The Formula 1600 cars of the Toyo Tires Championship were back on track in Toronto for the first time in a lot of years. (Photo-Spencer Easton)

Toronto, Ontario - RaceCanada had a chance to catch up with Move Motorsport's Jason Sharpe, promoter of the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship shortly after their first race in Toronto in a very long time. Sharpe has been responsible for a number of positive changes to the series and has it pointed in the right direction for the first time in a number of years.

RaceCanada – You've been out on track with a great field, how are the drivers feeling about it?

Jason Sharp – I think they are really excited to be here, it's such a great event. They don't get an opportunity to race on street circuits very often, so it's something different for them. In the past we've raced at the same one or two tracks, 5, 6 or 7 times a year so it's a lot of fun to be here. It's very long days and we race early or late but they put on a great show today, I can't imagine any of them didn't have a good time out there so the reaction I've got is extremely positive. We've got some new guys came into the series just for this event, some superstars from the US, Brandon Newey, Sam Chastain and Steve Bamford, who is a Canadian but doesn't race here much any more, so the field is incredibly deep. In qualifying we had the top 11 within 1 second of each other and the race played out like that, so I'm happy. We ran a good race, we had one full course caution, but all in all, I think we've shown very well and I think we're going to put on a great race tomorrow.

RC – We watched the race from in the media centre and saw a lot of carnage, if you will, is everyone going to be able to make it out tomorrow?

JS – I haven't heard anything about anyone who has damage so severe that they won't be back out tomorrow, and they've got a long time to fix the car given that we are not out until 6:00 tomorrow night. I think we will have all 27 cars back on the grid tomorrow and we'll do it all over again.

RC – Do you think it's an advantage being at en event like this for the young kids coming up to showcase their skills in front of the big treams?

JS – Yes, I think it's huge and it's already proven to be true. When we're at the club events, it's a good mix for us they get a lot of track time, they learn their craft. And when we come here a couple of times a year they get a chance to showcase their brand and show how good they are. Tristain DeGrand and Brandon Newey have raised a lot of eyebrows this weekend and got a lot of attention. Tristain has been dragged over to the media centre quite a bit, he's had some very prominent people in the industry come to visit him, so if that's one of the boxes we're trying to tick by being here, then we've certainly done that.

RC – How important is it for the series going forward to be at an event like this?

JS – From a pure marketing standpoint, it's extremely important, it's whether or not we can generate the amount of funds to continue to do it. Again, this level it's a careful balance between parading around and looking great, but you don't get a lot of track time. And these guys are at an age where they still need a lot of track time to develop their craft. I don't think you'll see us go to a touring, all pro event series. I think that would be the antithesis of what this level needs, but certainly rotating in a couple of pro races a year I think is a smart thing to do.