LMS

Harold Primat: Le Mans Series, Spa 1000kms preview
News from Harold Primat Racing
MAY 8, 2008 -- A superb podium finish for Harold Primat and Christophe Tinseau in the last round of the Le Mans Series at Monza has left the Pescarolo Sport duo lying fourth overall in the championship and the best-placed petrol-powered car heading to round 3 at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend. With confidence already high, the pair’s Pescarolo 01-Judd gets a new aero package for the trip to Belgium, leaving the Geneva-based Primat hopeful of another strong result.

Harold on the season so far – “We are delighted with the start we have made and sixth place in Barcelona followed by a podium at Monza have left us very well placed in the championship. I don’t think even Christophe and I imagined we would be the best-placed petrol-powered car after two rounds of the season. The standard of competition in the Le Mans Series has improved so much in 2008 that everyone is pushing really hard, and that’s causing mistakes from drivers and mechanical problems for the teams. Pescarolo Sport has given us a very reliable car so far and we haven’t made any errors, but now is not the time to relax, we must push on and try to maintain the considerable progress we’ve made.”

…on the Pescarolo 01-Judd’s new aero package – “The big news for Spa is that we’ll have the new 2008 aero package, which the #16 car has been running at the first two races of the season, on our car. We’re excited about it because the team feel there is a significant downforce advantage in running the new splitter. It means we have a lot of work ahead of us this weekend to configure the set up and make sure we get a feel for it, as it’s quite different from the ’07 spec. It’s also our last chance to get it perfected in race conditions before the Le Mans 24 Hours.”

…on racing at Spa – “I’ve always done well at Spa in the past. Early in my career in British F3 and the VdeV championship I had wins and pole positions, and in the past two seasons have scored LMS podiums with Pescarolo Sport and Swiss Spirit. Hopefully we can keep that record going this year! It is another fantastic circuit with a huge, illustrious history. One of the most attractive things about the Le Mans Series for a driver is the magnificent tracks we visit. Corners such as Blanchimont and Eau Rouge are a tremendously thrilling challenge and it’s a great circuit for a driver. The track is quite long, which means traffic isn’t as much of a problem as somewhere like Barcelona, nevertheless, some corners only have one line so you need to be careful when lapping the GT cars.”

…on the target for the race – “We need to score points and to do that we must make sure the car is reliable and we are mistake free. Everyone is well aware of the importance of improving from race to race this season as the competition is so great. Anyone who stands still in terms of development or performance will end up going backwards. It’s already clear that there are a lot of quick LMP1 cars out there, so we have to step up our performance and not rely on our rivals suffering problems with reliability.”

The Monza 1000kms will appear LIVE on Motors TV and Eurosport. For listings information, please visit www.motorstv.com and www.eurosport.com

Star Mazda

Makela Joins Andersen Racing's Star Mazda Team for Testing and Three Races Later This Season
News from Restart Communications

Photo courtesy Anderson Racing
PALMETTO, Fla. (May 3, 2008) - Andersen Racing's international driver roster for the Star Mazda series presented by Goodyear is expanding to include a young star from Finland.

Team co-owner Dan Andersen announced today that he has signed 22-year-old Valle Makela, a native of Laitila, Finland, for five days of testing and at least three races this year in one of the Palmetto, Fla.-based team's Star Mazda cars.

The team's full-season drivers in that series are Charles Hall of Sheffield, England; Peter Dempsey of Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland; Tom Gladdis of Gibraltar and Juliana Gonzalez of Mexico City, Mexico. All are rookies. Hall, Dempsey and Gladdis are all in the top five in the current point standings, with Hall second and Dempsey third.

Andersen Racing also currently leads the point standings in the other two series in which it competes. RLR/Andersen Racing's J.R. Hildebrand currently tops the point standings in the Firestone Indy Lights Series, the official development series of IndyCar. Andersen Racing's Anders Krohn and Jonny Baker are first and second in the U.S. F2000 Championship Series point standings.

Makela, the 2004 U.K. Formula Ford champion, will begin his Star Mazda testing program next week at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, the site of the second Star Mazda race of the year on Saturday, May 17.

He hopes to compete in the doubleheader at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J. Sept. 13-14 and the race at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. on Oct. 3.

"We're trying to get money together to do more, but that's it for now," Makela said, adding that the weakness of the dollar makes American racing very appealing to European drivers.

Makela earned the 2004 U.K. Formula Ford championship by winning 10 of 20 races. He competed in the World Touring Car Championship in 2005 before returning to formula cars in 2006 for the British Formula Renault series. Last year he drove for NEXA Racing in the British Formula BMW Series, finishing fifth in the championship with a victory at Brands Hatch.

Prior to winning the 2004 British Formula Ford championship Makela finished third in that series in 2003. He was runner-up in the Formula Ford Zetec Nordic championship in 2002, and he was the Finnish Formula Ford Zetec champion in 2002. He had a distinguished karting career before advancing to cars.

"Everything we have heard about Valle indicates that he is a very talented and intense young man, and is a driver we are very pleased to be able to add to our Star Mazda team," said Andersen. "I expect him to be competitive right out of the box, and with the testing we will do prior to his debut at New Jersey, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him running at the front alongside his teammates."

Makela said he discovered the Star Mazda series on the Internet, and he learned about Andersen Racing from Gladdis and Gladdis's father. In addition to Gladdis, Makela said he is also acquainted with Charles Hall through his races in Great Britain.

Makela's first visit to America began earlier this week. One of his first tasks was to get fitted for a seat for his test next week.

"Everything is new; I haven't driven a Star Mazda car before, or even seen a Star Mazda race," he said. "I've been looking at some of the races on tapes; it's kind of like F3 in Europe."

