After the teenagers finished fourth in their respective Semi Final races, Hindman, 16, from Wayside, N.J.,  placed a strong sixth in the Grand Final with his Cliff Dempsey Racing-prepared Ray GR08, while Alberico, 18, from Los Gatos, Calif., was unable to finish after being involved in an early incident.
The fickle English weather was more inviting on Sunday, with sunny skies replacing the rain and heavy overcast that had prevailed

earlier in the week. Following a pair of last-chance qualifier races, the meat of the day’s action began with two Semi Final races. Hindman lined up third on the grid for his race and immediately jumped to second on the opening lap before slipping back to fourth behind Josh Fisher, Adrian Campfield and Jonny McMullan.

“Unfortunately, it was the first time on a dry track, so that was a bit difficult, but I had to learn fast,” said Hindman. “Cliff was great on teaching me about the track when it’s dry. It was definitely a lot different to what it had been! After finishing P4, I knew we had a very good chance of making something happen in the Final.”

Alberico, meanwhile, was cursing his luck after also finishing fourth in Semi Final 2 behind Northern Irishman Wayne Boyd (a front-runner in this year’s USF2000 National Championship), Robert Hall and Felix Fisher.

“I lined up third, got a great start and found myself in the lead after the first two drivers put each other off,” he related. “It was looking good at that point with open track ahead of me and a massive gap behind. Unfortunately, there was a red-flag situation resulting in a full grid restart. After the restart I was second off the line looking for a way past Wayne Boyd. As I sat behind him nearly half the race he was given several driving standard warning flags for excessive blocking. It was super-frustrating to end up fourth, because I had the pace for a much better result.”

The Team USA Scholarship pair lined up alongside each other on Row Four of the grid for the 15-lap Grand Final. Alberico maintained seventh at the start and moved up a couple of places during the early skirmishes, before being hit from behind, causing suspension damage which forced him out of the race.

“I got off the line with a good clean start and diced my way up to fifth at one stage,” he said. “After only a few laps, Abdul Ahmed drove straight over the back of my left rear going into Luffield (corner), bending the track rod and ultimately ending my race. Between the chaos of Semi Final and Final, it's fair to say those were unfortunate circumstances that were out of our control. And that's where the famous cliché comes from – that's racing."

Hindman also made a good initial getaway. After a roller-coaster ride during the early stages, he became embroiled in a thrilling seven-car battle for the lead that raged for much of the race, and ultimately had to settle for sixth as Campfield scored a surprise victory, finishing narrowly ahead of the heavily favored Boyd.

“I am very happy with P6,” said Hindman. “It was so difficult running with those guys. It was incredible!

“Overall my UK experience was awesome,” he continued. “I learned so much. Cliff and Michelle [Dempsey] were my parents away from home and the whole team was great! I really have to thank them for all of their hard work and patience. Now, though, it’s off back to the U.S. for school and some more USF2000 testing.”

“Thanks a million to all the supporters of the Team USA Scholarship for making such an incredible opportunity possible,” added Alberico. “This may be the end of our British adventure but I'm really looking forward to what we have next in store.”

They have some big shoes to fill, but both teenagers are confident they can challenge for victory in this weekend’s Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford meet at Silverstone and follow in the footsteps of Conor Daly, who took top honors for Team USA and Cliff Dempsey Racing in 2008, and Connor De Phillippi, who took the checkered flag in 2009.

Alberico, 19, from Los Gatos, Calif., spent some time in Ireland, attending the wedding of Cliff and Michelle Dempsey’s oldest son, Keith, during the two-week break since the Formula Ford Festival, while 16-year-old Hindman traveled home to Wayside, N.J., to  catch up with his school work. Since Hindman returned to the UK on Monday, the pair have enjoyed visits to the Jaguar Cars road car factory in Birmingham, the McLaren Technology Center, home of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team, and Lola Cars, one of the world’s leading race car manufacturers, as well as Superleague Formula championship team Alan Docking Racing.

“My week has been absolutely incredible,” exclaims Hindman. “After visiting Jaguar, McLaren and then Lola I was absolutely stunned at what people will do to produce the best product/results. These tours will definitely be things I will never forget. To top it all off, Silverstone is an incredible track, too! I love coming to these Grand Prix tracks; they are just great courses to drive on.”

Alberico and Hindman have tested their Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GR07/08 chassis on the Silverstone National circuit the past two days, and although inclement weather has interrupted their plans, both youngsters feel good about their prospects going into the weekend.

“The weather this weekend is mad,” says Hindman. “It’s all over the place, but that’s something that we just have to deal with. I had a bit of trouble in this morning's wet practice session, but other than that it’s been great!”

“Weather is not an issue at all,” asserts Alberico. “At the end of the day everyone will be racing with the same conditions. I’m comfortable in both wet and dry conditions, to be honest. We have been testing both Thursday and Friday in wet/damp conditions, and if I were to choose I would prefer the wet!”

Needless to say, neither of the Americans is under any illusions as to the challenges that lie ahead.

“The quick guys from the (Formula Ford) Festival (two weeks ago at Brands Hatch) are the same quick guys here at the WHT,” says Alberico. “The only difference is that there are 95 entries here at Silverstone! As long as we keep our heads down and work hard we should have a good shot at top honors for the weekend.”

“Going into the weekend, my goal is to improve on my results from the Festival while still learning as much as possible,” adds Hindman. “I learned at Brands that making it through your heat races is absolutely the key if you want a chance of winning, so my goal is to just finish in the top three in each heat race.”

The Team USA Scholarship program also is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, the Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, NameSilo, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, Parathyroid, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.
 

In the Duratec Festival, Spencer Pigot overcame an accident in the morning’s Quarter Final race and also showed tremendous fighting spirit as he rose from 26th on the grid to 16th at the checkered flag.

“Well, we were fast enough to qualify on pole, fast enough to win the heat race, fast enough to win the Semi Final and unfortunately we didn’t win the one that counted,” said Alberico. “The guys at Cliff Dempsey Racing did a really good job and I’m so proud to be representing the Team USA Scholarship.  I’m happy for everyone. This is a good result for Team USA. I’m glad to be on the podium but I can’t help feeling I should have won the main event.”

Perfect weather conditions once again prevailed today at Brands Hatch, and they clearly proved to Alberico’s liking as he stormed into the lead after starting from pole and never looked back. He took the checkered flag 1.019s clear of Ireland’s Cormac O’Neill after 15 laps to secure a front row starting position for the final.

Hindman didn’t make quite as good a start in the second Kent Semi Final and lost a place immediately to Team Canada’s Xavier Coupal. He then came under pressure from 2010 winner Neville Smyth, who unfortunately made contact with Hindman at Druid’s hairpin on Lap 2, causing the American to spin to the back of the field. He then mounted a furious charge, rising from 21st to 11th, posting a best lap merely 0.024s adrift of Northern Irishman Ivor McCullough, who rose from eighth on the grid to finish second behind the impressive Coupal.

Coupal took pole for the Final by virtue of a slightly faster Semi Final pace and led away from the veteran McCullough, who snuck past Alberico on the run toward Paddock Hill Bend. McCullough passed Coupal for the lead at Druid’s on Lap 2 and led the remainder of the distance to score a well-deserved victory.

Coupal and Alberico fought a hard battle for second, which, unfortunately, ended in contact after Coupal made a slight mistake at Paddock Hill and then attempted to defend his position when Alberico made a move to the inside as they raced up the hill toward Druid’s. Coupal’s race ended in the gravel, but he sportingly shook hands with Alberico afterward. Alberico rejoined in third, a couple of seconds behind Scotsman Kenneth Thirlwall and closed to within just 0.063s at the checkered flag.

“The Formula Ford Festival was a super-fun event,” said Alberico. “Everyone just wants to win. I enjoyed racing with Ivor, Xavier, Trent and all the other guys and want to thank everybody in the Cliff Dempsey Racing camp. It’s been a great weekend and hopefully I can redeem myself at the Walter Hayes Trophy.”

Hindman drove a smart, calculated race, picking his way steadily through the field until he ran up behind veteran Irishman John Ferguson, who steadfastly refused to cede a single inch, let alone his eighth position, and soon had a snarling pack of cars in his wake. Hindman was forced to cede a place to Rob Hall, so had to be content with ninth at the finish after Ferguson went off on the final lap.

“The race was good,” said Hindman. “I really learned a lot, how racing is over here. It was definitely an eye-opener, a bit of a culture shock. It wasn’t necessarily tough to adapt, it was a lot different to what I’m used to, but the overall experience has been fantastic. Everybody’s been great in helping me out and getting adjusted, and I just learned so much, so I’m really looking forward to the Walter Hayes Trophy (at Silverstone on November 5/6).”

Pigot also endured a difficult day with tire problems and an accident in this morning’s Quarter Final race. The Cliff Dempsey Racing crew performed miracles to repair the damaged left-rear suspension  in time for the second Semi Final race in which he rose from 14th to seventh. Unfortunately, because he was originally slated to contest the first Semi Final race, he was sent to the back of the grid for the Final. Again, Pigot rose to the challenge.

“We had a lot of issues with the tires and the incidents that happened, but overall we kept working at it and it was a great experience to come back to the Festival so a big thanks to all the Team USA Scholarship supporters,” said Pigot. “It’s been a good trip. I’ve learned a lot but I’m just a little disappointed that we couldn’t get the results.”

Full results are available at http://tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&season=2011&series=BRSCC&event=club&source=brscc2006&eventid=114133.

The Team USA Scholarship program also is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, the Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, NameSilo, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, Parathyroid, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.
 

Alberico set the ball rolling in the opening practice session of the day by snaring pole position in his #21 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GR08. The recently turned 19-year-old from Los Gatos, Calif., took full advantage by storming into the lead at the start, chased by pre-event favorite Ivor McCullough and a frantically battling pack of cars which included Team Canada representative Xavier Coupal.

On Lap 5, McCullough made a move to the inside of Alberico on the entrance to Paddock Hill Bend, but it was the Irishman who came off worst. McCullough spun and was fortunate to be able to resume in mid-pack. Alberico emerged unscathed but had no respite as Englishman Kenneth Thirlwall, Coupal and Matthew White immediately filled his mirrors, with Adam Quartermaine, Noel Robinson and Noel Dunne also in close attendance to ensure a thrilling seven-car battle for the lead.

Coupal passed Thirlwall for second place on Lap 9, but Alberico narrowly maintained his lead to take the checkered flag a scant 0.334s ahead of the Canadian.

“The main goal was to get to the semi-finals,” said Alberico. “We did that. Ivor was pressuring me from the get-go and ended up going for a couple of passes and didn’t make it work. On his third try he went up the inside and I was already committed to turning in and, unfortunately, we made contact. He spun and I was able to get away with it. I guess that’s racing. He’s a really good driver and I respect him a lot. Overall a great day, a perfect start to the weekend. It wasn’t easy but it’s great for Team USA and Cliff Dempsey Racing.”

Heat Two for the Kent contingent took place an hour or so later and proved to be rather less fraught.

Hindman had secured the pole during a qualifying session interrupted by a red flag after oil from a blown engine was dumped all the way around the 1.2-mile track.  Fortunately, the 16-year-old from Wayside, N.J., already had set a fast time which no one was able to approach once the session was restarted.

Hindman made an excellent getaway – his first-ever from a standing start – to lead into the daunting Paddock Hill Bend, and was never seriously challenged during the 12-lap race.

“I was a little bit nervous about the standing start – just having never done it before,” admitted Hindman. “I was just hoping I could get a good run and not stall or do anything catastrophic like that. Luckily, I was able to get a good start and pull out a strong gap. The Safety Car was a little unexpected, because all the procedures are a little different over here, but I was happy that it all happened. It was a great learning experience for sure. I am really happy, really thankful for everybody involved in the scholarship. I can’t ask for anything more right now.”

Spencer Pigot endured a frustrating day in his #20 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GR11. After posting extremely competitive times yesterday during testing, Pigot today struggled with excessive understeer which restricted him to 12th on the grid for his heat race. He battled hard in the race, spending much of it embroiled in a heated battle for fifth place before eventually taking the flag in tenth.

“I moved up a few positions from qualifying, so that was good,” said Pigot, “but I am still looking for a bit more time in the car. It was really close and I was battling with a pack of six or seven cars. If we can pick up a few tenths, I think we will gain quite a few positions, so we’ll just see what happens tomorrow.”

Full results are available at http://tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&season=2011&series=BRSCC&event=club&source=brscc2006&eventid=114133.

The Team USA Scholarship program also is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, the Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, NameSilo, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, Parathyroid, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.

Jeff Bloxham photo

The Festival has been a popular, end-of-season staple at Brands Hatch since 1976, having switched from its original home at Snetterton. Former winners of the event have included current Formula One stars Jenson Button and Mark Webber. Formula Ford , too, has evolved since originating at the Kentish circuit in 1967. These days there are three Formula Ford varietals, each with its own Festival crown up for grabs. The most popular remains the traditional 1600cc “Kent” engine, derived from the Ford Cortina road car, which has attracted over 45 entries this weekend from a variety of nations. The 1800cc Zetec engine, which was intended to replace the aging Kent motor in 1993, also has its own division, as does the premier, modern-day FF class, featuring the fuel-injected 1600cc Duratec motor.

Pigot, 18, from Orlando, Fla., will contest the Duratec event and is seeking to build upon the platform he developed last week at Silverstone, when he piloted a Ray GR10 entered by Cliff Dempsey Racing. This time he will be in the newer GR11 chassis.

“Our testing has been good,” said Pigot, who last year set fastest race lap in the Kent class at the festival. “We struggled a bit at Silverstone but we’ve been making a lot of progress these last few days and I think we’re pretty close to the leaders.”

“Spencer’s done a really good job,” said team owner Cliff Dempsey. “He’s worked really hard. He’s chipped away and chipped away. He didn’t go changing the car; he just concentrated on getting the most out of the car and getting on with it. We’ve done our homework, we’ve finalized our tire strategy, so we’ll see what we can do at the weekend.”

Dempsey has been equally impressed with Alberico and Hindman, who will be driving in the Kent division this weekend in the distinctive red, white and blue Team USA Scholarship colors.

“They’ve been on the pace since we started testing on Wednesday,” said Dempsey, who guided newly crowned Firestone Indy Lights Champion Josef  Newgarden to the Kent Festival title in 2008. (Newgarden remains the only American to have won a Festival crown.) “They’re both fast and they have great attitudes.

“It feels good getting back into a Kent car,” said Alberico, 19, from Los Gatos, Calif., who has spent most of the 2011 season driving in a Duratec car for Dempsey in the British championship. “The car is a bit easier to drive than the Duratec and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a very competitive class but I hope we should be up toward the front.”

Hindman, at 16 years of age, is the youngest of the three Team USA Scholarship winners, but has ample experience of the Kent cars having won this year’s Ontario Formula Ford series in Canada.

“The main difference is the tires,” said Hindman, from Wayside, N.J. “The Ray chassis feels quite similar to the Van Diemen we ran in Canada but the tires we used in Canada are harder and smaller than the ones we are using over here. The Avon tires have a lot more grip and it feels like you have more control over what the car does.”

Action on Saturday will comprise a qualifying session and one heat race for each of the three drivers. Finishing positions from the heat races will then determine starting positions for the next round of competition on Sunday morning. Alberico and Hindman have been drawn in separate Kent heat races, with Alberico due out on track at 9:00 for qualifying and Hindman at 9:50. Qualifying for Pigot’s Duratec heat race is slated for 11:50. Live timing is available via www.tsl-timing.com.

The Team USA Scholarship program also is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, the Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, NameSilo, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, Parathyroid, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.
 

Pigot, who celebrated his 18th birthday last week, will be carrying the distinctive red, white and blue colors of the Team USA Scholarship for the second year in succession. Last year he qualified on pole and set fastest lap for the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch in the Kent-engined class. This time around he will drive one of the faster, slick-tired Duratec cars for Cliff Dempsey Racing and will use this weekend’s final round of the British championship as a warm-up for next week’s Formula Ford Festival. He will join CDR regular Neil Alberico, from Los Gatos, Calif., who turned 19 today and next week will step back into a Kent car as a first-year Team USA Scholarship winner.

“The main focus at Silverstone will be to get used to the car and learn as much as I can for the Festival,” said Pigot, who finished second in this year’s Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, driving for Andretti Autosport. “It will be good to have Neil there since he has been driving them all year. However, I'm still expecting to be pretty competitive. The team has a lot of experience with Formula Fords so I know they will give me a great car.”

“I think what I learned last year will be a big help. I know what to expect in terms of the style of racing which is a lot different to that in America. We did get to test the Duratec last year for a few sessions [at Brands Hatch] so I have a small understanding of the characteristics of the car. I have a bit of experience at Silverstone but it will only help me on a few corners because we didn't run the full GP track last year.”

“The USF2000 and Duratec cars don't have many similarities, but a big one is the gearbox,” he continued. “I didn't have any experience with the H-pattern gearbox last year but the USF2000 has the same, so that's one thing I won't have to get used to. With all the aerodynamics on the USF2000 car it has a big effect on the way the car handles and brakes, so the Formula Ford will be much different.

“I'm really looking forward to driving on the full GP track at Silverstone. I've talked to some of my friends that have raced there and they all love it. I've been driving it a lot on iRacing and the new F1 video game so I can't wait to actually try it out myself!”

Well, today, Pigot did exactly that, turning his first laps on the challenging 3.66-mile circuit in the Ray GR10 chassis. He posted some competitive times in the dry this morning, and was sixth fastest in damp, drying conditions this afternoon. His best time of 2:21.922 was less than 0.6s adrift of pace-setting Dutchman Jeroen Slaghekke.

“It was really good,” he said. “This car slides around a lot more than my USF2000 car and the track is a bit different to what I expected in several places, but it’s been a good day. Hopefully, we can pick up a bit more time tomorrow.”

Qualifying will take place on Saturday morning at 9:00, while the first of the weekend’s three races will start at 1:55.

The Team USA Scholarship program also is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, the Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, NameSilo, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, Parathyroid, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.

“We at the Road Racing Drivers Club are extremely proud to be continuing our involvement in the highly successful Team USA Scholarship in 2011,” said Bobby Rahal, president of the RRDC. “We have watched this program grow in stature since the RRDC first came on board in 1997. It is no doubt one of the best programs to assist young American race-car drivers early on in their careers and we are privileged to be able to extend our support.”

As in the past three seasons, the Team USA Scholarship will enter two young drivers – teenagers Neil Alberico, from Los Gatos, Calif., and Trent Hindman, from Wayside, N.J. – in the Formula Ford “Kent” Festival at Brands Hatch on October 15/16 and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone on November 5/6. Each weekend will comprise three races. This year the program has been expanded to include another slightly more experienced driver – Spencer Pigot, from Windermere, Fla. – who will contest both the premier Formula Ford “Duratec” Festival at Brands Hatch and the previous weekend’s final round of the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain on the “Arena” circuit at Silverstone – the same track which hosts the Formula One British Grand Prix.

“This is tremendous news for young American race car drivers,” said auto racing writer and broadcaster Jeremy Shaw, founder of the Team USA Scholarship. “The RRDC is a prestigious organization, and to have its membership be so supportive of the young talent in this country bodes extremely well for the future.”

The Road Racing Drivers Club, founded in 1952 and with its mission defined by Mark Donohue, its spiritual leader and an early president, has played a substantial role in improving insurance and safety standards for drivers, crews, workers and fans. Members are elected by their peers and include Formula One World Champions, Indy 500 winners, champion sports car drivers and top American amateur road racers, as well as leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists who have made significant contributions to the sport. New members eligible to display the distinctive steering wheel logo this year include Helio Castroneves, Scott Goodyear, J.R. Hildebrand, Stefan Johansson, Johnny O’Connell, Johnny Rutherford and Guy Smith.

The RRDC hosts annual dinners during the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach when the Mark Donohue, Phil Hill and Bob Akin Awards are presented to recognize outstanding achievements in the sport. In recent years as part of its commitment to mentoring young drivers and in conjunction with the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety, the RRDC has hosted several highly acclaimed “Safe is Fast” workshops. The wealth of information is now available to drivers via a new website, www.SafeisFast.com, which includes a variety of tutorials highlighting driver safety, fitness, mental preparation, sponsorship and race car dynamics.

The Team USA Scholarship program also is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, NameSilo, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, Parathyroid, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.

The trio will follow in the footsteps of a long line of successful Team USA alumni including Jimmy Vasser, who won the inaugural scholarship way back in 1990, as well as Bryan Herta, Buddy Rice, Memo Gidley, Joey Hand, Bryan Sellers, A.J. Allmendinger, Charlie Kimball, J.R. Hildebrand, Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden.

The final winners were chosen from a group of 14 candidates who were selected as a result of their performances in a variety of junior categories this year.

Alberico, who also earned a nomination last year, and Hindman secured their opportunities following a shootout held last month in a de-winged USF2000 Van Diemen-Mazda run by the Cape Motorsports by Wayne Taylor Racing team at Andersen RacePark in Palmetto, Fla. The pair will drive in both the 40^th annual Formula Ford "Kent" Festival at Brands Hatch on October 15/16 and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone on November 5/6.

"It's an absolute privilege to be nominated for a second year in a row as a Team USA Scholarship candidate," said Alberico, who won the 2010 Bondurant Racing Series in the U.S. and has been racing in the ultra-competitive British Formula Ford series this year. "The fact that I did not win a Scholarship last year was my true motivation to work harder than ever to make it through the elimination process for this year's team. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and I expect to gain priceless knowledge that will surely stick with me for the rest of my career."

Added Hindman, who has impressed this year both in the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Championship Powered by Mazda and the Ontario F1600 Challenge series in Canada: "Being selected to represent the United States and the Team USA Scholarship is quite an honor. I am extremely excited and proud to be given this wonderful opportunity to race in the UK. I know I will learn a lot from this experience both on and off the track. I am really looking forward to getting in the car and challenging myself against the European drivers."

Pigot also was awarded a scholarship in 2010 after winning the Skip Barber National title. He made an impressive showing in last year's Formula Ford "Kent" Festival at Brands Hatch, snaring the pole for his heat race and posting the fastest race lap in the final en route to a charging drive to fourth place after an earlier incident.

Pigot this year will drive in the premier "Duratec" class at the Formula Ford Festival, which features slightly more powerful engines and slick tires. He will also contest the previous weekend's final round of the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain.

"The goal always has been to offer a ladder of opportunity," said auto racing writer and broadcaster Jeremy Shaw, founder of the Team USA Scholarship. "There have been several instances in the past where we have been able to provide drivers with multiple opportunities, so I am delighted to be able to do so again. I am extremely grateful to all of the program's contributors who have made this possible."

Pigot earned his bid with some impressive drives, including two race wins, during his rookie campaign in the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda. He was selected following an interview session held during the recent IZOD IndyCar Series/American Le Mans Series double-header at Mid-Ohio.

"Being selected for Team USA for a second year is a great honor and I'm really looking forward to going back to England," said Pigot. "I learned a lot with my time there last year and it has helped me this season in USF2000. I'm certain I will learn even more this year and with the experience I gained in 2010 I know what to expect. I have to thank everyone that is involved in the Team USA Scholarship for giving me this opportunity."

The Team USA Scholarship program also is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, the Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, INDYCAR's Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, NameSilo, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, Parathyroid, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.

The candidates will vie for opportunities to contest two prestigious events in England – the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone – in October and November. All will be looking to follow in the footsteps of an accomplished list of former winners that includes Jimmy Vasser, who won the first Team USA Scholarship in 1990, Bryan Herta, Buddy Rice, A.J. Allmendinger, Joey Hand, Andy Lally, Bryan Sellers, Charlie Kimball, J.R. Hildebrand, Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden

This year’s contenders are:
Neil Alberico, 18, Los Gatos, Calif. – MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain
Scott Anderson, 22, Fort Collins, Colo. – BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda series leader
Sam Beasley, 17, Cleveland, Ohio – F1600 Championship Series/SCCA Formula E
Kyle Connery, 20, Vero Beach, Fla. – F2000 Championship Series (four wins and top rookie)
Wyatt Gooden, 22, Gates Mills, Ohio – F1600 Championship Series (double victory at Mid-Ohio)
Trent Hindman, 15, Wayside, N.J. – BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda/Ontario Formula Ford 1600
Michael Johnson, 18, Flint, Mich. – Skip Barber Summer Series points leader
Brandon Newey, 18, Indianapolis, Ind. – BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda (2 wins)
Austin Newmark, 16, Mesa, Ariz. – Bondurant Championship Race Series champion (12 wins)
Sebastian Ordonez, 16, Deerfield Beach, Fla. – BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda
Spencer Pigot, 17, Windermere, Fla. – Cooper Tires USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda (1 win)
Colin Thompson, 17, Perkasie, Pa. – F1600 Championship Series
Dennis Trebing, 19, Cape Coral, Fla. – European Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup
Zach Veach, 16, Stockdale, Ohio – Cooper Tires USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda (1 win)

The adjudicating panel is scheduled to include past scholarship winners Vasser, Hand, Sellers and Hildebrand, plus ALMS drivers Jon Bennett, Darren Law, Patrick Long and Chris McMurry, IZOD IndyCar Series President Randy Bernard, American Le Mans Series President Scott Atherton and Mazda Motorsports Director John Doonan.

“There is a tremendous depth of talent at the grassroots of American auto racing these days and I am delighted to be able to offer these gifted youngsters an opportunity to develop their skills,” said Team USA Scholarship founder Jeremy Shaw. “I am so grateful to all the industry insiders who make this program possible and especially to those who are giving up their time this weekend to meet with the latest crop of candidates.”

The Team USA Scholarship has been helping young American drivers since 1990 and is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, INDYCAR’s Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, NameSilo, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.

Both Jimmy Vasser, who secured the inaugural Scholarship in 1990, and Bryan Herta, the 1991 winner, are now successful car owners in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Other notable alumni include Buddy Rice, Paul Edwards, Andy Lally, Joey Hand, A.J. Allmendinger, Bryan Sellers, Charlie Kimball, J.R. Hildebrand, Dane Cameron, Josef Newgarden and Conor Daly who continue to display their talents in a variety of top-tier championships.

As usual, a list of candidates will be identified, from which two or more winners will be selected.

Eligible drivers will be drawn from a variety of disciplines, including the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Powered by Mazda, the Bondurant Racing Series, SCCA, the F1600 Formula F Championship Series, the Pacific Formula F Super Series, Corsa Car Care Presents Pacific F2000, the F2000 Championship Series and the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda.

"For the first time in many years, there is now a natural progression of championships that will take youngsters from karting to the top levels of racing in North America - be that the IZOD IndyCar Series, American Le Mans Series, Rolex Grand-Am or NASCAR Sprint Cup," says Team USA Scholarship founder and long-term auto racing writer and broadcaster Jeremy Shaw. "In particular, the Mazda Road to Indy offers funded opportunities for gifted drivers to progress through the Skip Barber program or the Bondurant Racing Series into USF2000, Star Mazda, Firestone Indy Lights and then the IZOD IndyCar Series. The overall prospects for young drivers have never been better.

"The Team USA Scholarship adds an extra dimension to that ladder of progression and is proud to have support from a wide variety of partners from within the North American racing community."

The method by which this year's Scholarship winners are determined will be announced in the near future, but the candidates will be selected over the course of the next six weeks.

"There is a rich vein of talented young drivers in North America," says Shaw. "Our intention this year is to field cars in both the Formula Ford Kent Festival at Brands Hatch, England, and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone, as has become the norm in recent seasons, as well as an additional entry in the premier Duratec division of the Formula Ford Festival. We will be taking into account the candidates' level of experience before deciding what is the most appropriate arena for them to be competing, in order to give them the best chance to shine."

The Team USA Scholarship has been helping young American drivers since 1990 and is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, INDYCAR's Mazda Road to Indy, Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.

The primary focus of Memorial Day weekend, of course, was on the Centennial Indianapolis 500. One of the most dramatic and exciting races in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway reached a sensational climax when 2005 Team USA Scholarship winner J.R. Hildebrand crashed in Turn Four on the final lap while leading in Panther Racing’s #4 National Guard Dallara-Honda.

Hildebrand, 23, had qualified as the fastest rookie in 12th and ran among the top 10 for much of the afternoon. A canny strategy by his team saw Hildebrand make a pit stop for fuel on Lap 164 – the last possible opportunity prior to the restart of what proved to be the final full-course caution of the day. Target/Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti, the defending race champion and one of the race’s hot favorites, followed an identical strategy.

