Visit my blog for the latest...Click here i-MOTO Racing Returns to Grand Am Competition with MazdaFeb 17, 2010 - CORAL SPRINGS, FL - After a one-year hiatus, i-MOTO Racing returns to the Grand Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series to campaign brand new SpeedSource-built MAZDASPEED3’s in ST competition. Series newcomer Taylor Hacquard and veteran touring champion Pierre Kleinubing will drive the team’s #31 Cobalt Friction Mazda, and team owner Glenn Bocchino and MAZDASPEED driver Todd Lamb will share the #32 Cybernation Mazda. Additional cars are planned as the season progresses. i-MOTO Racing enjoyed a tremendous amount of success in Grand Am previous years, winning races as recently as 2008 in the ST class with Acura TSX’s. The team believes the move to the MAZDASPEED3 with involvement from Mazda and SpeedSource will bring further success. Team owner Glenn Bocchino explains “Mazda has been a very successful brand both on and off the track. We’re excited to become part of the Mazda family and that is reflected in our enthusiasm to race these new Speed3’s. We’re looking forward to helping Mazda win the manufacturer’s championship, and with a little luck we’ll be in the hunt for a driver’s championship as well.” Driver Taylor Hacquard, from White Rock, British Columbia, Canada, will turn 20 just days before his first race with the team the first weekend of March. The open-wheel standout ran the Star Mazda series the previous two seasons, after getting his start in the Starts of Karting series. Website www.taylorhacquard.com Hacquard’s co-driver, Pierre Kleinubing, is fresh off winning his fifth World Challenge Touring Car Championship. Kleinubing, from Coconut Creek, FL, has won numerous championships in front wheel drive cars throughout his racing career and has plenty of racing experience in the ST class. Pierre also got his start in karting, winning three championships in Brazil. Glenn Bocchino put i-MOTO on hold for a season while he competed in the GS class in 2009 with Kinetic Motorsports. Bocchino explains: “In early January all the pieces of the puzzle came together to resurrect i-MOTO and race the new MAZDASPEED3. After multiple conference calls, it took just a few days to make the decision to go forward with a multi-year program. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about racing, I am looking forward to be part of the Mazda family!” Todd Lamb pairs up with Bocchino for the duo’s second season as co-drivers. In 2009 they had a best finish of second at Mazda Raceway in the GS class. Lamb, from Atlanta, GA, was the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup series champion in 2009, and is driving for MAZDASPEED this season in the #30 Rolex GT RX-8 along with his ST duties. Website www.toddlamb.com i-MOTO is returning with longtime Crew Chief Tom Badger, as well as many of the crew members from 2008. The crew is looking forward to the challenge of learning new cars, as well as the camaraderie they experienced working as a team in the past. Tom Badger: “We’ve got a lot of our old crew returning, and a few new additions. It feels like the Blues Brothers ‘getting the band back together’. We have a solid front wheel drive platform to work with in the Speed3, and our close relationship with SpeedSource will be a huge asset to getting up to speed quickly with the new cars. Homestead can’t come soon enough.” i-MOTO officially returns to action at Homestead-Miami Speedway March 4-6 for the Homestead 200. The race will be televised on SPEED March 13th at 1pm ET. Live timing and scoring is available Saturday March 6th for the start of the race at 1:15pm ET on www.grand-am.com Race weekend live updates: www.twitter.com/toddspeed Technical partners: Posted on 02/28 at 02:44 AM
Freedom Autosport 3rd at Season Opener in Datyona; MAZDASPEED3 debuts with a Top-10 Finish DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Freedom Autosport got the 2010 Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season off to a great start with a third-place finish in Friday’s opener at Daytona International Speedway. The team also earned a top-ten finish in the new MAZDASPEED3, marking an impressive debut for the new car. Andrew Carbonell and Rhett O’Doski co-drove the No. 26 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 to a third-place finish in the Street Tuner (ST) class. Rising Mazda stars Taylor Hacquard and Ryan Ellis co-drove the No. 28 Freedom Autosport MAZDASPEED3 to a tenth-place finish.
“We went a lap down at one point, and that can really demotivate you, but I stayed in it and just kept trying,” said Carbonell, who posted the fastest ST lap time of the race. “That last caution was a golden opportunity for us. It’s really confidence-inspiring to start the season on the podium.” For Hacquard and Ellis, the 10th-place finish in the No. 28 Freedom Autosport MAZDASPEED3 was a double accomplishment: it was the first Grand-Am race for both drivers and the competition debut of the MAZDASPEED3. “It was a lot of fun, and it was great to be at Daytona with Freedom Autosport,” said Ellis. “The MAZDASPEED3 handled great and it was really consistent throughout the race. I was really impressed with how well it performed in its debut.” Eighteen-year-old John Edwards teamed up with Patrick Dempsey to drive the No. 27 Freedom Autosport MAZDASPEED3. Dempsey qualified 15th and the pair were aiming for a top-ten finish before they went a lap down because of pit stop timing. Still, Edwards was pleased with his Grand-Am debut. “Our teammates had a great showing and proved that the MAZDASPEED3 is a top-ten contender,” he said. “I restarted the race at the back of the field after our pit stop, and I had a lot of fun working my way up. I really had a good time in my first Grand-Am race.” Team co-owner Whitis easily summed up the race at Daytona: “All the Mazdas ran a strong race, starting on pole with one MX-5 and finishing third with another. Putting a brand new MAZDASPEED3 in the top ten in its first race ever shows what great cars Mazda builds.” Freedom Autosport will be working on further developing their two MAZDASPEED3s before heading to the second Continental Tire Challenge round at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 6, where they hope to earn more podium finishes in Florida. In the meantime, catch Freedom Autosport’s Daytona race on SPEED, beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 13. 2010 Back Racing! Grand-Am Continental Tire Series.Hello everyone! Well after a short hiatus from the sport i am back again racing! I am racing this year in the Grand-Am series Continental Tire Championship. I am racing a new 2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed3! It is an awesome car, new to the series and racing so like any new racecar it has its problems that need to be worked out, but after that we should be up on the podium in no time! The Mazdaspeed3 is a great racing platform, it fits exceptionally well in the Continental Tire series formally known as the Koni Challenge. The Grand-Am sanctioned racing series has 2 classes, GS (grand sport) and ST (sport touring) i am running in the ST class, it hosts a large variation of production modified vehicles, other cars include Honda Civics, BMW 330’s, Volkswagen Jetta’s and Mazda RX8’s. They are all Production cars modified for racing but still bear many of the origional parts. It is a 10 race series racing at tracks all around North America. It is an extremly competitive and fun series to drive in, and to be part of developing a new car adds to the experience. The races are 2.5 to 3 hours long, the teams are all composed of 2 drivers per car. One driver qualifys and starts the race and strives to keep the car in good shape and the other driver battles for position and finishes the race, So it is a team effort. The race requires at least one pit-stop and driver change. The Mazda Mazdaspeed3 is a great platform, features the same turbocharged 2.3-litre DISI Turbo I4 engine from the Mazdaspeed 6. It produces 263 reliable horsepower to the front wheels. It has a 6 speed transmission than can hold up to the riggors of racing. The car features some modifications including fully removed interior, full rollcage, fuel cell, downpipe exhaust, full suspension dampers and springs and of course runs Continental Tires! It is a brand new car to racing and the series so as with any new car it has its problems, we go faster and faster every session and make improvements to the car so you should see us up on the podium soon! The first race is in Daytona Beach Florida, at the Daytona Intl. Speedway! New Upgrades for a New Season - Star Mazda Series 2009 In the first major upgrade of the Star Mazda ‘Pro Car’ since its introduction five years ago, Star Race Cars has produced a package of mechanical and software upgrades for he 2009 season. More than 150 of these high-tech, carbon-fiber, rotary-powered single-seaters are utilized by competitors in the Star Mazda Championship presented by goodyear, as well as SCCA competition and regional Star Mazda series around the U.S., such as the Molecule Formula Mazda Challenge on the West Coast. The upgrades, including new wings, shock absorbers and suspension rockers, are designed to increase the car’s aerodynamic efficiency and top speed while improving engine cooling; in addition, it will be easier for drivers and their engineers to arrive at the best setup for each track. The cumulative effect of the upgrades will be to increase both top speed and cornering speed, reduce maintenance costs and enhance the mechanical reliability of what is arguably already one of the most dependable, cost-effective openwheel cars in competition today. Rookie Hacquard Seals Top-Ten Title Finish Vancouver, Canada (October 20, 2008) – A fuel pump failure robbed Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard of a fourth consecutive top-ten finish as Round 12 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, the season finale, played out at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, 18th October. Hacquard’s retirement, just two laps shy of the checkered flag, marred what had otherwise been a stellar weekend for the 18-year-old rookie, capped by his second straight top-ten qualifying performance and second highest of the year. Despite this, and after dropped scores were taken into consideration, Taylor’s maiden open-wheel racing season exceeded expectations as the Canadian standout finished tenth overall in the Driver Standings from a field of 34 point scoring racers. Taylor arrived at the 2.238-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for Thursday’s promoter test sessions buoyed by his eighth top-ten finish two weeks earlier at Road Atlanta. His pace was again evident throughout both Thursday and Friday’s track time as Hacquard remained a fixture at the sharp end of the timesheets heading into Saturday morning’s final qualifying session. Piloting the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry for the last time this season, Taylor maintained his momentum to secure his second consecutive top-ten grid slot, claiming eighth overall with a lap time of 1m21.594s while the pole went to England’s Richard Kent. A fuel pick-up problem presented itself early in Round 12 on Saturday afternoon. Taylor held his own when the 26-lap race started, quickly gaining a spot and looking good to close in on the top-six when events beyond his control started to hinder his progress at the undulating track. Forced to retire for just the second time this season, Hacquard’s race ended prematurely with the fuel pump failure but his solid form throughout the year guaranteed he’d finish in the top-ten in the points – a significant accomplishment for the rookie who graduated to the Star Mazda Championship directly from karting. The race was won by Richard Kent, the English rookie followed home at the flag by America’s John Edwards and Ireland’s Peter Dempsey. Edwards’ second place was enough to secure the former Atlantic Championship racer the 2008 Star Mazda Championship. “I’d have liked to have finished the season deeper in the top-ten but it’s been a great rookie year for me,” stated Hacquard post-race. “I have to be happy with my performance at Mazda Raceway as I proved to be consistent throughout practice and qualifying. I was running well in the race but it wasn’t to be. That’s the way racing goes sometimes! “I’ve had some ups and downs this year but I’ve learned so much and both met and exceeded some of the goals I had at the start of the season so overall it’s been a pretty successful campaign. I have to thank the whole World Speed team for their efforts and everyone else who’s helped me along the way this year. I’m already looking ahead to the 2009 season and building on all I’ve learned.” 2008 Top-10 Star Mazda Drivers – R12/12: 1st John Edwards (422pts) - CHAMPION, 2nd Joel Miller (406pts), 3rd Peter Dempsey (398pts), 4th Alex Ardoin (365pts), 5th Charles Hall (342pts), 6th Tom Gladdis (334pts), 7th Billy Goshen (324pts), 8th Ciao Lara (286pts), 9th Kristy Kester (284pts), 10th TAYLOR HACQUARD (281pts) – www.starmazda.com ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com