So far he likes what he sees of America. "It's nice," he said. "Andersen Racing's shop is very good. It's totally different than the U.K. Everything is a little bit bigger here."

Star Mazda races are televised on SPEED.

Andersen Racing has a 1-mile road course test track at its headquarters at Andersen RacePark in Palmetto, Fla. The team is sponsored by Allied Building Products Corp. For more information see andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com. The series' Web site is at starmazda.com.
 

In Memoriam

David Leslie killed in Kent plane crash
By Andrew Cotton
www.Telegraph.co.uk
FARNBOROUGH, England (March 30, 2008) —David Leslie, one of the most recognised names from the world of British Touring Car racing, was killed in a plane crash at Farnborough, Kent, yesterday along with Apex Motorsport team owner Richard Lloyd and a mechanic who had not been identified last night.


Leslie, 54, became a household name when he raced in the British Touring Car Championship between 1990 and 2003 for BMW, Vauxhall, Mazda, Honda, Nissan and Proton, winning nine races during his BTCC career and finishing second in the 1999 title race behind Frenchman Laurent Aiello's Nissan.

While remaining an active racing driver, contesting the Britcar series with Lloyd's business partner Harry Handkammer, Leslie was also an accomplished commentator for the Eurosport and Motors television companies.

Lloyd's Apex Motorsport team had close links with both Audi and Bentley, running the coupe Audi R8C at Le Mans in 1999, and Bentley's Le Mans programme in 2001 and 2002 with the Bentley EXP Speed 8 which in 2003, run by Joest Motorsport, won Le Mans.

The Apex Motorsport team was wound down after the Bentley Le Mans programme and was on the verge of closing their doors when a chance meeting at Silverstone with Jaguar designer Ian Callum sparked a new racing venture between Apex Motorsport and Jaguar.
With the help of businessman Handkammer, who founded Countax Limited, a UK market leader in ride-on lawnmowers, Apex began to develop the Jaguar XKR for the FIA GT3 Championship. The project gained momentum and was ready to contest the championship this year with cars run by Apex Motorsport.

Lloyd, Leslie and the mechanic were departing from Farnborough to complete more testing with the Jaguar at Nogaro in south-west France in preparation for the opening round of the series at Silverstone on April 20. "This is as sad as you can get," Handkammer said. "I'm simply devastated."
 

Heavy workload for Pescarolo Sport and Primat at Paul Ricard
News from Harold Primat Racing
GENEVA (March 5, 2008) — Harold Primat and his Pescarolo Sport team mates undertook an intensive programme of crucial development work at Paul Ricard last weekend as the French squad prepares for the 2008 Le Mans Series season.

Geneva-based Primat joined Jean-Christophe Boullion, Emmanuel Collard and Christophe Tinseau at Le Castellet for the official Le Mans Series group test and spent two days working on set up optimisation.

While chasing lap times weren’t the priority for drivers or team, a best time of 1:42.860 placed their single Pescarolo-Judd sixth fastest overall; right in the midst of what looks set to be a keenly contested LMP1 petrol-class grid.

Primat however reiterated that the main focus of the weekend had been to optimise the Pescarolo’s set up for the range of varying circuits that the LMS will visit this year, with particular emphasis being placed on a new-for-2008 front splitter.

“The team have designed a brand new front splitter for the car which has more downforce and less drag,” Primat explained. “On paper it looks like it will provide us with a significant performance benefit from last year and the weekend was spent transferring that theory to on-track performance by optimising it properly. We got through a big workload but we all realise there is a lot of work still to be done throughout the season.”

The Audi R10s topped the timesheets on their first Le Mans Series outing, while Creation, Oreca and the new Charouz Racing Lola Aston Martin were also impressive, leaving Primat to ponder an exciting and highly competitive season ahead.

“Audi joining the championship means an added interest between the manufacturers in the diesel class, but more interestingly the competition between the petrol-powered LMP1 cars has stepped up a level. All the main competitors are tightly packed and I was encouraged by the fact that, comparatively, we were still there or thereabouts despite the fact that we weren’t looking for outright pace.

“2008 looks likely to be the most competitive season yet since the creation of the LMS.”

Henri Pescarolo was highly satisfied with his team’s work at Paul Ricard and admitted they were making significant progress ahead of the opening race at Barcelona on 6 April. “We accomplished a lot during the two test days. If anything the test was too short and another couple of days would have been useful! However we had the opportunity to determine our technical set up for different types of circuit, from slow ones such as the Nurburgring to the very quick tracks like Le Mans. On the whole the car really improved throughout the weekend.”

IRL

Press conference held concerning revamped IRL

By Martha Meacham

MIAMI, Florida (February 27, 2008) — Today, the deal was cemented and the 12-year long schism in open wheel racing was laid to rest at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. In front of a throng of media, motorsports executives, team owners, and more than 20 current IRL and Champ Car drivers, Indy Racing League CEO Tony George and Champ Car World Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven shared the podium in an historic show of unity and support. "I have received hundreds of congratulatory e-mails from fans, drivers, sponsors and others who love our sport," George claimed. "All agree that the future is bright for IndyCar racing and the time to unify our sport is now. Our whole racing community is excited and energized about unification and everybody is working hard toward the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway March 29."

Both George and Kalkhoven were generous in their praise to the people on both sides of the aisle...people like Champ Car team owner Gerry Forsythe, the IRL teams, IRL President Brian Barnhart, Dallara chassis...for helping to bring about unity in a quick and timely matter. Although Barnhart said that the timing of the merger, which was announced last week, will make providing enough equipment to the teams a challenge, he is confident that every former Champ Car team will receive one chassis now. Also assisting the teams is the TEAM (Team Enhancement and Allocation Matrix) program, which provides a $1.2 million foundation per car for the season. Teams that display the financial ability to compete all season will be provided a one-year Honda basic engine lease agreement and two Dallara chassis from a pool of new and used cars to the extent of the pool available for up to two seasons. All nine Champ Car teams showed up in Indianapolis two days ago for an orientation with Barnhart. He will also meet with the drivers who attended today's press conference later on today.

