 ATLANTIC
SERIES 2008
 Officials from the Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship
Powered by Mazda have been hard at work on several fronts,
including shoring up its schedule for the 35th Anniversary
season in 2008.
Atlantic Championship Managing Director Vicki O'Connor
unveiled an 11-race schedule at a news conference: READ
MORE. Jonathan Summerton will represent Newman
Wachs Racing in the Atlantic Series this year.
READ ABOUT NEWMAN WACHS
 A1GRAND
PRIX SUMMARY
A1 Team USA ended with 56 points and would have needed
to finish fifth to overtake India for 10th.
"We
continued our very strong close to the season with
second place in the Sprint and reached, temporarily
at least, our redefined goal of 10th in the championship," A1
Team USA Holdings owner Rick Weidinger said. "We
were in contention to complete our late-season mission
when we had those mechanical problems.
"We
had very good reliability this season with the 'We
the People' car and it was unfortunate that we had
them in the final race of the season. We're still very
proud of the tremendous progress we made this season,
closing with a victory in the Feature at Shanghai,
second in the Sprint at Brands Hatch and third in the
Feature at Mexico City. We're looking forward to our
fourth season in A1GP in 2008-09 and will be announcing
our plans in the coming months."
Jonathan now turns his attention to the Atlantic Championship
in the USA, where he will be driving for Newman Wachs
Racing.
Read Jonathan's final diary from the last race of the 2007-08
season for Team USA.
 A1GP
in Shanghai : Summerton takes his first win!!
A1 Team USA's Jonathan
Summerton made history today when he took his and the team's
first ever A1GP race win in this afternoon's Feature race at
China's Shanghai International Circuit. Florida's Summerton,
who turns 20 next week, was joined on the podium by Portugal's
Filipe Albuquerque, who put in another incredible performance
to finish second and take his third podium finish in only his
sixth A1GP race outing.
USA's Summerton was given an anti-inflammatory dressing to
reduce bruising and swelling in his right hand sustained during
the start line incident with New Zealand in this morning's
Sprint race.
This win is definitely going to build up team morale and we
are going to carry that on to Brands Hatch,' Summerton said. ‘We
did our best to just go out there and go for the win. I knew
basically Switzerland was going to be our biggest competition,
so I had to go out there and go for the win and I just kept
pushing once I got by."
 Summerton
predicts maiden USA win
Jonathan Summerton believes A1 Team USA can score
its maiden victory before the end of this season.
The 19-year-old, who will standalone as the USA's most capped
driver when he starts the Sprint race in Shanghai, believes the team
made a big step forward on technical set-up in Mexico last month.
Summerton took the team's first podium of the season
with third in the Feature race in Mexico City, a year
after his and the USA's last podium, in the corresponding
race last season.
Then, Summerton built on the result and showed real pace
in the final two events at Shanghai and Brands Hatch –
however errors in both meetings meant he did not challenge
up at the front.
However, he is confident of avoiding those errors when
he heads back to Shanghai next weekend.
‘I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of
the season,' Summerton said. ‘We've found this
magical set-up and hopefully it will work for Shanghai
and Brands Hatch. In Durban we had a car that was definitely
top five but qualifying cost us. It was great to finally
be back on the podium in Mexico.
‘Last season being my rookie session I made a couple
of mistakes and that cost us in quite a few places, but
for sure we're going to have a win this season. Whether
it is Shanghai or Brands Hatch I don't know, but I'm
gunning for one now like crazy.
‘We definitely have the pace everywhere we have
been so far and I have been disappointed, but now we
have got the set-up and I'm not making rookie mistakes.
We should have a top three in Shanghai and then a win
in either Shanghai or Brands Hatch.'
A1 Team USA currently lies 13th in the championship and
is one of only seven teams on the grid not to have won
a race in A1GP.
PODIUM IN MEXICO CITY
JONATHAN IN 'SUPERB FORM'
USA's
Jonathan Summerton, who scored his nation's best ever
result at Mexico City last year when he finished second
in the Feature race, was once again on superb form,
charging through the field from seventh on the grid
to finish third and take the final podium position
ahead of the Netherlands' Jeroen Bleekemolen.
Jonathan raced from seventh on the grid to third, to
score the team's third ever podium finish and the second
of his A1GP career.
"It was again very similar to last year, we had a very quick
car at the end and I was really happy with the car the whole race.
At first we had a little bit of a problem but we managed to change
a bit of the set up through the tyres and then we just kept chasing
people down as quickly as possible. I'm happy with third. I was
trying my best but it didn't happen.".
A1 TEAM USA's Jonathan Summerton had a great
day's qualifying on Saturday at the Autodromo
Hermanos Rodriguez.
