments with the OFFC. His teammate Ayrton Triolo also snatched his first podium of the season with a hard fought third place in the Sunday feature. In addition, a fourth and fifth place outing for BGR's Taylor Near, has him solidly in the lead of the Rookie class with four rounds remaining.

Rzadzinski rewarded his new partners who joined him for the weekend Shelemey Financial, Lube-X, Teckelklub, Myrtle Beach Fire & Safety Co., as well as regular supporters The ABL Group and Supertint with a fine pole position on Saturday, and led early in a great battle for the win, until a broken wire ended his day. Rebounding on Sunday, Rzadzinski placed his car again on the front-row in qualifying narrowly missing pole by 1/10 of a second in damp and treacherous conditions. Again he fought for the win, leading several times, before making it stick on the final lap to take his third class win of the season.

Triolo made his return to the team after missing the Calabogie rounds and showed that he is ready to run with the leaders on a regular basis. He set fastest lap in Saturday's race, and was in contention for the win until a late spin saw him drop to fifth at the finish. Sunday, he paced the field with P1 in practice and qualified his Canada Wide Reinforcing Steel Van Diemen third in class, fourth overall. Sunday's race was a typical Formula Ford contest, with a lead pack of six or seven cars swapping positions several times a lap, and when it was all done Triolo had his first podium with a fine third place finish.

Near put two top-five finishes in the books, and built on his lead in the rookie battle during the weekend. Driving his Toronto Stamp, Taylor Bros Truck Sales, Stanley Mfg, Design Parameter.com supported Van Diemen RF02, he is having a very solid debut season.

Kieran Murphy retook the lead of the Formula Ford B class with his fourth and fifth place finishes in the Class.

Nick Majors also had a solid weekend in the Formula Libre class, with a win on Saturday, a third and second Sunday in the wet weather races.

The team also had a busy test day on the Friday, testing both Mikael Grenier and Tristian Vautier of Star Mazda fame, as they logged some laps in the teams Pro F2000 car in preparation of the upcoming Star Mazda event during the ALMS event. Both drivers were very quick logging laps that would have been more than good enough for the pole at the recent Pro F2000 event in June.

Alongside the duo was team rookie driver Mackenzie Clare who had his first run at the "Big Track". Mac acquitted himself very well and posted some very respectable times by days end. In doing so, Clare became the first 15 year-old licenced by CASC under the new Junior program to run a Formula Ford at Mosport, having already run during the CASC Spring Fling event in April. Clare will continue his training with BGR Team Grote with more testing this fall.

"A very good weekend," said Team Principal Brian Graham. "Saturday was a little bit of a let down with Stefan's mechanical and Ayrton spinning a podium away, but the best medicine for it was a win and double podium for BGR on Sunday. All of our drivers showed great pace in the dry and the difficult conditions they faced on the Sunday. Nick wrapped up his first Formula Libre Championship on Sunday and we hope to add to that tally with the FF's in a months time. The all-BGR Team Grote front-row was a great photo op, and I hope there are more!"

BGR Team Grote is back in action on August 26-29, at Mosport International Raceway, with Majors competing in the IMSA Prototypes Lites Races in support of the American LeMans weekend. The stepping stone to the ALMS that was used by BGR alumni Kyle Marcelli last season. The event is also an opportunity to see another OFFC alumni Conor Daly in Star Mazda, as he currently leads the championship.

The Ontario Formula Ford Championship resumes at the BEMC Indian Summer Trophy Races on September 18-19.

BARRIE, ONT. (July 29, 2010) - BGR Team Grote enjoyed a near perfect weekend during Rounds Seven and Eight of the 2010 Ontario Formula Ford Championship, taking both wins during the Calabogie Motorsports Park doubleheader with two different drivers.

During the lone visit for the OFFC to the beautiful Calabogie Motorsports Park facility, the team welcomed series rookie Keenan Harris, as he joined Stefan Rzadzinski and Taylor Near on the short course.

