Photo, clockwise from top left: Barrett, Newgarden, Daly, De Phillippi and Patron Highcroft Racing's Marino Franchitti, David Brabham and Duncan Dayton.

The Celebrity Karting Challenge is hosted by reigning American Le Mans Series LMP1 Champion David Brabham and benefits Malaria No More UK which is committed to ending the suffering and death caused by malaria. Brabham himself is among the world-class drivers taking part, along with fellow Le Mans 24 Hours race winners Allan McNish, Emanuele Pirro, Guy Smith and Alex Wurz, and three-time FIA World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx.

The Team USA Young Guns roster will comprise 2007 Team USA Scholarship winner Patrick Barrett, 2008 winners Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden and 2009 alumnus Connor De Phillippi. (Fellow 2009 winner Brett Smrz’s hopes of making the trip were upset by a schedule conflict.)

“I can’t wait to head back over to England to represent Team USA again,” said Daly, 18, from Noblesville, Ind. “It’s good to be a part of the Team USA ‘family.’ I am looking forward to experiencing the Autosport International Show and taking part in the prestigious charity event. I’m also glad I get to take part in the event with my good friends Josef, Connor and Patrick! We’re going to have a strong team.”

“I’m very excited to join the Team USA Scholarship alumni for the upcoming Autosport charity karting event,” added Newgarden, 19, from Hendersonville, Tenn. “I’m always up for racing any chance I get, and competing for such a worthy cause will make this an extra special event. I know we are going to give it our all representing the USA!”

“I am so excited,” exclaimed De Phillippi (pronounced “Dee Phi-LEE-pee”), 16, from San Clemente, Calif. “This is another great opportunity thanks to the Team USA Scholarship. To represent the USA in this race with the caliber of drivers that are competing and to be helping raise to money for the fight against malaria makes me that much more honored to have the pleasure to compete in this fantastic charity event.”

“I’m extremely excited about competing in England again and representing the Team USA Scholarship,” said Barrett, 20, from Los Osos, Calif. “My last visit overseas in 2007 was an unbelievable opportunity, and to go back with a larger Team USA group will make for a memorable experience. It really is an honor to be apart of such a prestigious charitable event.”

The talented quartet’s cross-Atlantic trip has been made possible by long-time Team USA Scholarship supporters and Road Racing Drivers Club members Doug Mockett, proprietor of Mockett & Company, Torrance, Calif.-based  purveyors of “fine architectural hardware for your fine furniture” (www.mockett.com), and Duncan Dayton, principal of Patrón Highcroft Racing – the American Le Mans Series team with which David Brabham took the LMP1 spoils in 2009.

“To be able to attract America’s most promising young drivers is a real indication of how the Celebrity Karting Challenge has grown in stature,” said Brabham, who in addition to his racing career and charitable work, oversees a similar young driver program based in the United Kingdom – the MSA British Race Elite. “It will be fantastic to have Team USA competing alongside the MSA British Race Elite team and see some of the sport’s best young stars in action.”

Once again, Hildebrand shared the team’s lone Force India-Mercedes VJM02 with Scotland’s Paul di Resta. Hildebrand was entrusted with the morning session, during which he recorded 41 laps and encountered a few technical glitches, while di Resta took over for the final afternoon. Di Resta posted the day’s second-fastest time, 1:18.736, during his 53-lap stint which included a brief excursion into the gravel and another stoppage due to an electronic malfunction.

“Today was a little frustrating because we again lost our quickest outings when the engine saving mode switched on,” related Hildebrand, “and then when we tried to re-run the new tire outing the red flag came out when I was six-tenths up on my fastest lap. That would have put us squarely in the thick of the front-runners. Knowing I had the time in me and couldn’t get it is in part frustrating, but I can only be so frustrated as I know how much quicker we really were.”

The fastest time overall was set by Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo. The young Australian, who won this year’s British Formula 3 Championship, completed 77 laps during his third full day behind the wheel of the world championship-contending Red Bull-Renault RB5, recording a best lap of 1:17.418.

Hildebrand, the reigning Firestone Indy Lights Champion and 2005 Team USA Scholarship winner, completed a total of 142 laps during the three-day test.

“Based on how it had gone for me in the morning, the team made some setup changes to try to address the corner entry problems that I was having, since Paul had been troubled by the same issues,” said Hildebrand. “He went out and did his longer runs first with the shorter runs toward the end, and was able to make good use of the tires and changes, posting the second quickest lap of the day. Looking at the data, I wasn’t quite on target to run the same time that he did, but I’m also quite certain that I could have taken full advantage of the changes to the car because he felt they definitely helped. Either way, I felt really good about how well I had been able to get on in some less-than-optimal conditions, and had an incredible time working with the team and driving the car.

“Looking at it from a bit of a different perspective now that it’s over, it’s pretty incredible to have gotten the opportunity to drive a modern Formula One car. I felt like I made the most of my time both in and out of the car over the last week, and am very satisfied with how things turned out. It’s always disappointing to have things end up not reflecting how well they actually went, but when it comes down to it, I now know that I’ve got the tools to do the job – along with a wealth of information to continue to develop with.

“It was an amazing experience to work with the Force India F1 Team, I really can’t thank them enough for giving me the chance to drive the car and also for working together so well with me during the test.”

The 2005 Team USA Scholarship winner and reigning Firestone Indy Lights Champion completed a total of 49 laps in the Mercedes-Benz-powered Force India VJM02 during the morning session before relinquishing the car to Scotland’s Paul di Resta for the afternoon period.

Hildebrand topped the timing charts several times during the morning, and had set the third fastest time when he climbed out of the car shortly after midday. His best lap of 1:20.537 remained good enough for fifth fastest out of the nine drivers who posted laps during the morning. All of the teams who contested this year’s FIA Formula 1 World Championship were present, with the exception of Toyota which has since withdrawn from F1 competition.

“The track was clearly improving throughout the morning, so based on the program we were running, in terms of relative pace we were doing pretty well,” said Hildebrand, 21, from Sausalito, Calif. “After a brief red flag at the beginning of the session, we started into our planned testing program for the day. We ran pretty basic settings on the car to help give me a feel for the various adjustments that the car has, as well as some different tire compounds.

“My first impressions of the car were that it’s just incredibly quick and capable, and it’s definitely different to what I’m used to in its general attitude through the corner as well, so that took a bit of getting used to.

“I felt I was getting there and was starting to get the most out of the car, particularly toward the end of the morning. I think we still had some free time in the car. I lost my best lap by using a bit too much of the road, and on my last run I just flat-spotted the tires straight out of the pits, which made a drastic difference in how good the car was and I really couldn’t get the ultimate lap time from it. It was a little bit frustrating from the standpoint of losing the last two runs, but we were fifth quickest when my day was effectively done so I was pretty happy with my first outing.”

Former Euro F3 Champion di Resta (cousin of 2009 IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti) continued the team’s good work in the afternoon period, when everybody went appreciably faster as the track conditions improved. Di Resta ended the day second-fastest overall with a time of 1:19.369, just two-tenths slower than 2009 Formula 2 Champion Andy Soucek, who posted the day’s best time after a full day’s running with the Williams-Toyota team.

A second American, 18-year-old Alex Rossi, also took part in the test as his prize for winning the 2008 Formula BMW World Finals. Rossi, from Nevada City, Calif., set the day’s seventh fastest time overall, 1:20.227, after completing a total of 82 laps. Hildebrand ended the day ranked 10th overall among the 12 drivers who posted times.

Hildebrand and di Resta will continue to share the car when the three-day test resumes tomorrow (Wednesday), with di Resta driving in the morning and Hildebrand taking the afternoon stint.

“I think I could have probably done a better job of putting a few more full laps together [today], but was definitely pleased to see that it looked like much of the time gained by the other guys through the day was due to the track improving,” said Hildebrand. “The roles are reversed for us tomorrow, so if nothing else, I certainly expect that by the time I get in the car, the grip will be quite a bit higher than when I drove it today and I’ll really see what the car can do! So I’m looking forward to getting back out there.”

The Team USA Scholarship, now in its 20th year, is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, Firestone Indy Lights, American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, Cruden America, iRacing.com, OnCars.com, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management and Manifest Group. Past Team USA Scholarship winners include Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Memo Gidley, Buddy Rice, Andy Lally, Paul Edwards and A.J. Allmendinger.

Next week, reigning Firestone Indy Lights Champion and 2005 Team USA Scholarship winner J.R. Hildebrand will join that elite level when he drives a Mercedes-Benz-powered Force India VJM02 Formula One car in a test session December 1-3 at the Circuito de Jerez in southern Spain.

Hildebrand, 21, from Sausalito, Calif., will be joined in the rookies-only test by highly rated Scotsman Paul di Resta, whose cousin, Dario Franchitti, won the 2009 IndyCar Series Championship.

“I’m ecstatic about being given the chance to drive a Formula One car for the Force India F1 Team,” says Hildebrand. “I know it will be a challenge but I’m ready to take it on, and look forward to getting as much as I can out of the whole experience. It’s an incredible way to cap off an already very special year and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

Hildebrand’s test-drive follows an impressive showing in Force India’s F1 simulator in England last month.

“We are delighted to have Paul and J.R. join us for the young driver test,” says Dr. Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal of Force India. “Both of their showings in the simulator were excellent and we had no hesitations in offering them some valuable testing. We will be looking at their performance on track very closely and should they perform well, as we are confident they will, we will look at a permanent role for one within the team in 2010, potentially as a test and reserve driver. As a young team we are looking for drivers who can grow with us. As we’ve always said, nationality isn't the primary selection criteria – it’s talent and dedication to the cause and we have seen enough to know that these two have both.”

Hildebrand, who played varsity baseball while maintaining over a 4.0 GPA in high school – and deferred acceptance to MIT to pursue his racing career – had been introduced to Dr. Mallya several years ago. Earlier in the fall, Hildebrand was invited to try out the team’s F1 test simulator. At that stage he had no inkling the outing would lead to a full-blown F1 test.

“I thought I did quite well,” he says. “I knew there was room to improve but I felt I accomplished my goal, which was to learn and improve throughout the day. It took a while for the team to analyze the data but when I got the call to say I was going to have a chance to drive the car I was ecstatic. It couldn’t have come at a better time.”

In comparison to many drivers in the top echelon these days, Hildebrand started his racing career relatively late, at age 14. Since then he has won the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School Graduate Runoffs; the 2004 Russell Championship Series; Rookie of the Year honors in the 2005 Pacific F2000 Championship; the 2005 Team USA Scholarship; the 2006 Cooper Tires Formula Ford 2000 Championship (winning a record 12 out of 14 races); and the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Championship (claiming a series-high four wins and six poles while driving for AFS-Andretti Green Racing).

The Team USA Scholarship, now in its 20th year, is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, Firestone Indy Lights, American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, Cruden America, iRacing.com, OnCars.com, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management and Manifest Group. Past Team USA Scholarship winners include Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Memo Gidley, Buddy Rice, Andy Lally, Paul Edwards and A.J. Allmendinger.

One year ago, wearing Team USA Scholarship colors, his good friend Conor Daly became the youngest driver ever to win the prestigious Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford race at Silverstone. Daly made the return trip to England this year to cheer on the latest pair of Team USA Scholarship winners, and was every bit as happy to see De Phillippi take the checkered flag at the end of a thrilling 15-lap Final this afternoon – driving the very same #22 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS08.

“I can’t even describe how I feel,” said an ecstatic De Phillippi, who at the age of 16 years, 10 months and six days, beat Daly’s record as the youngest ever Walter Hayes Trophy winner by a mere 10 days. “This is by far the biggest race I’ve won. I can’t thank everyone involved in the Team USA Scholarship enough. It’s been a tremendous honor to be here. Hopefully the right people will see this and help us move up to the next step in my career.”

Teammate Brett Smrz finished ninth following an incident early in the race which saw his car riding over the wheel of a rival. 2008 Team USA Scholarship winner Josef Newgarden finished sixth in his National School of Motorsport Van Diemen RF92, while fellow American Doug Prendeville, from Whippany, N.J., finished 30th in the 36-car Final.

Earlier in the day, De Phillippi, from San Clemente, Calif., took advantage of a first-lap tangle between pre-event favorite Rory Butcher and Stuart Gough to take the lead in his 12-lap Semi Final. De Phillippi, who started fourth, narrowly avoided the melee and went on to control the remainder of the race. Smrz, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was third in the other Semi Final race, which was held on a drying track after heavy rain earlier in the morning.

Newgarden had a busy day, winning the Last Chance Race to earn a place on the back of the grid for the first Semi Final and then charging through to finish fifth. Prendeville finished 18th in the same race.

De Phillippi secured pole for the Final by virtue of winning the faster of the two Semi Finals. He immediately took off into the lead at the start, chased by Irishmen Robert Barrable and Neville Smyth and Englishman Felix Fisher.

De Philippi eked out a small advantage over the first few laps, but then strayed too far onto the curb at the tricky Brooklands corner and went into a n enormous sideways slide which he did extremely well to control. By then he had fallen back to fourth place, but realized he was still very much in contention.

“I just had to take a breath and get my head back in the game,” he recounted. “The car was on rails. I knew I was quick so I just had to focus on getting back up there.”

He made short work of Smyth, then passed Barrable in a brilliant move in the Brooklands/Luffield complex of corners. Fisher did everything he could to hold off the young American’s advances, but to no avail. De Phillippi finally made his move for the lead at the Beckett’s hairpin and romped on to victory by just over a second.

“If he wouldn’t have lifted, he’d have gone for a wild ride,” said De Phillippi, who wowed the fans – as well as an appreciative crowd of motorsports veterans in the British Racing Drivers Club Suite – with his impressive drive.

“I was a bit conservative at Brands [Hatch two weeks earlier in the Formula Ford Festival],” said De Phillippi, “but that was just a warmup. This weekend I was a lot more aggressive and it paid off.”

Full results can be found at: http://www.mstworld.com/msportevent.aspx?eventid=90082&circuitid=58&series=UK&venue=Walter%20Hayes%20Trophy&circuit=Silverstone.

Photo of Connor De Phillippi receiving the winner's trophy from Mrs. Elizabeth Hayes, widow of Formula Ford founding father Walter Hayes (please credit www.jeffbloxham.com)

The two Americans qualified comfortably for tomorrow’s Semi Final round which will comprise a pair of 12-lap races to determine the starting positions for the all-important 15-lap Final on Sunday afternoon.

Smrz was unchallenged in the fourth of today’s six Heat races. He qualified impressively on the pole in wet conditions and made a fine start in the #21 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS08. Smrz was helped when Cliff Dempsey Racing teammate Cormac O’Neill spun at Brooklands on the first lap, collecting Dempsey’s nephew, Morgan Dempsey, and eventually took the checkered flag 4.298 seconds clear of Jordan Skinner’s similar Ray GRS08.

“I was wondering what happened when I came onto the front straight because I had quite a big lead,” related 18-year-old Smrz, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. “Next time through the Complex, I saw Morgan Dempsey’s car in the gravel trap so I figured they must all have taken each other out. After that I took it easy and made sure I didn’t make a mistake.

“I’m happy,” he continued. “It’s good to be up at the front for the Heat race. It puts us up front for the Semi Final. Now I just have to be smart in the Semi Final so I can start up front in the Main.”

De Phillippi had an altogether tougher road to the Semi Final. He, too, reveled in the morning’s wet conditions to qualify on pole, narrowly ahead of Formula Ford Festival winner Rory Butcher. His Scottish rival appeared to jump the start and was level with De Phillippi as they crossed the timing line, despite a staggered grid, but somehow escaped a penalty. The pair then embarked on the most thrilling race of the afternoon, swapping positions on a regular basis before Butcher took the flag a scant 0.283 seconds ahead.

“Extremely fun,” was how De Phillippi described his race. “It was really similar to the Skip Barber races in terms of the drafting. It was a good performance overall.”

Nevertheless, the 16-year-old from San Clemente, Calif., admitted to some frustration at the straight-line speed differential between the top two cars.

“He just drove right around me [on the straightaways],” he said. “It was ridiculous.”

The discrepancy was readily apparent from trackside, especially under acceleration out of the Complex and onto the front straightaway, although to his credit, De Phillippi wasn’t looking for excuses.

“We gotta keep working on [the car] to make it quicker,” he said. “Sitting around complaining isn’t going to fix it. We’ll have a look over the data, go to the Semi Final race and see how it goes.”

2008 Team USA Scholarship winner Josef Newgarden hit trouble during his Heat race, finishing 15th after a spin while challenging Tom Bradshaw for the lead. The incident was caused by a balky gearshift and braking difficulties on Newgarden’s National College for Motorsport Van Diemen RF92. He will have one more opportunity to qualify for one of the Semi Finals via the “Last Chance” race tomorrow morning.

Fellow American Doug Prendeville, from Whippany. N.J., enjoyed his first race in a year, finishing fifth in the same race. Prendeville displayed his intentions by posting the third fastest lap, within a few tenths of Newgarden’s best.

Full results can be found at: http://www.mstworld.com/msportevent.aspx?eventid=90082&circuitid=58&series=UK&venue=Walter%20Hayes%20Trophy&circuit=Silverstone.

Photo courtesy of www.jeffbloxham.com

Both youngsters are ready to take on the very best British Formula Ford racers when the competition begins in earnest with official qualifying tomorrow morning.

“I’m comfortable, happy,” says De Phillippi, 16, from San Clemente, Calif. “The team is doing a fantastic job. We’ve got the people and the equipment to take it to the podium, so it’s just a question of getting the job done.

“The car’s setup is great. Brett and I are turning competitive lap times and we haven’t run new tires yet, so we definitely think we can pick up more time.”

Smrz, too, is confident of another strong run, following his magnificent charge from 27th on the grid to fourth in the Formula Ford Festival two weeks ago at Brands Hatch.

“This time I will try not to make life difficult for myself,” says Smrz, 18, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. “The car is good. Right now [in testing] we’re doing decent [lap] times on very old rubber. The races are much different to qualifying or practice, and the races are my strong point. I am confident that I will get my quick lap in qualifying tomorrow.”

Both youngsters are enjoying their first taste of the Silverstone National circuit which includes several corners from the famed Formula 1 Grand Prix layout.

“The track’s awesome,” says Smrz. “I’m getting more comfortable with it, trying some different things and getting it figured out. It’s a quick track; it’s fun.”

“It’s moving toward the top of my list,” declares De Phillippi. “I love everything about it. There are several high-speed corners and deep braking zones. I think it kind of suits my style. It’s a lot easier to overtake here than at Brands Hatch. I think the racing is going to be good.”

