Future Hall-of-Famer wins second race of Formula 1600 at Canadian Grand Prix

July 1, 2022 · 0 Comments

Aurora Sports Hall of Fame “future hall-of-famer” Jake Cowden, came in first in the second race in Formula 1600, on the day of the Canadian Grand Prix on June 19.

The 18-year-old from Aurora, who joined Britain West Motorsport in 2021, had the pleasure of racing on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on multiple occasions over the course of the weekend.

After defeating teammate Tyler O’Connor by 0.046 seconds on Sunday, Cowden said he was relieved.

“It was a feeling of relief after what happened to me on Saturday with the electrical issue. I had one chance left to win. Considering it was the biggest opportunity in racing I ever had, I was just relieved to of won after such a tough race. It was just amazing,” Cowden said.

Previously on Saturday in the first race of the weekend, Cowden’s car shut down due to an electrical issue during a safety car lap. He was able to restart the vehicle and take back first-place during the formation lap that followed.

At the end of the race, he was awarded a 28-second penalty for doing so, pushing Cowden back to 18^th place.

With the final race of the weekend coming up, Cowden went toe-to-toe with his teammate O’Connor.

Cowden was able to pass O’Connor in the final straight in front of the checkered flag.

This victory capped off what has been a tough year for Cowden in racing.

Earlier this year, Cowden sprained his knee on a large chunk of ice ahead of the Ontario Snowmobile Oval Racers championship for Sport F500.

In his racing journey, this was the moment he faced the most adversity.

“I was in a lot of pain with from my knee. I talked to my physiotherapist I see pretty regularly and she said since it’s just a grade one, I should be okay to continue racing,” Cowden explained. “I was in a lot of pain. But, when I was on the snowmobile I had one thing in mind. Which was to win. I was in the lead of two championships for the OSOR and I ended up missing one of the races when I was in the hospital, which ended up costing me that championship.”

Although he ended up winning it all, it was a true test of character.

Cowden races snowmobiles in the winter to keep his racing mindset fresh for when the summer rolls around and he can get in the middle of a car.

Growing up, Cowden saw his father win medals go-karting. He loved all of his father’s medals and kept them as a keepsake. When he was old enough to enroll, he begged his father John to get involved in go-karting and the rest is history.

For the past few years, Cowden has also been involved with the Alzheimer Society of York Region. His grandmother Joyce, who just turned 94 last week, lives with the disease and Cowden and his family want to continue to bring awareness to others. He does so through his racing.

In the future, Cowden says he would love to pursue something in racing on tracks and in cars.

We’ll see what the future will continue to hold for the young Aurora Sports Hall of Fame “future hall-of-famer.”

By Robert Belardi