Saturday saw Rzadzinski, who was featuring his new sponsors Teckelklub and Cast Steel Products Engineering, fight his way to the front twice to take the win ahead of teammates Harris (keenan-harris.com) and Near (Toronto Stamp,Taylor Bros Truck Sales, Stanley Mfg, Design Parameter.com) for the first team sweep of the podium in OFFC history.

Sunday saw what appeared to be a repeat, but with a handful of laps remaining Rzadzinski, who had qualified on pole, made contact with the lead car of Andrew Mason while attempting to overtake for the win. As a result, the two combatants were out, and that left Harris and Near to take the win and runner-up spot. For Harris it was a great debut with the team but did come with a price. He was still recovering from a broken collar bone from the early season, and after the podium ceremony had to visit race medical due to severe discomfort and pain. Near continues to build speed and surely will be back on the podium sooner rather than later.

"It was extremely satisfying weekend for the whole team," stated Team Owner Brian Graham. "While we were disappointed with the overall low entry for the weekend, it was nice to have the visiting Formula Tour drivers from Quebec join us. Taylor and Keenan getting their first podiums and the outright win for Keenan is huge. Stefan did a great job and is in for the remainder of the season to fight for the championship, and just like the rookie battle it will continue right down to the wire I am sure. We are anxious to get to Mosport for Rounds Nine and Ten and we are looking forward to having Ayrton Triolo back with us as he continues his rookie campaign."

Keenan Harris was also selected as the MK Technologies driver of the event, becoming the second BGR Team Grote driver to get the honor, joining Spencer Pigot. There is still a long way to go in the championship, and the fight for the title will come down to the last event. Currently with the drops Rzadzinski is the leader, with Caitlin Johnston second and multiple series champion Shane Jantzi in third. Taylor is the lead rookie, with Harris and Triolo hot on his heels.

Also competing at Calabogie was BGR team member Nick Majors, who continued his winning ways with two wins and a second place to build on his championship lead in the Formula Libre class.

The BGR Team Grote group assembles again for Rounds Nine and 10 at Mosport International Raceway on August 7-8, for the BARC Touring Trophy event.

BARRIE, ONT. (June 16, 2010) - A very successful weekend for the BGR Team Grote squad in the latest rounds of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship at Mosport International Raceway left the team wanting more.

Stefan Rzadzinski in his ABL Group, Supertint, KMM Inc supported Van Diemen came away with a pole and win on Saturday, and a fine second place behind CanAm Cup winner Shane Jantzi on Sunday.

Mikhail Goikhberg rejoined the team during the doubleheader, and lead Saturday until a spin dropped him to third. He also lead the early laps on Sunday, before a missed shift saw him drop to third. He was still looking good for the win, as he Rzadzinski and Jantzi battled on, but a broken driveshaft put an end to his day on lap nine.

Making progress every weekend this season were both Ayrton Triolo in his Canada Wide Reinforcing Steel/Trick it Designs Van Diemen, as well as Taylor Near aboard his Toronto Stamp, Taylor Bros Truck Sales, Stanley Mfg, Design Parameter.com Van Diemen. Both drivers are rookies and had stellar performances with lap times within 7/10 of a second of the races fastest lap. They held station with the lead quartet for the first several laps before loosing the draft and then settled in to a great battle for the fourth and fifth spots in the CanAm Cup, with Triolo narrowly missing his first podium, and Near in close pursuit.

Fabio Urbano with support from Altwood Doors, Urbano Electric, and Metropolitan had a solid weekend with two spirited battles with OFFC regular Tony Cove, and after finishing behind Cove Saturday he reversed that order on Sunday to finish in sixth in the A class.

"It was a great weekend for the team" commented team owner Brian Graham. "The Can Am Cup still eludes us and that is really getting old! I told Shane we are going to win that trophy, he may be in his 50's before it happens, but we will not give up. It was a special weekend for our team as well, as Grote was the supporting sponsor for the event and we had the pleasure of hosting many guests from Grote and their associated partners. The entire group of OFFC drivers and crews were super representatives for Grote and should be proud of the the show they put on every race weekend. Our drivers did an exceptional job this weekend, and I am pleased with each one of them. Taylor and Ayrton are coming on and will be fighting for podiums very shortly. The drivers they are chasing now have a vast amount of time in these cars and better get used to seeing them up front fighting with them. I must also thank our crew and our hospitality crew who hosted over 50 guests. Gerry, Dave, Tess, Theresa and Jackie worked very hard this weekend and made everyone feel at home."