Mazda Raceway Outing to Wrap Hacquard’s Rookie Season The 18-year-old, who races the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry, travels to the Monterey-based circuit sitting eighth overall in the 2008 Driver Standings and the leading Canadian racer in what is a truly international field of talent. Hacquard, despite his lack of experience, has been a permanent fixture in the top-ten all season long and gained a spot after the previous round at Road Atlanta courtesy of his eighth top-ten points finish in eleven starts. More encouraging to the teenage racer that weekend was his ninth place qualifying effort. His fifth row grid slot marked the third time this season Taylor has qualified in the top-ten with his strongest performance to-date coming in Round 2 at Miller Motorsports Park in May – a seventh place start the Buoyed by his Georgia outing, Hacquard arrives in California with track knowledge of the 2.238-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca having made one career start there in last season’s Star Mazda event. While he’s proved himself to be a fast learner through the previous eleven rounds, Saturday’s season finale will at least afford Taylor the opportunity to concentrate on finding a competitive set-up from the off without the distraction of learning a new layout - track time a precious commodity as always. “I’m hoping to put it all together for a strong weekend,” Hacquard commented before departing for California. “I qualified well last time out so I’d like to put in a similarly strong qualifying performance this time round. I’ve raced hard all season long but you can really help yourself with a decent grid slot. Unlike most of the circuits this season I do actually have experience of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from last season’s Star Mazda finale but a lot’s changed since then. “My driving and level of understanding has improved since then and while I’m heading to California armed with previous track experience, I’ll be working from a fresh set-up. I can focus on setting up the car as it should be without having to concern myself with learning the circuit layout. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s definitely a cool place to race. It’s not the easiest track but I like the fact that it’s another high-speed, flowing race track with the Corkscrew as a notable challenge. I’m looking for a good result to end what’s been an amazing rookie season for me!” Round 12 qualifying is set for 9am PT on Saturday 18th October with the season finale scheduled to start at 12:15pm PT on the same day – www.laguna-seca.com SPEED will broadcast Round 12 from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as a tape-delay on Saturday 8th November starting at 1:30pm ET – www.speedtv.com Hacquard Eighth on Road Atlanta Debut Vancouver, Canada (October 04, 2008) – Taylor Hacquard was left to rue what might have been in the penultimate round of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, Round 11, held Friday at Road Atlanta, as the Vancouver racer finished eighth having potentially been in contention for a maiden podium finish. Contact from behind by a rival, combined with a clutch failure, ultimately denied the Canadian teenager a crack at a podium slot but Hacquard held his own through adversity to take eighth at the checkered after 25-laps of flat-out racing – his eighth top-ten finish in what’s been an impressive rookie season. Taylor exits Road Atlanta sitting eighth in the Driver Standings having climbed a spot courtesy of another strong finish. Hacquard, debuting a new helmet painted by Censport, had a clear objective heading into Friday’s race, to power his #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry into the top-ten for the third time this year. He failed to disappoint, despite going out in the slower of the two groups, equaling his second-best grid slot with ninth overall on the time-sheets, the 18-year-old charging his way around the 2.54-mile permanent road course in a time of 1m19.631s. Ireland’s Peter Dempsey picked up his second pole of the season. Set to race on another track brand new to him before his arrival, Taylor again made a strong start when the green flag dropped. Targeting a move up the order, Hacquard set to work and climbed to seventh before he was hit by both a rival and a clutch failure. Losing four spots in the process, Taylor dug deep to see out the race and finish tenth on-track but he claimed points for eighth place due to class positions. Despite another strong score, the B.C. resident was left frustrated having shown his own potential and having seen some of the front-runners tangle – incidents that if he hadn’t had his own issues would have allowed him to go for the podium. John Edwards collected his fourth win with Joel Miller and Rick Rosin rounding out the top-three. “I knew a top-five and potentially a podium was on the cards,” stated Taylor. “I was learning all weekend long, continuing to improve so I felt a strong result was possible. Once I was hit I just put my head down to bring the car home and at least I’ve moved up in the Driver Standings. I dealt with adversity and my confidence is pretty high now moving on to Laguna Seca – a track I do have some experience at which hopefully bodes well for me.” The final round of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, Round 12, takes place at California’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Saturday 18th October – www.laguna-seca.com 2008 Top-8 Star Mazda Drivers – R11/12: 1st Joel Miller (389pts), 2nd John Edwards (378pts), 3rd Peter Dempsey (374pts), 4th Alex Ardoin (347pts), 5th Charles Hall (342pts), 6th Tom Gladdis (334pts), 7th Billy Goshen (313pts), 8th TAYLOR HACQUARD (278pts) – www.starmazda.com ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com
Hacquard Faces Road Atlanta in Penultimate Round Braselton, Georgia (October 01, 2008) – Taylor Hacquard’s rookie year competing in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear starts to wind up this weekend with the penultimate race of the season, Round 11, hosted at Georgia’s Road Atlanta circuit on Friday 3rd October. Forming part of an impressive support package to the American Le Mans Series ‘Petit Le Mans’ challenge, the Star Mazda field races on Friday before Saturday’s 10-hour sports car endurance race gets underway. The weekend marks Hacquard’s first trip to the 2.54-mile permanent road course located in Braselton, Georgia but as the 18-year-old Vancouver resident has already proved this season, he’s a fast learner and a strong racer. Taylor arrives at Road Atlanta following a pair of top-ten performances last time out at the New Jersey Motorsports Park double-header. Racing the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry, Hacquard earned his sixth and seventh top-ten finishes of the season, climbing to ninth overall in the Star Mazda Driver Standings, and the top-ranked Canadian, on 250 points. While aiming to maintain his impressive race record, the B.C. teenager is keen to improve his qualifying performances and crack the top-ten for the third time this year, Taylor’s best grid slot to-date coming in the second round at Miller Motorsports Park where he secured seventh on the grid. “It’s great to be here at Road Atlanta,” said Hacquard. “It’s still early in the week yet there’s a really good atmosphere building up towards the weekend’s races. I’m really hoping we have a strong qualifying run here. I’ve shown I can race pretty well but if I can qualify a few spots higher than I usually do then I can really help myself out. That’s my main focus for the weekend, improve my qualifying performance and continue to race strong. “From my first laps of the track, Road Atlanta might prove to be a tricky place to overtake, there are a couple of obvious passing zones but it’s quite a narrow race track, you really have to stick to your racing line to maintain your speed. It’s hard to believe this is the penultimate round; the season’s really flown by. I’ve had a good rookie year and I’m hoping for a strong showing at Road Atlanta. I wasn’t overly happy with my last two performances so I’d like to turn things around before heading into the season finale later in the month.” Round 11 qualifying is set for 8:45am ET on Thursday 2nd October with the race scheduled the following day, Friday 3rd October, starting at 4:30pm ET – www.roadatlanta.com SPEED will broadcast Round 11 from Road Atlanta as a tape-delay on Saturday 18th October starting at 12:30pm ET – www.speedtv.com 2008 Top-10 Star Mazda Drivers – R10/12: 1st Peter Dempsey (354pts), 2nd Joel Miller (349pts), 3rd John Edwards (334pts), 4th Alex Ardoin (327pts), 5th Charles Hall (325pts), 6th Tom Gladdis (305pts), 7th Billy Goshen (283pts), 8th Kristy Kester (255pts), 9th TAYLOR HACQUARD (250pts), 10th Ernesto Otero (243pts) – www.starmazda.com ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 2621 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
Hacquard Ninth in Star Mazda Standings Vancouver, Canada (September 16, 2008) – Canada’s Taylor Hacquard climbed a spot to ninth overall in the Driver Standings of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear thanks to a pair of solid top-ten finishes at the New Jersey Motorsport Park, home to Rounds 9 and 10 of the series, Saturday 13th – Sunday 14th September. The 18-year-old Vancouver racer picked up his sixth and seventh top-ten finishes of his rookie open-wheel racing season courtesy of an eighth place finish on Saturday, Taylor recovering from a poor qualifying session to fight his way through the field, and a tenth place effort for those eligible for full series points on Sunday to cap a busy double-header weekend at the Millville-based race track. New Jersey’s 2.177-mile layout once again presented Taylor with the opportunity to learn a new circuit, as was the case with most of the field as the Star Mazda Championship debuted at the track. Qualifying for Round 9 brought challenges in the form of learning to deal with a dusty infield and run offs – all part of the Canadian rookie’s education process. In the end, in a shortened session, Taylor was left disappointed to qualify 14th in the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry. Saturday’s first race once again saw Taylor make a trademark getaway. Taking less than half a lap to make up three slots, Hacquard found himself at the end of a train of cars fighting for eighth. The dying stages of the 32-lap race presented Taylor with an opportunity to prove his on-track mettle and he seized the moment. Battling Caio Lara for ninth, Hacquard caught the draft on the first straightaway and despite several questionable moves from his rival, Taylor held his own, passing him on the outside despite having two-wheels off the track. Eighth at the checkered marked Taylor’s best finish since taking fifth at Portland back in July. John Edwards won his third race with Joel Miller and Peter Dempsey joining him on the podium. Round 10 on Sunday saw Hacquard qualify in the morning, shaving two seconds from his previous day’s best lap time. Starting 12th, an eventful race saw Taylor skillfully avoiding a pair of ‘spinner’s ahead but in doing so he had to run off-track and collected debris in the side-pods restricting air flow. While he was able to pick up clean air his pace was compromised but the teenage rookie still steered his way to a second top-ten points finish from New Jersey. Ireland’s Peter Dempsey won for the fourth time in five starts ahead of Alex Ardoin and John Edwards. “Well now that the dust has settled on both races, to come away with another pair of top-ten finishes is an accomplishment,’ stated Hacquard. “I’m happy to have rebounded from a disappointing weekend at Mosport and I’m pleased to gain a spot and take ninth in the standings. I was able to get back and focus and I’m continuing to improve which is the main thing ahead of a crack at the title next year!” The penultimate round of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, Round 11, will be held at Georgia’s Road Atlanta circuit, Thursday 2nd – Friday 3rd October – www.roadatlanta.com 2008 Top-10 Star Mazda Drivers – R10/12: 1st Peter Dempsey (354pts), 2nd Joel Miller (349pts), 3rd John Edwards (334pts), 4th Alex Ardoin (327pts), 5th Charles Hall (325pts), 6th Tom Gladdis (305pts), 7th Billy Goshen (283pts), 8th Kristy Kester (255pts), 9th TAYLOR HACQUARD (250pts), 10th Ernesto Otero (243pts) ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com
