2006 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear - Round 3

Ryan Justice powers his way to second consecutive Star Mazda victory

May 20, 2006. Lexington, Ohio. Ryan Justice, of Portland, Oregon, powered his way to victory today in Round Three of The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Driving the #38 Northwest Autosport Mazda, Justice led every lap to capture his second consecutive victory. Adrian Carrio, from Monument, Colorado, finished second in the #14 Rockford Fosgate World Speed Motorsports Mazda 3.477 seconds behind Justice in today's 29-lap event. Kevin Lacroix, driving the #74 Uni-Select Auto Parts John Walko Racing Mazda finished third to complete this afternoon's podium.

"Jon Branam did a better job that I did of anticipating the start and was able to get into the lead but I was able to get around him right away and the rest of the race was maintaining and building a lead and managing my tires since we didn't have a lot of long runs on a dry track with all the rain earlier in the weekend," Justice explained. "Once my car was up to speed it was the car to beat this weekend. I was hoping that Adrian and Kevin could close up a bit so we could have a fight to the finish but those days will come."

Carrio, who came into the weekend tied for the points lead with Michael Potekhen, lined up fourth on the grid but was quickly up to third on the opening lap and was able to jump past Branam into second place on the first of two restarts. "After Houston I spent a lot of time working with my driver coach focusing on starts and restarts and it paid off today," the 17-year old said. "I got a great start to move into third place and was able to get past Branam on the restart when he went a little wide. We were gaining on Ryan after the second restart for a bit before he was able to open up a gap. The World Speed crew gave me a great car and I have to thank Rockford Fosgate and my dad for all their support to get me to the front of the championship."

Making only his second start in the series, Lacroix, from St Eustache, Quebec, Canada, was looking to chase down Carrio in the closing laps but was unable to find a way past and would finish third, scoring his second consecutive podium finish. "Adrian and I had some close calls in the final laps as we came up on lap traffic and we almost made contact," Lacroix commented. "I didn't get to do any preseason testing with the team so these past two races I have been learning how to communicate with my engineer and team and things are working really well."

35 drivers took the green flag for today's 29-lap event which was interrupted by two brief caution periods. The first caution period came out on lap eight when Dan Tomlin III and Browning Williams found the gravel traps in separate incidents. The final caution period occurred on lap 13 when Rob Bunker and Brian Thienes were caught up in an incident in the Keyhole corner of the 2.25-mile road circuit

With three rounds complete of the 2006 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear Carrio climbs to the top of the championship with 109 points while Justice jumps from fourth to second place with 102 points and Potekhen, who finished fifth in today's event occupies third place with 101 points.

In the Expert Championship, for drivers aged 30-44, Gerardo Bonilla captured the class victory in his #9 Carmela Sausages Andersen Racing Team Mazda and holds first place with 51 points. Dan Tomlin III and Brian Thienes are now tied for second with 42 points apiece.In the Masters Championship, for drivers aged 45 and older, John Pew, driving the #15 NVG Velocity Motorsports Mazda was the class winner after battling with Doug Peterson for the top spot in class and remains out front with 52 points. Ken Losch sits in second in class with 43 points and Peterson holds third place with 42 points.

In the Team Championship World Speed Motorsports remains in first with 56 points while Northwest Autosport jumps to second with 53 points and John Walko Racing is third with 47 points.

Coming up in June, the series makes it's only oval appearance of the season, running with the Champ Car World Series at the famed Milwaukee Mile in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for Round Four of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear on June 3-4. Round Three from the Mid-Ohio Sports car course is scheduled to air at 3:00 PM Eastern Time on Sunday, June 11th. For more information please visit www.starmazda.com

Justice sets record to qualify out front at Mid Ohio

May 20, 2006. Lexington, Ohio. Driving the #38 Northwest Autosport Mazda, Ryan Justice, of of Portland, Oregon, set a blistering pace around the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, lapping the 2.25-mile circuit in a record time of 1:18.300 (103.816 MPH) to capture the pole position for Round Three of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, being held in conjunction with the American Le Mans Series at Mid Ohio. Joining Justice on the front row for this afternoon's 30 lap race will be Jon Branam, of Miami Beach, Florida, who finished second in the session with a time of 1:19.376 (102.409 MPH) in the #12 American Speed Factory 3-Dimensional Services Mazda.