The team will be back in action on June 26-27, with it's two libre cars at Calabogie Motorsports Park in a special Invitational event. The Ontario Formula Ford Championship resumes on July 23-25, also at Calabogie and BGR will be there looking for more wins and podiums.

Shane Jantzi made Formula Ford history on Sunday (June 13) at Mosport International Raceway, winning the prestigious CanAm Cup for a remarkable fifth consecutive year. Joining the Ayr, Ont., driver in the Ontario Formula Ford Championship Round Five post race celebrations were Stefan Rzadzinski and Caitlin Johnston.

Setting the stage for the annual European-style trophy race, the OFFC field rolled on to the high-speed road course in continued overcast skies on Sunday morning for qualifying. With the starting order for the fifth running of the CanAm Cup up for grabs, the 25-minute session proved entertaining to watch. In the end, multiple FF1600 champion Jantzi secured the pole position, just edging returning series racer and recent USF2000 National Championship race winner Goikhberg on the speedcharts.

The last cars on-track on race Sunday, the Ontario Formula Ford Championship drivers wasted little time putting on a typical great show when the green flag waved for the 2010 CanAm Cup. Running nose-to-tail, the top-four began swapping places on a regular basis, with Jantzi, and BGR Team Grote teammates Goikhberg and Rzadzinski all taking turns at the front of the back. Adding to the excitement, B class leader Steve Bodrug was part of the battle for position as well, dicing with the top A class racers.

A little further down the order, all eyes were on Warp 9 Motorsport's Johnston. The championship front-runner, starting at the rear of the field after missing qualifying due to double duty participation in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race, was turning times not far off the pace of the lead foursome and rapidly moving up the scoring charts.

Up front, Jantzi began to make his presence felt as the race passed the six lap mark. Working his way into the lead and routinely posting the fastest laps, he established a multi-car advantage over Goikhberg, Rzadzinski and Bodrug.

Attacking the high-speed road course lap after lap, the fight for the final two podium positions witnessed teammates Goikhberg and Rzadzinski not only dueling one another, but also coming under continued attack from Bodrug. The fight unfortunately shrank by one, when Bodrug spun at the bottom of turn two, rejoining back in sixth place. A few laps later, Goikhberg's hopes of taking home the CanAm Cup trophy came to sudden end, when he coasted to a stop down the front-straight with a broken drive shaft.

With a good gap between Jantzi and Rzadzinski out front, the attention turned to the fight for third between the hard charging Johnston and the BGR Team Grote pair of Ayrton Triolo and Taylor Near. The result was the trio running in close formation all the way to the checkered flag.

Jantzi was unstoppable upfront however. Never putting a wheel wrong en route to the checkered flag, the OFFC star won a remarkable fifth consecutive CanAm Cup, firmly placing his name in the Canadian Formula Ford record books. Standing alongside the Round Six winner on the podium were Rzadzinski and MK Technologies Driver of the Event Johnston. Bodrug, having recovered from his spin, took home the B class honors with a sixth place result, while Mike Lee was the top C class racer in ninth.

The Ontario Formula Ford Championship drivers and teams return to action on July 24-25, with Rounds Seven and Eight at Calabogie Motorsports Park in eastern Ontario.

Ontario Formula Ford Championship
Round #6 - CanAm Cup Race Results
June 13, 2010
Mosport International Raceway - Bowmanville, Ontario

Pos.	Driver	Diff.	Fast Time
1.	Shane Jantzi	-	1:29.553
2.	Stefan Rzadzinski	7.411	1:30.142
3.	Caitlin Johnston	9.914	1:30.333
4.	Ayrton Triolo	10.911	1:30.346
5.	Taylor Near	13.244	1:30.377
6.	Steve Bodrug (B)	29.979	1:30.054
7.	Paul Kostoff	31.685	1:31.277
8.	Fabio Urbano	56.483	1:33.201
9.	Tony Cove	59.046	1:33.416
10.	Mike Lee (C)	1:13.244	1:33.985
11.	Ken Soederhuysen (B)	1 Lap	1:41.483
12.	Mikhail Goikhberg	6 Laps	1:29.931

Stefan Rzadzinski exits Round Five of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship at Mosport International Raceway with another win on his resume, thanks to an impressive run in the wet on Saturday afternoon. Joining the BGR Team Grote racer on the podium were Jantzi racing's Shane Jantzi and BGR Team Grote's Mikhail Goikhberg.