The races at Twin Ring Motegi and Long Beach will both run as scheduled since there was no time to make changes to those commitments by both series. This will be the finale for Champ Car and for the DP101 chassis. Both races will be awarded points and prize money according to the IRL structure. The former Champ Car race at Edmonton will be absorbed into the 2008 schedule but due to scheduling conflicts, many of the Champ Car races were not able to make this year's line-up. However, Tony George is hoping to keep the lines of communication open with track owners and promoters in hopes of bringing onboard some of Champ Car's popular venues. George particularly cited the events in Houston, Cleveland, and Toronto as ones of interest. He is also meeting later on today with officials from Australia in hope of keeping the race at Surfer's Paradise on the 2008 schedule. George said all current IndyCar Series events and '08 scheduled Champ Car events will be reviewed for the '09 schedule.

George also expressed a desire to keep the schedule with approximately 1/2 ovals and his wish to have a diverse balance of different ovals, road and street racing events. Kalkhoven said that the Atlantic development series will continue with a 12-race schedule, although it hasn't been determined yet who will be the sanctioning body. The teams that will make the transition will be paired up with current IRL teams for technical assistance. For example, Newman-Haas-Lanigan, who fields cars for Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal, will be paired with Rahal-Letterman Racing (owned by Graham's father, Bobby). KV Racing (owned by Kalkhoven and former driver Jimmy Vasser) will pair up with Target Chip Ganassi Racing.

And so ends "The Split" which has divided open wheel racing in North America for over a decade. "Everyone can now focus on taking the IndyCar Series to new heights for the good of our sport and everyone involved in it," said Andretti Green Racing co-owner Michael Andretti, a multiple Championship Auto Racing Teams season champion. What started out as a war has ended peacefully and to the relief of many involved? "I'm thrilled we now have a unified open-wheel racing series that will feature great drivers, a diversity of world-class venues and numerous top-notch teams," said Kalkhoven. "I applaud Tony George for his commitment to the sport and join him in now focusing solely on the future of open-wheel racing in North America. I'm eager for our team to race this season and certainly will do all I can to help advance our sport in the short and long term."

Please note: RFMSports will not be covering the IndyCar series.

GARRA

Primat disappointed at early Daytona exit
News from Harold Primat Racing
DAYTONA, Florida (January 28, 2008) — Harold Primat was left a frustrated spectator for most of the Daytona 24 Hours after a blown engine forced his SAMAX Motorsport Riley Pontiac into retirement after less than four hours.

The Geneva-based driver managed just one full stint at the wheel, most of which saw the car struggling with a down-on-power engine, before his race was over and admitted his disappointment at being forced to retire with less than a sixth of the race distance completed.

“SAMAX have a good record here at Daytona, so I expected a lot more,” Harold said. “I’m really disappointed because this year, with drivers such as Jimmy Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya, the field was so strong and I was really looking forward to competing on-track with those guys for the full race. Everyone knows Daytona is a very tough event, but it would have been nice to have seen a bit more of it.”

SAMAX’s problems began early in the race during the car’s first stint. Champ Car ace Ryan Dalziel reported a misfire, and although the issue seemed to have improved after his first pit stop, more engine problems affected Primat’s stint at the wheel.

“At one point I was fighting with the Brumos Porsche and got a much better exit from the chicane,” Harold said. “I used the advantage to try and pass on the straight, but the engine just didn’t have the power to do so. It felt flat, with a lack of torque and really struggled for power exiting the corners. After two thirds of the stint the engine lost a cylinder, but the team asked me to stay out so we could pit during a caution period, so I kept running on seven cylinders.

“The team tried to fix it at my pit stop when I handed over to Tomas Enge, and although they thought the problem had been solved, Tomas was still having trouble and the engine eventually blew halfway through his stint.

“It’s such a shame because Daytona is fantastic fun. You can really race here in these cars, but we hardly got a chance to. After signing for a team with such a strong history in this event, retiring after less than four hours was definitely not what I expected.”
 

Primat targets first Daytona finish after signing for Samax Motorsport
News from Harold Primat Racing
GENEVA, Switzerland (January 23, 2008) — Geneva-based racing driver Harold Primat has been confirmed as part of Samax Motorsport’s driving strength for this weekend’s Rolex Daytona 24 Hours. The 32-year-old is targeting a first finish in his second visit to the famous event, with a team and driver package he believes has ‘podium potential’.

Primat was among a number of drivers who spent three days testing the Florida-based team’s Pontiac Riley at the beginning of this month and has secured his spot in their two-car line up. He will be joined by sportscar star Tomas Enge, Champ Car ace Ryan Dalziel, and Grand Am / Indycar regular Milka Duno at the wheel of the no.11 car.

Primat has contested the famous race once before, a mechanical failure robbing him of a finish in 2006 when racing with the Spirit of Daytona team, but with Samax’s Rileys finishing second and sixth at last year’s event, he is hopeful of better luck this time around.

“I had a few different options for Daytona, but Samax have such an impressive record here that the choice was easy,” Primat said. “The team is very professional and easy to work with and have already taken podiums at Daytona in the past. Our driver line-up is strong and both Tomas and Ryan have lots of experience with the team which will help us in preparation for the race. The package has got podium potential.

“Daytona is a fantastic event. Anyone who has ambitions to race in the very best endurance races from across the world has to do Daytona. It is second only to the Le Mans 24 Hours in terms of prestige.”