Over 120 drivers have entered the event which honors Walter Hayes, a former Vice President of Ford of Europe who was one of the founding fathers of Formula Ford in 1967. The field has been split into six eight-lap heat races, with Brett Smrz’s #21 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS08 drawn into Heat Four and De Phillippi’s identical #22 car set to contest Heat Five.

The top 11 finishers from each Heat race will progress directly into a pair of 12-lap Semi Final races slated for early afternoon on Sunday. The remaining finishers have two more opportunities to make it into the Semi Final round via a “Progression Race” and a “Last Chance Race” on Sunday morning.

If all goes to plan, the two teenaged Americans should not go head to head until Sunday’s concluding 15-lap Final.

The event was won last year by Team USA Scholarship driver Conor Daly, who at age 16 was the youngest ever winner of this increasingly prestigious trophy.

Daly, who finished third and in this year’s Star Mazda Championship, has been testing a Formula Renault car today at Brands Hatch and is intending to be at Silverstone over the weekend to cheer on his countrymen.

Fellow 2008 Team USA Scholarship driver Josef Newgarden also will be at Silverstone. Indeed he will be competing against De Phillippi and Smrz! Newgarden, who turned many heads during an impressive season in the top-tier MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain, will drive an older Van Diemen RF92.
 

The time has passed quickly with a variety of tours and activities to fill the time before they will return to the cockpits of their patriotically liveried Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS08 Formula Ford cars for next weekend's Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone.

The two American teenagers have been staying in the historic City of Oxford, home of one of the world's most storied universities, sharing an apartment with 2008 Team USA Scholarship winner Josef Newgarden and his roommate, F3 racer Philip Major, who hails originally from Canada and is also pursuing his goals of a European-based racing career. Newgarden, who has competed with great success in this year's MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain, has kindly acted as a guide, mentor and chauffeur to the eager youngsters.

"Josef has been great," says Smrz. "Oxford is a very fun place and it has some great architecture. Josef, Philip, Connor and I all get along really well, so that has made our trip even more enjoyable."

"The lifestyle is very different," he continues. "The people act very differently over here and the food is much more healthy than in the USA."

"The main thing I noticed is that everyone walks everywhere," adds De Phillippi. "There are several restaurants within a mile or so, and everyone walks, whereas if you were in the States most people would drive! The other thing that has stood out for me is how much faster everyone drives on the motorways. I also noticed that the drivers are much more aware of what is going on around them, and they move out of the way if they are going slower!"

On Tuesday, Smrz and De Phillippi took part in the Grand Prix Shootout, which offers the winner an opportunity to contest the 2010 Formula BMW series in Europe. Later in the week they made enjoyed eye-opening visits to top GP2 team iSport International and the 2009 Le Mans Series championship-winning Aston Martin Racing/Prodrive organization.

"It's been a busy week, but fun," says Smrz. "The Shootout was a pretty good experience and it was interesting to compete against drivers from many different countries. We drove little Abarth 500 cars at an old airfield, called Bruntingthorpe, which is used quite a lot for testing and developing cars but not for racing. I think both Connor and I did well, so I hope we get invited to the next round where we will be tested in Formula BMW cars."

Both youngsters appreciated their opportunities to take their first-ever close-up looks at a GP2 car, which provides the final step on the open-wheel ladder for Formula 1 aspirants, as well as the stunning Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 Le Mans Prototypes and Aston Martin GT2 and GT4 sports cars.

"Seeing the effort that is put into building specialized GT4 Aston Martins and their Le Mans series cars was amazing," notes De Phillippi. "The development area for their LMP1 and GT2 program was astounding - there was not a speck of dirt anywhere!"

For Smrz, another highlight was the opportunity to take a close look at the Prodrive-prepared Subaru rally cars with which the late, lamented Colin McRae reaped so much success in the World Rally Championship.

After a relaxing weekend, De Phillippi and Smrz are due to make visits to the McLaren Technical Centre, home of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 team, 2009 British Touring Car Championship-winning team WSR, famed constructor Lola Cars and RML, which fields the factory-backed Chevrolet team in the World Touring Car Championship.

Photo: l. to r. Josef Newgarden, Brett Smrz and Connor De Phillippi

Smrz, 18, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, finished a sensational fourth after starting 27th on the 28-car grid, while De Phillippi, 16, from San Clemente, Calif., rose from 15th to fifth before tangling with a rival.

The opening Semi Final this morning did not go to plan. De Phillippi got the better start and was challenging the leader, Rory Butcher, before encountering a gear-shift problem entering the notorious Paddock Hill Bend with five laps remaining. De Phillippi carried too much speed into the corner, ran wide into the gravel at the exit and could only manage an eighth-place finish. He would have to start 15th in the Final but had already established his credentials by posting the fastest race lap.

Smrz fared even worse. He made a poor start, by his own admission, then spun at Turn Two, the Druid's hairpin. He recovered in ninth before tangling with a rival and ultimately retiring from the race.

Smrz had one last opportunity to qualify for the Final, but it was a long shot from 17th on the grid for the “Last Chance” race and with only five laps to move up among the top-four qualifying positions. Smrz takes up the story: “I got a great start and a good first lap, and was in seventh by the end of lap one. I kept working my way forward, eventually getting into fourth place. I held that spot until the last corner, where I did an over-under maneuver and finished up third.”

Incredibly, Smrz finished only 0.207 seconds behind the winner and set the fastest lap for good measure!

The two Americans were in an optimistic mood for the all-important finale, and both immediately began to work their way forward.

De Phillippi was challenging for fifth place when he tangled with Noel Robinson at Surtees.

“I had a great run coming out of Graham Hill Bend and was on his gearbox as were entered the esses,” related De Phillippi. “I made my move to the inside, he blocked me so I popped back to the outside. He got sideways and spun. I tried to go around him but he did not lock up his brakes and he rolled right into me which caused me to go off into the gravel.”

De Phillippi resumed in 12th with six laps remaining and worked his way up to 10th by the finish.

“It was very unfortunate but it was the best I could have done in the situation I was put in,” he said. “It was still a great race, even though it did not turn out as planned.”

Smrz, meanwhile, was continuing his charge. After narrowly avoiding the spinning De Phillippi and profiting shortly afterward from a full-course caution, which erased his 10-second deficit to the leaders, Smrz moved into fourth place with two laps remaining and finished hot on the heels of the top three: Butcher, Scott Malvern and Neville Smyth.

“It was one of the best drives of my career,” said Smrz, “and it was the right race to do it at. I can’t thank the Cliff Dempsey Racing team enough. They kept my head in the right spot the entire weekend and kept my car running quick as well. Dave Hart is the best mechanic I could ask for. He is always smiling and giving me great signals while I am driving. Thanks go out to Jeremy Shaw, the Team USA Scholarship, and all of its sponsors and supporters. I wouldn’t have been able to have the opportunity to race this weekend without their support.”

Photo courtesy of jeffbloxham.com

Bobby Rahal, Indy 500 winner and president of the RRDC, will lead the symposium, along with RRDC members and invited experts, to help young racing drivers, including those graduating from karts to cars, raise their awareness of safety by teaching them to effectively manage their racing vehicles and themselves.

The free "Safe is Fast" workshop - with S.A.F.E. an acronym for Skilled, Assured, Fit, Empowered - will feature a number of racing champions who are RRDC members, plus renowned industry experts such as Jim Leo, president of PitFit Training, Inc., and Jacques Dallaire, Ph.D., of Performance Prime, among others to be announced.

Topics to be covered include safety, physical fitness, setup and driving skills, sponsorship/branding, mental preparation, career management, and more. All workshop materials will be provided.

"The Road Racing Drivers Club's agenda has evolved to helping up-and-coming racing drivers to pursue their dreams by having the right tools as they begin their careers," said Rahal. "The members of the RRDC throughout the years have been invited to join the organization because of their championship skills, their on-track and off-track demeanors, and their professional attitudes, whether in the pro or amateur ranks. It is a privilege for the RRDC members of today, along with the industry experts who are willing to give up their time, and with the support of the FIA Motor Sport Safety Development Fund, to share their experiences and abilities with drivers who are embarking on their new careers."

The symposium is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 11, 8:30 a.m.-noon, in Meeting Room S 330 E and F (third level), at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The PRI Trade Show age restriction of 18 years has been waived for The RRDC/FIA Young Drivers Symposium, and each participant will receive a PRI show credential. However, registration is required and space is limited. Participants are asked to register early at www.rrdc.org. Registration on www.rrdc.org opens on Oct. 21, and any questions may be directed to RRDC1@cox.net.

Two additional symposiums are planned: in April, in conjunction with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and in May, around the Indianapolis 500.

The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club now has more than 150 active members, including leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

President Bobby Rahal is the 1986 Indy 500 winner and is co-owner, with David Letterman, of the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winning team. Six-time SCCA National Champion John Fergus is the Club's Vice President/Treasurer, and Formula Super Vee champion Tom Davey is the Secretary. In addition to RRDC members lending their expertise to up-and-coming drivers, the Club presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing; the Mark Donohue Award for personal spirit and performance at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; and the Bob Akin Award for speed with style, passion, sportsmanship and contribution to motorsports.

The RRDC also supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.

Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only.

Smrz, 18, from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was first to step up to the plate in Heat One, with De Phillippi instead taking a seat in the grandstands at Paddock Hill Bend to watch the early stages. After qualifying a strong second, Smrz was pushed wide at the first corner and lost a position in his #21 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS08. He quickly regrouped and soon began to exert pressure on the second-place Swift of experienced Formula Ford racer Josh Fisher.

"He was taking a defensive line in every corner," related Smrz. "I was much quicker than he was but couldn't find a way around. I finally thought I had a shot at passing him on the outside of Paddock Hill Bend, but he turned to the left at me just when I was entering the corner. I almost drove off the track but held my position and stayed behind him. Next time we crossed start/finish line, Fisher got a black-and-white [warning] flag, and he started calming down after that."

Smrz took full advantage, sweeping past Fisher on the next lap and holding second place to the checkers, just over two seconds behind race winner Scott Malvern, who drove another Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray. Fisher was involved in a dramatic accident at Graham Hill Bend on the final lap with Noel Dunne (Mygale SJ08) and Matt Rivett, whose Ray GRS09 was badly damaged during a series of flips. Thankfully, the Formula Ford veteran was not seriously hurt.

"I am happy with second," said Smrz, "and will be starting my Semi Final in second place tomorrow morning."

Forty-five minutes later, De Phillippi took up his position on the inside of Row Two for the afternoon's second Heat race in the #22 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray. The 16-year-old from San Clemente, Calif., maintained third for most of the race, directly behind Matthew Parr's Van Diemen RF01, as Scottish Formula Ford Champion Rory Butcher cleared off into the lead in his well-sorted Van Diemen RF92.

De Phillippi briefly lost third place to Irish veteran Neville Smyth, in yet another Ray, but regained the position on Lap 14 to secure his podium appearance.

"I was happy to just settle into position and keep any risky moves to the absolute minimum,"said De Phillippi. "Towards the end I was closing on the leader and the second-place driver. Overall, I would've liked to finish higher, of course, but I did finish towards the front and will move onto tomorrow with great confidence."

Butcher's victory in the faster of the two Heat races ensures that he will start from the pole in Semi Final One tomorrow morning. Smrz will start alongside, with De Phillippi right behind him on the inside of Row Two. Malvern will start from the pole in the second 18-lap Semi Final.

The Team USA Scholarship, now in its 20th year, is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, OnCars.com, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and an array of past Scholarship winners.

Photo by courtesy jeffbloxham.com

Photo courtesy of jeffbloxham.com

After an overnight flight from Boston to Dublin, followed by a seat fitting at Cliff Dempsey Racing’s shop in Ashbourne, County Meath, another overnight ferry journey to Holyhead in north Wales and then a lengthy drive to Brands Hatch in south-eastern England, De Phillippi and Smrz were able to take a brief look around the famed Brands Hatch Indy circuit prior to their first taste of their identically prepared Ray GRS07/08 Formula Ford cars.

“My first time out in the car went really well,” said De Phillippi, who clinched this year’s BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda with a pair of solid finishes at Lime Rock Park last Friday and Saturday. “I adapted to the car’s characteristics quite easily, because they are quite similar to the Skip Barber car. It moves around a lot, although it is still very stable in the high-speed turns. Understeer seems to be a common characteristic, so adapting my driving to that will be the next step. Adapting to the H-pattern gearbox was a bit tricky, but for now the car is great. I’m just focusing on perfecting the track.”

According to unofficial timing, 16-year-old De Phillippi, from San Clemente, Calif., was within a few tenths of today’s best lap times. Smrz, 18, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, also was close to the pace despite a brief trip into a gravel trap.

“The car was a bit difficult to get used to,” said Smrz. “It tended to have a lot of understeer, rather than a lot of oversteer. The Skip Barber cars tend to be more on the loose side, so it is something that I had to take some time to overcome.”

Both youngsters thoroughly enjoyed their first taste of the undulating and challenging Brands Hatch circuit.

“Paddock Hill Bend is quite some turn,” exclaimed Smrz. “The first time I went through there, I didn’t expect the drop to be quite as severe as it looked. Once you are in the car, it feels like a roller coaster. There is a compression at the bottom of the hill, and then it immediately starts to climb back up another hill. You definitely have to build your  confidence.”

Veteran Formula Ford driver-turn-team owner Cliff Dempsey was impressed by the two Americans. Dempsey also looked after the pair of 2008 Team USA Scholarship drivers, with Josef Newgarden becoming the first American to win the Formula Ford (Kent) Festival and Conor Daly adding a victory in the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone.

“They’re not going too bad,” he said with characteristic understatement. “My first impressions are good. You keep sending me kids like this and I’ll run them anytime, anywhere. They’re great!”
 

Cooper Tire, based in Findlay, Ohio, has been building its reputation for quality products and customer service for more than three-quarters of a century. Tennessee-based Robo-Pong by Newgy Industries is the world leader in table tennis (ping-pong) robot machines. Robo-Pong is used by professional and Olympic table tennis players as part of their training regime.

The Team USA Scholarship program was founded in 1990, when a promising Formula Ford 2000 driver named Jimmy Vasser was chosen to fly his nation's colors in the prestigious Formula Ford Festival and World Cup at Brands Hatch, England. Vasser went on to a successful career that included winning the 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series title. He is now co-owner of the KV Racing Technology IndyCar Series team. Subsequent scholarship winners include Champ Car and IndyCar Series race winner - and current Firestone Indy Lights team owner - Bryan Herta; 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice; 2007 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Phil Giebler; American Le Mans Series and Rolex Sports Car Series sports car champions Paul Edwards and Andy Lally; NASCAR race winner Jerry Nadeau; current NASCAR Sprint Cup rising star A.J. Allmendinger; and recently crowned Firestone Indy Lights Champion J.R. Hildebrand.

Connor De Phillippi, 16, from San Clemente, Calif., and Brett Smrz, 18, from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, were named recently as winners of 2009 Team USA Scholarships. The pair will contest both the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone later this month. Incidentally, neither De Phillippi (pronounced "DEE Phi-LEE-pi) and Smrz ("Smerz") was born when Vasser first flew the Team USA Scholarship colors in 1990!

"The history and people associated with the Team USA Scholarship speaks for itself," says Chris Pantani, director of motorsports and event marketing for Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. "Cooper Tire's supporting of the Team USA Scholarship helps unify a motorsport community around a couple of young driver's chances of achieving their dreams."

"Brett Smrz and Connor De Phillippi, 2009's Team USA Scholarship drivers, are both very strong competitors and admirable choices to represent this long standing tradition in American motor sport," adds Robo-Pong's Joey Newgarden. "Robo-Pong is very proud to be associated with and to contribute in any way we can to the program that was so instrumental in launching Josef Newgarden's career in European formula car racing just last year."

De Phillippi and Smrz will fly to Europe on Sunday to commence preparations for their racing activities.

Cooper Tire and Robo-Pong join an illustrious and well-established group of Team USA Scholarship supporters including Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Highcroft Racing, American Honda, Dyson Racing, Metalore, McMurry Inc., The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, OnCars.com, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and an array of past Scholarship winners.

The two teenagers will follow in the footsteps of an array of accomplished American drivers who have earned these awards since Jimmy Vasser became the first Team USA Scholarship winner in 1990.

De Phillippi (pronounced “DEE Phi-LEE-pi) and Smrz (“Smerz”) will have an opportunity to fly their nation’s colors in two world-renowned events in England later this month – the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone. (Team USA Scholarship drivers swept both events in 2008, with Josef Newgarden becoming the first American ever to win the Formula Ford Festival and Conor Daly becoming the youngest ever winner of the Walter Hayes Trophy.)

“I am thrilled to be representing the United States and the Team USA Scholarship,” said 16-year-old De Phillippi, who has taken a commanding lead in this year’s BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda, winning seven of 10 races held thus far. “It is my first big shot to prove myself on the European circuit. I look forward to meeting many new people in the racing community and hopefully posting some excellent results.”

“Winning the Team USA Scholarship feels amazing,” added Smrz, 18, who secured one Skip Barber victory in addition to posting some impressive results in the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup. Smrz also leads the Jim Russell Championship Series. “Words can’t even describe how excited I am about this opportunity to race for America in a different atmosphere. I expect to learn a lot from the experience, both on and off the track, which will help lead to my success as a professional racing driver. Hopefully Connor and I can share a couple of wins like Josef and Conor did last year! I want to thank the entire Team USA Scholarship crew for this opportunity.”

De Phillippi and Smrz were chosen from an accomplished list of candidates including VW Jetta TDI Cup series leader Timmy Megenbier, 18, from Melrose Park, Ill.; fellow VW Jetta TDI Cup graduate Liam Kenney, 17, from Sterling, Va.; F2000 Championship Series winner Chris Miller, 20, from Edina, Minn.; F2000 Championship Series Rookie of the Year Ben Searcy, 18, from Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and Skip Barber National race winner Court Vernon, 18, from Key Biscayne, Fla.

After considering the candidates’ racing resumes and other off-track skills, a smaller group was invited to demonstrate their prowess on Cruden America’s high-tech, full-motion, F1-style simulator located in Laguna Niguel, Calif.

“It’s always difficult to tell youngsters they haven’t won a scholarship, but I hope they were able to gain satisfaction from being nominated,” said Team USA Scholarship founder Jeremy Shaw. “Given the caliber of drivers who have won scholarships in the past, I think that is a worthy achievement in itself. I’m sure each of them has a bright future.”

The Team USA Scholarship is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, OnCars.com, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and an array of past Scholarship winners including Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, A.J. Allmendinger, Buddy Rice, Andy Lally, Paul Edwards and Memo Gidley.

