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Welcome
Richard Spenard!
Jan. 26, 2006 - Atlantic Racing Team (www.atlanticracingteam.com) is in
the midst of testing their 17-year old ex-Honda Series driver, Canadian
Philip Major of Ottawa, Ontario (www.majorspeed.com). This youngster has
already proven his ability to go fast, as all the tests were within or
better than recent track times established by some of the more experienced
competitors, still with room to learn for him.
Now A.R.T. can, with pride and enthusiasm, today announce the full time
addition of no less than Mr. Richard Spenard. Richard, with his vast experience
in successful racing and in coaching drivers like Jacques Villeneuve,
amongst other now prominent racers, will be an addition unprecedented
in the history of Atlantic Racing Team. Richard's main focus will be the
coaching and advancement of Philip's performance and future driving career.
"I am sure Richard will also leave a mark on the total team, his
experience and network of people, his talent as an accomplished driver
and his personality in itself is such a winning combination for A.R.T.,"
says Ingo Strackerjan, team manager. "We just cannot wait for the
first race to show what a small team from Nova Scotia can do and the impact
we create. Even without any real support from Atlantic Canada we have
weathered many storms - Series and drivers - but believe that we now have
found the sometimes so elusive right combination. I have known Richard
for a long time now, as a competitor and saw him coaching his drivers
with a style and knowledge, which is very rare indeed these days. All
I can say for now to him is a heartfelt " welcome to A.R.T.and thank
you " to take on this challenge."
Atlantic Racing Team committed all their efforts, as one of the first
teams to join in 2004, to the then new Formula BMW USA Series after having
participated in various open wheel development series. Atlantic's main
objective is giving young drivers the opportunity to develop their abilities
and show them to a broader spectator and media base.
Well-connected
and established relationships with European teams, promoters and managers
alike will assure these young drivers a chance to leave their mark not
only in the North American market but also in Europe, possible home of
their racing future. Noack Motorsport of Germany, having laid the foundation
for the success of drivers like Michael and Ralf Schumacher in the early
1990's and, more recently, Tobias Vettel amongst others, is now involved
in Atlantic Racing Team's quest to produce open wheel talents for European
teams. With the formation of Mosquito Motorsport, a joint-team venture,
more European drivers will come to North America while opportunities are
now better and less costly for North American drivers to go to a European
racing venue.
Atlantic Racing and Mosquito Motorsport will pursue success over the next
years at various open-wheel series in North America and Europe with driver
talents from within the teams. For more information a special website
is now being produced and will be on the internet within a short time.
Links will soon be available on www.majorspeed.com, www.Atlanticracingteam.com
and www.formulabmwusa.com.
Mosquito Motorsport - new team
Jan. 26, 2006 - It was announced today that a newly formed association
between A.R.T. and a European FBMW/F3 team has been formulized with the
opening of Mosquito Motorsport, to be located in Ontario, Canada. Personnel
already operating within the FBMW series will head Mosquito Motorsport
and staff will be announced as soon as the driver line-up is confirmed.
The present plan is to have in 2006 a two-car team participating in the
USA/Canada and the German Series. Advancements for the driver cadre towards
the Infinity Pro Series are at this point under discussion with IPS for
2006/07.
"This business formula will give all Mosquito Motorsport drivers
the unparalleled opportunity to race in Canada/USA and in Europe, within
the Rules of FBMW , the chance to test during this year a higher horse-power
car; And getting a feeling what Oval and road racing is all about. The
main ingredient for a driver's American success is to learn to go fast
- on Ovals as well as on road/street courses. To forget Ovals in the driver's
curriculum would be to snuff noses at the most prominent and most marketable
pastime spectator sport - NASCAR, IRL and other Oval/Street Series!"
explained Ingo Strackerjan, team manager.
Atlantic
Racing Team committed all their efforts, as one of the first teams to
join in 2004, to the then new Formula BMW USA Series after having participated
in various open wheel development series. Atlantic's main objective is
giving young drivers the opportunity to develop their abilities and show
them to a broader spectator and media base.
Well-connected
and established relationships with European teams, promoters and managers
alike will assure these young drivers a chance to leave their mark not
only in the North American market but also in Europe, possible home of
their racing future. Noack Motorsport of Germany, having laid the foundation
for the success of drivers like Michael and Ralf Schumacher in the early
1990's and, more recently, Tobias Vettel amongst others, is now involved
in Atlantic Racing Team's quest to produce open wheel talents for European
teams. With the formation of Mosquito Motorsport, a joint-team venture,
more European drivers will come to North America while opportunities are
now better and less costly for North American drivers to go to a European
racing venue.
Atlantic Racing and Mosquito Motorsport will pursue success over the next
years at various open-wheel series in North America and Europe with driver
talents from within the teams. For more information a special website
is now being produced and will be on the internet within a short time.
Links will soon be available on www.majorspeed.com, www.Atlanticracingteam.com
and www.formulabmwusa.com.
A ‘Major’ step forward
Ottawa’s Philip Major moves up to Formula BMW USA for 2006
OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Ottawa race driver, 16 year old Philip Major unveiled
his competition plans for 2006 and beyond today. Major announced that
he has joined Atlantic Racing Team to compete in the 2006 Formula BMW
USA racing series. Major also plans to compete in a number of 2006 Formula
BMW Germany races (away races).
“This is a great opportunity for me,” Major said of the announcement.
“I am looking forward to working with the Atlantic Racing Team.”
Major has already shown his ability to be a front-runner in the 2005 Honda/Michelin
Challenge Series – his first year of car racing – ending his
season 2nd in the Rookie of the Year standings, and 11th overall.
Major will compete in the Atlantic Racing Team’s new Formula BMW
FB2 in 2006 and 2007, which will be his first experience in Formula car
racing. “We are extremely pleased with Philip’s first tests
at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia,” said Atlantic
Racing’s team engineer Lucas Strackerjan of Major’s first
test in less than ideal weather conditions. “His ability to adapt
to the unknowns of racing, the car, the – for him – new team,
and his perseverance shows what he can offer. He impressed us right from
the word go, and we offered him our first available seat for 2006.”
Away from the track, Major’s off track activities help keep him
in tune for the upcoming season. He is an accomplished tennis instructor
and long distance runner, which he uses to ensure he has the physical
requirements necessary to race at this level. Major has also raced model
RC cars for several years, and his knowledge of suspension, tires and
set up will be a definite advantage in understanding his Formula BMW FB2
next year.
Major’s goal is to compete in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship
Series as early as 2007. Atlantic Racing Team has ordered their new Champ
Car Atlantic car, which is an all new SWIFT 016.a chassis with a 4 cylinder
2.3ltr, 300 hp Cosworth engine. Delivery of the new car is expected in
early 2006, and Major is expected to get a fair amount of testing in that
car as well.
Major will be testing his FB2 FBMW during the fall and winter with the
team in Ontario, the Southern United States and California in preparation
for the 2006 season.
Philip Major Fast Facts;
Philip was the youngest (at 16 years old) driver in the 2005 Honda/Michelin
Challenge Series, where he finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year, and
11th overall. Major’s first sedan victory was in the regional DAC
"Trillium Trophy" GTD class in July 2005, at Shannonville. In
2003 and 2004 Major raced Go-Karts in Ottawa, Canada, and in the Sunoco
Ron Fellows Karting Championship.
Away from the track, Major enjoys Skiing, Tennis (Certified Level 1 Instructor,
Tennis Canada),
X-Country Running (MV Runner–Ashbury College 2004-05), and Music
(Concert Band Musician–Ashbury College)
A new website is being created at www.majorspeed.com.
Atlantic Racing Team Fast Facts
Atlantic Racing Team (www.atlanticracingteam.com) has been involved in
FBMW USA since the inception of this series in North America. Atlantic
Racing Team has fielded multiple car entries and had European/German FBMW
“Guest” drivers Federico Montoya (COL), Dominik Jackson (UK)
and Tobias Hegewald (FRG) in 2004/05. The team will also compete in the
upcoming Formula BMW World Finals in Bahrain this December.
Release prepared by Russ Bond Agency (www.russbondagency.com). For more
information on Philip Major, contact r.bond@russbondagency.com (905-852-2900).
Hi-res photos available on request.
Atlantic
Racing Team is hiring two crew members
Atlantic
Racing Team is hiring two crew members for their full-out assault in the
2006/07 Formula BMW USA Series and the new Champ Car Atlantic, on order,
and winter testing, now in progress.
The biggest issue is that of travelling throughout the USA in the winter,
3 weeks at a time, living in Motels in California and the South East of
the US.
Pay,
as they say, depends on experience. We need experienced mechanics with
working knowledge of Formula cars (open wheels), the rest we are willing
to teach the ones who are willing to learn. We are also in the process
to assemble a Grand Am / ALMS team. For this series we will also need
crew members on a week to week basis, with a knowledge of refueling, tire
changes etc etc.
The
working environment will be a tough one - we like to be front runners
and therefore lots of paddock time, long hours and short nights are the
part of the "race" day.
So, if you are a true motorhead and don't mind long hours of work, please
let us know. By the way - make sure that you can cross the US border if
you like to be with us.
You
will be flown in and out, no driving required. You will receive a per
diem food, hotel, travel time ; uniform, shoes, tools etc is our responsibility.
Should
you have a tractor licence (1A) it may be possible to also double as our
truck driver (2004 Freightliner Columbia with 53ft Featherlite) and supplement
your wages on a p/mi basis in addition.
