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Toyota Atlantic Championship Drivers Lead Way in Second Day of Champ Car Sebring Test
Sebring, Florida - Tuesday, November 30, 2004

 

    With an impressive amount of open-wheel talent in its driver development system, the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford has focused its efforts this off-season in opening doors and providing young racers the opportunity to move up through the Champ Car ranks.
    Several drivers from both the Formula BMW USA Championship, the entry level in the Champ Car system, and the top developmental category, the Toyota Atlantic Championship, took to the track over the last two days eager to show their readiness to ascend to the next level of racing.
    Making the most of this opportunity Tuesday were two of the top recent performers in the Toyota Atlantic series as they demonstrated their skills during a full day of Champ Car testing at Sebring International Raceway.
    Both Michael Valiante and Andrew Ranger were anxious to log some miles behind the wheel of a 750 HP Champ Car and once both drivers settled in they proceeded to improve their times and push their talents to the limit on a warm, sunny day in Central Florida.
    Valiante entered Tuesday’s test at the 1.67-mile Sebring road circuit with the greatest amount of seat time in a Champ Car. After competing in the Atlantic series from 2001-03, the 25-year-old Canadian earned a ride with Walker Racing at this season’s Champ Car finale, finishing 14th at Mexico City. The 2002 Toyota Atlantic series runner-up ran 110 laps in the #11 yokeTV.com Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone today and he posted the fastest unofficial time during the two-day test session with a top lap of 51.88 seconds.
    “I thought the day went very well and I think we actually could’ve been quicker,” said Valiante, who drove a Lola chassis for the first time during the test. “We had a few braking issues but we still ran pretty well. I want to thank Dale (Coyne) for inviting me to come down and test and I’m just glad that some of the Champ Car team owners are seeing some potential in me and are willing to give some of the developmental series drivers a chance.”
    Ranger, the 2004 Toyota Atlantic Rookie of the Year, was very impressive in his maiden voyage in a Champ Car. The 18-year-old Quebec, Canada native ran a total of 123 laps and he showed good speed from the outset before recording an unofficial top time of 52.07 seconds in the #7 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone for Forsythe Championship Racing.
    “I was pretty surprised by how quickly we were able to go fast,” said Ranger, who earned six podium finishes for Sierra Sierra Enterprises in the Atlantic series this season. “It’s not easy to get in a Champ Car for the first time and drive fast but I was pushing really hard. I learned a lot and I feel that I did my job pretty well. I know I’m ready to move up to Champ Car, but now we’ll see if some teams think I’m ready.”
    The Forsythe team also tested former F3000 and German Touring Car driver Jarek Janis and the 21-year-old native of the Czech Republic also impressed the team after logging 107 laps with an unofficial top mark of 52.25 seconds while driving the #1 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone. Janis also has one Champ Car race under his belt as he finished 18th for Dale Coyne Racing earlier this season in Australia.
    For the second consecutive day, Australian Marcus Marshall auditioned for the Dale Coyne team. On a track that saw conditions improve throughout the course of the afternoon, the former British and Australian F3000 competitor ran 90 laps and owned an unofficial best time of 52.45 seconds.
    James Hichcliffe, the 17-year-old Canadian who won the Formula BMW USA Rookie title this season, also returned Tuesday for his second day of testing. Anxious to continue to rise up the Champ Car driver development path, Hinchcliffe tested the #4 PaySystems Toyota Atlantic car for Polestar Racing Group. After compiling 86 laps in the 240 HP Atlantic car on Monday, Hinchcliffe logged 128 laps throughout today’s test session and he left Sebring knowing exactly where he hopes to be in 2005.
    “I really didn’t know what to expect and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to handle the car,” said Hinchcliffe. “We did run a lot of miles over the two days but the more miles you run the more things you get a chance to work on. It was a lot of fun and I now have a whole new desire to run in the Toyota Atlantic Series next season.”
    “James did a really good job,” said Polestar team owner Jim Griffith. “There’s no question that he’s ready for Toyota Atlantics and I hope we can continue to see him rise through the (Champ Car development) system.”
    In all, the two-day test session at Sebring provided six of the top up-and-coming racers in the Champ Car system the opportunity to shine at the next level as four Toyota Atlantic drivers earned Champ Car tests and two Formula BMW USA competitors also tested for teams within in the Champ Car system.

