Junior Open Wheel Talent

Mücke 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--meaning their results will not count unless they are found innocent in the appeal). The penalty has already cost Mücke Motorsport driver Michael Christensen a race win and the series points lead. The other drivers affected by the violation are Jack Te Braak and Timmy Hansen. According to race stewards, the drivers had no prior knowledge of the illegal valve springs. Just as a side note.....Sunday's race at the Hungaroring marked the best result of the season for both Jack Te Braak and Timmy Hansen.

This 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 chargers" are as follows:
(I've linked to the drivers website when possible)

Formula BMW-Americas/Road America
Round 10- Olivier Lombard (5 positions---12th to 7th)
Round 11- Joao Victor Horto (5 positions---7th to 2nd)
Round 12- Wilson Philippe (4 positions---10th to 6th)

F2000 Championship/Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Race 1: Keith McCrone (Masters Division) (9 positions---26th to 17th)
Race 1: Al Guibord Jr. (4 positions---17th to 13th)
Race 2: Alejandro Munoz (6 positions---23rd to 17th)

Star Mazda/Trois-Rivieres
Round 10- Mikael Grenier (15 positions---19th to 4th)

F3 Euro Series/Nurburgring
Round 11- Johnny Cecotto Jr. (7 positions---23rd to 16th)
Round 12- Cesar Ramos (11 positions---24th to 13th)

Atlantic Championship/Trois-Rivieres
Round 9- Eric Jensen (3 positions---11th to 8th)
Lead Lap Hard Charger: Tonis Kasemets (2 positions---6th to 4th)
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The drive of the weekend goes to Canadian Mikael Grenier for improving the most positions (15 spots) on a tough street course (Trois-Rivieres).
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To look at past hard charger nominations; click here > >.

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 also spent some time in the car ranks driving a Formula Renault 2.0 car in 2008. His best finish was 6th at Hockenheim after starting 13th.

Our sincere condolences go out to Thomas's family and friends during this tragic time. Feel free to leave comments in the appropriate section below.

(photo: www.thomasknopper.com)

In case anyone had doubts about the physical requirements of driving a shifter kart...

After 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 their relatively large grid size. They will also honor their previous Formula One test commitments to Alexander Rossi and Esteban Gutierrez. I would have had a much bigger column to write had they not.

While I think it's great to see them continue the Formula BMW program, without abandoning it all together as many thought they would, it's disappointing to see them drop the North American program. That said, I don't think anyone is surprised. Formula BMW- Americas has been hurting for the past few years and the state of the economy is only making things worse. I hope BMW Motorsport takes time to evaluate the reason they had such a huge drop off in numbers, fixes their mistakes, and then reinstates the series in North America. Will it happen? Probably not.

There has been a lot of debate as to whether or not Jaime Alguersuari [pronounced: Heimi Al-gay-shuari] is ready for Formula One. Most of the comments I have received or heard revolve around, "He's Not Ready", "He's Only In Formula One Because of Repsol".

On the other hand, there are a few who think the timing is right and faithfully support the 19-year-old Spaniard.

I think it is safe to say that there are far more negative comments about Alguersuari's move to F1 than positive comments. Which is unfortunate. Offer any driver the opportunity to race a Formula One car and 100% of them (assuming they have a goal of racing professionally) will jump at the chance to compete in Formula One--- whether they are ready or not. It's the ultimate stop in the motorsports ladder. So, it's hard to blame Alguersuari for his decision to accept the invitation to drive in Formula One. That said, there are most likely enough career minded people around the youngster to step in and say, "Hey, this just isn't the right time, be patient... your time will come".

So you might ask, did Jaime jump the gun? Well, I wish I had the answer for you. The truth remains to be seen. I think we can all agree that it would have been nice to see him complete at least one full year in the World Series by Renault, if not two, before committing to F1,... but that doesn't mean he can't develop into a Formula One great by making the move now.

