NEWS
Race Report
National Round 2: Brands Hatch
Pole
Bryce began the National Championship weekend by grabbing pole over the highly competitive field. Bryce had a great start and led the field for the first several turns, but was quickly under attack. Competing against drivers who have been racing the U.K. National Championship for 3-6 years, Bryce is learning their tactics with each race. A normal season consists of 23 races. This year the championship is only 7 races, which does not provide as much learning opportunity. Bryce finished all 3 races in the top 5 and had excellent pace in every race. At one point Bryce closed a 1.5 second gap to the race leader in approximately 2 laps. Bryce learned a lot and is looking forward to the last national race weekend at Silverstone.
Book It Episode 1: Team USA Scholarship
In this debut episode, veteran motorsports journalist and commentator Rob Howden will talk with the recently announced 2020 Team USA Scholarship winners, Bryce Aron, Jackson Lee, and Simon Sikes. Aron and Lee will fly the Team USA colors at the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in October, as well as the final BRSCC National F1600 event and Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone later in the year, while Sikes will have the opportunity for valuable test outings in the US due to a date conflict with his current USF2000 program.
Team USA Scholarship Winner
It is a very exciting time for Bryce who was just announced as one of three 2020 Team USA Scholarship Winners! Bryce is honored to have been selected and looks forward to representing America in the upcoming races.
Bryce qualifies on pole at brands Hatch against the 2 most recent Formula Ford festival winners
Pole, near record Fast Lap, 2nd place
The opening round of Champion of Brands saw Bryce Aron winning pole position over the reigning (2019) and previous (2018) Formula Ford Festival winners. - August 30, 2020
Bryce backed up his qualifying performance scoring the fast lap of the race, nearing an all time track record. Bryce missed the track record by 0.050 without the benefit of a draft.
At the start of the race, Bryce was quickly embroiled in a battle with the 2018 Formula Ford Festival Winner, a battle in which Bryce prevailed. The battle allowed the race leader to escape. After Bryce passed Smith he was able to put some distance between them, and he began on a quest to chase down the race leader.
In approximately 3 laps Bryce successfully whittled down the leaders margin from 4 seconds to 2 seconds. Bryce finished in 2nd place in what was best described as a stunning display of race craft and pace. Bryce was the only driver to get into the 1:35's, which he was able to sustain for the last three laps of the race.
Bryce Moves into 2nd place in the castle combe championship standings
2nd Place, 2nd Place, Fast Lap Race 2
Qualifying: Bryce qualified P2 behind track specialist and series leader Cooper. Much of the qualifying session seemed to be spent with various drivers looking for the tow.
Race 1: “Vivian tried in vain to hold back the Low Dempsey Ray of Aron, the American racer … making a move stick for second just prior to mid-distance. By this point Cooper had escaped to the tune of 2.6 seconds, Aron immediately beginning to eat away at the leading gap....” -FF1600 website
Race 2: After carnage on the opening lap led to a complete restart of race 2, Bryce quickly made his way onto the gearbox of the race leader.
“ Aron refused to give Cooper any respite across the full distance, the duo covered by fractions as the American racer desperately looked for a way to deny Cooper....” -FF1600 Website.
Attempts to pass were made difficult as, in the main passing zone, a coating had been applied to the track to clean up an oil spill. Bryce finished in 2nd place and also scored the fast lap. This was Bryce's 2nd Fast Lap of the series, he is the only driver to have scored 2 fast laps in this series thus far.
Bryce Brings home win
pole, fastest lap Both races and nears track record
According to the race commentators "Bryce blew away the competition" at the Champion of Cadwell race. Bryce qualified on pole, nearly a second faster than the rest of the field. His qualifying time of 1:32.371, was a sliver away from the all time track record. Impressive as this was Bryce's first time driving on the undulating 18 turn Cadwell Park track.
Bryce went on to get the fastest lap for both races and a win, finishing 10 seconds ahead of the field. A track limit penalty of 5 seconds was applied which whittled the margin to a still sizable 5+ second victory. Bryce was the only driver to get into the 1:32's which he did repeatedly throughout the day.
Bryce Brings home 2nd Place, 3rd Place and FAST LAP
at castle combe after fierce battles with track specialists Cooper and Fisher
After a fast qualifying without the benefit of a tow, Bryce started both races of the weekend in third position. The 2020 Premier Financial Planning Castle Combe FF1600 championship Series frontrunners, Cooper and Fisher, found a third driver, Bryce, had "joined their party." In both races the three drivers ultimately pulled away finishing several seconds ahead of the rest of the field despite their battling.
In race 1 Bryce battled hard with Fisher, ultimately passing him to take 2nd place in what was termed "a brave around-the-outside manoeuvre at Quarry with just a couple tours remaining..."
