SEBRING, Fla., March 18 - One Andersen Walko Racing driver finished on the podium, two more were in the top 10 and the fourth ran as high as second in the Star Mazda season opener Friday at Sebring International Raceway. The youngest of the four ended up with the best result, as 16-year-old series rookie Graham Rahal of New Albany, Ohio started sixth, blasted off at the drop of the green, and finished third in The Bobby Rahal Automotive Group No. 12. Robbie Pecorari of Aston, Pa. started eighth and got as high as fourth at the very end. Then his car's engine shut off several times, dropping the Aston, Pa. driver to sixth at the checkered in the SAI Hydraulics No. 23. Jonathan Klein of Long Grove, Ill. also had some issues with the engine in his car, which is sponsored by Nexus Distribution Corp., Midwest Steel & Services, Ironclad Performance Wear and ProStar. He started 11th and ended up ninth. Pablo Donoso of Santiago, Chile started second and ran in that spot for a few laps. He inadvertently bumped the ignition switch in the Cristal Beer-sponsored No. 22, however, and when the engine died Bryan Sellers had nowhere to go and hit him in the rear. Donoso restarted and soldiered on for a few more laps but his car's rear suspension was bent from the contact, so he dropped out for a 39th-place finish in the 42-car field. Ironically Rahal had the same problem as Donoso did, although the results were not nearly as costly. He only lost a few yards when he bumped his car's ignition switch too. With no full-course yellows he couldn't catch the eventual winner, polesitter Raphael Matos, who led all 20 laps, or the second-place finisher, Matt Jaskol, but it was still a rousing start for the series rookie and son of Bobby Rahal. The start was definitely a thrilling moment for Rahal. Before the race he planned to go to the outside as the pack headed into turn one, which turned out to be a smart choice. "I didn't know what the other guys would do, but fortunately that was the place to go and I passed a bunch of guys right at the start," he said. "Outside of turn one it's not as grippy, but you can still run there." Jaskol got by him and pushed him to fourth on lap two, but when Donoso had his troubles on lap four Rahal bounced back to third and he stayed there the rest of the way. "I'm really proud of him," said his father, who is the grand marshal for tomorrow's Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring American Le Mans Series race. TV viewers can see the Star Mazda race on SPEED at 11 a.m. Eastern time on April 24. Andersen Walko Racing is one of the top formula car teams in North America. Its office is in Fairfield, N.J. and its shop is in North Versailles, Pa. Driver QuotesGraham Rahal
"That was definitely the best start I've ever had in racing. Before the race started I decided I wanted to go to the outside. I didn't know what the other guys would do, but fortunately that was the place to go and I passed a bunch of guys right at the start. Outside of turn one it's not as grippy, but you can still run there." "The car ran well. I'm still looking at this as a two-year program, so this is a great start. I want to thank my dad, Bosch, Norwalk Furniture, Andersen Walko Racing, and everybody on the team. We're looking for one through four in the championship, and I think we can still get it. Everybody on the team works together very well. The engineers all work together, and that gives us an advantage in that sense. "I bumped the ignition switch once and lost some ground, but luckily the car started back up again." "About a third of the way through the race I started to leak oil. That caused the rear end to keep sliding out.' "I wasn't surprised that there weren't any full-course yellows. It's a big track and there are a lot of places for guys to get off the track. If there had been a full-course yellow maybe I could have cooled my tires and caught those guys, but when I turned off the ignition switch I was lucky to just stay equal with them; no way was I going to catch them. So I just kept my pace and tried to run not too fast or too slow, and it paid off." "Once in turn 15 there was lapped traffic in front of me, and a car shot off course right in front of me. I kept my foot in it, but that was quite interesting." Robbie Pecorari "On the last lap I was fourth but then the motor cut out. I know I didn't hit the ignition switch, but it just stopped. It sputtered a couple of times and then it turned on again, but I went from fourth to sixth because of it. "The car was good in the left-handers but not the right-handers. For the first few laps it wouldn't turn at all. From laps five through nine or so the car was good, but from then on I had to deal with a lot of understeer. My left front tire was trashed, but I think that was caused by the understeer. "I was surprised there were no full-course yellows." Jonathan Klein "We had a good start, but then we started to fall back. In sixth gear my car sputtered a lot. The no-lift shifter didn't work, and that didn't help either. "Two guys spun in front of me once but I was able to get around them, so that wasn't too bad. "We had a good car. We just didn't have a good motor today." Pablo Donoso "I was adjusting the bars and I touched the ignition switch and turned the car off by mistake. Bryan Sellers was behind me and he didn't know I was having a problem, and we tangled in turn 16. It broke my rear suspension. I ran for a few laps after that, but it was too bad so I had to drop out."