Photo of Connor De Phillippi (left) and Brett Smrz, courtesy of Michael Levitt, LAT USA

The 2009 nominees are:
•    Connor De Phillippi, 16, from San Clemente, Calif. – current leader of the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Series with seven wins from 10 races
•    Liam Kenney, 17, from Sterling, Va.. – finished second in the 2008 VW Vetta TDI Cup, with two wins; currently competing in the German-based  ADAC Formula Master series
•    Timmy Megenbier, 18, from Melrose Park, Ill. – current leader of the VW Jetta TDI Cup Series with three wins from six races
•    Chris Miller, 20, from Edina, Minn. – recently clinched the F2000 Championship Series title with four wins and seven poles from 12 races
•    Ben Searcy, 18, from Tuscaloosa, Ala. – finished fourth overall and claimed Rookie of the Year honors in the 2009 F2000 Championship Series with three wins and a pole
•    Brett Smrz, 18, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – a race winner in the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Series and front-runner in the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Series
•    Court Vernon, 17, from Key Biscayne, Fla. – currently second in the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Series (and top rookie) with one win and a series-high four poles

The intention is to select two drivers to contest a pair of prestigious events to be held in England this fall, the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch (won last year by Team USA Scholarship driver Josef Newgarden) and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone (won last year by teammate Conor Daly).

The Team USA Scholarship was founded in 1990 and is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Terminal Velocity Processing, Road Racing Drivers Club, Firestone Indy Lights Championship, Highcroft Racing, American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and an array of past Scholarship winners including Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, A.J. Allmendinger, Buddy Rice, Andy Lally, Paul Edwards and Memo Gidley.

A conservative fifth-place finish was enough to ensure the gifted 21-year-old from Sausalito, Calif., cannot by beaten with just one race remaining in the season.

In a happy coincidence, Daniel Herrington’s accomplished victory marked the maiden success for the Bryan Herta Autosport team in its first season of competition. Herta, who was awarded a Team USA Scholarship in 1991, went on to win the 1993 Firestone Indy Lights Championship en route to a successful career in the sport.

"It’s a dream come true," said Hildebrand. "I owe so much of it to the team. Everyone has done a great job all season long, the car has been fast everywhere we go, and we were able to capitalize on the opportunity. I’m so excited for everyone. It will be great to have this long break before the last race and not have to have such a load on all of our shoulders!"

The month of May has been a roller-coaster ride for 18-year-old Newgarden. The 2008 Team USA Scholarship winner returned to his home in Tennessee for a brief break earlier in the month, then learned the shattering news that his UK Formula Ford team owner Joe Tandy had died in a road accident. Tandy was just 26 years old. The pair had forged a close bond since joining forces this year.

Newgarden traveled back to his UK base in Oxford this week with a heavy heart, and was intent on doing his level best to honor Tandy’s memory when the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain reconvened this weekend at the Rockingham road course which is situated close to Joe Tandy Racing’s base in Bedford.

He did just that. After qualifying second fastest, Newgarden moved his No. 21 JTR/Robo-Pong Mygale SJ09 into the lead at the start. The gifted young American lost his advantage moments before a full-course caution but promptly regained the lead at the restart and then pulled away to score his second Formula Ford victory of the season.

“This win was for Joe,” declared Newgarden. “It was a very emotional time for the whole team. First of all, it was nice to get back and be with everyone because it’s a big family team. We’ve still got a long way to go this weekend, with two more races tomorrow, but this was definitely a very positive day.”

Earlier in the week at Lime Rock Park, Hand and Lally, who were awarded Team USA Scholarships in 2000 and 1999 respectively, put on quite a show during Round Five of the Grand-Am Koni Challenge Grand Sports division.

“Andy Lally is a professional and you have to pull every trick in the book to get by him,” noted Hand, who took the lead at Big Bend with 22 minutes remaining before taking the checkered flag to win aboard the No. 97 Turner Motorsports BMW M3 he shared with veteran Chris Gleason.

“Joey was giving me a couple nudges to remind me he was back there,” said Lally after finishing second in the No. 41 TRG/Magnus Racing Porsche GT3 which was started by co-driver John Potter. “I would have done the same thing, only harder! I’ve had a bunch of great races with Joey in the past, and this is another that will go down in the history books.”

Photo: Hand leads Lally in the closing stages at Lime Rock (courtesy of www.grand-am.com)

Sunday on the famed streets of Long Beach, Hildebrand, who won a Team USA Scholarship in 2005, scored a dominant victory in Round 3 of the Firestone Indy Lights Championship. Less than a week earlier over the Easter weekend, 2008 Team USA Scholarship winner Newgarden secured one of the opening rounds of the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain at the picturesque and demanding Oulton Park circuit.

Hildebrand, 21, comfortably snared the pole at Long Beach on Saturday and then led every lap of Sunday’s race to move into third place in the championship standings. The native Californian now lies a mere seven points behind Dutchman Junior Strous, who won both opening events at St. Petersburg two weeks earlier after Hildebrand was hindered by an electrical problem which restricted him to a solitary third-place finish.

Hildebrand’s only concern in Long Beach came when he clipped the inside wall at the hairpin at the end of the opening lap. Fortunately, the #26 ARPRO Andretti Green/AFS Racing car emerged unscathed, after which Hildebrand left his rivals firmly in his rear-view mirrors.

“It was a great weekend for everyone and I’m ecstatic to have had such a great race here in Long Beach,” said Hildebrand. “Obviously I’m a native Californian myself, but we’re also here in the backyard of Gary Peterson, our team owner, and have a lot of friends, family and sponsors here for the event so it’s a great way to end the weekend after clearly having the speed all along. I must admit I was panicking a little after brushing the wall on the first lap – and saw my whole weekend flash before my eyes briefly – but it all ended up great and sets us up pretty well for heading to Kansas next weekend.”

 

Photo: Bryan Herta with his family after winning an IndyCar Series race at Michigan in 2005

Rice, who won a Team USA Scholarship in 1996, teamed with David Donohue, Darren Law and Antonio Garcia to clinch the overall victory aboard the #58 Brumos Racing Porsche-Riley.

Donohue took the lead with 39 minutes remaining and held off a strong challenge from defending race winner Juan Pablo Montoya (#01 Target/Telmex Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Lexus-Riley) to win by just 0.167 seconds. It was the closest margin of victory in the event’s storied history.

1999 Team USA Scholarship winner Lally joined Jorg Bergmeister, Patrick Long, Justin Marks and R.J. Valentine in securing the GT class honors aboard their #67 TRG Porsche 911 GT3.

A variety of other Team USA Scholarship winners also showed strongly in the event. A.J. Allmendinger (2001 Team USA Scholarship winner) was leading the race overall after 153 laps when his #6 Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley suffered technical problems; Jimmy Vasser (1990) was among the event’s leading contenders in the #99 Gainsco Racing Pontiac-Riley; and Paul Edwards (1998) led the GT class aboard Banner Racing’s #06 Pontiac GXP.R until hitting difficulties which dropped the car to fourth in class at the finish.

Other Team USA Scholarship drivers among the 49-car field  included Memo Gidley (1995), Bryan Sellers (2001), Dane Cameron (2006) and Patrick Barrett (2007).

The Team USA Scholarship was founded in 1990 and is supported by Terminal Velocity Processing, Doug Mockett & Company, Aspin Foundations, Road Racing Drivers Club, Firestone Indy Lights Championship, Highcroft Racing, American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and an array of past Scholarship winners including Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, A.J. Allmendinger, Buddy Rice, Andy Lally, Paul Edwards and Memo Gidley.

Photo: Buddy Rice (left) and Andy Lally in Victory Circle at Daytona International Speedway (credit Jeremy Shaw)

For the 16th year John Gorsline of The Gorsline Company has sponsored this award to recognize aspiring drivers and provide a program that provides tools for the winner that will assist them in developing skills on and off the track and attain their professional goals.

As the scholarship winner Miller will be working with Dr. Jacques Dallaire, Director of Performance Prime, to create an individually designed performance Enhancement program. Dallaire has personally worked with more than 600 drivers from 35 countries from all forms of motorsport.

In his Rookie season, Miller, a native of Hesperia, Calif., was runner up in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, with one victory, two pole positions and four second-place finishes. All but two of his 12 finishes were top-four. The open-wheel series is the largest spec formula series in the United States.

He began racing karts at the age of 10, winning regional, state and national Championships over the next eight years. In 2004 whilst still racing karts, Miller moved up to cars in the Pacific 2000 Championship. Miller immediately made his mark as a rookie with one victory and five top-five finishes.

That success allowed Miller to be tapped as a finalist for the Red Bull Driver Search where he made it to the semi finals. He was also a Team USA Scholarship finalist.

It is clear Miller has a bright future ahead of him in motorsport. At this time, there are several options available to this talented young driver. However, plans for the 2009 season and beyond are not solidified.

Miller said, “I am honored at being selected to represent the 2009 Gorsline Scholarship and look forward to its opportunities. The list of previous winners is extensive, and adding my name to an already great list of drivers means a lot. I have to thank John Gorsline in selecting me for the program. I cannot wait to get started with all that the scholarship offers.”

The Gorsline Company, headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., pioneered the business of providing insurance for high-risk professionals. The company specializes in racing drivers and owners, providing custom designed insurance packages and full financial planning services.

Courtesy of The Gorsline Company

Doug Mockett runs a business based in Torrance, Calif., that designs, manufactures and distributes "fine architectural hardware for your fine furniture." In addition to being an avid supporter of the Team USA Scholarship for the past five years or so, Mockett also competes regularly in his collection of vintage Formula 1 and Formula Junior cars. And he makes an annual pilgrimage to the Carrera Panamericana (which he won in 2004). Here is his report from the 2008 edition:

Our annual high-speed joyride, 2300 miles from southern to northern Mexico in seven days, was, again, an adventure with more than a few highlights. Of 108 entries we qualified seventh and finished third overall and second in the Turismo Mayor class for big stock cars. But that hardly tells the story -

* We were second (by one second) in what I call the "Running of the Bulls" speed section along a freeway in downtown Mexico City. Four and a half miles of terrifying straightaway and a few top-speed curves at the end. And no guardrail to the right and a million spectators. We hit 175 mph and averaged about 160 for the run. And did it in 1:44. Whew! Glad that's over for another year ...

* 125 mph down a straightaway outside Zacatecas and shadows under a tree. Only the shadows started moving. Then the shadows turned out to be black bulls, sauntering across OUR road! Yes, the brakes worked. Very well, thank you!

* Troubles: Handling problems, tire problems, and the worst was a slipping clutch that had to be gently massaged the last 400 miles of the last day. But we made it! Third was a good result considering.

* Triumph: this amateur crew of [navigator] Angelica Fuentes and myself beating 1984 World Rally Champ Stig Blomqvist. At every service stop Stig had a crew of 10 changing the whole car setup. Oscar [Carrillo] and Phil [Denney] maybe bled the brakes, maybe changed tires, but mainly sipped good British tea.

Please click the link to access this story on Doug's latest e-Newsletter which provides details of another highlight during his most recent visit to Mexico: http://www.mockett.com/mailstorm/2008/Nov2008/index.html.

That potentially crucial step forward for his career has already paid dividends. Hildebrand, 20, today took advantage of another opportunity to demonstrate his skills on the international stage, participating in the special practice session for rookie drivers in Round Three of the 2008 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.

Hildebrand was visiting Southern California earlier this week when he received an urgent phone call from his new employers, who also run Team USA’s A1GP program, asking if he would be available to make the trip to the Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur.

He certainly was.

Hildebrand immediately headed north to his home in Sausalito, Calif., packed his bags, picked up his race suit and his passport and headed to the San Francisco Airport.

“It was a seven-hour drive back to San Francisco to catch the flight to Malaysia,” noted Hildebrand, “but I can’t think of a better way of staying race fit through the winter and going to some really amazing places.”

This morning, without even enough time to make him fully comfortable aboard the 600hp, 4.5-liter Ferrari A1GP car, Hildebrand ventured out for the first time onto the challenging 3.44-mile circuit, which also regularly plays host to the Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix. Hildebrand’s task was to not take any risks but make a preliminary report to the race engineers, who would then attempt to fine-tune the car for regular A1 Team USA driver Marco Andretti, who was ineligible for the earlier session due to his extensive IndyCar Series experience.

Hildebrand set the eighth fastest time after completing around 20 laps.

“It was a great experience,” said Hildebrand, who finished fifth in the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights Championship, driving for RLR-Andersen Racing. “I was new to using paddle shift so I had to learn that, but the A1GP car has great power. It would have been nice to have been out there on newer rubber, because you get sent out in the rookie session on race tires from the previous meeting, but it’s the same for everyone. We can’t be pleased with eighth on the time sheets, but I hope that I have provided the team with some good setup information.”

Andretti posted the 13th fastest time after taking over behind the wheel for the second afternoon practice session, albeit just 1.3 seconds adrift than the fastest lap of the day set by A1 Team Great Britain’s Danny Watts.

“It really helped having J.R. in the car for the rookie practice,” said Andretti. “We’ve still got some work to do but it is showing that we are catching up to the quickest teams.”

* In other alumni news, 2000 Team USA Scholarship winner Joey Hand was confirmed recently as one of the drivers for Rahal Letterman Racing’s entry into the hotly contested GT2 category of the American Le Mans Series in 2009. Hand, 29, from Sacramento, Calif., will join fellow BMW stalwart Bill Auberlen aboard one of two of the sensational-looking BMW M3 GT2 cars.
 

The test came just a couple of weeks after the teenagers returned from an extraordinarily successful foray to England, where Newgarden, 17, from Hendersonville, Tenn., became the first American ever to post a victory in the Formula Ford Festival Final at Brands Hatch and Daly, 16, from Noblesville, Ind., followed up by becoming the youngest ever winner of the Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford event at Silverstone.

For both youngsters the test provided their first experience of a modern carbon fiber chassis, six-speed sequential gearbox and 240-horsepower Mazda "Renesis" rotary engine. To no one's surprise, they acquitted themselves well.

"We knew Conor as he has tested [an F2000 car] with us in the past, and the team all love him, but it was also great getting to know Josef," said Andersen Racing Team Manager Michelle Kish. "The test went very well, and both drivers showed why they had such great results in the UK."

In addition to displaying a good turn of speed, Daly and Newgarden gained a better appreciation for some of the challenges they will face as they progress toward the pinnacle of the sport.

"The Star Mazda car was a very different experience compared to the Formula Ford," noted Daly. "It was bigger, faster and responded very quickly. The car was much more physically demanding than the Formula Ford as well. By the end of the day I was feeling the pain in my neck!

"It was a really great day overall; I enjoyed every bit of the car and I learned a lot in preparation for next season," continued Daly, who will most likely contest the 2009 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear after earning a place on the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Driver Development team following his victory in this year's BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda.

"The car was an absolute dream to drive and has definitely been the best car I have driven thus far in my career," added Newgarden, who is still evaluating his options for the 2009 season. "The car was very poised and forgiving which made driving it a blast. The power and grip were not overwhelming but it sure was a handful on cold tires!

"I want to thank everyone involved in the Team USA Scholarship program and Andersen Racing for making this test possible, along with Andersen's wonderful staff and crew for making it so enjoyable."

The Sebring test represented the second year in a row the Team USA Scholarship has been supported by the Andersen Racing Team which provides a ladder of opportunity for aspiring open-wheel stars by fielding programs in Formula Ford 2000, the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear and the Firestone Indy Lights Championship.

"It has been my great pleasure to be a small part of this excellent program," said team principal Dan Andersen. "To see this year's representatives perform so brilliantly in the UK gave me a great sense of pride in them, the team and our country. It's a wonderful program, and one that hopefully will continue to give deserving young drivers an opportunity to shine for many years to come."

The victory came two weeks after teammate Josef Newgarden won the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.

Daly, who started fourth on the 36-car grid for the 15-lap Grand Final, which was held in cold, wet and extremely treacherous conditions, took the lead at half distance when Scottish Formula Ford Champion Graham Carroll slid off the road at Luffield corner. Newgarden also had made a mistake after leading the opening lap.

Daly, 16, from Noblesville, Indiana, controlled the remainder of the race and set the fastest lap for good measure. He became the youngest driver ever to scoop the Walter Hayes Trophy, which is named after one of the originators of Formula Ford. The presentation was made by Walter Hayes’ widow, Elizabeth, in the Clubhouse of the famed British Racing Drivers Club.

“It feels very good,” said Daly, who won this year’s BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda before being awarded a Team USA Scholarship. “It feels like I have a monkey off my back [after some niggling problems earlier in the week and at Brands Hatch]. Now I can go home happy.”

The two Americans were drawn in the second of two Semi Final races which began the afternoon’s activities. After Carroll scored a clear victory in the first race, followed by veteran Dutchman Michael Vergers, Newgarden made full use of the pole position for Semi Final Two by holding the lead into Copse Corner from Robert Barrable and Daly.

In very wet conditions, Newgarden went on to score an accomplished victory. Daly took advantage of a problem for Barrable to make it an American one-two.

“It’s not over yet,” said Newgarden. “The car wasn’t perfect, I had a bit too much entrance and mid-corner understeer. It was a pretty uneventful race so I concentrated on the car, thinking what we can do [to make some setup changes] for the Final.”

Carroll was given the advantage of starting on pole for the Final, due to his Semi Final having been held in slightly dryer, slightly quicker conditions. Newgarden lined up second, followed by Vergers and Daly on Row Two.

The start was clean, with Carroll holding onto his lead from Newgarden, but only as far as Brooklands at the end of the main back straightaway, where Newgarden took advantage of the draft, then ducked cleanly to the inside.

“I was looking good out front,” said Newgarden. “Once I saw I had a bit of a gap, I tried to put my head down.”

Unfortunately, in the appalling conditions, Newgarden went a little too deep into Brooklands on Lap 2. An instant later he was bounding through the huge gravel trap on the outside of the turn. Newgarden somehow extricated himself from the gravel (and again when he made a similar mistake a few laps later) but could do no better than an unrepresentative 14th-place finish.

Daly grasped second place from Vergers in a tidy maneuver under braking for Beckett’s on Lap seven. One lap later he was gifted the lead when Carroll fell afoul of the slippery track in Luffield.

Daly never looked back, taking the checkered flag 1.295 seconds clear of Englishman Josh Fisher , who passed Vergers with two laps to go. Daly’s success ensured a third straight Walter Hayes Trophy win for Cliff Dempsey Racing.

“It’s been a great experience,” said Daly. “I want to thank everyone for making this possible for Josef and me.”

