Toyota Atlantic news...

[Dov]

From Cart.com: http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=7509

[jjspierx]

This is good news. With Doricott and DSP out of Atlantics we really need some other teams to step up and field more cars. Allowing the older chassis's was a good idea as well. I think Dalziel has a pretty good chance of taking the championship this year. Without AJ and Valiente he really shouldn't have too much competition. Joey Hand is gone as well, and I don't think Macri is coming back. Andrew Ranger is an exceptional driver too, I wathced his progress in Fran-Am. I think he will catch on VERY quickly and he already knows some of the tracks on the OWRS circuit. Bryan Sellers will be back, I think, and he will definitely be up their fighting for podiums as well. Does anyone know if Aaron Justus is going to be in Atlantics this year?

[ElScOrChO]

I would have prefered to see Andrew in F3, but Atlantics is good too!

[rossidude]

Anyone know when some test dates are going to happen etc. How many on the grid do we reckon for the opener at Long Beach

[Dov]

From CW: http://rain.prohosting.com/cygni/TACygniSeason.html

[gttouring]

Atlantic is on its last legs- a new feeder formula with more power should be developed, this much is clear...

[Dov]

Agreed!!!

[jjspierx]

Originally posted by Dov
From CW: http://rain.prohosting.com/cygni/TACygniSeason.html

Hopefully we will see several entries with thne C2 chassis, which that list didn't factor any of those in. At least it will make the fields look larger.

[jjspierx]

Originally posted by gttouring
Atlantic is on its last legs- a new feeder formula with more power should be developed, this much is clear...

Atlantics have been around for over 30 years, I would really hate to see this series go down in the history books. Hopefully they will develop a new engine package, and revive the series.

[gttouring]

i know they've been around a long time, and formula atlantic in the SCCA will go on, but they don't need to vanish, just be re designed and re engined...toyota has a V6 and a V8 so the choices are many, or a turbo even. The formula has gotten a bit stale and the champcars are so much more involved...and speaking of deaths, why was it Indy Lights died? the horrible grumbling V6- a buick no less! and the fat looking chassis hmm.

[camcartfan]

Last I heard, Justus will stay in Atlantics with RuSport and AJ will move to Champ Cars with RuSport.

[Fogelhund]

The cars hardly need more power. What they really need, is to cost less. The reason for the low car counts is that this is no longer the most cost effective series of its kind, though it is quite visible.

I think the cars are fast enough.

Grid for the 2003 Toronto CART race was 58.839 to 1:02.564.
Pole for the 2003 Toronto Atlantic race was 1:04.920... Surely the cars don't need to be much quicker then they already are. Cheaper, with the same performance.. yes.

I hope that Danica Patrick fairs well this year, and wins the championship. While I'm not holding my breath, if she does fulfill the promise that some believe is there, then I think she would be a great markeing tool for the Champ Cars.

[Dov]

http://www.7thgear.com/uk/en/news_vi...id=3&nid=85722

THURSDAY 19TH FEBRUARY 2004

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan based management and marketing firm Sports Management Network, Inc. ("SMN") announced today that the firm has reached an agreement with top Toyota Atlantic outfit Pacific Coast Motorsports for race car driver client Lawson Aschenbach to test for the team.

Aschenbach, a twenty-year old native of Gaithersburg, Maryland, is the 2002 US Formula 2000 Zetec Series Road to Indy Oval Champion and multiple race winner in the Zetec series. Aschenbach, who has also scored championships in karting and Formula Ford, is currently a sophomore student at Vanderbilt University's prestigious School of Engineering in addition to his motorsports activities.

"At this stage of my driving career, it is all about seat-time and keeping my name out there," said Aschenbach. "This is a great opportunity for me to turn some miles in an Atlantic car and develop a relationship with one of the top teams in the paddock."

Aschenbach will first test for Pacific Coast Motorsports on February 25, 2004 at Button Willow Raceway. A subsequent test is tentatively scheduled for March 13, 2004 at Firebird International Raceway.

"Lawson comes highly recommended and widely regarded as one of the sport's top up-and-coming drivers," said Pacific Coast Motorsports President and Team Director Tyler Tadevic. "We know of his ability to provide meaningful feedback on car set-up and characteristics. We are excited to put Lawson in the car."

[Dov]

http://www.crash.net/uk/en/news_view...id=3&nid=86072

THURSDAY 26TH FEBRUARY 2004

RuSPORT's success with former Barber Dodge Pro Series champion AJ Allmendinger last season has led to the squad opening up greater opportunities for future graduates of the Skip Barber organisation.

After winning the 2003 Toyota Atlantic Championship at its first attempt, RuSPORT has finalised an agreement with the Skip Barber Formula Dodge National Championship - which becomes the operations top ranked series in 2004 - to award the next two champions with Toyota Atlantic test days.And, if the Champ Car-bound
RuSPORT squad isn't able to conduct those days, it has agreed to facilitate the testing with another existing Atlantic team.

"This is great news for Skip Barber Formula Dodge competitors," said Divina Galica, senior VP of racing at the renowned race school and series organiser, "FDNC has a history of producing really talented drivers - AJ among them - and, for our best drivers to show what they've got in an Atlantic car, well, that's a fantastic opportunity.

"As we recently announced, the FDNC champion now wins $100,000 in cash to take to a team further up the motorsports ladder. Also, having the Atlantic seat time on the resume makes for a compelling package - completely aside from that driver having distinctly proved his or her talent by winning the Skip Barber Formula Dodge title."

Having secured the Atlantic title in its first season, RuSPORT is all set to graduate, with Allmendinger, to the Champ Car World Series in 2004, but has not forgotten that it is the junior formulae that will provide its future.

"RuSPORT is pleased to continue its support of young drivers in their effort to make a career in Champ Car," said team president Jeremy Dale, "There is no doubt in my mind that North American drivers can compete at the highest levels of the sport, but we must all continue to help them develop the necessary skills. This is an important step in that direction."

[gttouring]

AH well listen to this Formula Mazda not the old 13b engined cars, but the new 240HP Formula cars with the Renesis rotary motor is doing everything it can to enter Formula Atlantic as an engine and chassis option to the Swift.Toyota combo! (which has 240HP as well)
I read this in SportsCar magazine this month- the SCCA pblication.
so any gaps in atlantic can be filled by the MAZDA car and new teams (the new car goes for 70K with motor to start with-built by..Panoz i believe and approved by IMSA Proracing and SCCA)
with Ford's tie in into Champcars, a Mazda based or run feeder makes more sense than toyota...

[jjspierx]

hmmm...I doubt that will happen, not that its a bad idea, but part of the attraction to the series is equal cars. Introducing different chassis's and engines will just complicate things. Plus while the new Formula Mazda is a great looking fast car, it is much cheaper to run in Star Mazda. Tests have shown that the Star Mazda is not quite as fast as the Toyota Atlantic, so changes would have to be made to make it competive as well. Unless they did something similar to the C2 chassis class that they added, and they had a seperate championship for the Mazda chassis's and engines. Another note, they could hardly call it the Toyota Atlantic Championship with Mazda engines in it, could they?

[Snrub]

The Renesis is still a 13B and the rotors are the same width. Using the the same engine as in the RX-8 is a great idea for marketing and cheap, but they could easily sqeeze more power out. I'm not exactly sure why they'd bother having Panoz build the engines, why not use factory remans? If they're going to do that, why not apply some sort of port job or slap a turbo on to get some real power? (Mazda's claims that the Renesis "can't handle" a turbo is pr non-sense)