2006 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear - Round 2

Daniel Herrington Houston exclusion overturned, awarded victory at Houston

May 25, 2006. Pacoima, California. Daniel Herrington, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was awarded the victory in Round Two of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, held on the temporary street circuit around Reliant Park in Houston, successfully appealing his exclusion from the event for a non-compliant part to IMSA, while initial race winner Ryan Justice was penalized one position by series stewards for passing Herrington during a caution period midway through the event.

Herrington, driving the #3 Bluetooth AIM Autosport Mazda, was able to move into the lead during a restart on lap nine before the caution flag came out on the same lap when Gerardo Bonilla crashed on the front straight, before the cars made it back to start finish Justice had moved back into the lead. Review of the videotape following the event showed that his pass had come under the yellow flag but the penalty was mooted when Herrington was excluded following post race tech. With Herrington's reinstatement he was placed at the front of the field for his first series victory.

The reversal of the exclusion also shakes up the points chase as Herrington now assumes the points lead with 113 points to Adrian Carrio's 107 points. Justice and Michael Potekhen are now tied for third place in points with 98 points apiece.

The championship resumes on June 2-3 for the series' only oval event of the season, joining the Champ Car World Series on the famous Milwaukee Mile. Round Two of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear from Houston will be featured on Speed Channel on Sunday, May 28 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.

Ryan Justice grabs first Star Mazda victory at Houston

May 13, 2006. Houston, Texas. Ryan Justice capped off his race weekend at Houston, where he topped the time sheets in every session around the Reliant Park street circuit, with his first career Star Mazda victory in Round Two of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear , being held in conjunction with the American Le Mans and Champ Car Lone Star Grand Prix in Houston this weekend. Justice, driving the #38 Northwest Autosport Mazda, led every lap of the event. Kevin Lacroix, making his series debut this weekend, was awarded second place when Daniel Herrington was disqualified after a non-compliant part was discovered in post-race impound. Michael Potekhen was subsequently moved up to third place to complete this weekend's podium.

"It was a great feeling to cross the finish line and get that first victory," Justice, a native of Portland, Oregon said. "It makes all the hard work, the hour of running every day, the weight training, test sessions and sacrifices drivers make to compete worth it. I also have to give credit to my crew at Northwest Autosport for their long hours to give me a race-winning car. The car didn't handle as well on tires with a heat cycle on them as they did the other days of the weekend, I'm not sure if it was because of the heat or the rubber laid down by the American Le Mans Series last night, and with the yellow flags I wasn't able to pull away from he field as I had hoped but it feels great to cross the finish line first."

Herrington, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, crossed the finish line in second place, earning what appeared to be his second consecutive second place finish to start off his Star Mazda career. With the disqualification, Lacroix, making his series debut this weekend driving the #74 Uni-Select Auto Parts John Walko Racing Mazda, was awarded second place after a strong race which saw him jump from fifth to third on the opening lap. "I was able to take advantage of some drivers that were very aggressive on the opening lap and pushed wide on the first few corners, " the St. Eustache, Quebec, resident explained. "The car was good but it just wasn't fast enough to get past the cars in front of me."

Potekhen, from Silverthorne, Colorado, worked his way up from fourteenth on the grid to finish fourth on track in his #53 Avenue Communities Apex Racing Mazda, ultimately gaining the third finishing position after the race. "The car was working really well today for me to be able to gain as many positions as I did on this circuit," Potekhen said afterwards. "We are right there in the running for the championship and everyone at Apex Racing is doing a great job."

Rounding out the top six were Matt Varsha, from Atlanta, Georgia, would finish fourth in the #45 Jeff Haas Mazda prepared by Racers Edge Motorsports; Adrian Carrio, from Monument, Colorado, lined up second on the grid this afternoon and would finish fifth in his #14 Rockford Fosgate World Speed Motorsport Mazda; David Stover, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, a regular in the Southwest Formula Mazda Championship, would capture the sixth spot in his #68 Grigsby's Texas Autosports Mazda.

37 drivers took the green flag for today's 22-lap event. Originally scheduled for 34-laps the race around the challenging street circuit would be interrupted by several caution periods. Trouble would strike Jason Bowles on the opening lap as the cars jockeyed for position bringing out the first caution period. Steven Hickham Jr and Ron White would also have their races finish during the opening laps of the event. Round One winner Gerardo Bonilla would also bring out the full course yellow when his car slid into the wall as the cars took the green flag on lap 10.