New Jersey Double Beckons Hacquard Vancouver, Canada (September 10, 2008) – The 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear gave Canada’s Taylor Hacquard the challenge of a flat-out August schedule, with three consecutive race weekends, and now following a welcomed two-week break the 18-year-old returns to action with Rounds 9 and 10 hosted at Millville’s New Jersey Motorsports Park this weekend, Friday 12 th – Sunday 14 th September. The New Jersey event is only the second double-header race meeting on the 12-round Star Mazda schedule with the previous one, hosted at Portland International Raceway in Oregon, falling at the end of July. The Portland double proved to be a successful outing for Hacquard with the open-wheel rookie scoring a pair of top-ten finishes, including his highest placing of the season to-date, a fifth place effort in Round 4. Taylor, who pilots the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry, will be keen for a strong showing at the all-new 2.25-mile New Jersey Motorsports Park after a frustrating retirement in Canada last time out at Mosport International Raceway. His race exit, due to an oil-leak, was preceded by a significant qualifying crash earlier in the day but it failed to stop the determined teenager or the relentless World Speed Motorsports crew from making the grid for the race. Taylor’s exit marked only the third time in eight starts this season that he’s failed to record a top-ten finish “I don’t think we should have any problems getting up to speed this weekend,” stated a confident Hacquard. “I’m keen to put the disappointment of the Mosport meeting behind me and I’ve shown in the past that I can rebound from that type of situation. The New Jersey track is pretty much new to everyone competing this weekend so that helps level the playing field a little. The fact that it’s a double-header meeting simply means I get two cracks at it to hopefully get a pair of decent finishes. “I’ve been learning each time I’m in the car this season and that will continue as we head into the final races of the year. I wasn’t necessarily expecting to be sitting as high as tenth in the championship at this stage of my rookie season so I’m definitely happy with how things are progressing. August was a busy race month and I’m feeling pretty refreshed now heading to New Jersey. Hopefully the time off and our preparation between races will pay off this weekend!” Saturday 13 th September hosts qualifying at 1pm EST followed by Round 9 at 3:30pm EST. Sunday 14 th September sees qualifying underway at 9:20am EST followed by Round 10 at 2:15pm EST – www.starmazda.com / www.njmotorsportspark.com SPEED will broadcast Round 9 from New Jersey Motorsports Park as a tape-delay on Sunday 5 th October starting at 2pm ET with Round 10 following a week later on Sunday 12 th October at 1pm – www.speedtv.com 2008 Top-10 Star Mazda Drivers – R8/12: 1st Joel Miller (274pts), 2nd Peter Dempsey (273pts), 3rd Alex Ardoin (271pts), 4th Charles Hall (262pts), 5th John Edwards (252pts), 6th Tom Gladdis (247pts), 7th Billy Goshen (227pts), 8th Ernesto Otero(208pts), 9th Kristy Kester (205pts), 10th TAYLOR HACQUARD (197pts) ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com
Hacquard Responds to Mosport Challenge Vancouver, British Columbia (August 24, 2008) – Taylor Hacquard’s first trip to Ontario’s Mosport International Raceway failed to lack drama as the Vancouver racer put in a spirited performance on what was both an eventful and busy Saturday hosting Round 8 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear. While ultimately an oil leak was to curtail the 18-year-old from recording a potential sixth top-ten finish of his rookie season, the highlight for both Taylor and his World Speed Motorsports crew was the fact that they made it to the grid to take the start in the #15 Wolfe Auto Group entry as an off in qualifying severely damaged the car and left its driver with a minor concussion. Hacquard’s track debut came in Thursday’s practice sessions with the Canadian picking up the 2.46-mile road course as the day progressed. He kick started Friday’s official practice outings with the tenth fastest time in the morning and was running as high as fifth in the afternoon’s session on old tires before the lead pack switched to fresh sets leaving Taylor 12th on the timesheets. An encouraging qualifying run brought the day’s real drama. With five minutes of the session remaining Hacquard ran slightly wide exiting Turn 3 and found the marbles at the side of the track. What followed was a sideways impact into the wall. Taylor’s car sustained significant damage while he was knocked out briefly taking the hit resulting in a minor concussion. A lengthy visit with the track doctors ultimately led to getting the all-clear to race in the afternoon but the prognosis for Taylor’s car initially didn’t look quite so good. Responding to the challenge Taylor’s World Speed Motorsports crew worked miracles to get his car back into race trim for the afternoon’s event, the clock ticking with both qualifying and the race being held on the same day. Despite his earlier accident, Hacquard had qualified 11th and immediately set to work breaking the top-ten when the lights flicked to green. Unfortunately for the teenage rookie, with 11 laps recorded an oil leak cut short his performance having spun out on the spray which in turn led to an engine failure and subsequent fire. Ireland’s Peter Dempsey won the 20-lap Mosport race, his third successive Star Mazda victory, with Joel Miller taking second, and the title lead, while Tom Gladdis completed the podium trio. “There’s no doubt this was a tough day but we all showed our determination to get out there and compete,” reflected Hacquard. “The team did a phenomenal job to get the car ready for the race in the afternoon. We all pulled together really well despite our troubles. Thankfully we have a bit of time off now, a bonus after a minor concussion, but I’m already planning for the New Jersey double!” Rounds 9 and 10 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear will take place at the ‘Mazda Grand Prix of New Jersey’, hosted at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Friday 12th – Saturday 14th September - www.starmazda.com / www.njmotorsportspark.com SPEED will broadcast Round 8 from Mosport International Raceway as a tape-delay on Saturday 27th September starting at 2pm ET – www.speedtv.com 2008 Top-10 Star Mazda Drivers – R8/12: 1st Joel Miller (274pts), 2nd Peter Dempsey (273pts), 3rd Alex Ardoin (271pts), 4th Charles Hall (262pts), 5th John Edwards (252pts), 6th Tom Gladdis (247pts), 7th Billy Goshen (227pts), 8th Ernesto Otero(208pts), 9th Kristy Kester (205pts), 10th TAYLOR HACQUARD (197pts) ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
Hacquard to Feature on Sunday’s Raceline Radio Vancouver, British Columbia (August 20, 2008) – Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard will hit both the race track and the airwaves this weekend as he gets set for Round 8 of the Star Mazda Championship at Mosport International Raceway, on Saturday 23rd August, and an appearance as the feature guest in Raceline Radio’s ‘Tissot Talent Watch’ on Sunday 24th August. The 18-year-old open-wheel rookie caught up with Raceline’s host, Erik Tomas, earlier in the week for his first interview on Canada’s only nationally syndicated, award winning motorsport radio show. Raceline Radio is broadcast nationwide with the show airing live and online at 8:06pm EST on Sunday via its flagship station, AM 900 CHML Hamilton. Team 1040 Vancouver will broadcast the show this Sunday at 10pm PST while having a podcast available for download on their website – www.team1040.ca The Raceline Radio Network comprises 20 stations coast-to-coast including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary markets. For a full broadcast schedule and comprehensive list of stations carrying Raceline Radio please log on to: www.raceline.ca Taylor Hacquard heads to Mosport, Ontario this weekend sitting ninth overall in the 2008 Star Mazda Driver Standings with five top-ten finishes to his credit piloting the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry. 2008 Top-10 Star Mazda Drivers – R7/12: 1st Charles Hall (243pts), 2nd Alex Ardoin (239pts), 3rd Joel Miller (234pts), 4th Peter Dempsey (229pts), 5th John Edwards (217pts), 6th Tom Gladdis (210pts), 7th Billy Goshen (198pts), 8th Kristy Kester (180pts), 9th TAYLOR HACQUARD (179pts), 10th Ernesto Otero (178pts) – www.starmazda.com ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com Photo Credit: ‘Hacquard races the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports Star Mazda entry’ – Eric McCombs For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
Tenth Place Street Score for Hacquard Trois-Rivieres, Quebec (August 17, 2008) – Taylor Hacquard can check street course racing from his rookie ‘to-do list’ as the 18-year-old Vancouver resident piloted his way to a tenth place finish on the streets of Trois Rivieres, Quebec on Sunday in Round 7 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear. Hacquard’s steep open-wheel learning curve continued on the 1.521-mile temporary street circuit, with Trois Rivieres giving the young Canadian plenty to think about over the course of the weekend, but he responded well to all challenges to record his fifth top-ten finish in seven starts this season. Taylor’s consistent performances have kept him locked inside the top-ten in the Driver Standings since the season began in March, Hacquard holding on to ninth exiting Trois Rivieres and heading for a third straight race weekend at Mosport International Raceway next week. While Taylor had been knocking on the door of the top-ten in Friday’s two practice sessions, Saturday’s qualifying outing proved disappointing as his best time of 1m03.597s (86.098mph) was only good for 16th on the 20 car grid. Ireland’s Peter Dempsey captured his first series pole courtesy of a 1m01.788s (88.619mph) hot lap. Sunday morning’s 40-lap race saw Taylor launch off the line in the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry and it didn’t take long for the leading Canadian to improve his position – two spots gained in the first two corners. Eight tours in and he was already up to 12th while threading his way through the short historic street course. A combination of smart driving, while others around him were tangling, and gutsy overtaking, powered Taylor through to tenth at the checkered for 26 more championship points. Peter Dempsey converted pole position into the race win, his second consecutive Star Mazda victory, while the American duo of John Edwards and Alex Ardoin rounded out the podium. “We completely changed our set-up for today’s race and I changed my driving style a bit and it seemed to work well,” stated Hacquard. “We used the race as a bit of a test session but I was also careful to keep my nose clean. I was definitely catching the ninth place car at the end and if we’d had a couple of more laps I might have had a shot at him. “It was a great team effort in the end of the day and there’s no doubt if we’d started the weekend off with what we had today then we’d have been a lot faster but it’s all part of the learning experience for me. It’s been a great experience competing at Trois Rivieres and I had a lot of fun racing today.” Round 8 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear sees the series head south from Quebec to Ontario’s Mosport International Raceway for the ‘Grand Prix of Mosport’, Friday 22nd – Saturday 23rd August - www.starmazda.com / www.mosport.com SPEED will broadcast Round 7 from Trois-Rivieres as a tape-delay on Saturday 30th August starting at Noon ET – www.speedtv.com 2008 Top-10 Star Mazda Drivers – R7/12: 1st Charles Hall (243pts), 2nd Alex Ardoin (239pts), 3rd Joel Miller (234pts), 4th Peter Dempsey (229pts), 5th John Edwards (217pts), 6th Tom Gladdis (210pts), 7th Billy Goshen (198pts), 8th Kristy Kester (180pts), 9th TAYLOR HACQUARD (179pts), 10th Ernesto Otero (178pts) ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
