Junior Open Wheel Talent

The Star Mazda Championship just completed their first official test of the 2010 season over the weekend at Sebring International Raceway.  The winter test is great because it gives us a chance to see where people stack up and what kind of field we can expect in the season to come.  All things considered, I’d say Star Mazda had a real solid outing and it’s likely they will add quite a few cars/drivers to the mix for the season opener in March.

I’ve decided to bullet a few thoughts on the test. Feel free to add your own thoughts via the comment section.

What Was Good

• -Conor Daly- Daly topped 3 out of the 6 sessions and set the fastest overall lap of the weekend.
• -Connor McCombs- Okay, so this Connor wasn’t racing but Eric McCombs (Star Mazda Webmaster) and his wife welcomed their second son.  Congratulations!
• -Anders Krohn- Anders Krohn started off the year right where most people expected him (at the front).  He only finished outside the top-three in one session.
• -Tristan Vautier- Tristan Vautier really impressed me.  This weekend marked his first time in a Star Mazda car… yet, he consistently ran at the front posting some solid lap times.
• Rusty Mitchell- Mitchell ran into a few issues over the weekend but overall he posted some very respectable times and spent most of the weekend near the front—- driving the family-owned #66 car.

What Wasn’t So Good

• The Minnesota Vikings… oh wait, that’s a different story.  Turnovers aside, the officiating was pretty horrific as well.
• Weather -Reportedly there was a pretty big tail wind that was catching drivers yesterday and causing some issues.  A few rain showers hit the track surface on-and-off as well.  Although, a little rain testing isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
• Speed- Without naming anyone specific there were a few drivers who were considerably off the pace and personally, I expected quite a bit more from them.  That said, it’s important to note that everyone comes up to speed at a different pace and the first race is still about two-months away.
• Atmosphere – By all reports, the overall feel of the test was a bit strange without the Atlantic Championship and the ALMS in attendance.

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Full Test Results