Mike Larrison was injured during last weekend’s Indy Lights rookie test at Kentucky Speedway. Details of the crash and Larrison’s condition have not been released.
Check back for more information as additional details become available. We wish Larrison the best in his road to recovery.
Update: Indy Car released its medical update this week with more information on Larrison’s condition. According to INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Michael Olinger, Larrison sustained a L2 lumbar spine fracture — which will not require surgery — following a single-car incident in Turn 4. In addition to his back injury, he also fractured his left heel which will require surgery.
Sprint car driver Mike Larrison is scheduled to test an Indy Lights car at Kentucky this week in an effort to attain his rookie license.
The test comes as preparation for the Indy Lights season-finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where Larrison is scheduled to pilot the No. 26 Andretti Autosport entry.
Larrison, who was named Xtreme Sprint Series ‘Most Improved Driver’ in 2010, is currently ranked 11th in the 2011 driver standings.
Fellow sprint car driver Jacob Wilson is also expected to compete at the Las Vegas finale aboard a Belardi Auto Racing machine. His deal has yet to be confirmed.
Rusty Mitchell will return to the Indy Lights series for the final four races of the 2011 season, beginning with the Aug. 14 stop at New Hampshire MotorSpeedway.
Mitchell drove for Team E at both Long Beach and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, logging a best finish of seventh. The talented Texan will be looking to put together a full-time Indy Lights campaign in 2012.
Kyle Connery celebrates his fourth F2000 Championship win of the 2011 season after taking the checkered flag Friday at Mosport International Raceway. (Photo: Valet)
Skip Barber National – Road Atlanta
Scott Anderson finished the weekend in Road Atlanta right where he started: First. The talented 22-year-old set the fastest lap in Round 9 qualifying and went on to sweep the weekend, winning both Round 9 and 10 while extending his overall championship lead. Brandon Newey was runner-up in the weekend’s first race with Sebastian Ordonez rounding out the top-three. In Round 10, Trent Hindman was second with Shelby Blackstock rounding out the podium after starting seventh.
F2000 Championship Series – Mosport
Kyle Connery picked up ten points on championship leader Remy Audette by winning his fourth race of the 2011 season Friday, July 22, at Mosport. It was his second-consecutive win in the series. On Saturday, however, Audette returned the favor by winning his fourth race of the year while extending his championship lead to 104 points (w/out drops). The victory marked Audette’s second-career win at Mosport. Chris Livengood, who sits second in the F2000 Championship standings, finished runner-up both days.
Star Mazda – Mosport
J.V. Horto secured his first-career Star Mazda win in Round 6 of the 2011 championship Sunday after starting fifth at Mosport. The victory also marked the first win of the 2011 season for Juncos Racing — the team which won the ’10 title. Connor De Phillippi finished second and Tatiana Calderon rounded out the top-three for her second-career podium finish. De Phillippi’s runner-up result bumped him into second-place in the drivers’ standings, just six points behind leader Tristan Vautier.
Indy Lights – Edmonton
Sam Schmidt Motorsports has Edmonton figured out. During the first of the Twin 100′s at Edmonton’s City Centre Airport circuit, Esteban Guerrieri piloted his No. 7 SSM entry to victory with a flawless performance. He was trailed closely by teammate and championship leader Josef Newgarden throughout the timed event. Newgarden drove to victory Sunday, edging Toronto winner Stefan Wilson at the stripe. The win — Newgarden’s fourth of the year — elevated his lead in the championship to 63 points. Victor Carbone had a bit of a break-through weekend, challenging for a podium finish both days. Series’ rookie Oliver Webb put in an impressive performance for Jensen MotorSport finishing fifth and third, respectively, in his debut.
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Canadians Daniel Morad and Tyler Dueck have entered the Indy Lights Twin 100s, scheduled to take place this weekend at the Edmonton City Centre Airport circuit.
Morad, who has been competing in GP3 this season, will drive for Team Moore Racing. Dueck, 24, who has been racing in the Italian Formula Renault 2.0 and Italian F3 Series over the past three years, will drive for Goree Multisports — a joint effort between Sam Schmidt Motorsports and race engineer Dave Goree.
Morad, 21, will replace Victor Garcia who was forced to withdraw from his Indy Lights campaign due to funding woes associated with the current turmoil surrounding the Spanish economy. Hopefully Garcia’s fortunes will turn around. It’s a shame to see him on the sidelines.
Both Morad and Dueck are talented karters and will be a welcome addition to the Indy Lights field. I expect both to be quick out of the box in their respective debuts.
For up-to-date information on junior formula open-wheel racing, follow @JOWT on Twitter.
Stefan Rzadzinski after a Indy Lights test with Davey Hamilton Racing at Putnam Park.
Edmonton-native Stefan Rzadzinski has secured an opportunity to compete in the 2011 Edmonton Indy Lights race.
The 18-year-old racer will take to the 13-turn, 2.556-mile, City Centre Airport Circuit July 23-24 aboard the No. 32 Davey Hamilton Racing machine with friends and family looking on. Rzadzinski has been working extremely hard to put this deal together, so it’s great to see him earn the opportunity.
In 2009, he finished second overall in the Ontario Formula Ford Championship earning Rookie of the Year honors. Last season, he repeated the feat, finishing runner-up in the championship for the second-consecutive season after compiling three wins, three pole positions and six podiums.
This past fall, the up-and-coming Canadian won a Skip Barber regional scholarship at the karting shootout at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The jump to Indy Lights will be huge, but Rzadzinski already has a proven skill-set and recently spent two days testing the No. 32 Lights car at Putnam Park near Indianapolis.
Listen to an interview with Stefan Rzadzinski, courtesy of OpenPaddock.net, here.
Daniel Herrington will return to the cockpit of an Indy Lights machine via Sam Schmidt Motorsports’ No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy car at both Toronto and Edmonton.
The almost-25 year-old driver (July 12) has made 30 career starts in the Series but only made two last season, finishing seventh at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In 2009, he finished seventh in the drivers’ standings while earning a win at Chicagoland Speedway and compiling 12 top-10 finishes.
Herrington will take to the Streets of Toronto on Friday morning for Indy Lights practice. He replaces Conor Daly and Bryan Clauson in the car — neither of whom were able to attend the two Canadian races due to prior racing commitments.
Andrade, 20, finished second overall in the 2010 South American F3 Championship while driving for Cesario Formula. He has a pretty strong background in karting and won the Formula Ford Formula Sao Paulo Championship in his car debut.
That same season (2009), he finished third in the F3 South America Light championship one position behind Raphael Abbate who finished fourth in 2010 USF2000 National Championship.
Andrade tested with Bryan Herta Autosport prior to the signing.
Peter Dempsey has secured a ride in the Indy Lights series with Andretti Autosport for this weekend’s event on the Streets of Toronto.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back on track,” Dempsey said. “I’m grateful for this opportunity at Andretti Autosport, and I’ll be working hard to put out a good result in Toronto.”
Dempsey has completed four races earlier this season with 02 Racing. During that stretch he finished inside the top-ten three times and landed on the podium twice.
A special thank you to everyone for their support. Donations will be used as a travel fund to provide more live coverage of karting and junior formula events. Every little bit helps.
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Up-and-coming Canadian driver Stefan Rzadzinski will test a Star Mazda car with JDC MotorSports this weekend at PBIR. #JOWT7 hrs ago
Nathan Morcom will return with Primus for the 2012 F2000 Championship Series with Jon Baytos engineering the RFR chassis. 7 hrs ago
