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| July 13, 2012 News |
| Star Mazda: Businessman/Racer Robertshaw Makes Pro Debut at Edmonton Indy |
 | Local racer Blair Robertshaw will make his Star Mazda Championship debut during the Edmonton Indy doubleheader
(Photo: Robertshaw Racing) |
Blair Robertshaw, a 53 year-old Alberta investment adviser/builder, will make his professional open-wheel racing debut next weekend at the controls of the No. 42 Robertshaw Racing/Seko Construction/Web Mechanical/Provincial Electrical Mazda (otherwise known as "Betty") in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, a support race at the Edmonton Indy.
A rookie in the series, he will racing in Expert class, competing in the race-within-a-race for drivers 30 and older. The Star Mazda Expert Series offers businessmen/racers such as Robertshaw the opportunity to compete wheel-to-wheel at 150 mph against top young drivers from around the world.
Robertshaw will be assisted in his debut by AIM Autosport, the championship-winning, Toronto-based racing team that is fielding a full-season Star Mazda effort for rising young Canadian racer Zack Meyer. AIM won the Star Mazda championship in 2008 with John Edwards. The two teams will park side-by-side in the Star Mazda paddock and share information and resources.
"I've done a lot of racing in my life, but making my professional open-wheel debut in my home province at this huge event is an experience I'm really looking forward to," said Robertshaw. "I've been fortunate to have the support of my family, my team, and a really great group of advertisers, most of whom I work with professionally. We've been doing all kinds of promotional events leading up to this weekend, and we have a huge number of guests coming to the race who will be watching from the VIP boxes. I've worn a lot of hats getting to this point - businessman, race team owner, marketing director, event organizer, public speaker - now it's up to me to put on my 'fast hat' and go out there and drive the best race I can."
Robertshaw, who is primarily an investment adviser and also builds and operates senior facilities, has put together an impressive list of advertiser/sponsors. In addition to primary advertisers SEKO Construction, Web Mechanical Services, and Provincial Electrical Services, supporters include Permasteel Building Systems, Discovery Air International, After Eight Interiors Calgary, Artisan Autobody, Tunerworks, Sigrid Imports, Coast Plaza Hotel Edmonton, Priority Communication Systems, KESA Holdings and Robertshaw Corp.
While this will be his first professional race, Robertshaw has an impressive motorsports resume leading up to his debut. He was the Western Canada Motorsport Formula Continental champion in 2008 and 2009, setting track records at such Western Canadian venues as Race City in Alberta, Gimli in Manitoba and Namao Air Force Base in North Edmonton. He also, as with most open-wheel racers, has a karting background, winning the Formula 125 Pro Kart Series Championship from 1993 to 1997. He also has experience racing karts on street circuits at events such as the Winnipeg Exchange Grand Prix and the Star Phoenix Grand Prix in Saskatoon.
Star Mazda on-track action and the Edmonton Indy begins with a 30-minute practice session from 9-9:30 am on Friday (July 20), with a second session from 1:45-2:15 pm. Qualifying for the PEAK Performance pole will take place 11:00-11:30 am on Saturday (July 21), with race one of the weekend's doubleheader taking the green light for the series' spectacular standing start at 2:30 pm. Race Two, with the grid set according to the fastest lap turned by each car in race one, will take the green at 9:30 am on Sunday (July 22).
Star Mazda Championship cars all carry two Replay XD1080 cameras to provide exciting driver POV footage for races that are part of the Mazda Motorsports Hour broadcast tape-delayed on Discovery's Velocity Channel in the U.S. and globally on ESPN International. In the U.S., the race will air on Velocity at 12 Noon, Saturday, August 25. In Canada, the Mazda Motorsports Hour airs on Rogers Sports Net; please check your local listings for date and time, or go to http://www.sportsnet.ca/tvschedule |
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