2023 Atlantic Championship


2023 Atlantic Championship Series season
Season
Races10
Start dateMarch 23
End dateAugust 20
Awards
016 Class Champion
Open Class Champion		 Jimmy Simpson
Austin Hill

The 2023 Atlantic Championship Series season was the tenth season of the revived Atlantic Championship. The series is organized by Formula Race Promotions and sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing.

The season was held over five weekends from March to August 2023.[1]

Jimmy Simpson and Austin Hill won the 016 Class and Open Class titles respectively. Both clinched their titles during the penultimate race weekend at Road America.

Drivers

Drivers competed in two classes, either in the 016 Class or in the Open Class.

016 Class entries

Team No. Driver Car Rounds
K-Hill Motorsports 6 Christopher Ash Swift 016 1
67 3
24 Matthew Butson 2006 Swift 016a 5
21[a] Jimmy Simpson 2006 Swift 016-A 1–4
Tõnis Kasemets 2006 Swift 016 4
63 Jim Booth 2005 Swift 016/Mazda 1–2
66 Richard Zober 2006 Swift 016a Mazda 1–2, 4–5
74 Dudley Fleck 2006 Swift 016 Mazda 1–2, 4
84 Peter Ruggiero 2006 Swift 016a 4
Polestar 29 David Grant 2006 Swift 016 3–4
40 Keith Grant 2017 PMR-17 1, 3–4
Ave Motorsports 44 Tony Ave 2005 Swift 016/Mazda/2300 1
One Motorsports 71 Chip Romer 2006 Swift 016 1, 3–4
Source:[2][3][4][5][6]

Open Class entries

Team No. Driver Car Rounds
JENSEN 1 Oliver Westling 2019 Ligier JS F3 2
2 Everett Stack 2018 Ligier JS F4 5
IGY6 Motorsports 3 Hayden Bowlsbey Ligier JS F3 2
Puma 5 Robert Wright 2022 Ligier JS F3 1, 4
K-Hill Motorsports 06 Bruce Hamilton 2001 Swift 014 MZR 4–5
32 Kirk Kindsfater 2002 Swift 014 FA 4
Austin Hill Motorsports 8 Austin Hill 2019 Ligier JS F3 1–4
Robert Talbott Motorsports 17 Bob Corliss 2001 Swift 014.a 1, 3–5
Wisko Racing 63 Jim Booth 2018 Ligier 4
Antonelli Law 171 Jeffrey Antonelli 2006 Star Pro Mazda 4
Source:[2][3][4][5][6]

Race calendar

The schedule was announced on October 12, 2022. The series did not return to Barber Motorsports Park, instead opting for a round at Summit Point Motorsports Park for the first time since 2018.

Round Circuit Date Support bill Map of circuit locations
1 R1 Road Atlanta, Braselton March 25 SVRA Sprint Series & Endurance
Trans-Am Series
R2 March 26
2 R1 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington April 29 FRP race weekend (F2000, F1600)
Formula Vee Challenge Cup
R2 April 30
3 R1 Pittsburgh International Race Complex, Wampum June 10 FRP race weekend (F2000, F1600)
Formula Vee Challenge Cup
R2 June 11
4 R1 Road America, Elkhart Lake July 8 Trans-Am Series
FRP race weekend (F2000, F1600)
R2 July 9
5 R1 Summit Point Motorsports Park, Summit Point August 19 SVRA Sprint Series
Formula Vee Challenge Cup
R2 August 20

Race results

Round Circuit 016 Class Open Class
Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver
1 R1 Road Atlanta Tony Ave Keith Grant Jimmy Simpson Austin Hill Bob Corliss Austin Hill
R2 Jimmy Simpson Jimmy Simpson Austin Hill Austin Hill
2 R1 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Jimmy Simpson Jimmy Simpson Jimmy Simpson Hayden Bowlsbey Hayden Bowlsbey Hayden Bowlsbey
R2 Jimmy Simpson Jimmy Simpson Jimmy Simpson Austin Hill Austin Hill Hayden Bowlsbey
3 R1 Pittsburgh International Race Complex Jimmy Simpson Jimmy Simpson Jimmy Simpson Bob Corliss Bob Corliss Austin Hill
R2 Jimmy Simpson Keith Grant Keith Grant Austin Hill Austin Hill Austin Hill
4 R1 Road America Jimmy Simpson David Grant Jimmy Simpson Austin Hill Austin Hill Austin Hill
R2 David Grant Tõnis Kasemets David Grant Bruce Hamilton Bruce Hamilton Kirk Kindsfater
5 R1 Summit Point Motorsports Park Matthew Butson Matthew Butson Matthew Butson Bruce Hamilton Bruce Hamilton Bruce Hamilton
R2 Matthew Butson Matthew Butson Matthew Butson Bruce Hamilton Bruce Hamilton Bruce Hamilton

Season summary

The 2023 season of the Atlantic Championship began at Road Atlanta with pole positions for Tony Ave and Austin Hill in the 016 and Open Classes. Ave retired, leaving Jimmy Simpson to defend from a faster Keith Grant, who could not find a way by. Similarly, Bob Corliss was also faster than Hill, but also had to be content with second place. Wright was third in the Open Class and Romer in the 016 Class. Simpson dominated the 016 field in race two, ahead of a photo-finish between Dudley Fleck and Romer. Hill was the only finishing car in the Open Class. Two double wins saw Simpson and Hill head their classes' standings after the weekend.[7]