Race 2 was similarly very close. Well stated by the FF1600 Website article about Aron, Cooper and Fisher "The three covered by little more than a cigarette paper... Cooper led Fisher across the line by just 0.126s, while Aron completed the podium for Low Dempsey Racing just a smidge further back-all three covered by less than three-tenths."
Bryce nabbed Fast Lap of Race 2 with a 1:10.765.
After a fun day of intense battles, Bryce is hungry for more and thankful to Low Dempsey Racing as well as his sponsors MPEC/NAPA and Imperial Motors Jaguar.
Coverage of the weekend can be found on the FF1600 Website:
BRSCC Avon Tyres Formula Ford National Championship
Round 1 Oulton Park
The first round of the Avon Tyres BRSCC National Formula Ford Championship took place during a rain soaked weekend at Oulton Park. After a beautiful practice day conditions took a turn and the 34 car grid set about qualifying on a track with rain, standing water and low visibility. Bryce had to pass several cars on his flying lap which led to a less than desirable 12th place qualifying position. Though this was not what Bryce had hoped for he knew he would just have to work harder.
Bryce rapidly moved from 12th to 9th during race 1, ultimately finishing the race in 7th place under a red flag. Unfortunately the final lap of the race was repealed and the finishing positions were determined by the previous lap leaving Bryce with a 9th place finish in Race 1.
The recalibrated finishing order meant that Bryce would start Race 2 in 9th position. Bryce made quick work of carving through the field. "With MacLennan leading Smith, Browne and Middlehurst, a few cars back Bryce Aron was making the most of his debut with Low Dempsey Racing and picked off both champion Martin and then Oliver White to move up into 6th place early on the second lap." - BRSCC
Bryce then moved up into 5th place where he remained for most of the race continuing to battle to the end of the last lap, he ended Race 2 in 7th place. Though the fastest lap of the race was captured by another driver, Bryce showed great pace going purple on the 3rd lap.
Turn up your volume!
2019 Season Highlights Video
Bryce Aron picked as top 10 most promising driver for 2020 - motorsport news
Bryce Featured in sheridan road magazine
Bryce Featured in Classic Chicago magazine
Bryce recognized As an
FRP 2019 Champion
Another look at one of Bryce's photo finishes on racer.com This is not an article about the race but it's a great picture of how close these races are.
Quick Pace Formula Ford Festival Brands Hatch Kent, U.K
Bryce had a great time racing at Brands Hatch in the iconic Formula Ford Festival where he quickly adapted to racing in treacherous and constantly changing conditions. As the youngest and least experienced entrant Bryce was top 10 in pace in his qualifying session. Bryce was placed in the fastest heat for qualifying which also turned out to be the fastest heat for the heat race. Bryce was subsequently placed into the fastest semi-final.
Bryce qualified 10th in the fastest heat. Despite having to pit, Bryce's fast lap was a 51.067. Comparatively, the same time would have put him top 5 in heat 1 and 8th in heat 3. Each heat had a race to determine which drivers would move through to the semi-finals. Bryce finished his heat race in 13th place and progressed through directly to the semi-finals. Of the 73 driver field the top 16 drivers from each of the three heat races were combined into two semi-finals. Bryce progressed directly to semi-final 1. Drivers who did not progress directly competed for 12 remaining spots in the semi-finals through a last chance qualifier.
Bryce suffered a throttle mechanism failure on lap 1 of semi-final 1 which left him, through no fault of his own, in last place in the semi-final. During the race the car was repaired in the pits and Bryce was able to return to the track for the few remaining laps, during which time he had a fast lap of 51.3, (he was able to achieve that time in about 4 laps) this time would have put him as 7th fastest compared to semi-final 2. The semi-final races were conducted in very similar conditions.
The mechanical failure in lap 1 of the semi-final meant that Bryce had to start 28th place in the Last Chance Race (a 5 lap race) where only the top 6 would progress through to the final. In 5 laps Bryce moved up 17 positions from 28th to 11th, executing many precise passes along the way. Throughout the weekend Bryce demonstrated pace and race craft.
Though the mechanical failure took Bryce out of contention, it is highly likely that Bryce would have moved straight to the final based on his pace. To have achieved this pace without the advantage of weeks of testing or years of driving British Formula Ford is a notable accomplishment as the cars and tires are very different from the American version. Bryce learned a lot and demonstrated that even in difficult circumstances he was able to stay focused and drive with speed and agility. Thank you to everyone at Oldfield Motorsport for their hard work and for making this journey possible.
Photo Courtesy of K-Hill Motorsports, LLC.
