EXCLUSIVE AUTOSPORT HAD SIGN 4 PRO DRIVERS & ONE TOPÂ CHIEF ENGINEERÂ FOR FORMULATOUR1600 2013 SEASON:
DRIVERS:
Thomas McGregor (No33) signs with Exclusive Autosport for 2013 F1600 Program
Saskatoon, SK (April 23, 2013): Exclusive Autosport announced today it has signed Exclusive Management Inc. driver Thomas McGregor for the Formula Tour 1600 Championship and the Toyo Tires Formula 1600 Championship. McGregor will pilot the No. 33 / 93 Exclusive Autosport / Exclusive Management Inc. / Diary Queen Spectrum Honda.
McGregor (21, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) began his racing career at the age of 11 when he first raced Rotax Karts at the Saskatoon Kart Club. He recorded 15 karting championships before making the transition to open wheel cars (at age 18). Most recently he competed in the 2012 Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda for Andretti Autosport where he finished 9th in the overall championship.
Signing and racing for Andretti Autosport in the USF2000 Championship was without a doubt the highlight of McGregorâs young career. He had hoped, and planned, to continue to progress through the Mazda Road to Indy developmental ladder, however his partners were unable to commit the level of funding needed for USF2000 or Pro Mazda. He decided that he would race F1600 this season, make the most of the valuable and extensive seat time he will have in both Canadian F1600 series and work to get back on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder in 2014.
McGregorâs experience in open-wheel racing will assist him in his quest for championship and Rookie-of-the-Year honors.
McGregor will join Exclusive Autosport at the annual Spring Fling test days at Shannonville Motorsport Park April 26/27. Racing action will begin May 4/5 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship. McGregor will travel to Circuit Mont Tremblant May 24-26 for the Formula Tour 1600 Championship opening round.
Thomas McGregor
âI am really proud to be joining Exclusive Autosport this year. I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to race in Canada, it has been a while since Iâve raced here at âhomeâ. I am really thankful to be racing this year. This past offseason has really taught me a lot about myself and what I want in life. I think this will be a big year for me and I am really excited to be back on the track. I am more motivated now than ever to have a successful season and to further develop as not only a driver but as a person. I am looking forward to working with the amazing team that Exclusive Autosport has assembled, including Remi. We have worked together before and Iâm happy he will be a part of the team as our engineer. I am thankful for this opportunity and feel this is going to be a really great year.â
Michael Duncalfe (Team Owner and President and CEO of Exclusive Management Inc.):
âI am thrilled to announce Thomas McGregor as our fourth driver at Exclusive Autosport. We were very much hoping that we would be able to have things work out so that he could have returned to the USF2000 Championship with Andretti Autosport and challenge for a championship. Unfortunately that didnât work out this year for us due to budget. We felt that F1600 was the best option for him as it would allow him to drive a relevant open wheel car where he could gain significant race experience and seat time. He will be competing in both the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship and the Formula Tour 1600 Championship as well as one-off races in the United States. I have been working with Thomas for over four years through Exclusive Management Inc. To have a senior driver like him in our first year of competition is extremely exciting and motivating. We know we will see him up at the front challenging for podiums and race wins every weekend at the races we attend. We are very proud and have a lot of confidence in the four drivers we have signed this year. Our goal is simple… we want to give the boys unbelievable cars and help them develop their race craft and have them challenge for wins and podiums and ultimately win the championships in the series we are competing in. It is a big feat, but I believe that with the drivers, crew and driver coaches that we have working with and supporting our team, we have all the right people in place to have a very successful season.â
Exclusive Autosport Signs Max Hanratty (No31) Â to Formula 1600 Program
Saskatoon, SK (April 16, 2013):Â Max Hanratty (19) of Hartland, Wisconsin, has signed to drive with Exclusive Autosport to drive the #31 Exclusive Autosport / SynerComm Inc. Spectrum Honda.
Hanratty will be running a full season in the Quebec Formula Tour 1600 Championship and a partial season in the Toyo Tires 1600 Championship (Ontario).
Max began his career in racing less than a year ago when he took a 3-day racing school at Skip Barber Racing School in July of 2012. Since then he has made huge strides on the track. He was nominated for, and competed in, the inaugural Skip Barber Indy Car Academy (where he finished 10th out of 33 drivers). He finished 12th in the Skip Barber Formula Winter Series Championship where he captured his first podium and accumulated 9 top ten finishes.
With aspirations of reaching IndyCar, Hanratty is looking to make a strong impact in his F1600 rookie campaign and challenge for the Formula Tour 1600 Rookie-of-The-Year title.
