Thomas Schrage dominated the final 3 races of the 2022 F1600 Championship and becomes the 2022 Champion. Fastest in practice, Thomas took pole position in qualifying, then won all 3 races, building double digit leads, while setting fastest lap in each. He led all but one lap of 48 in his 01 RiceRace Mygale and survived a late full course caution in race 3. Thomas went from the PIRC track to the airport after the race to fly to England to represent Team USA in the Formula Ford Festival next weekend at Brands Hatch, and the Walter Hayes Trophy event at Silverstone the following weekend.
The RiceRace team has had similar weekends at PIRC before with Braden Eves and Simon Sikes but had struggled recently at the Pittsburgh area track. "We went back to basics on setup, actually changing some springs for the first time in about 5 years, made a few shock adjustments, and the car became magic." reports team owner and engineer Greg Rice. "Every button the team pushed was the right one, and then Thomas was at his very best. It was one of those special weekends at the perfect time. We send Thomas off to the UK knowing he is the best we have seen him." Team mates Gordon Scully and Mateo Naranjo had strong races battling in the top ten in the tough 27 car field, and look to be strong competitors in 2023.
The RiceRace team also announced that they will return to the F1600 series for the 2023 season and have rides available for qualified funded drivers. The team will run multiple Mygale F1600 cars in the full F1600 series and select SCCA events. The RiceRace FC Citation is also available for select SCCA events. The RiceRace team extends their appreciation to it's fine crew, Allan Oppel, Carlos Rodrigues, Dillon Axarlis, Simon Sikes, Howard Landon, Ed Wach, and Chris Livengood. The RiceRace team also thanks it's fine suppliers, Hoosier Tire, Primus Racing Parts, Britain West Motorsport, and Sandy and Erik at Quicksilver. The RiceRace team also thanks the fine management and staff at Formula Race Promotions, and all the workers and enthusiasts that support FF/F1600 in North America. It was one fine year!