Hacquard Set for Canadian Race Debut Vancouver, Canada (August 12, 2008) – This weekend’s Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres will see Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard make his first open-wheel racing start in Canada and the 18-year-old couldn’t be happier to head to the famed Quebec street circuit to experience the excitement of competing on home soil, Friday 15th – Sunday 17th August. A stellar race package is on the cards with Taylor participating in Round 7 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, where he currently sits ninth overall and top Canadian entrant, while the weekend also boasts race starts for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, the Atlantic Championship, the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series and the Canadian Touring Car Championship. Hacquard heads to Trois-Rivieres off the back of a mainly positive sixth round outing last weekend, 8th-9th August, at Wisconsin’s Road America circuit. The Canadian stand-out, competing for World Speed Motorsports in the #15 Wolfe Auto Group entry, belied his rookie status to run competitively throughout practice, comfortably posting top-six lap times in the final two sessions before qualifying. Eager to improve upon his best start position to-date, a seventh place grid slot in Round 2 at Miller Motorsports Park, Taylor’s hopes were dashed when qualifying wrapped up early due to a red-flag incident. While he only enjoyed a couple of tours of the 4.08-mile circuit on fresh tires before the session ended prematurely, the teenage rookie’s pace was still good enough to merit a top-ten start, Taylor lapping in 2m07.281s (114.493mph) to set the ninth fastest time. Pole position went to two-time race winner John Edwards courtesy of a 2m05.313s (116.291mph) hot lap. Despite a good start, Round 6 effectively ended for Hacquard by the first turn. Battling for position with Rusty Mitchell, the two cars touched through the corner with both ending up beached in the gravel trap, Taylor’s car losing its front-wing in the process. The incident, and trip back to the pits for a new nose, dropped Taylor a couple of laps down on the leaders - the rest of his race effectively serving as a test outing before being classified with a 22nd place finish. Ireland’s Peter Dempsey took the win ahead of John Edwards and new championship leader, England’s Charles Hall. “Road America proved we have the speed to run at the front,” stated Hacquard. “We just have to be able to put it all together and keep up some consistency. It was a good weekend in terms of our pace and performance. It was just a bit disappointing that we didn’t get to show our true potential in qualifying or the race. “Moving on, I’m pretty excited to be heading to Trois-Rivieres this weekend. I’ve heard it’s a great street circuit with an amazing atmosphere so I’m looking forward to getting there and racing. It’s my first time racing an open-wheel car in Canada and my first ever street race so there’s a lot to look forward to. I used to do well on the parking-lot, street-style tracks we ran in karting so I’m hoping that I can transfer those performances into my Canadian Star Mazda debut!” Qualifying for Round 7 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear gets underway on Saturday 16th August at 10am EST with the 45-minute race held the following day, Sunday 17th August starting at 11:15am EST – www.starmazda.com / www.gp3r.com SPEED will broadcast Round 7 from Trois-Rivieres as a tape-delay on Saturday 30th August starting at Noon ET – www.speedtv.com 2008 Top-10 Star Mazda Drivers – R6/12: 1st Charles Hall (211pts), 2nd Alex Ardoin (202pts), 3rd Joel Miller (200pts), 4th Peter Dempsey (184pts), 5th Tom Gladdis (182pts), 6th Billy Goshen (179pts), 7th John Edwards (177pts), 8th Kristy Kester (160pts), 9th TAYLOR HACQUARD (153pts), 10th Ernesto Otero (148pts) ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com Photo Credit: ‘Hacquard races the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry’ – Star Mazda Championship For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
Road America Next Stop for Hacquard Vancouver, Canada (August 05, 2008) – A busy August kicks off for Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard with Round 6 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear stopping at Elkhart Lake and the renowned Road America circuit, Thursday 7th – Saturday 9th August. The sweeping 4.08-mile Wisconsin road course immediately precedes a two-leg Canadian tour with Rounds 7 and 8 hosted at Trois Rivieres in Quebec (Sunday 17th) and Mosport International Raceway in Ontario (Sunday 23rd) respectively. While naturally excited to race twice on home soil in his rookie season, piloting the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry, Hacquard’s focus is set firmly on the task in hand this weekend. The 18-year-old arrives at Road America off the back of a pair of top-ten’s at Portland International Raceway a fortnight ago, including a career-best fifth place finish in Round 4. Taylor’s impressive start to the season, which now totals four top-ten finishes from five race starts, sees him sitting eighth overall in the Driver Standings from a highly competitive and truly international Star Mazda field. Supporting the American Le Mans Series for the third time this year, the Star Mazda Championship’s Road America event will no doubt prove to be as fiercely contested as the previous five rounds. Four different drivers have enjoyed a champagne shower from the top-step of the podium this season with Atlantic Championship refugee, John Edwards, the only repeat winner to-date. “I’m keen to get back to Road America having tested there for the first time a few weeks ago,” Hacquard stated. “We get a bunch of running time this weekend which is always beneficial as it will allow me to build on the track knowledge I gained from last month’s test. All the turns at Road America roll together and it’s a fairly fast, sweeping circuit, not too dissimilar in character to Portland International Raceway where we last raced but with a few more elevation changes! “Portland allowed me to get back into a rhythm and I qualified just outside the top-ten for both starts. I’m hoping Road America will see me back inside the first five rows and quickly into a groove in the race. I made a pair of decent starts in Portland, I was concentrating on getting everything right and it paid off allowing me to gain position and keep my nose clean. I’m learning something each time I’m out in the car at the moment and I know experience counts for a lot. It was good to get a top-five finish at the last event and I’m hoping for more of the same this weekend.” Qualifying for Round 6 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear gets underway on Friday 8th August at 4:05pm CT with the 45-minute race held the following day, Saturday 9th August, starting at 2:25pm CT – www.starmazda.com / www.roadamerica.com SPEED will broadcast Round 6 from Road America as a tape-delay on Saturday 23rd August starting at Noon ET – www.speedtv.com 2008 Top-8 Star Mazda Drivers – R5/12: 1st Joel Miller (179pts), 2nd Charles Hall (174pts), 3rd Alex Ardoin (168pts), 4th Billy Goshen (155pts), 5th Tom Gladdis (150pts), 6th Peter Dempsey (140pts), 7th John Edwards (136pts), 8th TAYLOR HACQUARD (135pts) ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com Photo Credit: ‘Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard scored a career-best fifth in Portland last time out’ – Star Mazda Championship For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
Mazda races, VW Jetta TDI Cup on tap at PIR Young drivers try to prove themselves By Jeff Zurschmeide When Champ Car folded its tent and joined the Indy Racing League in February, race fans in the Rose City were concerned that this was the end of professional racing at Portland International Racway. Having lost the American Le Mans Series the previous year, it seemed that big-time sports-car racing was over for the Northwest. But Champ Car’s bankruptcy affected more than just the season schedule at PIR. Several supporting race groups also had their season plans thrown into chaos at the last possible moment. Hundreds of people who work as staff, drivers and crew for those organizations suddenly found themselves facing unemployment. That’s when Mazda stepped in to help promote and finance a few key events this year. Most of the smaller professional race groups use Mazda engines and Mazda automobiles, and this weekend’s Mazda Grand Prix of Portland is the largest and most important of the events that Mazda is supporting this year. The Mazda Grand Prix of Portland runs through Sunday, and weekend admission is $15 per day. Parking at PIR is an additional $5 per day. For more information, go to www.mazdagrandprix.com. In many ways, the races this weekend are better for spectators than the old Champ Car show. The headliner is Star Mazda, in which up-and-coming drivers race identical, open-wheel cars. These machines are just a few miles per hour slower than the Champ Cars, and the drivers are hungry for achievement, recognition and advancement. There’s no holding back in the Star Mazda series. Taylor Hacquard, an 18-year-old Star Mazda driver from Vancouver, British Columbia, considers Portland his home track and hopes to do well here on his way to a championship. “It's really hard, and you have to take what you get,” he says, of the racing options available. “There's less opportunity now that Champ Car is gone. I just want to stay in auto racing any way I can.” Also on the bill this weekend is the Playboy MX-5 Cup. This series is raced in identical, late-model Mazda MX-5 sports cars. Among the drivers competing for the win in this group are local novelist Garth Stein and noted auto writer Sam Moses. “The graphics on our MX-5s will be our book jackets, which means my car will have a checkered flag on it, and Garth's car will have a dog on it,” Moses says. One of the most exciting groups to join the party this weekend is the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. This is the first year of this series, and it’s drawing worldwide attention by showcasing young drivers in identically prepared cars that run with VW’s new “clean diesel” engine. Liam Kenney of Sterling, Va., is just 16, but he’s got 11 years of racing experience. “I got my driver’s license 4 days before my first TDI Cup race,” he says. Like many young professional drivers, Kenney began racing go-karts before he started kindergarten. After building his skills and reputation in karting, he moved into Formula Renault for two years before qualifying for the TDI Cup. “The TDI makes a great race car,” he says. “It’s got 170 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. And it's exactly the same as a showroom car. Racing flat out, it gets 25 miles per gallon, and on the street it gets 60. One thing I like is that the series is certified carbon-free. It’s the greenest racing series in the world. It's a huge deal." In addition to the professional groups, local club racers will be out in their Spec Miatas. Four former PIR champions are among the challengers – Will Schrader, Brian Towey, Ken Sutherland and Jon Davies will compete alongside 30 to 40 other drivers in cars they maintain themselves. Also this weekend, the Oregon Brewer’s Festival has an annex at the track. The Brewer’s Festival tent will offer views of the action and free admission to all race spectators.