A short time after a damp but drying qualifying session on the high-speed Mosport road course, the start to Round Five featured the field immediately fanning out as they went into turn one. Starting P1, Rzadzinski held off challenges from Goikhberg and Bodrug to lead through the opening turns. Behind the lead pack, Paul Kostoff's race unfortunately ended prematurely, when spun his Britain West Motorsports entry, impacting the retaining wall in turn two.

Up-front, despite dicing position, the lead trio were able to establish a multi-car advantage over Steve Bodrug, who was in turn steadily pulling away from BGR Team Grote teammates Ayrton Triolo and Taylor Near. As fans of Formula Ford racing at Mosport have come to expect, the opening few laps featured repeated changes for the lead between Rzadzinski and Goikhberg. The order behind shuffled early on as well, after Bodrug spun and continued in turn two, relinquishing third to Jantzi. The multiple series champion advanced a further position, when Goikhberg spun and continued in turn eight due to gearbox issues.

With the order now Rzadzinski, Jantzi, Goikhberg and Bodrug, attention turned to the rear of the field, where Warp 9 Motorsport's Caitlin Johnston was making a charge through the field. Having missed qualifying due to running double duty in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, she regularly turned times on par with the leaders. By the midway point of the race, Johnston was in the top-six.

Up front however the race story was all Rzadzinski, with Edmonton driver leading lap after lap. While Jantzi was able to initial close the gab, the reigning series Rookie of the Year met the challenge, eventually scoring his first win at Mosport International Raceway by 3.632s. Jantzi and Goikhberg completed the top-three, leading Johnston and B class winner Bodrug to the checkered flag. Mike Lee captured the C class win with a 10th place result.

The Ontario Formula Ford Championship resumes on Sunday (June 13), with morning practice and qualifying sessions. Round Six, which will also consist of the fifth running of the CanAm Cup, is slated begin at 4:15 p.m. local time.

Ontario Formula Ford Championship
Round #5 - Race Results
June 12, 2010
Mosport International Raceway - Bowmanville, Ontario

Pos.	Driver	Diff.	Fast Time
1.	Stefan Rzadzinski	-	1:29.110
2.	Shane Jantzi	3.632	1:29.393
3.	Mikhail Goikhberg	16.250	1:30.415
4.	Caitlin Johnston	44.358	1:31.382
5.	Steve Bodrug (B)	44.736	1:32.379
6.	Taylor Near	1:00.001	1:33.290
7.	Ayrton Triolo	1:10.262	1:31.992
8.	Tony Cove	1:20.478	1:34.430
9.	Fabio Urbano	1:20.805	1:34.417
10.	Mike Lee (C)	1:21.895	1:34.819
11.	Ken Soederhuysen (B)	2 Laps	1:43.891
DNF	Paul Kostoff	15 Laps	No-time

The Ontario Formula Ford Championship racers return to action this coming Saturday and Sunday (June 12-13), with Rounds Five and Six at Mosport International Raceway. As part of the annual Father's Day NASCAR event at the Canadian road course, the top FF1600 drivers will also do battle for the prestigious CanAm Cup trophy during the event.

While scoring vital championship points will be key for many of the Formula Ford drivers taking to the high-speed Mosport track over the weekend, everyone will want to exit the event with the CanAm Cup trophy.

Entering its fifth year of competition, the European style trophy race has featured some of the best side-by-side action of the season, with each win only decided through the final few corners. While the same on-track battle for position is set continue again in 2010, the format has changed. Under the guidance of OFFC Steering Committee member Brian Graham, this year's winner of the CanAm Cup will be determined via the combined results of Round Five (Saturday) and Round Six (Sunday) of the OFFC doubleheader.

