tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49539592178053572502024-03-05T00:10:42.601-06:00Junior Open Wheel TalentNews and Views on Drivers Chasing Open Wheel Stardom.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.comBlogger545125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-76665378649454908262009-10-06T21:42:00.001-05:002009-10-06T21:44:35.721-05:00New URL for JOWTJunior Open Wheel Talent Blog has moved to http://www.JuniorOpenWheelTalent.coma2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl=location.href;a2a_onclick=1;Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-8572445534149015052009-08-25T12:17:00.011-05:002009-10-08T13:18:45.118-05:00Time For A ChangeThe Time For Change Is Now.....Junior Open Wheel Talent: Over the last year and a half I've enjoyed keeping everyone up to date with news from around the junior formula world. What started out as a trial run has become a serious hobby for me. Obviously, I enjoy what I'm doing very much and I want to continue to help promote drivers and teams in the junior formula ranks. I've had a few Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-53340493897614023162009-08-24T21:03:00.007-05:002009-08-25T10:12:48.567-05:00Leilani Münter Returns To Indy LightsLeilani Münter will make her return to the Indy Lights series this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. The 33-year-old race driver was very impressive in her Indy Pro Series debut back in 2007. Since that time, she has been focusing on the environment and educating others about creating a greener planet.In an effort to further promote environmental awareness, Münter will set up a recycle bin Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-68543938200703667072009-08-24T09:19:00.003-05:002009-08-24T11:06:36.919-05:00De Phillippi Sneaks Past Vernon at Road AmericaConnor De Phillippi swept both rounds of the Skip Barber National championship over the weekend at Road America. The 16-year-old phenom now has 7 SBN wins--- which is a new series' record. Grant Maiman held the previous record, having recorded 6 wins during the 2002 Formula Dodge National Championship. Connor's victory on Sunday didn't come easily. The race was ended prematurely due to severalRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-51729051699363973222009-08-23T14:36:00.004-05:002009-08-23T15:03:42.970-05:00J.R. Hildebrand Victorious at SonomaJ.R. Hildebrand did everything correct in today's Firestone Indy Lights race as he won by a 15.8918 second margin on his home track; Infineon Raceway. The 21-year-old California native led every lap of today's race enroute to his fourth win of the season in the Indy Lights series. He currently holds down the overall championship lead by a large margin. Felipe Guimaraes posted another top-five Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-8606983236396435852009-08-22T21:39:00.009-05:002009-08-22T22:10:03.554-05:00Connor De Phillippi Wins Round 9Skip Barber National front runner Connor De Phillippi won Round-9 of the season championship earlier today at historic Road America. Today's win marks the sixth win of the season for 16-year-old De Phillippi. Karting scholarship co-winner Court Vernon finished 2nd in today's race after starting 5th. Ashley Freiberg had a phenomenal drive that saw her improve from 14th on the grid to finish 3rd-Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-30542342463574094562009-08-20T15:48:00.005-05:002009-08-20T16:57:30.506-05:002010 Indy Lights ScheduleThe 2010 (13-race) Indy Lights schedule was released today, featuring 12 returning tracks and the addition of Barber Motorsports Park.The new schedule features:23.0%- street courses38.5%- road courses (counting Edmonton)38.5%- ovalsIt seems the series is continuing to put more emphasis on road racing than they have in the past. That said, they have done a nice job of balancing everything out to Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-70007748955624924432009-08-20T14:45:00.007-05:002009-08-20T15:35:22.358-05:00Mücke Motorsport SuspendedMücke Motorsport has been given a four-round suspension in the Formula BMW-Europe series after race stewards and the Hungarian ASN determined that all three of the team's cars failed post race inspection at the Hungaroring.The violation stems from illegal oil pressure relief valve springs. The team is currently filing an appeal and will compete in the up coming events (on a provisional basis-Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-46157111149176455462009-08-20T08:45:00.007-05:002009-08-20T09:16:41.055-05:00Coletti In, Valsecchi Out At DurangoThis is a bit dated