The pair took the restart in 11th (Franchitti) and 12th positions, and ran toward the back of the leading pack until, one by one, other contenders in front of them needed to make pit stops for fuel in order to reach the finish.

Franchitti began to run low on fuel with seven laps to go and was instructed by his engineers to reduce his pace drastically. Hildebrand, meanwhile, had managed to eke out his 22 gallons of ethanol more effectively, and after passing Franchitti on Lap 196 out of 200, the young Californian found himself leading two laps later when Bertrand Baguette peeled off into the pit lane. (Hildebrand’s thrifty fuel consumption also had enabled him to lead Laps 100-103.)

On the final lap, just as Hildebrand seemed set for victory, he was suddenly confronted by a slowing Charlie Kimball as he sped into Turn Four at over 220mph. Just one corner remained. Hildebrand had to make split-second decision. The speed differential to Kimball was immense but Hildebrand committed himself to the outside line, knowing that he, too, was low on fuel and Dan Wheldon was closing fast after making his final pit stop for fuel on Lap 177.

An instant later, as he sped past Kimball (who, ironically, also won a Team USA Scholarship in 2003), Hildebrand’s car drifted fractionally high, into the “marbles”...then arced agonizingly and inevitably toward the outside retaining wall. The unavoidable impact wiped off the right-hand side of Hildebrand’s car. He kept his foot in the throttle and scrabbled his stricken machine to the finish line, but not before Wheldon had swept past to victory.

Hildebrand had to be content with second place and was a universally popular choice for the Chase Rookie of the Year honors.

Instead it was Wheldon who celebrated in Victory Lane....along with team co-owner Bryan Herta, who himself had won a Team USA Scholarship in 1991.

Also at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on Carb Day, 2008 Team USA Scholarship winner Josef Newgarden triumphed in the Firestone Freedom 100, Round Four of the Firestone Indy Lights Championship, which he now leads.

2009 Team USA grad Connor De Phillippi claimed a dominant victory from the pole in the Star Mazda Championship qualifier as part of the traditional “Night Before the 500" fiesta at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (formerly known as IRP/ORP), while 2001 alumnus A.J. Allmendinger qualified his Richard Petty Motorsports Ford on the front row for the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and finished a strong fifth.

The Team USA Scholarship has been helping young American drivers since 1990 and is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, “The Road to Indy,” Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Robertson Racing, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic and Manifest Group as well as numerous past Scholarship winners.

The Davidson Library, located in the same bucolic town where his management company (Walldinger Racing, Inc.) is based, was facing a significant budget shortfall. But a focused task force and a town that banded together to make it happen -- as well as some gifts from donors like Allmendinger -- helped to ensure that the library will continue to enrich the community for years to come. 
 
"I'm glad that my NASCAR career has put me in a position where we could help Davidson Library reach their fundraising goal," said Allmendinger, who won a Team USA Scholarship in 2001 and remains a staunch support of the program. "My company, Walldinger Racing, is based here and some of our employees and their families call Davidson home as well. So Davidson and the community here are obviously important to us. Not only is the library an important resource, it's really like the heart of Davidson. I think the people here really showed that by how they rallied around the Pave the Way campaign."
 
A total of over 1,100 donors purchased nearly 1,000 commemorative bricks during the campaign for the library, located on Davidson's historic Main Street. 

The approximately $36,000 raised in excess of the $175,000 goal will be used in part to help fund the cost of constructing the commemorative brick patio in front of the library, made up of bricks purchased by donors. Any additional funds will be donated to the library endowment fund. 


For more information on the Town of Davidson, visit www.ci.davidson.nc.us.

About Walldinger Racing, Inc.: Walldinger Racing was formed in 2006 to support AJ Allmendinger’s motorsports career by developing commercial opportunities and partnership programs.  

www.ajallmendinger.com

Joey Hand, from Sacramento, Calif., an alumni from 2000, drove a sensational stint this morning to pave the way toward Victory Lane for the #01 Telmex/Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-BMW he shared with veteran Scott Pruett, regular co-driver Memo Rojas and Daytona debutant Graham Rahal. The quartet triumphed in a star-studded Daytona Prototype field which saw the top four cars finish within a few seconds of each other.

Meanwhile, the equally hotly contested GT category saw 1999 Team USA Scholarship winner Andy Lally, from Dacula, Ga., share the winning TRG Porsche GT3 Cup with close friend Spencer Pumpelly, factory Porsche driver Wolf Henzler, NASCAR regular Brendan Gaughan and car owner Steven Bertheau.

Bryan Sellers, from Auburn, Ga., winner of a Team USA Scholarship in 2001, joined countryman Bryce Miller and Englishmen Rob Bell and Tim Sugden aboard the second-placed Paul Miller Racing Porsche GT3 Cup after leading for several hours on Saturday evening.

The season-opening event in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 never fails to serve up excitement, and this year’s 49th running of the endurance classic lived up to all expectations. Seven cars remained on the lead lap at mid-morning on Sunday, and after fortunes had ebbed and flowed since the start at 3:30 pm the previous afternoon, misfortune struck Hand when he incurred a 30-second stop-go penalty for inadvertently clipping one of his discarded wheels after being signaled out of the pits following routine service. Undeterred, Hand fought back from a deficit of almost a minute to trail the race leading sister Target/Ganassi car by less than 15 seconds when he handed the car back to team leader Pruett a little under one hour later.

Excellent pit strategy enabled Pruett to take the lead for good on Lap 694, with less than an hour remaining, whereupon the defending series champion secured his sixth Rolex 24 victory and the first for Hand.

Lally, too, had his share of drama. The three-time Rolex series champion and 2009 Rolex 24 winner posted the fastest lap in qualifying, only for his time to be disallowed following technical inspection. Lally started the car at the back of the field but quickly worked his way into contention. The #67 TRG Porsche survived various dramas, including a broken clutch in the closing stages, to claim the victory.

Several other Team USA Scholarship alumni also played starring roles in the traditional twice-around-the-clock classic. Paul Edwards (1998), from Santa Maria, Calif., Buddy Rice (1997), from Phoenix, Ariz., and A.J. Allmendinger (2001), from Hollister, Calif., all led the race overall at various stages, while Dane Cameron (2006), from Sonoma, Calif., ran up front in the GT class before his Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 suffered some mechanical difficulties. Memo Gidley (1995), from Novato, Calif., unfortunately hit trouble in the early stages, while 2010 winners Spencer Pigot, from Windermere, Fla., and Felix Serralles, from Haines City, Fla., were on hand as spectators.

Photo courtesy of www.grand-am.com

Kimball, 25, from Camarillo, Calif., won the2003/2004 Talley's New Zealand International Formula Ford Championship carrying the colors of the Team USA Scholarship and has since competed in British Formula Ford, European Formula 3 and Firestone Indy Lights before earning his opportunity to join the pinnacle of open-wheel racing in the United States.

The full text of the press release issued by Chip Ganassi Racing can be found at www.chipganassiracing.com.

The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion will replace Dan Wheldon and take over the reins of the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing entry for the 2011 IndyCar Series season.

Hildebrand, of Sausalito, California, won the Firestone Indy Lights championship in 2009 after capturing a total of four victories, six poles, 11 Top Five and 12 Top Ten finishes in 15 starts in the series. Last year, he made his IZOD IndyCar Series debut with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and also started at Infineon Raceway, where he ran as high as fourth position and posted the fastest lap of the race. The 22-year-old has tested an IndyCar Series machine at Kansas Speedway in 2009 with the team formerly known as Andretti-Green Racing and also tested a Formula One car with Force India F-1 at Jerez in December of last year.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be at Panther Racing and a part of the National Guard,” Hildebrand said. “This is my first full-time IndyCar ride and the Panther No. 4 car is one of the best seats in the IZOD IndyCar Series, so to be able to start my career with a team with this kind of pedigree is just huge. I already feel with the small amount of experiences I’ve had here, and just being around the shop, that it’s going to be a great fit for all of us. I’m more than honored to be in a position to represent the National Guard, and I’ve already got a small taste of all the programs I’ll be a part of through this sponsorship, and I just couldn’t be more excited to get more involved in everything that goes along with this partnership. I’m certainly excited about this opportunity and I’m definitely looking forward to every piece of this program moving forward.”

Panther Racing CEO & Managing Partner John Barnes had Hildebrand on his short list of candidates throughout the offseason, but after a two-day test last week at Phoenix International Raceway, there was no doubt he had found his driver. Hildebrand now becomes the sixth driver to pilot Panther’s No. 4 entry, joining Scott Goodyear (1998-2000), Sam Hornish Jr. (2001-2003), Tomas Scheckter (2004-2005), Vitor Meira (2006-2008) and Wheldon (2009-2010).

“JR is an extremely impressive young man, and he’s going to be a great fit for the National Guard and Panther Racing,” Barnes said. “We took a very calculated and methodical approach to making this decision because anybody who represents the 350,000 Soldiers in the National Guard has a tremendous responsibility both inside and outside the racecar. We feel like JR is going to be a tremendous asset to the IZOD IndyCar Series, and what really set him apart is his ambition and his intelligence – this is a kid who was a National Merit Scholar, and accepted to M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). We tested him at Phoenix last week and brought along my friend Al Unser Jr. to help us with the evaluation, and all of us knew by lunchtime of the first day that we’d found the next driver of the No. 4 car. We know we all have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but our expectations are very high for the 2011 season.”

Unser Jr., the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion, was immediately impressed with Hildebrand during the team’s two-day test at Phoenix International Raceway.

“He’s extremely talented,” Unser Jr. said. “He’s got a great team at Panther Racing, and he’s going to come across a lot of different challenges, and he’s very calm, very collected and mature. What I like about him is that he’s come out of Firestone Indy Lights, and he’s shown that series has been very good for him and all of that is very positive as he moves into the next phase of his career.”

This season will mark the fourth year the National Guard has been primary sponsor of the No. 4 car, and Panther has finished runner-up in three consecutive Indianapolis 500s with National Guard backing; with Vitor Meira in 2008 and 2009-10 with Wheldon. Last season the team finished ninth in the IZOD IndyCar Series points championship. Hildebrand becomes the first American driver to race full-time for Panther since Hornish Jr. in 2003.

“The National Guard is very pleased to welcome JR Hildebrand to our team,” LTC Bill Dones, Chief of the National Guard Advertising Branch, said. “For such a young guy, he’s had many impressive achievements during his career. That said, we think his best races are ahead of him. JR’s youth, along with his accomplishments, make him a driver whom the men and women of the National Guard will be proud to have representing them in the National Guard No.4 car. We look forward to our partnership and to joining him on Victory Lane in the 2011 season.”

Panther Racing has captured a total of 28 race victories in its history (15 IndyCar, 13 Indy Lights) and won back-to-back IZOD IndyCar Series championships in 2001 and 2002 and also collected the 2003 Firestone Indy Lights crown. This year will be the team’s 14th season of competition in open-wheel racing.

www.JRHildebrandRacing.com - www.pantherracing.com – www.NationalGuard.com

###

Pigot, a 17-year-old born in Pasadena, Calif. and currently residing in Windermere, Fla., captured the 2010 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda title with three wins, five poles and 11 podium finishes.

Pigot won his first karting championship title at age 10 and took his first national title just one year later. His success continued with several prestigious series and race wins, eventually leading to an entry into the Skip Barber National series as a MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Driver. Pigot was also named a Team USA Scholarship winner in 2010 and recently competed in the Formula Ford Festival, qualifying on pole for his heat, finishing fourth in the final, and setting fastest race lap.

Sanctioned by INDYCAR, Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda is one of two series part of both INDYCAR's Mazda Road to Indy ladder system and the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver program. The 2011 USF2000 season will begin March 17 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla.

For more information, please visit www.AndrettiAutosport.com or www.USF2000.com.

MICHAEL ANDRETTI, CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT:
"We're really excited to have Spencer join us. It's always great to have a champion from another formula come in to our family, so he's definitely a proven winner. Now our goal is to get him another championship. Hopefully he'll be able to get through the ladder system, and hopefully he'll be doing that with us here at Andretti Autosport."

J-F THORMANN, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT:
"We're thrilled that we were able to make a deal with Spencer. I think we have a fantastic USF2000 driver lineup with Spencer being a champion of the Skip Barber National Series and Zach Veach returning to the team. To have Spencer joining with his successes in go-karting and with how well he did at the Formula Ford Festival, we're definitely looking forward to a good year."

JOHN DOONAN, MAZDASPEED TEAM DEVELOPMENT MANAGER,
MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS:
"Spencer is an impressive young man, both on and off the track. We were impressed with him when he won the Mazda-Skip Barber karting shootout last year and our appreciation has grown throughout the year. We're proud to have Spencer as a part of the MAZDASPEED Ladder and Mazda Road to Indy."

SPENCER PIGOT, DRIVER:
"The opportunity to drive for Michael Andretti is something I didn't think could happen until much later in my career. It's an honor to be associated with Andretti Autosport, and I'm really looking forward to driving for the team next year in the USF2000 series. My main goal is to become an IZOD IndyCar driver, so there is no better place for me than with this team. With all of the knowledge and experience of Andretti Autosport, I'm very excited to be a part of the family. I learned a lot last year in the Skip Barber National Championship that prepared me very well for the upcoming season. I have to thank everyone at MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, Skip Barber and Andretti Autosport for giving me the opportunity to move up to the first step in the Mazda Road to Indy program."

-END-

About Spencer Pigot
Spencer Pigot, winner of the 2010 Skip Barber National title and Team USA Scholarship, is widely regarded as one of the rising stars in American formula car racing. The Windermere, Fla. native first came to the forefront in 2003, capturing his first karting state championship title at the age of 10. Earning his first national title one year later, Pigot rapidly became a presence in the national karting scene. Over the next four years, he added five more series titles and several prestigious race wins to his resume. In 2009, Pigot first got behind the wheel of a race car with an entry into selected races of the Skip Barber Regional series. As a 15-year-old rookie, he immediately impressed, scoring a victory at the famed Sebring International Raceway road course in only his second-ever Skip Barber race. Continuing his winning ways, the talented American won four of the six races that he contested in the Skip Barber Summer Series, finished on the podium in his Skip Barber National debut, and won his class in an SCCA Club Racing 13-hour endurance race at Virginia International Raceway. The 2009 season also brought a major win in the "Skip Barber Karting Shoot Out". For more information, please visit www.SpencerPigot.com.

About Andretti Autosport
Based in Indianapolis and led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport fields multiple entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Andretti Autosport also campaigns multiple cars in Firestone Indy Lights, the Star Mazda Championship and in the USF2000 National Championship. The company boasts three IZOD IndyCar Series championships (2004, 2005 and 2007), two Firestone Indy Lights titles (2008 and 2009), one USF2000 championship (2010) and has won the Indianapolis 500 twice (2005 and 2007). For more information, please visit www.AndrettiAutosport.com.

About the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda
Many top drivers in the IZOD IndyCar Series and endurance sports car racing honed their skills in F2000, and the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda is an important training ground for rising stars. Debuting in 2010, it is the revival of the very popular USF2000 series of 1990 through 2006. Sanctioned by INDYCAR, it is the first step on its Mazda Road to Indy ladder system, preceding Star Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights. It is also part of the prestigious MAZDASPEED Motorsports driver development program. The top driver in the series' Championship class earns a scholarship package from Mazda valued at $350,000 to help him or her advance to Star Mazda the following season. USF2000 races are contested on road courses, street courses and ovals in order to give the series' drivers experience on all the different types of tracks they will face as they proceed up the ladder. For more information visit www.USF2000.com.

About Mazda Road to Indy
The Mazda Road to Indy is INDYCAR's official developmental system consisting of the IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights, Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and the Cooper Tires presents the USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda. Launched in December 2009, it is a defined path for career-minded race drivers who want to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500.

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. Past winners have included past Team USA Scholarship winners Bryan Herta, Jerry Nadeau, Buddy Rice, Bryan Sellers, J.R. Hildebrand, Dane Cameron, Joel Miller and Josef Newgarden.

Long-time Team USA Schoalrship supporter Doug Mockett joined John Gorsline and Sir Stirling Moss for the presentation. Later, Daly had an opportunity to meet many other auto racing luminaries, including 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button (pictured).

After his record setting season in Star Mazda where he set new marks for pole positions (nine), podium finishes (11), laps led and the largest winning points margin ever, in addition to seven race wins, Daly hopes to announce his plans for the upcoming season before the end of the year.

Daly, 18, is the 2010 Star Mazda champion and the son of professional racing champion Derek Daly. The Gorsline Scholarship recognizes aspiring drivers and presents a program that provides tools that will assist these drivers in developing skills on and off the track to attain their professional goals.

Daly becomes the ninth Team USA Scholarship winner also to be awarded a Gorsline Scholarship, joining Josef Newgarden, Joel Miller, Dane Cameron, J.R, Hildebrand, Bryan Sellers, Buddy Rice, Jerry Nadeau and Bryan Herta.

As the scholarship winner, Daly will work with Dr. Jacques Dallaire, Director of Performance Prime, to create an individually-designed performance-enhancement program, courtesy of The Gorsline Company.

"Conor is a perfect candidate for this scholarship," said John Gorsline, principal of The Gorsline Company, the leader in high-risk motorsports insurance. "In his short career, he has demonstrated an ability to aim high and reach his goals as he continues to pursue his dream to become a world-class racing champion."

Daly began his racing career in 2005 at the age of 10, winning 19 races, two championships and was elected "Junior Driver of the Year" by Kart Racers of America. In 2007 he won the Stars of Karting TaG East Championship. In 2006 he drove a race car for the first time at the Bertil Roos Racing School. He went on to win three Skip Barber Regional races that year, then won the 2008 Skip Barber National Championship and was named the Ontario Formula Ford 600 Rookie of the Year.

In his European debut he won he Walter Hayes Formula Ford 1600 Trophy in Silverstone, England, representing Team USA. In 2009 he finished third in the Star Mazda Championship and in 2010 had a record-setting year as he swept the Formula Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.

"Conor is an excellent choice for the prestigious Gorsline Scholarship," said Jeremy Shaw, Team USA Scholarship founder. "Conor proved to be a fine ambassador for his country when he represented the Team USA Scholarship two years ago in England, becoming the youngest ever winner of the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone, and he has grown by leaps and bounds since then. His performances this year in dominating the Star Mazda Championship were a clear reminder that he is a potential star of the future."

Daly was in the running with two other outstanding young drivers for the Gorsline Scholarship, which included Ashley Freiberg, winner of two skip Barber Series championships in 2010, and Anders Krohn, who finished second in the 2010 Formula Star Mazda championship. "It was a tough decision to make," said Gorsline, "as each of these young drivers has done an outstanding job this year."
The Gorsline Scholarship will be presented on Dec. 5 by racing legend Stirling Moss at the Autosport Dinner in London.

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

Previous recipients of the Gorsline Scholarship have been:
2010 Josef Newgarden
2009 Joel Miller
2008 Dane Cameron
2007 JR Hildebrand
2006 Katherine Legge
2005 Colin Braun
2004 Ryan Lewis
2003 Rocky Moran Jr.
2002 Danica Patrick
2001 Patrick Long
2000 Bryan Sellers
1999 David Besnard
1998 Buddy Rice
1997 Butch Leitzinger
1996 Jerry Nadeau
1995 Anthony Lazzaro
1994 Bryan Herta

About the Gorsline Company

John Gorsline, founder and Chairman of The Gorsline Company in 1966, has earned an international reputation providing all forms of financial services for his corporate and professional clients.

John helped pioneer motorsports insurance underwriting over 30 years ago when he began working directly with insurance underwriters to favorably rate high-risk professionals. Combined with John's passion for the sport of motor racing, John is considered to be the premier provider of disability income insurance to the world's finest race car drivers. His custom tailored medical plan is unmatched in the industry.

The Gorsline Company includes colleagues throughout the United States to provide local service to our special clientele. These colleagues are experienced professionals and are backed by experienced support personnel who provide the service that is attested by our clientele. The Gorsline Company is proud of their long-standing relationships which are maintained under the strictest of confidences.

After finishing second (Pigot) and third (Serralles) in the early afternoon Semi Final, the pair had to settle for fourth (Serralles) and seventh (Pigot) in the Final which was won by Irishman Peter Dempsey, son of team owner Cliff Dempsey. The victory was Dempsey Jr.’s third in the last five years and the fifth in succession for the elder Dempsey after Team USA Scholarship drivers Conor Daly and Connor De Phillippi claimed the spoils in 2008 and 2009.

Pigot and Serralles lined up in fifth and seventh places on the grid for their Semi Final, which took place in cool but dry conditions. Pole-winner Wayne Boyd, the 2008 British Formula Ford Champion, took off into the lead and was never seriously challenged during the 12-lap race.

Josh Fisher also managed to break clear of the jostling pack, but not for long as he was quickly tracked down by both Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS08s, plus the similar Ray of Formula Ford Festival winner Neville Smyth. A four-car battled ensued, and was only settled on the final lap when Pigot made a speculative move to the inside under braking for Brooklands. Incredibly, Fisher and Smyth tangled, leaving Pigot to break clear in second place, while Serralles narrowly avoided being collected and came home to complete the top three.

“I started the [last] lap in fourth so I knew I needed to pick up a few spot to be sure of a good starting position for the Final,” said Pigot. “When they both went wide I just took the opportunity.”

Dempsey won the other Semi Final race, earning a position on the front row of the grid for the Final alongside Boyd. Pigot shared Row 2 with Ivor McCullough, with Serralles and Adrian Campfield on Row 3. A total 36 cars lined up for the 15-lap final on the 1.6-mile Silverstone National circuit, having been whittled down from the original 120-car entry.

Dempsey jumped into the lead at the start, narrowly edging Boyd into Copse Corner. He was able to make an all-important break as Boyd and McCullough squabbled over second place along with a long train of cars which also included both Team USA drivers. Pigot completed the first lap in fourth place and Serralles in seventh.

The first real drama occurred on Lap 3, when Smyth attempted a move on Pigot under braking for Brooklands.

“He tried to pass me but he locked up, spun and just hit me. There was nothing I could do,” said Pigot, who fell to sixth place, then was assaulted again at Luffield corner by another Irishman., Noel Dunne.

“He went off the track and then came back on and hit my rear wheel which made me spin and come to a complete stop,” related Pigot. “I fell back to about 11th and worked my way back to seventh at the end of the race. It was a disappointing result because I had the pace to run right with the leaders if it wasn’t for the multiple collisions.”

Serralles profited from Pigot’s first misadventure, then made a nice pass on veteran Dutchman Michael Vergers to take over fourth place, which he held to the end.

“It was a good race,” said Serralles. “It was hard to pass Vergers and unfortunately the leader got away. Once I got past him I closed the gap a little but they were too far ahead. The car was really good. The changes we made after the Semi Final were definitely good. I think I had the pace and could have kept up and battled for a podium, but fourth is good. It was a great weekend and I made it to the final which was the most important thing. Cliff Dempsey and the team did a great job all month and I really enjoyed being here and being a part of the Team USA Scholarship.”

The Team USA Scholarship has been helping young American drivers since 1990. Past winners include Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Tony Ave, Memo Gidley, Buddy Rice, Paul Edwards, Andy Lally, Joey Hand, A.J. Allmendinger, Bryan Sellers, J.R. Hildebrand, Dane Cameron, Josef Newgarden and Conor Daly. The program is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, “The Road to Indy,” Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Honda Performance Development, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, Robertson Racing, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, eFormulaCarNews.com, OnCars.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic, Manifest Group and numerous past Scholarship winners.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Bloxham

Under dramatically different weather conditions compared to Friday, Pigot secured second on the grid for Heat One on a track which was still extremely slippery after heavy overnight rain. A couple of hours later, by which time the sun was shining and the track was completely dry, Serralles also secured an outside front row starting position.

Temperatures remained cool but the action on the track was typically intense as almost 120 Formula Ford drivers contested a total of six Heat races which will determine the starting positions for tomorrow’s pair of Semi Finals.

The first Heat began in chaotic fashion when the starting lights failed as the 21 starters formed up on the grid.

“It was a bit confusing,” recounted 17-year-old Pigot, from Windermere, Fla. “I was expecting the lights to come on. The officials held up the five-second board and then they were just standing around. Eventually one of the guys pulled out a Union Jack flag and waved it, so I went. I was hoping that was the right thing to do!”

It was. The race was under way and Pigot’s #22 Team USA Scholarship Ray GRS08 made the best of the start to lead pole-sitter James Tucker (Van Diemen RF92) into Copse Corner (Turn One). Fellow Englishmen Matthew Parr (Van Diemen RF01), Felix Fisher (Van Diemen RF00) and Robert Hall (Swift SC10) also were in close attendance.

Positions changing frequently among the leaders before Fisher pulled off with engine woes and Parr established himself in the lead ahead of Pigot, leaving Hall and Tucker to squabble over third position.

“It was really close at the beginning but it took me a few laps to get used to the track in the dry because most of my running had been in the wet,” related Pigot. “Once it settled down I pulled away in second but just didn’t have the pace to catch the leader. We’re making some changes overnight to the setup and changing the engine so that should give me more speed for tomorrow. We’ll be starting fourth on the grid for the Semi Final so I’m sure we will be in good shape.”

Heat Six began with the light fading at 4:00 PM, and unlike his compatriot, 18-year-old Serralles did not make a good start from the front of the grid: “I just didn’t rev the engine high enough and it bogged down,” he said.

Serralles entered Copse Corner in fifth position but soon slipped past Matt Rivett’s Mygale and latched onto the tail of a four-car train that immediately pulled away from the rest.

“The car was OK but not great,” said Serralles, from Haines City, Fla. “There was a lot of understeer on the exit of the corners but the engine was strong and I was able to stay with the other guys. I passed one of the them around the outside going into the Complex [for third place] and was right with the other two at the end.

“Finishing on the podium is a good way to start the weekend,” he concluded. “I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and seeing how the car goes after all the tweaks we’re going to make to it.”

The remaining Heat Race winners were Noel Dunne (Mygale SJ08), recent Formula Ford Festival winner Noel Smyth (Ray GRS07), two-time Walter Hayes Trophy winner Peter Dempsey (Ray GR05), whose father Cliff also looks after both Team USA Scholarship cars, and Ivor McCullough (Van Diemen RF00).

Photo courtesy of Jeff Bloxham

Although testing for the past two days at the “Home of the British Grand Prix” has been punctuated by inclement weather and numerous red flags, both American teenagers feel they are well prepared for the weekend, which begins with qualifying tomorrow morning (Saturday).

“We had some initial problems but once we got them sorted we were on pace right away,” said Pigot, 17, from Windermere, Fla., who will be driving the same Andrew Jones-owned, Cliff Dempsey Racing-prepped #22 Team USA Scholarship Ray GRS08 which has been taken to victory in the two most recent editions of the Walter Hayes Trophy by Conor Daly and Connor De Phillippi “I’m feeling really confident for the weekend and looking forward to getting a better result than at Brands Hatch. We’ve had some good wet track time here at Silverstone. I think we have a good setup for difficult conditions and we know the car works well in the dry, so I think we should be in good shape.”

Serralles’ identical #21 Ray has been completely rebuilt following its accident at Brands Hatch, and as with Pigot’s car, has been close to the ultimate pace during testing.

“It’s going to be a pretty amazing weekend,” said Serralles, 18, from Haines City, Fla. “There are 120 cars signed up so we know it’s going to be really competitive. Compared to Brands Hatch, Silverstone has a very smooth surface and it’s a high-speed drafting track. We haven’t gotten as much testing as did at Brands Hatch but I feel pretty comfortable. It’s just a matter of track conditions. We don’t yet know what the weather is going to be like. It’s been wet today but they’re saying it might be dry for the heat race tomorrow. I’m not too worried. I’m pretty comfortable in both conditions.”

Since their test in one of Cliff Dempsey’s Duratec-engined Ray Formula Ford car at Brands Hatch a couple of weeks ago, Pigot and Serralles have had little time to relax. Their packed itinerary has included a tour of the Jaguar XK road car production line at the Castle Vale factory near Birmingham and the Lola Cars race car manufucturing center in Huntingdon, plus visits to iSport International (which runs cars in the GP2 Series), Fortec Motorsport (Renault World Series, Formula 3 and Formula Renault), Status Grand Prix (GP3), Cosworth Racing (where they saw a Formula One engine in build for the Williams Grand Prix team) and the McLaren Technical Center, home of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One team.