Team principal Peter Baron said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Harold. I have watched his progression on the international sportscar racing scene with interest over the past few years and am delighted to welcome him to the team. There are a lot of big-name driver line ups at Daytona this year, but I believe our team is packed with talent and I fully expect us to be challenging for a podium come Sunday.”
 

A1 Grand Prix of Nations
Germany Wins as New Zealand Takes Title Lead
(Provisional results only)
Photos © A1GP.com
TAUPO, New Zealand (January 20, 2008) - A1 Team Germany's Christian Vietoris, who has been on sensational form all weekend, secured his first A1GP race win in this afternoon's action-packed Feature race at Taupo Motorsport Park while New Zealand's points haul put the home team at the top of the championship standings.

Germany was joined on the podium by Canada's Robert Wickens in second, the team's best result of the season, and pole-sitter France's Loic Duval in third. The local favourite, New Zealand's Jonny Reid, was on incredible form, racing to a brilliant fourth place, having fallen back seven places to 12th at the start. The points picked up this weekend put New Zealand two points ahead of Switzerland and France in the championship. --->MORE

A1 Grand Prix of Nations
Wickens Leads Canada to Taupo Feature Podium
By Stuart Morrison
Photos courtesy Jakob Ebray Photography
TAUPO, New Zealand (Sunday 20 January, 2008) - A1 Team Canada celebrated a return to the Feature race podium today in Round 5 of the 2007-08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport as Toronto's Robert Wickens delivered a stellar performance to finish runner-up to Germany's Christian Vietoris at New Zealand's Taupo Motorsports Park.

Wickens successfully converted fourth on the grid to a well-earned second place, the 18-year-old rookie's first Feature race finish in three attempts and the first Feature podium for Canada since Vancouver's Sean McIntosh led the team to victory in Indonesia in the inaugural 2005-06 A1GP season.   --->MORE

Andrew Johnstad WINS BIG - Jake Hinnenkamp WINS BIG!
News from Avalanche Racing
CHICAGO, IL (January 14, 2008) — Avalanche Racing's Andrew Johnstad brings home an outstanding WIN in Semi-Pro Super Stock and a 2nd in the Semi-Pro Open! "It was an awesome weekend! I hit the track confident and ready to race. The Semi-Pro division is jam-packed with talent this year and I'm stoked to be bringing home the hardware for Avalanche Racing and our incredible sponsors!" said a fired-up Johnstad.

Andrew's win translates to a HUGE WIN for our 14-year-old, Canterbury Park's Crew Member for a Day winner, Jake Hinnenkamp. Just for being chosen to participate he gets to be right in the action in the pits, receives an awesome helmet from Z1R, cool Polaris gear and an appearance in SNO-X Magazine. With Andrew's win Jake SCORES additional prizes valued up to $1000 from Avalanche Racing's sponsors like Torco, Arctiva, Polaris, Giordano's, C&A Pro, HMK, Stud Boy, Smith, Powermadd and Rockstar. Andrew may have a fan for life!

Sign up today! You too could be right in the action as a member of the Avalanche crew and win great prizes. There's a lot of exciting season ahead of us!

Register now online at www.PowerSportsTour.com
 

Neel Jani of Switzerland Storms to Sepang A1GP Double Victory*
Photos © A1GP.com
MALAYSIA (November 25, 2007) — Pole sitter and Sprint race winner A1 Team Switzerland took its second win of the day in this afternoon's incident-packed Feature race at Sepang in scorching weather conditions, moving the team into the championship lead by 10 points. Jani was joined on the podium by Brazilian rookie Sergio Jimenez, who started the race sixth and led for 15 laps, in second position and French driver Loic Duval in third.

Jani made a perfect getaway in the Swiss car as Great Britain's Oliver Jarvis held second off the grid and further down the pack five cars tangled going into turn one. --->MORE

World Rally

Colin McRae, a true rally legend, dead in helicopter crash
"No correlation between the way he drove a rally car and the way he flew a helicopter."

News from Autosport.com
September 16, 2007 — Police have confirmed that Colin McRae and his son, along with another adult and a child, have been killed in the helicopter crash yesterday at McRae's estate in Scotland.

The 1995 World Rally Champion was piloting the helicopter carrying his five-year-old son Johnny, his six-year-old friend Ben Porcelli and 27-year-old family friend Graeme Duncan.

The helicopter crashed shortly after 4:00pm in Jerviswood after the party were returning from a nearby village, the police said.

"It has now been confirmed that there were four people, two adults and two young children on board," the police said in a statement.

"Although a post mortem has still to take place, the four involved are believed to be Mr Colin McRae (39) of Jerviswood House and his son Johnny Gavin McRae, aged 5; Ben Porcelli (6), of Cleghorn Road, Lanark, who had been over playing with Johnny; and family friend Graeme Duncan (37), of L'Ile Degaillot, Faycelles, France.

"A full report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."

Chief Superintendent Tim Love, Divisional Commander, South Lanarkshire Division, said: "We believe that the group were just returning from a visit to the nearby village of Quarter around 1605 hours yesterday, when it appears that the helicopter got into difficulty and crashed within the grounds of Mr McRae's family home.

Rough Day for AIM Autosport at Mosport
Gachnang finishes 8th, Cunningham 12th on rain soaked track
By Sylvia Proudfoot

Photos courtesy DeFord Photo 2007

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario Canada (August 25, 2007) — AIM Autosport's Star Mazda Championship team had a rough race at Mosport International Raceway on Aug. 25. After qualifying well and making smart weather strategy calls, both team drivers were caught by the timing of the race's only caution period. They each lost a lap to the leader, leaving them with eighth- and 12th-place finishes.