âI am very excited about the opportunity to join Exclusive Autosport. I believe this is the right direction for the next step in my career. It will give me the chance to use top of the line equipment and begin to work with an engineer to better learn set ups and the dynamics of the car. I couldnât ask for a better engineer than Remi Lanteigne to work with. I have been working hard on and off the track with Exclusive Management Inc. (EM Inc.) driver coach Thomas McGregor and he has been a crucial part in my development. Michael Duncalfe has been extremely patient with my development and has given me many opportunities to continue to grow as a driver. We are fortunate to be participating in two very competitive series with large fields. It is an honor to be a part of EA and I look forward to driving for them this year. I want to thank my partners SynerComm Inc. and Exclusive Management Inc. for helping make this all possible.â
Exclusive Autosport, led by team owner, Michael Duncalfe, looks forward to the upcoming season and continuing to work with Max.
âWe have been working with Max for the past 6 months via Exclusive Management Inc.âs driver development program. Max is a hard working determined and talented young driver. He has performed very well and has made significant improvements in the Skip Barber Formula Winter Series, capturing his first podium and a number of top ten finishes. He has gained a vast amount of knowledge and experience there. Both Canadian F1600 championships, will give him seat time, experience and a high level of competition in order to further his development and further his quest to IndyCar through the Mazda Road to Indy program.â said team owner Michael Duncalfe.  âHe is a mature young adult. He values the business side of racing as well as the physical driving. He has worked hard to secure a partnership with SynerComm Inc. for the 2013 season.â
Max will open the 2013 season at the Canadian Automobile Sports Clubs Ontario Region (CASC) Spring Fling test days April 26 / 27. The first weekend of competition will be May 4/5 at the BEMC Spring Trophy Races at Canadian Tires Motorsports Park with the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship. Hanratty will finish the month of May May 25/26 in Mont Tremblant at the opening weekend of the Formula Tour 1600 Championship.
Exclusive Autosport Signs 17-year Old Standout Tristan DeGrand (no 34)
Saskatoon, SK (April 18, 2013): Exclusive Autosport is proud to announce that 17-year old sensation Tristan DeGrand (Eureka, Missouri) has signed with the newly formed Formula 1600 race team. DeGrand will pilot the # 34 Exclusive Autosport / Pro Am Golf USA Spectrum Honda.
DeGrand got his start in racing at the tender age of 7 when he first raced karts. He quickly became one of the United Stateâs top karters, capturing multiple national and regional titles and championships. Tristan was at the top of the North American karting circuit when he ventured over to Europe in 2010 to compete in the WSK World Series. He competed in Portugal, Belgium and Spain. He gained valuable experience during his competition over seas. When he returned to America he made history at the WSK World Series event in New Jersey. DeGrand became the first American to reach the podium in a CIK / FIA sanctioned junior event.
Success for Tristan did not stop there. He was awarded the prestigious MAZDASPEED Skip Barber Karting Scholarship at the 2011 Skip Barber Karting Shootout. The scholarship allowed him to compete in the 2012 Skip Barber Summer Series where he earned seven wins, six pole positions and 7 podiums. He ultimately finished third in the championship and captured Rookie of the Year.
DeGrand is looking to keep the positive momentum rolling and continue to find success with Exclusive Autosport in Formula 1600 competition. He will race a full season in the Quebec Formula Tour 1600 Championship where he will not only contend for the championship, but also Rookie of the Year honors.
Tristan will make his debut with Exclusive Autosport at Spring Fling being held at Shannonville Motorsport Park April 26/27. The Formula Tour 1600 Championship will open May 24-26 at Circuit Mont Tremblant.
Tristan De Grand:
âI am really happy to announce that I will be racing with the newly formed team at Exclusive Autosport. They have assembled many great resources for success and are very professional. I canât wait to get to the track to begin working with the team. Last year was a great season for me competing for the championship and earning the Rookie of The Year title in Skip Barber. My goal going into this season is to win races and compete for the championship.â
Michael Duncalfe (Team Owner and President and CEO of Exclusive Management Inc.):
âI am very excited to welcome Tristan to the Exclusive Autosport program. I am familiar with the success he has had in the karting ranks and I had the opportunity to watch him develop in his first year in open-wheel racing while at Skip Barber. Tristan is the âreal dealâ. He is extremely talented on track, is highly marketable and is a great fit for both the Exclusive Autosport and Exclusive Management Inc. programs. I believe there are big things in store for this young driver. Tristanâs experience racing karts at such a high level not only helps him technically in open-wheel, but also mentally. He is mature beyond his years. There is no doubt that he will be challenging for podiums and race wins all year long.â
Exclusive Autosport Signs Jack Mitchell Jr (No30)Â for Quebec Formula Tour Championship
Saskatoon, SK (April 2, 2013): Exclusive Autosport is pleased to announce that the 2012 OFFC F1600 Rookie of the Year, 2012 Team USA Scholarship and Exclusive Management Inc. driver Jack Mitchell Jr. has signed with the newly formed Spectrum team for the 2013 season.
Mitchell Jr., of Clarendon Hills, Illinois, will be piloting one of the teams Spectrum Formula F chassis with Honda HPD power plant in the 2013 Formula Tour 1600 Championship (based in Quebec, Canada).