Sebastian Vettel entered Formula One with a similar amount of experience (and at a young age) and today he is currently 2nd in the Formula One World Championship with 2 wins, 3 pole positions, and 5 podiums in 9 races..... that puts him on the podium in 55.6% of his races (to date) in 2009. What about Kimi Raikkonen? Let me start out by saying that I realize the cars are different and that Alguersuari is entering Formula One at a different time than when Kimi entered F1 (2001), but, in case you forgot, Raikkonen went directly from a Formula Renault 2.0 car to a Formula One car. He managed to find his way to the podium four times in 2002 and won the World Championship in 2007. As stated above, the comparison isn't exactly apples-to-apples, but it's a worthy mention. What about Christian Klien? Christian might be a good example of a driver who jumped the gun. He came into Formula One directly from the F3 Euro Series (having finished 2nd in the 2003 championship). He entered Formula One with rather high expectations due to a very promising resume. Unfortunately, he never really had the results most had hoped for. Did it ruin his career? No. Could he have had a better Formula One career if he had waited? Probably. The thing to remember is that every driver is different and every team is different. Success rates are always going to vary in Formula One.

Let's not forget to have realistic expectations for F1's newest debutant this weekend at Hungary. The 19-year-old is heading into a race weekend having only performed straight line tests and he isn't driving for 'the best team in the paddock', if you know what I mean. For example, Jaime is replacing Sebastien Bourdais, who had an incredible resume but failed to really standout in Formula One (his best finish was 7th in September, 2008). I think we can all agree that Bourdais is a very talented driver, regardless of his success rate in Formula One. So it goes.

I will say that it's unfortunate to see Bourdais dropped right as the team is making some performance upgrades to the car, which will undoubtedly increase the aerodynamic and mechanical performance of the car. But that's another story.

In this morning's practice, Alguersuari performed very well. In the first session he was only 0.23 seconds behind teammate Sebastian Buemi. In the second session, he failed to improve as much as the balance of the field, but he did improve his laptime from the first session.

As for the money situation, it's important to remember that nobody gets into F1 without proper funding, so, I don't really understand the argument stating, "He's only in F1 because of Red Bull and Repsol". It's unfortunate that money plays such a huge role in motorsports but that's something we're all going to have to accept. Yes, it's true that he has tremendous backing and it's also true that he wouldn't be where he is today without that financial support. That said, he has certainly turned some head's with his results. He was exceptional last season in British F3, where he won the championship with 5 wins and 12 podiums. This season, in the World Series by Renault, his results haven't been exceptional, but they haven't been bad either. He has finished inside the top-ten in 81.2% of his race starts (to date). His best finish was 3rd at Le Mans. His average finish in the first five races was 8.6. His average finish in his last six races is 7.2. So he is showing improvement and if he continues to run in the World Series by Renault and Formula One, I think it's safe to say, we will continue to see him develop as a driver.

I think Alguersuari hit the nail-on-the-head in the recent Formula One press conference:

"I'm relaxed, I know what I can do, I know what people expect from me and the most important thing is that I know what I have to do. As I said before, it's another car, another race in my racing career, and in the end it's just one steering wheel and two pedals like everything. That's the target: to learn and to drive."

As for what the future holds, time will tell. Feel free to discuss below in the comment section. I know there are various opinions on this matter.

I'm sure by now most of you have heard that F3 Euro Series driver, Adrien Tambay has suffered a head injury while playing football in the paddock at Spa. The 18-year-old Frenchman was scheduled to make his British F3 debut this weekend. Unfortunately, that will be put on hold as Tambay is currently in the hospital for his injuries. Adrien is the son of ex-Formula One race winner Patrick Tambay.

I haven't received word on the severity of the injury, but will post updates in the comment section as they become available.
(photo: www.tambay27.com)

American Jake Rosenzweig is scheduled to drive in the British F3 race this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps with Carlin Motorsport. The 20-year-old race driver is a regular for Carlin Motorsport in the F3 Euro Series but was offered a one-off opportunity to drive for the team in British F3.