No matter what format is used, everyone will be chasing one driver entering the event, Shane Jantzi. The multiple Ontario Formula Ford champion has won all four previous runnings of the CanAm Cup, piloting his Jantzi Racing Van Diemen to victory since 2006.

Jantzi, who also is on a two race OFFC win streak, won't have it easy however, as an impressive group of talented drivers are set to challenge for top honors.

Series and class veteran Caitlin Johnston has enjoyed a good start to her 2010 campaign, finishing twice on the podium in her Warp 9 Motorsports Van Diemen.

Reigning series Rookie of the Year Stefan Rzadzinski will contest his inaugural CanAm Cup in a BGR team Grote Van Diemen - having missed the race last year due to finances - with one podium finish in the two races he contested thus far in 2010.

Scott Beath enters the event having earned Driver of the Event last time out at Shannonville Motorsports Park in his Beath Racing Van Diemen.

Second year driver Fabio Urbano is improving each time he gets behind the wheel of his BGR Team Grote Van Diemen.

Rookies Keenan Harris (Britain West Motorsports), Taylor Near (BGR Team Grote) and Ayrton Triolo (BGR Team Grote) have all already shown they have the speed and skill to be a factor.

Last but not least, Mikhail Goikhberg, who earned a podium finish in the 2009 CanAm Cup, will return to the OFFC for the event with BGR Team Grote, having recently scored a win in the USF2000 National Championship.

The fight for honors will not be limited to the A class, as drivers piloting older cars will go head-to-head in the B and C class.

In the B class, defending champion Andrew Mason will have to fend of challenges from the always fast Gord Ross and Ken Soederhuysen.

Among the C class contingent, Mike Lee is expected to lead the charge, with pressure coming from Andrew Celovsky, David Duncan and Ed Luce.

The on track action for the Ontario Formula Ford Championship competitors commences on Friday (June 11), with four 30-minute test sessions. Both Saturday and Sunday will feature a 25-minute practice run, followed by 25-minute qualifying session prior to late afternoon races.

The Ontario Formula Ford Championship racers returned to action this past weekend (May 29-30), with Rounds Three and Four at Shannonville Motorsports Park. Multiple series champion Shane Jantzi proved unbeatable, winning both races from the pole position.

Making the lone 2010 journey to the Shannonville road course just east of Belleville, Ont., a number of the OFFC drivers commenced their event by taking part in pre-event testing on Friday.

Official race action got underway on Saturday morning via the traditional morning practice run, followed by qualifying for race one of the weekend doubleheader on the 4.03-km Long course. Showing no rust in his first outing of the season, Jantzi secured the pole position for the afternoon, leading fellow series veterans Dean Baker and Caitlin Johnston on the speedcharts. Andrew Mason led the B class contingent with the fourth best overall time, while Mike Lee was quickest of the C class cars, seventh overall.

In continued hot and sticky conditions, the green flag waved for Round Three late in the day on Saturday. Getting a good launch at the dropping of the flag, Jantzi held off an early challenge from Baker Racing's Baker, before settling into a fast yet comfortable race pace. Behind the duo, Mason Racing's Mason took over third place via first lap pass of Warp 9's Johnston. From that point forward the top-four remained unchanged. The action behind proved fun to watch however, as the Brian Graham Racing trio of Aryton Triolo, Fabio Urbano and Taylor Near battled not only one another but the leading C car of Lee Racing's Lee. The final order was only decided following several passes for position and a spin by Triolo. In the end, Jantzi scored a convincing win over Baker and the B class winner Mason. Johnston finished fourth, while Urbano completed the top-five ahead of Lee, the C class winner in seventh.

Returning to Shannonville one day later, Jantzi continued his assault on the rest of the Ontario FF field. In a repeat of day one, the Jantzi Racing pilot started from the pole and held off a determined Baker early on - the multiple series race winner staying glued to race on winner's gearbox for several laps - before eventually pulling away to a comfortable win. Behind the lead duo, the fight for the final podium position featured Johnston, Mason and Scott Beath running in close formation lap after lap. Johnston was able to hold the advantage to checkered flag, leading MK Technologies Driver of the Event winner Beath and the B class victor Mason to the stripe. Lee added another C class win to his resume, finishing eighth overall.

