Exclusive Autosport release:
SASKATOON, SK (April 5, 2018) – Exclusive Autosport is primed and ready to return to Canadian F1600 this year with a full line-up of drivers, and the team is pleased to confirm that American karting standout Spike Kohlbecker will make his initial steps into open-wheel formula car competition with them in 2018. Kohlbecker will compete in the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series in Ontario and the F1600 Super Series, which includes the Canadian F1 weekend in Montreal and the prestigious Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. The 15-year-old’s Exclusive Autosport Spectrum 014 F1600 car will be sponsored by Margay Racing, Cfx Advertising, Mark Schwigen Photography and Lake Charles Park.
“I was extremely impressed with Spike’s debut outing with Lucas Oil Race Series in November,” commented Michael Duncalfe, Exclusive Autosport’s Team Principal. “Spike has an impressive karting resume and background, and having been a Margay Racing factory driver for years shows his impressive dedication and commitment to his motorsports career. I feel that he will fit in really well with the team and will acclimate himself quickly with our Spectrum Honda F1600 car and that he will be a challenger up front in both the Toyo Tires F1600 and the Super Series.”
Throughout his entire 10-year karting career, which began at the age of five, Kohlbecker has been a factory driver for Margay Racing, the successful American chassis manufacturer. Over the long run of this partnership, Spike won countless regional and national races. In 2017, Spike was one of the most decorated 2-cycle and 4-cycle racers in the Junior category, winning prestigious races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Daytona International Raceway, and the historic Rock Island Grand Prix.
Kohlbecker has prepared for his F1600 debut by completing a four-day course at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Arizona. He then jumped into wheel-to-wheel formula car competition at the final round of the Lucas Oil Race Series at NOLA Motorsports Park in November after completing the school’s two-day Advanced Lapping program.
“Finally, the time has come, this year represents a culmination of a decade of racing experiences,” Kohlbecker offered. “I am excited to be launching the next chapter of my racing career with the Exclusive Autosport team. I set out with a plan to transition from karts to cars when I turned 14, and since then, I’ve been training with some of best racing instructors in North America and I attended several racing schools including the world-renowned Bob Bondurant School of Racing. As I looked at options for this year, there were two clear choices for me, the Canadian F1600 program and Exclusive Autosport. I have no doubt that the competition will be fierce this year, but that’s what made the series so appealing to me – I wanted to race against the best. With the Exclusive Autosport Team behind me, I’m confident this is going to be a great year.”
Kohlbecker and his Exclusive Autosport teammates will kick off the new season on the May 12-13 weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario in the opening round of the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship Series. Exclusive Autosport has one additional driver to announce in the coming weeks to complete their four-driver F1600 line-up for 2018.