I failed to mention this in my weekend recap of the F3 Euro Series event at Zandvoort, but Rosenzweig finished 3rd in Sunday's race. The result marked his first career podium in the F3 Euro Series. He was the highest finishing Volkswagen driver in the field, in fact, he and Jean Karl Vernay are the only Volkswagen drivers to finish on the podium in 2009 (after 8 events). Adding to that, Vernay--who drives for Signature-- isn't a rookie, whereas Rosenzweig is. Prior to the start of the 2009 season, I stated that this might be a break-out year for Rosenzweig. I'm not sure you could term his season so far as a break-out year, but he is well on his way.

In preparation for the Autobahn races this weekend, Ron Kremer of The Herald News put together a nice piece on Atlantic Championship standout Simona De Silvestro. In the article, she talks about not being able to reach the peddles in her first go kart and helping Team Stargate Worlds install an engine. Read More > >.

Josef Newgarden completed the perfect hat-trick for podium finishes during the MSA British Formula Ford stop at Donnington Park. He finished 2nd in Round 13, 1st in Round 14, and 2nd in Round 15. His consistency has moved him into second place in the overall points championship, trailing current leader James Cole by 17 points. Newgarden has finished inside the top-five in 86.7% of his Formula Ford races this season.

The championship resumes on August 15-16, 2009 for Rounds 16, 17, and 18 at the famed Silverstone circuit.

Previous Updates on JOWT
March 17th, 2009- Newgarden Quick in Norwich
April 14th, 2009- Newgarden Victorious at Oulton Park
April 30th, 2009- Newgarden To Run Formula Palmer Audi
May 4th, 2009- Newgarden Takes Two In Formula Palmer Audi Debut
May 13th, 2009- Josef Newgarden to Attend Indy 500
June 1st, 2009- Newgarden Update
July 6th, 2009- Josef Newgarden Wins Twice at Snetterton

(photo: Jakob Ebrey Motorsports Photography)

In sad news, Formula Two driver Henry Surtees, the son of 1964 F1 World Champion John Surtees, passed away following a freak racing incident at Brands Hatch. The 18-year-old driver was struck in the head by a detached wheel from another competitor's car while exiting Westfield Bend.

Our thoughts and condolences go out to Henry's family and friends. Feel free to leave comments in the section below.

Star Mazda
Peter Dempsey completed the perfect Friday at Iowa Speedway by leading both practice sessions, qualifying on pole, and winning the 100-lap race under the lights. The win moves him into the championship lead. Conor Daly had an excellent run to finish 2nd after starting 8th. Formula BMW graduate, David Ostella had his best finish of the year by rounding out the top-three.

The hard charger of the event was Michael Furfari who drove an incredible race. The 16-year-old race driver improved 13 positions to cross the stripe in 8th after starting 21st. This is Furfari's second hard charger nomination in as many race events.

Star Mazda
Iowa Speedway
Round 7- Complete Results
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Indy Lights
Sebastian Saavedra drove a near perfect race north of the border as the Indy Lights made their way around the streets of Toronto, Canada. Saavedra is now sitting in second place in the overall championship with 2 victories and 5 top-five finishes. Championship leader, J.R. Hildebrand added another solid finish to his resume by crossing the stripe second. Toronto native, James Hinchcliffe rounded out the top-three. This is Hinchcliffe's fourth podium finish in 2009.

The hard charger of the race was Daniel Herrington, who drove from 18th on the grid to finish 9th.

Indy Lights
Grand Prix of Toronto
Complete Results
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Jaime Alguersuari, who drives in the World Series by Renault, is set to become the youngest Formula One driver in history; 19 years and 125 days, when he makes his debut for Toro Rosso at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The 19-year-old Spaniard will replace Sebastien Bourdais at Torro Rosso and partner Sebastien Buemi under the team tent. Unless, of course, this is all a rumor?

It's time for another Josef Newgarden update. The 18-year-old American star had another successful weekend abroad while racing at Snetterton on July 4th-5th with the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain (British Formula Ford).