FRP pro Series Finale at NJMP
2019 Final Pro Standings
3rd Place 1st year in cars
2019 Formula Race Promotions F1600 Final Standings
Bryce had a great transition to cars. As the youngest and least experienced driver in the pro series Bryce was a quick study, making the most of every opportunity. In one season Bryce went from keeping up with the lead pack to leading the pack. Bryce delivered consistent podium finishes which increased in number greatly by the end of the season. Bryce ended the United States Pro F1600 Series in 3rd place by a margin of almost 200 points over the next competitor. Thank you to everyone at K-Hill Motorsports for their outstanding driver development.
FRP NJMP
Bryce had a great weekend taking 3 podiums and achieving his highest series finish in the 2nd race. The third race ended in a photo finish. Bryce had passed for the lead during the later part of the last lap. It looked like Bryce was going to win down to the last millisecond.
The battle filled weekend saw many exciting moments. Bryce led several laps and had many of the fastest laps. The lead pack raced nose to tail, going 3 wide through several turns. Bryce finished 3rd place in race 1 and 2nd place in race 2. In the last race of the 2019 series the top 3 finishers crossed the line "nearly simultaneously." Bryce took 3rd place in this race by photo finish.
Excerpt from FRP Race News, Race 3
"The top three crossed the line nearly simultaneously,
Kotyk sits on pole, teammate Bryce Aron is on outside pole. Josh Green starts third, Alex Scaler is fourth, Burton August fifth, and Mike Scanlan lines up sixth. They head to the starters station looking rather orderly.
Fifteen laps remain, the race at the front is a pack five. Green still leads, Kotyk is second, Aron third, Scaler fourth, and August is doing a good job of hanging on to the pack.
The leaders cross the start line, there are ten laps to go. Not much has changed at the front, the top four hold their spots from the previous order. Burton August has lost touch with the lead four, he runs safely in fifth but won’t be a factor in the race for the win. Charles Anti is a distant sixth, and Charles Finelli has managed to secure his seventh place spot.
At the front, Green still leads, but Aron takes over second from Kotyk. Scaler is in third but trails a tad off the top three. Two laps to run, Green still leads Aron, then Kotyk. Scaler is out of the picture but solidly in fourth. Then it’s August, Anti, and Finelli filling out fifth through seventh.
The leaders come to the start line, the white flag is waving. There’s no change in order for the moment, but they are looking eager. Aron hounds Green, on the back half of the course they go side by side. Aron gets it done! Just a few more turns left, Aron leads to the start finish line, the top three bunch and then fan out as they head to the line. Green, Aron, and Kotyk are three wide at the line, this race will be called on photo finish!"
- FRP News
FRP pro Series Summit Point
Fastest Lap at Summit Point + 2 Podiums
FRP Summit Point
Bryce had a great weekend taking 2 podiums and setting a near track record with the fastest lap of the weekend!
The battle filled weekend saw many exciting moments. Bryce led several laps and remained in the lead pack all weekend. The lead pack raced nose to tail, going 3 wide through several turns. Bryce finished 3rd place in race 1. Race 2 ended in a drag race to the finish line. Race monitor showed Bryce finishing in 2nd place, race officials determined that Bryce finished in 3rd. Race 3 saw Bryce in the lead at several points. Bryce had strategically set up the third race and was in the perfect position to capitalize. Unfortunately competitor error forced Bryce to take evasive action which cost him the win. Bryce ended race three in 4th place by 0.034.
Podium celebrations and interview from Races 1 and 2.
FRP pro Series VIR
Podium finish + Up Front All Weekend
The FRP Pro Series at VIR saw a return to the podium for Bryce. The Weekend was full of battles between the front runners with Bryce leading many laps in most of the races. Bryce had several purple laps throughout the weekend.
During Race 10 Bryce started in 3rd place and moved to 1st place. Due to an unfortunate racing incident Bryce finished race 10 in 6th place.
The aftermath of race 10 left Bryce starting race 11 in 7th place. Not to worry, Bryce had a great start and was in 3rd place by the 2nd lap. However, during the opening lap of race 11 a competitor got loose in a corner which checked up the field and created ample opportunity for the drivers in position one and two to get away. Bryce worked with a fellow competitor creating a gap from the rest of the field and trying to catch the front two. As time ran out Bryce took the draft and moved into 3rd but the the other driver had power on the straight and they raced to the line. Bryce took 4th place by the narrowest of margins in what would seem to be a photo finish (0.023) seconds (though no photo review was conducted).
Bryce qualified P3 for race 12. The last race of the weekend was fun to watch as the top 4 drivers cycled through the top 4 positions. We saw Bryce in the lead quite a few times, it appeared that the four drivers worked together, gapping the field and cycling positions. With 4 laps to go we knew the last laps would be an intense battle. It was down to the wire and Bryce finished in 3rd place.