Hacquard Adds to Top-Ten Tally in Portland Portland, Oregon (July 27, 2008) – Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard raced his way to a second straight top-ten finish in Portland on Sunday as he claimed tenth place in Round 5 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear at Portland International Raceway, the second race of the weekend’s double-header ‘Mazda Grand Prix’ meeting. Entering the race sitting joint sixth in the Driver Standings, thanks to a career best fifth place effort in Round 4 on Saturday at the 1.967-mile Oregon track, the 18-year-old rookie added another 26 points to his total courtesy of Sunday’s result, his fourth top-ten finish this season. Round 5’s qualifying outing earlier in the day echoed the previous day’s results with Hacquard once again 12th fastest in the session, his lap time in the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry a 1m09.920s (101.791mph). Similarly, Andersen Racing’s Tom Gladdis claimed a second-straight pole position in Portland with a best lap of 1m08.920s (103.565mph). A cloudy, overcast sky meant track temperatures were down for Sunday afternoon’s 36-lap race as the grid lined up for the standing start. Despite the slightly cooler temperatures the action heated up from the off as Taylor launched off the line to attack into the circuit’s famous Festival Curves. Showcasing his racing skills the Canadian teenager gained no fewer than five spots on the opening lap to cross the start-finish line in seventh. While the top-three pulled away at the head of the pack, led by John Edwards, Hacquard raced consistently in seventh through to the halfway marker when lapped cars came into play with frustrating consequences. Contact passing a back-marker at Turn Three led to Taylor’s front-right suspension being damaged, the end result being a loss of track position. Despite this, Taylor valiantly battled his steering issues, holding tenth on track through to the checkered but left to rue what might have been had the incident not happened. AIM Autosport’s John Edwards celebrated his second win of the season ahead of yesterday’s race winner Tom Gladdis and Sebring victor Joel Miller. “All things considered it was a fairly good race,” Hacquard reflected. “There was a lot more action today and our pace was much better. We’d made some set-up changes which really helped but it was a shame the lapped car came into me when I was passing him as it put paid to any further progress. That said I’m happy to come away with a pair of top-ten’s and hopefully we can continue that on when we go to Road America in a couple of weeks.” Round 6 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear heads back east to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and the famed Road America circuit, Saturday 9th August – www.starmazda.com / www.roadamerica.com SPEED will broadcast Rounds 4 and 5 from Portland International Raceway as a tape-delay on Saturday 9th August starting at Noon ET – www.speedtv.com ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com Photo Credit: ‘Taylor Hacquard claimed a brace of top-ten finishes in Star Mazda at Portland’ – Taylor Hacquard Motorsports For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
Hacquard Returns with Portland Double Vancouver, Canada (July 22, 2008) – It’s been a long seven weeks without racing for Taylor Hacquard but this weekend sees the Vancouver open-wheel racer return to competition with Rounds 4 and 5 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear hosted at the Portland International Raceway (PIR), Oregon, Friday 25 th – Sunday 27 th July. The 18-year-old heads to the 1.967-mile facility, his ‘home’ circuit due to its proximity to British Columbia, eager to maintain what has been an impressive start to his rookie season in Star Mazda. While a disappointing third round in early June resulted in only a 16 th place finish, Taylor kicked off the season with a brace of top-ten finishes in undoubtedly one of the most competitive fields in North American competition – the highlight to-date being Hacquard’s performance in Round 2 at Miller Motorsports Park in May where he qualified seventh and finished sixth at the checkered. This weekend’s Portland double-header, featuring in a packed ‘Mazda Grand Prix’ weekend, will see Taylor hoping to break the top-ten once again and build on his seventh place standing in the points chase piloting the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry. The event also marks the beginning of a more regular schedule with the PIR races followed by three event weekends in August taking in Wisconsin’s famed Road America (August 9 th) and back-to-back Canadian races at Quebec’s Trois Rivieres street course (August 17 th) and Ontario’s sweeping Mosport International Raceway road course (August 23 rd). “The break in the schedule wasn’t too bad as it means I’m able to come back to racing in Portland feeling fresh and raring to go,” reflected Hacquard. “My last race at Watkins Glen didn’t exactly go to plan so it was nice to get some time off after that just to reflect on things and it means I’m probably better prepared heading into the Portland double. It’s also a bonus that having had such a lengthy lay-off we’re back with two races in the one weekend. “I really like the PIR track. I had my first race in a Star Mazda car there last season and ran as high as seventh before an incident forced me out but it was a good run. Prior to that race I’d also competed in a double regional weekend with the SCCA and I’ve enjoyed a few tests in Portland as well so I’ve got quite a bit of experience there. I like fast-paced, flowing circuits like PIR and it’s a great place to be if you can get your set-up hooked up just right. Portland’s also my home track so I’m looking forward to being back there and I’ve got a bunch of friends and family coming down to see me race which will be fun.” The action in Oregon gets underway on Thursday 24 th July with two days of testing and practice at PIR before Round 4 on Saturday 26 th July at 2pm PT, followed by Round 5 on Sunday 27 th July at 2pm PT – www.starmazda.com / www.mazdagrandprix.com SPEED will broadcast Rounds 4 and 5 from Portland International Raceway as a tape-delay on Saturday 9 th August starting at Noon ET – www.speedtv.com 2008 Top-8 Star Mazda Drivers – R3/12: 1st Charles Hall (124pts), 2nd Joel Miller (122pts), 3rd Peter Dempsey (105pts), 4th Alex Ardoin (98pts), 5th Billy Goshen (86pts), 6th Mike Hill (79pts), 7th TAYLOR HACQUARD (77pts), 8th John Edwards (75pts) ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com Photo Credit: ‘ Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard racing the #15 Wolfe Auto Group Star Mazda’ – Taylor Hacquard Motorsports TV REMINDER – Hacquard’s Watkins Weekend on SPEED Vancouver, Canada (June 19, 2008) – Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard can again be seen in race action this weekend as Round 3 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, from Watkins Glen International Circuit, will be broadcast throughout North America on SPEED, Saturday 21st June at 11am EST – www.speedtv.com Held a fortnight ago, Round 3 proved to be a learning experience for Hacquard. The 18-year-old rookie, competing in the #15 Wolfe Auto Group / World Speed Motorsports entry, left the 3.4-mile circuit with an 18th place finish after an eventful couple of days in New York. While his turn of speed was evident in earlier practice outings, Taylor finishing the first day sixth fastest on the timesheets, a large crash the day before qualifying put the Canadian stand-out on the back-foot for the rest of the weekend. Qualifying 16th for the 20-lap event, Taylor’s race was a challenging affair, not least due to a visor issue instigated by oil spray from a competitor’s car. Having scored a pair of top-ten finishes in his maiden Star Mazda starts, Hacquard was forced to settle for 18th at the checkered before putting his Watkins weekend down to experience ahead of the seven-week break in the schedule. England’s Charles Hall scored the win with Round 1 winner Joel Miller in second and pole-sitter Alex Ardoin completing the podium in third. Since returning from Watkins Glen Taylor has subsequently celebrated his graduation from Elgin Park Secondary in South Surrey, British Columbia. While he’s set to enjoy some down-time with his fellow Seniors at Grad Camp this weekend, the teenage racer’s attentions will quickly turn to the remainder of the 12-round Star Mazda Championship and his ‘Rookie of the Year’ aspirations. Portland International Raceway in Oregon hosts Rounds 4 and 5 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear next month, Friday 25th – Sunday 27th July 2008 – www.starmazda.com 2008 Top-8 Star Mazda Drivers – R3/12: 1st Charles Hall (124pts), 2nd Joel Miller (122pts), 3rd Peter Dempsey (105pts), 4th Alex Ardoin (98pts), 5th Billy Goshen (86pts), 6th Mike Hill (79pts), 7th TAYLOR HACQUARD (77pts), 8th John Edwards (75pts) For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com Fast times on the track for rookie racer There are plenty of occupations out there for adrenaline junkies; for those who seek an extra rush along with a paycheque. Police officer. Highrise window cleaner. Soldier. But few outside the NASCAR-crazy United States or F1-obsessed pockets of Europe choose the path of Taylor Hacquard – the 18-year-old Elgin Park Secondary student who routinely plunks himself behind the wheel of a fiberglass and metal bullet moving at speeds approaching 180 mph (289 km/h), his body perched just a few inches above where the rubber licks the road. For the past year and a half, while his schoolmates have been prepping for college, Hacquard has been a race-car driver, travelling at least one weekend a month to various tracks in the United States to hone his driving skills. “You have to have a passion for it,” he said, back on the Peninsula after a weekend racing in Watkins Glen, NY. “I’ve always been interested in cars, and in racing... and this seemed like a good career opportunity for me. To be able to do something like this for a job is pretty neat.” Hacquard began racing go-karts in Chilliwack when he was 15, and quickly progressed from the regional karting scene to the national level, with the Stars of Karting Series. After a fifth-place finish there in 2006, he set his sights on open-wheel racing, and hooked up with the Jim Russell Racing School in Sonoma, Calif. Originally, after earning his first racing licence, Hacquard expected to spend most of the next year testing – race speak for practicing – but he took to his new wheels immediately, and rocketed through the accreditation ranks so quickly that he soon earned his professional and international licences and hit the track for real. “Moving up from karts to cars was a pretty big jump. It was pretty mind-blowing the first time I went out there,” Hacquard said. “It took awhile for me to adjust to the speed of it. I’d never gone that fast before, and it’s an open cockpit so your head is right out there, too. It took a bit to get used to that.” The Peninsula driver joined the Star Mazda Racing Series last year, driving in just two races in order to get a feel for the series. He qualified for his first-ever race in 13th place out of nearly 30 cars, but ended up crashing out midway through, after getting bumped from behind by another driver, and then, while spinning out, was T-boned by another. “I’ve been in a couple crashes, and I was running in ninth when I crashed that first race, in the rain,” Hacquard said. “The cars are so finely tuned, if anything at all goes wrong, you can’t really contend. Even the slightest bump changes the alignment.” He’s had better luck in his three races this season, finishing with two top-10 finishes, including a sixth-place run at Miller Motorsports Park May 17 in Utah. “It surprised me quite a bit. I didn’t think I’d be doing as well as I am this year. It’s really nice to be doing it, for sure, but it’s a little unexpected,” he said. At Watkins Glen last weekend, Hacquard also had to deal with some on-track adversity for the first time since joining the series. He finished 18th overall despite being seventh fastest in morning tests, and had to dodge more than a few obstacles – in the race and in practice. In the morning track session, Hacquard was cruising along just fine until a wayward ground hog – who somehow made his way onto the track – threatened to run in front of the cars. “I saw him off to the side and I was like, ‘Don’t come onto the track, don’t come onto the track,’ but then he started running across,” Hacquard explained. “I was in the middle of the turn and there’s not really anything you can do – if you try to avoid it you’ll end up crashing into the wall hard. “I didn’t end up crashing, but I spun out a little bit.” Things didn’t get any easier in the race, after he spun out again – this