now, but still worthy of mention.... Formula 3 Euro Series driver Stefano Coletti will replace Davide Valsecchi at Durango for the GP2 Round at Valencia.Coletti, who is a former Red Bull Junior, has been running in the F3 Euro Series for the last two seasons. He made one start in the World Series by Renault earlier this year (at Monte Carlo--where he finished 10th). In the Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-89924725304492427952009-08-18T17:06:00.010-05:002009-08-18T18:11:32.065-05:00Chris Miller Is The 2009 F2000 ChampionMinnesota's Chris Miller claimed the 2009 F2000 Championship title by winning Sunday's race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Miller, who drives for JDC Motorsports, had a tremendous year with dominant performances that earned him the nickname "Mr. Podium". The 20-year-old University of Minnesota student had 4 wins, 7 pole positions, and 9 podiums in 12 starts. Those numbers put him on the Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-64379876633647029712009-08-17T15:51:00.006-05:002009-08-17T16:09:20.920-05:00Juan Pablo Garcia Signs with HVM RacingAfter a few weeks of rumor circulation, it was confirmed today that Mexican driver Juan Pablo Garcia has signed with HVM Racing to run this weekend's Indy Lights race at Infineon. This will be HVM's debut in the Indy Lights series and Juan Pablo Garcia's first event in North America. For now, this looks to be a one-off event for Garcia.The 21-year-old Mexican driver has experience in A1GP (TeamRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-70220508441989461222009-08-17T08:45:00.001-05:002009-08-17T09:50:26.735-05:00Greg Mansell Parts Ways With UltimateGreg Mansell has parted ways with Ultimate Racing in the World Series by Renault. It is currently being reported that he will join Comtec Racing for the final two events at the Nurburgring and Motorland Aragon. That said, there hasn't been any official confirmation of the move to Comtec.The motivation for the departure isn't clear, but there is quite a bit of speculation going on among fans of Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-90710779863568645162009-08-16T22:14:00.008-05:002009-08-17T09:26:06.001-05:00Weekend Hard ChargersThis was a busy weekend in the junior formula world with several series competing across the globe. The majority of you have probably already heard who won the race, but you may not have heard who put in a good drive during the event. I've compiled a list of the "hard chargers" via an Excel spreadsheet from the various series that I cover here at Junior Open Wheel Talent.The weekend "hard Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-80892374477663946592009-08-14T10:45:00.004-05:002009-08-14T11:07:52.330-05:00Slade Miller ReturnsOklahoma native Slade Miller will return to F2000 Championship competition this weekend as the driver of the #17 Quantum Racing entry. He and his father, Wendell Miller, own and operate Quantum Racing Services.Slade, who competed in the 2006 F2000 Championship season, is scheduled to make his return to Mid-Ohio this weekend. He finished 2nd in his last outing at the circuit (2006). He was 7th Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-45070337513881192742009-08-13T22:08:00.003-05:002009-08-13T22:15:57.455-05:00Adrien Tambay Update...In late July, Adrien Tambay suffered a concussion while playing football in the paddock at Spa. The situation was kept pretty quiet, but it was announced today that he is well on his way to a full recovery. He hopes to be back in the car for the Formula 3 Euro Series event at Brands Hatch, which is scheduled for the first week in September. a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl=location.hrefRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-43828268804599777042009-08-12T20:57:00.003-05:002009-08-12T21:22:41.633-05:00CKI Releases 2010 ScheduleCKI (Championship Karting International) released their 2010 schedule earlier today. It's funny that they release their 2010 schedule this early, as most series are still finalizing plans with their 2009 hosts.The announcement is likely a new record for the earliest release of a schedule. That said, their motivation for doing so is quite obvious. Entry numbers have been dismal all year (Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-4750011788971681782009-08-09T21:31:00.032-05:002009-08-19T14:09:10.023-05:00Driver Profile: James KovacicEvery athlete, regardless of their idiosyncrasy, has a defining moment in life that draws them to their sport. A spark, if you will, that says, “I want to do this, I’m good at this.”