The Atlantic Championship--A Racing Legacy

[Julian Mayo]

So am I. Road America is a lot like Spa, but its' a track where the racers can both race & pass on the track. It's quite a track and I'm a little sad to not see it on ChampCar's schedule this yr.

Or F1 (with a leetle work )

[mlittle]

Well, if the racing gods are fair , then maybe F1 will move the USGP out of George's backyard, and move it to a real racetrack. All they'd have to do is get it set up to F1 specs, and maybe set-up a "Bernie-and-Max"-free zone in Elkhart Lake....ya' know, that actually might work.

[Julian Mayo]

Well, if the racing gods are fair , then maybe F1 will move the USGP out of George's backyard, and move it to a real racetrack. All they'd have to do is get it set up to F1 specs, and maybe set-up a "Bernie-and-Max"-free zone in Elkhart Lake....ya' know, that actually might work.

Or set up Bernie n Max IN the Lake

[mlittle]

Well, that too. Or Lake Michigan.

[Julian Mayo]

Is it deep?

[mlittle]

Plenty deep. Maybe they could throw George in there too. Wait, that might be cruel...to Lake Michigan.

[Julian Mayo]

Plenty deep. Maybe they could throw George in there too. Wait, that might be cruel...to Lake Michigan.

Yes, come to think of it, it would be polluting the environment

[mlittle]

Yeah, your right. There's always the Mississippi River, but then I'd want to warn everyone downriver first.

[mlittle]

Considering all the bad luck that Atlantics driver Tonis Kasemets has been through, it was good to be back up front. He secured a front-row spot and the provisional pole in Friday QS-1 for this weekend's Toyota Atlantic Championship race at Road America w/a time of 2:02.059 secs.(119.391 mph). Following him in the provisional top 5 are:(2)--Andreas Wirth, 2:02:803 secs., (3)--David Martinez, 2:03.131 secs., (4)--Dan DiLeo, 2:03.288 secs., and (5)--Bobby Wilson, 2:03.566 secs.

The biggest surprises, though, were found with the series' 2 stars this year, series pts. leader Charles Zwolsman and British rookie Katherine Legge. Zwolsman sits in provisional 9th place, while Legge had a major off-course excursion, damaging her car and keeping her from improving her abysmal 12th-place provisional slot.

Saturday QS-2 is set for 4:15 PM EST(20:15 UTC 20 August), with the race set for 1:00 PM Sunday, Aug. 21.

[Julian Mayo]

Considering all the bad luck that Atlantics driver Tonis Kasemets has been through, it was good to be back up front. He secured a front-row spot and the provisional pole in Friday QS-1 for this weekend's Toyota Atlantic Championship race at Road America w/a time of 2:02.059 secs.(119.391 mph). Following him in the provisional top 5 are:(2)--Andreas Wirth, 2:02:803 secs., (3)--David Martinez, 2:03.131 secs., (4)--Dan DiLeo, 2:03.288 secs., and (5)--Bobby Wilson, 2:03.566 secs.

The biggest surprises, though, were found with the series' 2 stars this year, series pts. leader Charles Zwolsman and British rookie Katherine Legge. Zwolsman sits in provisional 9th place, while Legge had a major off-course excursion, damaging her car and keeping her from improving her abysmal 12th-place provisional slot.

Saturday QS-2 is set for 4:15 PM EST(20:15 UTC 20 August), with the race set for 1:00 PM Sunday, Aug. 21.

I think there might be some "stick it down the inside and see what happens" from Katherine.

[mlittle]

Let's hope so. Don't worry, though...this was only the first session(QS-1), its' the best time from both 1 and 2 that sets the grid. She's a good racer, she'll find her way to the front.

[Costa Mesa]

Not to get the topic back on track or anything...

Just wanted to throw out a bit of support for Scuito. I've been on track with Alan a number of times and can say that the kid is an amazing driver and probably one of the cleanest racers I know. All good things as the dirty drivers (Wheldon) usually wind up getting punted and the clean drivers tend to slowly float to the top.

Can't wait to see what he can do with more free time away from school.

Oh yeah...Go Wolfpack!

[mlittle]

Before I give the QS-2 summary for the Toyota Atlantic race at Road America, I'd like to welcome Costa Mesa to the North American Motorsports category. Browse around either forum and enjoy all the postings; feel free to comment on anything, good or bad, positive or negative, just keep the postings clean.

Now, the summary....

How dominant has Atlantics racer Tonis Kasemets been this weekend at RA? He's been P1 in every session of practice, he was P1 in Friday's QS-1, and today was no exception. He'll start P1 with a time of 2:01.747 secs.(119.667 mph). In the second spot is Andreas Wirth, the winner at Denver last week, while series newcomer(and Star Mazda alum) Dan DiLeo will start 3rd. Rounding out the top 5 is another series newcomer, Bobby Wilson, in 4th, and British racer Katherine Legge, with three wins this year in Atlantics, in 5th spot. Other notables on the grid for Sunday are points leader Charles Zwolsman in 7th, third-generation racer Al Unser, III in 9th, and the polesitter from Denver, Alan Sciuto, in 12th.

Round 11 of the Toyota Atlantic Championship will run at 12:00 PM EST(16:00 UTC 21 August) with tape-delayed television coverage on Speed Channel next Saturday at 2:00 PM EST(18:00 UTC 27 August).

[mlittle]

It was just that kind of weekend for Estonian-born Tonis Kasemets, as he led in every practice sessions, both qualifying sessions, and all 17 laps en route to the checkers today. The only serious challenge to him occurred on lap 1 as British racer Katherine Legge charged up from third, grabbed the lead in turn 1 and fought w/Kasemets until Canada Corner, when Kasemets outbreaked Legge into the turn, retook the lead and checked out from everybody else. The only major incident the whole weekend was in the sunday-morning warmup, when points leader Charles Zwolsman, along with drivers Andreas Wirth and Bobby Wilson, tangled and crashed going through turn 2. Wirth injured the T-6 and T-8 vertebrae in his back as a result of the pre-race crash, and neither Zwolsman and Wilson were factors in the race. In the end, it was Tonis Kasemets, who won by over 2.5 secs. over Katherine Legge, with David Martinez finishing third after driver Dan DiLeo was given a 30-sec. penalty for avoidable contact w/Legge's Polestar teammate, Antoine Bessette.

Here are the updated Atlantic standings as the series heads to Montreal for the season finale, Aug. 28th....

1--Charles Zwolsman 287 pts.
2--Tonis Kasemets 261 pts.
3--Katherine Legge 244 pts.
4--(tie)Antoine Bessette 234 pts.
Andreas Wirth 234 pts.
6--David Martinez 210 pts.
7--Al Unser, III 177 pts.
8--Kyle Kelley 110 pts.
9--Chris Souliotis 102 pts.
10--Chris Dyson 95 pts.

Barring any points awarded for pole position(from the 2 qualfying sessions), leading a lap, and for gaining the most positions, Zwolsman can finish no worse than 13th or 14th and still clinch the series title for 2005. For Kasemets to win, he must win the race, garner as many bonus pts. as possible, and finish w/more pts. than Zwolsman. If the two are tied, then Zwolsman will win based on the total of wins this year(Zwolsman has 3, Kasemets has 2).

[Julian Mayo]

I am now convinced that Legge is a racer of merit.