After qualifying was held in cold, damp conditions, Heat One started on a wet track. Daly made a stellar start from row two of the grid, then lunged around the outside of Copse Corner to emerge in the lead.

“I was a bit nervous because of the wet conditions,” said Daly, “because I hadn’t done a standing start before in the wet, but I kept the revs really low and basically just inched off the line. I didn’t get any wheelspin and it was better than all the guys in front of me. At the first corner, I went in way too fast, which is what I planned, went wide onto the runoff and came out in front.”

From there, Daly engaged in a close tussle with 2007 British Formula Ford Champion Nathan Freke, driving a similar Ray. The pair exchanged positions a couple of times before Freke got sideways on the exit of Luffield and 16-year-old Daly took full advantage to nip past into Woodcote Corner. He then put his head down and gradually edged away to win by 1.45 seconds. Daly also set fastest lap at 1m12.672s.

“After everything that’s happened in the last few weeks, it’s good to finally get a first place,” said a delighted Daly, whose father, ex-Formula 1 and IndyCar driver Derek Daly was on hand to witness his son’s maiden overseas triumph. “It’s definitely well deserved for the team, that’s for sure. They’ve worked really hard.”

A couple of hours later, 17-year-old Newgarden lined up third on the grid for Heat Three after an abbreviated qualifying session. He actually posted a lap time that would have been comfortably good enough for the pole, only for it to be disallowed by the stewards because he crossed the line literally moments after the red flags waved due to an accident on the opposite side of the circuit.

“It’s a real shame,” said Newgarden. “That’s OK though. The car’s good and it’s the race that matters.”

Sure enough, Newgarden mirrored his teammate’s start by getting a great launch of the grid. He immediately challenged the leaders into the first turn, Copse Corner before tucking in behind polesitter William Herron (Ray GR08).

“I just wanted to watch for the first lap and then make my strategy,” related Newgarden. “I was trying to take it a little easy because Herron took Conor off [two weeks ago] at Brands [Hatch] and everybody says he’s kind of aggressive!”

Newgarden didn’t stay there for long. At the end of lap two, Herron’s car snapped completely sideways on the exit of Luffield and Newgarden made his move, ducking to the inside and taking the lead. He promptly drove away from the field, winning by 5.969 seconds and posting a fastest lap of 1m12.090s.

“The car was fabulous. It had a bit of understeer but we set the car up to do that,” said Newgarden.  “There was a lot of lapped traffic so you had to be careful. It seemed like a very short race. In fact I don’t think I would have seen the checkered flag if I didn’t see the crew cheering on the pit wall! I thought, what are they doing? Then I looked over and saw the checkered flag!”

The other heat races were won by Robert Barrable (Van Diemen), Rory Butcher (Van Diemen RF92), Scottish champion Graham Carroll (Van Diemen RF90) and Patrick McKenna (Ray GRS07). The grid placings for tomorrow morning’s two 12-lap Semi Final races will be determined in the morning.

Both drivers were lauded in the British specialist press after their impressive UK debut, but they will face even tougher opposition at Silverstone with the addition of several well-established names on the entry list for the event which honors one of the originators of Formula Ford.

Almost 130 Formula Ford cars will be on hand for what has become one of the British calendar’s most popular events. Among the one-off entries are former Le Mans winner Andy Wallace (who raced for many years in the American Le Mans Series with Team USA Scholarship supporter Dyson Racing); Aston Martin factory GT1 driver and Le Mans class winner Darren Turner; former British Formula Ford champion Nathan Freke (who also contested several Firestone Indy Lights Championship races this year); three-time Walter Hayes Trophy winner (and former US FF2000 competitor) Joey Foster; and former Formula Ford Festival winner Michael Vergers.

Newgarden and Daly have been testing at Silverstone for the past two days. Their sessions have been far from trouble-free, with Daly encountering persistent engine problems as well as some handling difficulties, and Newgarden losing time today after he fluffed a gear change and over-revved the engine. Nevertheless, both of the Cliff Dempsey Racing-prepped Ray GR07/08 cars have been fast, and the drivers are excited about their prospects for the weekend.

“Yesterday’s testing was really good,” declared Newgarden. “We ran in all sorts of different conditions and we made a lot of progress with the setup. The car is well balanced, and when we add new tires tomorrow it’s going to be really good because it’s good as it is right now and new tires will only help it.”

Newgarden’s engine, which sustained four bent valves and a broken cam follower, was dispatched to engine builder Neil Bold’s workshop in Manchester this morning and was due to be returned this evening after a thorough rebuild.

“I feel bad about what happened because it was a simple driver error,” admitted Newgarden. “[But] I feel very confident for the weekend. As it has been since we arrived, the chemistry within the team has been phenomenal and I feel very confident in our package. I’m looking forward to qualifying tomorrow.”

Both drivers are relishing the opportunity to compete at Silverstone – “The Home of British Motor Racing” – and even though his two days of testing have been fraught with drama, Daly, too, is looking forward to the weekend.

“I’ve run all the sessions and we’ve been fairly fast but we’ve definitely still some work to do,” said Daly. “We changed the carburetor, which definitely helped, but we’re still losing a couple of tenths [of a second] on the [main] straight. We need to get the handling a little closer too, because I have quite a bit of understeer from the middle of the corner to the exit. It’s been a bit of a struggle but I think Cliff’s got a handle on what’s going on. If it’s dry in the morning [for qualifying], I think we could be good handling-wise. Hopefully we can get the engine sorted too....”

Qualifying for the Walter Hayes Trophy will take place tomorrow (Saturday) morning, followed by the first of six eight-lap heat races starting at 11:45. Daly has been drawn into Heat One, while Newgarden will be in Heat Three. The top 11 finishers from each race will progress through to a pair of 12-lap Semi-Final races on Sunday morning. The 15-lap final will comprise the top 36 cars on Sunday afternoon.

The two American teenagers spent a day sightseeing in London immediately after their successful foray to Brands Hatch, then traveled to Banbury for a tour of Prodrive which encompassed visits to Aston Martin Racing and the Subaru World Rally Team.

The next day included a visit to the WilliamsF1 team, for which Conor’s father, Derek, drove in the 1980s.

“Our visits to Prodrive and Williams F1 were awesome,” said the younger Daly. “Going to Prodrive for Josef and me was a real treat mainly because we both have Subaru road cars! Williams was really great as well because of the fact that my father raced for them and because it’s a Formula 1 team factory – and you don’t get to see those everyday!

“Being able to visit a team that my Dad drove for was very cool because I don’t really see much evidence any more of his racing career other than pictures and trophies at our house. But here I could see an actual car, his name, his helmet in a trophy case, and when I was introduced to everyone in the factory and reception building, they seemed to acknowledge me as a Very Important Person as the son of a former Williams F1 Team driver. I felt incredibly honored.”

The original plan called for Daly and Newgarden to undertake an extra day of testing at Anglesey Raceway in North Wales before catching a ferry across the Irish Sea so the Cliff Dempsey Racing team could prep the cars at its home base just north of Dublin. Unfortunately, that idea was scuppered by a violent storm which prevented the team from even unloading the pair of Team USA Scholarship cars. The good news is that the weather improved sufficiently to allow the ferry crossing to go ahead, and the pair enjoyed several days of Irish hospitality which included attending the wedding of Conor’s cousin, Stephanie, and a few visits to some local karting venues to keep their competitive juices flowing!

This week also has included some shuffling of the schedule, which originally called for Daly and Newgarden to catch a return ferry to England and then drive to Silverstone in the team’s transporter in time for a couple of days’ testing. Instead, as a result of Newgarden’s Formula Ford Festival triumph, the two Americans were specifically invited to take a tour of the McLaren Technology Centre – home base for the team which this weekend in Brazil will be attempting to clinch the Formula 1 World Championship title with lead driver Lewis Hamilton.

“Having some time off after the Festival to relax and visit some race teams has been a real treat for Conor and me,” said Newgarden. “The time we spent in Ireland with both the Daly and Dempsey families was really enjoyable for us both. Then today we had an opportunity to visit the McLaren Technology Centre which has to have been the highlight of our trip so far. It’s just an amazing place and Neil Trundle, who has been with the team since the early 1980s, gave us a great insight to the factory and made the whole experience truly one to remember!”

The focus now returns to Formula Ford and two more days of testing at Silverstone prior to this weekend’s races.

“I have been looking forward to Silverstone since the minute after the Festival at Brands, so I can’t wait to get onto the track,” said Daly. “I am very hungry for a victory and I know it is within reach with the help of Cliff Dempsey’s team!”

“I’m excited about being able to race at Silverstone, because it has such a great history,” added Newgarden. “I know we have a very competitive car going into the weekend and I’m looking forward to another strong result.”

The two American teenagers faced a steep learning curve with their first-ever standings starts, not to mention their first experience of the no-holds-barred cut-and-thrust of British Formula Ford competition. Nevertheless, pole-sitter Newgarden earned a fourth-place finish in Heat One, while Daly’s car was stricken by a broken throttle linkage while running third in the early stages. Daly returned to the fray after a lengthy pit stop but was not classified in the final results.

“The European driving style is much more aggressive [than in the U.S.] and you must learn how to cope with it,” said Newgarden. “Every little opportunity to pass must be taken advantage of and you must work to minimize your mistakes. I got a little bit of wheelspin at the start and Graham Carroll got past me going into Paddock. Then I got a little loose on the exit and someone else just got their nose alongside me going up the hill into Druid’s. I didn’t do a good enough job of blocking, so I lost another couple of places.”

Relegated to fourth place by the completion of the fraught opening lap, Newgarden soon discovered his #21 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS07/08 wasn’t handling nearly as well as it had been during qualifying.

“There was some oversteer on turn-in and then the car went to understeer on the exits,” he said. “But it was good practice to figure out how to start these things and then try to find some passing zones.

“The good news is we’ll have new tires for tomorrow and I’m sure we’ll have a good car. Passing at Brands is very difficult, so your start and opening laps are very important to get right. Tomorrow my plan is to have a strong start and gain some positions on the opening laps. We’ve still got a good chance of winning this thing.”

Heat Two saw Daly also lose a place at the start, after which he settled immediately into an extremely respectable third place in the #22 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray...until Lap 3, when his car’s throttle abruptly stuck open at the entrance to the tricky Clearways corner.

“Considering it was my very first-ever standing start I think it went well,” reckoned Daly. “Things, however, did not go well after that...

“It was very unfortunate having the throttle stick wide open because the car’s handling was just coming in. I was lucky enough to get the car back to the pits without any damage but the engine had bent a valve.”

Daly, too, maintains an upbeat attitude heading into tomorrow morning’s Semi-Final races which will determine the grid placings for the 25-lap Final. Newgarden will begin his race on the fourth row of the grid, while Daly will have to start from the back.

“Looking ahead to tomorrow, I think it will be a lot of fun for me,” said 16-year-old Daly, whose father Derek won the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in 1976. “I will learn a lot more about passing and coming from the back of the pack. It is still very possible to come from behind and win this race. I am trying to be very positive going into tomorrow because only good things can happen!”

Attached photo of Josef Newgarden at the Druid’s hairpin. Please credit: Jeff Bloxham.

Newgarden was first on track this morning with his #21 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS07/8. After the brief but hectic 15-minute qualifying session, Newgarden had posted the fastest time of the week thus far to snare the pole position with a lap at 50.520 seconds. The lap record currently stands at 50.3 seconds.

A couple of hours later, Conor Daly ventured out for his heat’s qualifying session in the #22 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray and posted the second fastest time at 50.720 seconds, just 0.073 seconds adrift of pole-sitter Patrick McKenna in a similar car.

“Qualifying today went extremely well for Conor and myself,” summarized 17-year-old Newgarden, from Hendersonville, Tenn. “We both managed to qualify on the front row for our heats and officially stamp our presence for this year’s Formula Ford Festival. I was a bit nervous before the session because I wanted to do so well, considering how good the week has gone so far.

“Qualifying on the front row really boosts your confidence for the preliminary races, but I know I can’t get too comfortable this early in the weekend. My plan for tomorrow is to keep my nose clean while finishing reasonably up front to better my chances at making the final.”

The final part of Daly’s qualifying session was compromised by a yellow no-passing flag through the final sector of the track due to an earlier incident, but the 16-year-old from Noblesville, Ind., still did a fine job to ensure a front row starting position for tomorrow.

“It was a very interesting day for sure,” said Daly. “When Josef went out and got the pole it put a little pressure on me to try and do just as well.

“I knew we had a good setup for qualifying and I was very anxious to go out. After the first few laps I was getting faster and faster and running pretty consistently. But traffic was a major issue. There was also a constant yellow flag in the last sector of the track for a crash. Through all this I was able to put together a lap that was good enough for P2 on the grid. This was a little disappointing for me because I had overtaken another car on my fastest lap which slowed me down just that little bit to not be able to get the pole”

“Looking ahead to tomorrow though I think we have two very good cars that are consistently quick and will give us the ability to have a good result.”

Saturday will comprise a pair of 15-lap heat races. The winner of the faster heat race will take pole position for Semi Final 1, with the other heat race winner securing pole for Semi Final 2. The remaining positions will be filled according to the finishing positions in the respective heat races. The top 12 finishers from each 20-lap Semi Final race will qualify for the 25-lap Final, along with the top four finishers from a Last Chance race which will comprise drivers who did not qualify for the Semi Finals.

Photo courtsey of Jeff Bloxham 

The two patriotically liveried Ray GRS06/7 cars, prepared by Irish-based Cliff Dempsey Racing, have been at or very near the top of the testing charts during the past three days. The number of competitors has gradually increased as the week of testing has progressed, and both drivers are in a confident frame of mind as they head into their first-ever international event.

Unofficially, Newgarden has posted the fastest time of the week thus far at 50.7 seconds around the 1.2-mile Brands Hatch “Indy” circuit, with Daly and several others merely a tenth of a second or so slower.

Brands Hatch has hosted the Formula Ford Festival each year since 1976 – when, coincidentally, Conor’s father, Derek, won the event.

The Formula Ford Festival has spawned the careers of many top-line drivers over the years, including current IndyCar star Danica Patrick and Formula 1 standouts David Coulthard, Jenson Button and Mark Webber. Other well-known names to have developed their talents in Formula Ford include Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Michael Andretti and Jimmy Vasser.

Tomorrow (Friday) will see Daly and Newgarden in action for only 15 minutes apiece, but the pressure will be on as they prepare to set their grid positions for a pair of 15-lap qualifying heat races to be held on Saturday. The Team USA drivers have been placed in separate heat races. The top 12 drivers from each heat race will then progress into a pair of semi-final races on Sunday morning. The same process will determine the grid positions for the 25-lap Final on Sunday.

“I feel our third test day with Cliff Dempsey Racing went really well, and that not only ourselves but the team has been making steady progress,” said Newgarden, 17, from Hendersonville, Tenn. “Throughout the entire day, Conor and I remained the guys to watch, despite all the red flags and heavy traffic. Today’s four 25-minute sessions provided us with more than ample time to fine-tune our dry track condition setups.

“Tomorrow will be a short but critical day, as Conor and I will have one 15-minute session to set our grid position for Saturday’s heat races. The team’s chemistry has been mega all week and I feel we have a strong chance at qualifying up front tomorrow.”

Daly’s efforts have been hindered slightly by an obscure misfire at the top end, which, thankfully, seems to have been cured with a change of carburetor prior to today’s final session. He, too, is excited about his weekend prospects.

“Testing the last several days has gone very well I think,” said Daly, 16, from Noblesville, Ind. “Josef and I have learned so much about the track, cars and all kinds of weather conditions!

“Going into qualifying I am very confident. During testing we have either been the two fastest drivers or not far from it! We have worked with the setup a lot the last few days and have now got it fine tuned for qualifying. It will be very important to get a good starting position so everyone will be at their best!”

The Team USA Scholarship was founded in 1990 and is supported by Terminal Velocity Processing, Doug Mockett & Company, Aspin Foundations, Road Racing Drivers Club, Firestone Indy Lights Championship, Highcroft Racing, American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, FormulaCar Magazine, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and an array of past Scholarship winners including Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, A.J. Allmendinger, Buddy Rice, Andy Lally, Paul Edwards and Memo Gidley.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Bloxham

Both teenagers took to the tight but challenging 1.2-mile road circuit in a pair of Ray GRS06/7 Formula Ford cars under the tutelage of former racer-turned-team owner Cliff Dempsey, who was immediately impressed.

“I’m delighted with them. They’re a real credit to the Scholarship program,” said Dempsey. “They’re great kids, really respectful, and clearly appreciate the opportunity they’ve been given.

“They’re not slow either,” added Dempsey with a chuckle. “A good (lap) time around Brands is in the 50-second range, and both boys were down within reach of that straight away. I couldn’t be more pleased.”

Daly, 16, from Noblesville, Ind., and Newgarden, 17, from Hendersonville, Tenn., arrived in England on Sunday and went directly to the Ray Race Cars factory in south London for seat-fittings and to oversee final preparation on their cars. They made the short trip to Brands Hatch, an hour or so from central London, yesterday and finally got a chance to drive their cars in a full-day test session today.

“Driving at Brands today has been a real privilege for Conor and I after hearing about this circuit’s diverse history,” said Newgarden. “The weather forecast shows rain for tomorrow’s test, which should be challenging and provide good practice in case of rain during this weekend’s races. It has also been a real privilege working with Cliff Dempsey Racing and I feel we have a strong package for producing positive results.

“I’m really excited to get deeper into this week’s schedule and see how we match up against our competitors. It will be a tough challenge for Conor and I to master Brands in just few days, but I feel our experience coupled with our strong chemistry within the team will guide us in the right direction.”

The duo completed well over 100 laps each during the course of today, with no significant difficulties other than a slightly weak engine in Daly’s car. Cliff Dempsey and the crew were working this evening to install a fresh engine in time for two more days of testing leading up to official qualifying on Friday.

“The most fun part of the day I think was taking Paddock Hill Bend for the first time at speed,” said Daly. “It has such a steep descent which was incredible! But the best part is the rest of the track is almost just as much fun! The corners are very flowing and the track and track facilities are amazing as well.

“We learned a lot from today that will help us out throughout the weekend,” concluded Daly. “I think the day was very successful.”

The pair will contest this weekend’s Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch – an event which was won by Conor’s father, Derek, back in 1976 – and will continue their adventure with some more testing next week and visits to several top-quality racing organizations before contesting the Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford weekend at Silverstone on November 1/2.