Daniel
Abbale Joins Atlantic Racing Team
Atlantic
Racing Team, after a hectic 3 weeks of racing at the /Montreal and Indy
F1 with Formula BMW USA plus a 3 day test for the soon to be announced
2006 drivers, has now also secured Daniel Abbale for the rest of the remaining
2005 FBMW USA Series.
Daniel had been testing with Atlantic Racing in April but due to school
and other racing commitments, was unable to climb into the second seat.
Adrien Herberts, his team mate, is looking forward having now finally
a team mate to compare and compete with. "Our initial strategy to
run only one car was probably not the smartest" , Ingo Strackerjan
admits;" except that we had the ability to focus solely on Adrien.
But at the end, as we have seen the results of Adrien while driving with
Tobias (FBMW Germany "Guest" driver), the ability to compare
data and certain variations of driving styles are more valuable!"
Daniel, with his experience in FSCCA cars, friendlyness but competative
nature as well as his father and sister are a welcome addition at the
Atlantic Racing Team Cadre. His first official drive will come in Putnam
Park, near Indianapolis, with the official test days 8 and 9, on the 12th
and 13th of July. He will run a blue, yellow and white FB2, # 77.
Test
of Rene Arnoux (not)!
Here is our latest test(emonial) of a racer's fantasy.
Kevan,
our dear crew chief, is convinced to be the reincarnation of famous french
F1 driver Rene Arnoux and his fights with good old Gilles. The unfortunate
part of it is/was that Kevan really only likes to work on cars and sees
driving as an evil which might destroy all the work he, Kevan, has put
into it to make the car faster. So, what was there to do other than convince
Kevan to climb in, buckle up and press the pedal as hard as he could,
with the clearly blurred vision that Gilles was in front of him, just
waiting to be overtaken in a left/right combo!
So Kevan did - Shannonville was the scene of immortality - a beautiful
evening with only Kevan and Gilles on the track. Engines roaring and Kevan's
first attempt of a "real" start was just as amazing to us, the
onlookers, as it was to the birds on the track. Real slow motion could
not do better - the birds, after warning each other that traffic was imminent
to come any moment, left the track at a pleasurely stroll, and after the
smoke of Michelin tires dissipated, yes there came the Renault in full
first gear, whining at the rev limiter, only to be accelerated to second
gear. From there, with Gilles having taken the lead approximately some
lifetime ago, Kevan mastered the first corner without hesitation. The
first lap was uneventfull - no traffic, no birds - and we all looked at
the ever present stop watches with awe - never saw times like that before!
As Kevan came closer towards Gilles' Ferrari, he made a move we all will
not forget, passing him at the hairpin exit - clearly being excited he
never looked back and pressed on. Again and again his times dropped sharply,
we did not need stopwatches anymore - just looked at the interval the
birds moved and all of us knew right there and then that it was breathtaking
speed we witnessed all that evening. Gilles faded into the sunset and
disappeared, while Kevan, now our hero, came into the pits to enjoy his
first attempt of race car driving. In a later interview he told us;"
it was indeed a pleasure to run one of these fast cars, I really had no
time to think and can now understand why drivers consistently have no
idea what they are doing. My fight with my dream driver was just cool
- I had more in me but why show all bystanders all your weapons at one
time? The car handled excellent and there was neither under nor oversteering.
The laptimes from about a minute or so shows that I can do it (to come
close to the lap record).
Kevan is now preparing himself for his F1 ride as apparently Bernie needs
another Ace to revamp F1. Look at the attached pictures - is that classic
or what? We know now that Kevan has already spoken to Bernie and Max,
both agreed that they, if Kevan goes to F1, will place EBWS (Early Bird
Warning Systems) at the track.
Montréal
Race Report
June
16, 2005 - Once again Atlantic Racing Team, the sole Canadian East Coast
Formula Team,went to the Montreal Grand Prix last weekend with two Formula
BMW's and two fifteen-year old BMW Rookie drivers, Adrien Herberts of
Vancouver, BC and Tobias
Hegewald of Germany.
A
30-minute practice run on Friday afternoon followed by a 30-minute qualification
session, which counted for the two races on Saturday and Sunday in front
of over 100,000 spectators, were filled with last minute drama. A red
flag at eight minutes to go in the qualifying session left Tobias biting
his nails but he put in two incredible fast laps, which were enough to
give him the pole position for both races. Adrien was not so lucky
– for more than four laps he was stuck in traffic and got 19th and
21st
place qualifying spots for the races.
Race
One was no less dramatic for Tobias and his crew after a good start out
of P1. He had to make room for one driver and lost two places then lost
his nose and front wing in an altercation with another car, ending his
race early. Adrien fared much better. He ran very strong race and gained
ground rapidly,
ending his race in the points with a tenth-place finish. A great race
and very tough – rough plays from certain drivers left five cars
missing
essential parts. IMSA had to issue many warnings.
Race
Two – in front of Sunday's F1 crowd. Again on Pole, Tobias had a
blistering start, gaining no less than 30 meters up to the first corner,
and would have run away if an early full-course yellow had not bunched
all the cars back-to-back. A re-start, which he’d never performed
before (in Germany FBMW has no full-course yellow with safety cars), showed
Tobias’ uncanny ability to learn and execute in a very short time.
Leading the 23 cars onto the start straight, he just ran away from the
rest only to see another full-course yellow. He repeated his performance
from the previous re-start but some misjudgements, strong pressure from
Wickens, and a final hit on the rear wing left him finishing in 3rd place.
This was Tobias' first podium in his Formula racing career, which began
only three months ago. Adrien had a bit of bad luck at first but ran a
good race. A gremlin in his electrical system left him stranded on the
Start/Finish for the warm-up lap. Marshalls and team members ran to push
him off the grid onto pit lane, trying to re-start the dead engine. It
finally fired again but too late to join the field for the warm-up so
Adrien had to start from pit lane, after all other race cars and the safety
car had left. He then fought all the way up to 9th place,
only to lose two positions again, finishing the race just out of the points
in 11th place.
One
big factor was the heat in Montreal, 33 degrees C. and with a humidity
factor of over 50 d.C. The cars were overheating even when going the long
road from the pits to the paddock and all drivers had their problems to
keep the cars going.
For
detailed results please check out the official FBMW website -
<http://www.formulabmwusa.com>
After
two day’s break for maintenance, at Atlantic's summer race shop
in Shannonville, Ontario, the team will be travelling to the Formula One
race at Indy.
Great
ambience in Montreal, truly racing crazy people there! Atlantic Racing
Team would also like to thank their new sponsor, WYRED.TV for coming to
the race and greeting both drivers and their parents.
Congratulations
to both drivers and the whole team!
Wyred
Television (WYRED.TV): New team sponsor for the remainder of the 2005
and all of the 2006 racing venues.
June
1, 2005 - Canada’s sole East Coast Formula BMW USA Racing Team,
Atlantic Racing Team (ART) of Halifax, Nova Scotia, is proud to announce
that Wyred Television (WYRED.TV) is their new team sponsor for the remainder
of the 2005 and all of the 2006 racing venues.
WTV
(http://www.wyred.tv) is a newly formed company of software and multimedia
producer Terry Barratt of Fredericton, New Brunswick. WYRED.TV has been
producing content for the Internet using live feeds from shows, music
scenes, films, and general entertainment, including amateur motor sport
events with WiredMotorsports.com.
In conjunction
with ART, WYRED.TV is expanding their Internet portfolio and customer
base to include more professional Motor Sport venues.
“The
Internet, and especially live entertainment over the Internet, will add
to the choices for viewers where and when they want to watch specific
venues. With the advancement of technology, more reasonably priced equipment
and live feed costs, and the willingness of organizers of events to include
the Internet in their portfolio, viewers will see a clear advantage in
going onto the “NET” from virtually any place. The wireless
technology will allow them to watch races while sitting in their favorite
bar or café, at the airport or at home. The City of Fredericton
has wireless (WIFI) connections, free of charge, throughout the inner
city. This allows anyone to now be “connected” with a wireless
computer, laptop, or PDA and effectively select from the Internet a variety
of Video performances to view as VOD (Video on Demand) as well as the
emerging LIVE broadcasts. Commercial operations started some time ago,
such as Starbucks, and more, as well as cities like Fredericton, will
be following shortly and it becomes obvious that we are starting a complete
new era of ways to see our favorite entertainment shows,” explains
Terry Barratt.
At the present
time Barratt’s company is producing mostly musical events, such
as Blues and Jazz and Rock, as well as doing some testing with amateur
motor sport events. It is his company’s goal to broadcast a live
feed from sporting events, especially a racing series such as Formula
BMW USA. “The advantage to include FBMW USA is many fold,”
says Barratt. “Any competitor and sponsor in the other internationally
run FBMW Series, be it here in North America or in Asia, Great Britain
or Germany, will be able to see these races, practices, and qualifying
sessions live and ‘first hand’. What a great tool for the
teams to tell their sponsor that indeed they can, for instance, watch
the Friday session on their laptop while being at work or traveling. Where
else can one have such an advantage? The Internet is not, in my view,
a competitor for Cable or TV, it is an evolution of such for people seeking
a more flexible way of life and have their hi tech equipment already in
place,” Barratt concludes.
In other news, Atlantic Racing Team will be the first to include new camera
technology in their cars, once all legal issues with producers, organizers,
and Track Owners have been cleared. After a certain test period–no
more than three months are anticipated–this equipment will be made
available to all teams. Bandwidth for transmission of live feeds will
be near TV quality, with real time sound and commentary. The cost for
viewers to log on to such events will be minimal and depend on the organizing
bodies of the racing series. The options are unlimited, such as a subscription
to the series, VIP access with pit camera remote controls, PPV on a per
event basis, or simply free as a promotional venue for the series and
team sponsors. All this at a fraction of the cost of a mailing.