The fight for the Ontario Formula Ford Championship resumes on June 12-13, with Rounds Five and Six at Mosport International Raceway. As part of the traditional NASCAR weekend, Round Four will also feature the fifth running of the CanAm Cup, a prestigious Formula Ford Trophy race.

Ontario Formula Ford Championship
Round #3 - Race Results
May 29, 2010
Shannonville Motorsports Park - Shannonville, Ontario

Pos.	Driver	Diff	Fast Time
1.	Shane Jantzi	-	1:51.532
2.	Dean Baker	2.895	1:51.783
3.	Andrew Mason (B)	15.954	1:53.019
4.	Caitlin Johnston	16.965	1:52.804
5.	Fabio Urbano	1:27.001	1:56.957
6.	Taylor Near	1:27.459	1:56.186
7.	Mike Lee (C)	1:28.631	1:57.775
8.	Kieran Murphy (B)	1 Lap	2:04.062
9.	Ed Luce (C)	1 Lap	2:08.357
10.	Ayrton Triolo	2 Laps	1:56.550
11.	David Duncan (C)	2 Laps	2:10.313
12.	Gord Ross (B)	2 Laps	1:55.138
NC	Scott Beath	11 Laps	2:40.406

SASKATOON, SASK. (June 2, 2010) - Ayrton Triolo contested his second-ever race weekend in an open wheel race car recently, with Rounds Three and Four of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship at Shannonville Motorsports Park.

The track was a whole new learning experience for Triolo, as all prior testing in a car had been done at Mosport International Raceway. Triolo used the Friday test sessions to become acquainted with the track layout and work on car set up.

"The weather is much better than Mosport for the first event, we’re pretty happy about that!" stated Triolo.

By the end of Friday he was feeling confident for Saturday’s qualifying session, here he eventually posted the 10th best time.

"I'm not as far up as I had hoped for, but we can work from there I think," commented the teenager before Round Three.

For the race, Triolo had a good start moving into eight place by turn three. Quickly taking seventh by the end of lap two, Triolo seemed very comfortable in his BGR prepped FF1600 car. On lap three, the fourth and fifth place cars made contact into turn 13, hot on their tails Triolo moved up two positions, and was now running in fifth, with the fourth place car of his teammate Fabio Urbano (who also slipped through) directly in front of him. Triolo gave chase for several laps attempting many passes, only to have the door slam shut on him each time. Finally on the back straight he had a good run and made the pass at the end of the straightaway entering turn 11. Triolo then attempted to create a gap and pull away as there were only three laps to go. On the very next lap entering turn six there was a flag out for oil on the track. After such a strong showing, running from 10th to fourth, Triolo hit the oil and went into a spin, which relegated him back to the 10th position where he finished. A solid drive, although unfortunately ending without his first top-five finish in FF1600 racing.

"The car was running great; a little under steer, but manageable," stated Triolo. "I was pretty excited to get my first top-five, then that oil put me into a spin! I was so disappointed in myself! I blew an opportunity for a fourth place finish in only my third-ever race!"

Overall a positive outing for the 16 year old rookie in day one of his second race weekend.

The weather and track conditions were great on Sunday. Clear and sunny weather allowed Triolo and the BGR team to focus on driving and a better qualifying position.

Morning practice went well, with Triolo once again reducing his overall lap times and feeling confident about qualifying and the race. The teenager ended up qualifiying sixth on the day, a much stronger showing. Obviously more confident and better acquainted with the track.

For the Sunday race, Triolo got a good start, getting through turn one while holding his position. He then quickly sets about the fifth place car, making a nice pass early on in lap two to assume the spot. Triolo then sets his sights on the battle ahead. Triolo followed fourth and third closely, waiting for an opportunity until about lap six, when his No. 4 BGR prepped FF1600 began developing a bad understeer. For the remainder of the race he was unable to maintain the pace with the two cars in front of him. Focusing on finishing in fifth, Triolo elected not to overdrive the car. With a sizeable distance back to sixth place, Triolo was easily able to hold the spot, achieving his goal set for the weekend. A very good drive and his first top-five of the season now in the books!