Natacha Gachnang of St-Gingolph, Switzerland, qualified the No. 35 Pro Formula Mazda sixth on the 22-car grid with a lap of one minute 16.497 seconds on the 2.459-mile Mosport road course in Bowmanville, Ont. Devin Cunningham of St-Bruno, Qué., was right behind her, qualifying the No. 33 Discovery Channel Canada Mazda seventh in 1:16.718.

The drivers started the race on slick racing tires, but heavy rain forced them into the pits for rain tires early in the 46-minute race. Several competitors weren't as savvy, opting not to change tires. One spun off track, causing a full-course caution that allowed the rest to pit for rain tires and fine-tune their setup for wet conditions.

Back on track, Gachnang and Cunningham were slowed behind a driver who didn't stop for rain tires. As the caution started, their position relative to the safety car dropped them back a lap. Although Gachnang was faster than the leaders, she and Cunningham were unable to make up the lost-lap deficit. Gachnang finished eighth and Cunningham 12th.

AIM is now tied for fourth place in Star Mazda Championship standings, with two races remaining this season.

Natacha Gachnang: "After two race laps, it rained really hard so I came into the pits to change into wet tires. When I came back on the track, somebody was leading the race with slick tires and I was behind him. After that, it was full-course yellow, so I couldn't pass him and I went one lap back because of that. If I could have just passed this guy, it would have been really good, but I got back on track just behind him. It was frustrating."

Devin Cunningham: "To qualify seventh was fantastic. When it came to the race, it was just bad timing. It put us back one lap and there was just nothing we could do. All the guys who were on the podium had time to come in during the yellow flag and were able to change stock settings. We were stuck running rain tires on a dry setup car from one lap down. It was just an awful weekend and I can't wait to better myself in Road Atlanta."

Cunningham plans to practice for the Oct. 5 race at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Ga., using computer race simulations. He'll also stay fit kayaking to maximize his track performance.

Mazda MX5 Cup

Team MER Enjoys Dominating Weekend at GP of Trois Rivieres, Saini Secures Championship
Saini sweeps weekend with Team MER drivers taking 6 of top-11 positions
Photo courtesy photosbyjuha.com
TROIS RIVIERES, QC (August 22, 2007) --- Team MER and driver, Jason Saini, turned in another dominating performance this weekend at the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres, taking pole position and the race win and ultimately claiming the 2007 Sirius Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship. The event was a clean sweep for Saini & Team MER. In addition to qualifying on pole and leading every lap, he reset the MX-5 Cup lap record, entering a fast time of 1:16.170 (71.886 mph) around the 11-turn, 1.521-mile temporary street circuit and taking home the Hawk Hot Lap award. This was the team’s fifth consecutive victory and Saini’s fifth win of the season.

“I have to thank Team MER and the whole crew for putting together an awesome car,” said Saini (TheAutoBarn.com / Team MER). “We tweaked it every session and got a little faster every session. Half the time you make changes you go backwards, but every one of ours made the car better and it was even better yet for the race. This season has been pretty indescribable. We have all worked very hard and I’ve had a ton of support from so many people. I can’t even put into words what it feels like to get a professional championship.”

Besides the strong performance by Saini, Team MER logged another podium finish with the 3rd place of Andrew Caddell, who is currently second in the points championship. Caddell had a five-way battle for third the entire race and made it stick before the final caution period.

“Overall it was a good run,” said Caddell (Pinnacle Mazda / Team MER / AIM). “Our car was set-up better for the short runs and once we had that long stretch I got dicing with a big pack of cars. Thankfully we had that second yellow and I was able to get a good restart. It would have been nice to see what I had for the 2nd place car at the end but we ended under yellow.”

In addition to the podium finishes, Team MER had a total of six cars in the top-11.

“I couldn’t be prouder of every single one of the crew members we have associated with this team,” said Marc Miller, Team MER driver coach and engineer. “To have so many cars running in the front half of the grid says a lot of the hard work of the crew and the great job the drivers did on track. This weekend was certainly a special one.”
 

Mark and Mike Jenkins both had tremendous drives to place in the 6th and 8th positions driving their Traxxis / Jentek / Team MER

Mazda MX-5’s.
 

Forest Barber (Feed the Need / Team MER) logged his first top-10 finish of the year with a 10th place result. He moved seven spots up from his starting position and finished right in front of Patrick Dempsey (Autism Speaks / Team MER) who had a strong race to finish 11th in his first MX-5 Cup event of the year.
 

Donnie Barnes (Team MER) finished in the 20th position after a spin that pushed him to the back of the field. Rick Bellew (B&W Supply / Team MER) had a great run going, briefly running as high as tenth before slight contact with the wall hampered his day, finishing in the 23rd position.

Team MER will next head to Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, UT for the final round of the SCCA Sirius Satellite Mazda MX-5 Cup September 14-15.

Star Mazda

Californian, Canadian on Front Row for Start of Round 7 of Star Mazda Championship
TORONTO, Canada (July 7, 2007) — In racing’s version of the United Nations, a Californian, a Canadian and an Australian – all series rookies -- make up the top-3 starters for Saturday afternoon’s Round 7 of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto, July 6 – 8.

Scoring his fourth pole of the year, series points leader Dane Cameron capped a dominant performance in practice, where he led every session, by taking the Toronto pole with a lap of 1:08.755 (94.248 mph) in his #19 JDC Motorsports/Finlay Motorsports Mazda. Cameron has won two races so far this year (VIR and Houston) and leads the Star Mazda championship with 218 points. Cameron brings some experience to this track, having raced here in a Formula Ford 2000 ‘double header’ in 2006, finishing 2nd in both races.