Photo by courtesy of Jeff Bloxham

Daly, 16, from Noblesville, Ind., won from the pole on Saturday at VIR and added a second-place finish Sunday to clinch the championship and a $350,000 bonus that will enable him to progress along the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development ladder system and compete in next year’s Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear. Daly hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow Team USA Scholarship winners Dane Cameron (2006), who went on to win the Star Mazda title in 2007 before graduating into the Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, and Joel Miller (2007), who leads the 2008 Star Mazda points table prior to the final round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Newgarden, 17, from Hendersonville, Tenn., won Sunday’s race to secure second in the championship standings. Newgarden also claimed two other race wins and a series-high six poles during the 14-race season.

“Winning the National Championship is really a dream come true,” said Daly. “To be given the opportunity to race in the Star Mazda Championship next season is a real honor, especially being backed by Mazda. It is a happy coincidence that several Team USA drivers have won the MAZDASPEED Scholarship before and have also competed and done very well in the series. I hope I can do the same.”

Both Daly and Newgarden intend to carry their momentum to England next week as they begin preparations to contest both the famed Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch on October 18/19 and the Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford event at Silverstone, home of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix, on November 1/2.

“Winning the Skip Barber National Championship gives me huge momentum going over to England,” said Daly. “I know it’s going to be super-competitive but I have a lot of confidence in my abilities and mental skills to be able to handle anything that goes on over there, and I can’t wait to show what I can do!”

“I am really pleased that I was able to finish the 2008 Skip Barber National season on a high note,” added Newgarden. “Winning my last race in the SBN series is certainly the next best thing to winning the championship. I know Conor and I are going represent the U.S. in England with the highest level of class and sportsmanship, and we both plan on working together to bring home the best possible results.”

The Team USA Scholarship is supported by Terminal Velocity Processing, Doug Mockett & Company, Aspin Foundations, Road Racing Drivers Club, Highcroft Racing, American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, FormulaCar Magazine, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and an array of past Scholarship winners including Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, A.J. Allmendinger, Buddy Rice, Andy Lally, Paul Edwards and Memo Gidley.

Photo: Conor Daly leads the Skip Barber pack.

The scholarship has been nurturing the careers of talented young American racer car drivers since 1990, and this year will enter a pair of cars for 16-year-old Conor Daly, from Noblesville, Ind., and 17-year-old Josef Newgarden, from Hendersonville, Tenn., in the fabled Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, England, on October 18/19 and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone on November 1/2.

Former Team USA Scholarship winners include Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Memo Gidley, Jerry Nadeau, Buddy Rice, Paul Edwards, Andy Lally, A.J. Allmendinger and J.R. Hildebrand.

TVP’s involvement with the Team USA Scholarship is the first in a series of upcoming initiatives which will be announced in the coming weeks.

“It is a privilege and an honor for TVP to serve as the Official Title Sponsor for Team USA in support of sending some of our nation’s most promising auto racing talent to Europe to compete on behalf of America,” says Jim Wilson, founder and CEO of Terminal Velocity Processing (www.terminalvelocityprocessing.com). “Giving back is the cornerstone of the Terminal Velocity Racing (“TVR”) program which functions to contribute dollars for drivers, teams, racing series and scholarship awards benefiting various forms of auto racing throughout the country. Looking at the line of succession of so many notable race car professionals that have successfully come through the Team USA Scholarship program since its inception in 1990, it was a ‘no brainer’ to contribute TVP dollars to support the Team USA initiative.

“Our hope in getting behind Team USA is to bolster recognition and create funding for the TVR program that will serve to support many other drivers, teams and ladder series events. TVP generates funding dollars from the collective automotive-related merchant community by processing their credit card transactions and donating 100 percent of its fee income back to TVR. This benefits not only the merchant in reduced costs, but also the racing community. TVP intends to rally the automotive related merchant community – which represents hundreds of millions in potential transaction processing dollars – to redirect the collective fee income into auto racing activities that not only benefits the automotive industry, but also ‘gives back’ to support our professional drivers/teams and ladder series events.”

Other new supporters for the 2008 season include the Road Racing Drivers Club, which shares the Team USA Scholarship’s aims of supporting and promoting young American drivers (http://rrdc.org); Highcroft Racing, which fields an Acura ARX-01b in the ultra-competitive LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series (www.highcroftracing.com); Aspin Foundations, a UK-based company which offers a range of foundation solutions for the rail, telecommunications and underpinning and foundations industries (www.aspingroup.com); Historic Grand Prix racer James King; The Gorsline Company, which has earned an international reputation providing a range of financial services for its corporate and professional clients (www.gorsline.com); and McMurry Inc., a full-service marketing communications company “that is, thankfully, different” (www.mcmurry.com).

“I have three boys of my own, and I hope that someday they, too, will encounter people who want to help them succeed at their passion,” says Chris McMurry, CEO of McMurry Inc. and a competitor in the LMP1 division of the American Le Mans Series. “It’s a little bit of a ‘pay it forward’ strategy, and I also know that this particular scholarship won’t get squandered because it will go to young drivers who really have their acts together both on and off the track.”

The Team USA Scholarship also is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, American Honda, Silicon Salvage, Dyson Racing, Integrated Performance Technology, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, FormulaCar Magazine, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and an array of past Scholarship winners.

The pair will follow in some illustrious footsteps. Jimmy Vasser won the first Team USA Scholarship in 1990. Other subsequent winners include Bryan Herta, Memo Gidley, Jerry Nadeau, Buddy Rice, Paul Edwards, Andy Lally, A.J. Allmendinger and J.R. Hildebrand.

Daly, 16, from Noblesville, Ind., and Newgarden, 17, from Hendersonville, Tenn., will fly the Scholarship’s patriotic red, white and blue colors in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, England, on the weekend of October 18/19, and the Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford event at Silverstone, England, two weeks later on November 1/2.

“Our Scholarship winners have competed in a wide variety of cars and series since the program was begun in 1990,” says Team USA Scholarship founder and auto racing writer/broadcaster Jeremy Shaw. “This year, my fellow Scholarship supporters and I have identified Conor and Josef from among a wealth of talented youngsters. We believe this chance to contest two of the world’s most prestigious Formula Ford events – in the sport’s most widely respected developmental category – offers the most appropriate opportunity for them at this stage in their careers.”

Daly and Newgarden have raced against each other regularly in recent years, firstly in the karting ranks and more recently in the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda. Indeed, the pair are separated by just five points at the head of the championship standings with just two races remaining at Virginia International Raceway next month.

“Being selected for the Team USA Scholarship really means a lot to me,” says Daly. “I still don’t realize how big of a deal it is until I actually think about all the drivers who have been selected in the past and have gone on to be so successful! Going over to England to compete is going to be a very steep learning curve but ultimately a very good experience. I personally can’t wait to see how different the driving styles, techniques and race-craft differ from driving in the USA.”

Adds Newgarden: “Being selected to compete in Europe is not only a tremendous honor, privilege and challenge but an enormous responsibility. I consider it not just my duty but my mission to represent the USA and this scholarship institution with the racing integrity it deserves. At this point in my career, the recognition from receiving this opportunity means everything to me. I expect to challenge myself and produce the ultimate result when competing for this year’s team at the two Formula Festivals in England.”

The pair will drive identical Ray chassis prepared by renowned Cliff Dempsey Racing, a multiple championship-winning team based in Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland.

The full lineup of Team USA Scholarship supporters will be announced shortly.
 

The opening practice session on Friday saw 2000 Team USA Scholarship winner Joey Hand at the top of the Daytona Prototype timing charts in Alex Job Racing’s #23 Ruby Tuesday’s Riley-Porsche.

In the final practice session prior to qualifying on Saturday it was 1995 Scholarship winner Memo Gidley’s turn to set the overall pace aboard Doran Racing’s #77 Kodak Dallara-Ford.

Meanwhile in the equally competitive GT division, 2001 Scholarship winner Bryan Sellers delighted car owner and NJMP principal R.J. Valentine by snaring the second pole of his career in the #68 TRG Porsche GT3 Cup car.

2007 Scholarship winner Patrick Barrett also performed admirably in the #32 Miracle Sealants/Konica Minolta Pontiac GXP.R, posting the second fastest GT time in final practice and then securing a season-best fourth on the grid for series newcomers PR1 Motorsports.

Raceday was equally productive for the Team USA Scholarship contingent. Hand and co-driver Bill Auberlen remained in contention throughout a dramatic two hour and 45-minute race before finally taking the checkered flag in third place. It was the team’s second podium finish this season and its first since switching to the Riley-Porsche combination.

In GT, 1999 Scholarship winner Andy Lally drove a sensational race in the #67 TRG Porsche. The former GT series champion enjoyed a thrilling battle with the Pontiac of Robin Liddell in the closing stages before clinching the 19th victory of his career and the first for co-driver Tim George Jr., who now holds a commanding lead in the Rookie of the Year standings going into the final race of the season.

Barrett led 16 laps in the early stages before handing over to co-driver Mike Forest. The pair eventually crossed the line seventh in the GT class, before falling to 11th with the addition of a 10-second penalty for a pit lane infringement.

Sellers/Valentine were classified seventh, one place ahead of the factory-supported #07 Banner Engineering Pontiac of 1998 Scholarship winner Paul Edwards, who endured a difficult afternoon after being nudged from behind by a Porsche. Edwards and co-driver Kelly Collins nevertheless still lead the GT Championship by six points prior to the season finale at Miller Motorsports Park, near Salt Lake City, Utah., on September 20.

Photo of Patrick Barrett leading the GT field courtesy of John Barrett

The new site, www.iracing.com, features product information, testimonials from professional racers, news and video. Most importantly, it is the sole point of purchase for subscriptions to the iRacing service.

“As the only place you can subscribe to the iRacing service, our Web site has to address the needs of all of our prospective customers, who represent a wide variety of motorsports participants and enthusiasts,” said Scott McKee, iRacing’s vice president of marketing. “This new site conveys a lot more information than our previous site, and it does so in a more user-friendly and visually interesting way, making it even easier to understand our service, register for news updates or buy a subscription and get started racing online.”

Although development of iRacing’s simulation software and internet racing service will continue indefinitely, the company recently completed beta testing and has commenced a gradual public launch process, in which the new public site will play a key role.

“In order to maintain a high-quality customer experience, we’re being careful to grow our community slowly,” explained McKee. “For at least the next couple of months, we’ll be adding new members by invitation only. Some of those invitations will go to people nominated by our beta testers and some will go to our corporate partners – graduates of Skip Barber Racing Schools, for instance – but individuals can secure one of those early invitations for themselves, too, just by registering for updates on the new public site. The registration database will be a primary source for our invitation list.”

Visitors to the new iRacing site will see a short, introductory flash video, showing clips of on-track action from within the iRacing simulation as well as footage from physical-world racing. From the home page, visitors can investigate various aspects of iRacing’s service, including testing/training, racing and community, as well as the technology behind the simulation and the cars and tracks currently available.

“The new public site will be refreshed frequently,” said McKee. “Not only will we have regular news updates, but we’ll be adding new product information, new features, a merchandise store, and, of course, once we’ve completed the invitation-only phase of our launch, we’ll open up the subscription function to the general public.”

iRacing.com was founded in September of 2004 by Dave Kaemmer and John Henry. Kaemmer was co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, developers of award-winning racing simulations including NASCAR Racing: 2003 Season and Grand Prix Legends. Henry is principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group – the co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing – as well as an avid simracer. The iRacing.com team combines more than 100 years of real-world racing experience with more than 50 years of successful racing simulation development. iRacing.com is a supporter of the Team USA Scholarship.

Photo of Paul receiving his winner's trophy from Prince Albert of Monaco 

It all started on the final weekend in January with the traditional Rolex 24 at Daytona, where inaugural Team USA Scholarship recipient Jimmy Vasser (1990) claimed a fine second-place finish with the defending series champion Bob Stallings Racing team. In addition, A.J. Allmendinger (2001), Joey Hand (2000), Memo Gidley (1995) and Buddy Rice (1996) combined to lead a total of 101 laps of the Rolex Sports Car Series opener in their respective entries. Ultimately, all would hit some kind of misfortune but they had clearly made their mark. It was a similar story in the GT division, with Bryan Sellers (2001), Andy Lally (1999) and Paul Edwards (1997) leading a total of 81 laps. Lally claimed the best GT finish with second in a TRG Porsche GT3 Cup, while Sellers took third in an identical car.

Next time out at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Edwards guided his Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R to a dominant GT class victory, while Hand finished second overall in Alex Job Racing’s Ruby Tuesday’s Crawford-Porsche.

2007 Scholarship winner Joel Miller was virtually in a class of his own when the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear season began at the famed Sebring International Raceway in mid-March. The 19-year-old from Hesperia, Calif., qualified his JDC Motorsports entry on pole, a full second clear of his opposition, before romping away to an accomplished debut victory.

Dane Cameron (2006), who drove the same JDC car to victory in last year’s Star Mazda series, has played a starring role during preseason testing for the Atlantic Championship. Cameron, who drives for Genoa Racing, will start as one of the favorites for victory when the 35th Anniversary Atlantic season begins on the streets of Long Beach, Calif., this coming weekend.

J.R. Hildebrand (2005), who had originally intended to drive for Genoa in the Atlantic series, instead concluded a late deal to drive for RLR/Andersen Racing in the newly renamed Firestone Indy Lights Championship (formerly Indy Pro Series). He immediately made a bold impression. A fuel system glitch obliged Hildebrand to start from last position for his first-ever race on an oval, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he moved inexorably through the 22-car field to finish comfortably among the top 10. One week later in a double-header on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., Hildebrand took fifth on Saturday and added a first podium finish (second) the following morning.

Not to be outdone, Charlie Kimball (2003) made an impressive return to Formula 3 competition at Hockenheim, Germany, last weekend, finishing a stout second in the hotly contested Euro F3 Series behind the wheel of a Prema Racing Dallara-Mercedes.

Photo: Hildebrand (left) on the podium at St Pete with race winner Richard Antinucci and third-place finisher Logan Gomez

Well, we are back from Chihuahua, bloodied but unbowed!

This three-day rally event ran last Friday/Saturday/Sunday in and around the city. First day the route went NW to Madera, second day W to Copper Canyon and third day NE to Ojinaga on the Rio Grande.

Unlike a race, this is a rally in which you need to get from point A to point B on open roads at highway speeds and get there at a specific time. Once at B they close down the road for a special stage, and we race against the clock, one at a time, leaving at one-minute intervals. The stages range from 5 to 25 miles long and take from 4 to 20 minutes to drive.

It also requires a navigator, who rides along, has a route book and tells the driver the severity of the upcoming corner so the driver can judge the speed at which to drive the turn.

This event has 26 special stages, totaling some 400 miles. Last year the navigator, Angelica Fuentes, and I won all 26 of the stages.

But this year was to be different as the organizers allowed many more modern race and rally cars, so our old Oldsmobile would have its work cut out.

As we won last year we were given the coveted number 1. And started first parading out of town the first day. When we got to the first stage of the day, the organizers moved a Subaru WRX and a Mazda RX-7 ahead of us. Fair enough, they were much faster.

The first stage was 25 miles through the mountains and we did it a full minute faster than 2007, so felt pretty good.

One the fourth stage of four in that morning, the car’s alternator failed and we were running on just the battery – we had no fuel pressure, no electronic ignition, no tachometer, no fan so the water temperature was skyrocketing and steam was coming out, and of course, no generating of electricity! Somehow we made it through the stage, then had to drive 15 miles to Madera. The car barely, barely made it, popping and banging and wheezing. But we made it. Phil and Oscar leapt to the repair and had it purring very soon. We had 40 minutes and it took them 39 ½ minutes.

On the way back the car ran great. We stopped at the start of a special stage. I went to start it and the starter would not work. So Angelica got out, and all 110 pounds of her pushed the 3500 pound car and I was able to jump start it. But aside from that minor hassle, it ran fine.

Overnight Phil replaced the starter and changed the handling so it would deal with turns better.

We were in third place, behind the WRX and the RX7, but much faster than any of the other cars, including all the older Carrera cars.

Saturday we took off for the Copper Canyon and the car was feeling like a new car. It was terrific and handled well, just the best it ever has. The last stage of the morning was 25 miles to the edge of the Copper Canyon. We did it a full 2 minutes faster than 2007. The car was great, Angelica was brilliant at calling the turns. This was good!

The first stage of the afternoon was the same 25 mile stage, only now heading back.

About 4 miles into the stage the road goes over a crest and immediately there is a downhill left turn. I thought I had enough room to brake from probably 100mph or a little less for the turn but simply did not and ran out of road, tried turning to no avail, the car spun and hit the guardrail with the right rear, then spun the other way and hit the right front, then the right rear again, then spun the other way and hit the right front again, then the left front, then was spit into the middle of the road. We had taken out a good 100 feet of guardrail! Fortunately, neither Angelica or I were injured or even banged up. The right rear tire was flat and knocked off the rim. I changed tires and we drove slowly – we had also broken the mounting link for locating the rear axle --50 miles to the service area where Oscar had arranged a trailer.

Oscar and Phil leapt into action when the car was unloaded back in Chihuahua and did a yeoman job patching up the wrecked car. I am sure they were up all night replacing the right front suspension and re-locating the rear axle. All was well, but – the steering had 3” of play before anything happened, so it was a little dicey driving it straight, as it wandered all over! But once you turned into a corner, it took a set, and turned just fine. So we decided to try it Sunday, and if it was not going to be okay, we would call it a day. We would just have to go slowly with the steering issue.

Driving to the first stage Angelica was not so sure. The car was darting left, then right, and was a bear to keep straight, especially with oncoming traffic.

We did the first stage and it was okay, not spectacular and we could hardly manage any speed. But we were defending champs and determined to finish proudly, even if way back in the pack. We still had our pride!

The morning stages were slow but okay (I referred to it as the “Seniors Tour”), we went to Ojinaga and refueled and headed back for the afternoon stages. The first one went okay and we stopped to await the start of the second one, 27 miles through the mountains. Ready to go, I started and moved to position. But the steering locked up and would not budge! It was stuck! We were so lucky the steering failed at a checkpoint rather than at speed (even reduced speed) on a stage. We looked at one another and I think we both said at the same time “enough!” And found a trailer and headed back.

So – we went from winning every stage last year to winning none this year, or as we say in LA, “from hero to zero”. So is the challenge of motor racing.

A very many thanks to Phil and Oscar for their tireless maintenance of the car. We were able to be competitive because of their efforts. They were up until 1 or 2am Saturday getting it ready for Saturday, then had to leave at 7am to get to the service. Then were up all night Saturday fixing the crash damage, and again had to head out about 8am. Trust me, the driver may get all the credit and publicity, but Phil and Oscar make us look good. Many, many thanks to them.