“The past couple of weeks have been amazing,” said Serralles. “We’ve been around a lot of different companies. There have been many highlights and I’ve learned a lot, but my favorite one so far has been touring McLaren and seeing some of my hero Ayrton Senna’s cars. That was amazing.”

“We’ve been on a lot of tours during the break and all of them were really interesting,” added Pigot. “Getting to see how a production road car is made and how a Formula One team operates were really great experiences. I’ve learned so much about all areas of the sport.”

The teenaged Americans each ran two sessions in the same Ray GR10 chassis that Englishman Scott Malvern took to second place in this year’s MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain, and veteran team owner Dempsey continued to be impressed with their progress.

“We had a great day,” said Dempsey. “They were quick, they were professional, they did a really good job. I’m really happy. To be fair they were probably, give or take, maybe a second off the ultimate pace which is what I would have expected for their first time in a Duratec and without running new tires.”

Both youngsters thoroughly enjoyed the experience of running the more sophisticated and more powerful car, although not surprisingly they both wanted more seat time!

“Driving the Duratec car was incredible,” said Serralles, 18, from Haines City, Fla., who took the first stint this morning in cool, dry, sunny conditions. “The car moves around so much under braking and it’s very challenging in the fast corners like Paddock Hill Bend, although the grip level is not much higher than the Kent car. It felt as if the Kent car could drive better through the corners compared to the Duratec.

“It was a great day today, and perfect conditions to drive the car for the first time. I want to thank Cliff Dempsey, our great mechanic for the day, Peter Dempsey, and Jeremy Shaw for putting this together for us.”

The two Team USA drivers also benefited from the experience of Malvern, who along with Peter Dempsey was on hand to offer advice and help with analyzing the data after their runs.

“Scott and Peter helped a lot and it was a great experience,” said Pigot, 17, From Windermere, Fla. “We were running fairly old tires and I was surprised how much different the car was to drive compared to the Kent. The engine has a lot more power and it needs a completely different driving style. If you try to drive it like the Kent, hard on the throttle as soon as you can, it just understeers. You have to be much more patient with the throttle in this car.”

Pigot and Serralles are staying in England until the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone on November 6/7. Tomorrow Pigot will accompany Cliff Dempsey when he delivers the Kent race motors to Neil Bold Engineering in Manchester for a freshen-up, while Serralles will remain at the shop with Peter Dempsey to begin rebuilding the car which was heavily damaged at the Festival and required some repair work to the chassis.

A variety of other activities also have been arranged, including visits to Lola Cars, the iSport International GP2 team, the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition, Jaguar Cars and the McLaren Technical Centre.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Bloxham

Pigot, who celebrated his 17th birthday just a couple of weeks ago, qualified on pole position for his Heat race and ultimately finished a strong fourth in the hotly contested Final, posting fastest lap of the race for good measure.

“It’s a bit different over here, that’s for sure, with the blocking and the contact, but I liked it, I enjoyed it,” said Pigot. “I wish that I could have been a few places higher up, but other than that it was a lot of fun.

Serralles, 18, enjoyed a taste of success by winning the four-lap Last Chance Qualifier before being forced out of the Final after a first-lap incident at Clearways.

The final coup de grace rather summed up Serralles’ weekend, which began to unravel on Saturday when he unfortunately tangled with Pigot in the Heat race while the two Team USA drivers were running in fourth and fifth. Both cars were out, forcing them to start from the back of the grid in this morning’s pair of Semi Final races.

Driving a backup car prepared overnight by Cliff Dempsey Racing, Serralles charged magnificently from 23rd to 10th inside just two laps of the first Semi Final, only for his engine to be stricken by a loose plug wire. He fell to 14th by the finish, consigning him to the Last Chance Qualifier race, which he won convincingly after starting fourth.

Semi Final 2 saw Pigot forge his way from 22nd to 11th on Lap 1, then move up to sixth by half-distance in the 15-lap race. Northern Ireland’s John Ferguson proved a tougher nut to crack. Ferguson defended staunchly until Lap 14, when the battle got more heated and Pigot finally forced his way through. Unfortunately, both protagonists also lost out to two other competitors, although Pigot was able to pass Joshua Barnett on the final lap to claim sixth.

The Final began with Pigot in the 11th grid position and Serralles starting in 25th.

Serralles’ bad luck continued when he made contact with another car on the opening lap.

“It was just unfortunate,” said Serralles, “but at least I got to the Final. That’s what I was looking for, and it was cool to win the race, too. The experience has been great; Cliff and the guys have done a great job and so did Spencer. He could have at least been on the podium if not for the red flag. He was driving really well. Overall, it’s been a great week.”

Pigot, indeed, was the fastest man on the track as he worked his way up to eighth before the Final was red-flagged after eight laps due to a multi-car accident at Paddock Hill Bend.

The youngster from Windermere, Fla., put his head down once more at the restart, charging to fourth by Lap 5 in a race that was checkered after just eight more laps – four short of the scheduled distance.

Irish veteran Neville Smyth took the victory, having regained the advantage from countryman Noel Dunne who had jumped him at the start. Dunne finished second, just ahead of Australian Jordan Skinner and a fast-closing Pigot.

“I’m a bit disappointed,” said Pigot. “I got fastest lap of the race and was the fastest guy and didn’t get on the podium, but I learned a lot and overall it’s been a great experience.”

Photo by courtesy Jeff Bloxham

Both drivers were unhurt in the accident, which occurred on the 11th of 12 laps around the 1.2-mile Brands Hatch “Indy” circuit.

The two teenaged Americans had been posting fast lap times ever since beginning their testing program with veteran team owner Cliff Dempsey on Tuesday. Pigot, 17, from Windermere, Fla., underlined that promise by comfortably snaring pole position for the Heat race this morning in the #22 Team USA Scholarship/Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray GRS07/08. Pigot’s fastest lap of 54.572 seconds on a damp track was more than a half-second clear of the remainder of the 25-car field which was headed by Irishman Noel Dunne in a Mygale SJ08.

Serralles was fifth quickest with a best lap of 55.332 seconds.

A heavy rain shower at lunchtime resulted in the team hurriedly switching the cars to full wet weather settings. However, the typically unpredictable weather then changed abruptly, and the track rapidly began to dry as the start time approached. Again the team went to work, switching the cars’ configurations one more time.

Both youngsters faced all manner of challenges as they lined up for what would be their first-ever standing start, and sure enough each of them lost one position when the lights turned to green.

Pigot ran second for the first four laps before losing a couple of positions to Irish veteran Neville Smyth and young Australian Jordan Skinner. Serralles, meanwhile, found his car working slightly better than Pigot’s, so by Lap 7 they were running in nose-to-tail formation, fourth and fifth. They remained in that order until Lap 11 when they came up to lap a backmarker entering the notorious Paddock Hill Bend.

“We were both passing a slower car at the same time as we went into the corner,” related Serralles. “When I went to hit the brakes, I realized I was going too fast. I tried to avoid Spencer but the other car was right there and I ended up clipping him and we both went off. It’s unfortunate. It was just a mistake; I wasn’t trying to pass him. I feel so bad.”

Both cars ended up in the gravel trap, with Serralles’ #21 machine suffering severe damage after making heavy contact with the barriers on the outside of the corner.

“It’s just one of those unfortunate things,” said team owner Dempsey. “We’ve all seen it all before. I feel sorry for the boys. They were doing such a good job.”

Pigot’s car sustained damage to the left-side suspension and sidepod but should be repaired easily in time for tomorrow’s Semi Final race, which he will start from the back of the pack. Unfortunately, it appeared the damage to Serralles’ car was much more severe and was likely to curtail his weekend activities – unless a replacement car can be found. Nevertheless, Serralles will stay on to cheer on his teammate, who remained upbeat despite the disappointment.

“Today started off really well,” said Pigot. “I got pole by just over half a second. With the different conditions I was having a very hard time finding grip and the car just wasn’t handling like it had been. I started to fall back a bit but was still in P4. Then Felix and I had an unfortunate incident that took us both out.

“The team is working on the car now and we should be all set for tomorrow. I'll be coming from the back in the Semi Final but I’m confident that we will sort the car out and still have a good chance at a strong finish for the final.”

Photo courtesy of Jeff Bloxham

Both Pigot, 17, from Windermere, Fla., and Serralles, from Haines City, Fla., have shown a promising turn of speed in their pair of Cliff Dempsey Racing-prepared Ray GRS07/8 Formula Ford cars. Nevertheless, ever-realistic team principal Cliff Dempsey remains under no illusions. He knows full well there will be no shortage of tough competition.

“I’m really happy with the way everything is going,” said Dempsey, a former driver himself who along with wife Michelle has established one of the most highly regarded Formula Ford teams. “We’re as quick as anybody but we’ll see what happens [in qualifying] tomorrow. Anything can happen in this game and I’d much rather speak about them after everything is done, but there’s no doubt these two boys are as quick as any we’ve ever had. I’m happy with what I see and the way it’s going; we’re certainly on the pace.”

Pigot has been setting fast times ever since testing started on Tuesday, regularly circulating around the 50-second mark and sometimes a little bit quicker – unofficially as fast as anyone has gone this year in a Formula Ford car – while Serralles has been snapping at his heels. Both youngsters expect to be running up toward the front this weekend and have high hopes of emulating fellow Team USA Scholarship winner Josef Newgarden, who in 2008 because the first American driver ever to win a Formula Ford Festival title.

“Testing the last few days has been great,” said Pigot, winner of this year’s BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda title in the United States. “I’ve had a lot of fun and the guys at Cliff Dempsey Racing have been awesome. We’ve got the car handling beautifully and I’m really looking forward to qualifying tomorrow because I’m very confident of being right at the front.”

“The testing has been very productive and helpful for me,” added Serralles, who is also a product of the MAZDASPEED Driver Development program. “Every time that I have been out in practice, I just keep learning more and more about the car and the track. My favorite corner by far is Paddock Hill. To me it sort of looks like Road Atlanta Turn One, but in the opposite direction!

“I’m feeling very comfortable with the car and I think we can do well.”

The field of almost 50 cars has been divided into two Heat races which will determine the starting positions for another pair of Semi Final races on Sunday morning. Both Team USA drivers have been drawn in the same Heat Two race, which will start tomorrow at 2:25 pm local time.

The top 14 finishers from each Semi Final will qualify for the Grand Final on Sunday afternoon, along with the top-four finishers from the Last Chance Race.
 

Both drivers completed almost 200 laps on the short but challenging 1.2-mile “Indy” circuit during a sparsely attended open session which offered an excellent opportunity to learn about the track and their Ray GRS08 Formula Ford Kent-engined cars. Ideal weather conditions also proved conducive to competitive lap times.

“I’m delighted with them, although to be honest it’s what I expected,” said team owner Cliff Dempsey, who guided Josef Newgarden to Formula Ford (Kent) Festival honors in 2008 and claimed Walter Hayes Trophy honors at Silverstone with fellow Team USA Scholarship drivers Conor Daly and Connor De Phillippi in 2008 and 2009, respectively. “I love running these Team USA Scholarship guys. They’re superb young men, in and out of the car, and it’s truly a pleasure, a privilege, to be running them.

“They were on the pace right away, which didn’t surprise me. They’re very professional, especially for being so young. It’s very easy to get caught up in the lap times, which were good, but there weren’t any other fast guys out there today so we’ll have to wait to see what the opposition’s going to be like.”

A total of 49 Kent-engined Formula Ford cars are entered this weekend, comprising drivers from all around Europe as well as one highly rated youngster from Australia. Testing will continue throughout the week.

After arriving in England early on Sunday and immediately enjoying a taste of European-style racing by attending the final round of the hotly contested British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch, today offered the first chance for Pigot and Serralles to get behind the wheel.

“So far the trip has been fantastic,” said Pigot, 17, from Windermere, Fla., who last weekend clinched the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda championship at Road Atlanta. “We got to see the final rounds of the British Touring Car Championship which was really cool and gave us a chance to see the track up close.

“We started testing today and it went very well, we were both fast. Everyone at Cliff Dempsey Racing has been great. The first few times through Paddock Hill Bend were a bit intimidating but I got used to it after three or four laps. Brands Hatch is a great circuit and is already one of my favorites!”

Serralles was equally upbeat after gaining his first experience of a Formula Ford 1600 car.

“It has always been a dream to come to Europe for racing, and to get the opportunity to do it with the Team USA Scholarship is an even greater honor,” said Serralles, 18, from Haines City, Fla. “My first day testing was a blast! The track is amazing; it is very short and fast. I can’t wait to keep testing in the next couple of days and try to battle for the win on Saturday and Sunday!”

Photo: Felix and Spencer on the start line at Brands Hatch

The latest contingent, Spencer Pigot and Felix Serralles, who were confirmed as the 21st annual scholarship winners last Thursday, maintained their momentum by playing starring roles just one week before they leave for England to commence preparations for the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch on October 16/17.

Pigot, from Windermere, Fla., who celebrated his 17th birthday last Wednesday, set the ball rolling the following morning when he claimed pole for Round 13 of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda. A few hours after the well-attended Team USA announcement, which was hosted by the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda, Pigot wrapped up his first championship title since his karting days in style by emerging ahead of a snarling five-car pack that featured a constant shuffling of positions. Pigot timed his final move to perfection, securing his third win of the season and a prize which will enable the MAZDASPEED Development Driver to graduate into the USF2000 National Championship in 2011.

Serralles, 18, from Haines City, Fla., also featured among the lead pack, as did 2010 Team USA nominee Ashley Freiberg. Both led laps during the hectic 14-lap affair before Serralles ultimately crossed the line in third and 18-year-old Freiberg, from Homer Glen, Ill., in sixth.

Friday’s equally frantic race saw all three once again take turns in the lead before being out-foxed on the final lap by first-time winner Nick Andries and having to be content with second (Serralles), third (Freiberg) and fourth (Pigot).

Serralles continued his excellent form into the two USF2000 National Championship races, finishing fifth on Thursday before guiding his Liberty Motorsports Van Diemen-Mazda to a second-place result in Friday’s season finale.

Also on Friday, 2009 Team USA Scholarship winner Connor De Phillippi, from San Clemente, clinched Rookie of the year honors and third place overall in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear by virtue of a lights-to-flag victory for JDC Motorsports.

2008 Team USA alumni and close friend Conor Daly chased home De Phillippi before a penalty dropped him to third in the final results. It made little difference. The 18-year-old from Noblesville, Ind., already had clinched the championship after a dominant season with Juncos Racing which included a record seven wins and nine poles.

Not to be out-shone, veteran Tony Ave, from Maiden, N.C., won the final SCCA Trans-Am race of the season in his self-built Chevy Corvette – also from the pole – to claim his first major championship title since winning the Oldsmobile Sports 2000 Pro Series crown in 1992 – the same year he earned a Team USA Scholarship.

Fellow alumni Andy Lally (1999) and Joey Hand (2000) also picked up some silverware during the busy Road Atlanta weekend. Lally, from nearby Dacula, Ga., snatched a narrow victory in the GT Challenge class of the Petit Le Mans classic, the final round of this year’s American Le Mans Series, sharing the Freescale/TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with Henri Richard and Duncan Ende, while Hand, from Sacramento, Calif., helped secure both the ALMS GT Manufacturer and Team Championships for BMW/Rahal Letterman Racing.

Above photo, left to right: 2010 MAZDASPEED Driver Development champions Spencer Pigot (BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda), Conor Daly (Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear) and Sage Karam (Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda). Please credit Eric McCombs.

Both American youngsters will travel to England next weekend to begin preparations for their entries in the Formula Ford Festival, which will be held at Brands Hatch on October 16/17, and the Walter Hayes Trophy event at Silverstone on November 6/7. In addition to an intensive program of testing aboard their pair of patriotically liveried, red-white-and-blue Ray GRS08 cars, which will be prepared for the third successive year by Cliff Dempsey Racing, Pigot and Serralles will undertake a variety of industry visits including the highlight of an insider tour of the majestic McLaren Technical Center, home of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One team.

The pair earned their selection following a hotly contested shootout held earlier this month at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Chandler, Ariz.

The other finalists were: Neil Alberico, 17, from Los Gatos, Calif.; Ashley Freiberg, 18, from Homer Glen, Ill.; Patrick Gallagher, 17, from Thornville, Ohio; Miles Maroney, 16, from Topanga Canyon, Calif.; Arie Ouimet, 19, from Plymouth, Mass.; and Jonathan Scarallo, 18, from Hauppauge, N.Y.

“This was an outstanding group,” said Team USA Scholarship founder Jeremy Shaw. “The judges ultimately reached a unanimous decision but everyone was very impressive. The future of American racing is in good hands.”

In addition to coping with over 100-degree temperatures as they competed in a fleet of Chevrolet Corvettes and Formula Mazda open-wheel cars, the eight finalists submitted a pair of essays and filled out a questionnaire aimed at testing their knowledge of the sport. They were also interviewed by an illustrious panel of judges that included school founder and CEO Bob Bondurant; former Team USA Scholarship winner and 2004 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Rice; 2009 Daytona 24 Hours winner Darren Law; American Le Mans Series driver Chris McMurry; veteran race car design/engineer John Ward; Sparco USA’s Chris Neuer; and Bondurant Race Series Director Alan Rudolph.

“Being chosen for the Team USA Scholarship is the highlight of my career so far,” said Pigot, from Windermere, Fla., who yesterday celebrated his 17th birthday and this week at Road Atlanta is seeking to clinch the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda, in which he currently holds a 20-point advantage.

 “To be on the same list as the previous winners and to represent my country – and all these incredible supporters – is a great honor. Not only is this a unique experience for me to drive new tracks, a new car and a different style of racing, I know I will learn a huge amount which will help me when I return to America to continue my career.”

“To finally have the chance to race in Europe is a dream come true,” added fellow Skip Barber National race winner Serralles, 18, who was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, and now lives in Haines City, Fla.

“Winning the Team USA Scholarship will open new doors and present more opportunities in the future. I also hope that it gives me the chance to stay and race in Europe, which has been my dream ever since I first started karting.”

The Team USA Scholarship has been helping young American drivers since 1990. Past winners include Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Tony Ave, Buddy Rice, Paul Edwards, Andy Lally, Joey Hand, Phil Giebler, A.J. Allmendinger, Bryan Sellers, J.R. Hildebrand, Dane Cameron, Josef Newgarden and Conor Daly. The program is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, “The Road to Indy,” Mazda, Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, Robertson Racing, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, OnCars.com, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Styled Aesthetic, Manifest Group and numerous past Scholarship winners.

Photo: Felix Serralles (l.) and Spencer Pigot will fly the Team USA Scholarship colors in England (please credit Eric McCombs)

Photo by courtesy of Michael C. Brown

In 2008, Team USA driver Josef Newgarden became the first American ever to win the prestigious Formula Ford Festival (Kent division) at Brands Hatch, while Conor Daly became the youngest winner of the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone. Last year Brett Smrz finished a sensational third at Brands Hatch, despite starting 27th, and Connor De Phillippi mirrored Daly’s success from the previous year, besting over 100 other drivers to win the Walter Hayes Trophy.

All of the 2010 candidates enjoyed success in the karting ranks before moving into cars within the past two years. The 2010 nominees are:

•    Neil Alberico, 17, from Los Gatos, Calif. – winner of the 2009-2010 Bondurant Championship Race Series
•    Ashley Freiberg, 18, from Homer Glen, Ill. – earlier this year became the first female ever to win a Skip Barber Racing Series title, clinching the Southern Regional crown, and the first to win a round of the Skip Barber National
•    Patrick Gallagher, 17, from Thornville, Ohio – standout in SCCA Formula 5 and Formula E competition
•    Miles Maroney, 16, from Topanga Canyon, Calif. – currently second and top rookie in the Pacific F2000 Series
•    Arie Ouimet, 19, from Plymouth, Mass. – currently second in the VW Jetta TDI Cup with two podium finishes
•    Spencer Pigot, 16, from Windermere, Fla. – MAZDASPEED Development Driver, current leader of the BFGoodrich Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda Series with two wins, nine podium finishes and four poles from 10 races
•    Jonathan Scarallo, 18, from Hauppauge, N.Y. – recently claimed his first win in the F2000 Championship Series
•    Felix Serralles, 17, from Haines City, Fla. – MAZDASPEED Development Driver, currently third in the Skip Barber National Series point standings

For the first time, the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, based at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., will host a “shoot-out” to determine which two young Americans will follow in the footsteps of an accomplished list of former Team USA Scholarship including Jimmy Vasser (the first winner in 1990), Bryan Herta, Buddy Rice, Memo Gidley, Paul Edwards, Andy Lally, Joey Hand, Bryan Sellers, A.J. Allmendinger and J.R. Hildebrand.

Bondurant, who shared the GT class-winning Shelby Cobra with Dan Gurney at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1964 and contested nine Formula One World Championship races, including a best result of fourth in the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix, founded the school in California in 1968. It has been based in Arizona since 1989, and this year hosted a 12-race open-wheel championship for the first time, offering an array of prizes and opportunities for the inaugural champion.

“As the new kid on the block, it’s important to expose our race series to as many talented young drivers as possible,” said accomplished kart racer Alan Rudolph, Director of the Bondurant Championship Race Series. “We’re excited to support and host the Team USA Scholarship, both to showcase our championship and to give back to the sport that Bob and I love so much.”

The Team USA Scholarship is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, “The Road to Indy,” American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, Robertson Racing, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, Cruden America, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, iRacing.com, OnCars.com, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and several former scholarship winners.

Check out Bob Varsha's report on The SPEED Report which aired August 22.

Photo: top row, l. to r.: Bryan Sellers, Duncan Dayton, Jonathan Scarallo, Felix Serralles, Patrick Gallagher, John Doonan, Connor De Phillippi; bottom row: Ashley Freiberg, Spencer Pigot, Arie Ouimet. Not pictured: Neil Alberico and Miles Maroney. Photo courtesy of Eric McCombs.

“It’s especially satisfying in this challenging economic climate to be able to attract some new partners into the fold,” says Team USA Scholarship Founder and President Jeremy Shaw. “Mazda has led the way over the past few years in establishing a viable career path for ambitious drivers who are looking to carve a career in the sport, while Bob Bondurant was among the vanguard of top-line American racers who blazed a trail to Europe in the 1960s and went on to found an enormously successful driving academy.

“Styled Aesthetic partners Steve Welk and Kyle Werra are at the other end of the experience range, but Steve was an aspiring driver himself a few years ago and is now forging a new path by providing our program with an exciting range of apparel products which we hope can help elevate the profile of, and support for, Team USA.”

Mazda has developed an enviable grassroots racing program which, in addition to including literally thousands of club racers across the country, now has in place a well-defined ladder of opportunity that allows drivers to progress from karts through the Skip Barber Racing School, the US F2000 National Championship and Star Mazda.

“We’ve admired the work of Jeremy Shaw and the Team USA program for many years and are pleased to begin our official participation,” says John Doonan, MAZDASPEED Motorsports Team Development Manager. “We’ve watched past MAZDASPEED drivers such as Dane Cameron, Joel Miller, Conor Daly and Connor De Phillippi graduate through the program and anticipate more of our racers being tapped to join this all-star team in the years to come.”

The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving has provided the springboard for many champions over the years, and since 1989 has offered a variety of different cars and track configurations at its expansive base near Phoenix, Ariz. This year, for the first time, the Bondurant School will host a shoot-out to determine which of the eight nominees will have an opportunity to represent their country at two prestigious race meetings in Europe.

“It is a great honor to host the Team USA Scholarship competition in 2010,” says Bob Bondurant, CEO and Founder of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving (www.bondurant.com). “After providing advanced driver training to champions for 42 years, it is a natural fit for my school to partner with the Team USA Scholarship, which has an equally stellar track record of opening doors for the next generation of racers.”

Also exciting is the new partnership with Wisconsin-based Styled Aesthetic to produce and market a selection of Team USA apparel, which is now available for purchase via http://styledaesthetic.com/dg-teamusa/index.php. The American-manufactured tee-shirts, sweatshirts and fleeces provide an easy and cost-effective way for race fans to lend their own support to the program which has been providing opportunities for young American drivers since 1990.

“We are very excited to be able to partner with the Team USA Scholarship,” says Styled Aesthetic partner Steve Welk. “As a former driver I know how important this program is to America’s up and coming talent. So on a personal level it’s great to help support our country’s top junior drivers. From a business perspective, partnering with Team USA gives Styled Aesthetic an excellent avenue to gain credibility in the motorsports industry and expand our business as well as showcasing our online store, our apparel production and design capabilities. We are extremely excited about the potential of our partnership with Team USA.”

The Team USA Scholarship also is supported by Doug Mockett & Company, Road Racing Drivers Club, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Walldinger Racing, Robo-Pong, Highcroft Racing, “The Road to Indy,” American Honda, Silicon Salvage, McMurry Inc., Dyson Racing, Metalore, The Gorsline Company, Integrated Performance Technology, Robertson Racing, PitFit Training, Sparco USA, Cruden America, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, iRacing.com, OnCars.com, eFormulaCarNews.com, Speedstar Management, Manifest Group and numerous past Scholarship winners.

Thanks to Heidi Welk for showing off our Team USA Formula Ford tee-shirt!

Jimmy Vasser was selected as the first scholarship recipient in the late summer of 1990. Then a promising youngster who had enjoyed some success in Formula Atlantic but had taken a step backward into F2000 in order to move his career forward, Vasser carried Team USA’s patriotic red, white and blue colors in the prestigious end-of-season Formula Ford Festival & World Cup at Brands Hatch in England. The results were nothing to write home about but Vasser created an excellent impression and, above all, returned to California with a fresh outlook on the sport.

“I couldn’t believe how cut-throat it was over there,” he recalls. “I knew it was going to be competitive but it really opened my eyes.”

Vasser went on to enjoy a successful career in the CART/Champ Car Series, winning the championship for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing in 1996, and is now part-owner of the KV Racing Technology IZOD IndyCar Series team.

Among the many other accomplished Team USA Scholarship alumni are Bryan Herta (1991), who, in addition to winning a Firestone Indy Lights Championship, is among a select few drivers to have won races in CART Champ Car, the IZOD IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series, and is now a race-winning Firestone Indy Lights series team owner; 2004 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Rice (1997); 2007 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Phil Giebler (2000); Champ Car race winner-turned-NASCAR Sprint Cup contender A.J. Allmendinger (2001); NASCAR race winner Jerry Nadeau (1993); Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series GT Champions Paul Edwards (1998) and Andy Lally (1999); and 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Champion J.R. Hildebrand (2005).

The accolades have continued to accumulate this year: Allmendinger claimed his first Sprint Cup pole at Phoenix International Raceway; Lally already has earned three Rolex GT wins, plus one in the ALMS’ GT Challenge class last weekend at Lime Rock Park; Conor Daly (2008) currently leads the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear by a handy margin by virtue of winning four of the first five races of the season; Joey Hand (1999) has emerged as a front-runner in the ultra-competitive ALMS GT category at the wheel of a BMW-Rahal Letterman Racing M3; and Josef Newgarden (2008) recently claimed his first pole in European GP3 competition, a feeder series for the FIA Formula One World Championship.

The alumni have been garnering headlines in other arenas, too. For example, in addition to his racing successes, Lally is regarded as one of the leading protagonists in the extreme sport of street luge after winning a world championship last year in Australia, while Memo Gidley (1995), in addition to being a regular contender for Doran Racing in Rolex Grand-Am Series Daytona Prototype competition, has emerged as a front-runner in the hotly contested DJSA Outlaw personal watercraft racing series after winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2009.

Looking forward, Team USA Scholarship officials expect to announce candidates for the 2010 season within the next month. The intention is to select two gifted youngsters and afford them the opportunity to travel to Europe to contest both the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford event (won by Team USA’s Daly and Connor De Phillippi in each of the last two years) at Silverstone.

Photo: Andy Lally and co-driver Henri Richard head toward their first GT Challenge class ALMS victory at Lime Rock Park (courtesy American Le Mans Series)

For nearly 20 years, the Team USA Scholarship has served as a launching pad for young American drivers to immerse themselves in international auto racing.