“Having some experience with the track was a big help in getting up to speed quickly, and in steadily improving the car during practice,” says the 18 year-old native of Sonoma, California. “Having won on the street circuit in Houston is also a big psychological advantage because I now know how to attack a street circuit lined with concrete walls. I’m looking forward to the race because the new Goodyear racing tires we’re using for the first time here this weekend should allow us to run hard for the full race distance rather than playing a tire conservation game.”

Sitting beside Cameron on the front row will be Toronto’s own Marco Di Leo, driver of the #21 Maxwell Paper Products Mazda. Di Leo, who won the season opener in Sebring, qualified second with a lap of 1:09.280 (93.533 mph).

Di Leo was the 2006 Skip Barber National Championship runner-up, 2005 Skip Barber Scholarship winner, Team Sunoco Ultra 94 member and F2000 Bridgestone Series champion. He won the Star Mazda season-opener in Sebring and is currently third in the championship battle with 190 points.

“Being a single car team and never having raced here before, we’ve been playing catch-up all weekend,” says Di Leo. “The team did a great job overnight to produce the best car we’ve had all weekend for the qualifying session, and I think it will be a good car for the race conditions this afternoon.”

Starting third, directly behind Cameron on the grid, will be Australian racer James Davison, driver of the #7 Velocity Motorsports/Easternats Mazda. Davison has scored two poles so far this season and is 5th in the championship with 184 points. He set his 3rd-place time, a 1:09.326 (93.326 mph) on his first flying lap in the qualifying session, before brushing the wall with the rear tire.

“The contact upset the handling and I wasn’t able to improve my time during the session, so I finally parked it early to save the tires for the race,” says the Melbourne native. “I raced here last year in the Atlantic series, and the experience was useful from the standpoint of knowing the circuit layout, but the cars are so different that there really wasn’t anything in the setup or driving style that translates. I’m feeling confident about my chances in this afternoon’s race because I know I have a good car and tires with less laps on them than any of the other front runners.”

Starting 4th will be Ron White of Santa Clara, California. He turned a lap of 1:09.388 in the #69 Team G.FRO/Wunder-Bar Mazda. White has scored two podium finishes so far this season and is 4th in the championship with 187 points.

In fifth is the next Canadian in the field, Devin Cunningham of Saint-Bruno, Quebec, driving the #33 Discovery Channel/AIM Autosport Mazda. Cunningham, who won Round Five at Portland and is 8th in the championship with 163 points, turned a lap of 1:09.411.

Rounding out the Canadian contingent in the 22-car starting field are Vancouver’s Lorenzo Mandarino, driver of the #23 Newway Forming/Team G.FRO Mazda and race winner at Round Four in Salt Lake City. Mandarino will start from the 8th position on the grid with a lap of 1:09.785. He is currently 6th in the Star Mazda Championship with 165 points.

Making his first start in the Star Mazda series is young Kyle Marcelli of Barrie, Ontario. With just one day of testing in a Star Mazda pro car under his belt, Marcelli qualified 10th with a lap of 1:09.856 in the #43 Trudel & Sons Roofing/John Walko Racing Mazda.

And here’s the story on what they’re all fighting for; forty years ago, on May 31, 1967, Mazda introduced the first street car with a rotary engine, the Cosmo Sport. Since then, they’ve built two million rotary-engined vehicles and the company has built its very identity on the idea of Zoom-Zoom and every vehicle they produce having the soul of a sports car.

In pursuit of that ideal, Mazda has created a unique, company-sponsored ‘motorsports ladder’ that reaches all the way from karting to Champ Car. This year’s Star Mazda series champion will receive a Mazda-sponsored full-season drive for 2008 in the next series up the ladder, the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. And the 2008 winner of the Atlantic Championship gets a $2 million sponsorship to help them move up to Champ Car.

So… they’re racing for their dream, and for the opportunity of a lifetime. And it all comes to a head in the 45-minute Star Mazda Championship race scheduled to take the green flag at 3:30 pm Saturday, July 7.

Toronto is the seventh round of the 12-race 2007 Star Mazda Championship schedule and the first of three Star Mazda races in Canada over the next two months, including Trois Rivieres, Quebec (where Star Mazda is the feature race) on August 18-19, and at Mosport in Bowmanville with the American Le Mans Series on August 24-25.

Star Mazda races are broadcast tape-delayed on SPEED TV. Date and time (all times stated are Eastern and subject to change) for the one-hour broadcast is available at www.speedtv.com/programs. The Toronto race is scheduled to air on Saturday, July 21 at 12:00 pm with a re-broadcast on Monday, July 23 at 3:00 pm.

The next event on the Star Mazda schedule is at Road America, with the American Le Mans Series, on August 10 – 11
 

Tomas Enge Joins Carpentier at Samax Motorsport for the Six Hours of the Glen
News from Samax Motorsport
WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 6, 2007) — Tomas Enge will join SAMAX Motorsport team driver Patrick Carpentier for the upcoming Six Hours of the Glen, Round 6 of the 14-race Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, scheduled to start this Saturday at 11 a.m. at Watkins Glen, New York. A regular competitor in the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2002, Enge is also a seasoned veteran of open-wheel racing. In 2005, he competed against Carpentier in the Indy Racing League. This will be the Czech driver’s second start of the 2007 season with the South Florida-based SAMAX Motorsport team. SAMAX is currently third overall in the Team Standings after five races with 134 points, just 14 behind SunTrust Racing in first place. The team, which has four top-five results including a second-place finish in the season opener at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, is looking for its first win of 2007.

Team owner Peter Baron is pleased to have Tomas Enge link up with the team for this endurance race. Baron also announced that Antoine Bessette would be on hand this weekend as the team's third driver.

