(View photos and the race report from this event)

JC's first racing experience in an F1600 car (aka Formula Ford) took place on his 38th birthday, as part of the 2010 F1 du Canada at his home track of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. He placed 16th overall in a field of over 40 cars. JC drove Mortimer Racing's #28 and was fortunate to be advised throughout the three day event by former Indy 500 and Formula Atlantic driver, Claude Bourbonnais.

"A Formula Ford car is one of the more distinctive-looking open-wheel race cars because it does not have wings to create aerodynamic downforce - one of the reasons the series has persisted for so long in motor racing. Top speeds are as high as in the other Junior Formulae of BMW and Renault, but the cornering speeds are lower due to the absence of downforce-producing aerodynamic aids. Handling is entirely down to mechanical grip, and the lack of wings ensures that cars following another are not aerodynamically disadvantaged, allowing close racing with plenty of overtaking. As the rules limit modifications, all cars are relatively equal and produce close racing results.

Numerous famous race drivers have used the formula as a step up to international competitions. Paul Tracey, Scott Goodyear, David Coulthard and Jenson Button were all Formula Ford champions; Danica Patrick, the first female to win a major race in the IndyCar Series on a closed-course, finished second in the British Formula Ford Festival early in her career. " (http://www.offcseries.com/)