Odds are that Irishman Peter Dempsey was feeling the pressure a bit more than usual this weekend. A year ago, Peter was leading the Star Mazda Championship heading to Road Atlanta. He had won four of his last five races going into the event. He qualified on pole last year. It seemed everything was going perfectly. And then his luck changed. He finished the event in 19th position after making contact with a lap car. The result cost him the overall championship.
Determined to redeem himself, Peter returned to Road Atlanta this weekend. Just like last year, he held the overall championship lead heading into the event. It seemed like a flashback. But there was one major difference. Peter had another year of experience under his belt and he was focused on not making the same mistakes he made last year. This year he won.
photo: Star Mazda
Not only did he win, he led the entire race after qualifying on pole, his fourth of the year. This was a special weekend for Peter as his parents made the trip over from Ireland. It was the first time they had been over to the United States to watch Peter race. Let’s just say, he didn’t disappoint.
Conor Daly finished the race in second place for the second time in as many races. He trailed Dempsey by 7.769 seconds at the flag. Daly is currently third in the overall championship with 1 win and 5 podium finishes.
Adam Christodoulou, who is currently second in the overall championship, finished the event in third after starting sixth. Christodoulou is the only Star Mazda competitor capable of catching Peter Dempsey for the overall title. Adam has two wins this season and six podium finishes.
Joel Miller finished fourth and was followed across the line by Alex Ardoin in fifth.
The hard charger of the event was Denis Navarro who improved 7 positions in today’s race. Navarro qualified 14th after battling fuel pump issues but kept his head down and drove through the field to finish 7th. The result marked his sixth top-ten finish of the season.
Complete Results>>
The series returns to action on October 10th for the series finale at Laguna Seca.
Atlantic-Championship.com
The Atlantic Championship just completed their penultimate event of the 2009 season at historic Road Atlanta. The top three drivers in the overall points championship all found themselves on the podium.
Today’s tally will make the 2009 title chase even more interesting. Make the jump for all the details…. [More]
The Formula 3 Euro Series drivers spent the weekend at Brands Hatch for Rounds 13 & 14 of the 2009 championship.
Volkswagen Powerplant
It was a fairly eventful weekend and one that championship leader Jules Bianchi would like to soon forget. Bianchi crashed in Round 13 after getting together with Tiago Geronimi. It appeared to me that if Geronimi would have given Bianchi room at the exit of Paddock Hill Bend, the duo could have made it through easily. That said, Paddock Hill Bend is a very fast corner and leaving room for a competitor at the exit is easier said than done. Regardless, it wasn’t the end result that either driver had hoped for. Bianchi also retired in Round 14 after just six laps. He still holds the overall lead in the championship by 16-points.
Mika Mäki scored his first win of the 2009 season in Round 13. Round 14 offered a historical finish as Brendon Hartley scored his first career win in the Formula 3 Euro Series. It was also the first win in the series for his team; Carlin Motorsport. Perhaps even more impressive, is the fact that this was the first weekend sweep for Volkswagen in 2009.
Weekend Hard Chargers:
- Round 13- Pedro Enrique improved 6 positions, finishing 17th after starting 23rd.
- Round 14- Nick Tandy improved 9 positions, finishing 12th after starting 21st.
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Complete Results
(photo: AtlanticChampionship.com)
The Atlantic Championship returned to Mosport last weekend after a 15-year absence from the track. The last time the series ran at Mosport International Raceway was in 1994. Greg Ray, of IRL fame, won that event.
This past weekend, another American found his way to the top spot… Jonathan Summerton won Round 10 by 1.122 seconds over teammate and fellow American John Edwards. Summerton’s victory marked his third of the season and fifth of his career in the Atlantic Championship. The 21-year-old Florida resident has been remarkably consistent this year, finishing on the podium in 70% of his race starts.
John Edwards, as mentioned above, finished the race in a close 2nd. Edwards started the race in fourth, earning him the hard charger title for improving the most positions during the race. He also set the fastest lap of the event with a 1:11.541. The 18-year-old standout has been another mark of consistency— finishing 70% of his 2009 race starts inside the top-two. He is yet to have a third place finish this season.
Belgian rookie, Frederic Vervisch made a nice run to the podium… his fourth of the year. I’ve been very impressed with Frederic this season and I have a feeling that we will see him have a break-out race soon. He is yet to win an Atlantic Championship race, but he has managed to find his way to the podium in 40% of his starts. He currently leads the “Rookie of the Year” standings.
FIA Formula 2 front runner, Robert Wickens made his return to Atlantic competition this weekend with Genoa and finished the race in 4th. Last years champion, Markus Niemela finished the race in 5th. Current championship leader, Simona De Silvestro faced her first DNF of the season but retains her championship lead… albeit a much smaller one.
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Photo:www.starmazda.com
British driver
Richard Kent won his second Star Mazda race of the season over the weekend at Mosport. He started the race from pole position, his fourth of the season. It’s nice to see Kent back on the top step as he has been incredibly fast all year (he currently holds more pole positions than any other driver in the series). The win marks the third of his Star Mazda career.