"I'm glad to have both drivers on board for this weekend's race," said Baron. "Patrick (Carpentier) and Tomas (Enge) will share the bulk of the work and we will get Antoine (Bessette) involve at some point. Negotiations are still going on to have Antoine drive with us in five or six races this year. This is our first long race since Daytona, and I think that teams will be more cautious in the first five hours. It will be smarter to have a car in good shape for the last hour, but it will also be important to be on the lead lap."

This will be Carpentier's second visit to the Glen. In the 2005 Indy Racing League contest at the Western New York racetrack, he was running fourth with 10 laps to go when he lost fifth gear. The French Canadian driver managed to complete the race in 10th place overall. This season, Carpentier, who missed the Virginia race, is 10th overall in the Rolex DP Driver Standings with 106 points. Scott Pruett leads the points chase with 148.

"This our first long distance race since Daytona," said the Canadian driver who lives in Las Vegas. "This six-hour meeting should be fun because we will have plenty of track time. The last four events were short, two and a half hour sprint races, but if the last Daytona event is any indication of the pace of the upcoming Watkins Glen race, drivers could be going at full speed and the only strategy would be to go flat out for six hours. Tomas (Enge) is a very fast driver and this will make it interesting for the team."

Tomas Enge will be a busy man in the first half of June. The Czech driver tested last Sunday at Le Mans for the upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans. The LMGT1 Aston Martin DBR9 posted the second quickest class time in the test session. Enge then returned to America where he is competing this Saturday for SAMAX Motorsport with Carpentier and Bessette. Following the race, Enge will head back to France.

"Competing on both sides of the Atlantic in such a short period of time can be tough, but I've done it before," said Enge, who finished with a solid sixth place finish when he co-drove the second SAMAX Pontiac Riley at the Rolex 24 at Daytona last January. "It was a dream come true to drive at the Daytona classic and I found that the Daytona Prototype really suited my driving style. It is unfortunate that we could not fight for a podium finish at the end. We had a few on track incidents, which cost us several laps, but we hung on there to cross the finish line after 24 hours. Now I'm hoping to get a chance to go for the win this time. With Patrick (Carpentier), we will do whatever it takes to get that win and I believe we're capable of achieving this!"

Rolex Daytona Prototype action starts Friday with two practice sessions. Qualifying for the Daytona Prototypes is scheduled to start later that day at 4:20 p.m. (Eastern Time). The Six Hours of the Glen will start Saturday at 11:00 a.m. ET, with live television coverage airing live on SPEED at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
 

DTM

Audi driver Frank Biela makes DTM comeback
News from Audi Motorsport

INGOLSTADT (May 2, 2007) — Audi factory driver Frank Biela makes a comeback in the DTM this coming weekend: The 1991 DTM Champion and four-time Le Mans winner jumps, at short notice, into Tom Kristensen’s cockpit at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben for Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline.

The Dane was involved in a bruising accident on the first lap of the DTM opener at Hockenheim. Owing to the high-level of passive safety exhibited by the Audi A4 DTM, Tom Kristensen remained uninjured, apart from whiplash and bruising, and was able to leave hospital only two days after the accident.

Since being at home in Denmark, Kristensen has almost fully recovered from the after affects of the heavy accident. After talking to the consulting physicians, the DMSB and Audi Team Doctor Christian John, Audi has however decided not to enter Tom Kristensen at Oschersleben.

"The health of our drivers is of the highest priority,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. "We want to give Tom the opportunity to recover completely before climbing back into the cockpit of his A4 DTM. In view of the severity of the accident this simply needs time.”

Frank Biela will drive the #7 Siemens Audi A4 DTM at Oschersleben. The 42-year old last competed in the DTM during the 2004 season and won the 12-hour race at Sebring in March with the Audi R10 TDI. Biela this year also competes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans which he has already won four times, and is an integrated in the further development of the Diesel Sportscar.

"Obviously I know just how close things are in the DTM and how difficult it will be to hit the ground running in the season without testing,” says Frank Biela. "On the other hand I heard that the new A4 DTM is great to drive. I’m intrigued and will do everything to do a good job as cover for Tom. I know that he’ll be sitting in front of the television at home keeping the fingers crossed for me. Naturally I’m delighted about this race and the chance to start in the DTM again. However, I would have preferred if it had been due to different circumstances…”

DTM

Tom Kristensen discharged from hospital
News from Audi Motorsport

INGOLSTADT (April 25, 2007) — Audi driver Tom Kristensen was discharged from hospital on Tuesday evening and is meanwhile back at home with his family. The Dane was involved in a heavy accident just after the start of the opening race of the DTM season at Hockenheim, and was taken to the Mannheim University Clinic for a series of more detailed examinations. Except for bruising the doctors diagnosed no further injuries – they nevertheless instructed Kristensen to rest thoroughly over the next few days.

"I’m delighted that I’m finally back home with my family and our baby boy Oswald,” said Tom Kristensen, who had become a father again only the weekend before last. "It’s always time to leave when you start to enjoy hospital food,” joked the seven-time Le Mans winner as he was leaving. "I’d like to thank the doctors at the circuit and in the hospital for their professional care and attention. I felt extremely well looked after,” said Kristensen. His Siemens Audi A4 DTM will be completely rebuilt in the meantime and ready for action at the next round at Oschersleben (6 May). Kristensen: "I’ll take the opportunity to relax before preparing myself better than ever for the race weekend.”

Kristensen’s Audi team mate Alexandre Prémat, who was also involved in the accident, is also on the road to recovery. The Frenchman must nevertheless stay for a few more days in hospital for observation.