That proven track record is why the Indy Racing League will lend its support the program through the Road to Indy ladder system.

Drivers such as Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Buddy Rice, Jeff Simmons, Phil Giebler, A.J. Allmendinger and J.R. Hildebrand have used the scholarship to gain notoriety at an early stage in their careers. Team USA Scholarship President Jeremy Shaw hopes that future scholarship winners can follow their path through the Road to Indy.

TONY GEORGE JR. (Manager of Business Development, Firestone Indy Lights): “The Team USA scholarship gives young drivers the opportunity during our offseason to go and gain valuable experience outside the country. Past scholarship winners have been successful at the upper levels of the sport and the more recent ones are coming back to race in the Road to Indy series, so it's a natural fit for us. The winners learn how to handle adversity in a completely new environment, and as we've learned from backing the program in Firestone Indy Lights the last two years, it is a successful program that we should support.”

JEREMY SHAW (President, Team USA Scholarship): “I’m thrilled with what the Indy Racing League is doing with the Road to Indy system. It provides a clear-cut route for drivers to progress from the grassroots level to the top echelon of open-wheel racing, the IZOD IndyCar Series, and it meshes perfectly with what we are trying to achieve with the Team USA Scholarship – offering valuable opportunities for ambitious youngsters. Two of our scholarship winners from the last two years, Conor Daly and Connor De Phillippi, are racing in this year’s Star Mazda Championship, and another one, Charlie Kimball, is a front-runner in Firestone Indy Lights, seeking to emulate the feat of last year’s champion, J.R. Hildebrand.”

For more details, please visit http://www.indycar.com.
 

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.”

POSTSCRIPT: Scott Malvern was subsequently disqualified, elevating Brett Smrz to the final podium position.

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 

Jimmy Vasser, who was awarded the first Team USA Scholarship in 1990, claimed a third-place finish as a team owner in Sunday’s thrilling Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by LaSalle Bank when Swiss rookie Neel Jani netted a career-best result aboard the #21 PKV Racing/Red Bull DP01.

Earlier in the day, 2005 Team USA Scholarship winner J.R. Hildebrand finished a very close second to series points leader Raphael Matos in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda race on the same Burke Lakefront Airport temporary circuit. The result ensured Hildebrand’s first podium appearance at the wheel of Paul Newman and Eddie Wachs’ #36 Newman-Wachs Racing Swift 016.a and moved the 19-year-old Sausalito, Calif., native to sixth in the championship point standings after six races.

Also at Cleveland, 2006 Team USA Scholarship winner Dane Cameron claimed another second-place finish in the Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear race. Cameron had qualified on the pole in the JDC Motorsports team’s #19 Finlay Motorsports car and led most of the 29-lap race before being jumped on a late restart by fellow American Jonathan Goring.

Cameron extended his championship lead to 26 points over Goring after six of 12 races.

Meanwhile at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 60 miles or so to the southwest, 1999 Team USA Scholarship winner Andy Lally continued his recent run off success by taking his third Rolex GT series victory in the last four races, sharing the #66 TRG CRG/Maxter Porsche 911 GT3 with veteran driver R.J. Valentine.

1997 Team USA Scholarship winner Paul Edwards set the fastest lap of the Rolex GT series race en route to a third-place finish with Kelly Collins in the #07 Banner Racing/Banner Engineering Pontiac GXP.R.

Edwards and Collins are now in a three-way tie for the series points lead with German Porsche pilot Dirk Werner. Lally has closed to within seven points of the championship lead.

Team USA Scholarship drivers also enjoyed strong runs in the Iowa Corn 250 Indy Racing League event at the new Iowa Speedway on Sunday. Buddy Rice, who claimed a scholarship in 1997, finished a season-best fourth for the Dreyer & Reinbold team, while 1999 alumnus Jeff Simmons qualified his Rahal Letterman Racing/Team Ethanol car a career-best sixth and was running among the lead pack until he was eliminated in a crash when Tony Kanaan spun directly in front of him. 

Photo by Anthony Kent, USA LAT Photographic, copyright Champ Car World Series/www.champcaratlantic.com)

Paul Edwards, who was awarded the first of his three Team USA Scholarships in 1997, took the class pole position, while 1999 Team USA Scholarship winner Andy Lally emerged to take the primary honors after a thrilling race the following afternoon.

Edwards, sharing Banner Racing’s #07 Pontiac GXP.R with regular co-driver Kelly Collins, blitzed the historic 3.37-mile road course on Friday with a lap at 1:53.823, just over a second quicker than Bill Auberlen’s qualifying record. Edwards went into the race brimming with confidence, especially after Banner Racing teammates Tim Lewis Jr. and Leighton Reese had taken their Pontiac to victory in the most recent race at Lime Rock.

“It’s a new car and a new team [in 2007], and this is the first pole for the new car, so it’s quite a day for us, especially coming off a victory at Lime Rock,” said Edwards. “Everyone is starting to gel and we’re really excited.”

Lally had to be content with the 22nd starting position after veteran teammate R.J. Valentine was assigned qualifying duties in the TRG team’s #66 CRG/Maxter/Rotax/MBA/NFP/F1Air Porsche GT3 Cup which the pair would share with Lally’s long-time friend Spencer Pumpelly.

Both Team USA Scholarship drivers drove the lion’s share of the six-hour race in their respective cars, and while Edwards’ Pontiac was delayed both by a problem with the battery and a stop-go penalty following inadvertent contact with another car, Lally’s Porsche quickly moved up into contention for the win.

Lally, who drove the opening two hours and the final two-hour stint, passed 2006 Porsche Supercup champion Richard Westbrook for the lead with less than 20 minutes remaining, then held off a determined challenge from yet another Porsche Supercup standout, Germany’s Dirk Werner, to take the win by just 2.721 seconds.

“It was a very gratifying win,” said Lally, who also combined with Valentine to win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca last month. “During the last few laps I was alongside two of the best Porsche drivers out there, and I was just driving flat-out. I grew up in New York so winning here and having my family watching really means a lot to me.”

Edwards also drove a storming race, posting the fastest lap as he rallied from two laps down to finish third in the GT class, just 11 seconds behind Lally. He and Collins now lie second in the overall GT point standings, trailing pacesetter Werner by 14 markers.

The Rolex Sports Car Series will be back in action at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 23/24.

Photo: Pumpelly, Lally and Valentine on the podium at Watkins Glen/www.grand-am.com)

Photo of Phil Giebler courtesy of LAT/www.speedtv.com 

PDR will field a two-car effort that will feature the combination of Giebler's raw speed and Jaques Lazier's seasoned skills.

"I am really excited to get the chance go to the next level with a team like Playa Del Racing," says Giebler. "I know these guys are going to put together a solid car for me, and I'm going to have the opportunity to work with a stellar veteran teammate in Jaques Lazier."

Giebler began racing go karts at the age of 10. He quickly moved to Europe with aspirations to compete in F1. After competing in the F3000 series, Giebler moved back to the states to begin competition in the Indy Pro Series. Giebler won his oval debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and has had success ever since. This includes a seventh-place finish this year for Playa Del Racing on the Streets of St. Petersburg after starting in the last spot, and driving without second gear.

"Phil has paid his dues and deserves a shot at this level," says co-owner Susan Schafer. "He did a fabulous job for us in St. Pete this year, and I think everyone around here is excited to see what he can do in the big car."

The rookie also expressed his excitement.

"This is an opportunity of a life time," exclaims Giebler. "I have been working toward this my whole life, and I plan on making a solid run for Rookie of the Year."

PDR team manager David Morgan, who has been involved in 24 prior Indy 500s will be calling the shots from pit wall for the third consecutive year.

"I think this is going to be our best performance yet at Playa Del Racing," says Morgan. "This is a year of milestones at PDR, and we have the personnel to make some great things happen. We have put an impressive supporting cast together, and now we have a great combination of drivers to compliment that."

For more information on PDR, Lazier, Giebler, or the crew please visit www.playadelracing.com.
 

Cameron led by as much as seven seconds in Houston before his advantage was erased by several caution periods. The youngster from Sonoma, Calif., kept his cool – and the lead – as he held off 2004 Star Mazda series runner-up Dan Di Leo by 0.786s following a late restart.

"It all worked our according to plan, which shows just how good the JDC team really is," continued Cameron. "We’re clicking very well, which is exciting because I can feel that there is still lots of time in the car and we’re just going to keep getting better every race."

Cameron’s participation in the 2007 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear is made possible by a variety of sponsors, including staunch Team USA Scholarship supporters Doug Mockett & Company and Sparco USA, plus Ocean Tomo, Rett.org, Nearburg Exploration, O’Neill Construction, Red Line Oil and JDC Motorsports. Cameron, with the assistance of fellow racer Rob Finlay, also continues as a driver in the Finlay Motorsports Driver Development Program.

As one of the premier auto racing attractions in North America, it was hardly surprising to see a selection of Team USA Scholarship alumni plying their trade. On Saturday afternoon, immediately after final Champ Car qualifying and before the American Le Mans Series race, five of them found the time to meet up for a quick chat and photo-shoot.

"This is such a great program," declared Herta, who is now a director of the Team USA Scholarship and, like Vasser, has continued to make financial contributions to the Scholarship for many years. "It was fun to catch up with the other guys for a few minutes and compare notes about how our careers have been helped by the Team USA Scholarship."

Top row, left to right: Doug Mockett, vintage Formula 1 racer and primary Team USA Scholarship supporter through Doug Mockett & Company, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of "fine Architectural hardware for your fine furniture"; Bryan Herta, 1991 Team USA Scholarship winner and driver of Andretti Green Racing's #26 XM Satellite Radio Acura ARX-01a in the LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series; Jimmy Vasser, 1990 Team USA Scholarship winner and co-owner of the PKV Racing Champ Car team which saw driver Tristan Gommendy lead several laps during the following day's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach; and Jeremy Shaw, Team USA Scholarship founder, lead announcer for the international television coverage of the Champ Car World Series and pit reporter for ALMS Radio.

Bottom row, left to right: Bryan Sellers, 2001 Team USA Scholarship winner (along with A.J. Allmendinger) and current driver coach/third driver for the #22 Panoz Team PTG entry in the GT2 class of the American Le Mans Series; J.R. Hildebrand, 2005 Team USA Scholarship winner and driver of the #36 Newman Wachs Racing Swift 016.a in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda; and Joey Hand, 2000 Team USA Scholarship winner and driver of the #21 Panoz Team PTG entry in the GT2 class of the American Le Mans Series.

Thanks to Dan. R. Boyd for the photo.

In England, January is synonymous with Autosport International, which since 1991 has developed into one of the world’s largest and most prestigious showcases for the sport.

Over 90,000 people are said to have visited last week’s extravaganza, comprising more than 800 exhibitors and held at the NEC (National Exhibition Centre) near Birmingham, England.

Among the myriad cars on display at the show was the Team USA Scholarship-entered machine used by 18-year-old American rising star Dane Cameron to win four of the six races and take top honors in last November’s Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy.

The patriotically liveried car was featured on the Formula Palmer Audi stand, generating yet more kudos for the Team USA Scholarship which since its inception in 1990 has helped to further the careers of some of this country’s most talented young drivers.

Formula Palmer Audi features 300-horsepower open-wheel cars which in 2007 will contest a 20-race championship based in the United Kingdom. The series was formed in 1998 by ex-Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer and offers some of the best value for money in the sport at around $120,000 for a full-season campaign.

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," Highcroft Racing, Sparco USA, RACER magazine, FormulaCar Magazine, Speedstar Management and an array of past Scholarship winners including Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Buddy Rice, A.J. Allmendinger, J.R. Hildebrand and Memo Gidley.

On Wednesday, the two California teenagers headed first of all to the UK distribution headquarters of Snap-on Tools, which has joined the band of Team USA Scholarship supporters this season.

"I think we were both in shock when we walked in to see a sign reading 'Welcome Dane and Robert, Future Champions,'" related Podlesni, "We met with Terry Barcham, the managing director, who gave us a tour of the facility. He also gave us limited edition Honda F1 multi tip ratcheting screwdrivers. It was fantastic to meet with him and discuss our careers, ambitions and thoughts on the racing. I want to thank him for his company's support of the Team USA Scholarship, and hope to put on a great show this weekend at Brands Hatch."

There was one more surprise, too, as Cameron explained: "Mr. Barcham was gracious enough to make a couple of phone calls and arrange a tour of the Honda F1 factory. As if Robert and I weren't lucky enough to have already gotten a tour of the McLaren factory, we were now going to get a chance to visit our second F1 factory in less than a week!

"It really is amazing to see so many people working together to create the best possible product they can," continued Cameron. "We were shown around several different areas and saw first-hand how every piece on the car is taken apart and crack checked after every race and test, either using ultrasonic testing on carbon pieces or regular crack check dyes under the UV light. After seeing the extent to which the cars are maintained, we began to realize why the F1 cars seem to have so few mechanical failures. It truly is amazing to see the effort that goes into running a Formula 1 team, and we began to realize why it is the pinnacle of motorsport."

"We saw some of the factory's new expansions and upgrades, including a new machine shop and a FULL SIZE WIND TUNNEL!" exclaimed Podlesni. "It is a very modern facility, with true race fans working there. We were able to see how to manufacture carbon parts and learn about the different carbon weaves, strengths and resins. It is all very complex, but when experiencing it first hand, it makes much more sense."

After another day spent at Jonathan Palmer's impressive Bedford Autodrome base, Cameron and Podlesni drove south to Brands Hatch. On Friday morning they met with Steve Wills, who had been so impressed with the duo's brief time in his Formula Ford 1600 Spirit chassis one week earlier at Snetterton that he agreed to make the car available for another day of testing. The youngsters were able to provide more useful feedback as Wills continued to develop his car, while Cameron and Podlesni took full advantage to get a proper feel for the 1.2-mile Brands Hatch "Indy" circuit.

"The track is a lot shorter than most tracks in the U.S. but it makes up for it in the layout as well as in the presentation," said Cameron. "The only place that comes close in the U.S. is the new Miller Motorsports Park in Utah."

"It was nice to have some knowledge of the track, and get some laps in a wingless car," added Podlesni. "Driving without wings really takes the art of driving back to basics. We want to thank Avon Tyres, Jon Baytos, Steve Wills and Brands Hatch for their help and support today. It was a tremendous help to both Dane and I."

The pair are now itching to get back behind the wheel of their Team USA Scholarship FPA cars. The weekend will comprise a practice and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, followed by three 20-minute races on Sunday.

"I have a handle on driving the Palmer car, which requires a much different style than I am accustomed to," said Podlesni, who lies fourth in the points table after the first three races last weekend at Snetterton. "I'm looking forward to this weekend as I want to make a bid for the championship."

"I cant wait to get started," added Cameron. "The track is fantastic and I am only two points out of the lead in the championship so I think I have a great shot at the title. With three races to go anything can happen but I know I will be right there fighting until the final lap."

This year, youngsters Dane Cameron and Robert Podlesni have met a variety of well-known personalities whose base of knowledge will prove invaluable as they progress up the auto racing ladder. Also, in between displaying their skills in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy at renowned British tracks Snetterton and Brands Hatch, they have visited one of the world’s most successful race car constructors, Lola Cars, top Formula 1 team McLaren Mercedes and the WSR (West Surrey Racing) team which currently fields the Team USA entry in the A1 Grand Prix of Nations series.

The stories are best told by Cameron and Podlesni themselves:
“On Monday we went to Lola Cars (in Huntingdon), where Sam Smith gave us an all-inclusive tour of the facility,” relates 19-year-old Podlesni. “Being able to see all the man hours, molds and inspections each component must go though to go from raw materials to a finished product was really amazing. Within this tour, I became aware of the diversity of Lola. A household name in auto racing, Lola also is involved in many military and consumer products that have nothing to do with the motorsports industry. The highlight of the trip was seeing many of the 50 percent wind tunnel models, including the Formula 3 car I had just sat in, in addition to the current Champ Car.”

“We were shown around the composite shop and it really gives you a new appreciation for all of the work that goes into every piece,” adds Cameron. “There are so many man-hours that go into layering all of the carbon to make it strong. I will definitely feel really bad the next time I have some bodywork damage! The part of the tour that I enjoyed the most was the wind tunnel as well as a brief overview of how they use CFD (computational fluid dynamics) to cut down costs. Seeing what they could learn on a computer before going into the wind tunnel was extremely impressive and something that I would like to learn more about. You get a new respect after seeing what goes into building a car.”

“The next stop on the trip was on Tuesday, to West Surrey Racing,” reveals Podlesni. “Dick Bennetts was a very informative host, and very generous to fit us in before leaving for the A1GP race in China the following day. There is an expansive trophy room with many coveted Formula 3 and British Touring Car awards. Another highlight was seeing the original helmets from Mika Hakkinen, Rubens Barrichello, Eddie Irvine, Jonathan Palmer, Mauricio Gugelmin and Ayrton Senna. We learned a lot about the inner workings of racing and some tips to apply to our own careers.”

“West Surrey Racing is one of the most impressive race team shops that I have ever seen,” declares Cameron. “Everything was spotless and organized, and the list of alumni drivers is enough to make your jaw drop.”

“The final place we went was the McLaren F1 factory,” continues Cameron. “This has to be the most stunning building that I have ever seen. From the moment you enter the premises it seems almost surreal; everything looks so elegant and sophisticated. And inside the building it seems like a futuristic hospital with race cars instead of patients. Everything about the facility is amazing, absolutely amazing.”

“The McLaren Technology Centre is incredible,” echoes Podlesni. “You enter through an all-white underground tunnel to an all-glass elevator that rises out of the ground to a gorgeous view of the incredible architecture, seemingly floating reception area and museum quality collection of cars. There’s also a man-made lake in front of the entire facility. This is one of the most gorgeous buildings I have ever been in, and that’s without even talking about the cars!

“We were so fortunate to have been able to have an in-depth tour of the composite shop, the race and test car bays, machine shop, testing area and the so-impressive trophy lined hallway. I feel honored to be one of the few who is able to say that I have seen the McLaren wind tunnel. I can't say any more, as I would go on for days!”

The Team USA Scholarship would like to offer sincere thanks to everyone who made these visits possible, including Sam Smith at Lola Cars, Dick Bennetts at WSR, and Jonathan Neale and Neil Trundle at McLaren Racing. As Podlesni summarized: “What a week!”

The news was relayed by 2003 Team USA Scholarship winner Charlie Kimball, who took the trouble today to drive out to the track from his home in Oxford. "They both did a really good job – especially Dane, of course," said Kimball, who has raced – and won – this year in the Formula 3 Euro Series. "I went out to watch at the chicane and they weren’t quite getting it right. The Formula Palmer Audi is much bigger and heavier than the Zetec [Formula Ford 2000 cars that both Cameron and Podlesni have been driving this year – and with which Kimball finished third in the 2003 U.S. FF2000 championship], and they were trying to carry too much speed. So I was able to give them a few pointers."

The advice obviously helped. This year’s pair of Team USA Scholarship winners had only a very brief shakedown session – in damp conditions – earlier in the week at Bedford Autodrome to get used to the 300hp FPA cars, so were facing a very steep learning curve. FPA officials graciously granted an extra 20-minute practice session this morning to enable all the series newcomers to gain some more experience in the tricky-to-handle cars, but still it was a tall order to expect Cameron and Podlesni to match the speed of 20 other drivers who have extensive experience of either the cars or the track, or both.

But both youngsters were quickly on the pace. Cameron turned the quickest time in the second 20-minute practice session and was fourth in the first of two qualifying periods, with Podlesni close behind in sixth. Then, in the final qualifying session, Cameron stormed to the top of the charts to secure the inside front row grid position for the first of three races that will take place tomorrow.

Photo courtesy of James Bearne Photography

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

NOTE: Kimball, now 21, has raced in Europe since winning the 2003/2004 New Zealand Formula Ford International Championship while flying the Team USA Scholarship colors. He finished fourth in the 2004 UK Formula Ford Championship and second – and top rookie – in the 2005 British Formula 3 Championship. This year he moved on into the F3 Euro Series with the Signature-Plus team. The Californian had a tough initiation before coming on strongly in the latter part of the season, scoring a series of podium finished and an impressive victory at Zandvoort, Holland. Kimball is preparing to contest the historic Macau Grand Prix in a few weeks as well as looking forward for next season. He tested a GP2 car recently – an experience he described as "amazing!" – and has a couple of tests scheduled with Renault World Series teams.

Cameron, 18, from Sonoma, Calif., finished second in this year’s Cooper Tires Formula Ford 2000 Championship (to 2005 Team USA Scholarship winner J.R. Hildebrand) and convincingly earned Rookie of the Year honors for the Florida-based Cape Motorsports team on the strength of two wins, nine podium finishes and four poles.

Podlesni, from Thousand Oaks, Calif., who will turn 19 next weekend, clinched the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook Tire, winning six races and six poles for California-based Dave Freitas Racing.

The pair will contest the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy, a six-race mini-series run over the next two weekends at the famed Snetterton (November 4/5) and Brands Hatch (November 11/12) circuits in England.

"I am very honored and extremely excited to have been given this opportunity to race in Europe for the first time," said Cameron, whose father Rick and uncle Steve have a long history in the sport which includes fielding cars under the LynxaRacing banner for Buddy Rice and Memo Gidley, both of whom won Team USA Scholarships in the 1990s. "It is very special to be involved in the same program that made a big difference in so many careers. This a great chance for me to try a new car on some of the best tracks in the world. I’d like to thank everyone who supports the Team USA Scholarship; it is a great opportunity for me and I plan to make the most of it."

"I look at the names of past recipients, and only hope I can achieve what they have been able to," added Podlesni. "I think it’s wonderful that this Scholarship exists to give young drivers a chance to race abroad. I am as excited about seeing the famous tracks, such as Brands Hatch and Snetterton, as I am about racing the Formula Palmer Audi and seeing the race teams in England. I believe the whole experience will be of great value, and undoubtedly a memorable one."

Formula Palmer Audi is the brainchild of Englishman Jonathan Palmer, who won both the British Formula 3 Championship and the European Formula 2 title before going on to achieve success in Formula 1 in the 1980s. The series features identically prepared open-wheel cars and turbocharged 300-horsepower Audi engines which include a 50-hp "push-to-pass" button similar to that employed in the Champ Car World Series. FPA graduates include current Champ Car standout Justin Wilson.

In addition to their racing plans, Cameron and Podlesni will visit Lola Cars International, one of the world’s most successful race car manufacturers, and the WSR (West Surrey Racing) team which currently fields the USA entry for former Team USA Scholarship winner Phil Giebler in the A1 Grand Prix of Nations.

"Contrary to popular perception, there are a number of extremely talented young drivers in this country," said Team USA Scholarship founder and respected auto racing writer/broadcaster Jeremy Shaw. "What this program does – and has done since 1990 – is provide an opportunity for some of them to display their abilities to a wider audience and hone their skills in preparation for moving on up the racing ladder."

Current supporters of the program include Mockett.com, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of "Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture," Sparco USA, RACER magazine, Speedstar and the majority of past Scholarship winners.

The endurance racing classic attracted a stellar entry list comprising top names from many different branches of the sport, including Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, the Indy Racing League, NASCAR Nextel Cup and, of course, the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve; it produced the first-ever 24-hour race triumph for the team owned by Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates; it added another feather in the caps of 2005 Indianapolis 500 race winner and IRL champion Dan Wheldon and 2003 IRL champ Scott Dixon; and provided the biggest win thus far for emerging Nextel Cup racer Casey Mears.

It was memorable, too, for the fact that no fewer than 10 former winners of the prestigious Team USA Scholarship were among the high-quality, 66-car field.

Three of the 10 took turns in the overall lead of the race, with 2001 Team USA Scholarship winner A.J. Allmendinger pacing a total of 27 laps in the #60 Michael Shank Racing Lexus-Riley Daytona Prototype; 1994 winner Mike Borkowski leading a handful of laps in the sister #6 Graydon Elliott Fusion Racing with MSR entry; and 1995 alumnus Memo Gidley out in front during one of his stints aboard the #19 Playboy/Uniden Racing Ford-Crawford.

Meanwhile, in the equally competitive GT category, 1998 and 1999 Team USA Scholarship winners Paul Edwards and Andy Lally both led the way for a while in their respective #64 and #65 TRG Pontiac GTO.Rs.

The best-placed Scholarship winner in the final overall standings was Allmendinger, who capped his first-ever endurance race with a fine second-place run alongside fellow RuSPORT Champ Car star Justin Wilson and Michael Shank’s regular drivers, Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson.

Gidley, sharing with Michael McDowell and Alex Barron, placed sixth after a couple of lengthy delays.

Lally claimed second-place honors in the GT class – and a magnificent ninth-place overall – sharing with Marc Bunting, R.J. Valentine and Johnny O’Connell.

Bryan Herta, who claimed the second-ever Team USA Scholarship in 1991, and fellow IRL star Buddy Rice (1997) finished 11th overall and ninth in the DP class alongside Michael Valiante and team owner Rob Finlay in the #28 Finlay Motorsports Ford-Crawford.

Jimmy Vasser (1990), Tony Ave (1992) and Bryan Sellers (2001) also represented the Team USA Scholarship in North America’s premier endurance race.

In addition, Joey Hand (2000) and Joe D’Agostino (2003) were present at Daytona, while Phil Giebler (2000), was busy flying the Team USA colors in last weekend's A1 GP event in Durban, South Africa.

Photograph of Andy Lally driving the #65 TRG Pontiac GTO.R 

“Overall, I’m quite satisfied with how everything has gone,” said the 17-year-old from Sausalito, Calif. “I’ve been able to race on two great tracks – Snetterton and Brands Hatch – while racing against rather stiff competition. I’ve had a great experience and learned a tremendous amount.”

Hildebrand started each of today’s three races from the third row of the grid and lost no time in working his way toward the front. He actually lost a position off the starting line in Race One to Stuart Prior, but reclaimed the place in spectacular style by diving around the outside at Paddock Hill Bend – an off-camber, dipping right-hand turn taken in fourth gear at around 95mph. Hildebrand repeated the move on South African Chris Hyman before putting the pressure on Greek driver Andy Demetriou, who staunchly defended his third place until the checkered flag.

Race Two saw Hildebrand start from sixth after crashing yesterday in qualifying, but once again he stunned onlookers by repeating his outside-line passes on Hyman and Prior – on consecutive laps – at Paddock Hill Bend.

“That was seriously impressive,” said a spectating Jonathan Palmer, who won championships in both Formula 3 and Formula 2 in the 1980s before racing competitively in Formula 1 for the Williams team. (Palmer went on to establish a similarly successful business career which includes founding Formula Palmer Audi in 1998.) “Did no one tell him he’s not supposed to be able to make that move look so easy?”

Hildebrand again closed quickly on Demetriou, whereupon the pair exchanged positions twice before the Greek
tangled with a slower car at the Druid’s hairpin, allowing Hildebrand through into third place behind pacesetters Josh Weber, from England, and Iceland’s Viktor Jensen.

Race Three was rather more straightforward. After starting fifth, he made a couple of early passes but by then his over-worked tires were past their best and he was unable to hold off a charging Demetriou, who pulled off a gutsy inside-line move at Paddock.

“I was really struggling with the car by then,” related Hildebrand. “We only had one set for the weekend and I suppose I overused them while I was learning the race track yesterday morning.

“Of course, I would’ve liked to bring home another podium, but I’m very pleased with finishing third in the championship. I came to the series not knowing what to expect from cars, tracks and competition that I had never seen, and have come away with a wealth of knowledge for the future. I can’t thank all of those who have helped make this possible enough; it’s been an amazing experience.”

The Team USA Scholarship, now in its 16th year, has received support this year from Mockett.com, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” Sparco USA, RACER magazine, Mi-Jack Conquest Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, Jim Russell Racing Schools and former Scholarship winners Jimmy Vasser (1990), Bryan Herta (1991), Tony Ave (1992), Memo Gidley (1995), Buddy Rice (1997), Paul Edwards (1998/’99), Andy Lally (1999), Joey Hand (2000), A.J Allmendinger and Bryan Sellers (2001).

Today’s results from Brands Hatch:

Race One: 1. Josh Weber (GB), 20m50.236s (88.32mph), 2. Viktor Jensen (ISL); 3. Andy Demetriou (GR); 4. J.R. Hildebrand (USA); 5. Chris Hyman (ZA); 6. Stuart Prior (GB); etc. Fastest lap: Weber, 44.690s, 98.77mph.