"The credit for this pole position should go to everyone on my crew because they continue to give me a great car every weekend," Justice, who earned his first series victory last weekend in Houston, said afterwards. "Though we weren't on top at the end of practice yesterday we knew we had a good car as I encountered traffic on my fast lap, which wasn't a bad thing as it allowed us to come into this session in a somewhat stealth mode. During my fast qualifying lap today I had to pass another car entering the Keyhole but otherwise the lap was perfect."

Branam, who will line up alongside Justice on the front row, was unable to mount a late session charge on pole position after a half shaft failure cut short his session. "Everyone at American Speed Factory is happy that we're starting up at the front and just a little disappointed that we didn't get a few more laps," Branam said. "I thought something broke in the gearbox at first and while I don't know if I would've had enough to catch Justice it would've been nice to try."

This morning's qualifying session, run under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low sixties, was a marked contrast from yesterday morning's practice session when temperatures never rose above 45 degrees and wind and rain swept across the circuit. Lap times plummeted as drivers were finally able to take full advantage of the recently repaved track with the top ten all lapping under the previous fast time of the weekend set by Michael Potekhen.

Lining up third after a solid qualifying session will be Matt Varsha, son of Speed Channel Broadcaster Bob Varsha, who clocked a time of 1:19.416 (102.357 MPH) in his #45 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda. Varsha, who is hunting for sponsorship so he can continue beyond this weekend, was happy with the result. "Starting up front will be a good thing as I am a better racer than qualifier," the Atlanta, Georgia, resident explained. "Hopefully we'll be able to outrace some of these drivers and get a strong result."

Justice's lap time of 1:18.300 breaks the existing track record of 1:18.503 set in 2005 by eventual series champion Raphael Matos.

Round Three of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is scheduled to roll off the grid this afternoon at 4:05 PM Eastern Time.

Michael Potekhen returns to top of charts in final practice at Mid-Ohio

May 19, 2006. Lexington, Ohio. Michael Potekhen, of Silverthorne, Colorado, returned to the top of the time sheets at Mid-Ohio, setting a fast lap of 1:20.207 (101.348 MPH) in the final practice session for Round Three of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, being held this weekend in conjunction with the American Le Mans Series at Mid Ohio. Potekhen, driving the #53 Apex Racing Avenue Communities Mazda, led the field of thirty-six cars during unofficial practice on Thursday and returned to the top this afternoon when conditions were much better than earlier in the day.

"It was nice to come out on top in both dry sessions so far this weekend," Potekhen, who enters the weekend tied for first place with Adrian Carrio, said. "I think our team has the upper hand this weekend as the test we did earlier this month has really helped us out. The track was still slippery as it hasn't been dry enough for the cars to lay down a lot of rubber, and with all the cars in the series it can be hard to get a clear lap, you might get one or two good laps and then the next two you would have to work through traffic so we are pleased to be out in front. Now our focus is on getting the pole position and the win tomorrow because I don't want to be tied for first place."

A host of drivers will look to knock Potekhen off the top of the leaderboard, starting with Ryan Justice, who posted the second fastest time of the day at 1:20.234 (101.314 MPH) in the #38 Northwest Autosport Mazda. Justice, from Portland, Oregon, comes into the weekend fresh off his pole position and victory last weekend on the temporary street circuit around Houston's Reliant Park. Gerardo Bonilla, the winner of the opening round of the season at Sebring International Raceway, clocked the third fastest time of the day around the 2.25-mile road circuit with a lap of 1:20.658 (100.781 MPH) in his #9 Carmela Sausages Andersen Racing Team Mazda.