Jack has been working with his driver coach/manager and Exclusive Management Inc. CEO / Exclusive Autosport Team Owner, Michael Duncalfe, for the past two and a half years. Last year alone he recorded 18 podiums in 20 races and was the vice champion in the Skip Barber Summer Series. He was named the 2012 Toyo Tires Formula 1600 Rookie of the Year (1 win, 6 podiums) as well as one of the prestigious Team USA Scholarship recipients. He finished 10th at the Walter Hayes Trophy and 5th at the British Formula Ford Festival of Racing. Because of his success last year, he had a number of options presented to him to race in both the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Power by Mazda and the US F1600 championship. However, Jack felt he has âunfinishedâ business in Canada and is now poised (more than ever) to come back and not only contend but win a Canadian championship.
The Quebec series offers a number of exciting opportunities to be a part of support races at highly prestigious racing events in Canada including F1 Montreal, GP3R (alongside the Mazda Road to Indy) and Canadian Nascar (at Mirable, Quebec). The 12-race, six weekend Formula Tour 1600 Championship Series starts May 24-26 at the Spring Classic at Circuit Mont Tremblant. This is series will allow Jack and his partners to get maximum exposure while allowing Jack to further develop his skills in large grids of 45 cars at certain events.
âI am really looking forward to 2013. I have worked with Michael (Duncalfe) for a number of years. He has played an integral part in my development as a driver and in my career in motorsports,â Mitchell Jr. said. âHaving the opportunity to work with Michael for the third year and be a part of his race team is not only exciting, but also an honor. I want nothing more than to bring a championship home for Exclusive Autosport, Exclusive Management Inc., Spectrum and HPD. I believe that this is the right place for me and my career to develop not only my race craft but also my technical knowledge. I hope that my performance in 2013 will allow me to earn a spot with the Team USA Scholarship program once again this year. I would love to return to England (as a Team USA driver), represent the United States at the Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy and build upon my progress last year.â
âI am thrilled to be able to announce Jack as an Exclusive Autosport driver for 2013. He is a very talented driver and one of the hardest working young men I know. When he is not in the car he is studying video, studying data and training physically. All the while he continues to maintain his status on the honor roll with a 4.0 GPA. We have had a lot of success over the past two and a half years together. It would be great to see him further develop his race craft and win his first championship in 2013 with Exclusive Autosport. I believe with his driving abilities, and the program we have put in place for him, he will be a strong contender every race all season long,â said team owner Michael Duncalfe.
CHIEF ENGINEER:
Exclusive Autosport Contracts Top Engineer – Remi Lanteigne
Saskatoon, SK (April 3, 2013):Â Exclusive Autosport is pleased to announce that Remi Lanteigne will be the Formula 1600 teamâs engineer for the 2013 season.
Lanteigne has established himself as one of North Americaâs leading formula car engineers. He has worked in the motorsports industry for many years and has played a critical role in the accumulation of many championships, race wins and pole positions throughout his career. Lanteigne has engineered every type of formula car including F1600, USF2000, Star Mazda (Pro Mazda), Formula BMW, Formula Atlantic and Firestone Indy Lights. He has engineered the cars of some of the best drivers in their field including: Helio Castroneves (IndyCar Team Penske driver), Patrick Carpentier (former Players Forsythe Champ Car Driver), Katherine Legge (former Atlantics Champion and IndyCar driver), Tristan Vautier (Pro Mazda and IndyLights Champion and IndyCar driver), Conor Daly (Star Mazda Champion and current GP2 driver) and Alex Rossi (F1 test driver).
Remi will bring an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience to the newly formed team.  Exclusive Autosport will be running a four-car squad in the Quebec Formula Tour 1600 Championship, the Toyo Tires Formula 1600 Championship (based in Ontario) as well as select races in the United States. The team will be running the championship winning Spectrum chassis with Honda Performance Development power plant. Driver announcements to follow in the coming weeks.
The 2013 season will kick off for Exclusive Autosport at the Spring Fling test at Shannonville Motorsports Park April 26th.
Michael Duncalfe (Team Owner, Exclusive Autosport / President and CEO Exclusive Management Inc.):Â
âWhile putting this program together we knew we would have amazing equipment working with Spectrum Race Cars and HPD. We know this, along with our talented driver line up will be a winning combination in itself. What we needed to compliment that was a knowledgeable and talented engineer. We found that in Remi. Remi has extensive experience working at many of the different levels of open-wheel racing with a long list of talented drivers. I believe he will be a very strong asset to our program and he will be able to work along side our drivers to help further their development and technical knowledge and keep the Spectrum Hondaâs at the top of the time sheets. We are thrilled to welcome Remi to the Exclusive Autosport team.â
Remi Lanteigne:
âWhen I was contacted by Exclusive Autosport to be a part of their Formula 1600 program, I was very excited. I have worked with Michael on several occasions on several projects and we have gotten along very well. I think the Formula 1600 category is a great level to promote and develop drivers skills. Exclusive Autosport is a very professionally managed team and I am looking forward to adding to the team effort by fighting for championships in its first year.â