With two rounds complete of the 2006 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear Adrian Carrio and Michael Potekhen are tied for first place with 69 points apiece while Matt Varsha sits right on their heels in third place with 68 points. In the Expert Championship, for drivers aged 30-44, Brian Thienes won the class in his JDC Motorsports Mazda and moves into tie for first place with Gerardo Bonilla at 31 points. Dan Tomlin III and Phil Fogg Jr are tied for third with 30 points each. In the Masters Championship, for drivers aged 45 and older, Apex Racing driver Ken Losch captured the victory to move into second place with 31 points. John Pew holds onto first place with 32 points while Jay Poscente and Doug Peterson are tied for third with 26 points each. In the Team Championship World Speed Motorsports climbs to first place followed by Racers Edge Motorsports and Apex Racing.

The series now heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in one weeks' time for Round Three of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear to be held in conjunction with the American Le Mans Series at Mid-Ohio on May 18-20. Round Two from Houston is Scheduled to air at 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Sunday, May 28. For more information please visit www.starmazda.com

Ryan Justice captures pole position at Houston

May 13, 2006. Houston, Texas. Ryan Justice, pilot of the #38 Northwest Autosport Mazda, continued his mastery on the temporary street circuit around Reliant Stadium, posting a blistering lap of 1:09.341 (87.740 MPH) in qualifying to earn the pole position for Round Two of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, being held in conjunction with the American Le Mans and Champ Car Lone Star Grand Prix in Houston this weekend.

Justice has topped the charts in all of the practice sessions this weekend leading up to this afternoon's 34 lap event. He will be joined on the front row of the grid by Adrian Carrio, of Monument, COlorado, who navigated the 1.69-mile circuit in a time of 1:09.517 (87.518 MPH) in his Rockford Fosgate World Speed Motorsports Mazda.

The second row of the grid will be filled with drivers that posted identical times. Daniel Herrington, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will start third in his Bluetooth SIG AIM Autosport Mazda after posting the time of 1:09.776 (87.193 MPH) one lap prior to Sebring winner Gerardo Bonilla, from Orlando, Florida, matching the time in his Carmela Sausages Andersen Racing Team Mazda.

Round Two of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, 34 laps around the Reliant Park temporary circuit, is scheduled to begin this afternoon at 2:15 Central Time.

Ryan Justice tops the time sheets again at Houston in second practice session

May 12, 2006. Houston, Texas. Ryan Justice, pilot of the #38 Northwest Autosport Mazda, has served notice to the rest of the Star Mazda competitors that he is the driver to beat as he paced the second consecutive session on the temporary street circuit around Reliant Stadium, posting a blistering lap of 1:09.207 (87.909 MPH) in practice for Round Two of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, being held in conjunction with the American Le Mans and Champ Car Lone Star Grand Prix in Houston this weekend.

Justice has set the bar high for the other 37 drivers in the field with Matt Varsha, driving Racers Edge Motorsports prepared Jeff Haas Mazda, setting the second fastest time in today's session at 1:10.170 (86.705 MPH), almost a second behind the pace set by Justice. Daniel Herrington, in the AIM Autosport Bluetooth Mazda finished with the third fastest time of the day at 1:10.406 (86.413 MPH) in the 45 minute session held in the noonday sun with temperatures in the mid-80's.

Series regulars Jon Branam, Michael Potekhen and Ross Smith held down the next three spots on the time sheet with Branam, from Miami Beach, Florida, posting a time of 1:10.512 (86.283 MPH) in his 3-Dimensional Services American Speed Factory Mazda. Behind the wheel of the Apex Racing Avenue Communities Mazda, Potekehn, from Silverthorne, Colorado, lapped the 1.69-mile circuit in 1:10.575 (86.206 MPH) to lock down the fifth spot on the day. Smith was the fastest Texan on the day with the Plano resident setting the sixth fastest time of 1:10.617 (86.155 MPH) in his Maxwell Paper Products John Walko Racing Mazda.

Final Qualifying will be held from 12:00 to 12:45 PM Central Time on Saturday, May 13th. The cars are scheduled to take the green flag for Round Two fo the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at 2:15 PM Central Time.

Ryan Justice leads first practice session at Houston

May 11 , 2006. Houston, Texas. Northwest Autosport driver Ryan Justice, of Portland, Oregon, topped the time sheets this afternoon in the first practice session for the Lone Star Grand Prix on the temporary street circuit around Reliant Stadium in Round Two of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. Justice, a student at Loyola Marymount University, lapped the 1.69-mile circuit in a time of 1:10.653 (86.111 MPH).

Ron White, from Santa Clara, California, posted the second fast time in the only practice session of the day, with a time of 1:11.245 (85.395 MPH) in his Fulton Valley Farms Mazda. Matt Varsha, from Atlanta, Georgia, son of Speed Channel broadcaster Bob Varsha, set the third fastest time of 1:11.486 (85.108 MPH) in his Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda.

Thirty-eight drivers participated in the 45-minute session which was interrupted by two red flag periods, the first to remove the car of Charles Anti, which had backed into a wall on the circuit and the second at the end of the session for an incident between Michael Potekhen and Ron White.

The second practice session is scheduled for 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM Central Time on Friday, May 12th.