Race Two: 1. Weber, 21m32.840s (85.41mph); 2. Jensen; 3. Hildebrand; 4. Hyman; 5. Paul Warren (GB); 6. Mark Powell (GB); etc. Fastest lap: Jensen, 44.819s, 98.49mph.

Race Three: 1. Jensen, 20m30.463s (89.74mph); 2. Weber; 3. Demetriou; 4. Hildebrand; 5. Joshua Southall (GB); 6. Hyman; etc. Fastest lap: Weber, 44.987s, 98.12mph.

Final championship positions: 1. Weber, 116 points; 2. Demetriou, 96; 3. Hildebrand & Jensen, 90; 5. Hyman, 86; 6. Tom Haines, 66; etc.

Photo courtesy of James Bearne Photography 

Ultimately, his effort wasn’t properly reflected in his results, although a pair of top-six qualifying positions for the first two of the final three Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy races that will be held tomorrow (Sunday) still represented a solid effort by the youngster.

“I think he’s showing a huge amount of promise,” declared ex-Formula 1 driver and Formula Palmer Audi founder Jonathan Palmer. “He’s racing for the first time in a foreign country, and let’s face it, FPA is pretty competitive. There are several drivers who’ve been racing these cars for a year or two and have a lot more experience than he does. I think he’s doing a terrific job.”

A couple of relatively small setup changes didn’t bring the desired results in the opening 20-minute qualifying session, and after making a pit stop to reverse the changes, Hildebrand returned to the track and qualified a strong fifth – slower than his morning practice time but still within a half-second of pacesetter Weber (pronounced “Wee-buh”).

In the second session, after trying a few more “tweaks” on the car, Hildebrand lost control under braking for Clearways and spun backward into the barrier, damaging his red-white-and-blue car’s right rear corner. He was forced to sit and watch the final eight minutes of the session, but still held onto the sixth-fastest time.

“Although I'm still in a decent position for tomorrow's races, starting fifth and sixth, I'm definitely disappointed and a bit frustrated,” said Hildebrand. “I had very high expectations following [a pair of second-place finishes] last weekend at Snetterton, and have fallen a bit short thus far. Even so, I think that I race quite well, and I will continue to figure out the track tomorrow. With such a close field at the front, anything can happen and I plan to take full advantage when it does.”

The Team USA Scholarship, now in its 16th year, has received support this year from Mockett & Company, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” Sparco USA, RACER magazine, Mi-Jack Conquest Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, Jim Russell Racing Schools and former Scholarship winners Jimmy Vasser (1990), Bryan Herta (1991), Tony Ave (1992), Memo Gidley (1995), Buddy Rice (1997), Paul Edwards (1998/’99), Andy Lally (1999), Joey Hand (2000), A.J Allmendinger and Bryan Sellers (2001).

Today’s results from Brands Hatch:

Qualifying for Race One: 1. Josh Weber (GB), 44.693 (98.780mph), 2. Viktor Jensen (ISL), 44.795; 3. Chris Hyman (ZA), 45.041; 4. Andy Demetriou (GB), 45.098; 5. J.R. Hildebrand (USA), 45.150; 6. Stuart Prior (GB),45.156; etc.

Qualifying for Race Two: 1. Weber, 44.651 (98.863mph); 2. Jensen, 44.781; 3. Hyman, 45.118; 4. Demetriou, 45.237; 5. Prior, 45.278; 6. Hildebrand, 45.308; etc. 

After finishing second on Saturday in the series opener, Hildebrand again drove a strong race to claim another runner-up finish this morning in his stunning, red-white-and-blue Team USA Scholarship car. A couple of hours later he found himself in the lead of the third race of the weekend...but then the heavens opened. After the race was red-flagged to allow the entire field to be switched onto wet weather tires, Hildebrand lost his advantage, then slithered off the treacherous track and ended his race stuck in the mud.

But first, the good news: The gifted 17-year-old from Sausalito, Calif., edged past front-row starter Viktor Jensen to take second place at the first corner of this morning’s first race, only to be edged onto the grass by at the Esses later on around the lap. Hildebrand managed to regain the track in third, behind Andy Demetriou, then quickly chased down his rival before executing a brave maneuver around the outside of the very fast first corner, Riches.

“I used the boost to get alongside him and just got on the brakes really late,” related Hildebrand cooly.

By that time Josh Weber, who also won the first race on Saturday, was way out in front, so Hildebrand brought his car home safely in second.

The third race began with rain spots falling, and after falling back to fourth place on the opening lap, Hildebrand profited when both Weber and Jensen slid off the slippery track at Riches. Hildebrand next passed Demetriou for the lead and was already beginning to edge away when the rain began to fall heavily and the red flags were displayed.

Immediately after the restart, Hildebrand began to struggle in the treacherous conditions. He lost a couple of positions before sliding off the road for good.

“Overall, I’m satisfied with the results. The competition is tough and I was right there on pace with the leaders,” he noted. “It was great to have the opportunity to lead but I think my inexperience probably got the better of me.”

Hildebrand will return to action next weekend at the historic Brands Hatch circuit for the final three races.

The Team USA Scholarship, now in its 16th year, has received support this year from Mockett.com, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” Sparco USA, RACER magazine, Mi-Jack Conquest Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, Jim Russell Racing Schools and former Scholarship winners Jimmy Vasser (1990), Bryan Herta (1991), Tony Ave (1992), Memo Gidley (1995), Buddy Rice (1997), Paul Edwards (1998/’99), Andy Lally (1999), Joey Hand (2000), A.J Allmendinger and Bryan Sellers (2001).

Today’s results from Snetterton:

Round 2: 1. Josh Weber (GB), 18 laps in 19m58.293s (105.55mph), 2. J.R. Hildebrand (USA), +10.860s; 3. Andy Demetriou (GB); 4. Tom Haines (GB); 5. Chris Hyman (ZA); 6. Joshua Southall (GB); 7. Russell Bolesworth; 8. Gino Ussi (I); 9. Paul Warren (GB); 10. David Joseph; etc. Fastest lap: Weber, 1m05.343s, 107.54mph.

Round 3: 1. Demetriou, 10 laps in 13m26.366s (87.14mph); 2. John Embiricos (GR); 4. Mark Powell (GB); 5. Bill Knowles (GB); 6. Joseph; 7. Hyman; 8. Rob Lofting (GB); 9. Haines; 10. David Tait (GB); etc. DNF Hildebrand, accident. Fastest lap: Lofting, 1m16.591s (91.75mph).

Championship points after three of six rounds: 1. Demetriou, 58; 2. Weber, 48; 3. Hyman, 41; 4. Hildebrand, 40; 5. Haines, 37; 6. Powell, 36; 7. Knowles, 31; 8. Southall, 29; 9, Joseph, 28; 10. Lofting and Viktor Jensen (ISL), 26, etc.

The 300-horsepower FPA car represented a significant step up for Hildebrand, who began his racing career in 2004 by winning the SCCA Formula Russell Championship, based at Infineon Raceway, and this year, in his first season of professional racing, finished a close second in a hard-fought Pacific F2000 Championship. After only one brief test in the FPA car a couple weeks ago at Bedford Autodrome, the 17-year-old qualified second quickest this morning, behind British Formula Renault veteran Josh Weber.

Conditions today were cool and dry, and Hildebrand was eagerly looking forward to his first-ever standing start: “I was fairly confident, although I didn’t really know what to expect. I was able to talk about it with Joe Tandy, who won this year’s FPA championship and was working as an instructor for the weekend. He was a big help, just giving some kind of concept of what to expect.

“I had a fairly decent start but it wasn’t quite as good as Weber, and the guy from the third position also got a flyer and came up alongside me probably only 30 yards after the start. So I got on the boost button [an identical concept to the “push-to-pass” system used in the Champ Car World Series] and I was able to hold him off into Turn One.”

Hildebrand maintained pace with the leader for the first half of the race before settling into a secure second.

“I realized I wasn’t going to pass him unless he made a mistake, so I eased off to look after the tires, because we only have one set to last us the entire race weekend.

“I’m very satisfied with the way it ended,” concluded Hildebrand. “Just being able to run over here in England and show well as an American has been a lot of fun. Everybody at Formula Palmer Audi has been great to deal with, so it’s been a really good experience.”

The youngster will have two more opportunities to continue his learning curve on Sunday. He will start from the third position in Race Two tomorrow morning, while the grid for the third and final race of the weekend will be set according to lap times posted in both of the first two races.

The Team USA Scholarship, now in its 16th year, has received support this year from Mockett.com, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” Sparco USA, RACER magazine, Mi-Jack Conquest Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, Jim Russell Racing Schools and former Scholarship winners Jimmy Vasser (1990), Bryan Herta (1991), Tony Ave (1992), Memo Gidley (1995), Buddy Rice (1997), Paul Edwards (1998/’99), Andy Lally (1999), Joey Hand (2000), A.J Allmendinger and Bryan Sellers (2001).

(Meanwhile, this afternoon in Mexico City, a dramatic final round of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series saw Gidley team with another young American rising star, Michael McDowell, to take a dramatic maiden victory both for themselves and the Finlay Motorsports team. And in the GT category, Edwards took the victory spoils in a Pontiac GTO.R shared with Danish veteran Jan Magnussen.)

Today’s results from Snetterton:

1. Josh Weber (GB), 18 laps in 22m24.798s (94.05mph), 2. J.R. Hildebrand (USA), +7.038s; 3. Viktor Jensen (ISL); 4. Andy Demetriou (GB); 5. Joshua Southall (GB); 6. Paul Warren (GB); 7. Chris Hyman (ZA); 8. Rob Lofting (GB); 9. Mark Powell (GB); 10. Tom Haines (GB); etc. Fastest lap: Weber, 1m05.084s, 107.87mph.

Photography courtesy of Andrew Ferraro/LAT 

The series will comprise three races on each of two weekends: at Snetterton this coming weekend, November 5/6, and at Brands Hatch on November 12/13.

Doug Mockett & Company, a Torrance, Calif.-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” will remain as the program’s primary sponsor for the second straight year.

A variety of teams and drivers representing the Champ Car World Series, the Indy Racing League, the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and the American Le Mans Series, plus one of the world’s most highly respected suppliers of auto racing safety equipment, Sparco USA, are among additional Scholarship supporters.

Two Champ Car teams, Dale Coyne Racing and Mi-Jack Conquest Racing (owned by former Indy Lights champion driver Eric Bachelart and Mike Lanigan), are contributing to the program along with 1996 title winner Jimmy Vasser, who since claiming the inaugural award in 1990 has become one of the Scholarship’s staunchest supporters, and 2001 Scholarship winner (and 2004 Champ Car Rookie of the Year) A.J. Allmendinger.

Buddy Rice, who won a Team USA Scholarship in 1996 and went on to win the 2004 Indianapolis 500, represents the IRL along with 1991 Scholarship winner Bryan Herta, the winner at Michigan this year.

Fellow former Scholarship winners Tony Ave (1992), Memo Gidley (1995), Paul Edwards (1998/’99), Andy Lally (1999) and Joey Hand (2000) are now plying their trade to excellent effect in the Rolex Grand-Am series and have also pledged their support. (Incidentally, Lally will be seeking to clinch his second Grand-Am championship in as many years this coming weekend in Mexico City.) Also contributing from the sports car ranks is Bryan Sellers, who joined Allmendinger in winning a Team USA Scholarship in 2001.

“I’m extremely grateful for the support of people like Doug Mockett and all these former winners – who know first-hand how much their careers have benefited in the past,” notes Team USA Scholarship founder and veteran auto racing writer/broadcaster Jeremy Shaw. “We’re still looking to complete the funding for this program. A modest investment can reap big dividends, and help make it possible to continue the development of young American talent.”

“Winning the Scholarship was a huge help to me,” declares Allmendinger. “It enabled me to make a lot of connections that really helped me get to where I am today, and it’s a great feeling to be able to be involved in giving a similar opportunity to someone like J.R.”

“One of the great things in life is to be able to help others,” adds Mockett, an accomplished vintage car racer and arch enthusiast who in recent years also has played a pivotal role in furthering the careers of both Edwards and Joe D’Agostino, who won a Team USA Scholarship in ‘03 and is now working his way up the auto racing ladder in England.

“In no other sport do the competitors need assistance like they do in motorsports. You don’t just need a mitt and bat, or tennis racket, or set of golf clubs, or set of running shoes to display your talent. You need a very, very expensive piece of machinery. If you’re not wealthy, climbing the motor racing ladder can become virtually impossible. And immensely frustrating.

“So it is a pleasure to be able to assist up-and-coming drivers like J.R.,” continues Mockett. “It’s just a small step, just a little help along the way.”

The races will take place over two weekends next month at Snetterton (November 5/6) and Brands Hatch (November 12/13).

Hildebrand, 17, began his trip by visiting the FPA base at Bedford Autodrome, around 70 miles north of London, for a seat-fitting in his #4 car resplendent in its patriotic, red-white-and-blue Team USA Scholarship colors. The following day, once dense fog had finally lifted, Hildebrand gained his first on-track experience of the turbocharged, 300hp, open-wheel machine. The youngster was quickly up to speed, posting the fastest time of the day.

“It was a great experience and a wonderful tutorial to what I will be up against come raceday,” said Hildebrand. “It has significantly more power than any other car I have driven and much larger tires. What I was not expecting was the weight of the car and the amount of [aerodynamic grip]. I suppose my expectation was that it was to be a much more powerful version of an FF2000 car, but I had to work much harder to balance the car, and to keep it balanced.

“I was extremely impressed by the FPA organization. It is obviously quite an undertaking, and is run in a very professional way. It speaks volumes about their commitment to young drivers like myself on their way through the auto racing ranks.”

Hildebrand then visited both of the race tracks on which he will compete next month. He was able to turn several laps in a road car at each venue and gain some kind of perspective on what to expect when he returns for the races.

“Brands Hatch seems to be a very technical circuit, busy but exciting at the same time,” he noted. “Even driving the rental car, I felt like I could really get into a rhythm going around the track, as it flows very well. It is quite apparent that it is a very high-class facility as well.

“Snetterton was also quite interesting, more for its mix of slow, medium and high speed corners, as well as the two long straights that looked very conducive to passing.

“I think both tracks will produce some great racing in the FPA cars and I can hardly wait to get back there.”

One more treat awaited Hildebrand before he returned home to continue his studies in his final year of high school: a visit to the Huntingdon headquarters of Lola Cars, one of the world’s foremost racing car manufacturers which, among other high-profile projects, currently supplies the entire Champ Car World Series field.

“I was impressed both by the facility and the graciousness of everyone there,” said Hildebrand. “To see the amount of detail that is put into every single product was unbelievable. It was also interesting to be able to view the array of cars that Lola produces, from Champ Cars to the A1 Grand Prix cars to Le Mans prototypes, and to witness how involved each project is. I left with quite an enlightened view of how difficult and important each individual step in the production process really is.”

Hildebrand will return to England early next month in readiness for his first-ever overseas races at Snetterton.

The first Team USA Scholarship was awarded in 1990 to Jimmy Vasser, who is now the elder statesman of the Champ Car World Series after winning the championship in 1996. Subsequent winners have included Champ Car and Indy Car race winner Bryan Herta (1991), NASCAR race winner Jerry Nadeau (1993), Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice (1997), last year’s Champ Car World Series Rookie of the Year A.J. Allmendinger (2001) and current Grand-Am Rolex Series standouts Memo Gidley (1995), Paul Edwards (1998/’99), Andy Lally (1999) and Joey Hand (2000).

Hildebrand, 17, from Sausalito, Calif., has distinguished himself in his first season of professional racing, finishing second in a close-fought Pacific F2000 Championship and earning three podium finishes from just four starts in the East Coast-based Cooper Tires Championship Series for Formula Ford 2000 cars.

Hildebrand’s prize will include entry in the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy series, which will comprise a total of six races run over two consecutive weekends next month at the famed Snetterton and Brands Hatch road courses in England.

“It’s such an amazing opportunity,” says Hildebrand, who is still in high school and is the youngest driver to win a Team USA Scholarship since the program’s inception in 1990. “Obviously, to get the experience of racing in Europe and driving a car which has so much more power and huge tires, and to race on such great tracks, means an awful lot.

“There’s a real history behind the program and it’s produced so many great drivers. It’s looked upon very highly by everybody in the sport, and being a part of it is almost unbelievable right now.”

In common with so many of today’s established stars, Hildebrand gained his first experience of competition in karting. Atypically, however, Hildebrand didn’t spend years honing his skills. Instead, a little more than 12 months after contesting his first race in the Jim Russell Racing School’s low-key Arrive-and-Drive program at Infineon Raceway, Hildebrand was invited to the Russell School’s Graduate Run-Offs in 2003. His talent was immediately apparent. Despite his rookie status, Hildebrand scooped the top prize and repaid the faith that was shown in him by clinching the 2004 SCCA Formula Russell Championship on the strength of seven wins from 19 races.

His first year of professional racing, in 2005, has been similarly impressive. Hildebrand guided a PR1 Motorsports Mygale to 12 consecutive top-five finishes from his first dozen races, then added a strong third-place finish recently at the challenging VIRginia International Raceway, driving one of P-1 Racing’s Zetec-powered Van Diemens for the very first time.

“It has been my privilege to watch many, many talented youngsters over the years, but I have to say I have been very impressed by what I have seen so far from J.R.,” says Team USA Scholarship founder Jeremy Shaw, whose career as an auto racing writer and broadcaster has spanned over 30 years. “He’s young, he’s intelligent and he’s fast. Those are certainly good attributes to start out with in this sport!”

The first Team USA Scholarship was awarded in 1990 to Jimmy Vasser, who, coincidentally, also was competing in FF2000 at the time. Vasser went on to win the 1996 Champ Car crown, earning the first of a record four consecutive titles for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing. He is now the elder statesman of the Champ Car World Series, yet remains at the top of his game as part-owner and driver for PKV Racing and currently lies sixth in the points table.

“I saw J.R. race at Cleveland in June and he did a very good job,” says Vasser, who along with Champ Car and IRL race winner Herta, the 1991 scholarship winner, has remained a staunch supporter of the project which is aimed at promoting young American drivers on the world stage. “I still remember the opportunities that came to me as a result of winning the Team USA Scholarship and I’m proud to be able to continue that legacy.”

Details of other Team USA Scholarship supporters will be announced soon.

Miller showed great promise during the morning’s 12-lap event, finishing eighth in the rain and turning some very promising lap times. Unfortunately, his high expectations for the weekend’s 16-lap finale, run in dry conditions, soon turned to frustration when the car’s handling deteriorated and he was further handicapped by a lack of straightline speed.

"It was just a dog,” said Miller after finishing 14th in Race Three. “The understeer was the most horrendous I’ve ever had in a Formula Ford. It was just scrubbing [speed] terribly.”

Race Two on Sunday morning was held in very wet conditions and saw Miller start 10th in his white, red and blue Team USA Scholarship/Doug Mockett & Company Stealth/Van Diemen. A good start saw him move to eighth on the opening lap, and he was soon piling the pressure on New Zealand veteran Simon Gamble’s Spectrum.

“The visibility was horrible,” said Miller. “I tried to make a pass a few times but it was really tough because when you got off line, it was really slippery and you’d lose all the grip.”

Miller was reasonably content with an eighth-place finish in a race dominated by teen-aged Christchurch driver Andy Knight, taking the checkered flag in the midst of a train of cars headed by fourth-place finisher (and former series champion) Phil Hellebrekers.

Miller’s 14th-place finish in the final race was enough to take his points tally to 102 for the weekend – ranking him an impressive seventh among the 22-car field. Miller had been expecting more, but he still acquitted himself well and has much to look forward to as he will contest next weekend’s New Zealand Grand Prix at Teretonga Park, Invercargill – the world’s most southerly race track.

“I was looking for better results but this has still been a great experience,” said the 18-year-old from Edmond, Oklahoma. “I have met a lot of good people and learned a lot about what makes these cars work. It has been good to drive in all sorts of different conditions, and this is a very competitive series. I’m looking forward to going on to Teretonga and moving up toward the front with the Team USA Scholarship car.”

Race 2 results (12 laps): 1 Andy Knight (NZ), Stealth/Van Diemen Evo2, 15m 44.603s, 68.143 mph; 2 Hamish Cross (NZ), Stealth/Van Diemen, +19.286s; 3 Shannon O’Brien (AUS), Van Diemen RF03; 4 Phil Hellebrekers (NZ), Spectrum 010; 5 Matthew Radisich (NZ), Van Diemen RF02; 6 Christina Orr (NZ), Stealth/Van Diemen; 8 Slade Miller (USA), Stealth/Van Diemen. Fastest lap: Knight, 1m 15.111s, 71.476mph.

Race 3 results (16 laps): 1 Knight, 20m 48.556s, 68.798 mph; 2 O’Brien, +0.154s; 3 Cross; 4 Gamble; 5 Orr; 6 Radisich; 14 Miller. Fastest lap: O’Brien, 1m 06.254s, 81.031mph.

Talley’s New Zealand Formula Ford Championship weekend points: 1  Knight, 217; 2 O’Brien, 202; 3 Cross, 187; 4 Gamble, 145; 5 Radisich, 136; 6 Orr, 114, 7 Miller, 102; etc.

Picture courtesy of Graham Blow Photography 

Photo of Miller's Stealth/Van Diemen courtesy of Graham Blow Photography

Miller, 18, from, Redmond, Oklahoma, completed almost 100 laps of the technically challenging Powerbuilt Tools Raceway at Ruapuna Park, near Christchurch, on Monday, making steady progress with a car which proved to be quite different from his regular SCCA Formula Ford-spec Quantum Mechanics Van Diemen.

“The biggest difficulty was getting used to the tires they run down here,” said Miller, who won the 2004 Mid Western Division Championship. “I’m used to running on very soft, slick [non-treaded] tires in the U.S., whereas here they run on very hard, treaded Avon tires. It made a much bigger difference than I expected and it takes a different driving style to get the most out of them. For one, they use trailing throttle to get the cars to turn well.

“It was difficult at first,” he admitted, “but I began to get used to it and turned some pretty good sector times. I felt quite comfortable and was turning some consistent times by the end of the day. It was good.”

Miller has spent today fettling the car and making a few subtle changes in preparation for a test day at Levels Raceway tomorrow (Thursday). His busy schedule includes more track time on Friday, while Saturday will comprise one official qualifying session and one race, with two more races to follow on Sunday.

Miller, who arrived in New Zealand just before the New Year, also has found time to do some sight-seeing, including a drive west across the Canterbury Plain and over the Southern Alps, via the breathtaking Arthur’s Pass.

“The big, green mountains, flowers, caves, rivers and waterfalls are all really pretty,” he said. “I’ve heard that is where quite a bit of the Lord of the Rings footage was shot. It’s beautiful. I also visited the beach in New Brighton.”

“But now I’m looking forward to getting some more time in the car and to the competition,” continued Miller, who has never before traveled outside of North America.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who has made this possible for me. It’s a great responsibility to follow in the footsteps of great drivers like Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Buddy Rice and A.J. Allmendinger, and for them to continue supporting the Team USA Scholarship in the way they do -- as well as people like Doug Mockett & Company, Jay Ivey Engines and Dale Coyne Racing -- makes it extra special.”

Buddy Rice, winner of the 2004 Indianapolis 500 for Rahal Letterman Racing, and A.J. Allmendinger, who claimed the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year Award in the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, driving for RuSPORT, are both former winners of the Team USA Scholarship, which was founded in 1990. Rice, 28, claimed his prize in 1997, while Allmendinger, 23, won a Team USA Scholarship in 2001. The pair join fellow former recipients Jimmy Vasser (1990), Bryan Herta (1991) and Bryan Sellers (2001) in contributing sponsorship dollars.

Other supporters of one of the sport’s most prized traditions include Doug Mockett & Company, a Torrance, California-based producer and supplier of “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” Champ Car team owner Dale Coyne and noted public relations representative Dan Layton, as well as long-time program advocates Steve and Christine Horne, Ivey Engines, Sparco racewear and RACER magazine.

“It seems like a long time ago now, but winning the Team USA Scholarship was a big help to my career,” said Rice, from Phoenix, Arizona. “I met a lot of influential people, and racing overseas for the first time taught me a lot about what I needed to do for the future. It’s taken a while, but I’m really happy to be able to put something back into a program that has done so much for young drivers like me over the years.”

Added Denver, Colorado, resident Allmendinger: “Winning a Team USA Scholarship meant so much to me. I learned a lot of lessons about myself and about what I needed to do to move on up the racing ladder. I’m very grateful to all the people who helped me and I’m happy to be able to help someone else get the same opportunity.”

Other drivers who have benefitted from the Team USA Scholarship since its inception in 1990 include Ashton Lewis (1992), who in 2004 finished among the top 10 in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series with his family-run team; Memo Gidley (1995), who recently signed a deal to contest the 2005 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series with Finlay Motorsports; Andy Lally (1999), who claimed the 2004 Grand-Am Super Grand Sports (SGS) series championship in a TPC Racing Porsche GT3 Cup; Jeff Simmons (1999), who made an impressive Indy Racing League debut at the Indianapolis 500 with Mo Nunn Racing; and Phil Giebler (1999), who won the 2004 season-opening Infiniti Pro Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, driving for Keith Duesenberg Racing.

This year’s Team USA Scholarship winner, Slade Miller, is currently in New Zealand, and today will start testing his Stealth/Van Diemen chassis in preparation for a trio of races next weekend at Levels Raceway, Timaru. Miller also will contest one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most prestigious races, the New Zealand Grand Prix, at Teretonga Park, Invercargill, the weekend of January 15/16.

Doug Mockett & Company, a Torrance, California-based producer and supplier of  “Fine Architectural Hardware For Your Fine Furniture,” has joined the program as a primary sponsor, while stalwart Champ Car World Series driver-turned-team owner Dale Coyne also will provide a valued contribution.

Mockett, an accomplished vintage car racer who in recent years has helped further the careers of two more Team USA Scholarship winners, Paul Edwards (1998) and Joe D’Agostino (2003), will join long-time program advocates Jimmy Vasser (who was the first-ever Scholarship recipient in 1990) and Bryan Herta (1991), plus Steve and Christine Horne, Sparco racewear and RACER magazine, in continuing one of the sport’s most worthwhile traditions.

“It’s very simple,” said Doug Mockett in explaining his involvement with the program. “Since big corporations and organizations who could easily fund up-and-coming racers don’t do it, it really comes down to enthusiasts like myself. I think this is a great program. It’s helped a lot of very talented youngsters at an early stage in their careers, and I’m proud to put my name behind it.”

Among active participants in the Champ Car World Series, only 2004 champion team Newman/Haas Racing has been around longer than Dale Coyne’s eponymous organization. Coyne, 50, first entered the series as a driver in 1984, and this year his Plainfield, Illinois-based team enjoyed its most successful season to date as Spanish veteran Oriol Servia claimed eight top-10 finishes and 10th in the final points table.

“I’ve been impressed by the quality of the drivers who have benefitted from the Team USA Scholarship program,” said Coyne, who has given many talented up-and-coming drivers their first opportunity to shine in the Champ Car series, including Paul Tracy, Eric Bachelart, Robbie Buhl and Darren Manning. “This is a great way to put something back into the sport.”

Coyne has recently completed a series of test sessions in Florida as he works toward finalizing his 2005 Champ Car World Series program. Among the drivers invited to sample one of his team’s well-developed Lola-Ford Cosworths was 2001 Team USA Scholarship winner Bryan Sellers, who this year finished sixth in the Champ Car Toyota Atlantic Championship with LynxoRacing.

Other past Team USA Scholarship recipients include Buddy Rice (1997), who scored a momentous victory in the 2004 Indianapolis 500, driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and A.J. Allmendinger (2001), who cemented his position as one of the nation’s most promising young stars by adding to his 2002 Barber Dodge Pro Series and 2003 Toyota Atlantic Championship crowns by claiming Champ Car’s 2004 Roshfrans Rookie of the Year title with the RuSPORT team.

Photo: Doug Mockett 

The Team USA Scholarship was founded in 1990. Jimmy Vasser was the first Scholarship recipient, and went on to win the 1996 Champ Car World Series title for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing. Bryan Herta, Jerry Nadeau, Memo Gidley, this year’s Indianapolis 500 Champion Buddy Rice and Champ Car’s 2004 Roshfrans Rookie of the Year A.J. Allmendinger are among an illustrious list of more recent Team USA Scholarship award winners.