time as a result of the car in front of him spewing oil out the back of the vehicle and right into Hacquard’s cockpit. “I don’t know what was going on in his car, some kind of mechanical problem. I only had one tear-off (plastic film) on my visor, and it just coated it.” he explained. “I tore it off and it ripped open my visor, so all the oil and dirt came right onto my face.” Hacquard managed to regain control of his car in time to continue the race, but he’d dropped back in the pack, where he eventually finished out of the top-10 for the first time this season. “We started off the weekend pretty well, so it was a little bit of a bummer to do so poorly, especially after coming off such a good race (in Utah),” he said. “Everyone’s going to have a bad race, though. It happens.” Hacquard’s next race is in Portland on July 26, with the series wrapping up in mid-October. The plan right now is for Hacquard to return to the series again next year, with an eye towards the overall points championship. Should he be successful in 2009, he’ll earn a paid ride – worth $750,000 in total, including $150,000 for the driver – in the Atlantic Series for the following season. “This year is supposed to be a warmup year, where we just go around and see the tracks and feel it out. “Next year, I’ll try and get the championship,” he said. Hacquard To Learn From Watkins Experience Vancouver, British Columbia (June 09, 2008) – Taylor Hacquard will chalk Round 3 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, held on Saturday 7th June, down to experience as the Vancouver rookie left New York’s Watkins Glen International Circuit with an 18th place finish. While he missed out on a third-straight top-ten score, Taylor dropped just one place in the Driver Standings sitting seventh overall now with a seven-week break in the schedule before the next event, a double-header round, in Portland, Oregon. Having posted ninth and sixth place finishes in his opening two starts behind the wheel of the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry, Hacquard looked like maintaining his impressive form when the Star Mazda field hit the 3.4-mile track last Wednesday for practice. Seventh fastest in the morning, the 18-year-old then improved to round out the day sixth quickest on the timesheets. The following day’s test session ultimately set the tone for the rest of the weekend as a large crash in the morning, courtesy of an encounter with a wayward ground hog, put paid to the Canadian teenager’s hopes of building up further momentum. He was forced to miss the afternoon’s test session losing valuable track time in the process. A supreme effort from the World Speed Motorsports team put Taylor back on-track for Friday’s qualifying outing but a 16th place grid-slot proved both car and driver were still attempting to overcome the side-effects from Thursday’s impact and loss of running. A quick getaway at the start of Saturday’s 20-lap race allowed Hacquard the chance to fight for a spot in the top-ten but he would see his chance disappear when attempting to remove his visor strip which had been caked in oil thanks to the spray from one of his competitors ahead. With his vision all but gone, as he ripped off his tear-off strip it inadvertently flipped open his visor. A subsequent spin, although skillfully controlled to avoid contact with the guard-rail, in dealing with the visor situation dumped Taylor down the order ending his hopes of a top-ten finish. While he mounted a recovery drive, and in doing so earned himself valuable championship points with an 18th place finish, Watkins Glen proved to be a learning experience for the soon-to-be high school graduate. England’s Charles Hall claimed the win followed home at the flag by Joel Miller and pole-sitter Alex Ardoin. “Well the weekend wasn’t the best which was a shame as we were initially quite quick in Wednesday’s test sessions,” reflected Hacquard. “It took me a bit of time just to get back into the swing of things after Thursday’s crash, we had lost an afternoon’s running so it was a bit of a combination of me and the car not quite being there in qualifying on Friday. The team did a great job to get me back on track though, the guys worked some long hours but it’s a shame we didn’t get more out of the session. “I actually made a pretty decent start on Saturday and was challenging for the top-ten until I had my tear-off and visor problems. After that I was probably a bit guilty of over-driving and I was pretty frustrated at myself. Overall I have to look at taking some positives from the weekend. I only dropped a spot in the standings and I’ve learned how important it is to get focused again after a big crash. I can’t wait to get back out again in the car now!” SPEED will broadcast Round 3 from Watkins Glen International as a tape-delay on Saturday 21st June at 11am ET – www.speedtv.com Portland International Raceway in Oregon hosts Rounds 4 and 5 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear next month, Friday 25th – Sunday 27th July 2008 – www.starmazda.com 2008 Top-8 Star Mazda Drivers – R3/12: 1st Charles Hall (124pts), 2nd Joel Miller (122pts), 3rd Peter Dempsey (105pts), 4th Alex Ardoin (98pts), 5th Billy Goshen (86pts), 6th Mike Hill (79pts), 7th TAYLOR HACQUARD (77pts), 8th John Edwards (75pts) ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com Taylor Hacquard Q&A Vancouver, Canada (June 02, 2008) – Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard returns to race action this weekend as Round 3 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear heads to New York and the Watkins Glen International Circuit, Thursday 5th – Saturday 7th June. Currently sitting sixth overall in his rookie open-wheel season, the 18-year-old Senior at Elgin Park Secondary, in South Surrey, B.C. has turned heads with some stellar performances with Hacquard hoping for more of the same behind the #15 Wolfe Auto Group/World Speed Motorsports entry this weekend. Prior to heading to Watkins Glen, Taylor took time out to reflect on what’s been a promising start to his race car career: Q: You were karting last weekend on an ‘off-weekend’ from your Star Mazda commitments. Is it important for you to keep sharp karting and more importantly how did you get on? Taylor Hacquard (TH): “Yes, I was karting at a local club race. I try to get some karting in here and there if my schedule allows. It keeps me in tune with driving so the next time I get in the car it doesn’t feel like I’ve had a large break and it keeps my skills up-to-date! The weekend went pretty well. I had no mechanical troubles although I hadn’t been in my kart for a while, due to my Star Mazda commitments, so my karting game wasn’t quite up to snuff but I placed well and ran competitively!” Q: You’re sitting sixth overall in the Star Mazda Championship after the first two rounds at Sebring and Miller Motorsports Park. Given this is your rookie open-wheel season, did you expect such a strong start to the year? TH: “Yes, it’s a bit of a surprise to me how well I’m doing. I didn’t expect to be doing so well this early in the season, maybe the last few races but not this soon. The plan for this year was to gain experience, learn as much as I could from the circuits and racing, then have a crack at the championship in 2009. To be competing for the top-five in my rookie season is unexpected but gratifying and it’ll give me a lot of confidence going into next year. “I think a large part of me doing so well is the coaching I get from all the members of my team, from big changes to little tips here and there from people like my coach Scott Bradley and engineer Mike Doyle as well as the mechanics and team manager and owner.” Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for you so far stepping up from karting, where you competed for the renowned Italian Motors team, into open-wheel racing? TH: “It’s really the little things that can make you faster or slower on track. In karting you can screw up a corner and not be punished but in Star Mazda, or cars in general, the little mistakes can cost you a lot out on track. The small tweaks and changes you can make can also offer a bunch of positives, going through the corner 1-2mph faster doesn’t sound like much but at a track like Miller or Sebring, tracks that have longer straight-aways, it can translate into 7-8mph more at the end of the straight and that translates into big gains on the time charts!” “Another thing that was a challenge for me was recalling information off-track to relay to the engineer and mechanics. It doesn’t sound like much but trying to remember what the car was doing where, and what you were doing when it was doing that for 10 to 20 corners, takes a little while to get used to!” Q: What, if anything, has surprised you most about the level of competition in this season’s Star Mazda Championship? TH: “Not too much has surprised me. I knew it was going to be hard and at a high level coming in, just like in previous years. It’s a bunch of young aspiring racers trying to make careers for themselves doing anything and everything to run up at the front!” Q: You’re racing with World Speed this season. Based on results it looks to be a burgeoning relationship, what or who have been the key elements to your on-track success? TH: “The whole World Speed team has been a big part of my success; from the mechanics doing a great job keeping the car in tip-top shape to the engineer helping to make the car suit my driving style. My coach helps me to learn how to drive in general and how to drive the different tracks and corners while the rest of the team all chip in here and there making all the pieces come together.” Q: You raced as high as fourth in the previous round at Miller Motorsports Park, how quickly do you expect to reach the podium? TH: “Well obviously I’d like to reach the podium as soon as possible but with my level of experience it’s not something I’m expecting immediately. I’m on a steep learning curve so perhaps if I get a podium it’ll likely come at a circuit where I’ve raced previously or perhaps tested at.” Q: Your results speak for themselves with regards to your on-track performances. What are you doing off-track to further prepare yourself for race weekends and a potential full-time career as a race car driver? TH: “I work-out extensively so when I’m in the car all I have to focus on is my driving. I don’t want to be hindered by being tired or not strong enough! I also eat healthily and study the sport by reading on the internet and books written by racing champions. I also keep sharp by karting, it’s the closest thing within reason to racing in Star Mazda so when my schedule allows I’ll be out in my kart.” Q: Has it been difficult for you to balance your senior year at high school and your race commitments? TH: “Yes! Racing and committing a large part of my time to school is definitely hard, especially as this is my graduation year. I’ve had to make sacrifices with both racing and school but it all comes down to what’s most important at the time and what will benefit me most in the future.” Q: You’re flying the maple leaf flag proudly for Canada as a front-runner in the series. Are you excited looking ahead to competing on home soil in August at Trois-Rivieres and Mosport? TH: “I’m very excited to be competing in Canada although it’s on the other side of the country from where I live. That said, it’s great to be representing Canada as a front-runner on home soil!” Q: Looking long-term, what’s the next career step for Taylor Hacquard and do you see yourself remaining in North American racing, not least now that there looks like stability at the top-level, or would you look to Europe if the opportunity presented itself? TH: “To be honest I’ve not looked too far into the future. For now I’m trying to focus on this year and being in a position to win the Star Mazda title next season with a view to then graduating into the Atlantic Championship. If that doesn’t pan out I’d definitely look at Europe if the right opportunity presented itself. I’d also be open to touring cars or prototypes but I’ll cross those bridges when the time comes. As I said, for now I’m focused on Star Mazda and progressing there.” ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com / www.starmazda.com
Photo Credit: ‘Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard – driver of the #15 Wolfe Auto Group Star Mazda’ – Taylor Hacquard Motorsports
