Junior Open Wheel Talent

Nathaniel Steele recently completed a two-car test with John Walko Racing at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex. The senior Communication and Marketing major at Cornell University sampled both a F2000 car and a Star Mazda machine.

His plans for the 2011 season are yet to be finalized, but he’s hoping to make the jump to the Star Mazda Championship.

Trent Hindman sampling a USF2000 car

Time for a few F2000 testing updates.

Trent Hindman, a promising young karter and Skip Barber National competitor, is testing an Arms Up Motorsports’ USF2000 car this weekend at Wisconsin International Raceway. This is his third test with the team, but first on an oval. Hindman ran four Skip Barber National races this season, finishing inside the top-five twice and qualifying runner-up once (Lime Rock Park). Despite the F2000 testing this off-season, the 15-year-old New Jersey native plans to return to Skip Barber National competition in 2011.

“Even though I am planning to run the 2011 Skip Barber National Series, I am working to be ready to run F2000 in the future,” commented Hindman. “Gregg and Brent Borland have taught me a lot about the [USF2000] car.”

During this transitive period into the car ranks, Hindman has continued karting, which is great to see. He’s doing a nice job developing his skills and pacing his development.

On Oct. 18 Ashley Freiberg completed her own USF2000 National Championship test with Andretti Autosport. Freiberg, who was  a 2010 Team USA nominee, won both the Skip Barber Southern Region and Summer Series titles this year.  She completed her 2010 Skip Barber National campaign with one win and four podiums.

Last Monday, the 18-year-old Illinois resident completed 248 miles on the road course at Putnam Park, Ind.

“Testing at Putnam in the Andretti Autosport USF2000 car was a blast,” Freiberg said in a release. “It was my first time to ever drive that car, so I was pretty shocked at the amount of grip it had through the high-speed corners. I am a fast learner, so I felt I was able to adapt at a pretty good pace.”

Freiberg has previously tested, and raced, a Star Mazda car as well. Her plans for next season are unknown at this time.

Stay tuned for more off-season testing updates. If you’re a driver doing off-season testing and want coverage — make sure to send me an email with all the details.

Related Reading:

• Star Mazda Testing Update (Oct. 2010)
• Indy Lights Testing Update (Oct. 2010)

Sage Karam and Patrick McKenna are scheduled to test an Andersen Racing Star Mazda car at Sebring International Raceway next Friday, Oct. 29.

Both drivers will run a half-day in the car. Karam will participate in the test as part of his prize for winning the 2010 USF2000 National Championship. McKenna, who finished runner-up to Karam this season in USF2000, plans to move up the ladder next season as well. Friday’s test will be his first taste of the lighter, more powerful, Star Mazda race car.

Karam, on the other hand, has already sampled a Star Mazda car with World Speed Motorsports. Nothing official has been announced for 2011, but it’s likely 15-year-old Karam will move to Star Mazda with Andretti Autosport — the team he won the USF2000 National Championship with in 2010.

McKenna, who concluded the 2010 season with eight podiums, is currently in his home country of Ireland interviewing for the Motorsport Ireland Dunlop Young Driver of the Year award, valued at approximately €50,000. He won the prize last year. While next Friday will mark his first off-season test in Star Mazda, he plans to test with several teams before making an official announcement regarding a 2011 contract.

Stay tuned for future updates.

Related Reading: Indy Lights Testing Update

Star Mazda front-runner Jorge Goncalvez wrapped up his first Indy Lights test last week, Oct. 13-14, driving for Team Moore Racing at Putnam Park, Ind.  Goncalvez, 19, finished fourth this season in Star Mazda competition after compiling 10 top-10 finishes. He didn’t reach the top step of the podium, but finished runner-up five times in 2010.  He would make a fine addition to the 2011 Indy Lights field. (Test your Spanish press release reading skills here.)

Contacts at Team Moore Racing were not available for comment on the test.

Conor Daly, who is currently in Spain at Jerez testing a Status GP3 car, is slated to test an Indy Lights car with Andersen Racing at Sebring International Raceway next week. The test will mark Daly’s second foray in an Indy Lights car. He previously tested at Putnam Park, Ind. with Sam Schmidt Motorsports.

