Jacques Villeneuve Impresses With 13th Starting Position

Montreal, Quebec– The skies opened up an hour before the F1600 Super Series was to take to the track for a 30 minute qualifying session to set the grid for Saturday’s Race 1 at the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Canada today.

The amount of rain dumped on the circuit was enough that pump trucks had to be dispatched to corner two and move the standing water, delaying the start by 45 minutes.

The conditions would prove very difficult for the first 10 minutes of the session, catching out a number of competitors and ending their day early. Local yellows were displayed in several corners which also made it very tough for quicker cars to get clear laps.

Didier Schraenen had the advantage of clear vision as the first car on the track and put it to good use, setting the pace early. Montreal’s Patrick Dussault, a local driver who has been coming to the track for 20 years but has only raced in the US and Europe, then took his turn at the top of the board.

As the track started to dry and the laptimes started to drop the biggest factor in setting a fast lap was where you caught slower traffic. JP Jodoin was showing great pace, as was Super Series points leader Michael Adams and returning driver Jesse Lazare.

When the flag dropped to end the session it was Ottawa, Ontario’s Zacharie Robichon who managed to put it all together in his Brian Graham Racing Piper Honda and snatch the pole. His lap of 2:05.878 was actually a full second faster than his 2nd quickest lap. JP Jodoin, who has shown some real pace this season and is off a recent Formula Tour Series win, posted the 2nd fastest lap of 2:07.073, much to the delight of his team. Patrick Dussault, in his series debut was 3rd quick with a lap of 2:07.334.

Points leader Michael Adams also used a lap late in the session to land him in 4th with Didier Schraenen rounding out the top 5.

Zacharie Robichon – “I really didn’t have any expectations heading into the qualifying session today, other than the goal of just keeping it on the track. I haven’t been in an F1600 car since last September as I have moved up to F2000 and have really only driven in the wet once on these tires and a few times in England. I was struggling with the braking early on, and was locking up several times a lap but late in the session my crew chief told me we were 2 tenths off pole so I pushed a little more. It all came together perfectly for me. The track was starting to dry a little bit and I caught traffic in all the right places and that was good enough for pole. We know the race is going to be really tough tomorrow but am happy to be starting up front.”

JP Jodoin – “I am really happy to be starting on the front row. I was very conservative in the beginning of the session because I am just learning the Mygale chassis. I was really impressed with how well the car put the power down in the wet and that gave me so much confidence. Now I will just concentrate on going into race mode for tomorrow.”

Patrick Dussault – “I’m really satisfied with the results today. This is my first time at this track and racing this car so given the conditions and the number of yellow flags this is awesome. The car was great, and I have a lot of confidence heading into the race tomorrow. The other guys ahead of me have all been here before. I saw the place for the first time on a bike yesterday and today I am driving on a grand prix track and led a lot of the session. The traffic didn’t work in my favour at the end when the track was at its fastest but for a kid from Montreal that’s been coming here for 20 years to watch and now be on the track in front of family, friends and sponsors I am living a childhood dream.”

Michael Adams – “I knew coming into today that we may not be a threat for pole so to start 4th, when I lost at least 6/10’s on my fast lap is pretty encouraging. It was a tough session out there with so many yellow flag sectors and the traffic. We will take a gamble on the dry setup for the race tomorrow and see what happens. My goals are the same. I want to make sure I finish the race and come out of here with the points lead heading into Shannonville.”

Race 1 will take place Saturday, June 6th at 2:30pm ET.

The Formula 1600 Super Series is the combined premiere events of the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series from Ontario and the Toyo Tires Formula Tour 1600 Series from Quebec. The series is comprised of a four event, double-header format and competes at CTMP’s Victoria Day SpeedFest, Formula One Grand Prix of Montreal, The Bay of Quinte Grand Prix at Shannonville Motorsport Park and the Grand Prix of Trois Rivières.