Miller, 18, from Edmond, Oklahoma, comes from a well-respected racing family. His mother, Susan Ramseyer, won the SCCA Mid-Am Sports 2000 Championship when she was pregnant with Slade in 1985. Slade’s father, Wendell Miller, has won seven SCCA Divisional Championships and has owned and operated his Quantum Mechanics racing services and preparation shop for over 30 years. Older sister Aislinn also has tried her hand behind the wheel, although now concentrates her efforts on a career in motorsports marketing.

“This is a great chance to further my career in racing and represent the USA in New Zealand,” says Miller. “I think that this will be an important step on the way to becoming a professional racecar driver. It’s very exciting being selected to have this opportunity, and be a part of a program that has helped so many talented drivers over the years.”

The younger Miller – who is named after racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi – began racing karts at age 13. He progressed to become a factory driver for the KartWerks Biesse team before moving into cars with a Formula Ford Van Diemen midway through the 2003 season. Success came almost immediately as he was crowned Mid-Am Champion and was named Rookie of the Year in the Mid West Division. This year Miller has won four SCCA National events and secured the Formula Ford Mid West Division Championship.

Miller, who prepares his own race car at his dad’s shop, also attends the University of Oklahoma as a freshman engineering student.

“Slade has earned this opportunity to represent his country and has all the hallmarks of a champion,” says Team USA Scholarship founder and veteran auto racing writer and broadcaster Jeremy Shaw. “He works hard, is absolutely dedicated to making a career out of racing, and is a true enthusiast too. He has some big shoes to fill, but I am confident he will rise to the challenge.”

Miller will travel to New Zealand after Christmas to prepare himself for two weekends of racing – each of which will comprise three races – at Levels Raceway, Timaru, on January 8/9, and then the famed New Zealand Grand Prix meet (which was first contested in 1950) at Teretonga Park, Invercargill, the world’s most southerly race track, on January 15/16. He will drive the same Stealth/Van Diemen with which 2003 Team USA Scholarship winner Charlie Kimball won the Talley’s New Zealand International Formula Ford Challenge this past January.

Two winners of the high-profile Red Bull Driver Search initiative -- Scott Speed, 21, from Manteca, Calif., and Colin Fleming, 20, from North Hills, Calif. -- have emerged as regular pacesetters in the Formula Renault Eurocup, while two more American youngsters – Charlie Kimball, 19, from Camarillo, Calif., and Joe D’Agostino, also 19, from Plantation,. Fla. – recently have earned their first victories in the equally prestigious UK Formula Ford Championship.

Kimball and D’Agostino both carried the patriotic Team USA Scholarship colors in the New Zealand International Formula Ford Challenge this past January, with Kimball scoring a dominant sweep of the final three races at Ruapuna Park, Christchurch, and narrowly edging out local rising stars Tim Edgell and Chris Pither to the series crown.

The American duo have chosen to continue their auto racing “education” in British Formula Ford competition – a series which in the past has provided a foundation for many of the sport’s greatest stars, including Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Gil de Ferran, David Coulthard and Jenson Button.

Kimball began his title bid by claiming pole position in the opening two races of the season at Donington Park in April, and finally scored a long overdue maiden victory at the challenging Oulton Park International circuit last month.

“This is just an amazing feeling,” said Kimball. “The team and I have had the pace all year but we just haven’t put the results together. I’m glad that I could repay the team’s hard work with this super win.”

Kimball followed up that success by winning again the following day.

Yesterday at the famed Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, home of the British Grand Prix, Kimball’s teammate D’Agostino continued Team JLR’s winning ways by claiming his first victory – with Kimball following home in second place. It was the first time two Americans have taken the first two places in a British Formula Ford Championship race since the series’ inception in 1967.

“It was great; I’m just over the moon,” said D’Agostino, who began the season with minimal testing following his recuperation from an arm-breaking crash in the New Zealand Grand Prix in January. “The team has supported me all along and I’ve been trying so hard, so long, so it’s great to have the opportunity to really show what I can do.”

The Team USA Scholarship was founded in 1990. Jimmy Vasser was the first Scholarship recipient, and went on to win the 1996 Champ Car World Series title for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing. Bryan Herta, Jerry Nadeau, Memo Gidley, this year’s Indianapolis 500 Champion Buddy Rice, and budding Champ Car star A.J. Allmendinger are among an illustrious list of more recent Team USA Scholarship award winners.

Photo (of D'Agostino's FF Van Diemen taken earlier in the season at Croft) courtesy of Joe D'Agostino 

Kimball, who qualified fourth, took the lead from polesitter Tim Edgell in opportunistic style midway through the 10-lap race (which started a little after 7 p.m. in gloriously sunny conditions) and quickly asserted his superiority before taking the checkered flag 1.608 seconds ahead of his rival. Team USA Scholarship teammate Ryan Millen posted a similarly strong charge to finish the race tucked underneath Edgell’s gearbox in third place.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Kimball, 18, from Camarillo, Calif. “There’s nothing like a win! I did it five times last year [four times in U.S. Formula Ford 2000 Zetec competition and once in the British Formula Ford Zetec Winter Series] and it’s great to get a first win so early this year. I fully intend to carry this momentum forward through the season.”

Kimball didn’t make life easy for himself by making a poor getaway from the standing start and losing a couple of positions on the run to the first corner. But he profited from a first-corner melee to jump up into third place. He then made a fine pass on Chris Pither to move into second before homing in on Edgell.

“I made a horrible start,” admitted Kimball. “I just had way too many revs and got a lot of wheelspin. I think I was sixth into the first corner.

“I made a run on Pither and braked really late into the complex and just squeezed through. I could see Tim [Edgell] making a bit of a break. I knew I could catch him up in the infield but I knew I was going to struggle to hold him on the straight.”

Kimball, though, closed quickly onto the tail of the leader, establishing a new lap record of 1m 29.792s as he did so, then used the draft to excellent effect on the front straightaway before sweeping past just before the braking area for Turn One.

“I have to give [Edgell] credit,” said Kimball. “He raced me hard but it was clean. I have to thank him for giving me some running room.”

Kimball then paced the race to the checkers: “It was good to get out front, make a gap and then turn some fast laps when I needed to [in order to make the lead secure],” he said.

Millen also was charging hard. He had made a stunning start from fifth on the grid – all the top five qualifiers had bettered Jason Richards’ existing track record of 1m 30.090s – only to find himself pushed wide at the first corner, which cost him four positions. From seventh, Millen picked up one place when the unfortunate Andy Knight suffered a broken wheel on the first lap. He then made short work of Ben Crighton, Marc Doran and Pither (who was hobbled by a misfiring engine) before setting his sights on Edgell

Millen, 19, f rom Newport Beach, Calif., turned a best lap just 0.019 seconds shy of Kimball’s new standard as he homed in on the series point leader, but Edgell kept all the doors firmly closed and held on to second place by a scant 0.262 seconds.

“That damn blue car is so wide,” joked an excited Millen. “Hey, who knows what might have happened if I hadn’t got caught up in that mess at the first corner.... Still, I’m very happy. It’s an excellent result, especially as most of the series has been a disaster for me. I’ve had the pace but I haven’t been able to put it together; and today I managed to put it together. That was fun!”

One of the first to congratulate Kimball and Millen was teammate Joe D’Agostino, who has been restricted to the sidelines after suffering a broken left arm in a crash last week at Teretonga Raceway.

“I’m kind of bummed not to be driving, of course,” said D’Agostino, 18, from Plantation, Fla. “I’d love to have been out there, but to be perfectly honest, watching Ryan and Charlie, I felt really proud. They both did an awesome job.”

“It’s so great to have Joe here,” said Kimball. “I wanted to get the lap record for him because he’d been really quick here when we tested. I knew he was going to kick me if I didn’t do it. So for my own safety, I’m glad I got the record.”

The final two races -- one of 12 laps duration and the other 18 laps -- will take place on Sunday afternoon. The grid for the first race already has been set, with Kimball taking advantage of a draft from teammate Millen to post a sensational lap at 1m 29.373s – almost three-quarters of a second inside the old record. Edgell posted the second fastest lap, marginally ahead of Jayant Singh and Millen, although the results have not been finalized pending an inquiry into the possibility that Edgell’s time might have been set after the checkered flag had been shown.

Grid positions for the 18-lap finale will be established according to championship positions at that time.

The seven-race International series boasts a host of prizes, including test drives in a Barber Dodge Pro Series car, a Star Mazda car and a Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Van Diemen, plus a free race weekend in the SCCA Formula Russell Championship Presented by Yokohama. All the prize rides will take place in the United States. The series is currently led by Tim Edgell, who holds a 24-point margin, 120 to 96, over fellow New Zealander Chris Pither. Kimball’s victory today and his pole for tomorrow’s first race vaults him to third in the table, just six markers shy of Pither. With 32 points on offer for each race win, plus bonus points available for pole and fastest lap in each race, the series is still wide open.

Qualifying results for Race One: 1. Tim Edgell (NZ), Van Diemen RF03, 1m 29.735s; 2. Chris Pither (NZ), Spectrum 07, 1m 29.849s; 3. Andy Knight (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1m 29.849s; 4. Charlie Kimball (USA), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1m 29.898s; 5. Ryan Millen (USA), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1m 29.983s; 6. Marc Doran (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1m 30.247s.

Results for Race One (10 laps): 1. Kimball, 15m 09.671s, 84.192mph; 2. Edgell, 15m 11.279s; 3. Millen, 15m 11.541s; 4. Doran, 15m 18.387s; 5. Ben Crighton (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 15m 19.612s; 6. Richard Reid (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 15m 25.233s. Fastest lap: Kimball, 1m 29.792s, 85.699mph (new record).

Current championship points after five of seven races: 1. Edgell, 120; 2. Pither, 96; 3. Kimball, 90; 4. Kenny Smith, 75; 5. Knight, 73; 6. Simon Gamble & Doran, 56; etc.
 

Joe D’Agostino landed in the hospital after suffering a broken left arm and a concussion, following a major accident on lap three which also ended the day of teammate Ryan Millen. Charlie Kimball kept the flag flying with a brilliant display as he charged into the lead after starting sixth, only for his aspirations to be dashed when he was controversially assessed a drive-through penalty following a coming-together with New Zealander Jayant Singh.

Kimball also played a starring role in a thrilling 10-lap preliminary race on Sunday morning. An 11-car train of ducking, diving Formula Ford cars ensured a spectacular sight in the early stages, but after starting eighth, Kimball soon began working his way forward. He was gifted a couple of places when Millen made a mistake which eliminated both himself and veteran Kenny Smith. Kimball, though, dispensed with impressive youngster Brendon Hartley and former New Zealand Champion Phil Hellebrekers in a pair of daring outside-line passes under braking for The Elbow, leading onto Teretonga’s long main straightaway. He also outbraked current series leader Chris Pither with a breathtaking pass at Castrol Corrner, and was hot on the heels of the first two, Tim Edgell and Simon Gamble, when the checkered flag flew.

“That was SO much fun,” shrilled an elated Kimball, who also set comfortably the fastest lap of the race. “You don’t even understand how much fun that was! The car was great. I didn’t have much straightline speed but the car was really working well in the corners. I’m looking forward even more to the Grand Prix now, because I don’t have to start so far back.”

Kimball lined up sixth for the main event, which was scheduled to be held over 40 laps including a refueling break at half-distance. Millen gridded eighth after the Canterbury Motor Racing School team completed sterling work to rebuilt his car following the earlier accident, while D’Agostino started 11th. (D’Agostino finished 12th in the earlier race after moving up a couple of positions and then indulging in a quick spin when he attempted to pass the experienced Simon Richards around the outside at the very fast Loop turn.)

Kimball continued his impressive form in the early part of the Grand Prix. He outgunned Smith at the standing start and then surprised Gamble with one of his patented around-the-outside moves at The Elbow, so was running in fourth when the red flags waved after three laps following a frightening crash on the front straightaway when Millen and Marc Doran tangled wheels and the unfortunate D’Agostino was left with nowhere to go.

After a lengthy delay, the race was shortened by two laps and restarted, whereupon Kimball maintained his charge for glory and soon moved into the lead. He was even beginning to pull away when his chances of victory were increased after yet another incident took out fellow front-runners Hartley, Pither and Gamble.

While teammate D’Agostino receiving treatment in a nearly hospital, Kimball had kept the American flag flying sensationally and was in a confident frame of mind when the first 20-lap leg was concluded. Soon after the restart, however, he came under attack from Singh, who had started at the back following a mechanical problem in qualifying and had steadily moved forward as others were delayed or eliminated. Young Matthew Radisich also was embroiled in the lead battle. Kimball and Singh exchanged positions a couple of times over the next few laps, with Singh displaying prodigious straightline speed and Kimball markedly quicker through the corners.

The deciding moment of the race came a few minutes after a clash between the pair at Castrol Corner ended with Singh parked in the gravel trap. The Chief Steward determined that Kimball had been at fault and called for the American to be assessed a drive-through penalty. Kimball was forced to relinquish his lead, falling all the way to the back of the pack. He managed to salvage ninth at the checkered flag, but was distraught at the outcome.

“So far as I’m concerned, I went to the inside under braking and he turned in on me,” said Kimball. “It was just one of those things. But I guess the stewards saw it differently.

“It was so gutting,” added Kimball. “It just hurts so bad. We didn’t have the straightline speed all weekend and the car probably wasn’t good enough to win the race, and [yet] I was out there in front and pulling away...”

“It was certainly a disappointing day,” said Team USA Scholarship founder Jeremy Shaw. “Obviously, all our thoughts are with Joe, who seems to be doing well. We all hope he makes a speedy recovery and we look forward to watching him take up his Barber-Champ Car Scholarship prize of a drive in this year’s Barber Dodge Pro Series. But I was so proud of our three guys. It appeared our motors weren’t quite on a par with the quickest cars this weekend, but the whole team worked hard on their cars’ handling and all three were very, very competitive.”

Following Kimball’s penalty, the wily old Smith, 62 years young, took over the lead and survived a last-lap scrape with backmarker Robin Judkins to hold off teenager Andy Knight for the win by a scant 0.007 seconds. (Smith had also won New Zealand Grand Prix titles in 1976 and 1990!)

Edgell, who took third, now leads the Talley’s International Formula Ford Series points table after four of six races. Several valuable prizes are up for grabs when the title-chase reaches its conclusion next weekend at Ruapuna Park Raceway, near Christchurch, including a two-day test with the Barber Dodge Pro Series; a test in a brand-new Star Formula Mazda car; a test in a PR1 Motorsports Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Van Diemen; and a free race weekend in the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School’s SCCA Formula Russell Championship Presented by Yokohama. All the prize drives will take place in the United States.

Results for Race One (10 laps): 1. Tim Edgell (NZ), Van Diemen RF03, 10m 49.876s, 88.462mph; 2. Simon Gamble (NZ), Spectrum 010, 10m 50.302s; 3. Charlie Kimball (USA), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 10m 50.311s; 4. Phil Hellebrekers (NZ), Spectrum 010, 10m 50.679s; 5. Chris Pither (NZ), Spectrum 07, 10m 50.851s; 6. Simon Richards (NZ), Van Diemen RF02, 10m 51.488s. Also, 12. Joe D’Agostino (USA), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 10m 57.779s; 26. Ryan Millen (USA), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 4 laps, accident. Fastest lap: Kimball, 1m 02.786s, 91.564mph.

Results for Race Two -- 50th Ford New Zealand Grand Prix (38 laps): 1. Kenny Smith (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth Evo 2, 1h 05m 58.783s, 55.183mph; 2. Andy Knight (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1h 05m 58.790s; 3. Edgell, 1h 06m 00.115s; 4. Ben Crighton (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1h 06m 03.343s; 5. Christina Orr (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1h 06m 03.699s; 6. Andrew Higgins (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1h 06m 04.623s. Also, 9, Kimball, 1h 06m 15.084s; DNF Millen and D’Agostino. Fastest lap: Smith, 1m 02.889s, 91.414mph.

Unofficial Talley’s International Formula Ford Championship positions after four of six races: 1. Edgell, 92 pts; 2. Pither, 83; 3. Smith, 75; 4. Knight, 73; 5. Gamble & Kimball, 56; 7. D’Agostino, 53; 8. Orr, 43; 9. Higgins, 40; 10. Doran, 36; etc.

Photo: Veteran Kenny Smith with the New Zealand Grand Prix trophy 

Millen will start sixth for the preliminary race, to be held over 10 laps, while Kimball earned sixth on the grid for the main event, the 40-lap Ford New Zealand Grand Prix.

The first of two qualifying sessions saw Kimball turn unofficially the third fastest time, 1m 03.00s, beaten only by New Zealanders Tim Edgell and Kenny Smith. The results were later nullified, however, when it became apparent that the timing transponders on several cars were not functioning properly. MotorSport New Zealand officials decided instead to determine grid positions for tomorrow’s first race according to the overall times from the second session, which saw Millen a strong sixth (just over two-tenths slower than polesitter Simon Gamble), Kimball eighth and the third Team USA driver, Joe D’Agostino, 11th following a carburetor malfunction. The top 12 cars were separated by less than a half-second.

The fastest 10 drivers then were invited to take part in a one-car-at-a-time shootout to decide the top starting positions for the feature event. This time it was Kimball who emerged quickest of the American contingent, in sixth, with Millen in eighth. D’Agostino once again will start 11th for the NZ GP.

“The car pushed really bad in the Turn One sweeper,” said Kimball after his first-ever attempt at single-car qualifying. “I stayed in the throttle longer than I had before because I just didn’t have anything to lose, but I had to lift a little bit at the exit, just to get the car to turn.”

Millen opted for a conservative approach to qualifying for the Grand Prix, and will start from eighth.

“It was a good day,” he said. “I’d rather aim for an OK position than risk it all and end up 10th. I wasn’t at full pace – just [losing] a little bit at each corner.”

D’Agostino, who finished a fine second on his Formula Ford debut one week ago at Timaru, had to make do with 11th on the grid for each race after enduring all manner of misfortune this weekend. First of all he was involved in an accident on Friday when veteran Kenny Smith spun in front of him. In first-qualifying this morning he lost a little more track time when excessive understeer caused him to slide into the gravel trap at Turn One. Then, in final qualifying, a broken accelerator pump in the carburetor cost him some speed on initial acceleration. Under the circumstances, 11th on the grid represented a fine effort.

“It’s been a rough couple of days but it’s just a matter of getting through it and doing the best I can,” he said. “The car’s pretty good. We dialed out most of the understeer so I think I’ll have a good car for the races.”

Qualifying results for Race One: 1. Simon Gamble (NZ), Spectrum 010, 1m 02.711s; 2. Tim Edgell (NZ), Van Diemen RF03, 1m 02.779s; 3. Phil Hellebrekers (NZ), Spectrum 010, 1m 02.790s; 4. Kenny Smith (NZ), Van Diemen/Stealth Evo2, 1m 02.880s; 5. Chris Pither (NZ), Spectrum 07, 1m 02.886s; 6. Ryan Millen (USA), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1m 02.938s. Also, 8. Charlie Kimball (USA), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1m 03.010s; 11. Joe D’Agostino (USA), Van Diemen/Stealth RF94, 1m 03.123s.

Qualifying results for the New Zealand Grand Prix: 1. Edgell, 1m 03.004s; 2. Hellebrekers, 1m 03.065s; 3. Gamble, 1m 03.172s; 4. Smith, 1m 03.446s; 5. Pither, 1m 03.500s; 6. Kimball, 1m 03.553s. Also, 8. Millen, 1m 03.692s; 11. D’Agostino (did not take part in single-car qualifying).

Charlie Kimball finished a strong fourth in Race One and was challenging for third midway through the second race when his gearbox abruptly failed. Ryan Millen, in the third Canterbury Motor Racing School-prepared Team USA Scholarship car, posted two stunning charges from lowly grid positions. He was running seventh in the first race until making mistake on the final lap, and finished a strong fifth in the next race, just ahead of D’Agostino.

The first 10-lap race was action-filled. The initial attempt at a start was annulled almost immediately when national championship leader Brendon Hartley was involved in a huge accident at the first corner. The 14-year-old was fortunate to escape uninjured. The race was red-flagged, which actually was good news for polesitter D’Agostino, who had a little too much wheelspin when the lights went green and was beaten into the first corner by Chris Pither.

Not so at the restart. D’Agostino timed his launch perfectly, held the lead into the first corner and quickly began to pull away. Pither, meanwhile, had lost a little ground in attempting to pass D’Agostino, and instead fell to third behind fellow teenager Andy Knight, who put up a solid defense which further played into D’Agostino’s hands.

“I was gone,” declared D’Agostino. “I was walking away with it and then, unfortunately, the safety car came out.”

The full-course caution had been triggered by another crash. Soon after the restart, troubled by oversteer, D’Agostino lost out to Pither who, had earlier passed Knight in controversial circumstances [see notes below]. Pither held on to win by less than a half-second. Knight, also driving for John Crawford’s Canterbury Motor Racing School team, finished third, while Kimball took fourth after a terrific duel with Simon Gamble.

“I really enjoyed that race and learned a lot,” said Kimball.

Millen, meanwhile, had charged impressively from 12th on the grid and was putting pressure on Tim Edgell for sixth when he made a mistake on the final lap and spun into the tires.

“I took a lot of chances and it didn’t pay off in the end,” admitted Millen. “Honestly, though, I enjoyed that race much more even than winning the South Island Championship last year. I just made a mistake at the end and left my braking too late and went off. I’m better than that, but unfortunately I made a mistake.”

Millen was able to redeem himself in race two, making up two places at the start from 10th on the grid and quickly moving up onto the tail of D’Agostino, who was hindered by a problem in selecting first gear. Millen made the pass at half-distance and then tried all he could to find a way past Edgell, but to no avail.

“He made that car really wide,” said Millen, who was nonetheless delighted to finish fifth. “Some days you can win both races but not learn much. Days like today are when you feel like you really did something.”

The 15-lap race was won by Pither, who grasped the early lead in the International Championship which offers a host of valuable prizes for the winners. Pither, 16, also moved into the lead of the Talley’s New Zealand Formula Ford Championship after his double success. Veteran Kenny Smith finished second in the second race after starting from pole.

Results for Round One (10 laps): 1. Chris Pither (NZ), Spectrum 08, 13m 24.0s; 2. Joe D’Agostino (USA), Stealth/Van Diemen, +0.45s; 3. Andy Knight (NZ), Stealth/Van Diemen; 4. Charlie Kimball (USA), Stealth/Van Diemen; 5. Simon Gamble (NZ), Spectrum 010; 6. Tim Edgell (NZ), Stealth/Van Diemen; DNF. Ryan Millen (USA), Stealth/Van Diemen. Fastest lap: Pither, 1m 06.756s, 80.422mph.

Results for Race Two (15 laps): 1. Pither, 16m 56s; 2. Kenny Smith (NZ), Stealth Evo 2, +1.394s; 3. Knight; 4. Edgell; 5. Millen; 6 D’Agostino. DNF Kimball. Fastest lap: Gamble, 1m 07.028s, 80.096mph,.

Unofficial championship positions after two of six races: 1. Pither, 65; 2. Knight, 46; 3. D’Agostino, 44; 4. Smith, 42; 5. Edgell, 36; 6. Gamble, 28. Also, 9. Kimball, 20; 11. Millen, 18.

Notes:

* The results of the first race were held in abeyance for several hours while the race stewards investigated an incident wherein Pither reportedly passed Knight while yellow flags were waving on the corner. A protest was filed and both D’Agostino and Kimball were called as witnesses. Both drivers said they had seen the flags, but the stewards eventually allowed the results to stand, since official observers on the turn had reported no infraction.

* The Team USA Scholarship drivers will spend the next few days relaxing and sightseeing on the scenic New Zealand South Island before reconvening at the world’s most southerly race track, Teretonga Park, near Invercargill, for next weekend’s prestigious New Zealand Prix Grand.

Photo (D'Agostino leads the way in Race 1 at Timaru) courtesy of Graham Blow Photography

Joe D’Agostino, 19, from Plantation, Fla., emerged marginally the quickest of the trio, posting a best lap at 1m 06.8s around the 1.49-mile (2.4 kms) track on New Zealand’s South Island. Charlie Kimball, 18, from Camarillo, Calif., was within 0.2s in his identical Stealth/Van Diemen, with Ryan Millen, 19, from Newport Beach, Calif., also right on the pace. Unofficially, all three Americans were clocked faster than a few other local drivers, including Auckland’s Tim Edgell who took his brand-new Van Diemen RF03 to third- and second-place finishes in the opening round of the New Zealand national championship at Pukekohe in November.

“We’re all feeling very comfortable in the cars now,” said D’Agostino, “and we’re starting to understand what we need out of the cars, so it’s good. Timaru is a relatively short track but it’s fun. It kind of reminds me of Lime Rock Park (Conn.) because you get to do a lot of laps and you can really work on improving from corner to corner.

“It was really hot today,” he continued. “It was up around 90 or 100 degrees, but what’s good is that even though the track was getting slower as it got hotter, we were all setting similar lap times. I think we’re going to be in good shape for the race. It’s going to be a dog-fight between the three of us.”

Kimball, too, was pleased with the test.

“I’m getting to understand what the car needs,” he said. “It was a really good day, but it was SO hot! It reminded me of Buttonwillow (Calif.) in the summer – it’s almost too hot to run in the heat of the day.”

Millen continued to run an older-spec engine (the race motor will be fitted in time for a final shakedown test at Ruapuna next week), but was delighted with his progress.

“Today went really well; it went great,” said Millen, who is the only one of the three to have raced previously in New Zealand – he won last year’s South Island regional championship, also in a Canterbury Motor Racing School-prepared Stealth/Van Diemen. “I’m losing a little time on the straightaways but that’s OK. Once we get the new engine, we should be good to go.”

D’Agostino, Kimball and Millen are following in the footsteps of the likes of Jimmy Vasser, who won the first Team USA Scholarship in 1990, Bryan Herta (1991), Jerry Nadeau (1993), Memo Gidley (1995) and A.J. Allmendinger (2001). The trio will take a little time off to explore the New Zealand countryside before their next test at Ruapuna.
 

Joe D’Agostino, 18, from Plantation, Fla., Charlie Kimball, 18, from Camarillo, Calif., and Ryan Millen, 19, from Newport Beach, Calif., put the trio of Team USA Scholarship-entered Stealth/Van Diemens through their paces at Ruapuna Park Raceway and left local team owner John Crawford astounded by their speed and attitude.

“I’m really impressed -- extremely impressed,” declared Crawford, himself a former New Zealand Formula Ford Champion whose Canterbury Motor Racing School team will oversee the preparation of the Americans’ cars. “The boys settled in very quickly and were on the pace right away. They’ll be a force to be reckoned with, that’s for sure.”

In very warm weather and far from ideal track conditions, D’Agostino turned the fastest lap of the day at 1m30.2s, an average speed of 85.31 mph, which is within a half-second of the lap record for the 2.14-mile (3.44 kms) track. Kimball also turned some very competitive times during the hotter afternoon period, while Millen was equally impressive despite getting started a little bit later and ending his day early due to an engine problem.

“It was a really good first day of testing,” said D’Agostino. “The team did a good job and it was great to start working with our engineer, Andy Neale [also a leading Formula Ford contender in the early 1990s who later worked as a chief mechanic with 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve and the BAR Honda team]. We all got along very well and were able to compare data and learn from each other.”

“It took me a little time to reacclimate myself with a carbureted engine,” added Kimball, who finished third in this year’s Formula Ford 2000 Zetec Championship in the U.S. and more recently placed third in the British Formula Ford Zetec Winter Series. “It has a big flat spot compared to the fuel-injected motors I’m used to, but I’m getting there. It’s good that I can sit down tonight and think about things, then get ready for our next test tomorrow morning.

“This is a great track,” continued Kimball. “It’s really technical and it’s got a little of everything – some long, sweeping corners, some fast tight stuff and some tight, twisty hairpin corners. There’s a little bit of elevation change too; just enough to make it interesting.”

Said Millen, who won last year’s New Zealand South Island Formula Ford Championship, “I didn’t get much time in the car and we still have an older-spec engine in it right now. All things considered, it was good to get back in the car, and I’m looking forward to getting some more miles tomorrow.”