He started third in the sprint race, and managed eighth
for the feature race - the same one in which he managed
a podium one year ago.
A1 TEAM USA 7th in practice at Mexico City
A1 TEAM USA's Jonathan Summerton had the seventh
fastest lap Friday in practice for the A1GP World
Cup of Motorsport at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
 "A1GP
threw some curves at us by changing the track from last year and
we responded well with productive changes to the 'We the People'
car,' " Summerton said. "We concentrated on developing
a very solid race car and we'll use the remaining practice to work
on a setup for qualifying."
The
new chicane installed ahead of the final corner at
the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez caught out its fair
share of drivers on the opening day of the A1GP event.
The revision was put in place in a bid to improve safety
and provide an extra overtaking opportunity for Sunday's
races, but it caught out a number of drivers in practice,
outbraking themselves and opting to overshoot the chicane
altogether and taking to the escape road before rejoining
the track.
 Team
USA's Jonathan Summerton, who scored his best ever A1GP result
on the alternative version of the circuit last season, said the
new chicane is very tough to drive.
"I managed to stay on track because I wasn't braking
too late, but it is a tough complex," he said, "For
me, though, [the biggest problem] is the bumps. It's
hard to keep the steering wheel straight and it just
bounces and jumps out of your hands. "[The chicane]
is a little too tight, especially because of the concrete
patches around that area, which means it is really bumpy
and is hard to get traction out of the corner."
A1 TEAM USA's Summerton 5th in Sprint, Speared in Feature at Eastern
Creek
 SYDNEY,
Australia-- A1 TEAM USA's Jonathan Summerton finished fifth in the Sprint,
but was taken out from a probable points-paying result in the Feature by
overly aggressive driving by a competitor in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport
at Eastern Creek International Raceway in Sydney, Australia.
Summerton's run to fifth in the 14-lap Sprint was A1
TEAM USA's best finish of the season. The 19-year-old
from Kissimmee, Fla., was seventh midway through the
42-lap Feature when A1 Team France's Loic Duval speared
A1 TEAM USA in the right rear, breaking its suspension
and ending Summerton's race in 22nd position.
A1GP
Stewards penalized Duval with a drive-through for an
avoidable collision. John Watson, television commentator
for A1GP's worldwide broadcast, called Duval's move "clearly
a misjudgment."
Summerton
had mixed feelings about the sixth round of the A1GP
season.
 "We
reached a new level with our fifth in the Sprint and
that was good," Summerton said. "The 'We
the People' car is running stronger with each round
and gaining momentum. We were in position for another
top-10 and maybe a top-five and it's upsetting to have
our race ruined by a move that had no chance of succeeding.
We lost points and a chance to move up in the championship."
Summerton
started the Sprint from sixth position on a wet track
that was drying with slick, dry-weather Cooper tires
like most of the 22-car field. Although it rained during
the race, A1 TEAM USA and the vast majority of the
teams stayed out on slicks.
"We
saw a couple of teams pit for wet (treaded) tires,
but we were running faster on slicks and decided to
keep going," Summerton said. "It was tricky
and a couple of teams slid off the track, but we brought
it home."
For
the Feature race, Summerton lined-up seventh, but New
Zealand and France had mechanical problems just prior
to the green light and were forced to start from the
back.
It
was raining at the start and A1 TEAM USA was among
20 cars starting on slick tires.
"We
were really fifth at the start," Summerton said. "We
couldn't find traction and fell back a few positions,
but we were back to fifth at the end of the first lap.
We had a solid hold on fifth when we made our first
mandatory pit stop."
Once
the pit stops had been completed, A1 TEAM USA was seventh.
"The
car wasn't as drivable and all we did was change the
tires," Summerton said. "We had less grip
and more understeer. It was twitchy. We were challenging
Canada (Robert Wickens) for sixth and holding off France
for seventh. Duval got alongside me in a couple of
places where he couldn't complete the pass. Then Duval
tried to overtake in a place if he'd been next to me
he could have passed, but he was too far back and rammed
us in the rear."
A1
TEAM USA scored six points for fifth in the Sprint.
"We
are a better team than our points and standing in the
championship indicate," Weidinger said. "We've
had two races in two straight events of really bad
luck. The team should be proud of their efforts in
the last two rounds. I believe we are on a roll and
just need to get beyond the bad luck on the track.
We will keep our heads up as we go into South Africa.
I feel Lady Luck will be with us. Clearly, this is
a top-five team!
"As
far as the hard hit by Team France on lap 21, I am
sure the French driver did not do it on purpose. I
have received many emails and calls saying how 'boneheaded'
his racing move was. I don't even know what that means.