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SEBRING, Fla., March 3 - Fans are already lining their motorhomes up on the roads leading into Sebring International Raceway in order to get a good spot for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 19, even though the gates don't open until 7 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16.
Jonathan Klein, Robbie Pecorari, Graham Rahal and Pablo Donoso aren't waiting in that line but they're just as excited about the 53rd annual Sebring event. They'll drive Andersen Walko Racing entries in a companion race to the American Le Mans Series season opener that weekend, as the Star Mazda series presented by Goodyear will also open its 2005 season at Sebring with a race on Friday afternoon, March 18. Racing in front of well over 100,000 fans at America's oldest and best-attended sports car race is thrilling for any race car driver, but it's especially exciting for ones so young. Klein and Pecorari are 17; Rahal just turned 16 and Donoso is 20. "The adrenaline rush that you have is unexplainable when you as a driver know that over 100,000 people are at the track watching you," Pecorari said. Although the drivers may have some butterflies, the team has done its homework over the winter. Andersen Walko Racing tested at four different tracks during the off-season, including two days on Sebring's 3.7-mile long course. During that test all four of the AWR drivers ran times that would have put them at the front of the grid in qualifying for the Star Mazda race last year, which makes everyone on the team very optimistic. Klein, who hails from Long Grove, Ill., was the Star Mazda series' most improved driver for 2004. He is part of the family which owns Klein Tools, the official hand tool of the ALMS series and a sponsor of Dan Wheldon's Andretti Green Racing entry in the Indy Racing League IndyCar series. Klein will be in the black and white No. 26 Star Mazda car. Pecorari, who lives in Aston, Pa., has impressed just about everybody who has ever watched him race. He'll be in the black No. 23 at Sebring. He raced a Skip Barber car at Sebring last year, finishing second and fourth in a doubleheader in only his second and third open-wheel starts. Rahal, of New Albany, Ohio, is the son of the legendary Bobby Rahal, who won the Twelve Hours of Sebring himself in 1987 in a Porsche 962 with Jochen Mass as his co-driver. That family of course is also deeply involved in IndyCar Racing, as Rahal Letterman Racing is the defending Indy 500 winner and fields Indy cars for Buddy Rice, Vitor Meiria and Danica Patrick. Rahal will be in the No. 12, which is painted McLaren orange and blue. Donoso has an IndyCar connection too, as he's the protégé of fellow Chilean Eliseo Salazar, whom Americans know best for his IndyCar drives. Donoso hails from Santiago, Chile. He has the same sponsor that Salazar had in Indy cars, Cristal Beer. His car is yellow and green and carries the number 22. "Sebring International Raceway is an excellent track," Klein said. "It's bumpy, flat and aging, but I always enjoy driving it." "Success at Sebring comes by keeping your nose clean and saving your tires," he explained. "If I can do those two things well during the race, the result should be fantastic." Klein added that he has a set of grandparents in nearby Orlando. "I hope they come out to cheer my teammates and me on," he added. Klein, whose nickname is "Jono," is sponsored by Kalfact Plastics; Fettes, Love and Sieben; Nexus Distribution Corp.; Midwest Steel & Services; Ironclad and ProStar. "The race at Sebring will be very exciting," predicted Pecorari, who is sponsored by SAI Hydraulics. "Last year the top runners at the season opener were the top runners all year long. The track has a great layout but it's a little bumpy due to the cement surface." Sebring was originally built as a World War II B-17 training base. "The Sebring track is the ultimate," Rahal pronounced. "It is fast, momentous and exciting. The history behind it brings excitement to your body as you drive around it, and you just think of all the other great drivers who have driven there." "I've never raced at Sebring before; this will be the first time for me," Donoso said. "The course is very demanding. It's fast and technical at the same time." "My teammates will help me as much as they can," Donoso added. "I'm also going to depend on the guidance of Eliseo Salazar. He has won many races in many different series, and his knowledge will help me a lot." Star Mazda practice is the first thing on the weekend card, as a half-hour session is slated for 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 16, while those fans with their motorhomes will still be setting up. Another half-hour session will be held at 3:15 p.m. that afternoon. On Thursday, March 17 there is practice from 8:45 a.m. until 9:15 a.m. prior to qualifying from 1:05 p.m. until 1:50 p.m. that day. Then all that will be left will be to run the 45-minute race, which is slated to get the green flag at 2:40 p.m. on Friday, March 18. The schedule is subject to change, but that's the latest as of press time. All of the Star Mazda races are televised on a tape-delayed basis on SPEED. FAIRFIELD, N.J., Dec. 11 - Andersen Walko Racing (AWR) announced today that Robbie Pecorari of Aston, Pa. and Pablo Donoso of Santiago, Chile will join Jonathan Klein of Long Grove, Ill. and Graham Rahal of New Albany, Ohio on its squad of drivers for the 2005 Star Mazda Series presented by Goodyear.