Rain was once again on the agenda as the field headed to Mid-Ohio. In the 016 class, Simpson established himself as a title contender early on when he took both pole positions and won both races by over ten seconds. Behind him, Fleck and Richard Zober completed the podium both times as only four drivers entered the class. The picture was less clear in the Open Class, as Hill was the only driver to have entered both rounds so far. New entry Hayden Bowlsbey swept race one and fought past Hill to also take the second victory. Both class leaders grew their points advantage in the standings.[8]

The third event was held at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, and familiar faces were on top in qualifying. Simpson swept 016 qualifying while Corliss and Hill shared Open class pole positions. The first race saw Simpson convert his pole position to a win, ahead of David and Keith Grant. Corliss meanwhile had to give up his first place to Hill. Race two was the first race not won by Simpson, as Keith Grant took first place. Simpson still came second, ahead of Romer. Hill was the only Open Class entry to start race two, so he took an unchallenged first place. Simpson and Hill once again extended their points lead.[9]

The fourth round at Road America saw the biggest field of the season, with 15 cars entered. Simpson was still the man to beat, as he took race one pole position and the win ahead of David Grant and Fleck. For Hill, the story was the same, as he also won from pole, leading Kirk Kindsfater and Bruce Hamilton. Simpson handed his car to Tõnis Kasemets for race two. David Grant took pole position and the win, ahead of Kasemets and Keith Grant. Hill had to retire his car, handing Kindsfater the Open Class win, with polesitter Hamilton and Jim Booth completing the podium. Simpson and Hill had now both amassed an unreachable lead in their classes.[10]

Both class champions did not attend the final round at Summit Point. Matthew Butson swept the weekend in the 016 Class, taking both pole positions and wins ahead of Richard Zober, the only two drivers in the class. Zober consolidated his second place in the class, albeit still 82 points behind Simpson. The field was similarly small in the Open Class, with only three cars entered. Hamilton also swept both qualifyings and races in his class, ahead of Everett Stack, while Corliss was unable to start both races. Double-winner Hamilton was therefore able to overtake Corliss for second in the standings, 161 points behind champion Hill.[11]

Standings

Scoring system

Three points were awarded for pole position in each class, as well as two more points for the fastest lap per race per class.

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th   11th   12th   13th   14th   15th   16th   17th   18th   19th   20th   21st   22nd   23rd   24th   25th+ 
Points 50 42 37 34 31 29 27 25 23 21 19 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

016 Class standings

Pos Driver ATL MOH PIT ROA SUM Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
1 Jimmy Simpson 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 DNS 365
2 Richard Zober 4 5 3 3 5 6 2 2 283
3 Dudley Fleck 7 2 2 2 3 5 221
4 Chip Romer 3 3 4 3 4 4 213
5 Keith Grant 2 4 3 1 Ret 3 205
6 David Grant 2 Ret 2 1 140
7 Jim Booth 6 6 4 4 126
8 Matthew Butson 1 1 110
9 Christopher Ash 5 Ret 5† 4 96
10 Tõnis Kasemets DNS 2 44
11 Peter Ruggiero 6 Ret 30
12 Tony Ave Ret Ret 3
Pos Driver R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 Pts
ATL MOH PIT ROA SUM

Open Class standings

Pos Driver ATL MOH PIT ROA SUM Pen. Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
1 Austin Hill 1 1 2 2 1 1† 1 Ret 355
2 Bruce Hamilton 3 2 1 1 194
3 Bob Corliss 2 Ret 2† DNS 5 4 DNS DNS 157
4 Kirk Kindsfater 2 1 92
5 Hayden Bowlsbey 1 1 12 90
6 Everett Stack 2 2 84
7 Jim Booth 4 3 71
8 Robert Wright 3 DNS 6 DNS 66
9 Oliver Westling 3 Ret 38
— Jeffrey Antonelli DNS DNS —
Pos Driver R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 Pen. Pts
ATL MOH PIT ROA SUM

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Jimmy Simpson and Tonis Kasemets shared the No. 21 entry for round four, with Simpson driving race 1 and Kasemets driving race 2

References

  1. ^ "Formula Race Promotions Confirms 2023 Schedule". www.racefrp.com. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "FRP 2023 - Road Atlanta with Test Day - Attendees". MotorsportReg.com. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "FRP 2023 - Mid-Ohio - Attendees". MotorsportReg.com. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Pittsburgh Int'l Complex - Atlantic/F1000 Practice 2" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b "FRP 2023 - Road America with Test Day - Attendees". MotorsportReg.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Summit Point SpeedTour - FRP Atl-2K-1K Grid Race 1" (PDF).
  7. ^ "Formula Race Promotions Completes First Weekend of 2023 with Close Finishes". www.racefrp.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  8. ^ "More Winners at the Second Event of 2023 Formula Race Promotions Program". www.racefrp.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  9. ^ "Formula Race Promotions Puts on a Show at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex". www.racefrp.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  10. ^ "Close Finishes Highlight Formula Race Promotions Event at Road America". www.racefrp.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  11. ^ "Final Race Winners of 2023 and Champions Crowned in Formula Race Promotions Finale". www.racefrp.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
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