For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com TV REMINDER – Hacquard’s Top Six Finish on SPEED Vancouver, Canada (May 30, 2008) – Taylor Hacquard’s impressive run to sixth place at Miller Motorsports Park two weeks ago in Round 2 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear will be broadcast throughout North America on SPEED tomorrow, Saturday 31st May, at 3pm EST – www.speedtv.com The 18-year-old Vancouver racer, in his first-ever open-wheel racing season, currently sits sixth overall in the 2008 Star Mazda Driver Standings following a pair of promising top-ten finishes in the opening two rounds of the championship at Sebring in March, where he placed ninth on his debut, and a fortnight ago at Utah’s Miller Motorsports Park when he captured sixth at the checkered. Hacquard, who competes for World Speed Motorsports, belied his lack of experience in comparison to his on-track rivals to qualify in the top-ten for the first time in Round 2, placing seventh on the grid before running as high as fourth in the 22-lap race driving the 240bhp #15 Wolfe Auto Group entry. Taylor’s eventual sixth place finish vaulted him up the order in the Driver Standings, courtesy of 30 more championship points scored, with the B.C. teenager just three points off of a top-five placing heading into the next event. Round 2 at Miller Motorsports Park was won by Atlantic Championship refugee, John Edwards – the American racer leading from pole to flag. Round 3 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear takes place at the historic Watkins Glen International Circuit in New York, Friday 6th – Saturday 7th June 2008 – www.starmazda.com 2008 Top-Six Star Mazda Drivers – R2/12: 1st Joel Miller (82pts), 2nd Charles Hall (80pts), 3rd Peter Dempsey (71pts), 4th Tom Gladdis (64pts), 5th Alex Ardoin (60pts), 6th TAYLOR HACQUARD (57pts) ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com Sixth Place Miller Score for Hacquard Vancouver, Canada (May 18, 2008) – Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard continues to impress in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear as the 18-year-old rookie, the lone front-running Canadian in the series, wrapped up a sixth place finish in Round 2, Saturday 17th May, at the stunning Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. Hacquard, racing the #15 Wolfe Auto Group / World Speed Motorsports entry, belied his lack of experience behind the wheel of the 240bhp Star Mazda racer as he proved to be a front-runner throughout the weekend in just his second ever open-wheel race start. The teenager showcased his pace straight off the back of the trailer in Thursday’s promoter practice sessions where he was second fastest from the 31-car field in both the opening sessions. Friday’s official practice sessions again saw Taylor at the sharp end of the action, completing both outings comfortably in the top-ten against his more experienced rivals with Saturday set to be a busy day with qualifying in the morning followed by the afternoon’s 22-lap charge around Miller Motorsport Park’s 3.08-mile Perimeter road course. Having just missed out on a top-ten start in Round 1 at Sebring in March, Taylor qualifying 12th before scoring an encouraging ninth place finish on his debut, the Canadian aimed to translate his Miller test pace into an equally solid grid slot. His best lap time, a 1m45.431s (104.076mph), ended the 30-minute session as the seventh fastest time with pole position going to Atlantic Championship refugee John Edwards, courtesy of a 1m43.650s lap (105.864mph) from the young American. The afternoon’s standing start enabled Hacquard to launch himself off the line and he rocketed through to fourth on the opening lap. He subsequently protected his position until an early full course caution slowed the field. Losing a spot at the re-start, Taylor then dropped back to sixth as his car’s set-up failed to optimize track conditions mid-race. A quick roll-bar adjustment staved off any additional drop-off in performance with Hacquard’s lap times eventually proving to be the measure of the race leaders. With the checkered flag out after 22 frantic laps, Taylor sprinted home sixth for 30 more championship points and his second straight top-ten finish. Pole-sitter John Edwards claimed the second round win ahead of England’s Charles Hall and March’s Sebring victor Joel Miller. “I’m really pleased with the way my season’s started,” reflected Hacquard. “I initially set out with the goal to finish races and just gain some experience as this is my first season competing in open-wheel racing. To have finished ninth at Sebring then sixth here at Miller definitely exceeds my expectations. I’m on a pretty steep learning curve compared to some of the competition but it’s been an awesome start to the year. I’m enjoying working with the World Speed crew and I’ve had some great coaching from Scott Bradley. I can’t wait to get going again at Watkins Glen next month!” SPEED will broadcast Round 2 from Miller Motorsports Park as a tape-delay on Saturday 31st May at 3pm ET – www.speedtv.com Round 3 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear takes place at the historic Watkins Glen Circuit in New York, Friday 6th – Saturday 7th June 2008 – www.starmazda.com ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
Hacquard Set for Second Round at Miller Motorsports Park Vancouver, Canada (May 15, 2008) – Looking to build on what was an encouraging start to his rookie open-wheel racing season competing in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard heads east to Salt Lake City and Miller Motorsports Park for Round 2 this weekend, Friday 16th – Saturday 17th May. Hacquard, who just turned 18 in March, raced his way to an impressive ninth place debut that same month as the 12-round Star Mazda Championship kicked off in Florida at the Sebring International Raceway. Piloting the 240bhp #15 Wolfe Auto Group / World Speed Motorsports entry, Taylor made an accomplished start in his bid to win ‘Rookie of the Year’ honours – worth $10,000 in support to the successful driver while the eventual champion of the series earns $100,000, backing to graduate up to the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda and a brand new Mazda RX-8 sports car. Taylor, a senior at Elgin Park Secondary, hopes to capitalize on his early form with his attention now shifting to this weekend’s second round at the stunning Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah – just thirty minutes outside of Salt Lake City. Utilizing the 3.08-mile Perimeter configuration, as opposed to the full 4.5-mile, 24-turn layout available at Miller, the course has already hosted many of the Star Mazda grid courtesy of a two-day test held there earlier this month. Hacquard maintained his encouraging pace from Sebring at the test, the young Canadian sitting comfortably inside the top-ten on both days and challenging for a top-five position before ending the second day a respectable eighth fastest from a 20-strong field of international up-and-coming open-wheel talent. “I’m feeling pretty confident of a good weekend at Miller,” stated Hacquard upon his arrival in Utah. “The series test went well last week and we were fast throughout both days without doing too much work on set-up changes. It was good for me to build up my track knowledge and the layout suits my driving style pretty well, I like a high-speed circuit like this and it’s still relatively new so it’s not too bumpy. Overall I’m happy with my progress to-date in Star Mazda. This is my first season racing cars and I’m up against guys with a lot more experience so I feel I’m doing well. I’d lack to crack the top-seven this weekend but another top-ten finish is certainly realistic given my speed at the test!” This weekend’s race meeting again sees the Star Mazda Championship form part of the support race package to the American Le Mans Series, the second of six races this season in conjunction with the headline sports car series including a shared stop at Ontario’s Mosport International Raceway on August 23rd. Quebec’s famed Trois-Rivieres street course hosts the first of the back-to-back Canadian meetings a week before on August 17th. Round 2 of the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear gets underway at Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah with qualifying starting on Saturday morning at 9:25am (MT) followed by the 45-minute race at 4:15pm (MT), 17th May – www.starmazda.com SPEED will broadcast Round 2 from Miller Motorsports Park as a tape-delay on Saturday 31st May at 3pm ET – www.speedtv.com ENDS – www.taylorhacquard.com Photo Credit: ‘Vancouver’s Taylor Hacquard – driver of the #15 Wolfe Auto Group Star Mazda’ – Star Mazda Championship For further information or interview requests please contact Stuart Morrison Public Relations: Tel: +1 514 684 3253 / Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com March 31, 2008 - Sebring race program featured a long and detailed story - READ ARTICLE HERE Rookie Taylor Hacquard Finishes in the Top Ten at Sebring Opener March 14th - Sebring, Florida Making his first race weekend at Sebring International Raceway, World Speed's Rookie-of-the-Year challenger Taylor Hacquard recorded a ninth place finish to kick off the 2008 campaign. "I lined up twelfth on the grid and on the opening lap I was able to pick off one car in turn one and another before the opening lap had finished," Hacquard explained. "I was racing hard with Billy Goshen and Kristy Kester for much of the race, I was able to get around Goshen and could close on Kester in places but would lose the air off my front wing and she would open the gap again." Hacquard recorded the highest finish for his team World Speed Motorsports, and was also the highest placing Canadian in the event. Team Owner Telo Stewart was pleased overall with his driver's efforts for the weekend. "The Star Mazda Championship is so competitive; Taylor drove a smart race and finished in the top ten so there's a lot we can build on as we look towards the rest of the year." The team will get back to headquarters and plan around the new schedule that was just released during the weekend. Taylor will be using the two month break between events to test and improve his performance so he can build on his finish in Florida. Round One of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear will be aired on Speed Channel on Sunday, March 30th at 3:00 PM Eastern Time. Round Two will be at Miller Motorsports Park on May 17th. Sebring Schedule, Week of March 10th 2008. Monday March 11th See you at the track…for results, see the link on my web site or go to STAR MAZDA.COM web site. World Speed Fastest at Sebring Pre-Season Testing January 10, 2008 Driving for his new team World Speed Motorsports, Eric Freiberg of Homer Glen, Illinois, topped the time sheets in pre-season testing at Sebring International Raceway as several top Star Mazda Championship teams took to the famed circuit that will host the opening round of the 2008 championship. "Today was an absolute blast," the 21-year old driver exclaimed. "The car was phenomenal and I have to give a nod to everyone at World Speed Motorsports for their work. We were fast right from the very beginning and the car setup was flawless. The team won the championship with Adrian Carrio in 2006 and they obviously are still on top of their game," Freiberg said. "I'm really excited to be a part of their team." Taylor Hacquard adapted quickly to the fast and technical course and is looking forward for the season opener there. "I have to thank Eric for giving me some tips on Sebring, between his input and my Standing Start coach Scott Bradley's, coaching I was able to trade the top spot back and forth with Eric over the past two days," said Hacquard. Formula Mazda Challenge competitor Claudio Cornali also attended the test, and was very impressed with the radial tire. "We should have gone to this type of tire a long time ago," he stated. "I have a lot more confidence in the car with this kind of tire." Cornali is planning to race a portion of the Star Mazda events in 2008, and wanted to test at Sebring as he has never been there. World Speed Motorsports team owner Telo Stewart was also enthusiastic about the test. "The WSM drivers did a great job today. They were fast right away and had no problem adjusting to a radial tire from the bias ply tires the series has used in the past," Stewart explained. The entire championship level team worked very well together and the results are a reflection of that." The team used a non- Goodyear radial for the test so that they could begin to collect information on how a radial will affect the Star Mazda platform. The team's Technical Director Michael Doyle who has years of knowledge with racing radials from his years in the Champ Car Atlantic Series was happy with how the test went. "All our drivers did a good job getting us the feedback we need to continue developing the set-up for radials," stated the championship winning engineer. The team is getting ready to announce official schedules soon, and is expected to have 37 unique races available at 16 different tracks, and more than 40 non-event test days on the calendar for 2008. The next event is the final double race weekend of the Star Mazda Winter Series at Phoenix International Raceway on January 18th-21st.