With today's announcement AWR rounds out its four-driver Star Mazda lineup, as Klein and Rahal signed with the team for 2005 in November. Team co-owners Dan Andersen and John Walko did not rule out running additional drivers on occasion too. AWR is one of the most successful formula car teams in America. It won the Formula Ford Zetec team championship this year with drivers Andrew Prendeville and Adam Pecorari, Robbie's brother. In addition, Klein campaigned an AWR entry in the Star Mazda series in 2004 and earned that series' Most Improved Driver award. Klein will be a sophomore in Star Mazda in 2005. Robbie Pecorari has driven in two Star Mazda races in the past but he, Donoso and Rahal will all be rookies in that series in 2005. Klein and Robbie Pecorari are 17; Rahal will turn 16 on Jan. 4 and Donoso just turned 20. Robbie Pecorari drove an AWR entry in the Star Mazda series' season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. in October. He qualified fourth, only seven-tenths of a second off the pole. Unfortunately he was hit from behind by another competitor at the start of the race, suffering left-rear suspension damage which forced him to retire from that event. He also drove an AWR entry in a Star Mazda race at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., in September. He qualified fifth for that event, ran in third for most of the race, and took the checkered in fourth place. The younger of the Pecorari brothers also ran in two Formula Ford Zetec races in AWR livery at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May, finishing fifth and eighth. He also competed in two Zetec races for AWR at Road Atlanta in 2003, qualifying fourth and fifth. He amazed his fellow AWR teammates at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. this May when he stepped into one of the team's Formula SCCA cars at the last minute to finish second in one race and win the other one in a weekend doubleheader. A senior at Garnet Valley High School south of Philadelphia, Pecorari won the Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow Formula Dodge national championship scholarship award for 2004. He did the full Skip Barber national season this year too, winning one race at Mosport Int'l Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada and finishing fifth in that championship. He earned the national ICA (100cc direct drive) karting point championship in 2003, recording five ICA victories in the Snap-on.com Champ Car Stars of Tomorrow national circuit. He began his karting career at age eight and won events on the national circuit in the Cadet category before moving into the Yamaha Junior and 80cc Junior Shifter classes and then on to the ICA and ICC divisions. Pecorari's Star Mazda car will carry decals advertising SAI Hydraulics, J&J; Racing, Grand Prix Distributing and Lucky Designs in 2005 in addition to AWR. "I think it's going to take consistency to win the Star Mazda championship," Pecorari said. "I'll try to win, but my goal will be a podium finish at every race and a top five at the worst." "The way the team worked last year was great," he added. "We'll all work hard and try to help each other out and win some races. Jonathan and I helped each other out when we ran together this year, and hopefully Graham and Pablo can help out too." Although he'll be a rookie in Star Mazda, Pecorari noted that he's driven on most of the races on the 12-date schedule while competing in Skip Barber events. "St. Petersburg will be new for everyone, and Watkins Glen will be new for me," he noted. "The ovals will be completely new; I've never been on an oval before, so that will be interesting." Donoso is the son of driver Jorge Donoso and the protege of Formula 1 and IndyCar star Eliseo Salazar, the most famous racer from his native country, Chile. His campaign will be sponsored in part by Salazar's long-time sponsor, Cristal Beer. Donoso competed in the European World Series by Nissan last year as the teammate to Brazilian Formula 1 driver Enrique Bernoldi, who is currently a test driver for the BAR F1 team. Donoso also