The Americans will test again for half a day at Ruapuna tomorrow, then enjoy the New Year celebrations before going on to test at Levels Raceway, Timaru, on Saturday. The first two races of the International series will take place at Timaru on January 11, with subsequent events at Invercargill’s Teretonga Park Raceway (for the prestigious New Zealand Grand Prix) on January 18 and then a return to Ruapuna for the final two races on January 25.

In the first event, Sellers passed pole-sitter Kenny Smith at the start and led the first four laps, but then was taken out by rival Nick Ross. In Race Two, after the Crawford Services team had battled against the odds to repair his badly damaged car, Sellers rose from the back of the grid to be in third place before a broken driveshaft forced his retirement just two laps shy of the checkered flag.

“All I needed was to finish, and there we were [in place to win the championship]. There was no problem at all, and then it just stopped. I had no drive whatsoever,” reflected Sellers after a sensational drive. “I gave it a go, but unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Rival Fabian Coulthard, who was excluded from the last round at Pukekohe two weeks ago for running an illegal engine, profited from Sellers’ heartbreak to win both races and secure the championship.

Sellers’ teammate, A.J. Allmendinger, also was out of luck. He had worked his way impressively from ninth on the grid to third in the first race before being overtaken – with yellow caution flags waving -- on the final lap. Justice, however, prevailed when Ross later was assessed a 15-second penalty, which elevated Allmendinger to a well-deserved podium result.

Later in the afternoon, after ceding third place to Sellers in the late stages, Allmendinger was left with nowhere to go when Sellers’ car suddenly broke. His car, too, suffered damage, although he battled back from a lurid moment on the grass, with his Van Diemen’s nose askew, to salvage a sixth-place finish.

“I’d have liked to have the day turn out a little better at the end,” said Allmendinger, “but overall it was a lot better than how the weekend started. My car was really working well in the second race and I was right with Coulthard and [Nelson] Hartley. I was so much faster than them through the corners, but they were still leaving me on the straightaways. As I say, it was disappointing how it all ended, but for how it started and how far back I was, it was good.”

“It’s sad it’s over,” said crew chief/engineer Andy Neale, himself a former winner in Formula Ford who has spent the last few years as a chief mechanic on one of 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve’s British American Racing (BAR) F1 entries. “The boys have done a sensational job and they’ve been a pleasure to work with. Plus, I think they’ve learned a hell of a lot. Everybody here [in New Zealand] says they’ve livened up the series so much. Everyone’s really happy -- except us, of course, but I guess you’ve got to take the knocks.

“The ironies are everywhere,” continued Neale. “As it turned out, the second race went two laps longer than it should’ve. There was a big accident on the first lap, so the officials red-flagged the race at the end of lap two and elected to start it over from scratch, which they’re quite entitled to do. But the sad thing is that Bryan’s car broke with just two laps remaining. At the end of the day we were just out of luck.”

Support for the Team USA Scholarship has been provided by CART, Steve and Christine Horne, The Craig Company, American Honda, Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Prappas Company, Klein Tools, Las Vegas Karting Center, Road Racing Drivers Club, Sparco USA, Skip Barber Racing, Jim Russell Racing Drivers School, Buttonwillow, Speedstar and RACER magazine.

Sellers, like most other observers, was hardly surprised at the decision of the race stewards, given that Coulthard had won the races in such a dominant style: “It was like that at Teretonga and even at Timaru; but it was wet there, so I was able to overcome it [and win both races]. He just had an advantage that was impossible to keep up with [in the dry]. Especially here [at the fast Pukekohe track], because that little bit he had coming off the corners kept anybody from getting by him.”

Consequently, Brady Kennett and Nick Ross were declared winners of Sunday’s races, with Ross taking home the Ron Frost Memorial Trophy. Sellers was promoted to second in the official results of both races, with Team USA Scholarship teammate A.J. Allmendinger placing fourth on both occasions.

“Dammit,” exclaimed Sellers, 19, from Centerville, Ohio, when he learned of Coulthard’s disqualification on Monday morning. “I wish I would have stuck that [last-lap] pass on Ross now!”

Sellers had drafted past Ross on the long back straightaway on the 15th and final lap, only for Ross to reclaim the position with a desperate lunge down the inside -- with two wheels on the grass -- at the ensuing hairpin. At the time, both men thought their tussle was for second place. Following Coulthard’s disqualification, however, it had taken on a greater significance.

“Oh well,” said Sellers. “There’s not much you can do except take the two seconds. Heck, what kind a bad day is it if you’re disappointed with two seconds?”

Coulthard still holds a massive lead in the National Championship, but in the International title-chase, which comprises the past three weekends plus one more double-header at Manfeild on February 2/3, Sellers now holds the upper hand. After six of eight races, unofficially, Sellers has 168 points to the 122 of Coulthard. Kennett and Ken Smith are tied for third on 108, followed by Ross (105), Nelson Hartley (97) and Allmendinger (95). Sellers will attempt to secure Team USA’s fourth championship victory in as many years following the successes of Paul Edwards in the 1998 Formula Opel Winter Series and the ‘99 Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series, plus Phil Giebler’s success in the 2000 FPA Winter Series.

Support for the Team USA Scholarship is provided by CART, Steve and Christine Horne, The Craig Company, American Honda, Prappas Company, Klein Tools, Las Vegas Karting Center, Road Racing Drivers Club, Sparco USA, Skip Barber Racing, Jim Russell Racing Drivers School, Buttonwillow, Speedstar and RACER.

Photograph courtesy of Geoff Ridder 

The 10-lap race not only counted for championship points, it also served to set the grid for Sunday’s New Zealand Grand Prix, one of the premier auto racing events in the Southern Hemisphere.

The pair started third (Sellers) and fifth (Allmendinger) in their red-white-and-blue Van Diemens, but both lost a couple of places following their first-ever standing starts. (In America, rolling starts are the norm.)

“We were terrible when we practiced them, but when it came down to it we did OK,” said Sellers.

Although passing was difficult, both Americans were able to move forward. The race was won by Fabian Coulthard, who maintained his unbeaten record during the New Zealand National season. Veteran Kenny Smith (manager of 2001 CART FedEx Championship Series Rookie of the Year Scott Dixon) finished second ahead of another local driver, Simon Richards. Sellers pressured Richards throughout the closing stages but had to settle for fourth, with Allmendinger hard on his tail after finally finding a way past local driver Nick Ross going into the final lap.

“I’m pretty happy,” said Sellers. “It was a little frustrating but it was OK. We have some things to change on the car for tomorrow and I think we should be in good shape.”

“Racing down here is very different,” declared Allmendinger. “For starters, they block like crazy! We’re going to make some changes to the gearing, because I was getting killed coming onto the main straightaway. Other than that, the car’s fast.”

Sunday’s feature event will comprise two 18-lap races with a short break in the middle to refuel the cars. Allmendinger and Sellers will seek to etch their name onto a trophy won previously by some of the sport’s all-time greats, including Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart, plus CART star Roberto Moreno and Americans Davy Jones, Ross Cheever and Dean Hall.

The pair will contest the New Zealand International Formula Ford Championship, which will take place over four weekends (each comprising two races) in January and early February.

Allmendinger and Sellers were selected from a “short list” of 12 talented young Americans in the early stages of what they hope will be long and distinguished careers in the sport. All 12 were invited to a “Forum” held during the recent Honda Grand Prix of Monterey Featuring the Shell 300, round 19 of the CART FedEx Championship Series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where they met with a panel of accomplished auto racing writers and Team USA Scholarship supporters. The field was then whittled down to five who took part in a shootout aboard Jim Russell Racing Drivers School cars at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Calif.

“The standard of the contenders seems to get better and better each year,” noted Champ Car driver Bryan Herta, who has retained close ties with the program since winning the award in 1991. “I was very impressed. It’s getting harder and harder to make a decision on who should win.”

The Scholarship has been in existence since 1990. In addition to the three Champ Car drivers, alumni also include NASCAR Winston Cup race winner Jerry Nadeau, 2000 CART Toyota Atlantic Champion Buddy Rice, 2001 Toyota Atlantic Rookie of the Year Joey Hand, and current British Formula 3 Championship contenders Paul Edwards and Phil Giebler.

“For me this is a really big accomplishment,” said Allmendinger, who is currently placed second in the Formula Dodge National Championship Presented by Racer and also drives for Paul Tracy Karting in major 125cc shifter kart events. “It means a lot to my career and I hope it will lead to more opportunities to follow in the footsteps of drivers like Jimmy Vasser, Bryan Herta, Memo Gidley and Joey Hand.”

“The Scholarship is the greatest award I’ve ever received in my racing career,” said Sellers, who has raced this year in the U.S. F2000 National Championship Presented by Speedvision. “It is more meaningful than anyone can ever imagine. I’m very excited to represent my country in the best way possible.”

Team USA Scholarship winners have taken advantage of a variety of prize drives since the program’s inception. For the past two years they have contested – and won – the Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series in England. Following the demise of FPA, however, in the face of strong competition from a plethora of open-wheel series in Europe, it was decided to seek an alternative opportunity in 2001.

“Formula Ford has been a fantastic proving ground for almost 35 years,” said Team USA Scholarship coordinator Jeremy Shaw. “The series in New Zealand – which has been instrumental in developing the careers of many young stars, including this year’s CART Rookie of the Year Scott Dixon and F1 driver Luciano Burti – is extremely competitive and comes at the perfect time of year, since it gives our drivers an opportunity to hone their racing skills during a traditionally quiet time on the North American calendar.”

Formula Ford will be the premier open-wheel category during the 2001/2002 New Zealand International season, and the Team USA Scholarship winners will have an opportunity to win two of the most prestigious events in the Southern Hemisphere – the New Zealand Grand Prix and the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy, named after the Kiwi winner of the 1967 Formula 1 World Championship. Previous winners of the New Zealand Grand Prix include such legendary names as Stirling Moss, Bruce McLaren, Jackie Stewart and Sir Jack Brabham, plus Americans Ross Cheever and Davy Jones.

The Team USA Scholarship will fund two new Stealth Formula Ford cars prepared and maintained by John Crawford, a former New Zealand Formula Ford Champion who is now proprietor of the Canterbury Racing School based at the Ruapuna circuit on New Zealand’s South Island. The cars will feature a patriotic red, white and blue livery and will be entered in races at Teretonga, the world’s most southerly race track in Invercargill on Jan. 6; Levels Raceway, Timaru, on Jan. 13; Pukekohe, Auckland, on Jan. 20; and Manfeild Raceway, Palmerston North, on Feb. 3.

Supporters and sponsors of the venture include Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), Tasman Motorsports Group, Craig Company LLC, Klein Tools, Road Racing Drivers’ Club, Skip Barber Racing School, Jim Russell Racing Drivers’ School and Buttonwillow Raceway Park.

Photo: (l. to r.) Scott Jenkins, A.J. Allmendinger, Bryan Sellers, Scott Speed and Davy Cook took part in a shoot-out organized by the Jim Russell Racing School at Buttonwillow Raceway Park

Giebler, 21, a former karting star from Oxnard, Calif., who has raced in France for the past two years, was in masterful form at the Brands Hatch “Indy” circuit, despite having missed the series test day on Thursday due to a prior commitment with the Paul Stewart Racing Formula 3 team. Giebler qualified on pole for both of today’s races. He was beaten into second place in the first race by teenaged Czechoslovakian Jaroslav Janis -- ensuring that five drivers held a legitimate title hope prior to the final race -- but the gifted American came back with a vengeance to lead from flag to flag in Race Two.

“I made sure I got a killer start. I knew it would put me in good shape, because it’s very difficult to pass at this track,” said an ecstatic Giebler after following in the footsteps of fellow Californian Paul Edwards, who won the 1998 Formula Opel Winter Series and 1999 Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series carrying the Team USA Scholarship colors.

“I’m thrilled to be the Winter Series champion. It’s been an unbelievable weekend, and this is the icing on the cake. It was a do or die situation. Five people could win the championship; whoever won the race would win the championship. I was under pressure the whole race. When I saw the checkered flag, I said, ‘Thank God!’”

Team USA Scholarship teammate Joey Hand was out of luck today. He qualified third for Race One but was punted off on the first lap and did well to fight his way back to eighth. A sixth-place finish in the final race left him a disappointed sixth in the final points table.

“It was a tough day,” said Hand, 21, from Sacramento, Calif. “Everything went wrong. I guess I used up my luck at Snetterton [last week]. But hey, I learned more these last two weekends than in three years of racing. It’s been a fantastic experience. I can’t say enough for everyone who has worked so hard to put this scholarship program together, and at the end of the day it’s good that Phil was able to take the championship for Team USA.”

Hand achieved the time of 43.72 seconds, less than three-tenths slower than pace-setter Jaroslav Janis, despite the effects of a turbocharger wastegate problem that left his Team USA Scholarship car dramatically down on power.

“It was an OK day, I guess,” reported a typically modest Hand, 21, from Sacramento, Calif., who currently lies third in the championship standings after the first two races at Snetterton last weekend. “I have a whole car without any dirt on it, and I feel good about the way I’m driving. It was OK in that I was only fifth quick, but the better news is that we found a problem with the car.

“I was making progress with my driving but I wasn’t going any faster. After we analyzed all the data, we found that the turbo wastegate was sticking closed, so we were losing a lot of time on the straightaways. I think we’re actually in good shape for the weekend.”

Fellow Y2K Team USA Scholarship winner Phil Giebler, who lies fourth in the points, was unable to take part in today’s sessions, having already committed to a test at Hockenheim, Germany, with Paul Stewart Racing’s Formula 3 team. Giebler is expected back in England tonight, and the Formula Palmer Audi team is seeking to allow him some make-up track time tomorrow in preparation for Sunday’s races.

Hand also has been busy since the weekend, having traveled back to his native California for a test aboard the DSTP Motorsports Swift 008.a with which fellow former Team USA Scholarship winner Buddy Rice won this year’s CART Toyota Atlantic Championship.
 

Photo: Edwards celebrates on the podium after his first-race victory

Fellow Team USA Scholarship winners Andy Lally and Jeff Simmons also showed promise during the pair of 15-lap races which were held in cold but dry conditions after early morning rain saw both 20-minute qualifying sessions run on a wet track.

Edwards, 21, from Santa Maria, Calif., qualified second for the series opener, merely 0.008sec behind polesitter Tom Sisley. Edwards placed Sisley under intense pressure until the young Englishman cracked on lap 12, spinning off at the Esses and damaging his car too badly even to return for the second race. Edwards controlled the remainder of the first race before taking the checkered flag 5.617sec ahead of teenaged Irishman Adam Carroll.

“In the early laps I knew I needed to stay with [Sisley] -- and save my rear tires,” recounted Edwards. “Almost right away I could see he was abusing his tires, and he started to get more and more ragged. Eventually he just got in [to the Esses] too deep. After that I just took it easy and saved my tires for the second race.”

Edwards qualified on pole for race two and was never headed. His only concern came when compatriot Lally spun out of fifth place on lap 11 and high-sided his car on the exit of the Esses. After two laps behind the pace car, the race was restarted for merely a one-lap dash to the finish. Again, Edwards was up to the task.

“That’s one of the easiest times to make a mistake -- when you think you’ve got it made and something like that happens,” said Edwards, “but I just pit my head down and it was no problem.”

Lally, 24, from Northport, N.Y., finished fifth in the first race and seemed on course for an identical result in race two before his spin.

“It’s annoying but at least I set my fastest lap of the week, so that was encouraging,” he said. “I improved the car after the first race. The speed’s there, and now I’ll go to [rounds three and four at] Brands Hatch next week with a lot of confidence.”

Simmons endured a thoroughly frustrating day, which began badly when he slid off into a sand trap only seven minutes into the first qualifying session. He duly ended up seventh on the grid, one position behind Lally. Simmons looked to have redeemed himself in qualifying for the second race when he set the fourth fastest time -- only for it to be disallowed when the stewards deemed that the checkered flag SHOULD have been displayed a few seconds before he crossed the start/finish line to record his best time. It wasn’t, but his time was disallowed anyway. The afternoon’s races were similarly disappointing as both were punctuated by spins. Still, Simmons notched up a pair of eighth-place finishes and showed what might have been by setting fourth fastest lap in race two.

“I made more mistakes today than I’ve made in the last two years,” he admitted.

The trio of Team USA Scholarship cars drew rave reviews for their patriotic red, white and blue livery featuring support from Valvoline, CART, Tasman Motorsports, Audi, PacWest Racing, Mercedes-Benz USA, Road Racing Drivers Club, Klein Tools, Skip Barber Racing School, No Fear and Mitel Semiconductor.

Race 1 results: 1, Paul Edwards (USA), 18m43.519s, 93.82mph; 2, Adam Carroll (IRL), 18m49.136s; 3, Paul Munn (GB), 18m49.661s; 4, Martin Rihs (A), 19m01.417s; 5, Andy Lally (USA), 19m01.888s; 6, Dan Hazlewood (GB), 19m02.489s; 7, Paul Rozalowsky (CDN), 19m04.915s; 8, Jeff Simmons (USA), 19m06.925s; etc. Fastest lap: Munn, 1m04.861s, 108.34mph.

Race 2 results: 1, Edwards, 17m50.862s, 98.43mph; 2, Munn, 17m51.897s; 3, Giorgio Pantano, 17m52.269s; 4, Carroll, 17m53.525s; 5, Rihs, 17m55.774s; 6, Simon Pearson (GB), 17m58.996s; 7, Joe Robinson (GB), 17m59.428s; 8, Simmons, 17m59.960s; 19, Lally, not running; etc. Fastest lap: Edwards, 1m05.165s, 107.84mph.

Championship positions after two of four races: 1, Edwards, 48pts; 2, Munn, 38; 3, Carroll, 36; 4, Rihs, 31; 5, Simmons & Rozalowsky, 24; also 12, Lally, 15.

Photo: Simmons claimed a pair of eighth-place finishes at Snetterton and is now fifth in the points table

Photo (l. to r.): Jeff Simmons, Paul Edwards and Andy Lally

This year's prize for Edwards, Lally and Simmons comprises a fully paid drive in the Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series, which will be held over four races next month at Snetterton and Brands Hatch in England. The trio earned their scholarship awards following a shoot-out among six nominees that was held two weeks ago at Formula Palmer Audi's own test track near Bedford, England.

"The original intention was to select two winners, but the overall quality was so good we have decided to stretch to three," said scholarship coordinator Jeremy Shaw, editor of Champ Car magazine and a television analyst for ESPN International and Eurosport's coverage of the FedEx Championship Series.

Added former Grand Prix driver Jonathan Palmer, who established Formula Palmer Audi prior to the '98 season: "I just feel so motivated about this program because I really feel we're unlocking something here. I was blown away with the standard of driving and the overall level of professionalism when the guys came over and tested. I honestly believe any one of them would be capable of challenging for a podium finish."

The other three finalists were Star Formula Mazda standout Joey Hand, 20, from Sacramento, Calif., F2000 front-runner Aaron Justus, 25, from Alpine, Calif., and Barber Dodge/Toyota Atlantic racer Rocky Moran Jr., 19, from Coto de Caza, Calif.

Edwards, Lally and Simmons will drive cars decked out in a patriotic red, white and blue color scheme featuring sponsorship from a host of America companies including Valvoline, CART, Tasman Motorsports, PacWest Racing, Mercedes-Benz USA, Road Racing Drivers Club, Skip Barber Racing School, No Fear and the program's newest supporter, Mitel Semiconductor.

Temperatures plummeted to minus-10 Centigrade over the weekend, and while the racing surface had thawed out a little this morning, the runoff areas were still frozen solid.

“It’s pretty scary when it’s well below freezing and you’re running single-seaters,” said EFDA boss Dan Partel. “With the runoffs frozen, the only thing that would have slowed a car down if it left the track was the wall. I couldn’t take that chance.”

Edwards, 20, from Santa Maria, Calif., clinched the title by virtue of his victory in the opening round at Donington, followed by a second-place finish in Round Two at Hockenheim aboard his Meritus-prepared Team USA Scholarship entry.

“We did the best job so I guess we deserve the title,” Edwards told the British magazine, AUTOSPORT. “I was ready to race, but if you’d gone off, you would have just accelerated over the runoffs.”

Final championship positions: 1. Paul Edwards (USA), 36 pts; 2. Darren Malkin (GB), 28; 3. Richard Lyons (IRL), 25; 4. Takuma Sato (J), 22; 5. Giuseppe Burlotti (I), 12; 6. Michael Keohane (IRL), 11; etc.

Photo: Edwards was quick in practice before officials wisely canceled the race 

Ever since I started in karting it was my dream to race in Europe, where almost every successful driver you can think of in single seater racing has progressed from (Senna, Andretti, Prost, Mansell, Schumacher, etc.). My dream came true, but racing in Europe has been very difficult. There have been a lot of obstacles in the way of succeeding. There are so many young drivers of different nationalities here for only one reason, and that is to learn the best tricks of the trade which will hopefully take them to Indycar or Formula 1. Every one of them are out there to make sure they are better than you. It is a real fight to try and stay more fit, focused, and determined than the others. If you are trying to go forward with only natural talent and not the willingness to learn from the team, driving coaches, computer telemetry, etc., you will only go so far.

I am now in my third year of racing in Europe and every step up the ladder is becoming a real challenge. I have had some very good results. In the last few years I starting off by winning the Formula Renault Elf Winfield Scholarship in France in 95, and then moving to England in 1996 to compete in British Formula Ford where I became the first American to ever win a British Formula Ford Championship race. Formula Ford is a great way to enter single seater racing. It teaches you car control, mechanical grip, and race tactics.

This year has been full of ups and downs which we can all relate to in motorsports. I signed with Formula Renault Sport team Martello Racing and had a great winter testing program. We were setting the pace, but then struggled with mechanical failures in the races from breaking drive shafts to brake failure. I had a couple of podium finishes but was unable to carry on because of the teams money troubles. The team had given me a fantastic deal to sign with them and promising to find a team sponsor to cover the budget that was needed. They failed to do so, which left me out of a drive mid season. This was the worst thing that could have happened because I had also moved all the way to Bournemouth, which is in the very south of England and out of the way of everything, to be based near the team and be at the work shop to learn more about the technical side of the car.

I was not going to give up here though. My friend, David Henderson, allowed me to move into his house where I started doing some more instructing work while I tried to put something together for the rest of the season. This is when the greatest thing happened. I was nominated for the Team USA Scholarship Scheme, which turned things around. Team USA, along with Valvoline, CART, PacWest, RRDC, Skip Barber, Tasman, Klein Tools and Bridgestone/Firestone helps young American drivers to succeed in Motorsport. I was back on track in the most competitive championship in Europe -- European Formula Opel. I entered the last three rounds of the championship to get ready for the Winter Series. I got some great experience finishing in the top five, which I was very happy with, entering the championship at the end of the season in a car I had never driven before competing against top drivers from all over the world.

I was also given the opportunity, thanks to Brian Redman and John Bright, to test their Formula 3000 car at Donington. This was an experience I'll never forget. At first I was very nervous to jump into a car with 450 horsepower for the first time, especially when there was a slight drizzle in the weather. When I got into the car and started it up, I think my breathing tripled before I even left the garage. Each dab of the accelerator made the engine roar to 7000-8000 revs and the noise of the engine got the adrenaline pumping. The team talked me through the sequential gearbox and I was off. I came in after it started to drizzle even more and called it a day. I wasn't going to go any quicker, and I had all ready had the time of my life. This test was very helpful to my future plans also, because I now believe it is possible to go from Formula Opel straight to F3000. Before this test my mind was set to do Formula 3, but now I can see that if the opportunity comes up, I think it's a realistic jump because of the similarities of Opel and F3000.

I continued my quest to the Formula European Opel Winter Championship with Britain's top team Meritus. This was my chance to work together with the team and build a relationship before next year, and to get good results being on a top team and having the support behind me from the Team USA Scholarship. It all added up the way I hoped for. I get along with the team perfectly and they couldn't be doing a better job for me. We have intertwined perfectly and the results are forthcoming because of it. We won the first round of the championship, which really boosted my confidence back up to the top. It felt so good to win the EFDA (European Formula Drivers Association) race and to stand on the podium and to listen to the Our National Anthem be played for the first time in EFDA history, which has been running championships for 20 years.

Another exciting weekend at Hockenheim, Germany for the second round of the championship resulted in a second place finish and capturing the fastest lap to receive another point. I now stand 8 points in the lead for the championship, but still have one more round to go and feel confident for another win.

This dream of mine to race in Europe, where I feel I'm getting the best experience for my future in motor racing, would not be possible without the help of my family, friends in my hometown, and the support given me through the Team USA scheme.

Paul Edwards

Reprinted from IndyCar & Championship Racing magazine 

Fresh off his victory one week earlier in England, Edwards arrived in Germany brimming with confidence and lost no time in asserting his superiority during testing.

“The weather was good so I was able to learn the circuit in the dry and fine-tune the car to my liking,” related Edwards. “We ended up quickest in testing with a time of 1m02.8s. The next quickest was a 1m03.3s. The car was perfect and I was ready for qualifying,”

Edwards was undaunted by a sharp rain shower immediately prior to qualifying, and on wet tires was soon pacing the field.

“We were on pole with 10 minutes to go in the 30-minute session,” continued Edwards, “but by now the track was beginning to dry and it was time to put on the slick tires. I knew I had to get a clean lap to keep my pole position. I went to start my one and only flying lap on dry tires and made the mistake of not remembering to put more brake bias to the front, which resulted in locking up the rears and ruining my lap, putting me fourth on the grid. I guess you have to learn sometime!”

A fine start saw Edwards immediately jump into second place. He then passed Richard Lyons and began to close on race leader Darren Malkin.

“I reeled him in the best I could but there wasn’t enough time,” said Edwards. “I ended up second and turned the fastest lap of the race. It was another great weekend, and now we have just one more to go on the 21st of November. We have some tests lined up between now and then to find a bit more time out of me and the car to give us the best chance of taking the championship.”

Edwards, carrying the distinctive red-white-and-blue Team USA Scholarship colors on his Team Meritus car, ran fourth in the early stages before passing Irishman Richard Lyons at Goddards. On Lap 12, Edwards took over in the lead when AR Motorsport’s pole-sitting South African Tomas Scheckter and Vergani Racing’s Darren Malkin collided at Redgate Corner.

Edwards the resisted intense pressure from Lyons to take a well-judged victory – by just over one-tenth of a second!

“The race couldn’t have gone any better,” related a jubilant Edwards. “I took the lead with 15 laps to go, but those 15 laps were the longest laps I had ever done! Richard Lyons, who drives for Paul Stewart Racing, was right on my tail. My car was oversteering, but I managed to keep him behind me. It was the best victory of my career!

“It felt so good standing on the podium hearing the Star Spangled Banner being played,” continued Edwards, whose victory was not only the first for an American in the European Formula Opel Series, it was also the first win for an American in the history of the European Formula Drivers Association. EFDA was formed 20 years ago and has included European Formula Ford, Formula Ford 2000, European Formula 3 and European Formula Opel.
 

Edwards will drive for Team Meritus in the three-race mini-series which will comprise events at Donington Park, England, on October 18 and then a pair of races at Hockenheim, Germany, on October 25 and November 21.

“I need to say a huge thank-you to everyone who is supporting the Team USA Scholarship,” said Edwards, 20, from Santa Maria. “I really enjoyed driving a Formula Opel car for the first time and I learned a great deal while driving for the Motaworld team at Zandvoort, Mondello Park and the Nurburgring. We managed to get some pretty good results, which led to a call from Team Meritus, and I’m delighted to say they’ve invited me to join them for the Winter Series.

“Meritus has had a lot of success in this series, and with the experience I’ve gained over the past few weeks, I’m sure we can be competitive.”

Edwards ended his recent stint with Motaworld in impressive style at the famed Nurburgring on September 27, running as high as third place in the final European Union Series event – a supporting race to the Luxemburg Formula 1 Grand Prix – before being punted off the road by a rival. Even so, Edwards recovered to finish in fifth place.
 

Edwards has been plying his trade to excellent effect in Europe for the past couple of years, but his career had reached a crossroads earlier this summer when his plans to join the British Formula Renault Sport series fell apart at the last moment.

