November 25, 2009
(Patrón Highcroft Racing)
Duncan Dayton’s Patrón Highcroft Racing will be the exclusive test team for Honda Performance Development next season in the American Le Mans Series. The team will field a factory-backed Acura ARX-01c prototype, an iteration of the original Acura ALMS entry. The team will evaluate the new ARX-01c platform and will conduct the testing of a new HPD engine under consideration for the 2011 season. "We are delighted to continue our relationship with Honda Performance Development,” Dayton (above) said. “We will have the No. 1 on our car for 2010 and firmly believe the ARX-01c will give us the best opportunity to defend that championship. We are very much looking forward to continuing our working relationship with the team at HPD - they have played an integral role in our championship success.” After making its debut in the championship in 2006, Patrón Highcroft received factory Acura backing in 2007, secured the Patrón Spirits Company as a naming rights sponsor in 2008 and then collected the American Le Mans Series LMP1 championship this year. The team also recorded the first overall American Le Mans Series win and the first LMP1 victory for Acura and now, the first LMP1 championship in the American Le Mans Series for the marque. Patrón Highcroft Racing veteran David Brabham will return for his fourth consecutive season with the team. Brabham's teammates are expected to be announced in the near future.The 2010 American Le Mans Series will conduct its annual Winter Test at Sebring International Raceway on February 22-23. The opening round of the championship will also be at Sebring - the 58th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida - on Saturday, March 20.
(MAZDASPEED)
2009 Formula Enterprises SCCA National Champion Nick Evans, of Hilliard, Ohio, will race in the 2010 SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup after winning the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout. Evans was one of five drivers selected from a pool of 13 Mazda champions to compete in the third-annual shootout, which was conducted on Nov. 17 at Buttonwillow Raceway. A panel of experienced motorsports professionals carefully scrutinized each candidate’s driving skill, data analysis, technical feedback, business acumen and professional poise, and the 20-year-old Evans was chosen to join the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Driver ladder program. "After hearing the news I was speechless,” Evans said. “All I could say was ‘thank you!’ I felt so relieved once I won the shootout and for the opportunity to begin my professional racing career with Mazda. I put an enormous effort into the shootout and it paid off. This is really a defining moment in my life. The MAZDASPEED development ladder is truly awesome and puts me on a path to get me to where I want to go. I will soon be battling with the veterans of American sportscar racing and I can’t wait. Bring on 2010!” Evans’ prize is valued at more than $75,000, including $50,000 to run his car for the 2010 MX-5 Cup season, $10,000 in parts support, a custom Sparco driving suit and helmet, professional media training courtesy of MAZDASPEED, 10 sets of BFGoodrich tires (one per race) courtesy of BFGoodrich and 10 entry fee waivers courtesy of SCCA Pro Racing. Evans is a biology major and pre-med student at Ohio State University.
(Jim Haines/IRL)
2009 IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti and wife Ashley Judd flank the IndyCar Series Championship Cup on October 11. Franchitti, along with the entire field of IZOD IndyCar drivers, will be looking forward to the 2010 season opener, which will take place in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, on March 14th. The event represents the return of Indy-style racing to Brazil - and the first IZOD IndyCar Series street race in Brazil - thanks to the partnership between the São Paulo municipality, the Indy Racing League and TV Bandeirantes and BandSports. The race will be broadcast in 175 countries. São Paulo is already home to the Brazil Formula 1 Grand Prix staged at the Interlagos racetrack. "While our primary focus continues to be building the sport of the IZOD IndyCar Series domestically, the race in São Paulo affords us a unique opportunity to visit a country that has a huge passion for open-wheel racing. With strong support from our major partner Aprex-Brasil, a significant television package from TV Bandeirantes, a large number of drivers from the country and the opportunity for a unique course, it makes sense from both a business and competition standpoint," said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division for the sanctioning Indy Racing League. The IZOD IndyCar Series has a long history of Brazilian driver participation since its founding in 1996, including this year's field highlighted by three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, 2004 IndyCar Series champion Tony Kanaan, veteran Vitor Meira, and young IndyCar Series stars Raphael Matos, the 2009 Apex-Brasil IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year, and Sao Paulo native Mario Moraes.
John Thawley. Publisher's Note: I'm happy to report that there's a new must-see destination for sports car racing enthusiasts: John Thawley's Sports Car Insider. Featuring John's outstanding photography and the excellent work from contributors such as John Dagys, Rick Dole, Regis Lefebure and others - as well as yours truly - I expect Sports Car Insider to become the go-to place for hard-core road racing enthusiasts. Check it out here. - PMD
Publisher's Note: Along about this time of year - with the racing season starting to wind down - we like to publish The Year in Review by John Thawley. John and I knew each other way back in the 70s when we were both doing something totally different, and we renewed our friendship around racing three decades later. John is now considered one of the best at what he does, and it's a real privilege to be able to share his work with our Autoextremist readers throughout the season. John's year-end gallery allows all of us to step back and savor another excellent season of racing in the American Le Mans Series. Thanks again to John for allowing us to display his work. Click here. - PMD
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