ran the World Series Light series in Europe in 2003, winning one race. In 2002 Donoso finished second in the Formula Renault Argentina national championship, a series in which he also competed in 2001. He also has experience in Formula BMW Junior events in Europe. Like most of his AWR teammates, Donoso started his racing career in karting. He was the national champion of Chile in 1996. The following year he competed in karting events in Argentina, posting two podium finishes in four events. The Star Mazda series is sanctioned by IMSA and televised on the SPEED cable TV network. Its 2005 schedule, which is subject to change, is as follows: 1. March 18, Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Fla. (with ALMS) 2. April 2, St. Petersburg temporary street course, St. Petersburg, Fla. (with IRL) 3. April 17, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Ga. (with ALMS) 4. May 21, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio (with ALMS) 5. June 11, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y. (with Grand American) 6. July 3, Pikes Peak Int'l Raceway, Fountain, Colo. (with USAC) 7. July 16, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif. (with ALMS) 8. July 30, Portland Int'l Raceway, Portland, Ore. (with ALMS) 9. Aug. 20, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (with ALMS) 10. Sept. 3, Mosport Int'l Raceway, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada (with ALMS) 11. Sept. 30, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Ga. (with ALMS) 12. Oct. 15, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (with ALMS). FAIRFIELD, N.J., Nov. 10 - Andersen Walko Racing (AWR) is pleased to announce that it will campaign Jonathan Klein of Long Grove, Ill. and Graham Rahal of New Albany, Ohio in the Star Mazda series presented by Goodyear in 2005.
The powerhouse team, which won the Formula Ford Zetec team championship in 2004, also hopes to announce the names of two additional drivers soon to round out a four-car Star Mazda line-up for the team in 2005. Klein, 17, will return to both Andersen Walko Racing and the Star Mazda series for a second year. He won the series' Most Improved Driver award for 2004. Rahal will turn 16 on Jan. 4. He finished seventh in the Formula BMW series this year, and will be a rookie in Star Mazda in 2005. He is especially looking forward to being part of a multi-car team in the very competitive series. "Jonathan did a great job in Star Mazda this year, and impressed a lot of people," team co-owner John Walko said. "Graham is very mature for his age too, and is also pleasant to work with. He did a few laps in our car last week at BeaveRun [Motorsports Complex near Pittsburgh] and did a really good job." "We're very pleased that Jonathan has signed up to run with us again and we're also pleased that Bobby [Rahal] has chosen us to run his son in Star Mazda," added his partner, Dan Andersen. "They're both very focused, and we're all looking forward to the new season very much." "After this year and the results we had and the experience we gained with both the car and the series, we're really looking forward to 2005," Klein said. "By concentrating on Star Mazda, everyone will be more focused. I'm looking forward to working with John Walko, Dan Andersen and everyone else on the team; they're all great people and they're all very knowledgeable. We're looking forward to building on what we learned this season during testing in the off-season and all of 2005. We'll learn a lot and have a great time on and off the track, and I'm really looking forward to it!" "I watched Andersen Walko in the Zetec series this year, and they always run up front," said Rahal, a sophomore at New Albany High School "I've also known Jonathan Klein for awhile, through go-karts. Andersen Walko runs a nice operation, and I see no reason at all for us not to be contenders in 2005." The team has a busy off-season testing schedule planned, including a session at BeaveRun next week. Its complete testing schedule can be found on its Web site at www.andersenwalko.com. Additional information can be found at www.starmazda.com, www.americanlemans.com, www.speedtv.com and www.restartcommunications.com, or by calling (973) 244-1900. The team's office is in Fairfield, N.J. and its shop is in North Versailles, Pa. It will field multiple cars in Star Mazda and SCCA national and club events next year. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONTEREY, Calif., Oct. 20 - Andersen Walko Racing (AWR) had a good showing but mixed results in the Star Mazda series' season finale last Saturday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The highlight of the weekend came after the race when one of its drivers, Jonathan Klein, walked away with the series' "Most Improved Driver" award for 2004.
