Today we finish off our weekly Toyo Tires F1600 Championship driver profiles with the newest member to join the Formula 1600 family, Calvin Coey. The teenager from Etobicoke arrives with a karting and Sim racing background, and he has a Euroswift ready to roll at the season opener May 12th. It’ll sport the number is 37 on bright red bodywork, the very same number his dad raced at Mosport! Thank you for following along this off season, and we’ll see you soon at the track!
How long have you been racing and how did you get started?
My love for cars started with the purchase of a 2002 Subaru WRX. My father bought the car to have fun and maybe bring to the track once or twice for lapping days, for reference I was about 4 at the time. Ever Since then cars have been a huge part of my family. From then I watched my dad go from a few track days to racing in a vintage series with his 1971 Porsche ST all the while I was playing Gran Turismo and karting in the summers at Goodwood/Cameron Motorsports. Cut to me at 17 I’m not karting anymore but I am avidly sim racing and ski racing in the winter. It’s spring and my dad asks if I want to take his new WRX to a track day at TMP. Not even 4 corners in and I got the real sense of speed and remembered what I was missing. It was on that same track day that I met James Lindsay in his 91 Van-Diemen. I read up on the series, really fell for the history of F1600 and knew that I needed to start there. So here I am 19 years old, young and dumb and hoping to have fun out there with the rest of the racers.
How long have you raced F1600?
Approximately 2 hours
How many race cars have you owned?
1 and that would be my 1993 Euroswift
What is your # and why did you choose it?
I was really hoping for number 95 The 9 is for 1999 the year I was born The 5 is because there are 5 people in my family. And 95 because of Lighting McQueen (I’m a real Disney dork). But….you will see it on track with number 37 which was my dad’s racecar number. Fingers crossed that I can have 95 next year!
What other classes have you raced?
I raced at the Bertil Roose school and I’ve karted in an arrive and drive program for about 7-8 years
What track raced has been your favorite and why?
This is my first year so I’ll have to let you know, although I am very excited for corners 2 and 5 at CTMP ( I’ll always call it Mosport :P)
What track would you love to race around and why?
Watkins Glen and Spa are on my bucket list. Watkins for the bus stop/ esses and Spa for, well I think everyone wants to race Spa.
What is your greatest racing memory?
I only have Karting to speak from. My favourite memory from karting would be going from 3rd to 1st in my first stop-start race. I very much enjoyed the ice cream after that race.
Favorite driver from any generation and why?
I can’t name one but I can by category. F1 – Senna (king of the rain) LMP – Mark Webber (raced for Porsche and Formula 1, dream team!) Rally – Colin Mcrae ( He started my obsession with racing)
Do you plan to be on the grid in 2018?
I sure do and I can’t wait.