Bowmanville, Ontario – In Sunday’s second F2000 Canada race of the BARC Grand Prix of Ontario weekend, the ever-changing weather turned the event into a high-speed game of chess.

Aaron Pettipas started on pole with Saturday’s winner, Jim Hallman, alongside him on the front row. Pettipas jumped out to an early lead, and when he managed to put one of the Radical Canada competitors that the series shared the track with this weekend between himself and Hallman, he thought he had victory in the bag.

But Hallman wasn’t lagging helplessly behind. He was watching, analyzing, and waiting for the right moment to pounce.

“Aaron was doing a good job of leading and I thought, ‘let him lead,’” Hallman said. “I had been watching and testing different parts of the track, so I knew where I could go and couldn’t go.”

Hallman’s opportunities came all at once on lap 13, and by then he was ready to capitalize.

“I was wanting the Radical to get out of the way so that I could get at Aaron,” Hallman said. “I made an inside move on (the Radical competitor) in turn 1, and he let me go.

“On that same lap Aaron just really blew turn 5b, and I happened to get by him.”

By the time Hallman got to the checkered a lap and a half later, he had pulled away from Pettipas to a 10 second lead.

“It just worked out really well,” Hallman explained. “Sometimes you get lucky.”

Pettipas knew he’d been bested in the end, but he still viewed the experience as a positive one.

“I’d like to go back out and run that race again, but overall I’m pretty pleased,” he said. “Jim ended up getting past me on the back straight because I totally blew the entrance to turn 5b.

“I’m not making excuses, but I was having a really hard time with the handling on my car in turn 5 and also coming onto the front straight, two pretty critical corners as far as carrying speed over a large section of the course. I think that was really hurting me. I was having a hard time getting the car pointed and getting the power down. But I love racing in the rain. Overall, it was a good weekend.”

The next race weekend on the F2000 Canada schedule is the inaugural Bay of Quinte Grand Prix, which will be held on July 18 and 19 at Shannonville Motorsport Park outside Belleville, Ontario. The event will feature multiple classes of open-wheel, sports car, and vintage racing surrounded by a festival atmosphere. Further information and ticket sales can be found at bayofquintegp.com.

The F2000 Canada Championship is the premiere wings and slicks series in Ontario, sanctioned by CASC Ontario Region and proudly supported by Hoosier Tire, Stäubli, Lincoln Electric, and Move Motorsports Management. The series is comprised of a six event, double-header format and competes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Shannonville Motorsport Park and Calabogie Motorsports Park.

The Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series is the premiere open wheel series in Ontario, sanctioned by CASC Ontario Region and proudly supported by Toyo Tires, Honda HPD, Heather’s Heros, Cove Dentistry, Stäubli, Lincoln Electric and MK Technologies. The series is comprised of a six event, double-header format and competes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Shannonville Motorsport Park and Calabogie Motorsports Park.

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 Parks and the Grand Prix of Trois Rivières.