Lucas Strackerjan,
Engineer for ART is enthusiastic about this project. “It will have
so much financial value for teams, especially the ones participating at
the junior end of racing, to be able to tell sponsors that there is public
coverage of their event, as it seems that it is near impossible for the
racing organizers of junior racing series to include live TV coverage
of their series in a cost efficient manner. Understandably so, as it is
specific and not tailored to a wide range of viewers. The other exciting
aspect is that of new technology–if you work day-in day-out with
hi-tech equipment like our race cars, it is a welcome addition to have
the latest equipment installed, rather than going back and mounting yesterday’s
equipment on the car.” He adds, “We’ve known Terry for
a long time now. He is a staunch supporter of racing, as well as an avid
driver himself, and will produce first class shows. I am delighted that
Terry has selected Atlantic Racing Team over others! We are very proud
to welcome WYRED.TV on board as our sponsor.”
WYRED.TV’s
logos will be prominently displayed on car #11 and car #13, the two Atlantic
Racing Team cars starting in the Formula BMW event at the Montreal F1
Grand Prix.
Tobias
Hegewald to participate in all support races for the Formula F1 Montreal
GP and Indy F1 GP.
May
28th, 2005 - Atlantic Racing Team (ART) of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada,
the sole Formula BMW USA contestant based on the East Coast of Canada,
is proud to announce the addition of a young Formula BMW USA driver to
their team. 15-year old FBMW Germany Junior driver Tobias Hegewald will
participate in all support races for the 2005 Formula F1 Montreal GP and
Indy F1 GP.
Tobias, a team member/driver of the famous ADAC Brandenburg/Muecke Motorsport
of Berlin, Germany, has decided to come to ART with his race engineers
Micha Haentschel and Frank Lucke for the maximum allowable (four) races,
as per the international FBMW rules. In 2004, Atlantic Racing Team was
selected by Team ADAC Brandenburg to run Dominic Jackson and Federico
Montoya, and in the past year Lucas Strackerjan, ART's team engineer,
has established sound working relationships with Micha and the team, strengthened
by visits to overseas races and test days. It will be a great pleasure
to work side-by-side with them again.
Tobias, in his first year in Formula race cars, has shown both the talent
and the desire to be a front runner in the German FBMW Series and he continues
to gather points. As a Junior driver, being partially sponsored by FBMW,
he is a welcome addition to Atlantic Racing Team's present driver, Adrien
Herberts of Vancouver, British Columbia, also a FBMW Junior driver. Tobias
will be running his FB2 FBMW under the start number 13, while Adrien will
continue his success in car number 11. Both drivers' cars are the official
FBMW Junior colour, BMW Blue/White.
Both
Adrien and Tobias participated in the demanding Formula BMW training school
last year in Valencia, Spain, and were selected by BMW to be part of their
international 2005 Junior Cadre, the FBMW development series for up-and-coming
race drivers. FBMW uses a very advanced training system for these select
drivers, including driver coaching, physical training, and media exposure,
to open doors to other teams participating in even more advanced race
cars.
All
participants run equally-powered 140 hp BMW engines with Hewland 6-speed
sequential gearboxes. The chassis is a Mygale 2005 updated carbon fibre
one with the latest safety seat and crash box technologies, equal to,
or even better than, the current F3/F3000 cars. For more information please
refer to the official website - http://www.formulabmwusa.com . The FBMW
Series are underway again this year in Asia, Great Britain, Germany and
North America. BMW has succeeded in being in seven Formula One events
as a support race provider, giving its drivers the opportunity to shine
in front of not only millions of spectators but also in front of Formula
One teams and driver managers.
To further show the strength of their belief in young drivers, FBMW has
arranged, the first time ever since the inception of Formula BMW in 1992,
for an international World Finals in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, in
December. All participants and teams are invited to come to this exciting
week of racing. The winner will receive no less than a test drive with
the Formula 1 BMW team. Atlantic Racing Team is already preparing travel
and logistics arrangements for Adrien. More information can be found on
ART's website http://www.atlanticracingteam.com
First
official Formula BMW USA test at the Road Atlanta
And
what a test it was! The weather in Atlanta at this time of the year is
unpredictable, so we heard from many people living there or having done
lots of testing! So right they were!
Good
things first - not only did Adrien very well under the difficult circumstances
but we also had a second driver for this test and the following one at
VIR. Hopefully Dan Abbale from Northport,NY will do the full season with
us as he also proved himself at the first test session. Unofficial test
times left Adrien in 3rd place on the first day. Dan, who had never been
in the FB2 before, just got "comfortable" when things went a
little bit askew so to speak.
Gearbox
problems on both cars - different reasons but still, it meant for both
drivers -sit and wait! Adrien's gearbox, well actually not the gears themselves
but a bolt, meant to hold the gearbox to the bellhousing undid itself
and got lodged between the flywheel, clutch and engine housing. This induced
a sudden stoppage of the engine, and at first we thought that the starter
played a trick with us. So, rocking the boat (sorry, the FB2 - can't get
my maritime jargon out of my head) would free all goodies and off Adrien
went, again coming after 1/2 lap to a sudden stop. well, Kevan and Brian
had to split the car and replaced all but one item, darned! This would
hound us the next day!
By then Dan had done some good times on the track and complaint (come
on, not another driver complaint!) about the hard shifting. So, while
doing one thing with Adrien's car, Kevan dug into Dan's gearbox and -
yes all the selector barrel guides were gone from the Hewland sequential
gearbox.
All
in all - Kevan, Brian and Lucas were busy till 12:30 AM to replace and
re-set both cars. Next morning the weather looked not as pleasant as we
hoped. Rain was in the air! Problems again with Adrien's car - this time
the clutch, new one but the one little part we did not replace, gave us
the additional headache and even more important, loss of track times!
Finally both cars ran beautiful again! And why not as it started to rain
-son of a gun - real rain, sheets of it! Sitting in the tent, trailer
and where ever, the team went into depression (like the weather you say?).
At 16:00 we finally gave up and started to dismantle and store away all
the goodies into the trailer.
Adrien
Herberts tests with Atlantic Racing Team
March
1, 2005 - 15 year young Adrien Herberts of Vancouver made his first debut
with his 2005 team, Atlantic Racing Team of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It had
been decided to test at two tracks
Adrien had been before so that the acclimatisation in regards to the new
team, their members, working styles and the new FB2 Formula BMW would
be fast and easy. Buttonwillow in California was selected as the first
of two days and then Willow Springs, also in California. Day One went
without any problems, Adrien addressed his desire for speed virtually
instantanious and put all previous times into the "have done it"
files! Slight miscalculations left him playing with the ground hogs twice
but without any damage to his new car. The second day was set aside for
the engineer Lucas Strackerjan and Adrien to try different set up configurations
and applying the feed back towards the car's settings. Lucas was astonished
about Adrien's level of technical knowledge and the detailed feed backs
he constantly gave. The rest of the day was spent to go over radio and
other team procedures.
Day three was a day of rest, or so the team thought. Adrien's desire to
drive was so convincing that the team pulled out the Formula Renault FR2000
and instructed Adrien to get familiarized with a little bit more horse
power. And again - Adrien put on lap times right away and the other participants
on this open track day, regardless of equipment, eagerly made room for
him to pass with great speed differences.
Then off to Willow Springs in the Desert of California, close to Edwards
Air Force Base. Willow Springs is one of the fastest tracks around the
West Coast - selected for that reason! Adrien's coach, Danny Kok, arrived
that day and the testing took on a more formal approach. Team work, high
speed turns, F1 style starting, lots of data and set up information, tire
evaluations and other important issues filled the next two days. And again,
Adrien was right on top of things, enjoyed the car, even little sprinkles
of rain showers and one major 360 did neither stop the tests or his desire
to be faster and consistently improving his section times. This young
man is somebody to watch!
Formula
BMW USA - Driver Announcement
18/02/2005
Today’s 2005 announcement from Atlantic Racing Team of their Formula
BMW USA Series driver line-up will receive much attention. As the only
Atlantic Canadian full time racing team involved in international open-wheel
racing, the team is very excited to announce that 15-year young Adrien
Herberts of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada has joined them in their
two-car effort.
Starting
at age nine, Adrien is well known on the West Coast for his Quarter Midget
drives, and many wins. Last year’s Formula TR Series (Renault 1600)
saw Adrien secure two podium finishes at age fourteen. Adrien won the
2005 Formula BMW USA driver shoot-out in January 2005 in Valencia, Spain.
He has now become one of only six 2005 North American FBMW USA JUNIOR
drivers, and with that is further entitled to a U$40,000.- BMW sponsorship,
and complete fitness, health, and driving training to foster his racing
career.
Danny
Kok, Adrien’s coach since 2003, has always believed that Adrien
has the making not only to become a professional race car driver but one
of world class. “This is the first of the bigger hurdles Adrien
has passed with flying colours and this is a pay-off for all the hard
and dedicated work behind the wheel and in his community” Danny
said; “The FBMW USA Sponsorship could not have happened to a nicer
and more dedicated person. Adrien is not only fast but has all of today’s
needed attributes to be a world class driver. We are all happy, after
lengthy consultations, meetings and financial considerations, to be part
of Atlantic Racing Team for 2005”.
Danny will be in charge of Adrien’s coaching, with Lucas Strackerjan
being Adrien’s engineer.