But all was not a lost weekend. Before the event I was invited to join the Fraternidad de Hermanos Rodriguez (Fraternity of the Rodriguez Brothers), a fraternity of Mexican motor racing people. It is an honor as I am one of the few Americans ever invited to join. Last Fall Angelica was the first woman inducted, which is very cool. Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez were prominent Mexican racing drivers in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Unfortunately, both were killed in separate racing accidents. But both are still highly revered in Mexico. As well they should be. They were, and still are, stars.

On to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in July where we have an entry. It should be a blast to drive from 9300 feet to the top at 14,100! Can hardly wait.

Thanks for all your support.

Cordially,

Doug

Photo by www.sporcar.com 

It was an experience the gifted 18-old-year high school senior from Los Osos, Calif., will not soon forget.

“I spent five days straight – boxing, swimming and rock climbing – and worked on improving my weight and cardiovascular training,” recounts Barrett. “Each day I would participate in a different activity, working on different muscles and improving my endurance and strength. Ryan Von Rueden taught and trained me throughout the week, helping me push through as many activities as possible. Each workout was rigorous, as expected, but gave me a good perspective on areas that I can continue to work on throughout the year.

“One of my favorite activities was the boxing class, taught by Kristy Follmar. She is a former professional boxer who was the Indiana Golden Gloves champion in 1999 and 2000, and NABC Featherweight champion in 2002 and 2003. She retired in 2005 and currently hosts boxing classes with PitFit clients. It was the most intense class/workout I’d participated in, but the techniques involved with boxing made it an enjoyable class. You’re constantly moving, conserving your energy until you need it the most, and keeping focused on the target. Of course, you don’t box another opponent in this class, which is what my dad thought. ‘Oh yeah! I knocked out that guy I raced against last week!’ No, we used punching bags… Man, those things are relentless!

“To cap off an exciting and painful week, myself, Ryan and a fellow driver went indoor rock climbing. It had been six or seven years since I had last attempted rock climbing but I was excited about trying a new sport. It was an awesome feeling climbing all over the place, but toward the end of the day, we started getting a little serious and began challenging each other to climb up certain walls. It was all fun and games, but we kept each other busy one-upping each other.

“Overall, it was an enjoyable experience from day one. I learned a lot of new workout activities that I can use at home, and even met up with some drivers in Champ Car Atlantic and Indy Pro. I made a few new friends through PitFit and hope to get more involved with one of the programs they have to offer soon.

“I want to thank Jim Leo for allowing me the opportunity to experience what PitFit has to offer, and Ryan Von Rueden for pushing me and keeping me up and running throughout the routines.”

For more information, please visit www.pitfit.com. 

Photo: Barrett works out with trainer Ryan Von Rueden 

The Sonoma, Calif., native, who won the 2007 Star Mazda Championship and will race in the 2008 Champ Car Atlantic Championship courtesy of a full-season sponsorship from the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder, has been awarded both the 15th annual Gorsline Scholarship and selected as the 45th annual Open Wheel Road Racer of the Year by the Motor Sport Press Association.

The Gorsline Human Performance Institute Scholarship is presented at the annual AARWBA Auto Racing All America Banquet by The Gorsline Company, which specializes in providing insurance and financial planning for high-risk professionals such as racing drivers. The award was created to improve the sport by promoting talented, rising young stars by supporting them in their quest to reach their driving pinnacle. The award recognizes and rewards performance and potential. Previous winners of the Gorsline Scholarship include Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, Danica Patrick, Katherine Legge, Colin Braun, Patrick Long, Bryan Herta and Butch Leitzinger.

As part of the Gorsline Scholarship, Cameron will be working with Dr. Jacques Dallaire, co-founder of the Human Performance Institute, with an individually designed Performance Enhancement Program. Dallaire, Director of Performance Prime, has personally worked with more than 600 drivers in 35 countries from all forms of motorsports.

“Winning the Gorsline Scholarship is a big deal for a driver and I’m proud to be in such elite company,” says Cameron. “In addition to working with Dr. Dallaire, who has been so instrumental in the careers of so many top drivers, I’ve had the opportunity to attend several major Motorsports functions with John Gorsline and he’s introduced me to some of the top people in auto racing worldwide. In racing, who you know is almost as important as how fast you go, and the Gorsline Scholarship is helping me take a huge step forward in both.”

Cameron’s second award, Open Wheel Road Racer of the Year, comes from a group close to home but with a thorough knowledge of the wide world of motorsports. Begun in 1963, the award is presented by the Motor Sports Press Association, an organization comprised of professional motorsports and automotive journalists and photographers located in Northern California and throughout North America. Through newspapers, radio, television, magazines, specialty publications and photography, members reach an audience of more than 55 million.

Cameron will receive the MSPA Open Wheel Racer of the Year Award at the organization’s annual banquet on March 5. In addition to his award, Peggy Haas and Jackie Doty, the two women who created the legendary Lynx-Racing team and driver development program of which Cameron is a part, will be inducted into the MSPA Hall of Fame. Other Lynx-drivers over the years include Patrick Carpentier, Memo Gidley, Alex Barron, Buddy Rice, Michael Valiante and Bryan Sellers.

“The MSPA award is very special to me because it’s a group that includes a lot of the media people who took an interest in me back when I was just starting to race karts,” says Cameron. “The stories they did about me helped me get where I am today by keeping my name out there in front of teams, sponsors and other people who have had a big influence on my career. And I’m really happy to be sharing the award podium with Peggy and Jackie; Lynx-Racing is one of the most unique and successful teams in all of racing and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

In between award presentations and “working the room” at auto racing trade shows, Cameron continues the process of settling in with his new Champ Car Atlantic team, Sierra Sierra/ProWorks, and getting ready for his Atlantic debut in the Long Beach Grand Prix, April 18-20.

“The Sierra Sierra team has returned intact from last year when they won the championship and that’s a huge advantage for me,” says Cameron. “It gives me the luxury of focusing completely on my driving rather than having to deal with team issues. The Atlantic car has a lot more adjustments available than the Star Mazda car I won the championship in last year and we’ve been running through all the variations to see how the car responds. My teammate, Jonathan Bomarito, and I have pretty much been the two fastest guys on track in recent tests, but the upcoming Spring Training at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca where all the teams will be running will be the real indicator of where we are. Having been part of several championship-winning teams in the past couple of years, I have to say that Sierra Sierra has that special feel about it.”

Cameron has won three championships (and finished second in another), as well as winning two Rookie of the Year awards in the past three years. In 2007, he was the series champion and Rookie of the year in the Star Mazda Champion. In 2006, he was the Cooper Tires F2000 Rookie of the Year and finished second in the championship. That same year, as a Team USA Scholarship driver, he won the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy in Europe. In 2005 Cameron was the SCCA Formula Russell Series champion and Rookie of the Year. His karting career, beginning in 2000, was similarly successful, including the 2003 Jim Russell Karting 80cc Junior Shifter Championship and a 2004 finalist in the Red Bull Driver Search.

Cameron’s climb up the ladder has been made possible by a variety of supporters, including Mockett.com, Nearburg Exploration, JDC Motorsports, Lynx-Racing, O’Neill Construction, Ocean Tomo, Rett.org, Red Line Oil and Sparco USA. Cameron will also continue to be a member of the Finlay Motorsports Driver Development program as he races for Sierra Sierra in the Atlantic Championship. Rising NASCAR driver Michael McDowell (who will drive the #00 Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing in the 2008 Sprint Cup) is the other member of the highly successful program created by racer/businessman Rob Finlay.

The 18-year-old Barrett earned the test as one of his prizes for taking the Pacific F2000 title and was made possible by Cooper Tire & Rubber Company and Cosworth, which are partners common to both Champ Car Atlantic and Pacific F2000. Under nearly ideal weather conditions, Barrett completed 170-180 miles in the test, and used two sets of Cooper Atlantic Racing Slicks. Barrett won his Pacific F2000 title driving for PR1 Motorsports, and the Los Osos, Calif. resident tested alongside Champ Car Atlantic veteran Mike Forest.

“It was really nice to be able to work with Patrick outside of our norm,” said PR1 Motorsports owner Bobby Oergel. “The kid did a great job! He built all day and had some pretty respectable lap times, especially toward the end of the day. Mike also did a great job and—as these things tend to go when you’ve got two cars on track—he and Patrick pushed each other all day. We’re pretty pleased. It really was a great day. I have to thank Cooper, Cosworth and Champ Car, as well as Pacific F2000 and Buttonwillow Raceway for making this test happen for us.”

It was Barrett’s second time in a Champ Car Atlantic machine, as he won an Atlantic test last fall with U.S. RaceTronics as part of his Team USA Scholarship experience. Oergel pointed out that the previous experience in the car certainly factored into Barrett’s ability to work up to speed quickly, as did his familiarity with the PR1 Motorsports team.

"I had a great time driving the Champ Car Atlantic car with PR1 Motorsports,” Barrett said. “I really enjoyed seeing and working with everyone on the team again. The car was a blast to drive. We worked mostly on pushing myself and finding the limits of the car. There's a lot of grip available in the car because of the downforce it produces. It was great having Mike Forest's help too. He provided great data and motivation on and off the track. I think it was a successful day and I really learned a lot about driving the Champ Car Atlantic. I again want to thank Champ Car, Champ Car Atlantic, Cosworth, Cooper Tire, Buttonwillow Raceway, Ric Forest and especially Bobby and Lisa Oergel at PR1 Motorsports for this opportunity. I enjoyed every second it!"

Next up for the Champ Car Atlantic Championship is the first of three open test sessions to be held prior to the start of the 35th Anniversary season of Atlantic at Long Beach on April 20. The first open test of 2008 will be held at the famed Sebring International Raceway circuit in Central Florida. Atlantic cars will take to the 1.669-mile “short course” on February 5-6.

The Champ Car Atlantic Championship continues to be the premier open-wheel development series in North America. Celebrating its 35th season of competition in 2008, the championship is noted for its long history of graduating its stars into Champ Car competition and has helped produce past Champ Car champions Jimmy Vasser, Bobby Rahal, Danny Sullivan, Michael Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve, as well as 2007 Champ Car competitors Alex Tagliani, Katherine Legge, Simon Pagenaud, Graham Rahal, Ryan Dalziel and Alex Figge. All Atlantic competitors utilize Swift 016.a chassis powered by a 2.3-liter Mazda-Cosworth engine while riding on Cooper Tires. For more information on the series and its broadcast details, please visit www.champcaratlantic.com.

Both youngsters are already making their mark on the domestic auto racing scene, continuing the legacy that has been created by other Team USA Scholarship winners such as Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Jerry Nadeau, Memo Gidley, Buddy Rice, Paul Edwards, Andy Lally, Phil Giebler, and A.J. Allmendinger.

Cameron, who won a Team USA Scholarship in 2006, continued his rapid progression along the motorsports ladder in 2007 by taking three wins and six poles for JDC and becoming the first rookie in the last 10 years to claim the Star Mazda title. His prize includes a fully paid ride in the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, and Cameron announced recently that he will drive for the 2007 championship-winning Sierra Sierra Enterprises team.

Miller also seems to be on the fast track to higher echelons of the sport after becoming the latest beneficiary of the Mazda Driver Development program. Miller, 19, from Hesperia, Calif., earned a funded Star Mazda ride by virtue of winning this year’s BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda, with a series-high five races wins. He has high expectations for 2008 following a recent test with John Church’s JDC team, during which he struck up an excellent rapport with race engineer Rick Cameron (Dane’s father).

“Having raced in the Mazda ‘ladder’ from Karting through Skip Barber, the move into Star Mazda for 2008 is the next logical step for my career,” Miller said. “I’ve known John for a while and after working with Rick in testing, it was an easy decision picking JDC as the team I would drive for next year. I can’t thank Mazda enough for this opportunity. Now I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel and begin working towards what I hope will be another championship-winning season.”

Photo of Joel Miller by JamesBearne.com 

Race One this morning was the least productive for the two Californians. Barrett, who started 10th, made a mistake under braking for the Esses and could salvage only a 17th-place finish. Miller moved from 13th to 11th, passing Richard Plant with a couple of laps remaining and finishing hot on the heels of Jason Moore and Alex Brundle.

The second race saw Barrett fall from ninth on the grid to 11th by the first corner, but he took advantage of a melee at the Esses to complete Lap One in eighth. He then overtook Brundle and highly rated youngster Luciano Bacheta on successive laps, before setting his sights on FPA regular season champion (and former Champ Car Atlantic Series racer) Tim Bridgman. Brundle managed to repass Barrett on the entrance to Riches Corner (Turn One) on Lap 10, only for Barrett to fight back and regain the position a couple of laps later on the Revett Straight. Barrett then closed rapidly on Bridgman, flashing across the finish line only two-tenths shy of a top-five placing.

“Wait until you see the [on-board camera] footage – holy cow,” exclaimed Barrett. “I had a really good race with Brundle, and I thought I might be able to catch Bridgman coming out of the last corner but I didn’t have quite enough to pull alongside him.”

Miller also drove a strong race, rising from 12th to ninth and posting the fourth fastest lap of the race as he chased down Bacheta in the waning stages.

“I had some good overtaking moves and the car was good,” said Miller. “I had two [turbo power] boosts left and I was saving them for the final lap, but I locked up the front brakes [going into Sear Corner – Turn Two], so that cost me some ground. I guess I was trying just a bit too hard.”

Expectations were high prior to the final 18-lap race, although the Americans had their work cut out from 12th (Barrett) and 13th (Miller) on the grid. Once again, both made sluggish starts, before a combination of some gutsy passes and the mistakes of a few other competitors enabled them to finish strongly in seventh (Barrett) and eighth (Miller).

“I gotta get off the line better,” lamented Miller. “Every time I lose two or three positions. After that it went well. I made some passes, and Pat and I were catching the guys in front of us at the end.”

Indeed, both turned faster laps than eventual FPA Autumn Trophy champion Richard Keen, who finished merely a couple of seconds ahead of them in the final race.

“It’s been a great experience, running in England,” summarized Barrett. “Very competitive and very challenging. I’ve definitely learned a lot that will help me in the future.”

“Everything over here is elevated to a different level,” added Miller. “It’s been a huge eye-opener. A lot of guys here have a lot of experience. I was told when the entry list came out, if you can get in to the top 10, you’d be doing something. We’ve done that, and it’s been a huge learning curve, but you always want to do better.”

Jack Clarke won today’s first race while recent Formula Ford Festival winner Nick Tandy claimed the final two races to win the FPA Shootout and secure an invitation to join five other McLaren/Autosport/BRDC Award finalists.

Team USA Scholarship supporters include Doug Mockett & Company, Champ Car World Series, American Honda, Snap-on Stars of Karting, Silicon Salvage, Dyson Racing, Integrated Performance Technology, Pacific Coast Motorsports, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, iRacing.com, AutoRacing1.com, Metalore, Sparco USA, Cooper Tire, Cosworth USA, Champ Car Atlantic, Star Mazda, Buttonwillow Raceway, RACER magazine, FormulaCar Magazine, Pfanner Communications, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group, The Print Network and an array of past Scholarship winners.

Photo of Miller (#21) and Barrett negotiating the Russell Chicane (JamesBearne.com)

After languishing more than a second shy of the top contenders during Friday testing, the gifted Americans today made great strides. Indeed, Barrett and Miller topped the time sheets during this morning’s practice session, held in damp conditions. Their positions were not fully representative, since many of the more experienced runners opted not to turn laps on their solitary set of fresh tires which have to last the entire weekend. It was nevertheless a productive session.

“That was a good confidence-booster,” noted Barrett. “We didn’t do many laps because we wanted to save our tires but we wanted to try a few things.”

Both teenagers put the additional knowledge to good use as Barrett qualified just 0.288s adrift of Briton Jack Clarke’s pole-winning time of 1m04.497s during qualifying for Race One. The bad news was that he had to be content with 10th place on the starting grid – directly behind regular season Formula Palmer Audi champion Tim Bridgman.

“How can I be three-tenths off and be tenth [on the grid]?” asked an incredulous Barrett. “I saw the time on my dash and I thought this has to be top-five because I drove the wheels off the car and it felt really good.”

Miller echoed Barrett’s sentiments, turning a best lap of 1m05.016s to secure a position on row seven of the grid.

“I was P5 early on,” he said. “When the sun came out [briefly], that’s when everyone else did their fastest laps and I couldn’t get a clear run. I picked up over a second from yesterday. I’d say a half-second came from the [fresh] tires and a half-second from me.”

Brands Hatch double winner Richard Keen took the pole for Race Two at 1m04.813s. Barrett was ninth fastest at 1m05.183s (ahead of Bridgman this time), with Miller 12th at 1m05.309s. Miller, however, rued the fact he was held up badly by Nick Tandy on his final flying lap as the data suggested he could have been among the top five.

Tom Bradshaw became the day’s third different pole-winner with 1m04.707s in the final session. Neither American found a clear lap and had to make do with 12th (Barrett) and 13th (Miller) on the grid.

“This session was a bit disappointing but overall it was a good day,” concluded Barrett. “I think I made a lot of progress, just learning more about the car.”

“The car felt good,” added Miller. “Unfortunately, I pushed a bit too hard at Coram and went off the road. By the time I came into the pits and then got back out, the session was over. I’ve got a lot of work to do in the races but I showed this year in Skip Barber that I can come from the back, and there are passing places here....”

Incidentally, as an indication of the competitiveness of this year’s field, Luciano Bacheta (who was sixth fastest in today’s first session at 1m04.697s, after a whole year of FPA experience), took pole for the first Autumn Trophy race in 2006 with a time of 1m05.578s. American Dane Cameron claimed pole for Race Two in ‘06 at 1m05.544s. Furthermore, six different drivers today earned front row starting positions for Sunday’s three races: Clarke, Will Bratt, Keen, Legris, Bradshaw and Tandy.

Team USA Scholarship supporters include Doug Mockett & Company, Champ Car World Series, American Honda, Snap-on Stars of Karting, Silicon Salvage, Dyson Racing, Integrated Performance Technology, Pacific Coast Motorsports, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, iRacing.com, AutoRacing1.com, Metalore, Sparco USA, Cooper Tire, Cosworth USA, Champ Car Atlantic, Star Mazda, Buttonwillow Raceway, RACER magazine, FormulaCar Magazine, Pfanner Communications, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group, The Print Network and an array of past Scholarship winners.

Photo: Patrick Barrett negotiates the Snetterton Esses (Photo: Jeremy Shaw) 

In addition to all the leading contenders from last week at Brands Hatch, several more talented home-grown drivers have entered the fray in the hope of earning a place in the shootout for the prestigious McLaren/Autosport/BRDC Award. The highest placed Briton aged 23 or under will join five other candidates who were selected on the basis of their results during the regular British season.

