The Star Mazda Championship is holding their first official test of the 2010 season this weekend (January 22-24, 2010) at Sebring International Raceway. I will be away from the computer for most of the weekend but make sure to follow the live timing page for live updates.
Watch for a post from me on Monday that hits on some key points from the test. See you then…
Star Mazda Official Results Page
Related Reading: Star Mazda January Test: Roster Updates
AIM Autorsport just submitted their tentative lineup for this weekend’s test at Sebring International Raceway.
AIM Autosport Sebring Test Lineup
- Michael Furfari
- Walt Bowlin
- David Ostella
Michael Furfari has committed to driving for AIM in 2010. Walt Bowlin and David Ostella have not been officially confirmed. That said, it’s very likely that Ostella will return for his sophomore season with the team. In 2009, while driving for AIM, Ostella finished inside the top-ten on 6 occasions. His best finish was 3rd, which occurred at Iowa Speedway.
The Atlantic Championship plans to reschedule the preseason test for early March. Watch for a venue and date to be set shortly.
Related Reading: Atlantic Championship: Sebring Test Cancelled
With the testing ban coming to an end, it’s time to update everyone on “Who Testing With Who” in Indy Lights. I’ve only received a few team confirmations, so if you have some news that’s not included here… make sure to send me an email and I will get the post updated.
Andretti Autosport (Sebring 1.19.10)
- Charlie Kimball
- Martin Plowman
Sam Schmidt Motorsports (Firebird 1.21.10-1.25.10)
- Pippa Mann
- Philip Major
- Esteban Guerreri
- James Hinchcliffe
Walker Racing (Sebring 1.19.10)
The only two drivers in this group who are un-signed (at this point) are Esteban Guerreri and James Hinchcliffe. Carmen Jorda has unofficially signed with Walker Racing… read more here (nothing official yet).
Guerreri, 24, has a ton of experience and would be an excellent addition to SSM. He spent the majority of the 2009 season racing in Superleague Formula (2 wins, 4 podiums). He also ran a few TC2000 (touring car) events as well as two races in the World Series by Renault.
James Hinchcliffe spent the 2009 Indy Lights season with Sam Schmidt Motorsports and it would be great to see him return full-time in 2010. He had a really solid debut season and I think we can safely expect even more out of the 23-year-old Canadian in 2010. He finished inside the top-ten in 67% of his 2009 race starts.
Stay tuned for additional updates.
Mitchell Motorsports sent me an email yesterday confirming their attendance at the Sebring International Raceway test next weekend (January 22-24, 2010). The team plans to expand in the future, but for now they will only be running one pilot; Rusty Mitchell.
Mitchell Motorsports Lineup
It will be nice to see Rusty back in a Star Mazda car for 2010. He made some huge improvements last season and I fully expect him to standout in 2010. His average finish in the first half of 2009 was 18.83, yet he managed to improve that to 11.00 in the second half of the season. Stay tuned for more roster updates.
Zach Veach
Zach Veach, who will be the youngest competitor in the 37-year-history of the Atlantic Championship (at age 15), continues to prepare for the 2010 season under the guidance of Jensen Motorsport team owner Eric Jensen.
The team completed a test at Buttonwillow early this week and and they also plan to attend the upcoming test at Sebring International Raceway (January 23-24, 2010).
Inside sources are reporting that about 8-10 cars will be in attendance for the first official test of the 2010 season. To me, that number seems a bit high. Jensen Motorsport is the first team to send me any sort of attendance confirmation. Considering the time of year, the economic climate and the long drive to Sebring (for most teams)… the series may have been better off to schedule this test a little closer to the season opener on March 19th. Stay tuned for future attendance updates.
Andersen Racing submitted their lineup to me yesterday for the upcoming test day at Sebring International Raceway (January 23-24, 2010). I will continue to post each lineup as I receive them.
Here is the current Andersen Racing roster:
- Anders Krohn
- Mikael Grenier
- Dom Bastien
- TBA
Andersen Racing already has a real impressive core-lineup with Anders Krohn and Mikael Grenier returning for 2010. Dom Bastien will run four weekends ( Sebring, NJMP, Road America and Road Atlanta) with the team. Like JDC, the team is currently looking to fill another seat and are reportedly holding discussions with several drivers. Stay tuned for a future update.
Indy Lights’ drivers will have two open-test sessions in 2010. Drivers will have the opportunity to test at Barber Motorsports Park next month (February 26th, 2010). The second open-test day will occur on May 3rd, 2010 at Kentucky Speedway.
The drivers and teams have had the opportunity to test at Barber Motorsports Park previously, but this year the series will run an actual race at the Alabama circuit for the first time. The race is scheduled for April 11th, 2010.
The series has also scheduled a in-season oval test day for Indy Lights’ rookies at Kentucky Speedway on May 3rd, 2010.
Perhaps the most exciting news of the day is the return of the incentive-program designed to get more Lights drivers into a testing role with IndyCar teams… Teams can earn an additional 300 bonus testing miles by testing a Indy Lights driver at least 600 miles for a maximum of three private test days. Hopefully, we will see more teams take advantage of this offer in 2010.
The first official Star Mazda test of 2010 is coming up in a few weeks; January 23-24, 2010. A few teams have already finalized their lineups. I plan to submit each as I receive them.
JDC Motorsports just submitted their lineup, but they have one seat that is still in question. The seat is spoken for, but the driver is still working to put together the necessary funds. Stay tuned for an update.
The current roster looks like this:
- Chris Miller
- Connor De Phillippi
- Gerry Kraut
- Zac Meyer
- Caio Lara
The current JDC roster— for the test— looks pretty solid.
Chris Miller is already quite familiar with the team after winning the 2009 F2000 Championship with JDC. Connor De Phillippi, who won the 2009 Skip Barber National Championship, is yet to be signed for 2010, but he would be an excellent addition to the team this season. Gerry Kraut, who is a team co-owner, will return for his 4th consecutive season in Star Mazda.
**update** Inside sources are now reporting that Caio Lara and Zac Meyer will also be testing with JDC Motorsports at Sebring International Raceway this weekend.
Caio Lara is looking to return to Star Mazda competition for his third consecutive year. Last season, his best finish was 4th–which occurred at both Sebring and NJMP. The 19-year-old Brazilian finished 8th overall in the 2009 championship (while driving for JDC).
Zac Meyer has a pretty strong karting background and most recently competed in the SKUSA SuperNationals SuperPro division. This will be a pretty big jump for Meyer …but a great experience nonetheless. It will be interesting to see how quickly he adapts to the car.
Adam Christodoulou, who won the 2009 Star Mazda Championship, had the opportunity to sample an Atlantic Championship car this week at Buttonwillow with Team Stargate Worlds.
Christodoulou, 20, completed nearly 400 miles during the two-day test. It was his first time in an Atlantic Championship car.
Adam hasn’t announced any plans for 2010, but his prize for winning the Star Mazda Championship is a fully-funded ride in the Atlantic Championship courtesy of the MazdaSPEED Driver Development program. He plans to get back behind the wheel of an Atlantic car next month— at Sebring International Raceway— for the first Official test of the 2010 season.
Christodoulou won the 2008 UK Formula Renault 2.0 championship before coming to the United States to compete in Star Mazda. Last season, in Star Mazda competition, he had 3 wins, 9 podiums and 2 pole positions in 13-starts.