. That moment came for Australian race driver James Kovacic at a very young age. James had been watching the go kart drivers run laps at Forrester’s Beach for a few years before he was able to get behind the wheel Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-6318872148728211442009-08-09T11:13:00.005-05:002009-08-09T15:17:46.477-05:00Thomas Knopper (1990-2009)In sad news, I just received word that Thomas Knopper was killed in the KZ2 race at Liedolsheim earlier today. Knopper was 19-years-old. The full details of the incident have not yet been released.Thomas Knopper was a tremendous talent. He won the European KZ2 Championship in 2007. This season he made the move to KZ1 for the European Championship, where he finished an impressive 6th. He alsoRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-22629398199172340582009-08-09T10:36:00.005-05:002009-08-09T11:11:10.055-05:00James Davison Goes 2-For-2 at Mid-OhioEven if James Davison's wet-weather victory at Mid-Ohio in 2008 could be termed "a bit of a fluke".... He proved to everyone today, that he is a very capable race winner in the Indy Lights series. Davison won today's Firestone Indy Lights race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the second consecutive year. The 22-year-old Australian qualified on pole and led every lap of today's event. The winRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-7077584981939596652009-08-08T19:02:00.006-05:002009-08-08T19:34:25.087-05:00Summerton Wins, Winslow Charges...Jonathan Summerton won his second Atlantic Championship race of 2009 in Round 8 at Mid-Ohio earlier today. Summerton, who shattered the course record in qualifying (1:12.970), started from pole position and led every lap of the race.The win will make a rather large impact in the championship points standings. Current championship leader, Simona De Silvestro finished in second place just 2.000 Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-86216036360513771982009-08-06T18:26:00.008-05:002009-08-06T19:33:24.675-05:00Karting Is The Real DealIn case anyone had doubts about the physical requirements of driving a shifter kart...( F1 World Champion- Michael Schumacher prepares for return to F1. Photo by AP.)a2a_linkname=document.title;a2a_linkurl=location.href;a2a_onclick=1;Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-6161626003206714582009-08-05T20:49:00.006-05:002009-08-05T21:17:11.784-05:00Lorenzo Mandarino and Gary Carlton Victorious in QuebecThis is sort of old news by now but Gary Carlton and Lorenzo Mandarino found their way to the top step of the podium at the 11th annual Monaco de Trois-Rivieres karting event.Mandarino, who is a former Star Mazda race winner, drove an incredible race in wet conditions to take the win in the Rotax Senior division. The 22-year-old Canadian driver had trouble on the warm-up lap of the pre-final andRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-82268278117690611582009-08-03T08:42:00.004-05:002009-08-03T10:04:30.576-05:00Monday Morning ReadingIndyCar.com has put together "their top-five" moments in Indy Lights history. They completed the write-up just prior to last weekend's historic event at Kentucky Speedway-- which marked the series' 100th event. You can read their "top-five moments" here. (ed. note: scroll down and click #5 to start and then go back through the countdown to #1).Congratulations to Wade Cunningham for winning theRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-58815630628193753582009-07-31T09:40:00.005-05:002009-07-31T10:03:44.006-05:00Formula BMW- Americas Dropped for 2010After the announcement was made that BMW will withdraw from Formula One, I posted a poll on Junior Open Wheel Talent which asked readers "Will Formula BMW be affected by the withdrawal of BMW from Formula One?". Well, today we received our answer. Formula BMW- Americas will cease to exist during the 2010 season.BMW Motorsport will continue with Formula BMW-Pacific and Formula BMW-Europe due to Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953959217805357250.post-9155001164434408472009-07-30T09:46:00.003-05:002009-07-30T10:06:31.601-05:00Adriano Buzaid To Test With InterwettenAdriano Buzaid is scheduled to test a World Series by Renault car at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve today and tomorrow with Interwetten Racing. The 21-year-old Brazilian driver is currently 4th in the British F3-International class and is likely using the opportunity to garner additional seat time for the upcoming British F3 race at Algarve in September.Buzaid has been remarkably Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01061245005963887810noreply@blogger.com0