Klein, of Long Grove, Ill., had the best finish of the two AWR drivers at Laguna. He placed sixth in the event, which was presented by Goodyear. His teammate would rather remember qualifying. Robbie Pecorari of Aston, Pa. qualified fourth, only seven-tenths of a second off the pole. Another competitor hit him from behind in turn one at the start of the 28-lap/45-minute race, however. The contact broke Pecorari's car's left-rear suspension and he had to drop out, ending up 38th in the final rundown. Klein's day went the other way. Before he finished sixth he qualified 15th in the very competitive, 40-car field. His best lap in quals took just 1.4 seconds longer than polewinner Michael McDowell's did in getting around the challenging, 2.238-mile road course. Luis Schiavo, last year's champion, won the race over this year's champion, McDowell. Brian Frisselle, Scott Jenkins and Daniel Di Leo rounded out the top five. The race was part of the Audi Sports Car Championships and was a support event to the American Le Mans Series headliner. "We really believe Robbie had a shot to win the race, and barring unforeseen difficulties would have at least had a podium finish," noted team co-owner Dan Andersen. "Jono had his usual great start, picking up several positions. He then drove a great race, making good passes on [Raphael] Matos and getting by [Nick] Steele despite being held up for awhile." Klein was driving the No. 97 AWR entry sponsored by Kalfact Plastics; Fettes, Love and Sieben; Nexus Distribution Corp.; Midwest Steel & Services; Ironclad and ProStar. Pecorari was in the No. 98 AWR car, which was sponsored by SAI Hydraulics. In the two practice sessions Friday Klein was 21st and third and Pecorari was eighth and fifth. In the three sessions on Thursday, the optional promoter's test day, Klein was 11th, 19th and 12th while Pecorari was 14th, 15th and 10th. "We will have to work on our qualifying set-ups over the winter; we're great with our race set-ups though," Klein noted afterwards. "We started 15th, and for a good portion of the race we had the fastest lap. I gained nine positions and got up to sixth; I had the quickest car for many laps. That's as far as I got though, because the track really started to fall off at the end. " "We seemed to have good cars in the afternoons, but we didn't get too many good times laid down in the morning [practice] sessions," he pointed out. "But my car was great in the race. Eric [Langbein] and Scott [Gates] did a fantastic job all year. I think towards the end of the year they were the two best crewmembers in the paddock. John Walko always has good advice to offer, and I want to thank him and Dan Andersen for giving me the opportunity to drive for their team this year. I was just going to do Barber Dodge nationals this year, but Paul Dana told me to check this team out. I did, and it was love at first sight with the team and me. I don't want to go to any other team and I don't even have any second thoughts about that; I'm really looking forward to next year with Andersen Walko." Andersen Walko Racing will focus on the Star Mazda series next year in addition to fielding cars in SCCA Club Racing events. The team also won the 2004 Formula Ford Zetec team championship this year. AWR will begin an extensive off-season testing program next month in preparation for the 2005 Star Mazda season opener. That event will be on March 18 as part of the 12 Hours of Sebring program in Sebring, Fla. "I finished the season 15th in points, but without us missing the first race and having some problems in two other events, I would have had a healthy fifth," Klein said. "I'm extremely excited about next year. I am hoping that Robbie and I can run together as Andersen Walko teammates in Star Mazda next year; we work well together. Our team will head into the winter with an open mind, looking to learn as much as we can and have fun while we do it. We want to go into 2005 as prepared as possible. We have our work cut out for us, but I truly believe we can run for the championship next year. I'm extremely excited!" The Laguna Seca race will be televised on SPEED at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, Oct. 31. The Oct. 2 race from Phoenix will be broadcast on the same network at 11:30 p.m. Oct. 23. AWR's office is in Fairfield, N.J. and its shop is in North Versailles, Pa. FAIRFIELD, N.J., Oct. 8 - Dan Andersen and John Walko of Andersen Walko Racing (AWR) announced today that they will devote all of their pro race team's efforts on the Star Mazda series presented by Goodyear in 2005.
