Trois-Rivières, Quebec – Max Mällinen will make his second start of the season in the Formula Tour 1600 this weekend, taking part in the famous Grand Prix of Trois-Rivières, which happens on a narrow and tight street circuit in Canada’s Quebec Province. Mällinen previously competed in Formula Tour 1600 in Montreal in support for the Formula 1 weekend, and will again be back with front-running Formula F team Exclusive Autosport.
“I’m really excited to be back in Canada and run with Exclusive once again. I look forward to not only working with the team, but to be able to check Trios-Rivières off my list of tracks as a driver. I expect nothing less than a highly successful weekend all around,” said Mällinen.
The city of Trois-Rivières is situated on the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City, and each summer hosts a street race the town regards as a massive sporting event. With tens of thousands of fans expected, it will be a competitive race featuring a large grid of Formula F cars.
With a ten-turn street layout, the best passing opportunities for Mällinen will be in turn one, a right-handed sweeper, and then again into turn six, after a long back straight funnels into a tight left-handed turn. Based on his performances at last year’s SCCA National Championship Runoffs, and in Montreal’s F1600 support race, Mällinen will have no issues making up ground if he needs to.
“I am really looking forward to GP3R. The circuit layout is fantastic. Being a street course makes it difficult for both the driver and engineer to find the right setup. This being as the streets have less grip, an uneven surface, the walls are very close, and there is not much margin for mistakes. Also, street courses offer fewer passing opportunities, so it is important to qualify well. But, because of these challenges, it will be a great feeling to get it right,” Mällinen noted.
Momentum is on Mällinen’s side too, as the 17-year-old is riding a wave of six straight SCCA Majors victories into the weekend.
In early June, it was Mällinen’s first time in a Quebec-spec F1600 race car, meaning new tires, but a similar chassis and engine in the Honda-powered Spectrum. With that weekend under his belt, Mällinen not only has more experience on the tires, but will continue to mesh with the Exclusive Autosport team and its engineering staff.
“Exclusive Autosport is a very professional team. I really enjoy working with them. They always produce a fast setup and, as a Canadian based team, know the Canadian tracks and GP3R very well,” added Mällinen.