This is all part of the sport. Although it was a very
unexpected, aggressive move, in racing you learn to
expect the unexpected. One top-five is not bad. Our
goal remains two top-fives per race weekend."
A1
TEAM USA is 15th in the championship with 12 points
with four rounds remaining. The seventh round of the
A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season is Feb. 22-24 at
Durban, South Africa.
A1
TEAM USA's Summerton 9th in practice at Eastern Creek
SYDNEY, Australia--A1 TEAM USA's Jonathan Summerton was
ninth fastest Friday in practice for the A1GP World Cup
of Motorsport at Eastern Creek International Raceway
in Sydney, Australia.
Summerton, of Kissimmee, Fla., ran 1:19.914 on the 2.44-mile
circuit. He completed 25 laps in the one-hour session.
"We couldn't find enough grip to make the 'We the
People' car handle the way we wanted it," Summerton
said. "We also weren't able to put the power down
effectively. We made many changes and will make some
more tomorrow. We'll definitely be more competitive Saturday.
"All things considered, I am pleased to be ninth."
A1 TEAM USA owner Rick Weidinger believes the team's
hard work will pay off with a stronger performance in
qualifying Saturday.
 "Jonathan
kept us in the game by pushing hard and was one of the fastest cars
on the track at the end of the session,"
Weidinger said. "We kept searching for a better
setup on the 'We the People' car and we should be able
to find it in time for a good run in qualifying. We've
made gains in qualifying in recent rounds and we should
be able to put that knowledge to work."
Qualifying is Saturday. A one-hour practice precedes
the four 15-minute qualifying sessions, two each for
the Sprint and Feature races. The 20-minute Sprint and
70-minute Feature are Sunday. Live streaming of the Sprint
and Feature races are available at A1GP.com.
....
Jonathan Summerton made a big splash for A1 TEAM USA on Eastern
Creek International Raceway's 2.44-mile circuit last season when
he was fastest in the Friday morning all-rookie practices for the
A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Sydney, Australia.
Summerton's run on a drying track to the top spot in a field of
18 rookies earned him a promotion to A1 TEAM USA's primary driver
by owner Rick Weidinger.
The 19-year-old from Kissimmee, Fla., returns this weekend (Feb.
1-3) to Eastern Creek in the "We the People" car for
his eighth full A1GP round.
"I'm really looking forward to driving at Eastern Creek for
the entire weekend," Summerton said. "It was an amazing
feeling to finish on top of the timing sheets last year and I feel
like I've got some unfinished business there. I've got an added
bit of confidence in knowing it's a track I can go fast on and
I've become much more experienced in the last year in the car."
Summerton was seventh in the Sprint, the team's best result this
season, in the previous round at Taupo, New Zealand. Summerton
took the checkered flag in eighth in the Feature, but A1GP ruled
the team pitted outside the mandated pit window and a 70-second
penalty dropped A1 TEAM USA to 14th. A1 TEAM USA is still looking
into the matter and has responded to many worldwide fans of the
team that are very upset and do not agree with the ruling.
A1 TEAM USA had its best qualifying performance at Taupo, sixth
for the Sprint and 10th for the Feature.
"We're jelling as a team," Summerton said. "We've
been progressively more competitive in each round. Our qualifying
at Taupo was a sure sign that we found the set-up more quickly
and that's what we needed to do. We just need to make the car a
little better and we can challenge for a podium at Eastern Creek."
Weidinger believes A1 TEAM USA will have a strong second half to
the A1GP season. Eastern Creek is the sixth of 10 rounds.
"We've scored points in each of the last three rounds and
we had a very solid weekend at Taupo," Weidinger said. "We're
bringing some momentum to Eastern Creek. Our goal all year has
been to finish in the top five in qualifying and the races and
we're closing fast on getting there.
"Jonathan made us proud last year at Eastern Creek and convinced
us that he was ready to race for A1 TEAM USA. We are anxious to
see what he does for an encore."
Summerton will have a one-hour practice Friday and a one-hour practice
Saturday to prepare for qualifying and the races. Qualifying is
Saturday and the 20-minute Sprint and 70-minute Feature races are
Sunday.
....
TAUPO,
New Zealand - Jonathan
initially was eighth but was relegated to 14th after
the race when A1GP penalized the team 70 seconds for
making a pit stop outside the mandatory pit window
- full
race report >>>
 Jonathan
is in New Zealand and
has sent us the following message:
"I was learning the fine details of the track and the team
were finding the best set ups for the race."
By the end of the session Jonathan was less than half a second
off the fastest car, Team France. After the session Jonathan
commented,
"I feel Team USA are nearly there; we had some of the fastest
sector times. Hopefully we can keep at the front for the weekend.