 

 

TOYOTA ATLANTIC, FORMULA BMW USA DRIVERS MAKE MOST OF CHAMP CAR TEST
Sebring, Florida - Monday, November 29, 2004

 

By: Champ Car
       Media

 

    Some of the top rising stars in the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford driver development system got the opportunity to showcase their skills in a 750 HP Champ Car Monday during testing at Sebring International Raceway.
    Both the Forsythe Championship Racing and Dale Coyne Racing teams of the Champ Car World Series were on hand to put some of the top open-wheel talents cultivated in the Champ Car system through their paces, and the teams came away impressed by the skill coming up through the ranks.
    The 2003 Champ Car champion Forsythe squad tested Alex Figge, a three-year veteran of Champ Car’s top development series - the Toyota Atlantic Championship -  and the team also got a good look at Andreas Wirth, who captured the Formula BMW USA championship this season in Champ Car’s entry level development series.
    Figge, a 22-year-old California native who won in Monterrey, Mexico last season while finishing seventh in the Atlantic championship, ran a total of 91 laps in the #1 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone normally driven by Paul Tracy in the Champ Car World Series. No official lap times were released at the test, but Figge recorded an unofficial top lap of 53.57 seconds on the eight-turn, 1.67-mile Sebring “short” road course.
    “I really want to thank Champ Car and the Forsythe team for this experience,” said Figge. “I thought it was a good test and I ran as competitively as anyone. The biggest difference between a Champ Car and an Atlantic car is obviously the power. At 750-horsepower it’s a big jump from the (240-horsepower) Atlantic car and that was challenging. At this point I’m still keeping my options open for next season but I’d love to be in Champ Car at some point down the road.”
    After capturing four wins and 11 podium finishes in 14 Formula BMW USA events this season, the 19-year-old Wirth earned his chance to test with the Forsythe squad. The native of Germany performed well in his first Champ Car experience completing 114 laps with an unofficial best time of 54.43 seconds.
    “Wow, what a powerful car!” said Wirth after his first run in the #7 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola Bridgestone. “I learned a lot and I continued to improve my times, so I’m pretty happy. I just want to thank Forsythe Racing and both Formula BMW USA and Champ Car for this test.”
    Another talented up-and-coming young American driver also fared well testing for Dale Coyne Racing on Monday.  Ohio native Bryan Sellers got in the most work during the day-long test session, logging 130 laps at the Sebring circuit with an unofficial best time of 53.72 seconds. The 22-year-old Sellers, who earned three podium finishes and was seventh in his first season in the Toyota Atlantic Championship in 2004, felt his experience in the development series certainly helped during the test in the #11 yokeTV.com Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone Champ Car.
    “I think having a year of Atlantic seasoning under my belt definitely helped prepare me for running a Champ Car,” said Sellers, who also tested a Newman/Haas Racing Champ Car in 2002. “That experience allowed me to get up to speed more quickly.”
    Dale Coyne Racing also tested Australian sports car driver Marcus Marshall and the 25-year-old Gold Coast, Queensland native also opened some eyes posting an unofficial quick time of 53.71 seconds while running 68 laps of testing.
    Formula BMW USA 2004 Rookie-Of-The-Year James Hinchcliffe got the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities at the next level in the Champ Car development system as well. The 17-year-old Canadian racer earned a test with Polestar Racing Group of the Toyota Atlantic Championship after finishing second in the BMW series this season. Hinchcliffe completed 86 laps in the #4 PaySystems car for the Polestar team today and he benefited from the guiding hand of Ronnie Bremer, who drove the car to a fifth-place finish in the Atlantic series this season. Bremer was on hand to coach the talented teen through his first Atlantic experience. Hinchcliffe returns to the track on Tuesday to complete the two-day test.
    The top rookie in the Atlantic series in 2004 will get his chance to show what he can do in a Champ Car on Tuesday as well. Canadian phenom Andrew Ranger will test for the Forsythe team at Sebring as the top stars of the Champ Car development ranks continue to get a chance to shine. The 18-year-old Ranger finished fourth in the Atlantic series this season after recording six podium finishes for the Sierra Sierra Enterprises team.
    Atlantic graduate Michael Valiante, who finished 14th in his Champ Car debut earlier this month in Mexico City, will also test Tuesday for the Dale Coyne Racing team.