“The steep competition definitely requires us to raise our game,” said Miller. “We are up against some of England’s best junior formula drivers, so we have to step it up. For me, driving in the rain last weekend was a big eye-opener and a huge learning experience. But that’s fine; that’s why we’re here – to learn.”

Miller, 19, from Hesperia, Calif., and his 18-year-old teammate, Patrick Barrett, from Los Osos, Calif., today completed four test sessions on the flat but challenging 1.952-mile road course situated on a former airfield which was home to the 96th U.S. Air Force Bomber Group during World War II. The pair still have a little time to find, but both made steady progress and are raring to go for the weekend.

“It’s a very fast track,” noted Barrett. “It reminds me of Road America in terms of its speed and the commitment that it requires. It’s fast and it’s flowing, so you really need to keep up your momentum.”

Adds Miller: “There are only really six corners, but that’s six opportunities to get it wrong!

“Today was really good,” Miller continued. “Every session was a plus. I was faster every time I went out. There were no negatives. Tomorrow I need to put a multiplier sign instead of a plus.”

Barrett was also encouraged, although his hopes of finding some time in the final half-hour session were dashed by a left rear tire in the waning minutes.

“That was a shame,” said Barrett, “but I feel pretty good. We were running old tires today and just getting comfortable. I think we’re creeping up on it.”

Barrett and Miller have kept busy during the few days in between the two FPA race weekends. On Tuesday, they were granted a private tour of one of the world’s premier race car manufacturers, Lola Cars. One day later, while Miller traveled to London to make some connections for the future, Barrett visited the Wellingborough base of RML (Ray Mallock Ltd), which fields Chevrolet’s factory-backed World Touring Car Championship team, a Le Mans P2 prototype car and this week announced an exciting new project to build race versions of the McLaren Mercedes SLR supercar.

“The Lola visit was really good because I’m going to school for mechanical engineering,” said Miller, “and I was able to talk to several of the engineers about different aspects of the race cars.”

“I was one of the first members of the public to see the McLaren SLR race car in person, which was very cool,” added Barrett. “It’s a fantastic car.”

Photo: RML's race version of the Mercedes SLR supercar

Their ultimate results were disappointing but Barrett, in particular, showed impressive pace, especially in Race One when he ran similar lap times to the leaders after spinning out of sixth place following contact with another car. His race finished in the gravel trap at Druid’s hairpin on the final lap – while he was attempting to regain fastest lap of the race from Jonathan Legris – but he still came away encouraged.

“It was fun, very enjoyable,” said Barrett. “Any time there’s rain, I’m happy. I got by [Alex] Brundle [for sixth place, after starting ninth] on the front straightaway, using the power-boost, but then he tried to repass me going into the hairpin, and his left-front wheel hit my right rear and I went off into the gravel.”

Barrett lost a couple of laps before his car could be restarted. Miller, meanwhile, ran 10th before making a mistake at Paddock Hill Bend and crashing out of the race on lap 8.

“My fault,” he admitted. “I was on the boost, trying to make a pass, and I got int a bit too deep, locked up, and once I got on the paint [at the edge of the race track], I was history.”

Race Two was similarly disappointing. Barrett made a great start to run among the top five before missing a down-shift on the approach to the challenging Paddock Hill Bend and plunging into the gravel trap.

“I couldn’t engage fourth gear,” he related. “By the time it went in, I was going too fast, couldn’t match up the revs and just went into the kitty litter. Really disappointing.”

Miller was troubled by a front-end vibration after his car had been hastily repaired following his earlier “off” although at least he steered clear of trouble en route to a 12th-place finish.

“Right away from the start I had a pretty good vibration, and under braking it just intensified,” said Miller.

Race Three was red-flagged after two cars spun off on Lap 3. Barrett again made a strong getaway at the restart, and was up into fifth place by the fourth lap, with Miller in ninth. Barrett then made a mistake on the exit of Clearways and was fortunate not to make contact with anything solid.

After rejoining in 12th, Barrett quickly moved back inside the top 10, turning a series of competitive laps as he closed rapidly onto the tail of Miller in a battle for eighth.

“I finished – that was the important thing,” said Barrett. “It was a bit frustrating behind Joel, but he drove a good race and didn’t make any mistakes. I got a top 10 so I’m happy, and I’m much better prepared now going into [the final weekend of racing at ] Snetterton.”

Miller held off his faster compatriot as he notched the team’s best finish of the weekend.

“I just kept plugging away at it,” said Miller. “I’ve only ever done one wet race before – in a Skip Barber car at Laguna Seca – so it was tough out there. I had a lot to learn. I’m looking forward to next weekend with a lot of lessons learned – note the plural!”

Richard Keen won the first two races of the day while reigning FPA champion Tim Bridgman won Race Three.

Team USA Scholarship supporters include Doug Mockett & Company, Champ Car World Series, American Honda, Snap-on Stars of Karting, Silicon Salvage, Dyson Racing, Integrated Performance Technology, Pacific Coast Motorsports, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, iRacing.com, AutoRacing1.com, Metalore, Sparco USA, Cooper Tire, Cosworth USA, Champ Car Atlantic, Star Mazda, Buttonwillow Raceway, RACER magazine, FormulaCar Magazine, Pfanner Communications, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group, The Print Network and an array of past Scholarship winners.

For complete results, go to www.formula-palmer-audi.com.

Photo: Barrett (#2) and Miller in the wet at Brands Hatch (courtesy JamesBearne.com)

“I thought the boys did an extremely good job,” said FPA founder and ex-Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer. “Brands is a tough little track, especially in these cars, which are not easy to drive fast, so to be knocking on the doors of the guys who have been racing here for a few years was a very good effort.”

Barrett and Miller contented themselves by running just a bare minimum of laps during a practice session held first thing this morning, intent upon making sure they looked after their one and only set of fresh Avon tires which will have to last throughout the weekend. The meat of the day then included three separate 30-minute qualifying sessions to set the grid positions for Sunday’s 28-lap races.

In Qualifying 1, Barrett set the ninth fastest time at 45.186 seconds. Miller was 12th on 45.434. Experienced Formula Renault racers Will Bratt and Richard Keen claimed the top two grid positions at 44.422 and 44.457, respectively.

Q2 provided the Americans’ best performance of the day, with Barrett in sixth (45.180) and Miller just two places back at 45.277. Bratt again took pole at 44.645.

Q3 wasn’t quite as productive, although both were again among the top 10 – Barrett ninth on 45.453 and Miller 10th, just one-tenth slower at 45.564. Keen then time secured pole on 44.743.

“I was able to get some good rest last night and get myself properly prepared for today,” said Barrett, 18, from Los Osos, Calif. “I had some time to think about everything – where to improve, what to do and what not to do. I felt much more comfortable [than yesterday] and I think I saw a major improvement, especially in Q2.

“Q3 saw a lot of consistency, but I wasn’t able to pull out a really fast lap,” he continued. “That was a bit frustrating, but overall it was a great learning experience and I’m really looking forward to the races tomorrow.”

Teammate Miller was equally upbeat: “All in all, we’re in the top 10 so today was a good day. You’re never happy with that but we definitely took a good step forward. We were much closer to the front-running pace than yesterday, so that feels good. The data shows that I’m pretty close [to the pace] on the second half of the lap. I sat down with the data guys and they said if the race went from Druid’s [hairpin] to the start/finish line, I’d be in good shape. Each time out is a learning experience. We’re getting better and making progress. My first goal for tomorrow is finish all the races; goal number two is to finish in the top five.”

Team USA Scholarship supporters include Doug Mockett & Company, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” Champ Car World Series, American Honda, Snap-on Stars of Karting, Silicon Salvage, Dyson Racing, Integrated Performance Technology, Pacific Coast Motorsports, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, iRacing.com, AutoRacing1.com, Metalore, Sparco USA, Cooper Tire, Cosworth USA, Champ Car Atlantic, Star Mazda, Buttonwillow Raceway, RACER magazine, FormulaCar Magazine, Pfanner Communications, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group, The Print Network and an array of past Scholarship winners.

For more details, go to www.formula-palmer-audi.com.

Photo: Miller (#21)  and Barrett (#11) performed well today at Brands Hatch (Photo: James Bearne Photography)

The two Californian teenagers gained a brief taste of the undulating 1.2-mile track on Wednesday, turning a few laps at the wheel of some school cars, but today marked their first experience driving the 300-horsepower FPA cars.

“A major learning experience,” was how Barrett, 18, from Los Osos, Calif., described his day.

“We had to do triple duty,” added Miller, 19, from Hesperia, Calif. “Learn the track, the car and the conditions. Everybody else has been doing this all season, so we are definitely behind the eight-ball, but we both definitely enjoyed the day and we’re looking forward to the weekend.”

In cool but thankfully dry conditions, the pair accomplished most of their goals during three half-hour sessions, which were punctuated by frequent red flags but were otherwise uneventful for the Americans.

“I just wanted to get out there and learn the track, get some experience, and make sure I progressed in every session. Those were my goals for the day,” said Miller, “and I was able to accomplish those. The cars are very physical. It’s a real work-out around here, but everything went well.”

“We were able to somewhat find the limit of the cars,” reckoned Barrett. “I think when we get better tires tomorrow [the test session was conducted on old rubber], we’ll be much better off.

“This track is the Laguna Seca of England,” he continued, “with the elevation changes and tight turns. The laps definitely go by pretty quickly and everything just happens instantaneously. There’s no room for resting.”

“We’ll sleep well tonight,” added Miller.

The race weekend will kick off with a practice session Saturday morning, followed by three qualifying sessions during the day to set the grid for each of the three races which will take place on Sunday.

Team USA Scholarship supporters include Doug Mockett & Company, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” Champ Car World Series, American Honda, Snap-on Stars of Karting, Silicon Salvage, Dyson Racing, Integrated Performance Technology, Pacific Coast Motorsports, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, iRacing.com, AutoRacing1.com, Metalore, Sparco USA, Cooper Tire, Cosworth USA, Champ Car Atlantic, Star Mazda, Buttonwillow Raceway, RACER magazine, FormulaCar Magazine, Pfanner Communications, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group, The Print Network and an array of past Scholarship winners.
 

The announcement comes shortly after the arrival in England of the 2007 Team USA Scholarship winners Joel Miller and Patrick Barrett, where they will compete in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy, a series of six races on consecutive weekends at the Brands Hatch and Snetterton race tracks.

“Our scholarship winners are long on potential, but relatively speaking, they are still fairly inexperienced,” Shaw said.  “In addition to the annual fall races in England, through the team’s sponsors and supporters we’re often able to arrange for our drivers to test in other series.  Earlier this month Patrick and Joel tested Star Mazda cars at Virginia International Raceway.  In the future, our team members will be more competitive in their races and get more out of their on-track tests because they’ll be able to better prepare for them with iRacing.com’s simulation software.”

“Our business is about helping racers develop their skills,” McKee said.  “Our simulation software is useful for drivers at all levels of skill and experience, but there’s something particularly satisfying about helping the stars of tomorrow make their way in the sport. It feels good to be a part of such a worthy program.”

Miller had the chance to try out iRacing.com’s simulation software this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he was competing for in the Snap-On Stars of Karting National Finals. Miller conducted a back-to-back comparison, driving a Formula Mazda at VIR in the sim, just a week after testing the real car on the 3.7-mile circuit. 

“The brake and shift points are spot on,” Miller said after getting acclimated in a Formula Skip Barber 2000 and then switching over to the Formula Mazda for several hot laps.  “I think it’s especially good for learning tracks.  When you go someplace new, you spend the first two sessions just learning the track.  But when you’re under pressure, like we’ll be in England, you don’t have those two sessions to just learn the track – you’re expected to know that right away.”

Team USA Scholarship, which began operations in 1990, has assisted the careers of a number of drivers who have gone on to stellar success, beginning with the first scholarship winner, Jimmy Vasser, long-time open-wheel star and 1995 CART champion.  Others include Bryan Herta, who is now driving an Acura entry in the American Le Mans Series following a long career in CART and IRL; former Champ Car driver A.J. Allmendinger, who is now a NASCAR Nextel Cup regular; Joey Hand and Bryan Sellers, both drivers for Team PTG Panoz in the ALMS; 2004 Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice; and Tony Ave, the winner earlier this month of the GT1 class at the SCCA National Runoffs.

Photo: With iRacing.com’s Scott McKee coaching, Team USA Scholarship winner Joel Miller tries out the iRacing.com simulation prior to his departure for England and participation in the six-race Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy series.

“I’ve known the kids who have been selected the last few years and they learned so much from this program,” says Silicon Salvage principal Chuck Hulse, who has been around the sport his entire life.

Hulse’s father contested four Indianapolis 500s in the 1960s. The younger Hulse himself raced in sprint cars on the West Coast in the 1970s and ‘80s, and these days competes “for fun” in the Pacific F2000 Championship and the Star Mazda series.

“When I tried to race when I was younger, it was so tough,” continues Hulse, “so it’s nice to be able to give these youngsters an opportunity.”

Former racer Bob Whyte, CEO of Integrated Performance Technology, Inc., has helped other businesses to become commercial partners with racing programs in Formula 1, Champ Car, Grand-Am and ALMS, and understands the importance of providing gifted youngsters with an opportunity to spread their wings. (This year’s Team USA Scholarship winners, Patrick Barrett and Joel Miller, will travel to England this week to contest the forthcoming Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy. The mini-series will comprise six races over two weekends at Brand Hatch and Snetterton.)

“The Team USA Scholarship program has a long and successful track record of identifying and supporting the best young American drivers,” says Whyte. “Their alumni list reads like a Who’s Who in the top levels of racing around the world. As a global company headquartered in the USA, IPT is proud to support this program.”

Chris Dyson, who has taken over day-to-day management of the Dyson family’s Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based sports car team from his father Rob, is equally intent upon ensuring the sport has a viable future: “Dyson Racing recognizes the importance of supporting American road racers. Jeremy Shaw has a keen eye for driving talent, and his program has a track record of launching several careers of drivers who might not have otherwise had the opportunity to compete on a world stage. We are delighted to support the Team USA Scholarship.”

Mark Cipolloni, President of the popular AutoRacing1.com website, adds: “I think the Team USA Scholarship program is a great concept and gives young American drivers the opportunity to show what they can do against international competition in equally prepared cars. We are happy to get involved with such a wonderful program for American drivers.”

Historic racer and businessman Doug Mockett remains the Scholarship’s staunchest supporter. His enthusiasm also has led to contributions from fellow Historic Formula 1 competitors Chris Locke and Peter Gulick.

“We’re so grateful to have all these new supporters on board,” says auto racing writer/broadcaster and Team USA Scholarship founder Jeremy Shaw. “Substantial funding continues to be elusive, but myself and our panel of advisors have ambitious plans to step up the program several notches for the future.

“The exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and British pound hasn’t made things any easier this year, so we’re still actively seeking new supporters to help bridge the gap,” adds Shaw.

The ball was set rolling in March, when 1991 scholarship winner Bryan Herta, from Valencia, Calif., took LMP2 class honors in the Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring sports car classic, marking a sensational debut for Andretti Green Racing’s factory-backed XM Satellite Radio Acura team.

In May, 2000 grad Phil Giebler, from Oxnard, Calif., clinched the coveted Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year title, driving for Playa Del Racing.

More recently, 1997 and 1998 scholarship winners Paul Edwards (Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R), from Santa Maria, Calif., and Andy Lally (TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup), from Dacula, Ga., battled tooth and nail for the Rolex Sports Car GT title. Ultimately, both came up a little short but they made their mark by notching a combined total of seven wins from the 13-race season.

2006 Team USA Scholarship recipient Dane Cameron, from Sonoma, Calif., followed up his triumph in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy by dominating this year’s Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, driving for JDC Motorsports. As a result, Cameron has won a fully funded ride in the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda, in which it was announced today he will drive for the defending champion Sierra Sierra/ProWorks team.

Last weekend, 1992 scholarship winner Tony Ave, from Mooresville, N,C., collected his first SCCA National Championship at Heartland Park Topeka. Wisconsin-born Ave dominate the GT-1 class in his self-prepped Bodin Masonry/Pro-Motor/Goodyear Chevrolet Camaro.

This year’s scholarship winners, Patrick Barrett and Joel Miller, also recently tied up championship crowns of their own. Barrett, 18, from Los Osos, Calif., secured the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook, driving a Jim Russell School Van Diemen for PR1 Motorsports, while Joel Miller, 19, from Hesperia, Calif., won the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda.

Barrett and Miller will travel next week to England to begin preparations for their assault on this year’s Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy, which will comprise six races over two weekends at Brands Hatch and Snetterton.

Team USA Scholarship supporters include Doug Mockett & Company, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” Champ Car World Series, American Honda, Snap-on Stars of Karting, Silicon Salvage, Dyson Racing, Integrated Performance Technology, Pacific Coast Motorsports, Andersen Racing Team, PitFit Training, iRacing.com, AutoRacing1.com, Metalore, Sparco USA, Cooper Tire, Cosworth USA, Champ Car Atlantic Championship, Star Mazda, RACER magazine, FormulaCar Magazine, Pfanner Communications, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group, The Print Network and an array of past Scholarship winners.

Photo of Tony Ave by John Steflik, courtesy of www.scca.org

Barrett logged 71 laps and Miller completed 74 laps at the road course in Alton, Va.

Barrett, 18, of Los Osos, Calif., is the 2007 Pacific F2000 champion. Miller, 19, of Hesperia, Calif., clinched the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National presented by Mazda earlier this month at VIR.

The scholarship winners are slated to compete at Brands Hatch, England on Oct. 27-28 and at Snetterton, England Nov. 3-4 in the six-race Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy competition.

Andersen Racing team owner Dan Andersen was impressed with how both teens adapted to his Star Mazda cars. “I think both boys recognize that the effort required to drive a Star Mazda car, with its bias-ply Goodyear tires, is more than they are used to,” he said.

“One of my engineers commented prior to the start of actual testing that they were both clearly mature, polite, even-tempered and poised, but he wondered aloud if they were going to be fast. At the end of the test we both agreed they were that too!” Andersen said. “My compliments to the Team USA selection committee, as they have chosen candidates who have the speed as well as all of the other important attributes they’ll need to advance in the sport.”

Andersen added that both young men adapted well when the team’s engineers made spring and damper changes. “They underwent a full test-day program, with data analysis sessions, video camera reviews with the engineers and the like,” he added.