"The
FBMW FB2 car has been designed with the ex go-karter in mind; 15 to 25
years young and with ambition to become a F1 or ChampCar star. As this
series involves lots of traveling within North America, the total cost
per season, including test days, is anywhere from approximately U$210,000.-
to U$260,000.- We are lucky having been able to arrange a team sponsor,
lessening therefore each driver’s cost quite a bit. We are all extremely
pleased that the Herberts family trusts Atlantic Racing Team’s ability
to bring Adrien to the podium and being a true Formula BMW USA Championship
contender,” Lucas explained.
Adrien’s
driving partner will be announced shortly, once all tests and negotiations
have been evaluated and completed.
In 2004 ART had four young drivers running for the prestigious Formula
BMW USA Championship with a total purse of over U$500,000.-: Federico
Montoya, the younger brother of F1 star Juan Pablo, and Dominik Jackson,
now in F3 (both as guest drivers for four races), Trevor Daley, and Kyle
Herder of Toronto. Kyle is now part of the Speed TV car show “Sports
Car Revolution” and will possibly be the driver in Atlantic’s
other racing series.
More
information can be received via the internet at http://www.formulabmwusa.com
or http://www.atlanticracingteam.com . www.herbertsracing.com
BMW
’s commitment to young driving talent goes back as far as the 1970s,
when the company supported the BMW Junior Team and the spectacular Procar
series over many years. From 1991 to 2001, BMW was involved in the Formula
ADAC championship as the engine supplier, helping gifted young drivers
progress from go-karts to Formula racing. In many cases, these drivers
subsequently went on to compete in international motor sports.
Indeed,
over the past twelve years, well over forty beneficiaries of BMW ADAC
Scholarship have made their way into Formula 3. The most famous graduate
has to be Ralf Schumacher, who competed in his first Formula ADAC race
on the Norisring in 1992 and is now one of the leading drivers in Formula
1.
FORMULA
RENAULT
Two Pan-American Championships to be launched in 2005
January
3, 2005 - Atlantic Racing Team received this Notice for a new Series based
on the Renault Formula cars from Renault Sports directly.
Over
the past 3 years Formula Renault N.A. and its predecessor Fran-Am had
many attempts to bring this highly competative European based Series into
the forefront of North American Open Wheel Motorsports. All venues were
visited and publized with very limited success. This should now change
drastically as Renault Sports has now agreed to back the Series with their
name and support in full as well as Mr. Jakes is a well known entrepreneur
and race enthusiast.
With
all the support, financial backings and the large interest in the Formula
Renault 2000 and V6 cars, we are certain that this will be a success.
We are considering the purchase of one V6 and have two FR2000 ready for
testing, with the new 2004 bodykit arriving in mid January. Please read
the following and tell us if you might have interest in one of the 2 driver
seats available with Atlantic Racing Team.
TWO
PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE LAUNCHED IN 2005
BASED ON FORMULA RENAULT V6 AND FORMULA RENAULT 2.0 CARS
Renault Sport Technologies has just concluded a partnership agreement
with British investor John Jakes, who has economic interests in the USA,
for the organisation of a twin Pan-American championship based on the
Formula Renault V6 and Formula Renault 2.0 race cars. From 2005, in compliance
with the terms of this agreement, John Jakes will ensure the promotion,
commercialisation and organisation of the two championships, both of which
will feature eight rounds that will visit the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil,
Argentina and Costa Rica. The first event is scheduled for May 2005.
For the championship based on the Formula Renault V6, John Jakes has acquired
the fleet of single-seaters that competed in the Renault Sport-organised
Eurocup FRV6 European Championship in 2003 and 2004. Renault Sport is
currently in the process of completely reconditioning these cars (chassis,
engine, gearbox, shock absorbers) prior to their shipment to the USA in
February 2005.
Detailed information concerning these new Pan-American championships will
be released shortly.
Atlantic
Racing Team Sponsorship Announcement
December
13, 2004 - Atlantic Racing Team, one of the original 2004 Formula BMW
USA teams, is proud to announce that Promac Systems will return in 2005
as an Official Team Sponsor of ART’s 2-car team. Promac Systems,
based in Nova Scotia, is an officially authorized Canadian Car and Truck
Exporter and specializes in the transportation and importation of older
and classic cars.
What will this mean to the two drivers selected to drive for Atlantic
Racing Team? Both drivers will receive sponsorship funding towards his/her
post secondary education (University/Trade School) in the amount of USD$50,000
from Promac upon signing for the 2005 Formula BMW USA Series. The principals
of Atlantic Racing Team established this post-secondary education program
with great success in 1999. Currently two of their employees are benefiting
from this program.
Mr. Hawkins, a principal with Promac Systems said; "This will encourage
young and aspiring drivers not only to look at the future as a driver.
It will also give them, at the end of their post secondary education,
a better understanding of the technical, entrepreneurial, or financial
aspects of racing. Later in life, these drivers may need a career change
and become part of a race team as managers, engineers, mechanics, or owners.
Their education will help them to excel and open greater opportunities".
Lucas Strackerjan, BSc BEng, part owner, team engineer, and previous team
driver has experienced the many levels of opportunity this program will
provide for drivers. "I am proud that we can offer such a program
on a continuous basis, even as a small company. Racing is so much fun
but it also requires knowledge, regardless where one sits. Naturally it
is the dream of any of our drivers to become the next F1, IRL, ChampCar
or Sports Car Champion, and we as a team encourage this with all our powers
at hand, but we have also seen the other side of the coin so to speak.
Today's drivers today must be prepared to weather most if not all the
storms in their fast paced life style".
The Educational Fund will be administered by the Law Firm of Patterson
Palmer of Halifax, NS for the full duration of the post secondary process.
Any residual from the Educational Fund can be used by the driver for testing
or furthering their racing career.
For
more information please contact Atlantic Racing Team by visiting www.atlanticracingteam.com.
Atlantic
Racing Team 2004 Season Review
Well,
the 2004 race season has officially ended and winter testing with Formula
BMW USA and Formula Renault 2000 cars is in full swing. What has this
exciting season brought the team? FormulaBMW USA was certainly the most
exciting one: new series, new cars, new drivers and most of all - new
race tracks!
With
all the activity during the season, we certainly have a lot to remember.
It was at race 2 in Lime Rock that Brian Friselle scored the first podium
of 2004. Then came Montreal mixed with emotions. The controversy and protest
around Dominik Jackson's disqualification from his P2 qualifying after
a rear wing infraction when a Race Official pushed on the wing before
parc ferme, Kyle Herder's stellar drive to 4th place, and the tremendous
crash of young Trevor Daley, splitting the car in half and subsequently
ending his inaugural season in FBMW due to lack of funding. Then at Indy,
young Federico Montoya qualified outside pole and led the race up until
the last lap when his race came to a frustrating end with a broken brake
pedal, helping Jackson secure a 3rd place finish. Let's not forget the
seizure of our race car trailer for 14 days by the Ontario DOT after they
found the brakes to be out of adjustment, subsequently forcing us to miss
the two Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport races. Then came the very enjoyable
races in Denver, with Kyle Herder coming on really strong and working
up to his ambitious drive in Laguna Seca. The successful season was topped
off by the FormulaBMW USA banquet and awards ceremony hosted by the forever-looking-for-improvement
series staff at the Monterrey Aquarium.
The
FBMW cars are definitely cars of the 21th century, packed with high performance
out of 1200 ccm and a carbon monocoque chassis and gearbox package that
is very well matched. Then there is the series that completes the experience
with endless support, a complete trackside parts department, and coaches/staff
always at hand and open to help and improve the drivers' and teams' performances.
The teams, participating all with the common goal in mind of being the
best, but still having the spirit to help each other.
The drivers, all young and eager, showing North America that there is
ample American and Canadian talent in open wheel racing. Last, but not
least, are the mechanics and engineers, working endless long nights trying
to learn how to turn their cars and drivers into front-runners. They worked
to fix, exchange, and improve the cars when, sometimes, they really wanted
to go back to the hotel and rest for the next day's tasks.
In
short, we thank and congratulate our drivers, mechanics, support staff,
all participants and organizers, but especially FormulaBMW USA and e-motion
for their efforts in 2004. We are looking forward to 2005! ART will be
running two FBMW's, one seat has been spoken for (but not firmed up as
of today), and we are negotiating at present with many other young karters
for the second seat.
Formula
Renault NA 2004 Season
As
everyone in the racing fraternity knows by now, FR2000 NA has had a tough
year after the demise of the then called FRAN-AM Series. The series "take-over"
just before the 2004 Winter season, the renaming to Formula Renault, and
the summer season program hastily assembled, took many drivers by surprise
and they shyed away from this beautiful car. The car count was never more
than 16 cars, nevertheless the show these drivers put on was nothing short
of spectacular. Many dog fights, very fast lap times, lots of rain, and
very highly skilled teams put an ingredient into the races which is rarely
seen in other Series. We had the opportunity to run in 3 races with a
young Italian driver, Luca di Cienzo (see related news at www.atlanticracingteam.com).
He made all our previous efforts in Formula Renault, since the introduction
of this car into North America, really worthwhile. Top five qualifying
and a podium at Barber in the rain, and outright performance even around
fuel pump and electrical problems, engine failures in practice (Las Vegas),
some off-road excursions, and lack of spare parts from the series. It
seems nothing could deter Luca and the team from showing that Atlantic
Racing Team is a force in the series. Thank you Luca!
It
should also be mentioned that without the diligent work of our crew chief
(and at times rebelling) Kevan Falsafi, the guidance of Mischa from Germany
with Formula BMW, and Engineer Lucas Strackerjan's endless "I am
thinking" process, ART's 2004 success would have never happened.