The team will also continue to operate its SCCA Club Racing program. "We'll be leaving the Cooper Tire championships, both the Formula Ford 2000 and the Formula SCCA classes, in order to devote our efforts to Star Mazda next year," explained Andersen, who owns the team with Walko. "After running three cars in Formula Ford 2000, three cars in Formula SCCA and three cars in SCCA Club Racing this year, we added two Star Mazda cars and joined that championship in June," he added. "We are extremely impressed with the Star Mazda series' organization, administration and full fields of quality drivers. When you add all of that to the series' large prize fund, SPEED TV package, great IMSA/ALMS schedule and a truly great new race car, we realized that Star Mazda is the place for us next year." AWR won the 2004 Formula Ford 2000 Zetec team championship with seven victories and 15 podium finishes. Its two lead drivers, Andrew Prendeville and Adam Pecorari, finished second and third, respectively, in the drivers' point standings in that series. Walko won its Crew Chief of the Year award, while AWR's Seb Jublien earned the series' Mechanic of the Year award for 2004. Top rookie driver Jonathan Klein has been representing the team in Star Mazda this year and will compete in the series' season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. on Oct. 16. Another top AWR rookie, Robbie Pecorari (Adam's brother), will also drive an AWR entry in that race. Always a championship contender, AWR will begin testing in November for the new Star Mazda season. "We've already arranged test dates at Sebring, Road Atlanta, Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, Pikes Peak, Road America, Beaverun and Carolina Motorsports Park," Andersen said. "We will not only be testing our cars but we'll also be testing drivers for the upcoming Star Mazda season, and we hope to announce our pro driver line-up soon." "The Star Mazda series is extremely competitive, and we're looking forward to focusing our efforts on it next year," added Walko. "We're also excited about our plan to move our shop to a more modern facility nearer to our home track, Beaverun, which is near Pittsburgh." Andersen Walko Racing's offices are in Fairfield, N.J. and its race shop is currently in North Versailles, Pa. -www.andersenwalko.com FAIRFIELD, N.J., Sept. 22 - Andersen Walko Racing, which topped the team point standings for 2004 in the Formula Ford Zetec championship, will field two Star Mazda cars in the latter series' race Friday as a support event to the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta Motorsports Park in Braselton, Ga.
The cars will be driven by 17-year-old rookies Jonathan Klein of Long Grove, Ill. and Robbie Pecorari of Aston, Pa., the younger brother of one of AWR's Formula Ford Zetec drivers, Adam Pecorari. Klein has competed in all but one of the Star Mazda races held this year and has been doing extremely well. He is currently in ninth place in the overall point standings out of 39 drivers. To date his best finishes are a fourth at Lime Rock Park and a fifth at Mosport. Pecorari will be making his first start ever in the Star Mazda series this weekend. In July he stepped into an AWR entry in a Formula SCCA doubleheader at Lime Rock, and although he'd never been in one of those races either he finished second in the first race and won the second one. The Star Mazda car that Pecorari will drive at Road Atlanta is owned by Doug Prendeville, another one of AWR's Zetec drivers and the brother of the AWR driver who finished second in the Zetec championship this year, Andrew Prendeville. "I've never raced in the Star Mazda series before, but the cars are some of the best cars out there for the price and Road Atlanta is definitely a fun track," said Robbie Pecorari, a senior at Garnet Valley High School in Concord, Pa. "It's a driver's track; it'll take a good driver to win there. I enjoy racing with Andersen Walko. We'll just try our best and see how it goes." The 45-minute race, which will be taped for broadcast on SPEED at noon Eastern time on Oct. 10, is one of three remaining events on the 2004 Star Mazda schedule. It is scheduled to get the green flag at 1:35 p.m. Eastern time on Friday. After Road Atlanta the series, which is presented by Goodyear, travels to Phoenix for a race on the oval at Phoenix Int'l Raceway Oct. 2 and then on to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. for the season finale on Oct. 16. Klein, who is sponsored by Kalfact Plastics; Fettes, Love and Sieben; Nexus Distribution Corp.; Midwest Steel & Services; Ironclad and ProStar, recently