“All of us at Team USA want to thank Dan Andersen and everyone else at Andersen Racing for their help, as well as Gary Rodrigues of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear,” said auto racing writer/broadcaster Jeremy Shaw, the scholarship’s founder and president.

Andersen and Shaw indicated that they intend to work together to provide tests for future Team USA scholarship winners too.

“I had a fantastic time working with everyone at Andersen Racing,” said Barrett. “The knowledge I learned from this test has greatly helped me prepare myself for the FPA Autumn Trophy this fall. I really want to thank everyone involved with the Team USA scholarship program for all of their support and for giving me this great opportunity.”

“It was the first test I’ve ever done in a Star Mazda car, so a lot of it was just learning the car,” Miller said of the test. “Working with [engineer] Mike Reggio was a good experience. We had a shock problem but we worked hard and overcame that, which showed that we could work through problems. I think it was really good preparation for the Formula Palmer Audis we’ll drive in England. It gave us some good track time that [Scholarship founder] Jeremy Shaw really wanted us to have.”

Although the test was private, SPEED TV was on hand to tape the activities for future airing.

More information on the team can be found at andersenracingteam.com. More information on the Team USA scholarship can be found at teamusascholarship.org.



Issued on behalf of:
Linda Mansfield, Restart Communications
E-mail: LindaKMansfield@cs.com
Cell: 317-201-0729

Photo of Joel Miller by courtesy of Michelle Kish 

PitFit Training will provide fitness testing, training and mentoring at its Indianapolis-based headquarters. The 2007-2008 Scholarship winners, Patrick Barrett and Joel Miller, will spend one full week with the PitFit staff in November.

“We’re excited to sponsor these talented young racers,” noted Jim Leo, Founder and President of PitFit Training. “[The Team USA Scholarship President] Jeremy Shaw is a good, personal friend, and I know the passion he has for helping tomorrow’s stars today through the Scholarship. I have had the privilege of working with past Scholarship winners such as Paul Edwards, Joe D’Agostino, J.R. Hildebrand and the late Tony Renna. It has been a joy to watch their personal and professional growth through the program.”

The Team USA Scholarship was founded in 1990 and was developed with the intent of boosting the early career development of some of the most talented young American racers. Past Scholarship winners have gone on to become house-hold names with Motorsports enthusiasts. Past winners include Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Buddy Rice, and Jeff Simmons in open wheel racing as well as A.J. Allmendinger, Jerry Nadeau and Ashton Lewis, who have gone on to race in NASCAR’s upper levels.

Barrett and Miller are up-and-coming racers who have already tasted victory. Barrett races for PR1 Motorsports in the Pacific F2000 series and has a commanding lead in the points race with 7 wins and 3 second place finishes. Miller clinched the BF Goodrich/Skip Barber Nationals Presented by Mazda championship title after this weekend’s race at Virginia International Raceway. Miller’s victory gave him a total of five wins in the 14-race season and a 36-point margin over the championship runner-up. He was also the 2006 Snap-On Stars of Karting ICA title winner.

About PitFit Training

PitFit Training is the recognized leader in developing driver-specific fitness, nutrition and human-performance programs to expressly address the physical and mental demands of the motorsports industry. PitFit was founded in 1997 by Jim Leo. Leo and the PitFit crew provide fitness training to racers in various series including the Indy Racing League, Champ Car World Series, Champ Car Atlantics, Indy Pro Series, Formula BMW, USAC, Karting and more. To schedule an interview, contact Jim Leo at 317-388-1000 or jleo@pitfit.com. To learn more, visit www.pitfit.com.

The test was made possible by support from the Pacific Coast Motorsports Champ Car World Series team, Buttonwillow Raceway, the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, Cosworth USA and Cooper Tire.

“This was a fantastic experience,” said Barrett, 18, from Los Osos, Calif. “I had a great time working with everyone at US RaceTronics and really enjoyed driving the Swift 016.a Atlantic car. I learned a lot about what it takes to pilot these cars successfully and how important it is to get up to speed quickly. Driving the car is more physically demanding compared to the F2000 that I currently race. It gave me a good reference on what I need to work on most with my training program in terms of strength and endurance.”

Miller, 19, from Hesperia, Calif., was equally ecstatic after gaining his first experience of an Atlantic car.

“This was the first time I have driven a ‘no-lift-shift’ car,” declared Miller. “It made life nice and easy with the shifts. (And) the amount of grip and braking capabilities the car had was amazing. For example, you can put 1500 psi on the brake pedal initially and the car will not lock a front tire. What an amazing feeling!

“I was really surprised about my physical condition,” he continued. “[Indianapolis-based] Pitfit Training has prepared an excellent schedule for me with daily workouts. The only difficult area for me physically was with my neck and that will continue to get better with more on-track testing.”

US RaceTronics team principal Shane Seneviratne was impressed with his two young charges after putting them through their paces.

“The test turned out even better than expected,” said Seneviratne, whose vast experience in the sport includes guiding recently crowned Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series champion Jon Fogarty to the first of his two Atlantic series titles in 2002 as team manager for Dorricott Racing.

“We tried to create a low pressure environment for the drivers and set some basic objectives to meet on the first few outings. Both of them followed instructions well and we slowly stepped up the intensity of the test as they completed more laps and got more confident with the cars. At the end of the day it was clearly evident that they deserve to be the recipients of this scholarship. They are well-rounded, professional and very talented drivers with a bright future.”

Barrett and Miller will spend the next few weeks concentrating on their existing commitments in domestic competitions. Barrett will be looking to extend his lead in the Pacific F2000 Championship this weekend when he contests a pair of races at Infineon Raceway. Miller will compete next at Virginia International Raceway on October 6/7, when he hopes to clinch the Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda title, and with it an opportunity to earn a drive in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship.

The pair will then turn their attentions to the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy in England, where they will fly the patriotic Team USA Scholarship colors in six races over two weekends in late-October and early November.

Previous Team USA Scholarship winners include 1996 Champ Car champion Jimmy Vasser (1990); Champ Car and IRL race winner and current American Le Mans Series contender Bryan Herta (1991); Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car standouts Memo Gidley (1995), Paul Edwards (1998) and Andy Lally (1999); 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice (1997); this year’s Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Phil Giebler (2000); Champ Car race winner-turned Nextel Cup competitor A.J. Allmendinger (2001) and current Star Mazda Championship leader Dane Cameron (2006).

(Photo: Barrett, left, and Miller with the pair of US RaceTronics Atlantic cars at Buttonwillow (John Barrett photo) 

The two Californians will test a Star Mazda car for Andersen Racing prior to their European foray, and tomorrow will broaden their experience and further enhance their preparations by testing a US RaceTronics Champ Car Atlantic Swift 016.a at Buttonwillow Raceway in central California.

The test has been officially blessed by the Champ Car Atlantic Championship and has been made possible with assistance from Champ Car, Cosworth USA, Cooper Tire, Buttonwillow Raceway and, especially, Pacific Coast Motorsports as part of its burgeoning commitment to developing a true “ladder of opportunity.”

PCM, which fields two cars in the Champ Car World Series for drivers Alex Figge and Ryan Dalziel, announced at Portland in June that it had established a partnership with Shane Seneviratne’s US RaceTronics team, which this year entered emerging talents Carl Skerlong and David Garza in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. PCM also named promising 13-year-old kart racer Miles Maroney to its newly created PCM Junior Team.

PCM’s support of the Team USA Scholarship lends more credence to its aim of creating a means for youngsters to progress all the way from karts to the Champ Car World Series.

“The Team USA Scholarship has a great history of developing talented young American drivers and giving them an opportunity to develop their skills,” said PCM team director Tyler Tadevic. “That’s precisely our philosophy at Pacific Coast Motorsports, so it was a perfect match. We looked at how we could become involved, talked with Shane Seneviratne, and giving the boys a run in an Atlantic car just seemed to make sense. It will give them a taste of what to expect in the future and an opportunity to drive a car with some real horsepower before they head over to England.”

“This is a unique opportunity for US RaceTronics to team up with Pacific Coast Motorsports in providing a test to the 2007 Team USA Scholarship winners,” added Seneviratne. “Some very successful drivers have been recipients of this award; we are honored to be part of the next generation of drivers to continue this path of success.”

“We are delighted that US RaceTronics has graciously offered a taste of its Atlantic car to the drivers as they prepare for their competition later this fall,” said Champ Car Atlantic Championship managing director Vicki O’Connor. “Here’s hoping that both drivers are successful for Team USA, and we will definitely be paying attention to their performance. We would be thrilled if Patrick and Joel eventually followed in the footsteps of so many previous members of Team USA and found their way to the Champ Car Atlantic Championship to continue their development.”

Barrett and Miller already have conducted seat-fittings for the 300-hp Mazda/Cosworth-powered Swift and are excited about their prospects for tomorrow’s test.

“What a great opportunity this is for me as a driver,” says Miller. “Atlantic is the top feeder series to Champ Car, and this will definitely help prepare me for the Formula Palmer Audi car in England.”

Added Barrett: “It will be a great experience to drive an Atlantic car with the power equivalent to the Formula Palmer Audi. This will be great preparation for Joel and I before we go to England for the Autumn Trophy.”

Caption: Carl Skerlong took his King Taco/US RaceTronics Swift to a podium finish at Houston (Photo by Phil Abbott/LAT, courtesy of www.champcaratlantic.com)

Andersen Racing owner Dan Andersen looks on as two of his Star Mazda cars prepare to take to the track at VIRginia International Raceway earlier this year.  (Photo: Ulrich Vassmer)

The pair were chosen from a short-list of seven talented young American race car drivers who were interviewed by an illustrious panel of judges during the recent Champ Car Grand Prix of San José.

The Team USA Scholarship program has provided opportunities for deserving young Americans since Jimmy Vasser received the inaugural award in 1990. Vasser went on to win the 1996 Champ Car crown and today is co-owner of the PKV Racing Champ Car team. Subsequent recipients include two contenders in this weekend’s Generac 500 American Le Mans Series event: Bryan Herta (1991), who will drive the #26 XM Satellite Radio Acura ARX-01a, and Joey Hand (2000), who campaigns the #22 Team PTG Panoz Esperante GTLM. Also among the alumni are 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice (1997); this year’s Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Phil Giebler (2000); current Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda contender J.R. Hildebrand (2005); and 2006 winner Dane Cameron, who this weekend is looking to extend his lead in the Star Mazda Championship at Road America.

Barrett, who currently leads the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook, driving for the PR1 Motorsports team, and Miller, who leads the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda points table, will travel to England later in the fall to contest the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy. The series will comprise six races over two weekends at renowned race tracks Brands Hatch and Snetterton.

“Winning the Team USA Scholarship means a lot to me,” said Barrett, who burst onto the racing scene last year, winning the Formula Russell Championship at a canter and then scooping two race wins on his debut in the Pacific F2000 series. “Knowing that the people who support the program believe in my talent is a great feeling. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity and hope that it will open more doors in my future.”

“I have to thank everybody behind the Team USA Scholarship for giving me this opportunity to represent the U.S. this year in the Formula Palmer Audi series,” added Miller, who has been ranked as the nation’s top ICA karter the last few years. “Racing in Europe in a competitive series has always been a goal of mine, and now the Team USA Scholarship is making that a reality.”

The adjudicating panel included Vasser, Champ Car team owner Dale Coyne, Pacific Coast Motorsports (Champ Car) Team Director Tyler Tadevic, vintage racer/businessman Doug Mockett, driver manager Will Prappas, Champ Car World Series Communications Manager Tom McGovern, CCWS Media Relations Manager Karina Redmond, renowned journalists David Phillips (RACER) and David Malsher (Autosport), FormulaCar Magazine assistant Editor Allan Craighead and Team USA Scholarship founder Jeremy Shaw.

Team USA Scholarship supporters include Doug Mockett & Company, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” American Honda, Snap-on Tools, “Stars of Karting,” Sparco USA, RACER magazine, FormulaCar Magazine, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group, The Print Network and an array of past Scholarship winners. Additional contributors are actively being sought.

Photo: Joel Miller (left) and Patrick Barrett are the newest Team USA Scholarship winners

The pair will follow in the footsteps of an accomplished list of former winners, including 1996 Champ Car champion Jimmy Vasser (who won the inaugural Team USA Scholarship in 1990); Champ Car and IRL race winner and current American Le Mans Series contender Bryan Herta (1991); Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series standouts Memo Gidley (1995), Paul Edwards (1998) and Andy Lally (1999); 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice (1997); this year’s Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Phil Giebler (2000); Champ Car race winner-turned NASCAR Nextel Cup competitor A.J. Allmendinger (2001) and current Star Mazda Championship leader Dane Cameron (2006).

This year’s candidates are:

• Patrick Barrett, 17, from Los Osos, Calif. Dominated the 2006 Jim Russell School Series and won both races on his Pacific F2000 debut at Infineon Raceway. Leads 2007 Pacific F2000 series with five wins, three seconds from 8 races.
• Thomas Merrill, 21, from Salinas, Calif. Raced in the SCCA Formula Continental class last season and now has stepped up to the Pacific F2000 Championship. Scored his first win recently at Miller Motorsports Park.
  
• Joel Miller, 19, from Hesperia, Calif. Ranked as the nation’s top ICA karter the last few years. Made a stunning F2000 debut in 2004 (aged 15!) with a win and a second. Currently leads the Skip Barber National Championship.
  
• Cole Morgan, 19, from Lighthouse Point, Fla. Excelled in SCCA Formula Continental with an aged Swift DB-6. Started 2007 in Star Mazda before returning to F2000; is a leading contender in the East Coast-based professional series.
  
• Josef Newgarden, 16, from Henderson, Tenn. Has won two races as a rookie in this year’s Skip Barber National Championship. Currently fifth in the point standings. Also races successfully in karts.
  
• Alexander Rossi, 15, from Nevada City, Calif. Won a karting scholarship and finished third in ‘06 Skip Barber National Championship (three wins). Also ran a partial season of Formula TR (four wins). Now racing in Formula BMW.
  
• Ricky Taylor, 17, from Apopka, Fla. Won a karting scholarship to contest 2007 Skip Barber National Championship. Currently third in points with one win. Also impressed in a one-off Pacific F2000 race.

The judging panel comprised Vasser, Champ Car team owner Dale Coyne, Pacific Coast Motorsports (Champ Car) Team Manager Tyler Tadevic, vintage racer/businessman Doug Mockett, driver manager Will Prappas, renowned journalists David Phillips (RACER) and David Malsher (Autosport), Champ Car World Series Communications Department's Karina Redmond and Tom McGovern, eFormulaCarNews.com Managing Editor Al Craighead, businessmen Kjell Kallman and Bob Whyte, former Scholarship winners J.R. Hildebrand, Dane Cameron and Robert Podlesni, and Team USA Scholarship founder Jeremy Shaw.

Team USA Scholarship supporters include Doug Mockett & Company, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” American Honda, Snap-on Tools, “Stars of Karting,” Sparco USA, RACER magazine, FormulaCar Magazine, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group, The Print Network and an array of past Scholarship winners.

Photo -- top row l. to r.: Doug Mockett, Jimmy Vasser, J.R. Hildebrand, Cole Morgan, Joel Miller, Josef Newgarden, Ricky Taylor and Dale Coyne; bottom row: Tyler Tadevic, Dane Cameron, Robert Podlesni, Alexander Rossi, Thomas Merrill, Patrick Barrett and Jeremy Shaw.

Our thanks to all who attended, and especially to the folks at Pacific Coast Motorsports for their wonderful hospitality.

This year Kimball, from Camarillo, Calif., is contesting the Renault World Series, driving for the Victory Engineering team. To date, luck hasn’t been on Kimball’s side, although he has posted a couple of top-10 finishes in an intensely competitive field.

Most recently, Kimball drove an impressive race at the Hungaroring, home of the Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix, where he fought from 21st place on the grid (albeit merely one second away from the pole-winner’s time) to finish 10th and thereby earn himself pole position on the inverted grid for Race 2.

“It’s not exactly the same as being on pole from qualifying, but still a satisfying result from Saturday after having started 21st,” related Kimball.

Unfortunately, his hopes of a strong result were dashed at the very first corner, when he was sideswiped by two of his competitors, ending the American’s day with a damaged trackrod.

“The driving standards are frustrating,” said Kimball. “[Mikhail] Aleshin overshot [the first turn] but I was pretty confident I could have got him on the exit, and then [eventual winner] Alejandro [Nunez] came steaming up the inside, trying to be a hero, and took both of us out. Nunez hit me in the sidepod and shoved me into Aleshin.”

Kimball is looking for a reversal in fortune when the series reconvenes at the famed Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium on August 18/19.

“I know that going into the next few races, I will be strong everywhere as they are circuits I have raced at and done well in the past,” he said. “Plus, blasting through Eau Rouge in these cars is going to be an incredible feeling, I’m sure!”
 

Photo: Charlie Kimball's California Avocado-backed car at Monte Carlo 

Edwards, who won the 1998 European Formula Opel Winter Series and the following season’s Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series titles while carrying the patriotic red-white-and-blue Team USA Scholarship colors, has been a consistent front-runner in this year’s Rolex GT series at the wheel of Banner Racing’s factory-supported #07 Pontiac GXP.R.

Even though Edwards, who lives in Fort Collins, Colo., had to give up his hard-won lead to a lighter and more powerful Mazda RX-8 in the closing stages at Daytona, he was content to finish in second place – one position ahead of erstwhile points leader Dirk Werner’s Porsche.

“I felt taken advantage of when the Mazda raced by me into Turn One,” Edwards said. “We had the measure of them in the infield, but then onto the banking they just roll by us. (But) we are in the drivers points lead and have run very consistently and mechanically trouble free all year.”

Meanwhile in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2006 Team USA Scholarship winner Dane Cameron continued his mastery of the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear as he led from flag to flag on the streets around Exhibition Place.

Cameron, from Sonoma, Calif., was fastest in every practice session, qualified on the pole and then led throughout the race in his #19 JDC Motorsports/Finlay Motorsports car. He now holds a commanding 47-point in the championship standings.

Jimmy Vasser, who won the first Team USA Scholarship in 1990, gained another podium finish as a team owner in Toronto, where his PKV Racing charge, Neel Jani, finished second in the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto, Round 7 of the Champ Car World Series.

Just across the border at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York, 1997 Scholarship winner Buddy Rice and 1999 winner Jeff Simmons finished sixth and 10th, respectively, in the Camping World Watkins Glen Grand Prix Indy Racing League event.

2000 Team USA Scholarship winner Phil Giebler claimed a pair of fourth-place finishes in the Indy Pro Series double-header at Watkins Glen.

Photo of Edwards at Daytona courtesy of GM Racing