So
here's to 2004 and a successful 2005. Sociable! (as they say in Nova Scotia!)
Luca
di Cienzo in Vegas
November
9th, 2004 - With the Formula Renault NA race cancelled in Fontana, Atlantic
Racing Team returned to Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Speedway to join the
Formula TR series for its season-ender. Formula TR is the West Coast based
series for Formula Renault 1600 and 2000 cars. Although primarily participated
by 1600, this series has offered venues for the larger, faster 2000 cars
since the beginning of the 2003 season. Needless to say, the team and
Luca were happy to find a venue to carry out testing and practice race-craft.
The
Las Vegas Speedway (outside) road course offers a different experience
than most other tracks on the racing calendar. The track is flat and fast,
but can also become very dusty with the slightest breeze. The track proved
to be a handful for di Cienzo in the beginning as he adjusted from the
type of track that he is accustomed to in Italy. With a testing day that
saw a blown engine and suspension damage, di Cienzo changed to the spare
chassis and worked on his set-up for Saturday’s sessions and hopefully
a strong qualifying result.
Set-up
changed and a fresh set of Michelin slicks mounted, di Cienzo took to
the track for qualifying for race one. Atlantic Racing Team engineer Lucas
Strackerjan decided to continue on the Michelin slicks even though others
were running the faster Yokohama tires. “As the team’s primary
objective is to explore different set-ups and further expand on Luca’s
ability to feel the car, changing tires would only throw another unknown
into the equation”, Lucas explained. Maximizing his time on track,
due to time lost during testing, di Cienzo finished the session 0.8 seconds
ahead of second-place qualifier John Knudsen.
With
the Formula TR2000 race starting half a lap behind the TR1600 race, a
great start saw di Cienzo maintain the lead into the first corner. He
dominated the race by taking the overall lead around lap 13 and pulled
away until an electrical short, caused by an earlier off-track excursion,
retired the Italian from what seemed to be a sure victory. A disappointed
driver returned to the pits by foot and immediately looked to Sunday’s
race for redemption.
Qualifying
on Sunday seemed to be a repeat with di Cienzo taking pole position again
with his race worn tires. This time the gap was only 0.013 seconds over
Marco Andretti’s lap set on new Yokohama tires, once again proving
his ability to put on the pressure despite a lack of performance in the
tires. The race was not as easily won as Andretti again mounted new slicks
and consistently lapped one second faster than the Italian. A second place
was the best he could hope for.
Atlantic
Racing Team and Luca di Cienzo now look forward to 2005 and a testing
program that will concentrate on a North American racing effort. For information
on Luca di Cienzo or the team, please contact Ingo Strackerjan at (902)
488 5823 or by email at ingo_strackerjan@atlanticracingteam.com.
Di Cienzo and Atlantic Racing Team Score Podium Finish
Oct. 15, 2004 - Luca di Cienzo, competing in his first event outside of
Italy, scored a podium finish on his maiden North American Formula Renault
Championship race with Atlantic Racing Team this past weekend at Barber
Motorsports Park in Alabama. The nineteen year old Italian from Termoli
entered Round Seven and Eight with the intention of gaining experience
for next year’s championship, but soon showed more experienced rival
he was a force to be reckoned with.
After getting reacquainted with the details of the Tatuus built Formula
Renault chassis during Thursday’s open test day, di Cienzo felt
prepared to battle the competition as the official race weekend began.
Friday’s schedule would be divided into two sessions; practice and
qualifying for Saturday’s Round Seven. Qualifying for Round Eight
was to be done on Saturday morning.
With new tires and a few minor changes to the car set-up, di Cienzo took
to the track for Round Seven qualifying. The session was momentarily stopped
when another driver briefly went off course, however the team optimized
the situation by making some changes to the car. For the remainder of
the session, di Cienzo occupied the 7th spot on the grid, until the last
lap when he jumped into the top 5. So the top five on the grid were Gomes,
Wilkins, Bessette, Ponte, and di Cienzo.
Qualifying for Round Eight was completed in not-so-ideal conditions as
tropical storm Matthew’s effects were felt in Birmingham. A full
rain set-up was the only way to guarantee a successful qualifying run.
Having tested in the rain in Nova Scotia, the team’s headquarters,
di Cienzo was confident of continuing a strong showing for team. The end
result was a 5th place spot with Bessette taking the pole ahead of Thomas,
Imery, and Wilkins.
The track dried enough for Round Seven to be contested on dry Michelin
tires under a gloomy sky. A bad start due to di Cienzo’s experience
meant that the Italian would drop to 9th place and would have his work
cut out for him. With focus and determination, he passed Imery and made
up another spot when Yeager from Team Gelles retired with shifter problems.
Di Cienzo looked set to pass Braun for 6th place when a short in the fuel
system slowed his final 2 laps. The race was won by Gomes leading Wilkins,
Bessette, Ponte, Thomas, Braun, di Cienzo, Imery, Siska, and Dodds.
With all the clear weather in the past, Round Eight was a duplication
of the qualifying session for the race: rain, rain, and more rain. Di
Cienzo made an improved start, but excessive wheel-spin forced him back
to 7th place at the end of the first lap. The race saw two full-course
cautions that bunched the field up in an enormous amount of wheel spray.
The first was caused by Imery when he beached himself at the hairpin and
the second happened when Gelles driver Yeager retired with impact damage.
At the second restart, with only three laps remaining, di Cienzo optimized
his race position by passing a group of cars as they became bunched up.
This would promote him to 3rd place and he would maintain that position
till the end to claim his first podium in only his second race. The race
was dominated by Bessette, claiming his first win over Gomes, di Cienzo,
Wilkins, Ponte, Thomas, Siska, Imery, Braun, and Yeager.
After his successful weekend with Atlantic Racing Team, di Cienzo is looking
forward to Rounds Nine and Ten at California Speedway at Fontana. For
further information about Luca di Cienzo and Atlantic Racing Team, please
contact Ingo Strackerjan at (902) 488-5823 or email at ingo_strackerjan@atlanticracingteam.com.
The
new project starts taking shape!
August
26, 2004 - As said so many times, Atlantic Racing Team has the vision
becoming a formidable racing team for up and coming professional drivers.
Not only are we in venues like Formula Renault and BMW USA active, which
will give the young and perhaps underfunded driver a true chance to show
their ability to be fast, consistent and good team members but we also
strive to open opportunities to them which very few teams can offer.
One
of the hurdles what every young driver has to take is that of bringing
his name into the forefront of sponsors and race team principals for future
financial gains and driving opportunities. With our present program, when
a driver participates in one of the Development Racing Series, such opportunities
are slim unless Formula BMW USA or Formula Renault NA can offer more publicity
and public awareness through media exposure.
With the question mark hanging over not only the FRenault Series but other
once strong open wheel series for 2005, the choices to be recognized by
a sponsor or scout are limited even further.
So
we have embarked on an additional and new program – ALMS!
American Le Mans Series, with the governing body of IMSA, is widely publicized
not only with live TV and through their Websites but also has a large
spectator and fan followings. The races, most of them endurance style
of 2:45 hrs and the now famous Petit LeMans with 10 hrs of intense racing,
will see again in 2005 many sedan and sports cars, as well as prototypes
in two separate classes (LMP 675/900). We want to be part of it and so
should our drivers. We are now discussing an entry for 2005 with IMSA
in the LMP 675 class. This car and the races we are entering will be part
of our total racing program.
In
simple words – our drivers will participate!
What
about the cost?
The increase in costs of 2005 racing with us in either open wheel series
reflects the opportunity to run with an Atlantic Racing Junior ALMS team.
Consider for Formula Renault a minimum budget of U$190,000.- and Formula
BMW USA U$210,000.- for the complete 2005 season and then add U$90,000.-
per season drive for the ALMS car and one can see immediately the real
value such a drive will give the young driver.
But
what an opportunity!
The regular ALMS format requires two and three drivers; for Petit LeMans
and the famous 12 Hours of Sebring up to 5 drivers will be on the grid.
As we are cost conscious and are aware that racing is expensive at that
level, we are now again offering and securing team a sponsorship which
then will be given to the drivers, as done this year.
As
with all venues – nothing is written in stone so to speak and we
certainly will have to wait for the entire 2005 race schedules and dates
which might be conflicting. However, if you are seriously interested becoming
part of Atlantic Racing Team, please tell us now and we will keep you
up-to-date and include you in our email list.
The
Atlantic Racing team and Kyle Herder jump up two Championship positions
in Denver
For
immediate release
Halifax,
August 20, 2004 - Driver Kyle Herder, of the Atlantic Racing Team, used
races 11 and 12 of the Formula BMW Championship in Denver last weekend
to rise two spots to the 10th position in the general standings. He scored
9th and 8th positions, gaining precious Championship point before the
last two rounds in Laguna Seca.
Kyle
qualified on the 8th spot for both races on the slick Denver temporary
circuit. However, that meant starting from the dirty side of the track
for the race and negating him one of his greatest assets, his lightning
fast start. "Unfortunately, we couldn't capitalize on our result
and try to advance on the grid at the start from that side of the track,
recounts Herder. I was really fighting to regain some grip, any grip,
not to lose the train of cars in front of me on the start. I've spent
most of the race gaining back the two or three positions I lost on the
start."
