Introduction A dedicated feeder series to the primary American Open-Wheel Racing series has been in existance in one form or another since 1986. The American Racing Series began in 1986 to serve as a development platform for CART, since the Formula Atlantics series which had been around since 1965 had failed to race in 1984, and existed as two separate series, a Pacific and an Atlantic series, from 1985 to 1990. In 1991, the same year that the split Formula Atlantics championship merged back into a single national series, the…
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Star Mazda – 2009 Season Review – Battle for the Championship
Star Mazda Series – 2009 Season Review Battle for the Championship: Circuit Trois-Rivières Headed into the home stretch for the 2009 Star Mazda Championship, rookie Adam Christodoulou and Peter “The Irish Steamroller” Dempsey were locked in a battle for the lead. Coming to Quebec, Dempsey had a slight edge on Christodoulou, but with four races left Peter’s 19-point lead was tenuous at best. The first weekend for the series north of the border wouldn’t turn out great for either contender, but especially not for Peter. He and his team missed…
Read MoreStar Mazda – 2009 Season Review – Getting Started
Star Mazda Series – 2009 Season Review The Star Mazda Championship is a low-power spec-formula series that started in 1999 in an effort to transition young drivers from karts and F2000 cars to the types of winged single-seaters they’ll see in Atlantics, Formula BMW, GP2, and Firestone Indy Lights, and specifically feeds the Atlantics Championship series. The chassis are all built by Star Race Cars, run the 1.3L Mazda Wankel “rotary” engine, and are shod with Goodyear rubber. Teams are allowed to adjust wing angles, suspension set-up, and brake bias,…
Read MoreAOWR – Atlantics 2009 Season Review – Looking Ahead to 2010
Atlantics Championship – Year In Review Thoughts on Next Year: The immediate thought is, “Will there be a next year?” Having only 10 cars on the grid most races, and 13 as a maximum, the existence of the 2010 Atlantics Championship is not guaranteed. Things are looking promising, though, as the series has announced their 12-event 2010 schedule and Cooper Tires returns as the presenting sponsor. The series is still negotiating a 13th event, presumably either a return to the Long Beach Grand Prix. The series has had a presence…
Read MoreAOWR – Atlantics 2009 Season Review – The Home Stretch
Atlantics Championship – Year In Review Battle for the Championship: The final stretch toward the championship begins at Circuit Trois-Rivières just upstream of Montreal. Only 19 points separate the leader, Simona, from Summerton in third. Not unexpectedly, the trio qualified as they were ranked in the championship: Simona, Edwards, and Summerton. Showing no quarter to her Newman/Wachs competitors, Simona went on to win from pole position and stretch out her lead once again. Summerton and Edwards swapped positions during the race which allowed Simona’s lead to grow even more. Things…
Read MoreAOWR – Atlantics 2009 Season Review – The Mid-Season Grind
Atlantics Championship – Year In Review The Mid-Season Grind: The middle stretch of the season saw some big changes in the complexion of the championship. At Lime Rock Park, Simona de Silvestro continued her dominance, winning from the pole and becoming the winningest female driver in the history of the Atlantics Championship overtaking Kathryn Legge. Although neither Johnathans qualified well, starting fifth and sixth, they both improved their positions through the race with Edwards finishing on the podium in P2, and Summerton ending up in fourth. This allowed Simona to…
Read MoreAOWR – Atlantics 2009 Season Review – Getting Started
Atlantics Championship – Year In Review The Lineup: The Atlantics Championship has a LONG history as the premiere feeder series in American Open-Wheel racing going back to 1974. Series champions include a serious who’s-who of racing. Here are just a few of the drivers who have conquered the series: Gilles Villeneuve, Michael Andretti, and Johnny O’Connell. A rich of a history as the series has, it has never been known for having deep grids with most races fielding fifteen or so cars. This year the car count was especially light…
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