"I thought maybe we could get on the podium for a few laps there, but then the car developed the understeer and I couldn’t maintain pace with the two cars in front of me," said Triolo. "I’m really happy and excited to get my first top-five finish though. That was my goal entering the weekend. We should have had two, but this feels great! I would really like to thank the BGR team for all their hard work and helping me to get here and have success on the track! I would also like to thank my partners/sponsors this year, Canada Wide reinforcing Steel & Trick Designs Fiberglass. I couldn’t do this without them. Now we will continue planning the rest of season, and I look forward to putting together a strong racing program with our limited budget!"

For Ayrton Triolo Racing partnership opportunities or inquiries, please contact Ayrton or Carlo Triolo at carlotriolo@shaw.ca or ayrton@ayrtontriolo.com and visit ayrtontriolo.com

SASKATOON, SK (May 19, 2010) - Ayrton Triolo, a seven-year karting veteran in the Junior ranks with five series’ championships and a 70% podium percentage, set about an open wheel race career last year. He was signed on as a developmental driver (at just 15) with Brian Graham Racing/TLM racing. Triolo amassed over 1100 laps on the Mosport full course and DDT track in F1200 and FF1600 cars, setting some very fast lap times throughout, while getting positive feedback from the team principles. Upon his final test in the FF1600 car last October, Triolo confirmed that he would debut in the Ontario Formula Ford Championship with BGR team Grote in 2010.

Returning to Mosport International, Triolo recently made his competitive open-wheel debut, taking part in Rounds One and Two pf the OFFC.

Following a successful day of dry weather Friday testing, Triolo was set to contend with very difficult wet conditions on Saturday. With a problem at registration, Triolo was not able to make it for the morning practice session. Everything got sorted out for qualifying under semi dry conditions, with the car set up left as it was Friday. In was an uneventful session, Triolo was content qualifying in the ninth position and looking forward to reaching his goal of a top-five finish in the race.

The rain came down for the afternoon race, forcing an unknown setup on the car, as Triolo had not run in wet conditions, missing the morning practice.

Triolo had a great start, advancing up to fifth, before the red flags waved, stopping and forcing a restart ensued.

Unfortunately Triolo was gridded in 11th for the restart for some reason, and from there it all went downhill. He was pinched to the wall in turn one and into a spin trying to avoid contact. He continued on, but never really recovered totally, finishing 11th. He reported after the race that too much rear brake bias caused the car to be difficult to control in the extreme wet conditions.

Overall it was a positive first outing for the young 16 year-old rookie in his debut.

Sunday the weather was dry but extremely cold, with a light snowfall the night before greeting Triolo at the track. With a positive outlook for day two, Triolo made it out for morning practice and felt confident for qualifying. He qualified in similar fashion as Saturday, with 10th being his final spot on the time charts. Not as far up as he had hoped for, but once again confident he could move up the grid and gain some positions throughout the race.

Triolo didn’t get the great start as he did on the original start on Saturday, but he did drive a superb and solid race to bring home his No. 4 BGR Team Grote FF1600 in eighth position.

After the race the teenager stated he was in a position to pass the sixth and seventh place cars for most of the race (as his times verified he was running faster), but they were really only leaving turn one on the outside or turn two as a potential passing zone. Triolo did attempt the pass in turn two, but became very loose on exit and lost the position going into turn three. He therefore opted to settle for eighth place and not do anything overly aggressive or risky in his first race weekend.

"I’m very happy with my first race weekend finishes," commented Triolo. "I will have to work on my qualifying though!"

"Ayrton Triolo, who was making his racing debut, did a nice job in the tough conditions running as high as fifth, before a couple of spins dropped him to 11th at the finish," added Team Principal Brian Graham. "Triolo drove superbly in his first-ever race weekend to a solid eighth place finish in race two."