The
ART mechanics got to the track early Tuesday and started to work under
team engineer Lucas Strackerjan's supervision right away to try to gain
an advantage. "In Formula BMW this year, every track we visit is
new, and with a temporary circuit such as Denver, you really need to move
with caution on set-up because the walls are close and don't forgive,
comments Lucas. Our job is to give a stable car to Kyle so he can attack
corners with confidence. However, starting on the dirty side of the track,
most of the grip we gave him went away and he had to fight hard just to
stay in his qualifying spot. Considering the hand he was given, Kyle drove
two solid races to get some Championship points."
Team
Principal Ingo Strackerjan also praised Kyle's aggressive driving which
resulted in a gain of two Championship position for the season. "Both
times the same start - outside row and nowhere to go - loosing two places
in turn One, fighting his way up to his original 8th place but by then
the train had left. He posted a race time of 3/10 of a second to the best
time of the weekend - so all in all we were satisfied even though a podium
place would have been a "spiritual" uplifting for the team and
driver! Still, we have to thank the city of Denver and all the race fans
for a great weekend."
The
team is now preparing for the last two rounds of the Formula BMW Championship.
Ingo wishes he could help other drivers show what they are made of, since
he has two buckets available for that event. "There are so many opportunities
for talented drivers right now. We tried more than one, and Formula BMW
is in my mind one of the best organized and focused on finding the most
talented drivers! We have the capacity to field two more cars competitively
for the right drivers. We have a great technical group, and we've shown
several time we're there to compete."
Atlantic
Racing Team is a year-round professional motorsports organization with
its race shop located in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada).
-www.atlanticracingteam.com.
Seats
available at Atlantic Racing Team
Aug.
19, 2004- Atlantic Racing Team has two driver seats available for the
last weekend of the Formula BMW USA Championship in Laguna Seca, California
- USA. This track is famous for it's "corkscrew" and high speed
turns! An excellent opportunity to get your name into the USA/Canadian
media outlets as well as ChampCar team owners will watch you! The event
is running in conjunction with ChampCar (CART) and Trans Am! Lots of publicity,
spectators and promoters will be on hand!
The
deal - we are running a three car team but have now two cars available,
both 2004 models with less than 20 hours on the engine and tub, we like
to offer these cars to fellow BMW drivers at a reduced race cost for this
special weekend. Here is what you will receive from us;
One car, fully race prepped;
Full use of our 48 ft trailer with a 20 x 48 ft tent and additional space
for hospitality area;
Hotel accomodation from the 7th to including 14th of September 2004 for
you and one additional person;
Full use of the BMW hospitallity tent, including on-track food service;
Two Guest passes for hospitality and paddock access;
One set of new tires, as per BMW rules;
One race engineer;
One mechanic;
All-Paid entry fee for the 7th of September test day in Willow Springs;
All-Paid entry fee for the two races including practices (2) qualifying
(2) and races (2); AND
Insurance covering the car.
You
must provide;
Damage security for the first US$5,000.-;
Legal Helmet and race gear;
Proper licensing documentation (FIA); And
A burning desire to win!
Price:
U$14,500.- per car and services as above mentioned.
In
order to get all things in place we need your full committment no later
than August 31st, 2004.
Should
you need more information, please write us ASAP.
The
Atlantic Racing Team meets the Trois-Rivières challenge
For
immediate release
Halifax,
August 5, 2004 – The Atlantic Racing Team showed once more their
competitiveness even with tight deadlines by successfully fielding two
entries at the Trois-Rivieres stage of the Formula Renault season. With
minimal preparation and testing, drivers Daniel St-Germain and Stephane
C. Roy finished 14th and 16th respectively.
Stephane
had only driven a Formula Renault once, while Daniel was having his first
go at this type of car. “I really had a blast and must thank the
Trois-Rivieres Grand Prix organisation for contributing to make this weekend
happen for me, said Daniel after the race. I’ve learned a lot about
the car. In a setting like Trois-Rivieres, with its technical aspects
and the walls as close as they are, it’s a tough classroom.”
Daniel
registered a fastest race lap of 1:07.133, on par with drivers more experienced
then him. Stephane qualified 12th and registered a fastest race lap of
1:06.773, but dropped out of contention after experiencing mechanical
difficulties.
ART
Team Engineer Lucas Strackerjan only had good words for his drivers and
the Trois-Rivieres crowd. “Considering the amount of time we gave
the drivers and the mechanics to get accustomed to the cars, I’m
pretty happy with the result. Trois-Rivieres is testing for the most experienced
driver who knows his machine inside out. We learned a lot, the crowd was
great, and we got through the rainy Saturday tired but still smiling.”
Team
Principal Ingo Strackerjan was also pleased with the Trois-Rivieres outing:
“We showed once again the team can deliver in difficult conditions.
Daniel, Stephane and the entire crew worked together and put on a good
show. They bettered themselves in this experiment, and they also contributed
to build value to our marketing partners.”
The
Atlantic Racing Team is now considering the opportunities offering themselves
in the coming weeks, as well as actively pursuing the Formula BMW USA
Championship.
Atlantic
Racing Team is a year-round professional motorsports organization with
its race shop located in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada).
For
more information on Atlantic Racing Team, visit www.atlanticracingteam.com.
To schedule an interview or photography, contact Lucas Strackerjan at
902.455.5278 / lucas_strackerjan@atlanticracingteam.com or Benoit Gosselin
at 819-663-7668/benoit@g-nius.ca
###
July
24th, 2004 - Italian sensation tests with Atlantic Racing Team
There are so many things to do! So many important decisions to make and
such little time to spend! We had to make a decisions between Formula
BMW USA test sessions in Gratton, USA or trying out a new aspiring driver.
Well, we
made the right decision!
Test of Italian driver Luca Di Cienco started on monday in horrible conditions,
rain, downpour of 40 mm, windy and very difficult track conditions at
Atlantic Motorsport Park (AMP website http://www.atlanticmotorsportpark.com/
in Schubenacadie, near Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada.
Luca, through his manager Gianfranco Mucio, decided to test with us at
AMP as first of all it is our home track and our engineer and owner of
Atlantic Racing Team, Lucas Strackerjan holds the inofficial record in
a Formula Renault 2000 with 1:05:65 (even though it has been said that
Gilles Villeneuve did in the mid 1970's an estonishing 0:59's in the then
visiting popular Formula Atlantic car); and secondly as it is one of the
most demanding race tracks in North America, very bumpy, unpredictable
weather (Nova Scotia is known for it's rapid weather changes due to the
close proximity of the Ocean).
Also, as Luca's goal is to make his marks in North America, wanted to
see if we can perform and will excel his driving talents through engineering
and equipment maintenance. Luca won in Italy after leaving in 2002 the
125 ccm shifter kart series, 3 Championships, 2nd in 2003 in a Renault
Monza (his first year in a single seater), while having achieved 8 podiums,
2 pole positions and 3 best laps.
While driving in at times downpour conditions, Luca became very fast acquainted
with the track, lapping a 1:14:53 on older rain tires in our Formula Renault
with an apparent excellent set up as Luca only requested one change! as
time went by the conditions changed and the very wet conditions changed
to damp with puddles and run-offs on the track. "Excursions"
into the green in turn 1 and turn 3 finalized the day!
Tuesday looked more promising and we changed to slicks and dry set-up.
Immediately he turned 1:10's as easy as it can get. The day was then spent
finding the right set-up for Luca's preferences, pedal and seat modifications,
fine tuning of chassis, tire pressures and the ever hunt for that 3/10.
Travelling from Italy, two days testing at AMP and next day return flight
to Italy shows the commitment, not only financial, to road racing he made.
His future is in racing, no more no less!
Conclusion is that we invited him to the team as he is one of the young
people we need to excel in our total open wheel program - finding a future
F1 or CART driver!
Please stay tuned for our next update.
Formula
Renault announces “Canada Cup” Championship Challenge
(24
June 04)—North American Formula Renault 2000 Championship officials
announced the “Canada Cup Championship Challenge” today, which
will be a ‘Championship within a Championship’ for the series
as it powers through three consecutive rounds of racing North of the border.
The Canada Cup will be comprised of the two Molson Indy events in conjunction
with Champ Car, first in Toronto on July 9-11, and then onto Vancouver
on the weekend of July 23-25, and will hold the final round at the Three
Rivers event on the weekend of July 30-August 1st.
The Formula Renault 2000 Championship has a prize fund worth $315,000
in total, and the Canada Cup will feature an additional prize fund of
$35,000 for the three events, with the top five finishers in the Canada
Cup points race taking home the cash. The points will be awarded as per
the FR2000 Championship finishing positions, and the Canada Cup will be
open to all Formula Renault 2000 cars, including those that have the 2004
‘update’ kit.
“This is an exciting development for the series,” said North
American Formula Renault Championship Series Director Brett Ross. “The
Canada Cup will bring even more competition to the series as we travel
to these fantastic events, and we are looking forward to bringing our
exciting standing starts and close racing to the streets the next three
races. Our competitors are also looking forward to racing for even more
money!”
Juan Martin Ponte leads the Formula Renault 2000 points championship with
77 points on the strength of his two wins this season, with round two
winner Mark Wilkins close behind with 73, and Ricardo Imery just one point
behind Wilkins, who will be looking for a win as he races in his hometown
of Toronto.
The
Formula Renault V6 Championship is the top rung on the North American
Formula Renault Championship ladder, which also includes the North American
Formula Renault 1600 Championship and the North American Formula Renault
2000 Championship. The Formula Renault V6 is expected to make its North
American competition debut in the latter stages of the2004 North American
Formula Renault 2000 season.
The series will meet again for round four of the championship as part
of the Champ Car Molson Indy Toronto event on the weekend of July 9-11.