Series rookie Kevin Lacroix, who finished second to Justice in his first Star Mazda event at Houston, guided his #74 Uni-Select Auto Parts John Walko Racing Mazda to the fourth fastest time of the afternoon at 1:20.957 (100.409 MPH), while American Speed Factory driver Jon Branam piloted his #12 3-Dimensional Services Mazda to a time of 1:20.973 (100.389 MPH) to complete the top five in an afternoon session run under overcast skies, a welcome relief from the wind and rain that the drivers battled in the opening practice session.

The series returns to the track for the single qualifying session of the weekend on Saturday, May 20th at 10:55 AM Eastern Time. Round Three of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is scheduled to get underway later in the day at 4:05 PM Eastern Time.

Rob Bunker paces soggy opening practice session at Mid-Ohio

May 19, 2006. Lexington, Ohio. Rob Bunker. of Bridgewater, New Jersey, tackled the rain and windswept Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to set the fastest lap in the first official practice session for Round Three of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. Bunker, driving the #18 Thrupoint AIM Autosport, was master of the conditions, lapping the 2.25-mile circuit in 1:47.342 (75.782 MPH) in a session that was interrupted by four brief red flag periods.

Michael Potekhen, who set the fastest time of the day in unofficial practice on Thursday at 1:23.464 (97.393 MPH), could only muster the second fastest time in this morning's session with a 1:47.594 (75.551 MPH) in his Apex Racing Avenue Communities Mazda. Daniel Herrington, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, logged a time of 1:49.537 (74.211 MPH) in his Bluetooth SIG AIM Autosport Mazda to complete the top three drivers for the morning.

Drivers had difficulty getting heat into their tires as the temperature hovered in the low forties, with the steady rain and gusts on wind combining to make it a chilly session for all participants. The red flag flew over the session four times as drivers were caught out by the slick track surface, however none of the 29 drivers that posted times in the session experienced major damage, most requiring only a little assistance to get out of the gravel traps and back underway.

Weather forecasts for the area are calling for occasional showers throughout the day Friday with sunny skies returning in time for qualifying on Saturday. The final practice session of the day is scheduled to get underway at 4:15 PM Eastern Time.

Potekhen sets the pace during Thursday's wet test sessions at Mid-Ohio

May 18, 2006. Lexington, Ohio. Michael Potekhen, of Silverthorne, Colorado posted the fastest time of the day on Thursday during unofficial practice for Round Three of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Driving the Apex Racing Avenue Communities Mazda, Potekhen overcame the cold and wet conditions throughout the day to lap the 2.25-mile road course in 1:23.464 (97.393 MPH) in the second of three practice sessions.

"Today was a really good day for us at Apex Racing, even though the weather was gloomy, in fact I wouldn't mind if rained up until qualifying," Potekhen, who enters this weekend tied for the championship with Adrian Carrio explained. "We tested here several weeks ago and in the few dry laps we had today the balance in the car came right back and the lap times were falling. We are a new team this season and while we knew we would be strong we didn't know how quickly we would be running up front, so to come into this weekend tied for the championship and setting the fast time today is a credit to all the crew and their hard work."

Severe thunderstorm and high wind warnings greeted the teams on their arrival to the circuit this morning, and while the threats failed to fully materialize all three sessions were slowed by rain and damp conditions, with the second session, which started in dry conditions before showers rolled over the circuit near the halfway mark, offering drivers the best opportunity to set a quick lap.

Ross Smith, of Plano, Texas, set the second fastest time of the day at 1:23.618 (97.214 MPH) in his John Walko Racing Maxwell Paper Products Mazda, while Carrio, from Monument, Colorado, was third fastest on the day in the World Speed Motorsports Rockford Fosgate Mazda at 1:23.850 (96.945 MPH). Ryan Justice, who led every session in Houston and captured his first series victory, topped the time sheets in the first and final practice session but could only set the fourth fastest time of the day at 1:25.615 (94.946 MPH) in his Northwest Autosport Mazda. Defending Masters Champion John Pew rounded out the top five drivers on the day, with the North Palm Beach, Florida, driver clocking a time of 1:26.632 in his NVG Velocity Motorsports Mazda.

Official practice is scheduled to begin on Friday, May 19th at 8:50 AM Eastern Time.