participated in a two-day test on the Phoenix oval in his Star Mazda car. "There were 11 cars testing there, including mine," Klein reported. "We were second-quickest throughout the two days. "We had some gearbox problems on the first day and we had some engine overheating problems and broke a half-shaft on the second day," he continued. "Luckily that happened when I was coming out of the pits and wasn't up to full speed. "Unfortunately the second day I did end the day with a crash in turn one when one of my tires failed," he continued. "We weren't on Goodyears, and the tire went down and I went into the wall." Although the right side of Klein's car was damaged, luckily he wasn't hurt. "It was the biggest oval I've ever been on," Klein added. "John [Walko, team co-owner and chief engineer] and Eric [Langbein, an engineer] did a great job setting up the car. To post the second-fastest time before we made any changes whatsoever shows how good our team is." This weekend's Star Mazda schedule shows practice today at 10 a.m. and 2:50 p.m. Tomorrow (Thursday) practice is slated for 9:15 a.m. followed by qualifying at 4:25 p.m. The race time is 1:35 p.m. Friday. Andersen Walko Racing's office is in Fairfield, N.J. and its shop is in North Versailles, Pa. 2004 Star Mazda Series North American Championship presented by Goodyear - Round 3 at Lime Rock7/3/2004 American Le Mans at Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park - Lakeville, CT July 2 - 3, 2004 2004 Star Mazda Series North American Championship presented by Goodyear - Round 2 at Mid Ohio6/26/2004 American Le Mans at Mid Ohio The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio June 24 - 26, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FAIRFIELD, N.J., May 3 - As if fielding multiple cars in the Formula Ford Zetec series and the Formula SCCA series weren't enough, Andersen Walko Racing (AWR) announced today that it will also enter the Star Mazda pro series starting with the next race, which is slated for June 26 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Although he missed the season opener, Jonathan Klein of Long Grove, Ill. will switch from the FSCCA series and represent AWR in the nine remaining Star Mazda events on that series' 2004 schedule. The team's other two FSCCA drivers, Chris Meredith of Potomac, Md. and Danny Abbale of Northport, N.Y., will continue to compete in the FSCCA series. Klein cited the Pro Mazda series' attractive TV schedule, stable schedule and its proven car package for his change of plans. His new Star Mazda car is scheduled to arrive in AWR's shops in North Versailles, Pa. later this month. Prior to that, the team will take delivery on another Star Mazda race car that will be driven by a variety of the team's Formula Ford Zetec drivers. Adam Pecorari of Aston, Pa.; Doug Prendeville of Morristown, N.J. and Mike Andersen of Green Pond, N.J. all plan to drive it in one to three Star Mazda races this year as their FF Zetec schedules permit. The Star Mazda series is sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), and most of its events are run as companion races to American Le Mans Series (ALMS) events. "We're excited about adding this terrific pro championship into our schedule, and we plan an aggressive testing program in May and June to prepare for the end-of-June ALMS weekend at Mid-Ohio," said Dan Andersen, the team's co-owner. "They have a great TV package, purse and schedule, and we will have at least one driver in all the remaining races this year." The Pro Mazda races are broadcast on the SPEED Channel in the United States and on the Sky Sports World Motorsports program internationally. The series, which is presented by Goodyear, carries a total prize package of approximately $500,000. The cars use a Mazda rotary engine called the Renesis that is also used in the Mazda RX-8 sports car. Nexus Distribution Corp, Midwest Steel & Services, Ironclad Performance Wear, ProStar Group, Kalfact Plastics and Fettes, Love & Sieben will sponsor Klein's Star Mazda. After round two at Mid-Ohio, the Star Mazda pro series moves to Lime Rock Park in Lime Rock, Conn. on July 3; Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. on July 17; Portland (Ore.) Int'l Raceway on July 24 and Mosport Int'l Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario on Aug. 7. The circuit appears at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. on Aug. 21; Road Atlanta on Sept. 24; on the oval at Phoenix Int'l Raceway Oct. 2 and at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. on Oct. 26. |
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