Newgarden of Hendersonville, Tennessee swept the first two races of the weekend after starting on pole for both events. The third race of the weekend saw the JTR driver drop to third in the final tally. With this weekend's results taken into account, Newgarden has finished on the podium in 7 of the 12 events this year. To emphasize his success even more,... he has finished inside the top-five in 83.3% of his British Formula Ford starts (to date) in 2009.

The successfull stop at Snetterton moves Newgarden into 3rd place in the championship point standings.

Make sure to follow this season's results here>>.

Previous Updates on JOWT
March 17th, 2009- Newgarden Quick in Norwich
April 14th, 2009- Newgarden Victorious at Oulton Park
April 30th, 2009- Newgarden To Run Formula Palmer Audi
May 4th, 2009- Newgarden Takes Two In Formula Palmer Audi Debut
May 13th, 2009- Josef Newgarden to Attend Indy 500
June 1st, 2009- Newgarden Update

After making what many assumed was a one-off debut with Kolles & Heinz Union in last weekend's Formula 3 Euro Series event at Norisring, Nick Tandy has signed a contract with the team to compete in the remaining 2009 F3ES events. The catch is, he will be dropping his British F3 efforts with JTR. Tandy was currently in third place in the British F3-International Class after 8 Rounds. He claimed his first BF3 win just over a month ago at Rockingham.

JTR has announced that they plan to continue their 2009 British F3 campaign and are actively looking for a replacement driver. Many are wondering if American Josef Newgarden, who drives a JTR entry in the British Formula Ford series, will step-in and fill the seat.

Spanish driver Jaime Alguersuari (World Series by Renault) will replace Brendon Hartley (F3 Euro Series, World Series by Renault) as the Red Bull Formula One reserve driver for the German Grand Prix.

It's not really a surprising move by Red Bull as Hartley hasn't been producing the results that many had hoped for. The lackluster performances are quite likely due to the diversified focus between being a F3 Euro Series driver, World Series by Renault driver, and the all encompassing Formula One reserve driver position. Alguersuari, on the other hand, has been able to focus exclusively on the World Series by Renault and has finished inside the top-ten in 71.4% of his 2009 race starts. It's likely that Alguersuari will finish out the season as the Red Bull test driver, which should prove beneficial to Hartley's results.

Patrick Buganski of the Daily Journal spent some time with Atlantic Championship driver Markus Niemela at the recent New Jersey Motorsports Park event.

You can follow Markus around the paddock here.

Ekartingnews.com does a nice monthly feature on their chosen "Driver of the Month". This month's driver is Nazareth, Pennsylvania's karting standout; Sage Karam. In addition to his karting efforts, Karam is also competing in the Skip Barber National Championship. His karting resume is very impressive and his car skills are just beginning to really standout.... watch for bright things from this young man.

You can read his Ekartingnews "Driver of the Month" feature here.

American driver Alexander Rossi claimed his first International Formula Master win this weekend at the Automotodrom in Brno, Czech Republic. It was a historic win for the 17-year-old driver as he became the first American to win a Formula Master race. It also marked the first IFM win for his team: ISR Racing.

In addition to winning the race, Rossi also set the fastest lap of the event by over 4/10's of a second---with a lap time of 1:50.061. The win moves Rossi into fifth in the overall standings heading into the Brands Hatch event on July 18-19.

IFM- Automotodrom
Race 2- Full Results

Star Mazda- Milwaukee Mile

Dave Kallmann of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reminds stock car fans to keep an open mind for open wheel.

Indy Lights- Iowa Speedway

Dave Lewandowski of IndyCar.com writes a preview entitled Another Short Challenge.

Dan Davis of the Newton Daily News put together a nice piece on the history of the Indy Lights series.

Indy Lights driver Charlie Kimball talks about his return home after racing in Europe as well as his diagnosis of Type-1 diabetes in 2007 in this week's Des Moines Register. You can listen to the live chat with Kimball here.
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Well that's all for now. I'm off to play a quick round of golf and pack my bag for Iowa. Have a great weekend everyone.