 

 

TOYOTA ATLANTIC CHAMPION FOGARTY AND FORMULA BMW USA TITLE-WINNER WIRTH EARN CHAMP CAR TEST WITH FORSYTHE CHAMPIONSHIP RACING
Indianapolis, Indiana - Friday, October 15, 2004

By: Champ Car
       Media

    Continuing to provide opportunities for the top young drivers in open-wheel racing, officials from the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford today announced that the champions of Champ Car’s top driver development series – Jon Fogarty of the Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama and Andreas Wirth of the Formula BMW USA Championship – will both test in a turbo-charged 750-horsepower Champ Car at the end of November.
    Both Fogarty, the 29-year-old Portola Valley, California native, and the 19-year-old Wirth will get the opportunity to test with Forsythe Championship Racing, the 2003 Champ Car World Series title-winning team that currently fields entries for Paul Tracy, Patrick Carpentier and Rodolfo Lavin. The test session will be held November 29-30 at the Sebring International Raceway road circuit in Sebring, Florida. In addition to the Champ Car test, Formula BMW USA Rookie of the Year James Hinchcliffe will also get to measure his skills in a 240-horsepower Toyota Atlantic machine at Sebring.
    “Champ Car is excited to provide this opportunity to some of the future stars of open-wheel racing,” said John Lope, Executive Vice President of Operations for Champ Car. “Both Jon Fogarty and Andreas Wirth showed tremendous talent and dedication in winning championships in their respective series this season and James Hinchcliffe also exhibited a great deal of promise and poise this year. These tests will provide all of the drivers with a unique chance to showcase their skills at the next level. This is another example of the benefits and opportunities available to drivers within the Champ Car driver development system.”
    Fogarty, who added to his 2002 Toyota Atlantic title with this season’s championship run, captured six victories and six pole positions for Pacific Coast Motorsports in edging Scotland’s Ryan Dalziel for the 2004 crown in the season finale.
    The championship dreams of the German-born Wirth were also realized at the season’s final race as he produced four victories and 11 podium finishes in 14 events to claim the inaugural Formula BMW USA title. Hinchcliffe, a native of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, earned three wins and four poles this season finishing as the top series rookie, just 27 points behind Wirth in the championship chase.
    The 17-year-old Hinchcliffe earned a test session with the Atlantic Polestar Racing Group team after finishing second in the Formula BMW USA series championship this season and taking top rookie honors. Polestar just completed its second Atlantic season, finishing fifth in the season standings with Denmark’s Ronnie Bremer.
    “The Toyota Atlantic Championship is without a doubt the premier and most respected North American open-wheel driver development racing series and I am also pleased and honored to be playing my part in support of the future of Formula BMW USA and its strong association with Champ Car,” said Gerald R. Forsythe, Chairman of Forsythe Racing Inc. “Atlantic champion Jon Fogarty has been successful at every level of racing in which he has competed and Andreas Wirth of Formula BMW USA also showed a great deal of promise and talent this season.  I am pleased to give both Jon and Andreas this opportunity of a Champ Car test with Forsythe Championship Racing as the drivers showcase their ability and readiness to go to the next level.”
    The Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama is owned by Champ Car and the series just completed it 31st season as North America’s top open-wheel development series. Capitalizing on BMW’s rich racing heritage, Formula BMW USA entered the Champ Car family in 2004 and the series features young open-wheel racers competing in 140-horsepower Formula BMW FB2 machines.