Formula 1600

Formula 1600 Returns to the Grand Prix of Canada
By Normand Prieur
MONTREAL, (April 2, 2007) — Race fans attending the Grand Prix of Canada on June 8, 9 and 10 will once again enjoy the action-packed Formula 1600 series as Jacques Dulac, President of Formula Tour 1600, and Martin Spalding, General Manager of Grand Prix of Canada, announced on Monday that the open-wheel championship is back on this year’s program of events for the first time since 2003. Series officials expect close to 40 drivers from Quebec, Ontario and the North East of the United States will compete in the series most prestigious event of the 2007 racing schedule.

The return of one of the fan’s favorite support races will see seasoned veterans and young hot shoes go head-to-head on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to secure bragging rights for 2007. “We are pleased to welcome once again at the Grand Prix of Canada some of the most passionate race drivers in Quebec,” said Martin Spalding, General Manager of the Grand Prix of Canada. “Formula Tour 1600 officials estimate that competitors from Ontario, the Maritimes and the United States will join ranks with Quebec drivers to offer race fans their customary wheel-to-wheel battles in the demanding Senna Curve, the Hairpin or the Esses. We can also add that Formula 1600 drivers, whatever their level of experience, never lack intensity and their goal is the same as all Formula One drivers: to win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.”

A little less than two years ago, concerned members of the open wheel racing community gathered to create Formula Tour 1600 in order to steer the destiny of the series in a new direction. “The return of Formula 1600 at the Grand Prix of Canada is a splendid outcome for the efforts of all those involved in the series,” said Jacques Dulac, President of Formula Tour 1600. “We never gave up our passion for the sport and thanks to our commitment; we will once again enjoy from our Paddock the thrill of being part of the most important race weekend in Canada and to compete on the same race track as Formula One.”

Last season, troopers like Didier Schraenen and Michel Bonnet and upcoming stars such as Rémy Audette and Olivier Bonnet fought all season long for the championship with the title eventually won by veteran Didier Schraenen in the season finale.

Tickets to attend the Grand Prix of Canada can be purchased by contacting 514-350-0000, between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. every day, or on-line any time at www.grandprix.ca

GARRA

Shane Lewis Fights Epic Battle in Mexico City
News from Shane Lewis Racing
MEXICO CITY (March 5, 2007) — The ability of a driver to look deep within himself and draw out the last tenth of a second or brake later into a turn is what sets the masters from the students. Shane Lewis (Jupiter, Fla.) showed once again at this weekend’s Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Mexico City 400k that he is among the masters. The multi- time winner of Grand-Am sanctioned events put on a driving display of speed, precision and focus in his stint behind the wheel of the No. 3 Preformed Line Products/TrueChoice Motorsports Lexus-Riley in the second race of the 2007 Daytona Prototype season. Despite an impressive run as high as fourth, a long driver change at the race’s midpoint would drop the Southard Motorsports entry to 15th overall at the finish. That did little to diminish the enthusiasm that the fans heaped-upon Lewis and the Steve and Martha Southard-owned machine following the race.

The highlight of the race for Lewis, and for many of the fans at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, was the multi-lap battle between his red, white and blue Powell Ohio-based car and three of the top finishers in the 2006 Daytona Prototype championship. First it was Lewis closing on hometown favorite Memo Rojas in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi-owned Lexus-Riley, a car the Mexican shares with 2006 Series runner-up Scott Pruett. The two then caught the storied sports car team of Brumos Racing and driver Darren Law. Then, as the three battled, last year’s class champion, Jörg Bergmeister got into the thick of the fight. The battle for position by the four talents drew constant attention from the spectators in attendance and those watching the live SPEED Channel broadcast from home.

Despite a faulty cool-air hose that had broken on lap three of the event, Lewis continued to ignore the rising temperatures inside the closed-cockpit machine to challenge for position, lap-after-lap. However, it would eventually be a by-product of the hose that would temporarily break-off the battle. Without fresh air being pumped into the system, the sealed helmet that usually provides lower temperatures for the driver began to act as a barrier to let the carbon dioxide out of the lined helmet. With his usual single-mindedness to gain the next position overpowering his body's desire to pull in to have the hose fixed, Lewis continued on. He opened his visor but with a chin and nose guard in place limiting the proper exchange of gasses, it provided little relief from the CO2 now beginning to fill his lungs. So, while continuing to put pressure on Rojas and stem-off the attack of Series champ Bergmeister, Lewis clawed at the nose piece ripping it from his helmet. The slight distraction caused Lewis to lock his front brakes in a tight chicane sending him momentarily off course.

Now breathing fresh, but hot, oxygen, Lewis again took pursuit, catching and again challenging the other Riley chassis. Each would temporarily gain the edge in traffic with Lewis making a dogged, late-braking maneuver to gain the spot on the Brumos Porsche- powered entry in traffic. The quartet, which would occasionally drop to just two or three in constant contact, would eventually have the spectacular battle decided by pit stops.

Lewis, who had started tenth, brought the Preformed Line Products Lexus in for service by the Southard crew in fourth-place- the highest the team has run thus far this year- and relinquished the ride over to teammate Randy Ruhlman (Greensboro, N.C.). While the team performed an excellent stop for fuel and tires, the latch for the lap belt on the racing safety harness was trapped under Ruhlman. The team worked to reposition in the tight confines of the cockpit losing substantial time. This was further exacerbated by the need to repair the hose that was to pump ambient air from the car’s roof into the specially equipped helmet. Once complete, Ruhlman rejoined the fray but the No. 3 was not able to reclaim its earlier position finishing 15th, three laps down.

The third round of the 2007 season will take place on March 24th at Lewis’ home track, Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 400k race will start at 8 pm. The 2.3- mile road course, a favorite of Lewis, utilizes portions of the oval and the infield to create one of the most tightly contested Daytona Prototype battles each year.

“Now that’s racing!" Lewis exulted. "It was a great battle with Darren, Memo and Jörg. I knew Darren and Jörg were going to fight me hard but cle