Another
podium finish for Atlantic Racing Team at Indianapolis
June 22, 2004
- The Formula BMW USA Championship followed the Formula One World Championship
this past weekend to the United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis, Indiana
for Rounds 5 and 6.
To
say that the races were exciting is an understatement. With the championship
lead on the line at every race, as well as many close races for spots
in the top ten, the drivers and teams were going all out to attain the
best results possible for themselves and move up in the championship standings.
It
was another successful weekend for Halifax’s Atlantic Racing Team,
who finished on the podium in Saturday’s race with driver Dominik
Jackson, and qualified twice on the front row with Colombian Federico
Montoya, brother of F1 star Juan Pablo.
It
was Atlantic Racing Team's second podium finish of the 2004 season.
QUALIFYING
As in Rounds 3 and 4 in Montreal last weekend, the starting grid for Rounds
5 and 6 of the 2004 Formula BMW USA Championship were determined in a
single 25-minute qualifying session. Each driver’s fastest lap set
their starting order for Saturday’s Round 5 race. Their second fastest
laps set the order for Sunday’s Round 6 contest.
With
the pole undecided until the final seconds, Round 3 winner Jonathan Summerton
(HBR Motorsport) recorded his first pole of the season after posting a
time of 1:37.456 around the 2.6-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway USGP
circuit. He just took the top spot on his last lap from Federico Montoya
(Atlantic Racing Team). Montoya started second (1:37.769) after pacing
the field for most of the session. Round 4 winner Matt Jaskol (Team Autotecnica)
started third (1:37.909). The trio’s second fastest times were also
the best of the field and they started at the front in Round 6.
"Federico
again showed brilliant listening abilities, followed all of Micha's advice
(German Engineer)," said ART Team Engineer Lucas Strackerjan. "We
should really thank Micha for all the advice, expertise and set-up hints.
One can see that Muecke Motorsport in Germany will always be in front
with a calibre like Micha," concluded Lucas.
SATURDAY
- ROUND 5
Jonathan Summerton led the first four laps of the race until a charging
Montoya took the lead away from him. The front row starters then ran nose-to-tail,
hardly more than a car length apart, for the next 10 laps. On the final
lap, heading down Indy’s long front straight, Summerton backed off
just enough to give himself a run on Montoya and completed the pass under
braking for turn 1. Montoya closed, but spun and ultimately finished seventh.
Summerton
completed 14 laps of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway USGP circuit in the
30-minute contest, finishing 4.090 seconds ahead of Championship points
leader and HBR Motorsport teammate Andreas Wirth. Dominik Jackson (Atlantic
Racing Team) was third. His teammates Kyle Herder and Trevor Daley finished
respectively 12th and 16th.
"Everybody pulled together and the results were great, "said
Dominik Jackson. The Team Engineer Lucas Strackerjan has really grown
into his role as the team leader, which was evident in the organization
of the crew. Lucas worked his magic getting the car set up for the tricky
conditions. All the guys, as usual, did a stellar job on strategy. That
makes the difference between finishing at the back and finishing at the
front. I'm honored to be part of such a successful and well-run effort,"
concluded Jackson.
SUNDAY
- ROUND 6
The drivers were greeted again by stunning weather conditions at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway as Team Autotecnica’s Matt Jaskol took the chequered
flag, finishing ahead of the HBR Motorsport of Andreas Wirth and the AIM
Autosport of James Hinchcliffe. Federico Montoya, Kyle Herder and Dominik
Jackson (Atlantic Racing Team) finished respectively 7th, 8th and 9th
while Brampton's Trevor Daley finished in 14th place.
"I
have to say I am a little bit dissapointed as we qualified so well. However,
the important thing for me was just to be here," Montoya explained.
"I have to thank Atlantic Racing Team for making it possible for
me to continue the run for the championship and at least take a swing
at it."
"Our
newly formed team, consisting of mechanics and helping hands from Scotland,
Australia, Canada (Vancouver, Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto), is slowly turning
into the highly professional, well oiled machine that we need them to
be", said Team Principal Ingo Strackerjan. "BMW USA does a terrifc
job with their seminars, driver coaching, presentation, hospitality, food
service, parts and tire services. A real classy outfit, run by highly
motivated professionals", concluded Strackerjan.
The
seventh and eight round of the Formula BMW USA are set for July 2-3 at
Burke Lakefront Airport, when the series serves as the support race for
the Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland.
ABOUT
THE FORMULA BMW: The ultra-modern Formula BMW race car has been lining
up on the grid all around the world since the 2002 season. It sets standards
above all on the safety technology front. The single seater, powered by
a 140 bhp BMW motorcycle engine producing speeds up to 140 mph, features
a carbon-fibre chassis and fulfils the safety requirements of the much
higher-performance Formula 3 cars.
In
2004, Formula BMW will be staged in four different series held in Germany,
England, Asia and the USA. Formula BMW events will be part of the Formula
One support program on five occasions around the world. All the series
go hand-in-hand with a comprehensive education and coaching program, as
well as substantial financial backing for promising young talent. The
most distinguished graduate is Ralf Schumacher. The star of the BMW WilliamsF1
Team made his racing debut in the junior class in 1992.
Atlantic
Racing Team is a year-round professional motorsports organization with
its race shop located in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada).
For
more information on Atlantic Racing Team, visit www.atlanticracingteam.com.
To schedule an interview or photography, contact Lucas Strackerjan at
902.455.5278 / lucas_strackerjan@atlanticracingteam.com or Benoit Gosselin
at 819-663-7668/benoit@g-nius.ca
Atlantic
Racing Team Looking to Montréal for an Encore Podium Performance
June
9, 2004 - Atlantic Racing Team's championship momentum is growing but
with each race comes new challenges and round 3 and 4 of 14-race BMW USA
Championship at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, next weekend, won't likely
be an exception.
Atlantic
Racing's preface for Montreal is simple. Its driver foursome will be Kyle
Herder, Trevor Daley, Federico Montoya and Dominik Jackson. The weekend's
objectives are to continue a championship direction as a team, and leave
the famed Gilles Villeneuve circuit leading the series while improving
in all positions.
New
to Atlantic Racing for the race is Colombian Federico Montoya, brother
of F1 star Juan Pablo. And Britain’s Dominik Jackson. Both currently
compete in the BMW ADAC Championship in Europe.
Trevor
Daley, of Brampton, Ontario, has posted two top-ten finishes at his first
two races, held at Lime Rock, at the end of May. His overwhelming display
of skill and speed at Lime Rock established him as a serious BMW USA title
contender.
Kyle
Herder, of Stouffville, Ontario, completes the driver's line-up. He is
the only Atlantic Racing Team driver to have ever raced at Montréal.
In 2003, Herder raced on this same track in the Fran-Am Championship.
The
30-minutes sprints around the 13-turn, 2.747-mile world-class road course
are the featured support events at the F1 Grand Prix of Canada. Race 3
is scheduled to drop the green flag at 4:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 12.
Round 4 is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. ET, Sunday.
Circuit
Gilles-Villeneuve is one of BMW USA Championship's most picturesque and
driver friendly circuits. It's near perfect track complexion, various
passing angles, and anything-but-dull configuration is what makes it a
road racer's favorite.
Exclusively
for young drivers aged 16 to 23, this spec series makes its entry in North
America after success in both Germany and Asia. Comprised of superb single-seater
cars designed to develop driving and set-up skills. A veritable breeding
ground for talent, the series has served as a springboard to two drivers
on the F1 scene: Ralf Schumacher (Williams) and Christian Klien (Jaguar).
A serious battle is anticipated among these young guns who have but one
objective: shine before the Montreal public, international journalists
and the decision makers in F1.
Atlantic
Racing Team is a year-round professional motorsports organization with
its race shop located in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada).
Trevor Daley Joins Atlantic Racing Team
May 22, 2004 - Atlantic Racing Team is proud to announce that up and coming
Canadian karter Trevor Daley has joined the team for the 2004 season.
Trevor
in his first year of formula car racing has received the attention of
BMW Motorsports USA and has been awarded the status of Formula BMW USA
Junior.
Welcome
Trevor!
Keep
on checking for the new site - to be launched
next week.
Formula BMW USA - Our next Venue
2004/03/30 Yes - like the trees in spring - we are getting a new branch
in (on) our racing tree - Formula BMW USA. We can now, after lenghty discussions
and sorting out various issues with the team, new crew and the financial
end of it, proudly announce the 2004 racing effort in conjunction with
HBR Racing of Austria in the newly formed FORMULA BMW USA! HBR - see www.hbr-motorsport.com
- has successfully shown their abilities in Formula BMW Germany and the
European Formula 3. With their level of experience, personnel and management,
Atlantic Racing Team will advance much faster in the Series than ever
before. Negotiations with drivers for Formula BMW are taking place and
will be hopefully ending with the signing-on two promising young Hot Shots.
All this, our Formula BMW USA effort, is mainly due thanks to our newly
found team sponsor, giving away U$60,000.- to each driver. Who is that
generous Marketing Partner (!!!!)? Watch for the press release and "Show
& Tell" soon to appear in the media and on our new website (launch
date next week). With the new Kartbahn facility at Bayer's Lake Park,
to be open sooner than you might think, the new race shop will become
an attraction to all road racers - we are planning something special!
The new Team Dress Shirts will be on sale at Kartbahn's Boutique soon,
while the 2003 Team Shirts are being reduced to sell - only $25.00 - limited
selection left! Come and get it - help your favoured Atlantic Canadian
Race Car Team!
We
found him!