 

 

JON FOGARTY CLAIMS SECOND TOYOTA ATLANTIC SERIES TITLE AFTER WINNING SEASON FINALE IN MONTEREY
Monterey, California - Sunday, September 12, 2004

By: Champ Car
       Media

    The second time around was just as sweet for American Jon Fogarty (#96 Pacific Coast Motorsports/Umbrella Entertainment) as the Northern California native captured his second Toyota Atlantic Championship Presented by Yokohama series title on Sunday while winning his sixth race of the season.
    Fogarty, who resides in nearby Portola Valley, California, started from the pole and led all 30 laps as he cruised to a 6.569-second victory at the 2.238-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca road circuit. Fogarty posted an average winning speed of 99.786 mph en route to his eighth career Atlantic win. The 29-year-old also won the Atlantic title in 2002.
    Today's race came down to a championship shootout between Fogarty and Scotland's Ryan Dalziel (#28 ProWorks) as the American led his rival by five points entering this morning's Argent Mortgage Toyota Atlantic Grand Prix of Monterey Presented by Yokohama (tape-delayed on SPEED Channel, Sunday, September 26 - 2 p.m. ET).
    Dalziel's title hopes were dashed early, however, as he was penalized for a starting line violation at the beginning of the race when he tried to get past Fogarty before the start/finish line. Dalziel served a drive-through penalty on pit lane for the infraction, ending the possibility of a down-to-the-wire battle for the season crown. The 22-year-old Scot rallied to finish sixth on the day as he wound up as series runner-up for the second consecutive season.
    While Dalziel suffered from his actions at the start, rookie Ronnie Bremer (#4 Healthcare Privileges.com/PaySystems) benefited from his strong moves at the outset. The Danish freshman took the inside line in Turn 2 at Laguna Seca and moved from fifth to third place. He took command of second position after Dalziel's penalty and went on to finish second for his fifth podium result of the year.
    Dalziel's Sierra Sierra Enterprises teammate Andrew Ranger (#27 Tide/Charmin/Mr. Clean/Snugabye), closed out his first season in the Atlantic series on an up note as he earned a third-place finish for his sixth podium of the season. Ranger was able to secure the $10,000 BG Products Rookie of the Year award as the top first-year driver in the series as he held off Bremer by just six points for the honor.
    Alex Figge (#69 Pacific Coast Motorsports/Umbrella Entertainment) completed a good weekend as he carded a fourth-place result after starting sixth on the grid. The Hollywood, California native also earned a bonus point for turning the fastest lap of the race as he produced his third top-five result in the season's last five races.
    Rookie Tonis Kasemets (#6 Flexovit Abrasives/MK ind./TMI/Redline Oil) also had an impressive effort finishing fifth in his first start at the tough Laguna Seca course. Kasemets, who ran a limited Atlantic schedule this season, equaled his top series finish with today's result.
    For the third consecutive race, rookie Chris Festa (#25 SpacePak/CareCentric) came home in seventh place for his ninth top-10 result of the year. Festa's Rahal-Letterman Racing teammate, Danica Patrick (#24 Argent Mortgage Company), finished outside of the top five for only the second time this season as she crossed the stripe in eighth place. Patrick wound up third in the season standings, despite recording her worst result of the year in the season finale.
    Former Atlantic competitor Joey Hand was on site this weekend in Monterey and he was tapped to drive this morning as Philip Fayer (#3 PaySystems) came down with an illness. Hand stepped into the #3 car and delivered a ninth-place result for Polestar Racing Group.
    Bryan Sellers (#19 Lynx Racing) started seventh on the day and, like Dalziel, he was also flagged for jumping the start of the race and had to serve a drive-through penalty. Sellers wound up 10th by the checkered flag. Australian Daniel Pappas (#10 QLD Group/Vagelis Café and Bar) produced an 11th-place effort in his first taste of Toyota Atlantic competition.
    Josh Hunt (#15 Wright/Patton/Shakespeare/Atkinson Gore Group), Cam Binder (#65 Avmax/Western Avionics) and Adam Pecorari (#2 Penn Capital/Konica Minolta) were all forced to retire early due to mechanical problems, but Binder still earned enough points to claim the C2 class championship this season.
    Today's race was completed in 40:22.220, setting a new Atlantic record for the fastest race at Laguna Seca. The mark topped the previous record of 40:29.847, established in 2000 when Dan Wheldon took the checkered flag.