"I really wanted to challenge for top 5 finishes on both days," continued Triolo. ""I feel I had the pace and the car to do this, but just fell a little short. Saturday we were there with a great start, had there not been a restart I believe I would have maintained that fifth position I had worked up to! With a couple spins after the restart driving aggressively to catch the pack I was leary of doing the same thing Sunday and that’s why I wasn’t overly aggressive Sunday. As for Rookie of the Year status, I think I’m still sitting pretty good and feel confident about the next race weekend!

"Overall the team was great and we definitely had the car to challenge for the finishes I had for a goal," concluded the Saskatoon native. "I’m really pleased with BGR, the crew and the race prep. I’m looking forward to a great season with them. I would like to thank my partners this year, Canada Wide Reinforcing Steel & Trick Designs Fiberglass for their continued support into the 2010 season. I couldn’t do this without them. Now we will continue planning the rest of the season, we are attempting to put together a strong racing program with our limited budget!"

For Ayrton Triolo Racing partnership opportunities or inquiries, please contact Carlo Triolo at carlotriolo@shaw.ca - 306-341-4103 - or visit http://www.ayrtontriolo.com

Brian Graham Racing Team Grote is pleased to announce it's second driver for the 2010 Ontario Formula Ford Championship. 16 year-old Ayrton Triolo will join the team for his first full season, after testing throughout the 2009 campaign in the team's F1200 program.

Triolo joins Brian Graham Racing's championship-winning Formula Ford program following a successful test behind the wheel of a modern Van Diemen this past fall. As part of a multi-car effort by BGR, the Saskatchewan teenager will partner fellow Rookie of the Year candidate Taylor Near under the team's awning throughout the 2010 race season.

"We are very happy to have Ayrton come to the team," said Team Principal Brian Graham. "He showed well last season in the F1200 car, and the fall test went very well in the Formula Ford. He worked well with the engineer and his feedback was quite good, which will pay dividends over the season. We have data from some of the OFFC's best drivers over the last few years, including lap records at the three of the tracks we visit, and that will be helpful to our rookies."

The talented young Triolo enters his first season of Formula Ford competition with Brian Graham Racing Team Grote having not only impressed in F1200 and FF testing, but also achieved good success in the karting ranks. Racing both regionally and nationally, highlights from his karting career include an undefeated campaign in the Junior 1 Honda class of the 2005 SKR Series, and a Rotax Junior championship title in the 2008 SKR Series.

In addition to flying to Ontario from his home in Saskatoon, Sask., for race events, Triolo, who is sponsored by Canada Wide Reinforcing Steel and Trick Designs Fiberglass, will spend time with the team at its Barrie, Ont., base of operations during the summer.

Triolo and Brian Graham Racing Team Grote are currently preparing for pre-season testing at at Shannonville Motorsports Park on April 23-24, prior to the start of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship on May 8-9, at Mosport International Raceway.

BARRIE, ONT. (October 27, 2009) - With the 2009 Ontario Formula Ford Challenge season now in the books, the Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing with Team Grote gang wasted little time in preparing for the 2010 season. With FF1600 rookies Taylor Near, Ayrton Triolo, and Mackenzie Clare all getting behind the wheel, the team recently had a very successful test day at the Mosport Driver Development Track.

While the day started with a damp track, it soon dried and all three drivers logged over 90 laps by days end. Working with data and coaching between sessions, they all steadily improved, ending the day within 4/10th of a second of one another. It was the first outing for Near and Triolo, and they both acquitted themselves very well. Clare who will not be of age until the 2011 season, showed good speed as well, and when he turns 16, he will be more than ready.

"It was a very productive day for all of us," stated Team Owner Brian Graham. "Both Ayrton and Taylor are products of our ladder system and we hope to have some announcements shortly on their plans for 2010. Mackenzie gets quicker every time out and is progressing nicely. When he turns 16 we will see him on the OFFC grid, and I suspect at the pointy end! We will continue our testing as late as the weather will allow, and then look south to warmer locations."

Mackenzie will continue with his testing program next season with BGR/TLM, while both Ayrton and Taylor are currently working on deals for the 2010 season.