Daly, who won the 2010 Star Mazda Championship, will be joined by Andersen Racing regulars Tristan Vautier and Nick Andries at Sebring.

It was highlighted in an earlier post today that both Michael Ramies and Felipe Stanev will complete a two-day test with PDM Racing this week.

California native Michael Ramies, 19, is scheduled to take part in an Indy Lights test with PDM Racing this week, Oct. 20-21, at Putnam Park, Ind.

It’s unlikely that he will be making the jump to Indy Lights anytime soon, but it should be great experience nonetheless. Ramies has both open-wheel and sports car experience. In 2009, he won the Skip Barber Western Regional Championship.

Update: Brazilian Felipe Stanev, 19, will also test with PDM Racing this week. Stanev has karting experience, Skip Barber regional experience and Brazilian Formula Ford laps.

GP3 Updates- 2011

Nigel Melker confirmed a return to GP3 competition in 2011 with Mucke Motorsport.  The 19-year-old Dutchman had a promising start to the season, but ultimately ended the year with only a single top-ten finish.  I’d say a return is a good idea.  He showed flashes of speed this year, so if he continues to develop, he has the potential to be a full-time front runner. At Monza, his final race of the season, he drove from 26th to 6th. Not bad.

Apparently the initials NM are common among GP3 returnees. Eighteen-year-old Swiss driver Nico Muller has confirmed a return as well. Muller, who finished third in the 2010 drivers’ championship with two wins and four podiums, will, again, drive for Jenzer Motorsport. It goes without saying, he should be a front runner in 2011.

Conor Daly, who won the 2010 Star Mazda Championship, announced today that he will be testing a GP3 car with both Manor Motorsport and Status Grand Prix during the upcoming winter tests at Estoril and Jerez. If Daly is able to get sufficient seat time and secure a deal with a solid team, he should be a front runner in 2011. Obviously a lot can change between now and the start of the 2011 season, so we will just have to wait and see what develops for the young American.

Ontario Formula Ford Championship driver Keenan Harris is scheduled to test a F2000 car with Brian Graham Racing at Mosport, Tuesday, Oct. 5.  The 18-year-old Canadian hopes to compete full-time in the 2011 F2000 Championship Series.

Thomas Hylkema plans to take part in the GP3 tests next month at both Estoril and Jerez with Manor Motorsport.  The 22-year-old Dutchman has spent the last three seasons in a Formula Renault car.  This year, in Formula Renault UK, he has one pole position (Croft) and five top-10 finishes.

USAC driver Henry Clarke, 21, completed an Indy Lights test yesterday with Davey Hamilton Racing.

“It was awesome having Davey [Hamilton] on the radio helping me get around the place,” said Clarke after the day’s activities were complete. “The car was great, we were dialed in and I really enjoyed working with the team.”

Clarke ran more than 150 laps with the squad in Sparta. Although nothing has been confirmed, the 2009 National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year hopes to run the Indy Lights finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Conor Daly Samples an Indy Lights car with Sam Schmidt Motorsports at Putnam Park

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a testing update, but there were a few teams testing this past week.

AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport just wrapped up their second day of testing at Kentucky Speedway and by all reports, the test went very well.

“We [Charlie Kimball and I] ran 180 laps from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., with 105 degree Fahrenheit air temperature, and a 145 degree track temperature,” said Martin Plowman, when asked about the test. “It was hot, but we accomplished a lot.”

Other drivers involved in Indy Lights testing this week included Conor Daly (Star Mazda) and Alex Ellis (Jim Russell Race of Champions).  Both drivers spent a day testing with Sam Schmidt Motorsports this week at Putnam Park, Ind.

Daly, who is currently leading the Star Mazda championship, has been looking to get into a Lights car for some time now.  It’s unclear if he will make a one-off appearance later this year or if this was strictly an opportunity to pick up some additional seat time.

Alex Ellis, of St. Catherines, Ontario, recently captured the Jim Russell Race of Champions title.  As a prize for winning the championship, Ellis was awarded a one-off Indy Lights race scheduled for next weekend August 22 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.