2010 Skip Barber / F2000 / Star Mazda

[NaBUru38]

USF2000 - Road Atlanta race 1

1. Sage Karam (Andretti)
2. Zach Veach (Andretti)
3. Patrick McKenna (Cape)
4. Matthew Powers (Liberty)
5. Felix Serralles (Liberty)
6. Ardie Greenamyer (AcceleRace)
7. J.R. Smart (Pabst)
8. Raphael Abbate (JDC)
9. Mikhail Goikhberg (JDC)
10. Luke Ellery (JDC)
11. Javier Barrales (Cape)

USF2000 - Road Atlanta race 2

1. Sage Karam (Andretti)
2. Felix Serralles (Liberty)
3. Luke Ellery (JDC)
4. Zach Veach (Andretti)
5. Patrick McKenna (Cape)
6. Raphael Abbate (JDC)
7. Javier Barrales (Cape)
8. J.R. Smart (Pabst)
9. Ardie Greenamyer (AcceleRace)
10. Matthew Powers (Liberty)
11. Mikhail Goikhberg (JDC)

2010 USF2000 final standings

Championship class:
1. Sage Karam (Andretti), 351
2. Patrick McKenna (Cape), 269
3. Mikhail Goikhberg (JDC), 194
4. Raphael Abbate (JDC), 192
5. Zach Veach (Andretti), 189
6. MartÃ*n Scuncio, 119
7. Javier Barrales, 112
8. Matthew Powers, 97
9. Martin Sala, 79
10. Terrick Mansur, 57
11. Josh Fielding, 40
12. Anthony Furfari, 27
13. Benjamin Searcy, 18

National class:
1. Ardie Greenamyer (AcceleRace), 208
2. J.R. Smart (Pabst), 164
3. Joe Tovo, 1
4. Brian Belardi, 1

Karam and Veach are still very young, but it's time McKenna and Goikhberg move up, they are getting old.

[Morris Dancer]

Star Mazda's devalued championship winner's prize (a 2011 Grand Am GT1 drive) has backfired, judging by Conor Daly's comments on the GP3 website.

If Daly passes, does the drive go to the second-placed driver - or the third, or fourth ...?!

[gomick]

No way is Conor Daly going to Grand Am - saying that, not many series in the world have prizes of a drive the following year in a different series, so i dont think Conor drove in Star Mazda to win that prize, more so to win the title & further his open wheel career...

[Morris Dancer]

It makes a mockery of the 'Road to Indy' when the third tier championship gives its winnner an incentive to leave the 'road'.

At least USF2000 is faithful to the concept by giving its winner a Star Mazda drive.

Indy Lights should give its winner an Indy Car ride!

[Morris Dancer]

There's no sign of the Atlantic Series returning from its "haitus".

Might as well consign it to a 'Defunct Series' folder.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Morris Dancer

It makes a mockery of the 'Road to Indy' when the third tier championship gives its winnner an incentive to leave the 'road'.

At least USF2000 is faithful to the concept by giving its winner a Star Mazda drive.

Indy Lights should give its winner an Indy Car ride!

If you know the history of Star Mazda, they never really intended themselves to be much of a ladder series and in the case of Mazda there is really no point in promoting a driver into indy lights.

Conor Daly might end up in europe, but also having a few sportscar drives is not a bad deal to learn as a driver. Drivers all too often get so focused on a one track focus it really narrows their development. Really they should drive as much machinery as much as possible.

[Morris Dancer]

Whether or not Star Mazda was "intended" (by whom?) to be a 'ladder' series, Atlantic's demise has made it the de facto step between Barber/F2000 and Indy Lights - or IndyCars, budget and/or talent permitting!

There's nothing wrong with drivers adding diversity to their CVs, but I've never heard of an F1/IndyCar aspirant willingly choosing a non-openwheeler category on the way up - only down.

Mazda only damages its credibility in the sport by refusing to help its Star Mazda champions to progress to the logical next level in their careers.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Morris Dancer

Whether or not Star Mazda was "intended" (by whom?) to be a 'ladder' series, Atlantic's demise has made it the de facto step between Barber/F2000 and Indy Lights - or IndyCars, budget and/or talent permitting!

There's nothing wrong with drivers adding diversity to their CVs, but I've never heard of an F1/IndyCar aspirant willingly choosing a non-openwheeler category on the way up - only down.

Mazda only damages its credibility in the sport by refusing to help its Star Mazda champions to progress to the logical next level in their careers.

I don't think Mazda sees it that way. Mazda's business is selling road cars and promoting the sale of. It's not in the business of subsidizing drives into a series it has nothing to do with(irl) unless of course there would be some promotion benefit to be gained by doing so and obviously there is not.

There is nothing wrong at all if a driver chooses to race in GP3 for that driver also to do some sports car drives.

Just because something is made de facto doesn't mean it has to support that position. There is more to life than the irl as shown by all the people who are not fans.

[NaBUru38]

The 2010 season is over. Let's move to the 2011 thread, please?

[Morris Dancer]

The marketing success of Mazda's 'junior development' category program hinges on the company's credibility as a supporter of talented young race drivers.

Denying the Star Mazda champion assistance to progress to a higher level openwheeler category, irrespective of whether the company is involved in that category, blows that credbility to pieces.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Morris Dancer

The marketing success of Mazda's 'junior development' category program hinges on the company's credibility as a supporter of talented young race drivers.

Denying the Star Mazda champion assistance to progress to a higher level openwheeler category, irrespective of whether the company is involved in that category, blows that credbility to pieces.

It is supporting them by giving them sports car drives now and in the past(guy cosmo comes to mind) where Mazda actually races.

Mazda is in the business of selling road cars, not endlessly supporting "young drivers" for no promotional benefit.

You don't appear to be aware of how Mazda markets themselves in motor sport here in the USA and part of their strategy involves supporting club and semi pro racing with NASA, SCCA, Rally America and IMSA. Most of the racing involves their road cars and the sale of Mazdaspeed components and cars, which for them helps their marketing of Mazda of a "sporty" brand. They spend millions on contingency prizes or even direct support but in return they build that brand and move some cars and parts.

Star Mazda to this day and from it's inception in 1987 or so, was always about the amateur weekend racer. It was a cheaper alternative to some open wheel formulas with easy to maintain rotary engines compared to say running a Formula Atlantic and all the costs that go with that, especially engine rebuilds.

All this stuff about blowing it's credibility to pieces is nonsense by not spending a million bucks to get a driver into Indy Lights. That is neither financially sane nor ever the intention of the series, despite being asked to be a part of the empty "road to indy" jive. As it is they get an Indy Lights test as champion.

But Mazda also supports the series to it's own benefit which is spinning drivers into Mazda factory sports cars.

They may have fallen into the ladder series by default due to pro Atlantics dying, but that was never the overall intention and it does Mazda no promotion benefit buying drivers drives in series they have nothing to do with. It's not a charity company.

[Morris Dancer]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

The 2010 season is over. Let's move to the 2011 thread, please?

That's fine by me. Then we can continue the discussion there!