1st Place
RCFFS
50th Anniversary race
Bryce took 1st place in the RCFFS 50th anniversary race this past weekend. Having just completed the FRP weekend Bryce had been invited to participate in the 50th anniversary race. Because of the last minute race entry Bryce had to start last, behind 25 cars. The only rookie on the grid we watched Bryce go from 26 to 11th in 3 laps. By lap 7 Bryce had moved up to 4th place. During lap 10 Bryce caught up to the leaders, both were seasoned drivers who also competed in the FRP race weekend. During lap 12 Bryce moved into 1st place where he remained for the remainder of the race. Bryce was the fastest car throughout the race and set the fastest lap of the race on lap 16.
Wherever Bryce’s career in racing takes him, we know that he will remember this welcoming and inclusive group of drivers. Thank you RCFFS for inviting Bryce to participate!
FRP pro Series Mid-ohio
Podium finish + purple laps
The FRP Pro Series in Mid-Ohio saw a return to the podium for Bryce who ended race 9 in 3rd Place. The Weekend was full of battles between the front runners. Bryce had many fast laps and turned several purple laps throughout the weekend. During race 9 Bryce had moved up tp P2 early in the race and battled heavily throughout the entire race finishing in 3rd place.
Bryce was hit during the start of race 8 but clawed his way back passing every car in the second pack and then breaking away from the pack. Bryce was relentless in his effort to catch the lead pack. Now out in front of the second pack and driving alone, Bryce went purple for most of the race without the benefit of the draft. Bryce continued to get faster and perhaps a few more laps or a battle up front would have given Bryce the opportunity to go for the win.
Thank you to everyone at K-Hill Motorsports for all your hard work. Racing is truly a team sport.
FRP Pro Series Road Atlanta
Podium finish, top 5 all weekend, fastest rookie lap
This weekend at Road Atlanta marked the official beginning of the Pro Racing Season. Bryce had the fastest lap of any rookie and the third fastest lap overall.
Race 1: Bryce qualified P3 for race 1. The field went out on rain tires in heavy rain and Bryce made it through the mess to finish 5th.
Race 2: The 2nd race started on slicks with a light drizzle. The rain came down five minutes into the race and Bryce had a great drive in the rain on slicks to advance to 4th place with the 3rd fastest lap.
Race 3: The final race of the weekend started out dry. Bryce stayed in the lead pack of three cars as they created a large gap on the field. Ten minutes into the race it started to rain again! Bryce did a great job driving in the rain on slicks and had a 3rd place finish which put him on the podium alongside two seasoned pros.
1 st Place Hoosier Super Tour
Congratulations to Bryce!!!
After this weekend Bryce is currently in 1st place leading the SCCA Majors Hoosier Super Tour! The past few races have been a great transition to cars for Bryce. We are looking forward to the Formula Race Promotions Pro Series. The first race will be at Road Atlanta April 18th - 20th.
Update from Road Atlanta
The Saturday race was spent under double yellow for almost the entire race. For those of you who are not familiar, double yellow means slow driving behind a pace car and no passing is allowed. After about 20 minutes of double yellow the checkered flag was thrown, which meant there was no opportunity to move up out of 4th place. On Sunday Bryce made an excellent pass for 2nd place (which would have ended up winning). Bryce was one of the fastest drivers on the track. We are excited for the Pro-Series which starts next month at Road Atlanta.
COTA Update
Bryce qualified on pole for both days of racing. Bryce took 2nd place and had the fastest lap in Race 1. Bryce took 3rd in Race 2 which was his first time racing in the rain in a car.
Thank you to K-Hill Motorsports for the great coverage!
"The weekend at COTA was an important one for the entire team K-Hill team with the passing of Kris Kaiser. We did what Kris would want us to do, we raced and we won. The team stuck together and locked up the podium in F1600 and Formula Atlantic. I was honored to be a part of it. Kris was a legend and well known in the racing community. I will always remember his voice in my ear yelling "You won buddy - we did it," at my first race. We had many more of those coming together and I will miss him and hope to honor him with many wins." - Bryce
Podium Celebration
Podium Celebration from COTA Race #1. Thank you to Dustin Hodges @K-Hill Motorsports!
Bryce on Pole - #81
This is a great look at one of Bryce's Pole starts. Thank you to Dustin Hodges @K-Hill Motorsports!
Qualifying Day at Circuit of the Americas Bryce Aron Wins Pole!
January - Sebring, Florida
Bryce’s 2nd weekend ever in a car at Sebring - racing hard for podium spots and after a tough battle came into contact with another car. Bryce was purple for most of race and faster than a driver who was driving in 5th place during the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona. IMSA Daytona International Speedway @ Rolex 24 Hours Daytona Live Online. This winner chooses K-Hill Motorsports, LLC.
