The Formula 5000 Drivers Association has announced the results of its final race event to close the 2021 season at Watkins Glen in conjunction with the SVRA SpeedTour and the winners of the 2021 F5000 Championship.
Finishing first at Watkins Glen on September 12, in F5000 Class A (pre-1972 cars) was Seb Coppola in his stunning red, white and blue 1970 Lola T192. Coppola raced flawlessly during the weekend with increasing speed each session. Second in Class A was Paul Dudiak in a white and blue 1969 McKee Mk12. Dudiak chased Coppola throughout the weekend and made a few passing attempts on Sunday before Coppola was able to pull away. Finishing third was Mike Knittel in a 1970 Chinook. Knittel was returning to racing after fighting a serious illness during the past year and was enjoying the time on track and camaraderie in the paddock.
Finishing first in F5000 Class B (post 1971 cars) and first overall in the group was Kirt Bennett in the shiny blue ex-Al Unser 1974 Lola T332. Bennett led the race within the F5000 group from the start and outpaced the group with laps of 1 minute, 50 seconds. Finishing second was Rasim Tugberk in the white and blue 1971 Leda LT25. After a few mechanical problems and a slow start to the weekend, Tugberk came alive on Sunday with competitive lap times of 2.05 minutes. Third in Class B was Tom Simpson who was driving a 1972 McKee Mk18. Simpson was a steady performer in both the qualifying and feature races.
The Watkins Glen SVRA event was also the final round of the 2021 F5000 Revival Race Championship Series. With the most points for the year, Seb Coppola was crowned Champion in Class A. This is Coppola’s fourth championship since the start of the F5000 U.S. Revival Race Series in 2008.
Kirt Bennett won the Championship in Class B after accumulating the highest points in class. This is Bennet’s first championship in the F5000 Series. With first place finishes at Road America and Watkins Glen, good car reliability and a hot shoe, Bennett has won a well-deserved championship title for 2021.
The U.S. Formula 5000 Drivers Association is a membership organization established to promote the restoration, presentation, registration and racing of historic Formula 5000 racecars. www.F5000Registry.com