Star Mazda Winter Series Racers Battle it out in the Rainy Desert Races three and four of the Star Mazda Winter Series took place this weekend at Firebird International Raceway. Under constant changes in weather on both days the drivers and teams made continuous changes in their set-ups and in their tire strategies. The main course at Firebird utilizes the ¼ mile drag strip which under dry conditions can be mildly slippery. In the rain the strip posed a real challenge to the drivers making the event great for the spectators, but harrowing for the competitors. After an extremely wet first practice session the drivers went right into qualifying and Taylor Hacquard was quickest for the third time in three events. With constant changing conditions, and lots of pressure from John Walko Racing's Mike Hill and Hearn Motorsports' Billy Goshen, Hacquard needed to stay focused. When the checkered flag dropped Hacquard was victorious followed closely by Hill and Goshen. On Sunday those three drivers qualified in the same positions that they finished in on Saturday, but this would be a completely different race. The track was wet, but drying quickly when the teams took to the track. Mike Hill made the decision to start on slicks while the other teams decided on rain tires. Hacquard got a good lead at the start, and was followed by Goshen and Hill. It looked like Hill had made a good decision to go to slicks as the track was drying quickly. Then the rains came. Hill did a great job of keeping his car on track but was at a severe disadvantage as Hacquard and Goshen pulled away. A crash on the front straight brought out a full course yellow eight laps into the twenty lap race. Hacquard maintained the lead over Goshen after the restart while Hill held on to third. Two laps from the end Goshen passed for the lead into the first turn. On the final lap, Hacquard returned the favor regaining the lead. Hacquard then, under pressure from Goshen spun in the final corner and Goshen took the win. Hacquard quickly got back on track to take 2nd, and Hill finished out the podium. Next up is the final weekend which is at Phoenix International Raceway in January.
A Week of Training and Racing in the "Off Season" Buttonwillow, CA World Speed Motorsports took six drivers down to Buttonwillow Raceway for the Standing Start Driver Development Days and Star Mazda Winter Series races this week. The training certainly paid off as World Speed drivers Taylor Hacquard, Dave House, Frank McCormick, and Sean Prewett all landed on the podium over the double header race weekend. On Saturday Frank McCormick took what he learned in class and turned it into a second place podium spot which is his best finish ever in a Star Mazda event. He was being hounded all race by World Speed driver Dave House who finished on the third step in race one. Taylor Hacquard who is training to enter the 2008 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear qualified on pole for both races, and finished on the podium in second place on Sunday. Mike Hill who was running with JWR won both races, and is leading the championship as the teams prepare for the Firebird event in December. On November 14th a half dozen drivers from three different teams took advantage of the Standing Start Driver Development Day which gave them one-on-one feedback and training designed to improve their on track performance. The Standing Start seminar day on the 15th was attended by drivers, coaches, engineers, and other race team personnel looking to achieve the highest levels of performance on and off the track. Chris Brown, a seasoned MoTeC track support technician for MoTeC USA discussed how to get the most out of data acquisition systems. Chris also explained how to use the latest version of i2 Pro. Chris is an excellent teacher, and worked through the software for the novices in the group, and also took time to answer questions from the more advanced users. Dean Golich of Carmichael Training Systems, the company that coached Lance Armstrong to seven Tour de France victories, spoke about specific fitness related to driving a race car and the importance of proper hydration. Dean, who is NASCAR star Carl Edwards' personal coach covered how heat affects your performance, the dangers of dehydration, and strategies to perform your best in the hostile environment of a race car. "I attended both of the seminars, and really learned a lot from Chris and Dean. Both of these guys really know their stuff, and made it easy for all the attendees to see how important the smallest details are to building a team capable of winning a championship," stated WSM Operations Manager Mark Milazzo. "I have the utmost respect for Carmichael Training Systems and I would recommend them to any serious athlete. We have worked with Chris Brown and MoTeC for years and as always they provided an excellent product." World Speed in back at the shop today preparing for a Championship Level test for Skip Barber Champion Joel Miller. After Miller's test, the team will be gearing up for races three and four of the Star Mazda Winter Series at Firebird Raceway on December 8th-9th. Taylor Hacquard Takes on the Pros in the Star Mazda Series First time pro racer 7th fastest in practice and 2nd quick in group 1 qualifier. OCT 22, 2007 Taylor Hacquard who came right out of kart racing this season showed glimmers of what he will be capable of when he enters a full season of professional car racing in 2008. The 17 year old Canadian was immediately into the top ten in practice, and went on to post the second fastest time in group one qualifying. "Charles Anti who bumped Taylor from the top of the group one chart on the last lap has been consistently in the top ten on the time charts in the 2007 series, so we felt that this was a good indication that we were making progress," stated WSM Operations Manager Mark Milazzo. "Taylor has been working with us and his Standing Start coaches for the past few months and he is really improving rapidly." Group one qualifying was in wet conditions which was unfortunate for the drivers relegated to this group. When the second group got out on a dry track the lap times really dropped, and Dane Cameron the 2007 series champion set a new track record. "There was nothing the series could do as the conditions changed, and while it really hurt our starting position we were at the event to get Taylor acclimated to the series which he did in stellar fashion," stated Taylor's coach Grant Ryley. Starting 20th from a field of 36 drivers Taylor got a great start, moving up to 12th and looking to move up even further when some incidental contact with another car clipped and cut the valve stem on the right front ending his day. "We learned a lot, and I have a new respect for the kind of competition this series draws," stated Hacquard. "We are planning to race in the Star Mazda Winter Series, and do additional testing before the Sebring opener. I am looking forward to doing the entire series in '08 and will use this first year to learn the tracks and gel with my team just as Scott Bradley and Ace Carrio did before me." Bradley and Carrio both did a 'learning season' before clinching the championship in their sophomore seasons. Next up for Hacquard is the Standing Start Driver Development Day on Nov 14th which will lead him right into race one of the Star Mazda Winter Series at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on Nov 17th. Standing Start Driver Taylor Hacquard Announces New Website www.taylorhacquard.com Taylor Hacquard leads World Speed Motorsports qualifying effort at Portland "I had to serve a penalty for the first five minutes of qualifying and in that time the other drivers had dried the track a bit so I was able to get up to speed quickly," the seventeen year old driver of the #90 Wolfe Auto Group World Speed Motorsports Mazda explained. "I was hoping for a spot in the top ten but a red flag came out while I was coming down the back straight on a flying lap and then the rain started picking up again." Fellow Canadian Chris Cumming, from Vancouver, British Columbia, posted the second fastest time for the team, lapping the 1.946-mile circuit in a time of 1:10.918 in the #46 90-degree Software World Speed Motorsports Mazda to finish seventeenth overall. Richard Fullerton, from Aspen, Colorado, who captured the previous round of the West Coast Championship at Miller Motorsports Park, will line up nineteenth overall in the #45 RBF Capital Mazda, while Dave House will start in the twenty-second spot in the #86 Brocade Mazda after setting a fast time of 1:12.803. Claudio Cornali, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Stan Kohls, from Hayden Lake, Idaho, will comprise row twelve of the grid after setting times of 1:13.713 and 1:13.974 respectively. San Francisco native Patrick O'Neill will start from the twenty-sixth spot on the grid in his #64 O'Neill Construction Mazda and Frank Bain will roll off from the twenty-seventh spot in the #41 FX Racing Monster Energy Drink Mazda. Fielding eight drivers for the event, World Speed Motorsports is responsible for over a quarter of the grid for the event, which is also being scored as a round of the Star Mazda West Coast Championship. Forecasts call for the rain to continue to pick up as the day continues with moderate rain for the scheduled start of the event at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. email: ericm@worldspeed.com: <mailto:ericm@worldspeed.com> As one of America's most dynamic racing ventures, World Speed Motorsports has operated multi-car programs in the Champ Car Atlantic Series, Star Mazda Championship, USF2000 and FormulaTR, having scored multiple championships over the years, the most recent being Adrian Carrio's race to the title in the 2006 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. The team has been instrumental in developing the careers of drivers such as current Champ Car World Series driver Alex Figge, Grand AM Daytona Prototype race winner Michael McDowell, Nascar Busch series driver Brad Coleman, and American Le Mans Series driver Guy Cosmo. Rose Cup Review Taylor Launches new Website Please feel free to browse through the site. If you have any questions or would like to send us your thoughts on the new site, please contact us. Patrick O'Neill continues mastery of Russell Pro Series "It was another solid weekend and the car was working perfectly," O'Neill explained. "Thanks go out to everyone at World Speed for their work on the car and for another successful race weekend." While O'Neill has a stranglehold on the championship with seven victories in eight races, this weekend's revelation was Surrey, British Columbia native Hacquard. Making his formula car racing debut after two years of karting, Hacquard captured two second place finishes behind the wheel of the #90 Wolfe Auto Group World Speed Motorsports Pro Formula Mazda. Saturday's podium would be completed by Dave House in the #86 Brocade Credence World Speed Motorsports Pro Formula Mazda, while Paul la Haye would capture the final podium spot on Sunday in the #4 North Bay Neurosurgical Association World Speed Motorsport Pro Formula Mazda. In the Mazdapalooza class, for drivers of the Standard Formula Mazda, Bill Weaver would capture his third victory of the season in the #67 James G Parker Insurance Mazda ahead of Craig Smith and Shawn Westerhoff while Jimmy Solan would take the top spot on Sunday, with Smith and Westerhoff completing the podium in second and third respectively. Rounds Nine and Ten of the Russell Pro Series and Mazdapalooza Championship will be held at Infineon Raceway on June 8-9 |