2004/02/27 Okay - we are back from the Winter Series - now being called
officially Formula Renault North America - "Formula Renault 2000
Series"! A milestone in a continious effort to securely establish
an open wheel Series of international class, size and proportions.
We must have had the most bizarre experiences in this Winter Series, competing
in Sebring, Fl with two races and then 14 days later, another three races
over 5 days in Homestead, Fl, on the Grand Am track lay-out as well as
the SCCA preferred one. Telling you - what a site to see these cars on
the new steeper than Daytona banking and then rushing into the eye of
the needle - turn One in four cars abreast fighter style!!
Any
how- we must have met the cream of the crop race engineers, driver coaches
and the ever so friendly Winter Series Champion, his dad and crew from
Holland. All these guys are special! No big secrets, just wicked a fast
driver - remember the name Junior Strous - he will be a force to reckon
with in the coming years in motorsport racing. So, what did we wasted
our time on this time around you ask? We had an arrangement with two other
teams to furnish them with our cars and support trailer, equipment and
Lucas' knowledge in Data collection and interpretation. The "Red
Bomb" (as described by Sean McIntosh, the 18 year old Vancouverite
driver, was crewed for him by Team First Air out of England; while Lucas'
original car was driven by 23 years old Astro Physisist Basil Shahaan
of Beirut, Lebanon, crewed, managed and maintained by CT Motorsports with
Tommy Byrne as the driver coach, engineered by Brian and Karl of Team
NASAMAX of the UK and us. What a guy Basil is - only bad luck hindered
his success to place well - after 3 engine failures, one big crash (don't
cry Lucas - the car will be fixed!), one big under Yellow off road excursion
forced by a competitor and some $???? later, Basil requested more testing
with all of us in Roebling Road, SC to - what we called - the finishing-off
of our equipment! Get the drift? Oh Basil - I really like your determination
and desire to run with the top - just be patient, just a little bit, please!
So,
but - the best in terms of new friendship and meeting of professional
people was the privelege given to Lucas and myself to work with Tommy
Byrne - who is that you ask? Go back some 20 years, look into an archieve
where the best and most promising F1 drivers are described and you will
find the pearl which had fallen back into the seas of so many good F1
drivers. Here is an article we found in the english "The Sun"
- enjoy reading ! This guy is real, as real as an Irish can be!
---------------------
Edition 2GM SAT 01 JUL 2000, Page 60
Eddie and the hot rods; Motor racing
STAN PIECHA
Forget Senna ‘n Schu.. .nutter Tommy was best, says Jordan EDDIE
JORDAN is the man who gave Ayrton Senna his first F3 test and Michael
Schumacher the chance to break into F 1. And along the way he has also
helped Jean Alesi, Eddie Irvine, Martin Brundle and RaIf Schumacher make
it into the big time.
But
the Irish team chief often casts his mind back to a fellow countryman
who had the skills to be the world’s greatest racer.. .and blew
it.
Step
forward Tommy Byrne, wherever you may be, and allow Jordan to sing your
praises and reflect on what might have been. For Byrne would have been
Fl’s wildest man - the ultimate nutter of the track - had he given
ajot. And Byrne’s career would have gone a lot further had he not
called the 1983 British Grand Prix-winning McLaren a s***box to Ron Dennis’
face. Jordan even had to impersonate him once when he failed to turn up
for a pre-race drivers’ briefing.
Genius
and former Grand Prix ace Gerhard Berger had to put Byrne to bed because
he was so drunk and then saw him win the showdown a few hours later. Jordan
recalled: “There will never be anyone like Tommy - he was a complete
and utter head case. “But when it came to driving a car quickly
he was a genius. The trouble was he refused to follow the pattern needed
to make it to the top. “He had no cares. He came from a restrictive
background in Dundalk and suddenly he was in the world of motor racing.
“I first met him when he was driving in Formula Ford and noticed
how quick he was.
He
then went to England and won the F3 championship in 1982 and I signed
him up the following year to drive for me in the F3 European scenes. And,
boy, did he give me headaches. “He had an unbelievable talent but
was also unpredictable. “Before one race in Italy I found him propped
up at a bar with a few older women buying him drinks. “He arrived
the next day for qualifying and immediately set the quickest time in the
first session, saw it beaten, and then went out with two minutes to go
and went even faster. “There was a second qualifying session in
the afternoon but he told his engineer he wouldn’t be taking part
because he felt no one could beat his time. He was right.
“He then went missing and the following day never arrived for the
warm-up or the drivers’ briefing. At the drivers’ meeting
everyone had to answer a roll call and when Tommy’s name was shouted
I hid behind a driver and answered for him. “Everyone was bursting
with laughter. Tommy strolled up half an hour before the race, got in
the car and was leading by such a margin that he slowed down so the others
could catch up and he could have a bit of fun with them. “He then
raced his chasing rivals to the finish line and won by a car’s length.
Odd behavior but that’s how he was.”
Byrne’s
prize for winning the British F3 championships was a test drive in the
McLaren in which Alain Prost had won the 1983 Silverstone race. John Watson
first took the car for a spin to ensure everything was working perfectly.
When Byrne jumped in the cockpit he matched Watson’s speed within
a few laps and then asked for new tyres to be put on. On his next run
he clipped half a second off the time Prost had clocked during qualifying
for the race. Jordan said: “It was a sensational performance which
stunned everyone. There wasn’t a driver who could get near his time.
“Ron Dennis would probably have offered him a contract there and
then but Tommy blew his chances. Ron said the car must have been fantastic
to drive but Tommy just turned round and said: ‘The f has too much
understeer. Berger, recounting the moment, says that in fact Byrne described
it as a S** *box. Wilder - The Austrian said: “Everyone just stared
at him and couldn’t believe what he had said. It didn’t go
down well. “1 raced against Tommy in F3 and will never forget him.
He was three times wilder than James Hunt. He was a madman but a great
guy. “Before one race I arrived back at our hotel with a couple
of girls and found Tommy slumped in the corridor, out of his mind. He
didn’t have the mental capacity to get into his room so I helped
him to bed. “I was on the front row and he had qualified just behind
me. I thought to myself “that’s one competitor out of the
way”. He then went and won the race - he was sensational. “He
phoned me a couple of years ago and said he was living in America in a
Caravan.”
The
last time Jordan heard from him was in 1998 when Damon Hill won the team’s
first Fl race and Byrne phoned to congratulate him. Jordan said: “It
was a great gesture from a great bloke. It’s a pity so many Fl teams
snubbed him. “He did have a couple of Grand Prix with a team called
Theodore and then just vanished to the United States. “A lot of
people told me Eddie Irvine wouldn’t survive in Fl and look at him
now. “But, then again, Tommy was a little different to Eddie. If
you multiply Eddie by four in terms of madness you are getting close to
what Tommy was like.”
Copied
from:
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read articles downloaded from The Sun and The News of the World archive
on-screen or print them once for your own personal use. You may not make
further copies, forward them by email, post them on an internet or intranet
site or make any other use of them without written permission from The
Sun Newspapers Limited. Please contact NI Syndication at enquiri es~ni
syndication .com. http://www.thesun. newsint-archive.co.uk/tmp1 04048_1
076020467 print.html ------------------------
As
autumn is here in Atlantic Canada
2003/10/30 As autumn is here in Atlantic Canada, colder temperatures,
rain and gale force winds are the daily spice of life in the Maritimes;
we are in the process once again to move the racing side of Atlantic Racing
Team towards warmer climate. The last test sessions at the local track,
AMP – Atlantic Motorsport Park in Schubenacadia, NS – were
under blue skies but already temperatures which required jackets. AMP
received an awful hit when Hurricane Juan visited Nova Scotia 2 weeks
earlier – many trees uprooted, the washroom facilities completely
demolished, Grandstands in turn 3 and 10 gone, yep gone and lots of debris
all over the place. Even the road to AMP was closed due to power lines
and trees blockings. Engine temperatures after 6 laps fell into the 60
degree Celsius, even with closing of radiator intakes etc.
We
tested our newest young driver, Christina Meloche, see the Gallery pictures
(under “test”) and text below, as well as Patrick Dorey, a
local FF1600 racer and ART member since 2001. All went well and to the
satisfaction of the team, parents and drivers. We reached with ease the
“goal of the day” so to speak, even with temperatures which
gave the Michelin Slicks no chance to heat up and be in a good operational
temperatures. Lucas did the "Show &Tell" for the many onlookers,
many of whom were wondering earlier on why we "picked" Christina.
I think she showed all of them why later on in the afternoon. Oh, and
yes - Lucas also drove "to warm up the car" hmmm!
We
will test again in Roebling Road, Georgia on the 10th, 11th and possible
12th of November, 2003, Christina in the Fran-Am 2000 car and perhaps
in another car, if all is going well. Our goal is to bring Christina up
to speed for the 2004 Series, so that she can compete alongside a second
team driver. Would you like to come and test? Let us know as we can prepare
our second car. What are the costs? Basic testing, without new tires –
U$2,000.- per day (approx. 4 hours of actual seat time), track rental
portion if other drivers participate, and they usually do, plus insurance
or damage deposits (U$35,000.- Value). New tires are U$1,100.- . Should
you do some off-course excursions at Roebling Road, it most likely will
be harmless and not expensive to your pocket book.
Please
visit us again. So long, good luck !
Happy Birthday!
2003/10/17 - Congratulations Kartbahn Racing, the Premier Indoor
Karting Place in Atlantic Canada, on your 6th Birthday.
We
wish you and all your dedicated staff all the best for the future!
PS:
Love your new Electric Karts! Fast and furious!
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