Update on the Canadian Motor Speedway
Foametix Trans Am 100 Round 1 – Sebring , Florida – February 27 – March 1, 2015
Canadian Entries for the Foametix Trans Am 100 Round 1 at Sebring International Raceway
#29 TA Andrew Romocki, Mississauga, Ont. Rocanda/BC Race Cars Ford Mustang
#73 TA2 Kevin Poitras, Toronto, Ont. Post Plastics Ford Mustang
#78 TA2 Harry Steenbakkers, Ottawa, Ont. OttawaWestDv/PowerSportsGarage Chevrolet Camaro
#83 TA2 Joey McColm, Toronto, Ont. Bulk Nation / CBRT Ford Mustang
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports completes two days of pre-season testing at NOLA Motorsports Park.n
Avondale, LA – February 20, 2015 – Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ four confirmed Indy Lights drivers – Scott Anderson, RC Enerson, Jack Harvey and Ethan Ringel – completed two days of pre-season testing on Wednesday and Thursday at NOLA Motorsports Park.
Below-average temperatures were a factor as the drivers got acclimated to the 2.75-mile, 16-turn road course.
“Our test at NOLA went pretty well,” said Scott Anderson, driver of the SPM No. 77 car. “We’re going through a lot of changes and figuring out more about the car. We had some bad luck with red flags on our new tire runs, but we were still able to try a lot of changes and learn quite a bit. I’m looking forward to the Barber test next and feeling more accustomed to the car. Things are really starting to click so Barber should be the place to put everything together.”
RC Enerson, driver of the No. 7 car stated, “The track here at NOLA is a lot more physical than the other tracks we’ve tested at. It’s definitely one-of-a-kind and was a big challenge. I feel that we made some good gains and I’m looking forward to the next test at Barber.”
Jack Harvey, driver of the No. 42 car said, “I felt that this was, by far, our best test overall. We had good direction and our lap times were very competitive on day one. Despite some mechanical issues that limited our testing time during the morning of day two, I still felt it was a good platform to progress forward from.”
Ethan Ringel, driver of the SPM No. 71 car commented, “I’m working to get used to the differences in the Lights car versus the Atlantic, including the Cooper tires. The car felt much better today and I was learning the track. I had some contact in turn six that ended my day early. It was disappointing but I’m happy with the improvements that we were making up to that point. I’ll keep working to get up to speed quickly with this car.”
SPM engineer Dave Higuera commented, “In my opinion, testing went very well, although conditions were somewhat tricky with the cold weather. We’re putting the pieces together as we prepare to race and we look forward to testing on a track that we’ll race at in 2015.”
Next week, the Indy Lights drivers will head to Barber Motorsports Park for another two-day test on February 24-25. The Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season officially kicks off on Saturday, March 28.
Olivier Beretta will make his return to North American racing full-time in 2015 in the Pirelli World Challenge Series
As Reported By Sportscar365.com:
Following an illustrious career in the American Le Mans Series, Olivier Beretta will make his return to North American racing full-time in 2015, having been selected as the lead driver for R. Ferri Motorsport’s effort in Pirelli World Challenge.
The Canadian squad confirmed to Sportscar365 Thursday that the Ferrari factory driver will be part of its two-car Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 lineup in the sprint race championship, which kicks off at Circuit of The Americas on March 6-8.
Beretta, who claimed five ALMS titles and six class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will make his PWC debut after spending 2014 primarily in Europe. The 45-year-old Monegasque most recently took part in last month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona with Risi Competizione.
R. Ferri has yet to announce its second season-long driver, although the No. 62 entry is listed to compete alongside Beretta’s No. 61 car in the GT class, inferring that it would be another professional pilot.
Anthony Lazzaro and Nick Mancuso drove the pair of Prancing Horses last year, with Lazzaro claiming victories at Barber Motorsports Park and Sonoma Raceway.
Mancuso, who started the season in GT-A, graduated to the GT class following an overall podium at Barber but ended his season with the team after an accident in Toronto.
Always Evolving and AIM Autosport named as Nissan’s partners to campaign the first GT3 spec GT-Rs in the U.S. in Pirelli World Challenge
from: Nissan Motorsports
date: January 19, 2015
Nissan Motorsports has announced a partnership with Always Evolving (AE) to campaign two GT Academy-NISMO Nissan GT-R GT3 racing cars for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge season.
Nissan GT Academy North America 2011 winner Bryan Heitkotter will drive one of the team cars (No. 05), while Australian open wheel and GT star James Davison will pilot the second car (No. 33). Featuring logos from the GT Academy program, the two cars will be co-sponsored by Replay XD and NISMO.
AIM AutosportAE will utilize AIM Autosport for much of the car preparation and on track support during the season. AIM won the 2012 Rolex Series GT team, driver and manufacturer championships, as well as the 2013 manufacturer title while campaigning a Ferrari.
“Nissan couldn’t be happier to have Always Evolving and AIM as Nissan’s partners to campaign the first GT3 spec GT-Rs in the U.S. in Pirelli World Challenge,” said Rick Kulach, Nissan North America Motorsports Manager.
“This partnership is a great opportunity to showcase Bryan’s talents alongside James, who is a rising star in motorsports. It’s exciting to have a GT Academy champion in a great car racing at this level.”
Based in Los Angeles, Always Evolving Racing was founded in 2013 by Erik Davis and Roger Rodas to combine the friends’ passion for cars with their desire to support their favorite charities. Following a tragic automobile accident late in 2013 that took Rodas’ life, Davis elected to continue with Always Evolving in his friend’s honor.
“We are extremely excited to partner with Nissan in Pirelli World Challenge,” said Erik Davis, Chairman of AE.
“Our two brands have had a distant relationship for many years, and to be able to now officially launch an effort together bringing the Nissan NISMO GT3 GT-R to North America is humbling to say the least. We look forward to showcasing the team, our drivers, the GT Academy and our sponsors in a very competitive platform.”
Heitkotter, 34, won North America’s first gamer-to-racer GT Academy competition in 2011. In 2012 and 2013 while driving a Nissan 370Z NISMO for Doran Racing, Heitkotter earned three pole positions, two second qualifying spots, four top ten finishes and a podium.
In 2014, Bryan switched to a Nissan Altima for the CA Sports team. There, he earned three podiums and four top five finishes in the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car (TC) category in six events.
Most recently, behind the wheel of the Doran No. 41 370Z NISMO, Heitkotter and GT Academy teammate Nick McMillen finished sixth overall in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSCC) race at Daytona International Speedway in January 2015.
“I have been watching the Pirelli World Challenge gain momentum over the past couple years, and I’m absolutely thrilled to help represent Nissan in this highly competitive series,” said Heitkotter. “The GT-R has proven to be a spectacular racing car and I can’t wait to see what we can all accomplish together.”
Davison, 28, was born in Melbourne, Australia and moved to the United States when he was 18 years of age to develop his skills in open wheel racing. His career highlights include a 2005 victory in Formula BMW at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a runner-up finish in the 2007 Star Mazda Championship, and second spot in the 2009 Indy Lights Championship.
Davison ran up front during the 2014 Indianapolis 500 driving for Always Evolving KV Racing Technology, finishing the race in 16th position.
In his limited time in sports cars he has always been at the front, driving for the TRG-Aston Martin team in IMSA competition. Davison has recorded five consecutive poles in IMSA including pole position at the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
“We have great confidence in Erik (Davis)’s vision and ability to campaign a competitive car at a high level every race,” added Kulach. “James Davison is not only a talented young race driver, but he’s also a great sportsman and will be an outstanding representative for the Nissan brand.”