More records for BGR Team Grote

Toronto ON, July 4/2011 - As the season starts to get into full swing for the BGR Team Grote squad the records continue to come. At just 15 years old, Trent Hindman becomes the youngest winner in OFFC history with a debut win during the Vortex 200 weekend. Coming off a fantastic weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix, Hindman, Mikhail Goikhberg, and Kieran Murphy took to the track for the OFFC double header which also featured the 2011 Can Am Cup. It was the first time Trent had seen the track and took little time to get up to speed. He qualified a solid 2nd with Mikhail lining up 6th in his first appearance at Mosport since last years CAC. Murphy slotted into the 15th spot. The weather turned for the race and a damp slick track greeted the drivers for the saturday race. Hindman showing the same pace he did in Montreal just two weeks earlier imediatley took the lead with Mikhail joining him at the front of the pack. The two stretched out a 9 second lead in the treacherous conditions and looked set for a great duel for the win but a full course yellow negated the big lead. When the green wave they once again took off and set sail building the lead over the trailing pack. As the two battled for position into turn 8 they made contact and spun off in unison. Hindman was quick to recover and had a big enough lead to keep out front. He continued to do so and won by 14 seconds over Mattew DiLeo, who was also making his OFFC debut.  Mikhail had to retire with damage, and Kieran who had third place in the FFB class seemingly in the bag only to spin off two corners from the finish line. He would recover to finish 11 and 4th in FFB. 

Sunday's race featured the Can Am Cup and everyone was looking to take the victory from the veteran Shane Jantzi, who is the only winner of the event in its 5 year history.  Qualifying on pole, Hindman was looking good, Goikhberg taking the 4th starting spot and Murphy lining up 17th. The race turned into a 3 car train for the lead with Hindman leading the opening laps, then it was DiLeo taking his turn, Jantzi had moved up from his 7th starting spot to come to 3rd and then he moved past Hindman to 2nd.  Goikhberg ran 4th just a few seconds back, it was a great battle at the front with the top three never more than a second apart. As the lead pack encountered lap traffic, mayhem erupted. DiLeo made contact with a car he was lapping, sending the lapped car spinning and as Jantzi attempted to clear him they made contact sending Jantzi off at the high speed turn one. Hindman avoided the spinning Jantzi and quickly got around DiLeo as did the car of Goikhberg. As the cars came around to complete the lap it was the two BGR Team Grote cars running 1st and 2nd with DiLeo 3rd.  The decision was made to red flag the race as Jantzi was still in his car and with the risk of injury possible it would be a lengthy process to get him out safely.   With the race seemingly in hand, it was decided to throw the checker and rewind to the last lap putting the BGR cars 3rd and 4th. Disappointing, but the right decision by the officials.  Murphy had to go to the team spare car after a motor issue was discovered after qualifying, he started at the rear of the pack and climbed to 14th at the finish. 

"Another great showing by Trent this weekend, he is truly a great young talent" commented team principal Brian Graham. He took no time to figure out the place and was dominant again in the wet, he was really biding his time and waiting for the closing laps on the Sunday but sometimes it doesn't go the way you plan. Our big concern was of course Shane’s condition, he is a great competitor and also a friend.  We are all relieved to know he is ok and hopefully will be back out to give us a hard time every weekend. Mikhail came out to try his hand again in the CAC and had to miss the test day but was up to speed right away. I think we were a little short of motor with his car this weekend and we will have to figure that out, he did a great job coming home 4th and we are always happy to have him under the BGR Team Grote tent. A rough weekend for Kieran, actually his best race to date would have been Saturday until the late spin. He continues to improve and will be on the podium before too long. 

One week after the CAC team owner Brian Graham contested the BARC Grand Prix of Ontario in the Formula Libre class. Qualifying on pole he led every lap and took the win in round one of the triple header. The schedule was very tight and the decision was made to skip the second round and  concentrate on the final round although that meant starting from the back of the pack.  Taking little time to work his way through the field he won the feature with a 48 second gap to 2nd.  

To learn more about the team visit www.briangrahamracing.com