We've another practice tomorrow morning, then qualifying in the
afternoon should be fun."
....
TAUPO,
New Zealand--A1 TEAM USA's Jonathan Summerton
had the fifth fastest lap in practice Friday in
the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Taupo,
New Zealand. Read
more ...
....
France Tops Friday Practice in Taupo
New Zealand - A1 Team France topped the
time sheets in the second of today's
two free practice sessions at Taupo as
all 22 drivers took to the track with
biofuel in their tanks, making history
at round five of the 2007/08 A1GP World
Cup of Motorsport season.
Despite not taking part in the rookie
session this morning, 25-year-old French
driver Loic Duval clocked the best lap
of the day, completing the 3.5km circuit
in 1m15.545s in glorious sunshine.
'It was a good session for us especially
without the rookie session this morning',
Duval said. 'We worked with the data
from last year and I think the car was
great, I feel really good here. Actually
it means nothing to be on the front row
on Friday, it happened many times last
year and I didn't get pole position,
so that is my target for tomorrow.'
The magnificent Lake Taupo provides the
backdrop for one of the most picturesque
races of the season and Duval sites the
event as one of the highlights on the
A1GP calendar:
'For me this is the best country we go
to, it's really good here. It feels more
like a holiday. I love the track, the
people, the mentality, it's just perfect
to be here.'
Ireland's Adam Carroll, who was the quickest
man on track in the first 25-minute practice
segment this morning, set the second
fastest time of the day while championship
leader Switzerland's Neel Jani finished
third, just over a tenth of a second
off the emerald green car.
Defending champion Germany's Christian
Vietoris has been on strong form all
day and the 18-year-old from Gönnersdorf
set the fourth fastest time of the day
while USA's Jonathan Summerton took
the fifth spot. Read
full press release ...
 A1
Team Great Britain dominated today’s
free practice sessions at Sepang circuit in
hot and humid conditions, as round three of
the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season
kicked off in Malaysia.
Jonathan took the United States car out for
23 laps and achieved a fastest lap time of
1:51:3903, 1.8 seconds off the fastest pace
of the day.
This will be Jonathan's ninth outing in the
United States car, where he has averaged
10th position, leading races three times
with one podium finish (Mexico)
Jonathan
is next on track tomorrow for qualifying -
Qualifying: Saturday, 24 Nov, 2007
Race: Sunday, 25 Nov, 2007
Sprint race: 11:00 AM (Local time)
Feature race: 3:00 PM (Local time).
Nogaro
Race report
 Nogaro,
a picturesque village in the South West of France,
was the setting for the race weekend of the F3 Euro
series.
Unfortunately,
the original practice was canceled due to no safety
helicopter. Later that day practice was rescheduled
for just 15 minutes, followed immediately by the qualifying
session. In qualifying the team struggled to find the
right set up which was made more difficult by 3 red
flag and 2 yellow flag periods. At the end of the session
Jonathan qualified a respectable 13th.
Race
1: With an OK start Jonathan was pushed wide and lost
4 places which on the Nogaro track is extremely difficult
to pull back due to little or no passing. However,
half way into the race a shower decided to add more
fun for everyone which allowed Jonathan to gain back
a couple of spots finishing the race in 14th.
Race
2: A fantastic start saw Jonathan heading up the field
of cars and making it to P10 before being pushed off
the track onto the grass thus losing a couple of spots,
then it was a case of try and try again to gain on
the car in front, but, unable to pass, Jonathan finished
the race in 12th place. Afterwards Jonathan commented, "We
struggled to get the set up right in such a short time.
The Volkswagen engine has again proved its strength
and ability to run and compete with the best Mercedes.
I managed to run 3rd fastest lap in the first race,
which, considering we were struggling with the set
up confirms Volkswagen engine can be there. Hopefully
we will be allowed to run at Hockenhiem and show how
strong we really can be." |
|
2008
COOPER TIRES PRESENTS THE ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP POWERED
BY MAZDA SCHEDULE
April 20 Long
Beach, Calif. Champ Car
May
18 Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca Grand-Am Rolex Series
June
29 Circuit
Mont-Tremblant Sommet des Legends
July
25 Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada IRL IndyCar Series
July
26 Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada IRL IndyCar Series
August
9 Road
America American Le Mans Series
August
10 Road
America American Le Mans Series
August
17 Trois-Rivieres,
Quebec, Canada Featured Event
September
14 New
Jersey Motorsports Park MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development
Ladder
September
21 Miller
Motorsports Park Grand-Am Rolex Series
October
4 Road
Atlanta American Le Mans Series
|
|