“This year was looking pretty bleak, so I’m extremely grateful for the Scholarship’s help,” said Edwards, who played a starring role in last year’s Formula Ford World Finals at Brands Hatch, where he also carried the Team USA colors. “Motaworld is a top team and this is a great opportunity to get my career back on track.”

Edwards will contest three double-header race weekends at Zandvoort, Holland, on September 4-6; Mondello Park, Ireland, on September 18-20; and then the series finale – a supporting event to the Luxembourg Formula 1 Grand Prix – at the Nurburgring, Germany, September 25-27.

This year’s Team USA Scholarship has been made possible with corporate support from Valvoline, Tasman Motorsports Group, Championship Auto Racing Teams, Mercedes-Benz of North America, Klein Tools, Firestone, LCI International, PacWest Racing Group, the Road Racing Drivers Club, Skip Barber Racing School, Motorola and American Honda.

Photo: Matt Sielsky's car is pushed toward the starting grid

Photo: Paul Edwards in action at Brands Hatch

“The cars are fun to drive in the wet,” said 19-year-old Sielsky. “We had a real good day. Once again there were lots of red flags, mainly caused by three young Japanese drivers who are in [smaller] Vauxhall Junior cars and seem to be following us from track to track. And they keep on falling off the road! Aside from that, we had a good day. It was useful to get some time in the cars in the wet.”

When the circuit dried out after lunch, Sielsky emerged with a best lap in 57.71 seconds, just over two-tenths slower than highly rated Brazilian team member Wagner Ebrahim, who has won races this year and is expected to be one of Team USA’s main rivals in the Nations Cup. Rice, meanwhile, was suffering from a head cold but still posted respectable times in the low-58-second bracket.

“The boys did well,” said team manager John Village. “I was well pleased. There’s not much to choose between the two of them. They make a good team. Buddy was a bit quicker the first couple of times we tested but he wasn’t his usual bubbly self today. Matt looked good, and while he was a little bit slower than Ebrahim, I think that’s slightly misleading because Ebrahim ran new tires and Matt didn’t.”

“I’ve been fighting a cold for a couple of days now,” said Rice. “I thought I was getting a bit better today – until I put my helmet on. We still got a lot out of the test. I think we’ll be in good shape when we go back to Donington next week.”

The Team USA/John Village Automotive team now has completed four days of testing. Both drivers are slated to drive two more days next week at Donington prior to the self-styled “Olympics of Motor Racing” in which they will compete – in virtually identical cars – against two-driver teams representing at least 12 other nations. In 1996, Team USA gained the Silver Medal, placing second behind Germany, through the efforts of Jerry Nadeau and Tony Renna.

Photo: Matt Sielsky (left) and Buddy Rice 

Photo of Matt Sielsky testing at Donington Park 

Photo: EFDA chief Dan Partel (right) looks on proudly as fellow Americans Renna and Nadeau wear their silver medals 

The finalists are, in alphabetical order: Alex Barron, Derek Hill, Steve Knapp, Allen May, Tony Renna, Bryan Selby and Matt Sielsky.

“I was extremely impressed by all the drivers,” said Craig, who recently pledged his support to the Team USA program. “They were all extremely polished and professional. Any of them would do credit to their country and the Scholarship.”

The winner of the 1996 Scholarship, to be announced during the PPG Cup season finale at Laguna Seca in early September, will represent the United States in the Formula Opel European Union Series Nations Cup event to be held at Donington Park, England, on November 2/3.

Two races will be held during the weekend, with each of 16 countries represented by a two-car team. Jerry Nadeau, who won the Team USA Scholarship in 1993, finishing a sensational fourth in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch – and is one of the front-runners in this year’s Formula Opel series – will drive a second “Stars & Stripes” car.

Note: The Scholarship program has received a substantial boost with the news that officials and participants in both the PPG-Firestone Indy Lights Championship and the Player’s/Toyota Atlantic Championship have expressed a strong desire to provide test-drive opportunities for the finalists and previous alumni. Further details will be made available soon.

Photo: Gidley with livery designer David Aronson

The 22-year-old Californian ran five half-hour sessions, totaling over 90 laps in cold but dry conditions. Gidley wheeled West Surrey Racing’s Class B Dallara F394-Mugen Honda to a best lap of 1m 08.1s, equaling the class fastest lap set during a British Formula 3 Championship race at Snetterton three weeks ago.

“I was impressed,” said Dick Bennetts, whose West Surrey Racing team has won five British Formula 3 Championships in the past 15 years. “He did a pretty good job. He didn’t go out there and go crazy; he worked away methodically, learned about the car and how it worked and gradually brought his times down. Considering he’d never seen the circuit before, or been in a Formula 3 car, he did very well.”

Gidley, who arrived in England in time to attend the previous weekend’s Formula 3 Championship race at Pembrey, thoroughly enjoyed his experience in the car.

“This was the right place for my first time in the car,” said Gidley. “Snetterton has a real mix of slow, medium and fast corners, so I got to explore most of the envelope. The car was very different to the Formula Ford 2000 Van Diemen I’ve been driving this year at home. The F3 car has more power, more grip, more brakes. It feels on a knife-edge all the time. It’s true you have to drive it smoothly but you also have to be very decisive with the steering and the throttle to get the most out of it.

“The only real problem I had was with my neck. By the end of the day I could hardly hold my head up around the corners. The car’s just got so much grip! I do exercises for that now, but I guess I need to do some more.”

Gidley will return to North America this weekend to begin preparations for the final round of the United States Formula Ford 2000 National Championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on October 8. Gidley currently holds a nine-point lead in the standings with three wins to his name. He will then travel back to England for another test at Donington Park prior to the prize-drive race weekend.

Gidley started on the front row, took the lead at the start and then overcame both a broken front anti-roll bar and a determined challenge from two other drivers to earn his third win of the season. It was enough to reclaim the lead of the hard-fought USAC/SCCA North American Formula Ford 2000 Championship with four races to go.

Then, in the midst of preparations for this weekend's seventh round of the FF2000 Championship – also to be held as a supporting event  to the PPG Indy Car World Series: The New England 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway – Gidley learned he had been awarded the prestigious Valvoline Team USA Scholarship.

Gidley's prize will take the form of a fully sponsored entry in the International Formula 3 Race to be held at Donington Park, England, on the weekend of October 21-22.

"I'm just so excited about this opportunity," said Gidley. "It's a great chance for me to gain some valuable experience in a totally different environment. I know I have some big shoes to fill, because so many of the previous scholarship winners have gone on to much bigger and better things in the sport, but I've set my own goals high and this will definitely help me in the long run."

Valvoline will return for the sixth time as primary sponsor of the Team USA Scholarship program, which boasts current Indy Car drivers Jimmy Vasser and Bryan Herta among its alumni.

The prestigious Team USA Scholarship was first assigned in 1990, its primary goals to assist in furthering the career of an especially promising young American race car driver and to heighten worldwide awareness of this country's traditional training ground series.

Vasser, who had sprung to prominence in Formula Ford, Formula 2000 and Formula Atlantic, was selected as the first award winner, proudly flying the patriotic Team USA colors of red, white and blue in the renowned end-of-season Formula Ford Festival and World Cup at Brands Hatch, England.

"The Festival" has been held annually since 1972, attracting as many as 200 of the world's most gifted and ambitious young drivers to compete in virtually identical Ford-powered open-wheel cars. Among those who have emerged victorious over the years are current Grand Prix drivers Roberto Moreno (1980), Johnny Herbert (1985), who recently won the British Grand Prix for the Benetton Formula 1 team, and Eddie Irvine (1987).

"It was a great honor to represent my country," says Vasser, who subsequently graduated into the PPG Indy Car World Series and claimed his first victory earlier this season in Portland. "It was also my first opportunity to race overseas."

Herta followed in Vasser's footsteps in 1991, earning impressive reviews as he finished 11th overall in the all-important Grand Final, despite running a year-old Reynard chassis.

Other Team USA Scholarship winners also have made great strides in the sport. Tony Ave, for example, finished sixth (and top privateer) in the recent SCCA Trans-Am Championship race at Road America; Ashton Lewis earned a promising 13th in the NASCAR Busch Grand National race at Watkins Glen; Jerry Nadeau, who equaled the best result ever by an American (fourth) in the 1993 Festival, also is chasing a career in the Busch Grand National division; and 1994 "scholar" Mike Borkowski has claimed top-10 finishes in each of the last five PPG-Firestone Indy Lights Championship races.

"The Team USA Scholarship was a great help to me when I was struggling to make a name for myself," says Herta, who went on to win the 1993 Firestone Indy Lights Championship title before establishing himself in the Indy Car ranks. "It gave me a chance to broaden my horizons, meet a lot of people and race against some of the best young drivers in the world. I will always be grateful for the opportunity I was given."

This year Herta and Vasser have joined forces in the Target/Chip Ganassi Indy Car team. Both have pledged support to the Team USA Scholarship, which this year will offer an even more exciting prize: a fully sponsored ride in at least one -- and possibly two -- Formula 3 races in England.

Formula 3 has long been regarded as the single most important step on the ladder toward a top-line drive either in Formula 1 Grand Prix racing or the Indy Car series. American drivers Danny Sullivan and Bobby Rahal both traveled to Europe to compete in Formula 3 during their formative years. Each has gone on to win the Indianapolis 500 and the PPG Indy Car World Series. From among the current crop of Indy Car drivers, Teo Fabi, Gil de Ferran, Mauricio Gugelmin, Adrian Fernandez, Christian Fittipaldi and Stefan Johansson have all won major Formula 3 championship titles. Eric Bachelart, Raul Boesel, Eddie Cheever, Marco Greco, Andre Ribeiro, Jacques Villeneuve and Alessandro Zampedri also have claimed successes in Formula 3.

Team USA Scholarship has struck an agreement with Dick Bennetts, whose West Surrey Racing Formula 3 team is widely acknowledged as the very best in the business, having won British Formula 3 Championship titles in 1981 (Jonathan Palmer), 1983 (Ayrton Senna, who went on to claim three Formula 1 World Championships), 1985 (Mauricio Gugelmin), 1990 (current McLaren F1 driver Mika Hakkinen) and 1991 (Jordan F1 driver Rubens Barrichello).

West Surrey Racing will field a Mugen/Honda-powered Dallara chassis in the end-of-season non-championship International Formula 3 Race at Donington Park, England, on the weekend of October 21-22. The event will be run in association with the popular TOCA Touring Car Shoot-Out, which features all the top contestants from the British Touring Car Championship.

This year's Team USA Scholarship was made possible by the support of  Valvoline, Ford SVO, Derek Daly, Driving Incorporated USA, Electronic Arts, John Downing, Primus Racing and TrueChoice.

Photo of Ashton at Mallory Park with car owner John Village and Ashton Lewis Sr.

Photo: Lewis battles with Scotsman Louis di Resta 

Photo: Tony Ave heads into Clark Curve at Brands Hatch

Photo: (l. to r.) Sikes, Boss, Lewis, Borkowski, Simmons, Tracy and Ave proved very evenly matched in this Van Diemen at Snetterton

Former winners of “The Festival” include the likes of Geoff Lees, Derek Daly, Roberto Moreno, Tommy Byrne, Julian Bailey and Johnny Herbert, all of whom graduated into Formula 1 Grand Prix racing. Other Formula Ford graduates include three-time World Champion Ayrton Senna, former F1 and Indy Car champion Emerson Fittipaldi and the new PPG Cup champ, Michael Andretti.

Historically, however, the Formula Ford Festival has not been kind to its North American visitors. Many hungry young drivers have made the long journey since the event was first held in 1972; few have come away with any tangible success. None, in fact, have matched the results obtained that very first year by David Loring and Danny Sullivan, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.

A total of 90 drivers took part in the inaugural Festival. More recently as many as 200 drivers have entered, with the field whittled down through a system of eight heat races, four quarter-finals and two semi-finals. Only the top 28 make it through to the Grand Final.

In the last 18 years, Peter Argetsinger’s seventh-place finish in 1981 represents the best finish for the United States, although Ross Cheever was running strongly in 1983 before crashing out of the final.

This year Bryan Herta and Bobby Carville earned some new respect for the American contingent. Herta, the newly crowned Barber Saab Pro Series champion, had been invited to drive a factory-loaned Reynard 90F as part of a new “scholarship” scheme. Valvoline, Ford SVO, Truesports Choice and Carl A. Haas Automobile Imports were the primary backers of the venture, which was aimed at raising the profile of North American racing.

Herta rose to the challenge admirably. So, too, did Carville, last year’s Canadian Formula 2000 champion, who drove John Downing’s Van Diemen RF91. Both were using engines built by Long Island-based Marcovicci-Wenz Engineering. The third member of the “American” contingent was English expatriate Dominic Cape. Sadly, a heat race spin cost any chance of his Swift FB91 making it through to the next round.

Herta, meanwhile, was one of the stars of the entire event. The 21-year-old Californian finished a strong third in his heat race, fourth in the quarter-final and eighth in the semi, which, unfortunately for him, was red-flagged early due to a couple of accidents. In the final, Herta finished a strong 11th. Along the way he had to fend off determined challenges from French FF1600 champion Franck Guibbert, Nordic champion Kalle Jokinen and Irish champion David Wright.

“I’ve never ever been happy to finish 11th,” said Herta, “but I feel alright about this one. It’s amazing how much even a little experience helps. It’s just so competitive. We came over here and tested a couple of times before the race and that really helped. I felt more comfortable every time I went out on the track.”

Carville, who had spent a month in preparing for the Festival, also earned credit for a strong performance, although a sticking throttle caused him to spin early in the final. He finished 23rd.

Both drivers received glowing reports in the British motorsporting press, with Herta also featuring strongly in the BBC television coverage.

“I didn’t realize how much recognition and how many opportunities I was going to get out of it,” said Herta. “I’ve had several people just call me up out of the blue and say they’d like to talk to me about racing in Europe next year. That’s fantastic. I never would have had those calls if I’d stayed at home. And with four races in one weekend -- that’s amazing; I only did 12 races in my whole Barber Saab season!”

“I’ve never ever been happy to finish 11th,” said Herta, “but I feel alright about this one. It’s amazing how much even a little experience helps. It’s just so competitive. We came over here and tested a couple of times before the race and that really helped. I felt more comfortable every time I went out on the track.”

Herta’s weekend began inauspiciously when a misfire developed in his car during the crucial qualifying session on Friday, which was used to set the starting positions for his heat race – one of eight that would take place on Saturday. Under the circumstances, Herta did well to qualify seventh. He then put his head down in a fraught 10-lap race and emerged a fine third after passing Briton Simon Harrison on the final lap.

Sunday began with a quarter-final race, which, unfortunately for Herta, was red-flagged after just seven laps. Nevertheless, the 21-year-old Californian already had made his mark, passing one car around the outside at the daunting Paddock Hill Bend en route to a strong fourth-place finish.

Herta started eighth for his semi-final race, which once again was red-flagged due to an incident in the pack, preventing him from making as much progress as he hoped. The premature conclusion was especially galling since an over-ambitious maneuver at the Druid’s hairpin on the opening lap had cost him a few places.

“I blew it,” Herta admitted. “I tried to pass too many cars. I was trying to get toward the front right away and I slid wide and lost the places I had gained.”

Herta then was frustrated in his attempts to pass a particularly obstructive Steffan Nielsen, from Denmark (who ironically had collided with Jimmy Vasser in the 1990 Formula Ford Festival), and had to settle for eighth.

“At least we made the final,” said Herta. “That was our primary goal going into the weekend, so I feel good about that.”

Herta lined up 15th for the 20-lap Grand Final and quickly found a way past Nielsen, who promptly crashed on the next lap. Herta wasn’t able to match the pace of the front-runners but he did move up several positions and finally took the checkered flag in 11th.

Herta has been selected as recipient of the 1991 “American to Europe” Scholarship. The venture has been endorsed by a variety of sources, including Ford SVO, Carl A. Haas Automobile Imports, TrueChoice, TWR, Inc., Grand Touring Cars and Valvoline.

Bobby Rahal, who this weekend is chasing his third CART PPG Indy Car World Series title, also has lent his support to the scheme.

“For a young driver to really improve and better himself, he must race in the most competitive arena and against all those people who are chasing the same goals,” says Rahal. “That means he must go to Europe. The fact is that all the best young drivers go to race in Europe at some stage in their careers. It’s the hotbed of motor racing.”

Last year’s Formula Ford Festival & World Cup attracted no less than 192 drivers representing 19 nations. Former Festival winners include Derek Daly, Roberto Moreno and Tommy Byrne (all of whom, incidentally, are racing here at Laguna Seca this weekend), plus Julian Bailey and Johnny Herbert. All subsequently went on to drive in Formula 1 Grand Prix racing.

Herta will drive a factory-supplied Reynard to be overseen by experienced race driver/engineer John Bright under the Team USA/Lanan Racing banner. The car will be powered by a regulation 1600cc Ford engine provided by Portland, Ore.-based tuner Jay Ivey, who also supplied the motive power when current Lotus Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert won the same event in 1985.

Herta, who clinched the IMSA Barber Saab Pro Series title last weekend in Del Mar, is clearly one of the most exciting young prospects in American auto racing. A veteran of seven karting championships, Herta has visited England twice during the past two months in preparation for the race at Brands Hatch.

“I know we face an uphill task,” says Herta. “There are an incredible number of talented and ambitious drivers taking part, but I think we can make a good impression. I have done some testing in England and the Reynard is a very nice car to drive. I’m really looking forward to competing in the Festival and representing my country. It’s a great opportunity to race in England ane make contacts for the future.”

Additional background:

The rationale behind the “Young Driver to Europe Scholarship” is to showcase the depth of expertise and commitment of the U.S. motor racing industry, with an emphasis on the fact there are talented young drivers with ambitions of competing on an international level. The unrivaled competitiveness of “the Festival,” which last year attracted 192 drivers representing 19 nations, will provide Herta with an invaluable insight into the European racing scene. The visit also will enable him to make other valuable contacts for the future.

The event itself has a fabled history. Former winners include drivers such as Herbert, Derek Daly, Geoff Lees, Roberto Moreno, Tommy Byrne and Julian Bailey -- all of whom subsequently drove in Formula 1 Grand Prix events.

The entrants are divided into eight heat races, with the top 14 finishers in each race progressing through to the next round of competition. In addition to chasing overall victory, selected drivers (a maximum of three from each country) will score points toward the World Cup depending on their finishing positions.

“It’s a real thrill for me to be taking part in the Formula Ford Festival and World Cup,” says Herta. “I have already seen first-hand just how competitive the racing is in Europe; it really is intense. But I’ve already driven the car and feel very comfortable. John Bright is one of the most experienced engineers around, and he really was a great help when we tested in England a couple of weeks ago.

“I think we have a good team, with good equipment, and I’m looking forward to representing the United States to the best of my ability.”

He started in the ranks of Quarter Midgets, then at the age of 18 graduated into Formula Ford. Vasser won the Formula Ford National Championship at Road Atlanta to crown a successful 1986 season and has since made his mark both in the SCCA Toyota Atlantic Championship and the Canadian Pro Formula 2000 series. In 1988 he was nominated in “SportsCar”’s Star Search ‘88 as one of the nation’s most promising youngsters.

This past season Vasser won five out of the nine races that comprised the Canadian “Export A” F2000 title-chase and also scored a memorable victory in the Toyota Atlantic East vs. West Shootout at Road America. He found time, too, at the end of the season, to contest the prestigious Duckhams Formula Ford Festival and World Cup, held each year at Brands Hatch, England.

“The Festival” has provided a launching pad for the careers of many young drivers. Among them are 1976 champion Derek Daly, who pursued a successful career in Formula 1, Indy Cars and, most recently, Camel GTP; and Roberto Moreno, the 1980 winner who signed recently to partner Nelson Piquet in the Benetton-Ford Formula 1 team for 1991. Geoff Lees, Chico Serra, Tommy Byrne, Julian Bailey and Johnny Herbert also graduated into F1 after achieving Festival success.

Vasser was invited to make the trip to England as a result of his versatility, competitiveness and perspicacity, and support for the project was provided by Ford, Galles Shocks, Jay Ivey Engines, SportsCar magazine/Pfanner Communications and Jonathan Holtzman Racing. His mount was a distinctive new Formula Ford contender, the Lanan 1604. The car was designed by Bill Bray, who worked also with the Middlebridge Formula 3000 team during 1990, and constructed largely by the experienced and successful former racer turned crew chief/race engineer John Bright.

Vasser realized before he agreed to undertake the venture that he was to face extremely long odds. He had never been to Brands Hatch, for example, neither had he so much as seen the car nor driven on the skinny Dunlop radial tires. And after flying to England directly from Laguna Seca where he raced his slick-shod, ground-effect Formula Atlantic Swift DB-4, there was sure to be a rude awakening.

Another obstacle for Vasser to overcome was a lack of time. He became acquainted with the car at Brands Hatch on Tuesday (directly after flying into London’s Heathrow airport at 7 a.m.!), only for a second test the following day at Snetterton to be curtailed by a troublesome engine change.

The Lanan team traveled back to Brands Hatch for Thursday testing, but such was the number of entries that track time was restricted to a single half-hour session. After that it was straight into official qualifying. In streaming wet conditions...just like you might imagine Good Old England to be in late autumn, in fact. For Vasser, ranged against drivers with extensive experience on the track and on unfamiliar tires -- in the rain -- was a tough proposition. But he acquitted himself well, qualifying 14th out of 24 entries for his first heat race.

“I was very optimistic because I felt the car had great potential,” he commented. “It was encouraging to go out and, straight off the bat, run times that were within a second of what the front-runners were doing. Also, I always progress with my driving and we still had great gains to be made in the car. I really felt they were there. So it was logical that we were going to go much quicker. But it just seemed as though there was always something working against us. Whether it was the weather, or not able to make the proper adjustment on the car, it never really clicked like I thought it would.”

The elements were not in his favor. Even some wet-weather practice would have been beneficial. Still, Vasser had qualified respectably, and with 14 cars progressing through to the next round of competition he was still in good shape. He created a good impression, too, during Friday evening’s special overseas driver forum, joining 1989 Festival winner Niko Palhares and others before a captive audience in the circuit’s large Kentagon bar.

Incredibly, given the relatively poor state of British Formula Ford in 1990, with a couple of races being canceled due to lack of entries, no less than 19 nations were represented among the 184 drivers who set qualifying times. On Saturday morning began the process of determining which of them would become the 19th Formula Ford Festival champion.

The time-honored format called for eight heat races on Saturday, with the top 14 finishers in each progressing through to the four Quarter-Finals on Sunday morning. Once again the top 14 would graduate to the pair of Semi-Finals, and the eliminations continued toward selecting 28 drivers for the Grand final on Sunday afternoon.

Furthermore, up to three drivers from each country were selected to score points toward the World Cup. The pressure was on. Vasser was ready.

He made a good start and was able to make up a couple of places. “I got away clean,” he noted. “The first time through Paddock Hill Bend was quite something. I had always heard the stories about the Formula Ford Festival, of these crazy drivers, and I’d seen pictures of projectiles flying through the air and mangled cars. So my first time through Paddock I got a little taste of that because I think we were three abreast -- with me in the middle! I was a little concerned about the guys that were around me, but it was fine. The quality of the drivers is tremendous.”

Unfortunately, Vasser’s aspirations met an abrupt and premature end. At Druid’s hairpin, in fact, where he came into contact with the Reynard of German driver Eric Roest. Vasser had noted a problem with the brake bias on the warmup lap, which he was unable to correct in the car. Under heavy braking for the hairpin, on the inside line, the Lanan had tweaked a little sideways...just as Roest was attempting a brave maneuver ‘round the outside. Both drivers ended their race in the sand trap.

The entire team was disappointed. A promising outing had born no fruit. But Vasser wasn’t alone. Highly favored British youngster Gareth Rees, in his factory-run Reynard, promising Italian Marco Vignali and Irish veteran Dennis McGall were all eliminated in the first round, as were two other young Americans, Tavo Hellmund and Andres Serrano.

Despite his frustration, Vasser stayed on to witness the remainder of what turned out to be a thrilling two days of competition. He was impressed: “The final race was just incredible. There were really some stunning drives.”

Afterward Vasser commented upon some distinct differences in the European way of racing: “The intensity of the drivers, for example. Not that the racing drivers aren’t serious in America, but there’s a only few guys -- three or four or five guys -- out there that are running well in each series and they are really intense, whereas at the Formula Ford Festival virtually everybody is like that. The talent is much deeper.

“I was really impressed with the international turnout, too, and the fact that the different countries support their drivers. Like the Racing for Spain deal, where they’re trying to take a young driver and get him all the way to Formula 1. We don’t have anything like that in the States.”

The cosmopolitan nature of the event has for many years enhanced the Festival’s distinctive flavor. For Vasser, success would have brought more than simply a personal satisfaction: “I was looking forward to doing well in the World Cup competition. That would have been neat, perhaps to move the U.S. away from the bottom of the pack.

“I think if we could go over there with a serious effort, arrive a couple of weeks early and run the races that lead up to the Festival, test in mid-week, I think we could do real well.”

Next time, perhaps....
 

“The Festival is probably one of the most competitive events in the world,” declared Jimmy Vasser. “It was really intense, in every conceivable way, and the racing was great.”

Current champions from Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland, Spain and Australia were all among those chasing Festival glory, to be joined by defending champion Niko Palhares. The Brazilian, a protege of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Nelson Piquet, was striving to become the first man to win the event in successive years.

Palhares and Dutchman Michael Vergers, who in 1989 posted a stunning recovery drive after an early spin, were among the preªevent favorites, and both were part of the factory Van Diemen effort. Each coasted through the first two rounds of competition with wins their heat and quarter-final. In the semis, however, Palhares had to give best to British veteran Dave Coyne, driving a European-designed Swift FB90, while Vergers spun and only just qualified for the final by scraping through in 14th place. He would have to start the 20-lap main event from the last row.

Coyne, who first contested the Festival way back in 1980 (when he finished fifth), was on the front row of the grid alongside the other semi-final victor, impressive young Irishman Michael Edgar, in another Van Diemen RF90. Coyne’s progress had not been easy, since he had been banished to the rear of the grid for his heat race after reportedly ignoring a yellow flag during qualifying.

Suitably chastised, not to mentioned annoyed, Coyne claimed seventh in his heat, then qualified for the semi by virtue of a ninth-place finish. His one stroke of good fortune came in the semi-final, when a well-timed rain shower enabled him to make the most of his experience. While others slipped and slithered, Coyne moved sure-footedly through into the lead. His car, incidentally, was powered by an American-built Quicksilver engine.

Coyne moved expertly ahead in the final but was clearly struggling to match the pace of Palhares, who moved ahead with a typically incisive maneuver on lap seven. Sadly, the Brazilian’s hopes of victory vanished less than a lap later, his engine stricken with mysterious loss of electrical power. Coyne was back in the lead. For the remainder of the race Coyne resisted intense pressure from Jean-Christophe “Jules” Bouillon (Van Diemen), who created a fine impression on his debut at Brands Hatch. Ducking this way and that to counter the teenaged Frenchman’s every move, Coyne crossed the line a joyous victor, while Bouillon had to be content with third, out-fumbled by the more experienced Irishman Fionn Murray (Reynard FF90) on the very last lap.

Vergers once again drove through the pack in style. He climbed from 28th to fourth at the finish, and taking fastest lap, to be followed by a close pack comprising Belgian Marc Goossens (Van Diemen), Australian Neil Cunningham (Swift) and Edgar.

Oh, and talking about intensity, Coyne’s fastest lap of 48.84 seconds ranked only 15th best! In all, 25 of the 28 starters recorded quickest laps within one second of each other....
 

“The Festival is an event with an impressive history and I’m really looking forward to taking part,” said Vasser, who won the SCCA Formula Ford National Championship title in 1986. “It will be an honor for me to represent my country.”

Vasser will drive the distinctive new Lanan 1604 chassis. The Bill Bray-designed, John Bright-built car recently made its debut in a “Star of Tomorrow” race at Silverstone with novice Steve Perry at the wheel.

Motivation will be provided by top American Formula Ford engine builder Jay Ivey, who scored a Festival victory in 1985 with Johnny Herbert. Ivey motors also swept the top three places in Formula Ford at this year’s SCCA Valvoline Runoffs.

Assistance for the venture has been provided by Ford SVO, Indy Car team owner Rick Galles and Jonathan Holtzman.