ATLANTIC RACE NOTES

    Jon Fogarty became the first two-time Toyota Atlantic series champion since current Sierra Sierra Enterprises driver coach David Empringham won the title in back-to-back seasons (1993-94).
    Today's race was the third consecutive Atlantic event that was run caution free. This is the fourth race of the season that has been completed without incident, joining Montreal, Denver and Round 5 in Portland as flag-free events.
    Argent Mortgage Company, the presenting sponsor of today's race, will donate $2,000 to the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) in Alex Figge's name for posting the fastest lap of today's race. Figge carded a lap of 1:19.989 on Lap 9 today. Argent has made similar donations to local organizations at events this season in Cleveland, Toronto, Road America and Denver.
    Quotes from today's top three finishers, plus championship challenger Ryan Dalziel, follow:

JON FOGARTY (#96 Pacific Coast Motorsports/Umbrella Entertainment) "(Winning the championship) is pretty indescribable. I guess the first thing is a sense of relief. I put a lot of pressure on myself. Whether that came from outside or within, it was a lot of pressure. I'm very happy. It was great to be associated with the Figge family (team sponsors). Ryan (Dalziel) crossed the (start-finish) line just ahead of me, which is a violation. It sucks for him. The same kind of thing happened to me in Denver (when he was penalized for blocking). I don't think he had the car for me today, anyway. Fortunately, I am very comfortable on this race track. I'm just happy I had a lot of friends and family here to enjoy this moment with me. I had a lot of time to chill out after Montreal. My biological clock wasn't all screwed up (because he lives in the same time zone). I rode my bike a lot to stay fit. (On his racing plans for next year) It's difficult. As you all know, racing is up and down. Just being here (Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is cool. It's such a great race track. It just solidifies that I want to be in a series that runs predominantly on road courses. I won't compromise that."

RONNIE BREMER (#4 PaySystems) "To begin with, I actually got a bad start. (Bryan) Sellers passed me at the start. I decided I had nothing to lose. Everybody was looking to the right. I went to the left and actually went onto the pit out road, which is part of the racing surface. I wound up third in Turn 2. I want to thank Polester (the team) and PaySystems (the sponsor) for giving me a chance to finish the season. I learned a lot of things (this season). I (also learned) to never give up hope. At least I won a race. That was my goal. I'm talking to some Champ Car teams (for next year). My goal is definitely to be in Champ Car. I think it is time for me to move on. But, if the opportunity is not there, I would return to Toyota Atlantic. I like it here."

ANDREW RANGER (#27 Tide/Charmin/Mr. Clean/Snugabye) "It was a very good race for me, but a tough one. I pushed too much in the fast corners. I eased up some, but then I saw Alex (Figge) coming and I had to stay ahead of him. It was a fantastic year. I learned very much. (For Rookie-of-the-Year) It was a big fight every race. Ronnie (Bremer) is a very good driver. He pushed very hard all the time; I pushed hard, too. It will be better for me to stay in Toyota Atlantic (next season). I want to do a little bit more. I will spend another year in Toyota Atlantic and learn."

RYAN DALZIEL (#28 Pro-Works) "To decide the outcome of the series in this manner is extremely frustrating. I served my penalty and while I probably didn't have a car good enough to win today's race, I would have appreciated the opportunity to try. It's still a great result to finish the year as series runner-up, we've won races, won poles and proved ourselves when circumstances have worked against us. Overall it's been a good year, now we look to the future."