Conor Daly finished 2nd on the day after leading the race for several laps. A slight mistake, due to traffic, caused him to exit the track briefly… handing the lead to Kent. Adam Christodoulou continues to fight for the overall championship, claiming the third and final spot on the podium.
Current championship leader, Peter Dempsey finished fourth. The drive of the day came from Anders Krohn. Krohn improved 8 spots in 35 laps, earning him the hard charger title for Round 11. He started 13th and finished the race in 5th. Honorable mention should go to Canadian David Ostella, who also improved 8 positions. Ostella started the race in 17th after suffering some crash damage during qualifying, but managed to drive through the field to finish 9th.
The series will resume next month for the September 25th race at Road Atlanta. The finale is scheduled for October 10th at Laguna Seca.
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(photo: www.DanielHerrington.com)
Yesterday’s Indy Lights race, the Chicagoland 100, offered race fans one of the most entertaining races of the season. The conclusion of the race featured quite a few firsts…
Daniel Herrington claimed his first career Indy Lights victory yesterday at Chicagoland Speedway. The performance by Herrington gave Bryan Herta Autosport their first win in Indy Lights. J.R. Hildebrand claimed the overall Indy Lights title, his first. Brandon Wagner put in a great performance in qualifying, earning his first career pole position. Andrew Prendeville drove a great race that saw him improve 11 positions—driving from 14th on the grid to finish 3rd—to earn his first Indy Lights podium of 2009. He also earned the hard charger award for the first time in 2009. The race had 16 starters… unfortunately, only 10 cars were running at the end of the race— the first time this season the series has had less than 12 cars finish a race.
Overall, it was an action-packed race that most of us will not soon forget. The race featured 5 lead changes among 4 drivers. James Davison finished the race in 2nd, which also marked the first one-two finish for cooperatives BHA and Vision Racing. As stated above, Andrew Prendeville rounded out the top-three by taking the final step on the podium. Honorable mention should go to Wade Cunningham, who led the most laps of any driver; 39.
Complete Results
Connor De Phillippi swept both rounds of the Skip Barber National championship over the weekend at Road America. The 16-year-old phenom now has 7 SBN wins— which is a new series’ record. Grant Maiman held the previous record, having recorded 6 wins during the 2002 Formula Dodge National Championship.
Connor’s victory on Sunday didn’t come easily. The race was ended prematurely due to several large incidents on track. The decision led to a drag race finish between Court Vernon and Connor De Phillippi. Connor came away with the win by a mere .004 seconds at the stripe (see photo above).
Series rookie Cameron Dodson of Greenfield, Indiana put in the drive of the day. Dodson improved 10 positions in 8-laps, coming from 13th on the grid to finish an impressive 3rd. Dodson improved the most positions earning him the hard charger title.
Honorable mention should go to Nazareth, Pennsylvania’s Sage Karam who led 2 out of the final 3 laps after starting fourth. Ultimately, Karam finished the race where he started (4th), but that didn’t stop him from setting the fast lap of the day with a 2:33.956. Ashley Freiberg, who earned the hard charger title in Rd. 9, rounded out the top-five. Freiberg managed to improve 4 positions in Sunday’s race after starting back in 9th.
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(photo: Jim Altemus/ www.skipbarber.com)
J.R. Hildebrand did everything correct in today’s Firestone Indy Lights race as he won by a 15.8918 second margin on his home track; Infineon Raceway. The 21-year-old California native led every lap of today’s race enroute to his fourth win of the season in the Indy Lights series. He currently holds down the overall championship lead by a large margin. Felipe Guimaraes posted another top-five finish with a very impressive performance to finish 2nd on the day. Guimaraes has finished all three of his Indy Lights races within the top-five this season. James Davison, who won the series’ previous race at Mid-Ohio, rounded out the top-three by claiming his 6th top-five finish of the year.
Sebastian Saavedra earned the hard charger title as he improved 12 spots in today’s race. Saavedra, who is currently second in the overall standings, had to start from the rear of the field in 19th position (after qualifying 2nd) due to an engine change by the team post qualifying. He put in a very impressive drive to finish 7th.
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(photo: www.jrhildebrandracing.com)
Skip Barber National front runner Connor De Phillippi won Round-9 of the season championship earlier today at historic Road America. Today’s win marks the sixth win of the season for 16-year-old De Phillippi. Karting scholarship co-winner Court Vernon finished 2nd in today’s race after starting 5th. Ashley Freiberg had a phenomenal drive that saw her improve from 14th on the grid to finish 3rd— a feat that earned her the “hard charger” title.
Full Results
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(photo: Jim Altemus)
This was a busy weekend in the junior formula world with several series competing across the globe. The majority of you have probably already heard who won the race, but you may not have heard who put in a good drive during the event. I’ve compiled a list of the “hard chargers” via an Excel spreadsheet from the various series that I cover here at Junior Open Wheel Talent.
The weekend “hard chargers” are as follows: [More]
