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| June 13, 2009 News |
| Star Mazda: Daly on Pole for Race One in New Jersey |
 | Conor Daly secured his first series pole position in New Jersey
(Photo: Star Mazda Championship) |
After topping both practice sessions on Friday (June 12), Conor Daly went on to complete the trifecta later in the day with his first pole of the 2009 season Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. With a lap of 1:15.696 (102.831 mph) in the No. 22 Andersen Racing/College Network/Indeck/Cytomax Mazda, the son of racing legend Derek Daly will start from the inside of the front-row for the first race of the doubleheader in the second annual Mazda Formula X weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
"The beginning of the season has been just OK, but to come here and rebound and get the pole and being fast all day is really good," said Daly, who has one podium and one top-five in the first three races of the 2009 season and currently sits seventh in the championship battle. "It feels just great and it's very reassuring for me and the team. This weekend the track seems a bit slower; when the Andersen team and I tested here last week we were really quite a bit faster than what the pole time was. But I'm still pleased as long as everyone else is going a bit slower than me, it's OK. I really like the track and it's been a great weekend so far."
Starting alongside Daly will be current championship points leader with two pole and two wins so far, Englishman Adam Christodoulou. He proved his versatility by turning the fastest lap in two days of Star Mazda series testing at Iowa Speedway, his first-ever experience on an oval. Coming back to the wooded road courses he is most familiar and comfortable with, his lap of 1:16.037 (102.739 mph) in the No. 11 JDC MotorSports/Molecule Mazda puts him on the outside of the front row and in position to mount a serious challenge heading into the first turn.
Making a big, and well-deserved, jump up the ladder is the lone Scandinavian driver in the Star Mazda Championship, Anders Krohn. Currently ninth in the championship battle with only one result in the top-six, at VIR, the 2008 F2000 Championship Series champion is starting to run true to form. His lap of 1:16.082 (102.697 mph) in the No. 27 Mundill/Trallfa/Colosseum Mazda lines him up third on the starting grid, right behind Daly.
In fourth, on the outside of the second row with a lap of 1:16.197 (102.524 mph) in the No. 33 Andersen Racing/Traka/Allied Interior Products Mazda, is another name everyone expects to at the sharp end of the grid, Englishman Richard Kent. After winning the final race of the 2008 season from the pole, he returned and qualified on the pole for the 2009 season-opener at Sebring. He finished second there, and missed Round Two at VIR due to a non-racing injury. He returned to battle in Round Three at Miller Motorsports Park, finishing fourth and securing for the moment the eighth spot on the championship points list.
Another young driver taking a big step forward this weekend is Vancouver native Taylor Hacquard, now in his second season of Star Mazda Competition. He currently sits 13th in the championship with a best finish so far this season of 12th in Round Three at Miller Motorsports Park. His lap of 1:16.368 (102.346 mph) in the No. 15 Kester Racing Team 3G/Wolfe Auto Group/Texas World Speedway Mazda puts him fifth on the grid, on the inside of row three.
Rounding out the top-six is another pleasant surprise; Michael Furfari, the youngest driver in the series. Just 16 years-old, he is 11th in the championship with a best finish of ninth in Round Three at Miller Motorsports Park. He turned the fastest lap in Star Mazda series testing at the Milwaukee Mile and his lap of 1:16.368 (102.294 mph) in the No. 13 Juncos Racing/Furfari Paving Mazda grids him on the outside of row four for the start of tomorrow's 40-minute race.
The top-qualifying Expert Series driver (ages 30 44) is reining 2008 Expert Series champion Chris Cumming of Vancouver, B.C. He has scored one class win and two class podiums finishes in three races so far this year and leads the Expert Series battle. His lap of 1:17.433 (100.887 mph) in the No. 16 Kester Racing Team 3G / Texas World Speedway / Motul Oil Mazda earns him the 16th spot on the 27-car grid. Lining up just one row behind him is the current Master Series (drivers 45 and older) leader, Californian Mike Guasch, driver of the No. 91 JDC Motorsports / Molecule Mazda. He has scored class wins in two of three races so far this season and leads the class. His lap of 1:17.685 (100.560 mph) earned him the 20th starting spot on the grid.
The top-14 cars in the field are all within one second of each other, and the competition promises to be fierce in the first of two Star Mazda Championship races this weekend. The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is a main race at the multi-event Mazda Formula X returns to New Jersey Motorsports Park this weekend including Atlantic, Skip Barber, MX-5 and IMSA Lites. All the weekend's Mazda-powered races will be broadcast live on HDnet. There will be a live three hour broadcast each day from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm EDT. The broadcast team will be led by veteran commentator Rick Benjamin and legendary race-driver Elliott Forbes Robinson. Despite the fact that it's listed on the HDnet schedule at an Atlantic Championship broadcast, with no mention of any of the other races during the weekend, all the wheel-to-wheel Star Mazda Championship action will be covered live on both days.
Its a doubleheader weekend for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, with races on both Saturday and Sunday. The standing start for race one on Saturday (June 13) will get the green light at 2:00 pm. Qualifying for race two takes place Sunday morning (June 14) at 9:20 10:00 a.m., followed by the race at 2:00 p.m.
Star Mazda Championship
Round #4 Qualifying 1 Results
June 12, 2009
New Jersey Motorsports Park Millville, New Jersey
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Fast Time| 1. | Conor Daly | Andersen Racing | 1:15.969 | | 2. | Adam Christodoulou | JDC MotorSports | 1:16.037 | | 3. | Anders Krohn | Mundill | 1:16.082 | | 4. | Richard Kent | Andersen Racing | 1:16.197 | | 5. | Taylor Hacquard | Kester Racing/Team 3G | 1:16.329 | | 6. | Michael Furfari | Juncos Racing | 1:16.368 | | 7. | Alex Ardoin | JDC MotorSports | 1:16.385 | | 8. | Mikael Grenier | Andersen Racing | 1:16.417 | | 9. | Jorge Goncalvez | AIM Autosport | 1:16.509 | | 10. | Dennis Navarro | Andersen Racing | 1:16.738 | | 11. | Joel Miller | JDC MotorSports | 1:16.780 | | 12. | Caio Lara | JDC MotorSports | 1:16.834 | | 13. | Kristy Kester | Kester Racing/Team 3G | 1:16.917 | | 14. | Rick Rosin | Team GDT | 1:16.931 | | 15. | Peter Dempsey | AIM Autosport | 1:16.979 | | 16. | Billy Goshen | Goshen Motorsports | 1:17.004 | | 17. | David Ostella | AIM Autosport | 1:17.164 | | 18. | Rusty Mitchell | Mitchell Motorsports | 1:17.208 | | 19. | Chris Cumming (E) | Kester Racing/Team 3G | 1:17.433 | | 20. | Michael Guasch (M) | JDC MotorSports | 1:17.685 | | 21. | Kevin Toledo | Eliseo/THL Motorsports | 1:17.886 | | 22. | Gerry Kraut (M) | JDC MotorSports | 1:18.334 | | 23. | J.C. Kester | Kester Racing/Team 3G | 1:18.727 | | 24. | Carlos Conde (M) | American Speed Factory | 1:19.174 | | 25. | Toshi Deki (E) | Goshen Motorsports | 1:19.453 | | 26. | Walt Bowlin (M) | Juncos Racing | 1:20.483 | | NC. | Sean Burstyn | Juncos Racing | No-time | |
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